Skip to main content

Zendesk vs. Pipedrive

The right customer relationship management software can help maximize productivity and improve sales performance. See how Zendesk Sell and Pipedrive compare.

Zendesk vs. Pipedrive: A comprehensive guide

Last updated November 20, 2023

In the world of business, customer relationships are a valuable asset. Many businesses turn to customer relationship management (CRM) software to help improve customer relations and assist in sales.

When adopting CRM software, there are numerous options to choose from. In the comparison of the Zendesk sales CRM and Pipedrive, Zendesk comes out on top for the following reasons:

Four ways Zendesk outperforms Pipedrive graphic

Scalability

Whether you’re looking for a CRM for small businesses or an enterprise, the Zendesk sales CRM has the flexibility to grow with you, supporting up to 2 million deals across all of our plans. On the other hand, entry-level Pipedrive users are limited to only 3,000 open deals per company, making it an insufficient CRM for enterprises and growing companies.

Trusted partnership

Zendesk provides its partners with quality support and educational resources, including online training and certification programs, helping turn any salesperson into a Zendesk expert. Conversely, some Pipedrive users have issues working with Pipedrive, with users describing their support and onboarding experiences as slow and limited.

Unified sales and service platforms

According to the Zendesk Customer Experience Trends Report 2023, 78 percent of business leaders want to combine their customer service and sales data. The Zendesk sales CRM integrates seamlessly with the Zendesk Suite, our top-of-the-line customer service software. This integration can optimize sales and support team collaboration and workflow and, ultimately, enhance customer experience by enabling teams to view key customer information across sales and service all in one platform. Unlike Zendesk, Pipedrive is limited to third-party integrations and doesn’t connect with native customer support software.

Low total cost of ownership

When selecting a sales CRM, you’ll want to consider its total cost of ownership (TCO). Zendesk has a low TCO because it has no hidden costs and can be easily set up without needing developers or third-party help, saving you time and money. Alternatively, Pipedrive users should prepare to pay more for even simple CRM features like email tracking, whereas email tracking is available for all Zendesk Sell plans.

More in this guide:

At-a-glance comparison: Zendesk vs. Pipedrive

Key capabilitiesZendesk SellPipedrive
Reporting and analytics
IntegrationsApp marketplace
Native integration with customer service software
Sales productivity
Mobile appNative mobile CRM app for Apple and Android
Visit tagging
Geolocation
Workflow automations
Lead managementEmail automation
Desktop text messagingSmart lists
Pipeline management
Sales forecasting
Security

Zendesk vs. Pipedrive: Features comparison

At the end of the day, the best sales CRM delivers on the features that matter most to you and your business. To determine which one takes the cake, let’s dive into a feature comparison of Pipedrive vs. Zendesk.

Pricing plans: Pipedrive vs. Zendesk

ZendeskPipedrive
  • Sell Team: $19 per agent/month
  • Sell Growth: $55 per agent/month
  • Sell Professional: $115 per agent/month
  • Sell Enterprise: starting at $169 per agent/month
  • Essential: $14.90 per user/month
  • Advanced: $27.90 per user/month
  • Professional: $49.90 per user/month
  • Power: $64.90 per user/month
  • Enterprise: $99 per user/month
    *Plans are billed annually.
*Plans are billed annually.

Zendesk and Pipedrive both offer pricing on a per-agent basis. The Zendesk sales CRM offers tiered pricing plans designed to support businesses of all sizes, from startups to enterprises. The Professional and Enterprise plans offer advanced features that build on those in the Team and Growth plans, including lead scoring, call scripts, and unlimited email sequences.

Pipedrive offers five total plans, with their entry-level Essential plan offering significantly fewer features than the others. For example, bulk email send, email templates, email scheduling, and automation features are only available to those who purchase the Advanced plan and above. With Zendesk, even our most basic plans include a robust selection of features, including custom data fields, sales triggers, email tracking, text messaging, and call tracking and recording.

Customer stories

Read on to find out what our customers have to say about Zendesk.

CoinJar

CoinJar is one of the longest-running cryptocurrency exchanges in the world. To help keep up with its growing customer base, CoinJar turned to Zendesk for a user-friendly and easily scalable solution after testing other CRMs, including Pipedrive and HubSpot. Leveraging the sequencing and bulk email features of the Zendesk sales CRM, CoinJar increased its visibility and productivity at scale.

Using Zendesk, CoinJar has seen improvements, such as:

  • 1.5+ hours saved per week by each sales rep.
  • 47% savings compared to its previous CRM.
Quote about Zendesk service quote

Missouri Star Quilt Company

Missouri Star Quilt Company is one of the world's largest online retailers of fabric and quilting supplies, shipping thousands of orders a day. After struggling with different customer service solutions, Missouri Star Quilt Company turned to Zendesk for service and sales. Connecting Zendesk Support and Zendesk Sell allows its customer service and sales-oriented wholesale team to work together effortlessly.

Since switching to Zendesk, Missouri Star Quilt Company experienced the following benefits:

  • 30% answer rate improvement for customer service calls
  • 97% customer satisfaction rating
Quote about Zendesk service quote

Frequently asked questions

Browse the following questions to break down Zendesk vs. Pipedrive even further.

Ready to choose between Zendesk and Pipedrive for your business?

When deciding on choosing between Zendesk or Pipedrive for your business, there is a lot to keep in mind. With Zendesk, you can connect your sales and support teams, empowering them with the information they need to deliver better customer experiences. On the other hand, Pipedrive doesn't offer a customer service solution, limiting users to third-party integrations.

Additionally, Zendesk is built to scale and has a low TCO, meaning your business can quickly get up and running without needing help from developers. Start your free trial to reap the benefits of Zendesk.

Zendesk vs. the rest: Compare the software