Zoho CRM vs PipeDrive: Which CRM is Best for Your Business in 2025?
Choosing a CRM in 2025 isn’t about who has the prettiest pipeline—it’s about total cost of ownership, adoption across your teams, and how quickly you can turn data into revenue. If your motion is pure new-business sales, Pipedrive’s clean pipeline is instantly appealing. But most growing UK businesses don’t stop at deals: you’ll want email campaigns, visitor tracking, quotes, approvals, service tickets, invoices, and proper reporting without stitching together a dozen tools (and invoices).
That’s where this comparison matters. We’ll look beyond surface features to show what each platform really costs once you add the capabilities sales-led teams end up needing. You’ll see where Pipedrive stays light and fast—and where add-ons start to stack up. You’ll also see how Zoho CRM (and, crucially, Zoho One) bundles the same capabilities into a single, predictable price and a shared data model that connects Sales with Service, Finance and BI.
So, which is right for you? Let’s break it down.
| What matters | Zoho CRM / Zoho One | Pipedrive |
|---|---|---|
| Cost structure | Zoho CRM tiers + optional Zoho One suite at £37 (annual) / £45 (monthly) per employee; predictable as you expand beyond Sales. | 4 plans: Lite £14, Growth £39, Premium £49, Ultimate £79 per seat (annual billing). Add-ons: LeadBooster, Projects, Campaigns, Smart Docs, Web Visitors, etc. |
| AI | Zia AI (predictions, lead scoring, anomaly detection) + new agentic AI (Zia Agents) for SDR tasks, coaching, enrichment. | AI Sales Assistant, AI email writer; usability-first nudges and insights inside the pipeline. |
| Pipeline & automation | Strong workflows, Blueprint, CPQ, analytics; scales into Desk/Books/Inventory/FSM with native suite. | Excellent kanban-style pipeline and automation for core sales motions; projects/marketing via paid add-ons. |
| Reporting/BI | Deep link to Zoho Analytics; out-of-the-box dashboards + custom BI. | Solid built-in reports; often extended via add-ons or external tools. |
| Ecosystem | 45+ apps in Zoho One (CRM, Desk, Books, Analytics, Campaigns…): “Operating System for Business.” | 500+ integrations, open API; focused app marketplace around sales. |
| Ease of use | Modern UI; quickest value when implemented by a partner. | Very intuitive for sales teams; quick to adopt. |
Bottom line (table): Need multi-team automation and lowest total cost? Zoho (or Zoho One). Need a fast, sales-first CRM and accept add-on costs? Pipedrive.
Pricing & ROI: The Numbers That Matter
Pipedrive plans (annual billing): Lite £14, Growth £39, Premium £49, Ultimate £79 per seat/month. Add-ons (from ~£6.67–£41+): LeadBooster, Projects, Campaigns, Smart Docs, Web Visitors, etc. (VAT excl.).
Zoho One (suite): £37/employee/month (annual) or £45/employee/month (monthly); Flexible User £80/£100 per user/month. (UK public-sector price list mirrors GBP.)
Zoho CRM: Free for 3 users; paid tiers (Standard/Professional/Enterprise/Ultimate). Exact GBP varies; see live page.
Illustrative 10-user scenario
- Pipedrive Premium (core CRM only): ~£490/mo before add-ons.
- Zoho One (all-employee) for 10 staff: ~£370/mo for CRM+Desk+Books+Analytics—often replacing several Pipedrive add-ons and third-party tools.
👉 ROI takeaway: If you’ll need service, finance, or BI soon, Zoho One’s suite economics usually beat a Pipedrive stack assembled via add-ons.
Let’s talk about how Zoho CRM can work for you!
Ease of Use & Implementation
- Zoho CRM: Designed for SMBs and mid-market teams. Rollouts are smooth, with phased onboarding and quick wins. Goldstar IT’s Discovery Workshop tailors the system to your workflows from day one — minimal disruption, maximum adoption (and easy to extend across Service/Finance/BI).
- Pipedrive: Exceptionally easy for sales-only teams — quick, self-serve setup and a clean pipeline UI. Great if you need a pipeline live today; for broader processes or multi-team use, you’ll typically add paid add-ons or integrations, which makes scaling less straightforward.
AI, Automation & Reporting in 2025
AI
- Zoho CRM: Zia for lead/deal scoring, predictions, recommendations; expands across the Zoho stack.
- Pipedrive: AI Sales Assistant nudges next actions and drafts/summarises emails inside the pipeline.
Automation
- Zoho CRM: Robust workflows + Blueprint (stage-gate process control) and cross-app automation when you use Zoho One (Desk, Books, Campaigns, etc.).
- Pipedrive: Trigger–action workflows on deals/activities; marketing/journey-style automation typically depends on paid add-ons.
Reporting
- Zoho CRM: Strong native reports plus Zoho Analytics for full BI and cross-department dashboards.
- Pipedrive: Insights dashboards and custom reports focused on sales; deeper analytics often via add-ons or external tools.
👉 Bottom line: If you want AI + automation that stretches beyond Sales and unified BI without stacking extras, Zoho (ideally Zoho One) is the safer, lower-TCO choice. If you only need pipeline guidance inside Sales and are fine adding paid modules for marketing/analytics later, Pipedrive fits.
Data Security & Compliance
Zoho
- EU residency when you sign up on zoho.eu (Amsterdam/Dublin DCs; region-locked by domain).
- GDPR tooling (consent, DSRs) and published privacy FAQs.
Pipedrive
- AWS data centres in EU (Frankfurt, Dublin), UK (London), US; new EU/UK sign-ups typically hosted regionally. Some processing may involve US sub-processors under SCCs.
- DPA available and updated; ISO 27001/27701, SOC 2/3.
Bottom line: Both can be GDPR-compliant. If you require strict EU residency by default, Zoho via zoho.eu is straightforward; with Pipedrive, confirm region hosting + DPA in your contract.
Best Use Cases in 2025
Choose Zoho CRM / Zoho One when…
- You want suite value (CRM + service + finance + analytics) and a single data model.
- You’re cost-conscious and want predictable scaling across teams.
- You plan to automate beyond Sales (approvals, quote-to-cash, Desk/Books links).
Choose Pipedrive when…
- Your motion is sales-only and you want the cleanest pipeline UI.
- You’re okay assembling extras via add-ons/marketplace.
- You need reps productive today with minimal training.
The Goldstar Difference: Working with a Zoho Premium Partner
Choosing Zoho CRM is smart. Choosing the right Zoho Premium Partner to implement it is smarter.
Here’s what Goldstar IT adds:
- Tailored to you: We design your CRM around your processes, not the other way round.
- Faster ROI: Our agile rollouts mean your team sees value in weeks, not months.
- Local, personal support: We’re UK-based and treat your business like it’s our own.
- Long-term partnership: From training to ongoing optimisation, we grow with you — not just “install and leave”.
💡 Most businesses save by choosing Zoho CRM with Goldstar IT over Pipedrive.
Make Zoho CRM drive sales – not just record them!
Boosting ROI with an existing Zoho deployment
If you already use Zoho Books, Desk, or Analytics, adding Zoho CRM supercharges your ROI:
- Sales sees invoices and support tickets in one place.
- Finance gets accurate, live revenue forecasts.
- Leaders access cross-department reporting at a glance.
👉 Result: Switching on more Zoho apps results in fewer errors, faster decisions, happier customers, and bigger profits.
Check out some of our other clients and see how multiple Zoho apps have worked for them!
Zoho CRM vs Salesforce FAQs
Zoho CRM: Lower TCO, especially with Zoho One bundling CRM, Campaigns, Projects, Analytics, Desk, Books, etc.
Pipedrive: Core CRM is affordable, but LeadBooster/Campaigns/Web Visitors/Projects add up as you scale.
Zoho CRM: Yes (free tier) + free trials on paid tiers.
Pipedrive: Yes, typically a time-limited free trial.
Zoho CRM (Zia): Scoring, forecasts, anomaly alerts, content assist, summaries — and it extends across Zoho apps for cross-department workflows and BI.
Pipedrive: AI Sales Assistant for next-best actions/deal hygiene, plus a generative email writer/summariser — focused inside the sales pipeline.
Zoho CRM/Zoho One: Includes Campaigns (email), Projects, Analytics, SalesIQ (chat/visitor tracking), Desk, Books.
Pipedrive: LeadBooster (lead capture), Campaigns (email), Web Visitors (tracking), Projects, and others are paid add-ons.
In conclusion which is better in 2025 – Zoho CRM or Pipedrive?
If you only need a slick, sales-only pipeline, Pipedrive is lovely to use. But once you need lead capture, email marketing, website visitor intel, projects, or deeper reporting, the add-ons start stacking up: LeadBooster (from $32.50/company/mo), Campaigns (email, from $16/mo for ~1k subs), Web Visitors (paid, tiered by visitor volume), and Projects (paid per seat).
With Zoho, those same capabilities are covered by the suite: Zoho Campaigns, Zoho Projects, Zoho Analytics, and Zoho SalesIQ (live chat + visitor tracking) are part of Zoho One at no extra charge—so your total cost of ownership stays predictable as you scale beyond Sales.
Bottom line: Need multi-team capability and lowest total cost? Zoho CRM (ideally via Zoho One) wins. Want a focused pipeline and don’t mind paying for add-ons? Pipedrive fits.
(Fair note: if you choose standalone Zoho CRM without Zoho One, you can still add Zoho apps à la carte—Zoho One just bundles them into one predictable price.)
👉 Want numbers? Book a free cost comparison call with Goldstar IT
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👉 Need more info? Visit our CRM resources hub