Our Review of Pipedrive CRM
Pipedrive is a CRM that’s especially popular with smaller businesses, and we’re going to dive in and see what all the fuss is about. We’ll break down its key features, talk about pricing (because, let’s face it, that’s important), and give you our honest opinion on whether it’s worth the money. So, if you’re a startup just getting going or a more established business looking to tidy up your sales process, stick with us. We’ll help you figure out if Pipedrive is the right tool to help you grow.
Pipedrive CRM Features
Pipedrive’s visual interface, automation features, and mobile app make it a valuable tool for sales teams. While it might not be the most customisable CRM on the market, its value for money and focus on sales effectiveness make it a strong contender for many businesses.
- Visual Sales Pipeline: Pipedrive’s core strength lies in its intuitive pipeline view. You can easily drag and drop deals across stages, providing a clear overview of your sales process.
- Contact Management: Store and organise contact details, track interactions, and segment customers for targeted campaigns.
- Email Integration: Send, receive, and track emails directly within Pipedrive, associating them with specific deals for context.
- Activity Tracking: Schedule and manage calls, meetings, and tasks, ensuring no follow-up is missed.
- Automation: Automate repetitive tasks like sending follow-up emails or creating deals, freeing up time for selling.
- Reporting & Analytics: Generate reports on sales performance, identify bottlenecks, and make data-driven decisions.
- Mobile App: Access your CRM on the go with Pipedrive’s mobile app for iOS and Android.
- Integrations: Connect Pipedrive with other business tools like email marketing platforms, accounting software, and communication apps.
See how Pipeline scored on our ranking of the CRMs with the best features and functionality.
How Much Does Pipedrive CRM Cost? (And Is It Worth It?)
Pipedrive offers tiered pricing plans designed to cater to different business needs and budgets. They operate on a per-user, per-month basis, with discounts often available for annual subscriptions.
Essential: This is usually the most basic plan, suitable for businesses just starting out with CRM. It typically includes core features like contact management, deal pipeline management, activity tracking, and basic reporting. It’s a good entry point for smaller teams with straightforward sales processes.
- From around £12.50 per user per month (billed annually)
Advanced: This tier builds upon the Essential plan, adding more features like email marketing integration, workflow automation, and more detailed reporting. It’s often a popular choice for growing businesses that need more sophisticated tools.
- From around £25 per user per month (billed annually)
Professional: This plan typically includes everything in the Advanced tier, plus additional features like custom fields, team collaboration tools, and enhanced reporting and analytics. It’s often geared towards larger teams and businesses with more complex sales processes.
- From around £40 per user per month (billed annually)
Enterprise: This is usually the most comprehensive plan, offering all the features of the Professional plan, plus advanced customisation options, dedicated support, and potentially more integrations. It’s designed for larger enterprises with specific needs and complex workflows.
- From around £75 per user per month (billed annually)
We have looked at Pipedrive’s features vs cost, and we think it offers good value for money, especially for SMBs with straightforward sales processes. Its ease of use and visual pipeline make it easy to adopt and get started quickly. However, larger enterprises with complex requirements might find its customisation options limited compared to more robust (and expensive) CRMs like Salesforce.
Take a look at where Pipedrive sits on our ranking of the most cost-effective CRMs.
Key Things to Remember About Pipedrive Pricing:
- Per-user, per-month: The price you see is usually the cost per user, per month. So, if you have a team of 5, you’ll multiply the per-user price by 5 to get your monthly cost.
- Billed annually vs. monthly: Pipedrive often offers discounts for annual subscriptions. Paying annually upfront can save you money compared to paying month to month.
- Free trial: Pipedrive typically offers a free trial period, allowing you to test the platform before committing to a paid plan. This is a great way to explore the features and see if it’s a good fit for your business.
- Add-ons: Pipedrive may offer add-ons for specific functionalities, like additional storage or advanced reporting. These add-ons will incur extra costs.
- Check the website: Pricing can change, so visit Pipedrive’s official website for the most current pricing information and detailed feature comparisons between plans.
Pipedrive CRM: Strengths and Weaknesses
To give you a clearer picture, here’s a quick rundown of Pipedrive’s key strengths and weaknesses:
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
Intuitive Interface & Ease of Use: Drag-and-drop pipeline, clear visual representation of deals, and straightforward navigation make it easy to learn and adopt. Reduces ramp-up time for sales teams. | Limited Customisation: While flexible, Pipedrive’s customisation options are not as extensive as some enterprise-level CRMs. Complex workflows or highly specific business processes might require workarounds or integrations. |
Visual Sales Pipeline: The core strength. Provides a clear overview of the sales process, allowing sales reps and managers to quickly identify bottlenecks and prioritise deals. | Reporting Limitations: While Pipedrive offers reporting features, they can be basic for complex sales analysis. Advanced reporting may require integrations with other tools. |
Activity-Based Selling Focus: Encourages a proactive approach to sales by emphasising activity tracking (calls, emails, meetings). Helps ensure consistent follow-up and improves sales discipline. | Pricing Can Be a Factor: While competitive for smaller businesses, the pricing can scale quickly as your team grows or you require more advanced features. Consider the per-user cost and feature tiers carefully. |
Mobile App: Provides access to critical CRM data and functionality on the go, enabling sales reps to manage deals and communicate with clients from anywhere. | Contact Management Limitations: While good for sales contacts, it may not be ideal for managing large volumes of marketing leads or complex customer relationships requiring in-depth segmentation and nurturing. |
Integrations: Offers a wide range of integrations with other business tools, such as email marketing platforms, accounting software, and communication tools, extending its functionality. | Customer Support: While generally helpful, some users have reported occasional delays or inconsistencies in the support provided. This can be crucial when dealing with urgent issues. |
Sales Automation: Includes features like automated email sequences, deal stage triggers, and workflow automation to streamline repetitive tasks and improve efficiency. | Limited Marketing Automation: While some integrations offer marketing automation capabilities, Pipedrive itself doesn’t have robust built-in marketing automation features. Businesses needing comprehensive marketing automation may need to look elsewhere. |
Deal & Lead Management: Provides robust features for managing deals, leads, and contacts, including lead scoring, deal tracking, and opportunity management. | Can Feel Basic for Enterprise Needs: For large enterprises with complex sales processes, multiple teams, and extensive reporting needs, Pipedrive might lack the depth and scalability of more enterprise-focused CRMs. |
Affordable for SMBs: Offers competitive pricing plans that are suitable for small and medium-sized businesses with budget constraints. | Learning Curve for Advanced Features: While the basic functionality is easy to grasp, mastering some of the more advanced features, like workflow automation and reporting, can take some time. |
Our Analysis: What Type of Business is Pipedrive CRM Best Suited For?
Pipedrive is a solid CRM choice for SMBs that prioritise sales pipeline management and ease of use.
- Small and Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs): Its user-friendly interface and affordable pricing make it ideal for businesses with limited resources and technical expertise.
- Sales-focused Teams: Pipedrive’s strength lies in its sales pipeline management, making it a good fit for teams that prioritise closing deals.
- Businesses with Simple Sales Processes: If your sales process is relatively straightforward, Pipedrive’s visual approach can be highly effective.
- Companies Looking for Quick Implementation: Pipedrive is known for its easy setup and fast adoption, allowing businesses to get up and running quickly.
Conclusion
Pipedrive is a pretty solid CRM, especially if you’re a smaller business. Its super-easy interface and focus on visualising your sales pipeline make it a breeze to use, which means your sales team can spend less time messing with software and more time actually selling. Sure, it might not be the most bells-and-whistles CRM out there, but it covers the essentials – managing contacts, emails, tasks, and automating bits and pieces. The pricing is also pretty reasonable, which is always a plus.
Bottom line? If you’re looking for a user-friendly, sales-focused CRM that won’t break the bank, Pipedrive is definitely worth a look. Just weigh up what you need from a CRM and see if Pipedrive ticks the right boxes. Hopefully, this has given you a clearer picture and helps you make the right choice for your business.
Pipedrive CRM Competitors
Check out our comparison of the best CRMs, and see where Pipedrive sits in the top ten.