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It's a split decision.
Choose Pipedrive for visual pipeline management, 500+ integrations and sales tools priced from $14 per seat monthly with annual billing. Choose Close if built-in calling, email, SMS and AI matter more: its listed annual entry price is $9 per user monthly, but workflows are excluded from Solo and Essentials. Compare full seat and usage costs too: Close lists monthly rates, while Pipedrive’s monthly prices are not published.
01Side by side
| Pipedrive | Close | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $14/seat/month, billed annually | $9/user/month annually; $19 monthly |
| Free plan | No free plan listed | No free plan listed |
| Best for | Teams managing leads, deals and pipelines | Teams centralizing calls, email and SMS |
| Core strength | Customizable visual pipelines and sales reporting | Built-in calling, email, SMS and AI |
| Learning curve | Not published | Not published |
| Integrations / data | 500+ integrations listed on Lite | Solo includes 3 connected email accounts |
| Team/seat costs | $14–$79/seat/month annually; monthly rates unpublished | $19–$149/user monthly; $9–$139 annually |
| Support | Extended phone support on Ultimate | Support details not published |
Pipedrive Choose Pipedrive if
- Choose Pipedrive if customizable visual pipelines are central to your sales process.
- Choose Pipedrive if 500+ listed integrations matter to your stack.
- Choose Pipedrive if you want annual per-seat pricing from $14.
Close Choose Close if
- Choose Close if you want calling, email and SMS in one CRM.
- Choose Close if its AI tools fit your sales workflow.
- Choose Close if you need workflows and can budget for Growth.
02Pricing compared
Pipedrive starts at $14 per seat per month with annual billing. The pricing page says the annual charge is paid once; monthly-billing rates are not published. Its 14-day free trial is listed, but there is no free plan. Add-ons such as LeadBooster, starting at $32.50, can raise the bill; their billing periods are not published.
Close lists Solo at $9 per user per month with annual billing, or $19 month to month. That entry plan is limited to one user, 10,000 leads and 500 AI credits per month, and excludes workflows. Essentials is $35 annually billed or $49 monthly, and also excludes workflows. Calling and SMS usage is billed at cost; most outbound calls are listed at around $0.02 per minute. So the lower Close entry price is not a full comparison: check seats, workflows and usage. Close lists a free trial as not specified.
03Features and depth
Pipedrive centers on visual pipeline and deal management, with lead routing, email and calendar tools, reminders, automation, reports and revenue forecasts. Lite includes pipeline management, AI report creation, 500+ integrations and meeting intelligence. Full email sync, tracking and nurturing sequences start with Growth at $39 per seat monthly with annual billing; lead generation and routing are listed on Premium at $59.
Close puts communication closer to the core product: its feature list includes built-in calling, email and SMS alongside pipelines, reporting and sales workflows. Its AI tools include call notes and an assistant for pipeline, meeting and call questions. Chloe, the AI sales agent, can call and qualify leads, book meetings and update CRM records. Plan limits matter: workflows are excluded from Solo and Essentials, and start on Growth, listed at $99 per user monthly with annual billing. Close also caps shared AI credit pools on Essentials, Growth and Scale. Choose Pipedrive for integrations and pipeline-focused sales tools; choose Close if built-in calling and texting are central.
04Ease of use and learning curve
Neither product’s published information establishes that one is easier to learn. Pipedrive’s described workflow is organized around pipelines, leads, activities and reporting, while Close combines those sales tasks with calling, email, SMS and AI features. More built-in functions may mean more to configure, but that is a trade-off, not proof of a steeper learning curve.
Our published ease-of-use review scores are close: 7.5 for Pipedrive and 7 for Close. Treat that as a small difference, not a decisive verdict. If your team wants a visual deal process and existing integrations, Pipedrive’s listed feature set may fit. If reps need communication tools in the CRM, assess Close’s plan limits and usage charges before switching.
Questions people ask
Is Pipedrive cheaper than Close?
Not at the listed annual entry prices: Pipedrive Lite is $14 per seat monthly, while Close Solo is $9 per user monthly. But Close Solo is limited to one user, 10,000 leads and 500 AI credits monthly, and excludes workflows. Pipedrive’s monthly-billing prices are not published, so compare the plans and billing terms your team needs.
Does Close include sales workflows on every plan?
No. The pricing information says workflows are not included with Close Solo or Essentials. Automated workflows are listed with Growth, which costs $99 per user monthly with annual billing or $109 month to month. Account for that tier if workflows are required.
Does Pipedrive include built-in calling and SMS?
The published Pipedrive feature list covers pipelines, lead management, email and calendar sync, automation, reporting and meeting intelligence, but does not list built-in calling or SMS. Close explicitly lists built-in calling, email and text messaging. Confirm the communication features you need before choosing.
Does Pipedrive or Close offer a free trial?
Pipedrive lists a 14-day free trial and no free plan. The published Close pricing information does not specify a free trial, so we can’t confirm one from these details. Check Close’s current offer directly rather than assuming its paid entry plan comes with a trial.