What is the difference between Pipedrive and Close?

Pipedrive is best for Sales teams that want a simple, visual pipeline-focused CRM, while Close is best for Inside sales teams wanting built-in calling and email. Pipedrive starts at $14/user/mo and Close starts at $49/user/mo.

Pipedrive vs Close

Pipedrive is Sales-focused CRM with visual pipeline management and simple automation, while Close is CRM built for inside sales with built-in calling, email sequences, and pipeline management. Pipedrive comes in cheaper, but price alone does not tell the full story. Pipedrive is built for sales teams that want a simple, visual pipeline-focused crm, whereas Close targets inside sales teams wanting built-in calling and email.

At a glance

	Pipedrive	Close
Best for	Sales teams that want a simple, visual pipeline-focused CRM	Inside sales teams wanting built-in calling and email
Starting price	$14/user/mo	$49/user/mo
Free tier	—	—
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	—	—
Open source	—	—
Activity Tracking	✓	—
Automations	✓	—
Built-in Calling	—	✓
Email Sequences	—	✓
Email Sync	✓	—
Lead Scoring	✓	—
Pipeline	—	✓
Power Dialer	—	✓
Visual Pipeline	✓	—

Pipedrive

Strengths

Visual pipeline is intuitive and effective
Easy to set up — no consultant needed
Good automation for follow-ups and tasks
Affordable compared to HubSpot/Salesforce

Weaknesses

Limited marketing features
Reporting less powerful than enterprise CRMs
Email integration could be better
Free tier doesn't exist

Try Pipedrive → Full review

Close

Strengths

Includes Built-in Calling as a core feature, purpose-built for crm workflows
Includes Email Sequences as a core feature, purpose-built for crm workflows
Pricing starts at $49/user/mo, which includes the full crm feature set
Established product with 13+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Starts at $49/user/mo — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Data entry overhead can slow down reps who just want to sell
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Close → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Pipedrive starts at $14/user/mo. Close starts at $49/user/mo. Pipedrive is the more affordable option.

Feature gaps: Pipedrive offers Activity Tracking, Automations and Email Sync that Close lacks. Close brings Built-in Calling, Email Sequences and Pipeline that Pipedrive does not have.

Team fit: Both tools target small teams teams, so the decision hinges on features and workflow fit rather than scale.

Where each tool shines: Pipedrive's biggest strengths are: visual pipeline is intuitive and effective. easy to set up — no consultant needed. Close's biggest strengths are: includes built-in calling as a core feature, purpose-built for crm workflows. includes email sequences as a core feature, purpose-built for crm workflows.

Watch out for: With Pipedrive, users commonly note that limited marketing features. With Close, the main complaint is that starts at $49/user/mo — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users.

Choose Pipedrive if...

You need a tool built for sales teams that want a simple, visual pipeline-focused crm
You want to save on per-user costs — Pipedrive is $35.00/user/mo cheaper
You specifically need Activity Tracking and Automations
You care about easy to set up — no consultant needed

Choose Close if...

You need a tool built for inside sales teams wanting built-in calling and email
You specifically need Built-in Calling and Email Sequences
You care about includes email sequences as a core feature, purpose-built for crm workflows