Looking for an alternative to Pipedrive? Here are our top 11 for selling fast and well
We all know Pipedrive: a simple, effective, well-oiled CRM for managing your sales pipeline. But let's be honest... as soon as your team grows or your needs become more complex, things get sticky. Lack of customization, few automations, cost that climbs with each subscription... Not ideal for every business.
Fortunately, the market is full of alternatives to Pipedrive that are more flexible, more powerful or simply better adapted to the way you sell. There's CRM software designed for your customer relations, your pipeline, your sales team.
👉 In this guide, we've selected 11 CRMs that are well worth a look. We've compared them on functionality, price, integration and time-to-value. Our aim: to help you find the best alternative to Pipedrive for boosting your sales without drowning in tools.
What is Pipedrive?
Pipedrive is a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) designed to help sales teams better manage their prospects, deals and tasks. Born in 2010, it has quickly established itself as a benchmark for SMEs and startups looking for a simple, visual, sales-focused CRM tool .
The heart of Pipedrive is its ultra-visual sales pipeline: each stage of the sales process is materialized in the form of columns, making it possible to track prospects' progress at a glance. Key features include :
- contact and deal management ;
- automation of certain actions (emails, reminders, tasks, etc.);
- performance tracking via sales reports;
- integrations with popular tools (Gmail, Slack, Trello, etc.);
- a fluid, time-saving interface .
Pipedrive is particularly appreciated for its fast learning curve and its ability to structure sales work without unnecessary complexity. But this simplicity also has its limits...
Pipedrive
Why consider an alternative to Pipedrive?
While Pipedrive remains an excellent starting point for structuring a sales team, it is not suitable for all profiles or all companies. If we look at online customer feedback, we often come up against several obstacles:
1. Limited functionality for advanced needs
Pipedrive does the job very well... as long as you stick to simple pipeline management. As soon as you need to automate complex processes, manage cross-functional projects or integrate more robust CRM marketing, its limitations become apparent.
2. Rapidly escalating costs
At first glance, Pipedrive is attractively priced. But as soon as you add advanced functionalities (email tracking, automation workflow, forecasting), the bill quickly climbs to several dozen euros per user. Hard to justify for some teams.
3. Sometimes rigid integrations
It's true that Pipedrive offers a wide range of integrations. But they are not always as fluid or customizable as you'd expect from a modern CRM platform. As a result, we often end up tinkering with Zapier... or looking for a more suitable solution.
4. Customer management not always sufficient
For teams focused on customer relations or user experience management, Pipedrive shows its limitations: little room for support, tickets or inter-team collaboration. Some CRM alternatives offer a more comprehensive approach.
5. Perfectible reports and dashboards
Reporting is functional, but not always intuitive or customizable. For sales managers managing multiple channels, products or regions, this can quickly become frustrating.
Comparative table of the 11 best alternatives to Pipedrive
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| Pipedrive |  Bigin by Zoho CRM |  Close CRM |  HubSpot CRM |  monday CRM |  Nimble |  Youday CRM |  Zoho CRM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For companies with 1 to 5000 employees | For all companies | For companies with more than 250 employees | For companies with more than 1 employees | For companies with 1 to 5000 employees | For companies with more than 50 employees | For companies with more than 250 employees | For all companies |
| See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software |
| Learn more about Pipedrive | Learn more about Bigin by Zoho CRM | Learn more about Close CRM | Learn more about HubSpot CRM | Learn more about monday CRM | Learn more about Nimble | Learn more about Youday CRM | Learn more about Zoho CRM |
Our top 11 alternatives to Pipedrive
Bigin by Zoho
Bigin is Zoho CRM's clever little brother. Designed for small businesses, freelancers or lean sales teams, this ultra-accessible CRM already ticks a lot of boxes.
🎯 Its objective? To enable simple, fluid and rapid pipeline management without sacrificing the essentials. As a result, the solution offers a minimalist interface, intelligent functionalities and immediate familiarity. You can manage your prospects, track your deals, connect your mailbox, make calls from the CRM, and even automate actions.
Bigin integrates seamlessly with the Zoho ecosystem, and offers a particularly effective mobile application for tracking sales in the field. In short, a formidable CRM for those who want to save time, without getting bogged down in a gas factory.
🛠️ Key features include :
- an intuitive, visual pipeline view ;
- tracking of calls, e-mails and tasks linked to contacts;
- simple automation of repetitive actions;
- integration with Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 and Zoho apps;
- a comprehensive mobile application;
- contact segmentation and intelligent filters;
Bigin is proof that a CRM doesn't have to be complex to be powerful. If you're looking for a lighter, more fluid alternative to Pipedrive, but still focused on customer relations, you've come to the right place. Especially if your budget is limited, but your ambitions are high.
Bigin by Zoho CRM
Breakcold
Breakcold is the new-generation CRM for those who can't stand manual follow-up or cumbersome tools. Specializing in social selling, it centralizes all communication channels (email, LinkedIn, Twitter) in a unified box, so you never miss an exchange with a prospect again.
🎯 Designed for freelancers, startups or agile sales teams, Breakcold relies on an ultra-fluid interface and a simple workflow, focused on what makes the difference: follow up at the right time, track interest signals, personalize your prospecting... and close more deals.
Where Pipedrive requires clicks, steps, modules... Breakcold shows you directly who to follow up, when, and why.
🛠️ Here's what it offers in concrete terms:
- a single box for tracking emails, LinkedIn, X (Twitter) and personalized messages;
- a simple but effective mini-pipeline for tracking leads;
- automatic detection of signals of interest (profile visits, interactions, etc.);
- intelligent, automated follow-ups;
- a fast, clear UX, without overload;
- a highly responsive French team.
Breakcold is a CRM designed for modern prospectors who spend more time on LinkedIn than in Excel spreadsheets. If your priority is to create personalized customer relationships without getting bogged down in management, this is an excellent alternative to Pipedrive, simple, straightforward... and frighteningly effective.
Close
Close is a CRM designed for sales teams who make outbound prospecting their daily business. There's no marketing frills or gimmicky features here: everything is designed for chaining calls, tracking follow-ups and closing efficiently.
🎯 It's one of the only tools on the market to offer an integrated power dialer, one-click calls, and a fluid multi-channel follow-up system (email, SMS, calls). Close also facilitates teamwork with shared views, dynamic filters and powerful sales sequence automation.
We recommend it to sales teams working at an intensive pace, often in B2B, with well-defined processes. It is clearly aimed at those who want to invest in a CRM designed for pure performance.
🛠️ Here's the best part:
- integrated VoIP calls with recording and transcription;
- a power dialer for non-stop calls;
- mass emailing with tracking and automatic replies;
- multi-channel sequence automation (email + call + task);
- dynamic filters and views by rep/team;
- advanced reporting to track sales performance.
With Close, you don't manage a customer base: you sell. It's the ideal tool for sales managers who want to manage an aggressive, well-oiled sales team , focused on ROI. If Pipedrive seems too soft or too "visual pipe", Close will wake you up.
Close CRM
Folk CRM
Folk is the CRM that understands something essential: in sales, everything starts with a relationship. Designed for those who juggle contacts, projects and opportunities without necessarily having a classic "sales force", Folk is positioned as a relational CRM, ultra-personalizable and resolutely modern.
🎯 Here, no sales jargon, no rigid pipeline. Folk lets you create your own structure (by folder, tag or workflow) to track your exchanges with customers, prospects, partners or investors, according to your needs. The interface is elegant, intuitive, almost "notion-esque" in spirit. And yet, under the hood, it's all there: interaction tracking, reminders, light automation, team collaboration...
It's a tool particularly appreciated by freelancers, agencies and modern SMEs who want a CRM that's more flexible and less rigid than Pipedrive.
🛠️ Highlights include
- centralized contact view, automatically enriched (email, LinkedIn...) ;
- organization by customizable folders (sales, partnerships, projects, etc.) ;
- smooth collaboration with comments and shared tasks;
- intelligent import of contacts from Gmail, LinkedIn or CSV;
- consolidated exchange history and ultra-fast search;
- simple integrations: Zapier, Slack, Google Calendar, etc.
Folk is a CRM that's a pleasure to open. Perfect for those who want to manage relationships, not pipelines. If you find Pipedrive lacking in flexibility, or if you don't have a "classic business process", Folk CRM is a refreshing alternative, as beautiful as it is effective.
HubSpot CRM
HubSpot CRM is the Swiss Army knife of modern CRM. Free at its core, ultra-powerful in paid version, it combines sales management, marketing, customer support and automation in an all-in-one platform.
🎯 Unlike Pipedrive, HubSpot goes far beyond the simple sales pipeline. It manages leads, email marketing, automated workflows, capture forms and even customer service - all from a clear, fluid and highly visual interface.
It's an ideal solution for ambitious SMEs, growing startups or marketing/sales teams who want a 360° view of customer relations. The free version is more than enough to get you started, but beware: as you get more powerful, the price can quickly climb.
🛠️ Here's what HubSpot has to offer on the CRM side:
- management of contacts, companies, tasks, calls and transactions ;
- a customizable visual sales pipeline;
- real-time tracking of emails, templates, scoring and notifications;
- task automation (reminders, emails, assignments, etc.);
- native integration with Gmail, Outlook, Zapier, Slack, Zoom... ;
- powerful reports, dashboards and business forecasts.
HubSpot is a war machine for structuring all aspects of customer relationship management, from marketing to sales. If your team is growing and you want a more complete, marketing-friendly but still fluid alternative to Pipedrive, HubSpot CRM is a sure bet.
HubSpot CRM
Karlia
Karlia is the all-in-one CRM designed for French SMEs that want to centralize their sales management, invoicing, projects and customer relations in a single, fluid, modern platform... and without any gasworks.
🎯 The tool focuses on ease of use, with a clear interface and perfectly integrated modules: prospect tracking, quote/invoice creation, project management, customer support management, automation of repetitive tasks... everything is designed to save time and avoid double entry.
Unlike Pipedrive, which is limited to sales, Karlia supports the entire operational chain. And the icing on the cake: support is ultra-reactive, in French, with a real customer focus.
🛠️ Key benefits include
- management of contacts, pipeline, reminders, sales documents ;
- integrated invoicing with quotes, invoices, recurring payments and reminders;
- project tracking with tasks, time spent, collaboration, Kanban/Gantt views;
- customer support with tickets, priorities, SLAs, dedicated portal;
- customizable dashboards to manage your business;
- automation.
Karlia is the one-stop platform for those who are tired of juggling 5 different tools. If you're looking for a French alternative to Pipedrive capable of covering much more than just sales, while remaining clear and efficient, Karlia ticks all the boxes.
monday CRM
monday CRM is the logical evolution of the well-known monday.com project management platform. And that's great news for all teams who want to centralize their sales and operational management in a single, customizable and visual tool.
🎯 Here, we don't impose a fixed pipeline or standard structure: we build our own CRM space from templates, dynamic tables and automated workflows. The result is a totally modular experience, equally suited to sales, marketing, support and even project management teams.
monday CRM is particularly recommended for SMEs, agencies and start-ups who want to keep a firm grip on their processes, while promoting fluid collaboration between the various departments. And with a clear, colorful interface, adoption by teams is often rapid.
🛠️ Here's what you can expect:
- 100% customizable sales pipelines;
- tracking of leads, calls, emails, tasks and sales activities;
- automation of repetitive actions (reminders, assignments, etc.);
- integrated project management: deadlines, status, time spent, etc. ;
- enhanced collaboration: mentions, comments, real-time information sharing;
- native integrations with Gmail, Outlook, Slack, Google Docs, Zoom...
monday CRM combines flexibility, visibility and collective efficiency. If you find Pipedrive too rigid, or if you're looking for a CRM that can also keep track of your internal projects, monday can become your central platform. An alternative to Pipedrive that speaks to sales and ops alike.
monday CRM
Nimble
Nimble is the CRM that puts the emphasis on human relations. Its strength? It automatically connects your contacts, emails, social networks and calendars to create a unified view of your prospects and customers, with no manual effort.
🎯 Designed for small teams, freelancers or consultants, Nimble excels at tracking personalized relationships. It automatically detects public information (such as LinkedIn post, website, or recent exchanges), and lets you stay on top of every opportunity without ever missing a follow-up.
It's an alternative to Pipedrive that will suit those who want a simple, clean tool focused on human connection, rather than a purely transactional CRM.
🛠️ Its strengths include
- automatically enriched profiles (email, LinkedIn, Twitter...) ;
- a complete timeline of interactions with each contact;
- tracking of tasks, reminders and business opportunities;
- integrations with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Zapier, Mailchimp... ;
- an efficient mobile application for managing relationships on the move;
- a customizable, easy-to-configure dashboard.
Nimble is like the social CRM in your pocket: light, fluid and hyper-connected. If your strength lies in networking and local customer relations, it's an excellent alternative to Pipedrive, much better suited to long-term relationships than mass deals.
Nimble
Salesforce Sales Cloud
Salesforce is the big name in global CRM. With its Sales Cloud module, it offers a complete platform for managing the entire sales cycle, from lead to signature, including automation, reporting and large-scale personalization.
🎯 It's an ultra-powerful CRM, designed for companies with complex processes, large volumes of data, or a well-structured sales team. Where Pipedrive stops, Salesforce goes much further: advanced automation, multi-team management, predictive reporting, business customization, etc.
But this power comes at a price, both in terms of cost and implementation complexity. Salesforce is therefore primarily aimed at fast-growing SMEs, ETIs and large corporations.
🛠️ Sales Cloud offers
- a complete CRM with management of leads, contacts, opportunities and accounts ;
- personalized automations via Flow Builder ;
- sales team management, forecasts, targets and quotas;
- powerful reports and dashboards (with integrated AI);
- a robust mobile app for working on the move;
- advanced integrations with thousands of third-party apps (ERP, support, marketing...).
Salesforce Sales Cloud is the " unlimited scalability" option. If you're looking for an alternative to Pipedrive to turn a corner, manage larger teams or industrialize your sales, this is one of the most solid platforms on the market. But be warned, it's not a plug & play tool: it's better to have a real CRM strategy behind it.
Youday CRM
Youday CRM is the 100% French CRM solution, designed for SMEs, startups and ambitious teams who want to centralize sales, billing, marketing, project management and customer relations in a single intuitive tool.
🎯 Its major advantage? A scalable platform, with no IT development, that adapts to your business processes. You manage your contacts, pipeline, quotes/invoices, tasks and projects, while automatically generating documents and steering via customizable dashboards.
🛠️ Here's what Youday CRM has to offer:
- a tailor-made CRM: management of contacts, deals, quotes, invoices and collections;
- comprehensive sales management (pipeline, portfolio tracking, deal flow);
- collaborative time and project management (shared diary, budget tracking);
- efficient automation: documents, dashboards, notifications;
- seamless integration with your existing tools (emailing, mapping, calendar, storage, etc.);
- a robust mobile application to manage your sales and business on the move;
- local support and personalized coaching for rapid adoption.
Youday CRM is the tailor-made CRM tool that's just like you, with no superfluities or complications. Simple to set up, user-friendly and fully controllable, it's the ideal alternative to Pipedrive when you're looking to take your customer relationship management to the next level, without the need for multiple tools.
Youday CRM
Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM is a modular behemoth, capable of adapting to all sizes of company: from agile startups to large, structured accounts. It's part of the Zoho ecosystem, a suite of interconnected business tools covering sales, marketing, support, finance, and even HR.
🎯 Its great strength? A rare balance between personalization, automation, artificial intelligence (via Zia) and native integrations with over 800 applications. All in a modern, well-structured interface, and with a price/performance ratio that's hard to beat.
Unlike Pipedrive, Zoho CRM offers a much more comprehensive approach: you don't just manage pipelines, you manage the entire customer relationship, from lead to closing... and beyond.
🛠️ Key functionalities include
- management of leads, contacts, accounts, deals and activities ;
- automated workflows, scoring, allocation, intelligent reminders;
- Zia AI: conversion prediction, best action suggestions, sentiment analysis;
- customizable dashboards and reporting;
- native integrations with Zoho Books, Campaigns, Desk, Mail, Creator... ;
- a powerful mobile application with voice control, business card scanning, etc.
Zoho CRM is the ideal solution for growing companies that want a complete, reliable and ultra-adaptable tool. If Pipedrive seems too limited or too focused on pure sales, Zoho CRM is a robust alternative that will grow with your ambitions.
Zoho CRM
How do you choose the Pipedrive alternative that's right for you?
Overview of the best alternatives to Pipedrive
| CRM software | Key features | Primary target | Entry price |
| Bigin by Zoho | Simple pipeline, calls, e-mails, light automation | VSEs, freelancers, small teams | Free offer |
| Breakcold | Social selling, unified inbox (email, LinkedIn), automated follow-ups | Freelancers, SDR, growth agencies | From €17.38 / month |
| Close | Power dialer, VoIP calls, automated multi-channel sequences | Intensive prospecting teams (B2B) | From €29.96 / month |
| Folk CRM | Relationship view, free personalization, contact enrichment | Freelancers, agencies, network management | From €17.12 / month |
| HubSpot CRM | CRM + integrated marketing, automation, lead tracking | Startups, marketing-driven SMEs | Free offer |
| Karlia | CRM + billing + support + projects + cash flow | Multi-activity French SMEs | From €24.90 / month |
| monday CRM | CRM + project management, personalized tables, automation | Collaborative sales teams | From €12 / month |
| Nimble | Social CRM, auto enrichment, contact timeline | Solopreneurs, consultants, small teams | From €21.32 / month |
| Salesforce Sales Cloud | Modular CRM, advanced reporting, complex automation, AI | Growing SMEs, ETIs, key accounts | From €25 / month |
| Youday CRM | Customizable CRM, billing, projects, dashboards, automation | SMEs, startups, custom structures | On quotation |
| Zoho CRM | Complete CRM, Zia AI, native integrations, reporting | Startups, SMEs, flexible ETIs | From €14 / month |
Criteria for selecting an alternative to Pipedrive
Choosing the right CRM isn't just a question of price or interface. It's about finding the tool that fits your way of selling, your internal processes, and your business priorities. Here are the key criteria to consider when making an informed choice. 👇
1. Your type of business and sales organization
A freelancer or a VSE will not have the same needs as a team of 10 B2B salespeople. Ask yourself the right questions:
- Do I manage few deals, but with a lot of relationship follow-up?
- Does my team make a lot of calls, or more automated emailing?
- Do I need to centralize sales, marketing, projects, support... in a single tool?
🔎 Example: Breakcold will be perfect for a freelance LinkedIn prospect, whereas Salesforce will be better suited to a structured team with several levels of reporting.
2. Ease of use
A CRM that's too complex is a CRM that's been abandoned. The interface must be clear, tasks quick to execute, and onboarding well guided.
Bigin, Folk or monday CRM shine here: an intuitive interface, rapid configuration and easy adoption, even without training.
3. The features you need to achieve your goals
List your priority needs:
- Email or reminder automation?
- Electronic signature?
- Document management, quotes, invoices?
- Dashboards?
- Integrations with other tools (Gmail, Slack, Zapier...)?
- Multiple collaboration on the same business?
Each CRM has its own strengths: Close for cold calling, HubSpot for marketing, Zoho CRM for automation, Karlia for complete business management.
4. Your budget and scalability
Beware of bogus freebies: some CRMs display a low introductory price, but then charge for essential modules (such as automation or reporting).
💡 Tip: check carefully what each subscription includes, and what it will cost you if your team or your needs evolve.
5. Scalability and support
A good CRM is also a tool capable of growing with your business. It needs to be customizable, integrate new modules, and offer you responsive support.
Special mention should be made of Youday or Karlia, which offer local, human support.
The perfect alternative to Pipedrive is just a click away
There isn't one CRM that's better than all the others, but there is the right CRM for you.
Today, there are solutions that are more agile, more powerful or simply more suitable than Pipedrive.
Bigin, Close, HubSpot, Folk, Karlia, Zoho CRM... each of these tools offers a different vision of customer relationship management. It's up to you to choose the one that best serves your strategy, your team and your customers.
Take the time to test. Compare workflows, automations and prices. The best alternative to Pipedrive isn't the one that's imposed on you - it's the one that saves you time, closes more sales, and moves you forward faster.
So, are you ready to take action?
Article translated from French