Pipedrive vs Zoho CRM
Pipedrive is organised around moving deals through a pipeline and sells four paid plans with per-user limits on leads and deals. Zoho CRM offers a free edition for three users and a ladder of paid editions priced per user. The choice is mostly between a pipeline-first tool and a wider, cheaper-to-start one that assumes some configuration work.
Sebastiaan SmitsFounderVendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
Choose Pipedrive ifyou have a small sales team that sells by conversation, wants the deal pipeline at the centre, and can live without marketing automation in the same system.
Choose Zoho CRM ifyou want to start free with up to three users, expect to configure workflow rules and forecasting, and may add other Zoho applications later.
Pipedrive and Zoho CRM side by side
| Pipedrive | Zoho CRM | |
|---|---|---|
| Our CRM rank | #2 of 23 | #11 of 23 |
| Established in | Estonia | India |
| List price, 5 November 2026 | 14-day free trial; plans Lite, Growth, Premium, Ultimate (prices not read) | Free Edition (3 users); per user per month in INR: Standard 800, Professional 1,400, Enterprise 2,400, Ultimate 2,600 |
| Free tier | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Self-hostable | — | — |
| Built for | A sales team that will actually update the pipeline daily | A cost-conscious company willing to accept Zoho conventions |
| Not for | A company that needs marketing automation in the same system | A team that wants the cleanest possible interface |
Both are reviewed in full in our CRM ranking: Pipedrive and Zoho CRM.
Where they differ
Pipedrive 1 · Zoho CRM 2 · open 2- 01
What you can start with for free
Pipedrive's homepage promises a trial of 14 days, card not needed. Zoho CRM has a Free Edition at INR 0 for up to 3 users, with 5,000 API calls per day and 10 free exports. For a tiny team that wants to stay free past a trial, Zoho is the one that allows it.
Edge: Zoho CRM
- 02
Published prices
Zoho lists per user per month in INR: Standard 800, Professional 1,400, Enterprise 2,400, Ultimate 2,600, with annual billing saving up to 34%. Pipedrive's pricing page refused our requests, so we state no Pipedrive prices. On what we could verify, only Zoho can be costed.
Edge: Zoho CRM
- 03
Plan limits and sales automation
Pipedrive's plans article gives Lite 2,500 and Growth 5,000 active leads plus deals per user, and Growth adds forecasting and sequences. Zoho starts forecasting and workflow rules at Standard, and its CRM Plus Starter lists 2,500 workflow rules. Pipedrive's limits are per user, which matters for heavy lead lists.
Depends on the buyer
- 04
Lead handling and marketing tools
Pipedrive keeps unqualified leads in a Leads Inbox, requires each lead to link to a person or organisation, and converts them to deals. Premium adds LeadBooster with chatbot, live chat, prospector and web forms. Zoho's CRM Plus Starter bundles one chatbot with 25,000 sessions a month. Pipedrive's lead flow is the more clearly described.
Edge: Pipedrive
- 05
Contracting entity
Zoho contracts through Zoho Corporation B.V. in the Netherlands for EEA customers, and through a German entity for DE, AT, CH and LI. Pipedrive's terms name several entities by domicile, including Pipedrive OU in Tallinn, Estonia, and Pipedrive Inc. in the USA. Both give EU buyers a local contracting party.
Depends on the buyer
When neither fits
If you need marketing, service and sales in one system, or want to host the CRM yourself, look elsewhere. HubSpot covers the suite case and SuiteCRM is the self-hosted route.
Pipedrive or Zoho CRM: questions
3 answersDoes Zoho CRM have a free plan?
Yes, a Free Edition at INR 0 for up to 3 users, with 5,000 API calls per day and 10 free exports.
How much does Pipedrive cost?
We could not read its pricing page, so we give no figure. Its plans are Lite, Growth, Premium and Ultimate, and the homepage mentions a 14-day trial.
Which one is European?
Our data lists Pipedrive in Estonia and Zoho CRM in India. Zoho contracts EEA customers through Zoho Corporation B.V. in the Netherlands.
Sources
Checked 5 November 2026- Pipedrive homepage: trial length and card requirement.
- Pipedrive plans article: plan names, 2,500 and 5,000 lead and deal limits, forecasting and sequences on Growth, LeadBooster on Premium.
- Pipedrive Leads Inbox article: unqualified leads, link to person or organisation, conversion to deals.
- Pipedrive terms of service: contracting entities by domicile including Estonia and USA.
- Zoho CRM pricing page: free edition, INR list prices, annual saving, CRM Plus Starter limits.
- Zoho contracting entities: Netherlands and Germany entities by customer country.