Pipedrive vs Zendesk: a comprehensive comparison to help you make the right choice
Finding the right tool to manage your sales or customer support is a bit like choosing between a Tesla and a Harley: two styles, two uses, two sensations.
Pipedrive and Zendesk each have their own promise. Pipedrive plays the simplicity card for sales teams. The latter is the champion of multi-channel customer relations, from email to chatbot.
But things are changing. In 2025, SaaS solutions are intersecting, complementing and challenging each other. So, Pipedrive or Zendesk: which is really for you?
We've scoured the user reviews, dissected the functionalities, compared prices and ergonomics to offer you a complete match-up... without tongue-in-cheek or useless jargon!
Spoiler: there's no absolute winner, just a logical choice based on your needs.
What is Pipedrive?
Before diving into the technical comparison, let's start by laying the foundations. Pipedrive is a CRM that's simple, visual and results-oriented. Created by salespeople, for salespeople, it's all about efficiency and user experience. But how does it measure up in 2025 against a behemoth like Zendesk? Here's what we think.
Pipedrive overview
Pipedrive is the B2B CRM for sales teams who want to keep control without complexity. The tool was born in Estonia (yes, like Skype) with a clear promise: to help sales people track their leads and close more deals without drowning in indigestible pipelines.
In 2025, Pipedrive has over 100,000 corporate customers in 170 countries, with a strong presence among SMEs and scale-ups, particularly in tech, consulting, real estate and SaaS.
What makes it so appealing? An ultra-fluid drag-and-drop interface, an action-centric pipeline logic (activity = result), and advanced functionalities without the price or complexity of a Salesforce.
👉 In short, if your sales force spends more time in Excel than on the phone, Pipedrive has what it takes to reconcile them with CRM.
Pipedrive's key features
What Pipedrive lacks in complexity, it makes up for in efficiency. There's nothing superfluous here, just concrete tools to help you close faster. Everything is designed to guide the salesperson, step by step, right up to signature.
Here are the key features to remember
- Drag-and-drop pipeline management: ultra-visual, each opportunity moves from one stage to the next just like on a Trello board. Easy to learn, addictive to use.
- Intelligent automations: automatic reminders, task creation, pre-filled emails... Save clicks and reduce oversights. Even the most meticulous sales reps will find their way around.
- Email tracking & templates: Pipedrive notifies you as soon as a prospect opens an e-mail or clicks on a link. Combined with customizable templates, this saves time and increases relevance.
- Sales reporting: personalized dashboards, sales forecasts, individual performance... Everything you need to keep your team on track.
- Native integration with prospecting tools: such as LeadBooster (chatbot, forms, active prospecting), or Smart Docs to manage quotes and contracts.
- Efficient Mobile App: the app doesn't just make up the numbers. You can really work from your smartphone without pulling your hair out.
In short, Pipedrive doesn't try to do everything, but what it does, it does well. And that's what you'd expect from a good sales CRM.
Pipedrive
Advantages and disadvantages of Pipedrive
Before you pull out the blue card (or migrate your CRM in a hurry), let's take a look at what's great about Pipedrive - and what can be a hindrance.
Because yes, even the nicest CRMs have their grey areas.
✅ What we like about Pipedrive
- A clear, intuitive interface: no need for a 3-day training course. You can get to grips with the tool in a matter of minutes, even if you're not a CRM geek.
- Total focus on sales: Pipedrive doesn't spread itself too thin. It stays focused on what it does best: helping salespeople sell better and faster.
- Accessible automations: no need for a dedicated admin to create efficient workflows. The tool is designed for field teams.
- An excellent features/price ratio: for an SME, Pipedrive offers much more than a basic CRM, without getting into the complexity of HubSpot or Salesforce.
- A well-documented API + numerous integrations: Slack, Google Workspace, Zoom, Zapier... The ecosystem is solid.
⚠️ What can hold it back
- Not suited to customer support: forget tickets, SLAs or integrated live chat. This is not the core of the reactor.
- Advanced reporting as a paid option: some useful metrics (advanced forecasts, customized reports) require higher plans.
- Less relevant for marketing teams: no native emailing module worthy of the name, nor fine-tuned upstream lead management.
- Limited multi-pipeline management: possible, but not ultra-smooth for companies with multiple sales cycles.
What is Zendesk?
A new world. Zendesk is the champion of customer service, and has been the preferred tool of support teams for over a decade. Where Pipedrive optimizes sales pipelines, Zendesk orchestrates customer relations across all channels: email, chat, phone, social networks... even carrier pigeons will find their way around.
But beware: Zendesk isn't just for support teams. In 2025, the platform was beefed up to include a true CRM logic focused on customer experience (CX). The result? It also appeals to marketing teams, product managers and even HR.
Zendesk overview
Launched in 2007 in Copenhagen (yes, all that hygge), Zendesk is now a global SaaS heavyweight, with over 160,000 customers in 160 countries. They range from agile SMEs to major corporations like Airbnb, Shopify and Uber.
What Zendesk promises: to make customer support as seamless as a conversation between buddies, whatever the channel.
But beyond the simple helpdesk, the platform now offers a complete CRM suite (Zendesk Sell, ex-Base CRM), and an AI-powered self-service logic.
The target audience? Primarily support and customer relations teams, but also companies focused on user experience, particularly in SaaS, e-commerce and healthcare.
👉 Clearly, Zendesk is the choice of companies that want to industrialize their support without sacrificing the human relationship.
Zendesk key features
Zendesk isn't just a ticket center. It's an ultra-complete CX platform, connecting teams to customers across all channels with advanced tracking, automation and personalization logic.
Here are the key features that will make it so strong in 2025:
- Multi-channel ticketing system: e-mails, live chat, calls, social networks, FAQs... All customer exchanges are centralized in a single interface. You can follow every request from A to Z, without pulling your hair out.
- Intelligent help center: creation of knowledge bases and dynamic FAQs. Zendesk even offers automatic article suggestions based on queries received.
- Intelligent routing and automation: prioritization of tickets, assignment to the most competent agent, predefined responses... It's assistance on autopilot.
- Zendesk Sell (integrated CRM): to manage leads and opportunities, with visual pipeline, scoring, contact history... A true integrated sales brick.
- Analytics and advanced reporting: customizable reports on support performance, response times, customer satisfaction (CSAT/NPS)... Ideal for large-scale piloting.
Self-service tools and AI: chatbot, predictive responses, article suggestions... Zendesk capitalizes on AI to reduce agent workload.
Advantages and disadvantages of Zendesk
Zendesk has all the makings of a good customer service student: structured, comprehensive, connected. But behind all this well-oiled efficiency, there are a few things that can grate, especially if you're looking for the flexibility of a more commercial CRM. Let's sort out its real qualities... and its little flaws.
✅ What we like about Zendesk
- Ultra-robust multi-channel coverage: whether your customers contact by chat, email, social networks or phone, everything arrives in a unified interface.
- A hyper-mature ticketing system: automations, macros, triggers... Everything is customizable to fit your support processes.
- Powerful self-service tools: FAQ, help center, chatbot, AI... Customers find their own answers without waiting for an agent.
- Integrated Zendesk Sell: even if it's not a pure CRM like Pipedrive, the sales brick holds its own for customer relations-oriented teams.
- Scalability for large teams: fine-tuned role management, SLAs, queues... Zendesk remains fluid even with 100 agents.
⚠️ What can hold you back
- A dense interface for beginners: the learning curve is steeper than with Pipedrive, especially for small teams without technical support.
- Rapidly escalating costs: each additional module or channel (chat, telephony, AI) can push up the bill, especially for growing structures.
- Less flexibility for pure sales: Zendesk Sell is efficient, but can't compete with full-sales CRMs like HubSpot, Pipedrive or Salesforce.
- Complex parameterization: to get the most out of Zendesk, you need to love workflows, routing rules and personalized dashboards. Not for those allergic to configuration.
Pipedrive vs Zendesk: compare features
Pipedrive and Zendesk don't exactly play in the same league. One is designed for salespeople, the other for support teams. But in 2025, the lines are changing: Pipedrive integrates lead gen, Zendesk pushes its CRM brick... Which is why it's worth digging deeper.
Here's a summary table to situate the major strengths of each 👇
| Key functionality | Pipedrive | Zendesk | Comments |
| Sales pipeline management | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Basic (Zendesk Sell) | Pipedrive remains more visual and intuitive |
| Multi-channel customer support | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | Zendesk excels on all channels |
| Automations | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | More accessible on Pipedrive side |
| Help center / FAQ | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | Not available on Pipedrive |
| Email & document tracking | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Limited (via Sell) | Advantage to Pipedrive on the sales side |
| Third-party integrations | ✅ Large | ✅ Very wide | Solid ecosystems on both sides |
| Mobile interface | ✅ Ergonomic | ✅ Solid | Well-rated mobile apps |
| Customized reporting | ⚠️ Limited as standard | ✅ Very advanced | Zendesk more advanced natively |
| AI and support automation | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | Zendesk bets big on AI |
| Customer-focused CRM | ⚠️ Basic | ✅ Yes | Zendesk relies on a complete CX vision |
Focus 1: Sales and pipeline management
At Pipedrive, the pipeline is king. Drag-and-drop an opportunity, schedule a reminder, track the day's activities: it's all done in the blink of an eye. It's fluid, visual and motivating. Salespeople can literally live in their pipeline.
Zendesk's "Sell" brick can also be used to manage a pipeline, but it's more rigid and less intuitive. Complex or multi-stage sales cycles are easier to manage with Pipedrive.
👉 To remember
Pipedrive is always one step ahead.
Focus 2: Customer support and ticket management
This is where Zendesk comes into its own. Emails, live chat, social networks, telephone: everything is centralized, tracked and logged. The ultra-customizable ticketing system enables requests to be handled methodically, quickly and with empathy.
Pipedrive, on the other hand, offers no native customer support functions. You can cobble together a few integrations, but it's clearly not designed for it.
👉 To remember
Zendesk is the benchmark for multi-channel support teams.
Focus 3: Automations and workflows
Both programs offer automation.
Pipedrive gets straight to the point: in 3 clicks, you can program a reminder, an email or a task. Ideal for small teams who want to get organized without drowning in conditional rules.
Zendesk, on the other hand, shines with the power of its rules and triggers engine. You can automate to the point of absurdity (in a good way), but it takes a bit of time and expertise to set everything up properly.
👉 To remember
Pipedrive is quicker to learn, Zendesk more powerful for complex workflows.
Focus 4: AI and self-service
Zendesk has clearly taken the AI turn. Suggested answers, intelligent ticket classification, predictive analysis, chatbot... Customer support is becoming proactive and scalable.
Pipedrive, on the other hand, remains very "human". No native AI (or very little), and no automated help center.
👉 To remember
if intelligent automation and scalability are key for you, Zendesk is the best choice.
Focus 5: Customer care & user experience
Zendesk is now positioned as a customer experience (CX) platform. This goes beyond support: it's a 360° view of interactions with each customer.
Pipedrive remains focused on sales performance. We do track actions taken, but the customer vision is more transactional than relational.
👉 To remember
Zendesk gives a more global view of the customer, while Pipedrive keeps a very dirty pipeline focus.
Pipedrive vs Zendesk: price comparison (2025)
(Rates per user/agent/month, annual billing)
| Plan / Software | Pipedrive | Zendesk (CX Suite) |
| Entry plan | Lite - €14
|
Team Support - €19
|
| Intermediate plan | Growth - €39 Lite Plan +
|
Team Suite - €55 Team Support +
|
| Advanced plan | Premium Plan - €49 Growth + Plan
|
Suite Professional - €115 Team + Suite - Intelligent routing - Customized dashboards - Advanced permissions |
| Complete plan | Ultimate - €79 Premium + Plan
|
Enterprise Suite - on request - Sandboxing - Extended API - Conversational AI - Enhanced security |
👉 To remember
- Pipedrive: excellent value for money for sales-oriented SMEs. The plans are easy to understand and upgrading is painless.
- Zendesk: very comprehensive, but each step is expensive. To be reserved for structures with a real multi-agent CX need and rapid scalability.
Pipedrive vs Zendesk: which interface is more intuitive?
Between a CRM designed for busy salespeople and a support platform tailored for structured teams, the user experience is neither the same... nor aimed at the same audience.
But a good interface is one you forget when you use it. So, who's doing best UX-wise in 2025?
Pipedrive interface: designed for fast action
Pipedrive's interface is clear, visual and no-nonsense. The home screen gives direct access to the day's opportunities, pipeline and tasks. Each item is easily moved by drag-and-drop, and action buttons are clearly identified.
✅ We like:
- Simple navigation, with no complex menus.
- Customizable, motivating pipeline.
- Quick access to automations.
- Fluid mobile application.
⚠️ Please note:
- Less functional depth: some settings are simplistic.
- Little UX customization in terms of display or roles.
Zendesk interface: powerful but denser
Zendesk is a big, well-oiled machine. The interface has recently been redesigned for greater legibility, but is still quite busy. Normal: the solution manages numerous channels, workflows, roles, ticket levels...
✅ We like:
- The "omnichannel" dashboard, to track everything at a glance.
- Optimized agent interface with shortcuts, macros and AI suggestions.
- Fine customization according to teams, roles and ticket status.
⚠️ Please note:
- The interface can be intimidating at first (especially outside customer support).
- Navigation logic is not always intuitive without training.
UX comparison table
| Criteria | Pipedrive | Zendesk |
| Navigation simplicity | ✅ Very fluid | ⚠️ Dense, requires learning |
| Quick to learn | ✅ Yes, immediate | ❌ No, training recommended |
| Visual customization | ⚠️ Limited | ✅ Very advanced |
| Adapted to mobile | ✅ Yes, very good support | ✅ Yes also |
| Business-oriented UX | ✅ Sales | ✅ Support / Customer service |
👉 To remember
- Pipedrive is ideal if you're looking for a fast-to-learn, frictionless tool, even for a small team.
- Zendesk, on the other hand, offers an ultra-rich but demanding UX, which reveals its power once properly mastered.
Pipedrive vs Zendesk: compare integrations
A SaaS solution, no matter how powerful, can no longer exist in a silo.
What do we want in 2025? Tools that talk to each other, without headaches or long lines of code.
Integration comparison chart
| Criteria | Pipedrive | Zendesk |
|---|---|---|
| Number of integrations | ⭐⭐⭐⭐✩ (~400 apps) Focus on sales, prospecting, calendar, invoicing, communication |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (+1300 apps) Focus on customer relations, collaboration, analytics, telephony |
| Ease of integration | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 2-click connection, simple API, ultra-accessible Zapier/Make |
⭐⭐⭐⭐✩ Marketplace rich, API robust, but parameterization sometimes technical |
| Automation | ⭐⭐⭐✩✩ Simple workflows (reminders, tasks, pipelines). Advanced automation via Zapier |
⭐⭐⭐⭐✩ Intelligent routing, macros, triggers and integrated AI for support |
👉 To remember
- Pipedrive: designed for simplicity and sales efficiency. Perfect for SMEs that want to quickly connect their CRM to their day-to-day tools.
- Zendesk: designed for complex CX environments, with rich integrations and powerful automations. But you'll need to invest some time (and a little technique) to exploit its full potential.
When to choose Pipedrive or Zendesk?
There's no single winner here. As is often the case with SaaS, everything depends on your business context: objectives, team, digital maturity.
So, rather than making an axe to grind, we're here to help you make the right choice, based on your reality in the field.
If you're a sales-oriented team... choose Pipedrive
Pipedrive is the tool that speaks the language of sales: visual pipeline, fast actions, frictionless automation.
It's the perfect CRM for teams who want to close faster without getting bogged down.
👉 Choose Pipedrive if:
- You're an SME or B2B startup
- Your priorities are sales follow-up, reminders and signing
- You're looking for a tool that's easy to deploy and requires no training
- Your marketing or support team already uses other dedicated tools
- You don 't need an integrated support center or FAQs
Case studies :
- A digital agency wants to track its leads from brief to signature.
- A SaaS startup wants to structure its sales cycle with few resources.
- A consulting firm wants to automate its follow-ups without recruiting a CRM admin.
If you're a support or customer relations team... choose Zendesk!
Zendesk is the Rolls-Royce of customer support: omnichannel, structured, intelligent.
And in recent years, it's been enriched with CRM bricks for a complete customer experience, from initial inquiry to loyalty.
👉 Choose Zendesk if :
- You manage a multi-channel support team
- Your customers contact you via chat, email, social networks, telephone
- You want to centralize exchanges in a structured space
- You need a help desk, chatbots, AI or SLAs
- You have a team capable of configuring advanced workflows
Case studies :
- An e-tailer wants to industrialize its support with 10 multilingual agents.
- A B2B company receives 100 tickets a day via different channels.
- A SaaS platform wants to create an intelligent help center + a ticketing system connected to CRM.
👉 To remember
- Pipedrive for closer. Zendesk to serve.
- One for salespeople in a hurry, the other for structured support teams.
- And if your company is at a crossroads? There's nothing to stop you from combining them intelligently (via Zapier, API, etc.).
What to learn from the Pipedrive vs. Zendesk battle
Zendesk or Pipedrive, CRM or support, pipeline or ticketing...
We've dissected, compared, scored and sorted. Now it's time for a clear and useful summary, to help you make a strategic decision without overheating your brain.
A summary of our major strengths
- Pipedrive is the agile CRM for those who want to sell more, without drowning in complex tools.
- Zendesk is the complete CX platform for those who want to offer fluid, automated, multi-channel customer service.
Neither one does its job badly, but they don't meet the same needs.
Need / Recommendation chart
| Your need | Our recommendation |
| Track your leads and opportunities easily | ✅ Pipedrive |
| Centralize customer requests across all channels | ✅ Zendesk |
| Launch a CRM quickly without complex training | ✅ Pipedrive |
| Offer structured customer support with FAQs, chat and AI | ✅ Zendesk |
| Keep an exclusively commercial focus | ✅ Pipedrive |
| Track customer relations over time | ✅ Zendesk |
| Work in a small team with a simple yet powerful tool | ✅ Pipedrive |
| Manage a large support team with automatic routing and SLAs | ✅ Zendesk |
| Easily connect the tool to other business apps | ✅ Pipedrive |
| Create complex, personalized customer support workflows | ✅ Zendesk |
Pipedrive vs Zendesk FAQ
1. Can Pipedrive manage customer support like Zendesk?
❌ Not really. Pipedrive is a commercial CRM, not a support platform.
It doesn't manage tickets, SLAs or multi-channel customer support. If you have a real support team, it's best to opt for Zendesk or a specialized tool.
2. Can Zendesk replace a commercial CRM like Pipedrive?
⚠️ Yes, in some cases, but with limits.
Zendesk integrates a CRM brick (Zendesk Sell), which is sufficient for simple sales cycles, but it remains less visual and intuitive than Pipedrive.
👉 For a true sales culture, Pipedrive remains more relevant.
3. Which tool is easiest to learn?
Pipedrive. It's designed to be up and running in a matter of hours, without any training.
Zendesk is more complete, but also denser and often requires structured onboarding.
4. Which software is best suited to a growing SME?
🎯 It all depends on your priority:
- To develop your sales → Pipedrive
- To structure your customer support → Zendesk
💡 You can also have them coexist intelligently (via Zapier or API).
5. Can both tools be customized?
✅ Yes, but with nuances:
- Pipedrive allows quick, guided customization, including pipelines, fields, activities.
- Zendesk offers deeper, but also more technical customization(forms, roles, macros, dashboards, etc.).
6. Do both tools offer a mobile app?
Yes !
- Pipedrive: highly rated mobile app, fluid, perfect for sales reps on the go.
- Zendesk: solid application, designed for support agents, with access to tickets and notifications.
7. Are integrations easy to set up?
- Pipedrive: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ → Very simple, even for non-techies.
- Zendesk: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✩ → More powerful but often more technical.
Article translated from French