Pipedrive vs Close: Which CRM for Small Sales Teams?

If you’re comparing Pipedrive and Close, you’ve probably noticed most reviews sound like marketing copy. Here’s what actually matters for a business doing $500K-$5M in revenue: price, call features, pipeline visibility, and which one your team will actually use.

Both are sales-focused CRMs built for SMBs. Pipedrive starts at $24/user and emphasizes visual pipeline management. Close starts at $49/user and focuses on high-volume outbound calling. This pipedrive vs close decision comes down to whether you’re optimizing for cost and ease of use, or call features and automation.

Pipedrive vs Close: At a Glance

Feature	Pipedrive	Close
Starting Price	$24/user/month	$49/user/month
Built-in Calling	❌ (needs integration)	✅ Power dialer included
Email Sequences	Basic automation	Advanced sequences
Visual Pipeline	✅ Highly visual, drag-drop	✅ List-focused view
Learning Curve	Easy (1-2 hours)	Moderate (technical users)
Best For	Visual pipeline teams	High-volume cold calling
Ideal Team Size	5-20 people	5-50 people
Mobile App	✅ Excellent	✅ Good
Integrations	400+ native	100+ native
Free Trial	14 days	14 days

Pricing: The $3,000/Year Difference

For most SMBs, this decision starts with budget reality.

Pipedrive Pricing

• Essential: $24/user/month – Pipeline management, email integration, basic automation
• Advanced: $44/user/month – Email sync, templates, workflow automation
• Professional: $64/user/month – Revenue forecasting, team management
• Power: $79/user/month – Full customization, project management
• Enterprise: $129/user/month – Unlimited customization, premium support

Real cost for 10-person team: $240-$440/month ($2,880-$5,280/year)

Close Pricing

• Startup: $49/user/month – Built-in calling, email sequences, basic automation
• Professional: $99/user/month – Power dialer, advanced workflows, call recording
• Enterprise: Custom pricing – Dedicated support, custom integrations

Real cost for 10-person team: $490-$990/month ($5,880-$11,880/year)

Bottom line: Close costs 2x Pipedrive at entry level. If built-in calling saves your team 5+ hours per week, it’s worth it. If you’re not call-heavy, it’s overpaying for features you won’t use.

Built-in Calling: Close’s Biggest Advantage

This is where Close wins decisively. If you hear “power dialer” and get excited, Close is your CRM.

What Close Offers:

• Power Dialer: Click through leads, auto-dial next contact, log calls automatically
• Call Recording: All calls recorded, searchable, tied to lead records
• Local Presence: Display local area codes for better pickup rates
• SMS Integration: Send texts from same interface, track responses
• Call Analytics: Track talk time, conversion rates, rep performance

What Pipedrive Offers:

Pipedrive doesn’t have built-in calling. You need integrations like:

• Aircall: $30/user/month (adds to CRM cost)
• RingCentral: $20-$35/user/month
• Zoom Phone: $10-$20/user/month

Reality check: Adding calling to Pipedrive ($24) + Aircall ($30) = $54/user. At that point, Close ($49) costs less and has tighter integration.

When Pipedrive makes sense: You already have a phone system, make fewer than 20 calls/day per rep, or primarily work inbound leads.

Pipeline Visibility: Pipedrive’s Strength

Pipedrive built its reputation on visual pipeline management. If your team thinks in stages and drag-drop workflows, Pipedrive feels natural.

Pipedrive’s Visual Pipeline:

• Kanban-style boards: Drag deals between stages, instant visual feedback
• Color coding: See deal health, aging, priority at a glance
• Custom stages: Build pipeline around your actual sales process
• Forecast view: Revenue projections by stage, close date, rep
• Activity timeline: See every email, call, meeting in visual flow

Close’s Pipeline View:

Close has pipeline views, but it’s more list-focused. You can see stages, but the interface prioritizes lead lists and calling workflows over visual drag-drop.

When this matters: If your sales manager lives in pipeline view and your team is visual-first, Pipedrive wins. If your reps live in call lists and email sequences, Close’s approach works fine.

Email Automation: Close Pulls Ahead

Both have email features. Close’s are more powerful for outbound sequences.

Close Email Features:

• Smart sequences: Multi-touch campaigns with calls, emails, SMS
• A/B testing: Test subject lines, timing, content automatically
• Dynamic fields: Personalize at scale without manual work
• Email tracking: Opens, clicks, replies tied to lead records
• Send limits: Automatic throttling to avoid spam flags

Pipedrive Email Features:

• Email sync: Gmail, Outlook integration, 2-way sync
• Templates: Save and reuse email templates
• Scheduling: Send emails at optimal times
• Tracking: Opens and clicks tracked
• Basic sequences: Available on Advanced plan and up

Bottom line: If you run complex outbound email campaigns, Close has the edge. If you primarily respond to inbound leads and send one-off emails, Pipedrive handles it fine.

Alternative consideration: Pair Pipedrive with ActiveCampaign for best-in-class email automation at lower combined cost than Close alone.

Learning Curve: Pipedrive Wins Ease of Use

Pipedrive is famous for fast onboarding. Close requires more setup.

Pipedrive Onboarding:

• Time to productivity: 1-2 hours for average user
• Setup wizard: Guided pipeline creation, import contacts, done
• Interface: Intuitive, visual, minimal training needed
• Support: Excellent documentation, chat support, community

Close Onboarding:

• Time to productivity: 4-8 hours for power users
• Setup: Configure calling, sequences, workflows manually
• Interface: More technical, requires training for full use
• Support: Good docs, but assumes technical competence

Reality check: Pipedrive is built for sales teams, not technical teams. Close (close.com) is built for technical sales teams. Choose based on your team’s comfort with software.

Integrations: Pipedrive Has More Options

Pipedrive has 400+ native integrations. Close has 100+. Both integrate with the core tools SMBs use, but Pipedrive offers more flexibility.

Key Integrations (Both Support):

• Gmail, Outlook, Office 365
• Zapier, Make (workflow automation)
• Slack, Microsoft Teams
• QuickBooks, Xero (accounting)
• Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign (email marketing)

Where Pipedrive Has More:

• Marketing automation platforms
• E-commerce platforms (Shopify, WooCommerce)
• Proposal and contract tools (PandaDoc, DocuSign)
• Calendar and scheduling apps

When this matters: If you use niche tools or need deep customization, Pipedrive’s broader integration library gives more options.

Who Pipedrive Is For

• Visual pipeline teams: Your sales process is stage-based and benefits from Kanban-style boards
• Budget-conscious SMBs: $24/user is half the cost of Close, matters for 10+ person teams
• Inbound-focused sales: You primarily work leads that come to you, not high-volume outbound
• Non-technical teams: You need onboarding measured in hours, not days
• Integration-heavy workflows: You use lots of tools and need broad integration support

Who Pipedrive Is NOT For

• Call-heavy teams: If you make 50+ calls per day per rep, paying for integrations defeats the cost advantage
• Advanced automation needs: Email sequences exist but aren’t as sophisticated as Close
• Enterprise buyers: Works for SMBs, but enterprise features lag competitors

Who Close Is For

• High-volume calling teams: If your reps make 50+ calls per day, built-in power dialer pays for itself
• Outbound-focused sales: Cold calling, email sequences, multi-touch campaigns are your core motion
• Technical sales teams: Your team is comfortable with software, values power over simplicity
• Growing startups: You’re scaling from 5 to 50 people and need room to grow
• Call recording requirements: Compliance, training, or quality assurance needs call records

Who Close Is NOT For

• Budget-constrained teams: 2x the cost of Pipedrive only makes sense if you use the call features
• Inbound-only sales: If leads come to you and you rarely cold call, you’re overpaying
• Non-technical teams: Steeper learning curve can slow adoption with less technical users
• Visual pipeline preference: If your team thinks in Kanban boards, Pipedrive’s interface is better

Real-World Decision Framework

Here’s how to actually decide:

Choose Pipedrive if:

• Budget is under $500/month for CRM (5-10 person team)
• You make fewer than 20 calls per day per rep
• Your team is visual-first and wants drag-drop pipelines
• You already have a phone system or can use integrations
• Onboarding speed matters (1-2 hours vs 4-8 hours)

Choose Close if:

• Your reps make 50+ calls per day and need power dialing
• You run complex email + call sequences for outbound
• Call recording is required (compliance, training, quality)
• Your team is technical and values advanced features
• You’re scaling from 10 to 50 people and need enterprise features

Consider Both if:

Run Pipedrive for pipeline management + Close for your outbound calling team. Total cost is high, but if you have distinct inbound and outbound motions, specialized tools can outperform one-size-fits-all.

Alternative: All-in-One CRM Platform

If you’re comparing CRMs, consider whether you need a specialized sales CRM or an all-in-one platform that combines CRM, email marketing, automation, and client management.

Platforms like HighLevel consolidate CRM, email, SMS, funnels, and automation into one system. For agencies and service businesses, this can replace 5-10 separate tools at lower total cost.

When to consider all-in-one: You’re paying for CRM + email marketing + SMS + landing pages separately. Consolidation saves money and reduces tool complexity.

Migration Considerations

Both platforms make it easy to import contacts and deals from spreadsheets or other CRMs.

Data You Can Import:

• Contacts, companies, deals
• Email history (via email sync)
• Custom fields and tags
• Pipeline stages and values

Data You Can’t Import:

• Call recordings (Close only)
• Automation workflows (rebuild required)
• Email sequences (rebuild required)

Migration time: Plan 1-2 days for basic setup, 1-2 weeks to rebuild workflows and train team.

FAQ: Pipedrive vs Close

Which is easier to learn?

Pipedrive. Average user productive in 1-2 hours vs 4-8 hours for Close. Pipedrive’s visual interface requires minimal training.

Which is better for cold calling?

Close. Built-in power dialer, call recording, local presence, and SMS make it purpose-built for high-volume outbound. Pipedrive needs integrations that add cost and complexity.

Which is more affordable?

Pipedrive. $24/user vs $49/user entry price. For 10-person team, that’s $3,000/year difference.

Can I use both?

Yes, but expensive. Some teams run Pipedrive for inbound pipeline + Close for outbound calling team. Makes sense if you have distinct motions, but total cost is high.

Which has better mobile app?

Pipedrive. Consistently rated better mobile experience, faster, more intuitive for on-the-go deal updates.

Which integrates with ActiveCampaign?

Both. If you use ActiveCampaign for email marketing, both CRMs integrate natively for lead sync and automation triggers.

Which is better for SaaS companies?

Depends on sales motion. Product-led growth with inbound trials? Pipedrive. Sales-led with outbound prospecting? Close.

Do they offer free trials?

Yes, both offer 14-day free trials. No credit card required for either.

Bottom Line: Which CRM Should You Choose?

In the pipedrive vs close debate, the right CRM depends on your sales motion, not feature checklists.

Choose Pipedrive if you want affordable visual pipeline management, easy onboarding, and can use integrations for calling. Best for inbound-focused teams, budget-conscious SMBs, and non-technical users.

Choose Close if you run high-volume outbound calling and need built-in power dialing, call recording, and advanced sequences. Best for call-heavy teams, technical users, and growing startups.

In this pipedrive vs close comparison, both are excellent CRMs. The wrong choice is picking features you won’t use and paying for complexity you don’t need.

Related Resources

• Best CRM for Small Business 2026 – Complete guide featuring Pipedrive, Close, and alternatives
• ActiveCampaign Review – Best email automation to pair with either CRM
• HighLevel Review – All-in-one alternative to specialized CRMs
• Pipedrive vs HubSpot – Budget CRM vs enterprise platform
• Close vs Salesforce – SMB vs enterprise CRM comparison