Pipedrive vs Salesforce CRM Comparison 2023: Which Is Best?

In today’s competitive business landscape, selecting the right customer relationship management (CRM) software can significantly impact a company’s success.

Pipedrive vs Salesforce, two prominent competitors in the market, offer unique features and functionalities. If you’re interested in either of these CRMs, you’re at the right place.

This comprehensive comparison of Pipedrive vs Salesforce CRM will examine their key strengths, limitations, and suitability for different business scenarios.

So, check out our guide below and decide which CRM is right for your business.

What is the Difference Between Pipedrive and Salesforce?

The main difference between Salesforce and Pipedrive is their scope and focus within the CRM space. Salesforce is a comprehensive CRM platform that offers great sales, marketing, and customer service features. On the other hand, Pipedrive specializes in sales pipeline management and has a user-friendly interface.

Additionally, Salesforce makes a great choice for businesses of all sizes and industries, providing many customization and integration options. In contrast, Pipedrive provides a sleek approach to managing leads and deals, primarily focusing on small and medium-sized businesses.

For a more in-depth understanding of Pipedrive, you can check out our Pipedrive review. And if you’re interested in learning more about Salesforce, you can read our Salesforce review.

Our reviews will provide details about each CRM platform’s features, functionalities, pros, and cons, helping you make smart choices based on your needs.

Pipedrive vs Salesforce Comparison Chart

This chart will compare Pipedrive vs Salesforce to help you gain a quick overview and make evaluating which CRM solution aligns better with your business needs easier.

Pipedrive vs Salesforce Pricing

When comparing the pricing of Pipedrive and Salesforce, it’s important to consider the needs and budget of your business.

Winner: Pipedrive

Pipedrive offers more affordable pricing options than Salesforce, particularly for small to medium-sized businesses. The Pipedrive plans start at $21.90 per user per month for the Essential plan and go up to $119 per user per month for the Enterprise plan.

On the other hand, Salesforce offers a wide range of pricing plans and editions, which can vary significantly in cost. While Salesforce may have higher starting prices, it also provides more advanced features and capabilities, making it suitable for larger enterprises with complex sales and customer service requirements.

Regarding pricing, Pipedrive is excellent for businesses with limited budgets or those needing sales pipeline management and basic CRM functionalities.

Pipedrive’s straightforward pricing plans offer good value for small to medium-sized sales teams.

However, if your business requires a more comprehensive CRM solution with advanced features, customization options, and scalability, Salesforce’s higher-priced plans may be worth considering.

Salesforce has a vast ecosystem, integrations, and enterprise-level capabilities, making it suitable for larger organizations with complex sales, marketing, and customer service processes.

Overall, the winner in terms of pricing depends on your specific business requirements and budget.

Pipedrive is more cost-effective for smaller businesses focused on sales pipeline management features, whereas Salesforce offers a broader range of features and scalability for larger enterprises.
 

Salesforce vs Pipedrive Free Versions

Unfortunately, neither CRM has a free version. However, they have free trials on their paid plans, but Pipedrive offers better conditions. Let’s discuss why Pipedrive wins this comparison.

Winner: Pipedrive

Salesforce doesn’t have a free version but offers free trials of many packages, allowing users to test the platform’s features for a limited period before committing.

While it’s not a permanent free version, the trials can provide valuable insights into how Salesforce functions and help users compare it to other alternatives.

Pipedrive isn’t a free CRM, either. However, it also provides a free trial. The Pipedrive free trial typically lasts for 14 days, although it may be extended if you have a coupon or special offer.

During the 14-day free trial period, you can access the Pipedrive Essentials, Advanced, or Professional plans, allowing them to experience the core features and functionalities of the platform.

Regarding the winner for free versions, it’s clear that Pipedrive takes the lead as they offer a specific trial period for users to test the platform without any commitments.
 

Customer Support

When comparing the customer support of Pipedrive and Salesforce, it’s evident that both platforms provide a range of support options.

However, Pipedrive offers more comprehensive support across all plans, making it the winner in this category. Let’s discuss the customer support of both in more detail.

Winner: Pipedrive

Pipedrive users can access the online help center. It has FAQs, a knowledge base, a Pipedrive community, and tutorials through Pipedrive Academy.

Additionally, 24/7 live chat support is available, although it’s unclear if email support is provided for users of all plans.

The most expensive enterprise plans of Pipedrive also offer phone support and a great implementation program for onboarding and setup assistance.

In contrast, Salesforce provides a Help Center where users can search for issues and solutions through documents, videos, and other resources. There’s also a Salesforce community where users can ask questions and wait for responses.

Personal support requires logging into the account, which can be inconvenient for new users seeking help choosing a plan and signing up.

Salesforce users have mixed reviews of their customer service, with some complaining about slow response time.

However, Premium Salesforce plans get priority 24/7 support. So, you will get better support if you pay extra.

In conclusion, Pipedrive wins in the customer support category as it offers a better support system across all plans, including live chat and phone support for enterprise customers.
 

Nonprofits

When it comes to serving nonprofits, Salesforce offers a dedicated CRM platform called Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud, designed to cater to the needs of nonprofit organizations. Let’s learn more.

Winner: Salesforce

The Nonprofit Cloud by Salesforce has fundraising management, project management, grantmaking tools, dashboard reporting, and marketing features like email templates and personalized campaign content.

So, it’s tailored to support nonprofit organizations’ unique requirements and activities.

On the other hand, Pipedrive offers no special deals or pricing specifically for nonprofits or charitable organizations. The pricing structure for Pipedrive remains the same for all types of organizations, whether for-profit businesses or nonprofit entities.

Considering the availability of a specialized CRM platform, tailored features, and tools designed specifically for nonprofits, Salesforce emerges as the winner in this category.

Nonprofit organizations can leverage Salesforce’s Cloud to manage better their fundraising efforts, project management, and grantmaking activities and engage with supporters effectively.

Salesforce vs Pipedrive Features & Functionality

In this section, we’ll explore the capabilities offered by each CRM platform, including sales management, marketing automation, customer service, and more.

Evaluating their features will help you understand how Salesforce and Pipedrive can support your business operations and assist you in making a well-informed decision based on your requirements.
 

Pipedrive or Salesforce for Ease of Use?

Regarding ease of use, Pipedrive takes the lead over Salesforce. Here’s why:

Winner: Pipedrive

Pipedrive offers basic features and a user-friendly interface design. Therefore, it’s very simple to navigate.

The visual pipeline layout simplifies lead and deal management, allowing users to track progress and prioritize tasks easily.

On the other hand, Salesforce, a more comprehensive CRM platform, can be difficult to navigate. It offers many features and customization options, which can overwhelm new users.

Salesforce’s interface and terminology may require some time to familiarize oneself with, particularly for those not as technically inclined.

Overall, Pipedrive’s simplicity and user-friendly interface make it the winner in ease of use. The intuitive design allows sales teams to quickly adopt and utilize the platform without extensive training or technical expertise.
 

Email Tracking

Pipedrive and Salesforce offer useful features regarding email tracking capabilities, but Pipedrive emerges as the winner in this category for the following reasons:

Winner: Pipedrive

Pipedrive integrates email with platforms like Gmail or Microsoft Outlook, allowing two-way email syncing. They’re all automatically synced; any deal data is attached to the corresponding email.

Pipedrive also offers email tracking functionality, providing automated notifications when recipients open emails or click on links.

Additionally, Pipedrive makes it easy to set up groups of recipients for mass group emailing, facilitating targeted marketing campaigns. Scheduling and sending emails for later delivery is another useful feature of Pipedrive. New features of Pipedrive include customizable email templates, which make adding a personal touch much easier!

In contrast, Salesforce offers Salesforce Email Studio. This email marketing module allows users to build campaigns with data from various departments. It provides email templates, personalized messaging options, and tips for optimal sending times.

While both offer email tracking and marketing capabilities, Pipedrive is the winner in this category thanks to the seamless email integration, two-way syncing, and automated notifications that provide valuable insights for sales and marketing efforts.

The ability to set up mass group emailing and schedule emails for later delivery further enhances Pipedrive’s functionality in email management.
 

Integrations

Regarding integrations, both Pipedrive and Salesforce offer a wide range of options, but Salesforce emerges as the winner in this category.

Winner: Salesforce

Pipedrive provides a marketplace with over 300 software integrations, allowing users to connect their CRM with various business tools.

Additionally, Pipedrive users can leverage Zapier to connect with thousands of more business SaaS applications, expanding the integration possibilities. While Pipedrive offers a decent selection of integrations, it may not be as comprehensive as other CRM providers like HubSpot or Salesforce.

Pipedrive’s integrations focus primarily on sales and marketing functionalities, which may require additional integrations for customer service-related needs.

As one of the largest CRM platforms, Salesforce offers many integrations.

Users can integrate Salesforce with popular accounting software like QuickBooks, connect it with other platforms such as Zoho and Outlook using tools like Zoho Flow, and leverage Salesforce AppExchange for building new features through drag-and-drop functionality.

Salesforce also provides a whole API family, allowing further integrations and add-on flexibility.

Overall, Salesforce’s robust integration capabilities, a wide range of pre-built integrations, and extensive API options make it the winner in this category.

Salesforce offers a comprehensive ecosystem for integrating with various business tools, enhancing the overall functionality and flexibility of the CRM platform.

A note on Pipedrive to Salesforce integration

Salesforce Pipedrive integration allows users to connect and synchronize data between the two platforms, enabling a seamless flow of information.

While there isn’t a native integration between Pipedrive and Salesforce, users can utilize third-party integration tools to connect the two systems.

One popular option for integrating Pipedrive with Salesforce is a service like Zapier. Zapier provides a user-friendly interface to create automated workflows called “Zaps,” connecting Pipedrive and Salesforce.

With Zapier, users can set up triggers and actions to transfer data between the platforms based on specific conditions.

Another approach is leveraging custom development or using middleware solutions specializing in CRM integrations.

These solutions provide more advanced capabilities for mapping and syncing data between Pipedrive and Salesforce, ensuring a more tailored and comprehensive integration.

Regardless of the integration method chosen, Salesforce Pipedrive integration allows businesses to streamline their sales and CRM processes by synchronizing contacts, leads, deals, and other relevant data between the two platforms.

This integration can help eliminate manual data entry, reduce duplicate efforts, and provide a unified view of customer interactions across the sales pipeline.

It’s important to note that setting up and configuring the integration may require technical expertise or the assistance of a specialist.

However, once the integration is in place, it can greatly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of sales and CRM operations by leveraging the strengths of Pipedrive and Salesforce.
 

Product Limitations

When comparing the product limitations of Pipedrive and Salesforce, it becomes clear that both platforms have their drawbacks.

Winner: Tie

Pipedrive, while generally well-regarded, may have limitations for larger companies.

The system might not be as robust as other CRM providers like Salesforce, making it less suitable for complex sales processes in larger organizations.

Pipedrive does not offer extensive customer service department features, requiring users to rely on integrations with other support software to fill this gap. Some users have also mentioned occasional difficulties importing data, pricing plans, and package changes.

Conversely, as one of the leading CRM software solutions, Salesforce isn’t perfect.

One notable aspect is the learning curve associated with Salesforce. While it offers a range of features and functionalities, mastering the platform may take some time, which can temporarily impact day-to-day tasks.

Salesforce’s pricing system is complex, with numerous modules, premium packages, and add-ons, making it challenging for users to determine the most suitable package for their needs.

Considering these limitations, the choice between Pipedrive and Salesforce depends on specific requirements and priorities.

Despite the learning curve and pricing complexity, larger companies with complex sales processes may find Salesforce’s robustness and comprehensive features more appealing.

On the other hand, users seeking a user-friendly and streamlined experience might lean towards Pipedrive, even though it may not be as suitable for larger companies or have extensive customer service features.

Therefore, it’s difficult to determine a clear winner regarding product limitations.

The decision between Pipedrive and Salesforce should be based on individual needs, company size, and the importance of factors such as robustness, ease of use, and customer service capabilities.
 

Mobile Versions

When comparing the mobile versions of Pipedrive and Salesforce, both platforms offer dedicated mobile apps for enhanced productivity.

Winner: Tie

Pipedrive provides a native mobile app available for both iOS and Android devices. The app is designed with salespeople in mind, offering features such as organizing daily to-do lists, planning schedules, and managing contacts, activities, and deals while moving.

Pipedrive’s mobile app also supports web-to-mobile calling and automatic call logging, enabling seamless communication and data tracking.

Similarly, Salesforce offers a mobile app that efficiently manages tasks, events, meetings, and account updates.

The app lets users attend virtual meetings and take notes during sessions, enhancing productivity and collaboration. It’s a valuable tool for coordinating sales teams spread across locations or frequently traveling.

Considering the mobile versions of both platforms, it’s challenging to determine a clear winner.

Both Pipedrive and Salesforce offer robust mobile apps tailored to the needs of sales professionals. Users can effectively organize tasks, manage customer interactions, and collaborate with their teams.

The choice between Pipedrive and Salesforce regarding mobile versions should be based on individual preferences and specific requirements.

Users may consider the user interface, ease of use, and integration with other mobile tools when deciding.

Therefore, there is no definitive winner in this comparison regarding mobile versions, as both Pipedrive and Salesforce offer robust and feature-rich mobile apps suitable for salespeople seeking mobile productivity and collaboration capabilities.
 

AI Assistance

Regarding AI assistance, both Pipedrive and Salesforce offer features to enhance customer relationship management and support. However, Salesforce takes the lead with comprehensive AI capabilities powered by Einstein.

Winner: Salesforce

Pipedrive uses AI in chatbots and live chat functionality, providing sales representatives and customer support teams with the means to engage with new contacts and capture valuable lead data.

This AI-powered feature helps streamline interactions and improve the efficiency of customer engagement.

On the other hand, Salesforce’s Einstein AI takes AI assistance to the next level. Einstein provides sales teams with relevant and real-time coaching tips and opportunity insights based on proven success rates from past data.

The AI also includes lead-scoring functionality, allowing for efficient sorting and prioritization of leads and deals. Additionally, Salesforce offers features like Einstein Activity Capture, which synchronizes email, calendar, and Salesforce accounts, and Einstein Account Insights for deeper business development goals.

Furthermore, Salesforce’s Sales Cloud extends AI assistance to customer support.

With a holistic view of each customer and their support history, support agents can efficiently address customer cases through AI workflows and human intervention.

Salesforce even integrates call center capabilities to enhance the customer support experience further.

Considering the comprehensive AI assistance provided by Salesforce through Einstein AI capabilities, it emerges as the winner in this comparison.

While Pipedrive offers AI-powered chat and live chat features, Salesforce’s Einstein AI offers a broader range of AI functionalities that empower sales teams, improve lead management, and enhance customer support.
 

For Small Businesses

Regarding small businesses, Pipedrive and Salesforce offer features and functionalities catering to their needs.

However, Pipedrive wins this comparison, and here’s why:

Winner: Pipedrive

Pipedrive has a user-friendly interface, easy onboarding, and tailored features for small business sales processes. So, it’s designed to help small businesses improve their sales process and increase revenue.

The visual sales pipelines allow users to organize contacts, leads, and deals clearly and intuitively. Moreover, the platform has customizable functionalities, enabling sales reps to create custom dashboards and pipelines that suit their specific requirements.

Pipedrive’s workflow automation streamlines tasks like sales email sending, making sales activities more efficient. The Pipedrive mobile app also provides on-the-go access, making it convenient for traveling salespeople and remote sales teams.

For small businesses, Pipedrive offers several benefits.

The user-friendly interface ensures a quick onboarding process, allowing sales reps to focus on utilizing sales tools to generate leads and close deals.

The platform’s email features, including powerful email tracking and automation, contribute to effective email marketing strategies.

Furthermore, Pipedrive’s calling, chatbot, and live chat tools facilitate better communication and engagement with leads throughout the sales process.

Conversely, Salesforce is a highly customizable CRM solution with many functionalities suitable for businesses of all sizes. However, it’s more suitable for large enterprises.

The comprehensive suite of business SaaS tools covers marketing, sales, and customer service. Salesforce excels in offering functionalities and automation that cater to diverse business needs, and the user-friendly interface ensures ease of use.

However, considering the specific needs and focus of smaller companies, Pipedrive’s simplicity, tailored features, and mobile app make it a better choice in this category.

Therefore, Pipedrive emerges as the winner for small businesses that can help them streamline their sales processes, boost lead generation, and foster business growth.
 

For Large Businesses

Salesforce provides robust features, scalability, and a comprehensive suite of business solutions. So, it’s clearly a better choice for larger companies than Pipedrive.

Winner: Salesforce

Salesforce is renowned as one of the leading CRM software providers, offering a wide range of functionalities and tools that cater to businesses of all sizes.

However, it particularly excels in serving the needs of large enterprises.

The platform provides a highly customizable contact management system that can be tailored to meet the specific requirements of large businesses across various industries.

Scalability is one of the key advantages of Salesforce for large businesses.

The platform can accommodate large organizations’ complex and extensive data management needs, allowing them to handle a high volume of customer data, leads, and opportunities effectively.

Salesforce’s extensive range of functionalities and automation ensures that large businesses can access all the tools they need to support their sales process and overall business operations.

Additionally, Salesforce offers a comprehensive suite of business solutions beyond CRM. It encompasses marketing, sales, and customer service, providing large businesses with a unified platform to manage multiple aspects of their operations.

This integration allows seamless collaboration and communication among different teams, streamlining processes and improving overall efficiency.

Salesforce’s user-friendly interface ensures that even complex functionalities are accessible and easy to use. Large businesses can leverage the platform’s full potential without requiring extensive training or technical expertise.

Furthermore, Salesforce offers various pricing plans and packages to cater to large businesses’ specific needs and budgets.

The flexibility in pricing and the availability of industry-specific packages make it a versatile solution for organizations in different sectors.

In summary, Salesforce is the preferred choice for large businesses for many reasons, including scalability, a comprehensive suite of business solutions, a user-friendly interface, and customization options.

It provides the necessary tools and functionalities to handle the complexities of large-scale operations, supporting sales, marketing, and customer service efforts while driving overall business success.
 

Analytics and Reporting

Regarding analytics and reporting, both Pipedrive and Salesforce offer robust features to track and analyze data.

However, Salesforce takes the lead with highly customizable analytics dashboards and reporting capabilities. Let’s learn more.

Winner: Salesforce

Pipedrive provides a range of analytics and reporting features, allowing users to analyze data in real time. Deal reports provide insights into revenue and losses per deal, while activity reports track the progress of emails, calls, or demos.

The reports are presented in visually appealing dashboards that can be customized and shared among team members.

On the other hand, Salesforce empowers users to create custom analytics dashboards and reports effortlessly through a drag-and-drop system, eliminating the need for coding knowledge.

The system supports groups, filters, charts, and customizable fields, enabling businesses to track the performance of sales team members or customer support teams.

Additionally, the analytics dashboard seamlessly integrates with the Salesforce mobile app, providing a consistent and visually pleasing experience across devices.

Overall, Salesforce’s flexible and user-friendly approach to analytics and reporting gives it the edge in this comparison, offering businesses extensive customization options and comprehensive insights into their operations.
 

Versatility

When it comes to versatility, Salesforce stands out as the clear winner. The platform offers various functionalities and tools that cater to diverse business needs.

Winner: Salesforce

Pipedrive primarily focuses on sales and CRM functions, providing users with effective deal tracking, email automation, and contact management tools.

While it excels in these areas, Pipedrive’s versatility is somewhat limited compared to Salesforce.

On the other hand, Salesforce is a CRM solution that goes beyond sales management.

It offers a comprehensive suite of business SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) tools that cover various aspects, including marketing, customer service, and analytics.

This versatility allows businesses to streamline operations and integrate different functions into a single platform.

Salesforce’s extensive range of features, modules, and add-ons allow businesses to adapt and scale according to their evolving needs.

Whether managing leads, automating marketing campaigns, or providing exceptional customer support, Salesforce offers a robust and versatile solution.

Additionally, Salesforce’s open API and integration capabilities enable seamless connectivity with other third-party applications and systems.

This further enhances Salesforce’s versatility and ensures businesses can leverage their existing tools while incorporating Salesforce into their workflows.

Overall, Salesforce’s broad spectrum of functionalities, integrations, and adaptability makes it the preferred choice for businesses seeking a versatile CRM solution that can support their diverse requirements across different departments and processes.

Which is Better, Salesforce or Pipedrive? Key Takeaways

The question of whether Salesforce or Pipedrive is better ultimately depends on specific circumstances and needs. Both provide unique strengths and suit different businesses.

Here’s how to decide which one is best for your business:

Use Salesforce if:

• You’re a large enterprise looking for a top-rated CRM solution: Salesforce’s scalability, extensive feature set, and ability to handle complex data management make it a great choice for large businesses with expansive operations.

• You’re looking for a comprehensive suite of business solutions: Salesforce offers a range of integrated solutions beyond CRM, including marketing, sales, and customer service, providing a unified platform for managing multiple aspects of your business.

• Customization is important: Salesforce’s highly flexible platform is customized to suit companies of all sizes, especially larger enterprises. In fact, it allows larger companies to customize their experience, so it’s great for organizations needing extensive flexibility.

Use Pipedrive if:

• You’re a small or medium-sized business: Pipedrive’s user-friendly interface, ease of use, and affordability make it a popular choice for small and medium-sized businesses prioritizing simplicity and straightforward sales management. If you’re a larger enterprise, you’re better off choosing a different CRM solution with more features, such as Salesforce.

• You value visual sales pipelines: Pipedrive’s visual approach allows for clear organization and tracking of leads and deals, making it suitable for companies wanting excellent sales pipeline management.

• Mobile functionality is essential: Pipedrive’s dedicated mobile app provides on-the-go access and functionality, making it ideal for salespeople who require mobile sales tools and remote sales teams.

It’s important to note that these recommendations are based on general trends and considerations. Your business’s specific needs and preferences should be thoroughly evaluated before choosing the best CRM tools for your business.

It may also be beneficial to trial the best CRM platforms or seek additional insights from industry experts or peers who have experience with either Salesforce or Pipedrive.