Pipedrive or Salesforce: which CRM should your business choose?

When it comes to choosing a CRM (Customer Relationship Management), two names regularly stand out: Pipedrive and Salesforce. These two platforms are among the most popular in the world, but they do not necessarily target the same business profiles.

To help you make the right choice, we analyzed the main differences between these two solutions according to the criteria that really matter: features, ease of use, integrations, pricing, and support.

Overview of Salesforce

Salesforce is one of the most powerful and widespread CRMs in the world. Initially designed for large companies, it now addresses all organizations with complex customer management needs, especially those with multiple teams, sophisticated sales processes, or custom integrations.

This CRM stands out for its high level of customization. With its AppExchange ecosystem, you can add modules or connect Salesforce to many business tools. It is particularly well-suited for companies looking to centralize all their sales, marketing, customer service, and even HR data on a single platform.

**Strengths of Salesforce	Weaknesses of Salesforce**
Advanced automations for managing complex processes	Significant complexity in setup and training
Powerful analytics features with customizable dashboards	High cost (licenses, integration, customization)
In-depth customization of fields, workflows, and reports	Steep learning curve without suitable support

Overview of Pipedrive

Pipedrive, on the other hand, was designed from the outset to meet the needs of small and medium-sized businesses. Its interface is based on a visual sales pipeline, easy to understand and customize, allowing teams to track each opportunity at a glance. The tool focuses on the productivity of salespeople, with minimal complexity.

It is particularly appreciated by field sales teams, startups, or growing companies that want an operational CRM quickly without spending months on configuration.

**Strengths of Pipedrive	Weaknesses of Pipedrive**
Intuitive interface, quick onboarding, little to no training required	More limited features for complete customer management
Customizable visual pipeline facilitating opportunity tracking	Less suited for complex or multi-team structures
Simple automations to configure, no advanced technical skills needed	Limits in integrations and deep customization

Which CRM for your company profile?

You are a SMB or a startup

For small and medium-sized businesses, or startups in the development phase, Pipedrive is often ideal. Its setup is quick, its user-friendly interface reduces the need for training, and its cost remains manageable, even during growth.

SMBs generally look for a CRM that does not slow down their operations. With Pipedrive, the goal is achieved: no functional overload, just efficiency. The tool allows you to manage leads, opportunities, and the sales pipeline smoothly, without getting lost in a complex architecture.

You are a large company or in strong growth

More complex structures, experiencing strong growth or with multiple departments (sales, marketing, customer service), naturally turn to Salesforce. This CRM offers a unified view of all customer interactions, with segmentation, analysis, and automation tools suited for large teams.

This type of CRM is also recommended if you want to:

Track advanced performance indicators by team or subsidiary
Create custom automations according to the customer lifecycle
Ensure smooth collaboration between departments

If your organization exceeds 50 people or has complex processes, Salesforce is a suitable solution, provided you plan for strategic support.

Concrete use cases

Example of a client who migrated to Pipedrive

A rapidly growing construction company (20 employees) was using Salesforce. After a long and costly deployment, the sales team never really adopted it. Too complex, not intuitive enough.

They migrated to Pipedrive to simplify the sellers' work and refocus on prospecting. Result: rapid adoption, better visibility on the pipeline, increased opportunity tracking, and reduced time spent entering information thanks to automations.

Example of a company that adopted Salesforce

A national transportation company, active in several provinces, needed a consolidated view of its activities. Salesforce allowed for the construction of a custom structure suited to each region while centralizing the data.

Result: customized dashboards, better inter-team coordination, consolidated reports, and integration with billing and customer support tools.

And in terms of cost, what to choose?

Licensing costs: a marked difference

Pipedrive offers a simple and accessible pricing model, clear per user. Even the advanced features remain affordable.
Salesforce operates on a modular model, with costs that rise quickly as modules are added.

Integration and configuration costs

The implementation of Pipedrive can often be done internally, sometimes assisted by external experts. Salesforce, on the other hand, almost always requires a certified integrator, with costs that can exceed $5,000 for a SMB.

Training time and adoption

Pipedrive = quick adoption, often without training.
Salesforce = structured training, documentation, coaching… to plan for in the ROI.

**Cost elements	Pipedrive	Salesforce**
Subscription price	Starting at $14/month/user (Essential)	Starting at $25/month/user (Starter)
Recommended version for SMBs	Advanced or Professional ($39-$49/month/user)	Professional or Enterprise ($75-$150/month/user)
Integration fees	$0 to $2,500 (often manageable internally)	$5,000 to $20,000 (certified integrator required)
Training costs	$0 to $1,000 (light or via GRO)	$2,000 to $10,000 (sessions, docs, coaching)
Full deployment	15 to 30 days on average	1 to 3 months on average

Comparison table between Pipedrive and Salesforce

**Criteria	Pipedrive	Salesforce**
Positioning	SMBs, startups, field teams	Large companies, complex organizations
User interface	Intuitive, visual	More complex, training required
Sales pipeline	Visual, customizable	Present, less central
Automations	Simple, no technical skills needed	Very powerful, require skills
Key features	Lead management, reminders, basic reporting	Complete CRM, advanced segmentation
Customization	Fields, simple automations	Very high level
Integrations	Slack, Google Workspace, Zapier	Huge AppExchange ecosystem
Training required	Low	High
Support	Chat, help center	Chat, phone, dedicated support
License cost	Simple, starting at $15/month/user	Base starting at $25/month, costs rise quickly
Implementation	Low, often internal	High, partner required
Deployment time	Fast, days to 2 weeks	Long, weeks to months
Team adoption	Fast, intuitive	Slower, support needed
Suitable for	Simple B2B sales	Multi-department organizations
Scalability	Medium	Very high
Implementation with GRO	✅ Full support	❌ Not currently covered

Which solution to choose with GRO?

At GRO, we believe that a CRM should adapt to your reality—not the other way around. That’s why we specialize in Pipedrive, an agile, intuitive, and high-performance CRM, perfect for SMBs and growing companies.

A complete strategic support

We don’t just create user accounts. We think about your processes, your team structure, your objectives. We help you implement a CRM that becomes a real lever.

Audit of your CRM needs

We start by analyzing your sales cycle, your lead management, your current tools. Result: a custom implementation that’s suited to the field.

Configuration and integration of Pipedrive

We take care of everything:

Structuring the pipeline
Custom fields
Connections to tools (Google, Slack, Zapier)
Setting up automations

Training on Pipedrive

We train your teams for quick and sustainable adoption, online or in-person, tailored to their level.

Continuous follow-up and optimization

We stay by your side to adjust processes, create reports, refine automations, or integrate new tools.