Introduction
Pipedrive and Close are two of the most popular sales-focused CRMs for startups and small teams, but they take distinctly different approaches to helping you close deals. Pipedrive is the visual pipeline specialist, designed around drag-and-drop deal management and activity-based selling. Close is the communication powerhouse, built for high-volume outreach with native calling, email sequences, and SMS all in one place.
If your startup is trying to decide between these two, the right choice depends on how your team sells. This comparison covers pricing, pipeline features, communication tools, automation, and which teams each CRM serves best.
Pricing
Both CRMs offer competitive pricing for startups, though their plan structures differ.
Pipedrive offers four plans billed per seat. The Lite plan starts at $14 per seat per month on annual billing ($24 monthly). Growth is $39 per seat per month, Premium is $49 per seat per month, and Ultimate is $79 per seat per month. There is no free plan, but Pipedrive offers a 14-day free trial. Annual billing saves up to 42% compared to monthly.
Close offers four plans as well. The Solo plan starts at just $9 per user per month on annual billing ($19 monthly), making it one of the most affordable entry points in the CRM market. Essentials is $35 per user per month, Growth costs $99 per user per month, and Scale runs $139 per user per month. Close also offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.
At the entry level, Close is more affordable with its $9 Solo plan. However, for teams needing automation and advanced features, Close's Growth plan at $99 per user per month is significantly more expensive than Pipedrive's Growth at $39 per user per month. For a five-person team, Pipedrive Growth would cost $195 per month versus $495 per month for Close Growth.
Sales Pipeline Features
Pipedrive was built as a pipeline-first CRM, and it shows. The Kanban-style deal board is one of the most intuitive in the industry. You can create multiple custom pipelines, drag deals between stages, set deal rotting alerts when opportunities stagnate, and track activities like calls, emails, and meetings tied to each deal. Pipedrive's activity-based selling methodology encourages reps to always schedule a next action, which keeps deals moving forward.
Close takes a different approach. While it does offer a pipeline view with Kanban boards, the emphasis is on lead management rather than deal stages. Close's Smart Views let you build dynamic filtered lists of leads based on any criteria, which is powerful for organizing outreach campaigns. The pipeline visualization is functional but not as polished or customizable as Pipedrive's.
If visual pipeline management is central to your sales process, Pipedrive has a clear edge. If you care more about organizing leads for outreach campaigns, Close's Smart Views are more flexible.
Built-in Communication
This is where Close truly differentiates itself. Close was designed from day one as a communication-first CRM with native calling, email, and SMS built directly into the platform.
Close's calling features include a built-in Power Dialer that automatically calls the next number when a call ends, a Predictive Dialer that routes answered calls to available reps, call recording on all plans, and call coaching features for managers. For outbound-heavy teams doing cold calling, these features are transformative.
Close's email sequences support multi-touch outreach combining emails, calls, and SMS in sophisticated workflows. You can set up intelligent random timing to make automated outreach feel more human, and track opens, clicks, and replies across all channels.
Pipedrive does not have built-in calling. Phone functionality requires third-party integrations like Aircall, RingCentral, or JustCall. While Pipedrive does offer email integration and basic email sequences on higher plans, they are not as sophisticated as Close's multi-channel approach.
For teams that rely heavily on phone outreach, Close is the clear winner in this category.
Automation
Both CRMs offer automation, but at different levels of sophistication.
Pipedrive's automation capabilities start on the Growth plan ($39/seat/month). You can create workflow automations triggered by deal stage changes, new activities, or contact updates. Pipedrive also offers a visual workflow builder that lets you chain actions like sending emails, creating activities, or updating deal fields. The automation is practical and easy to set up, though it stays within the CRM domain.
Close's automation shines in the context of outreach sequences. Starting from the Growth plan ($99/user/month), you get access to complex multi-step workflows that combine email, calling, and SMS. Close also includes AI-powered tools for email generation and lead scoring. However, Close's general workflow automation (outside of sequences) is less developed than Pipedrive's.
Pipedrive offers broader workflow automation across your sales process. Close offers deeper automation specifically for outreach sequences.
Best for Which Team
Choose Pipedrive if your startup needs a visual, easy-to-use pipeline tool that the whole team can adopt quickly. Pipedrive is ideal for startups with consultative sales processes, inbound leads that need nurturing through stages, or teams that want a simple CRM they can customize without technical expertise. It is also the better choice if you need marketing add-ons like web forms, chatbots, and visitor tracking. Explore more options in our sales CRM category.
Choose Close if your startup runs an outbound-heavy sales motion. If your reps make dozens of calls per day, send cold email sequences, and need everything in one place, Close is built exactly for that workflow. It is particularly strong for SDR teams, appointment-setting operations, and any startup where phone and email volume is a key performance driver.
Final Verdict
Pipedrive and Close are both excellent CRMs, but they serve fundamentally different sales styles. Pipedrive is the superior visual pipeline tool with broader workflow automation and a gentler learning curve. Close is the superior outbound sales platform with unmatched built-in communication tools.
For startups running inbound or consultative sales, Pipedrive offers better value and a smoother experience. For startups running high-volume outbound campaigns, Close's native calling and multi-channel sequences justify the higher price point. The good news is that both offer free trials, so you can test each with your actual workflow before committing.
