If you’re looking for the right CRM to manage your customer relationships, you might be between Pipedrive or Keap (formerly Infusionsoft). And that can be a tough one. Each platform has their own set features, though there are some overlaps too.
This comparison will mostly dive into their differences, helping you make an informed decision based on what you’re looking for. And we'll also introduce Zeeg as a scheduling solution that you can integrate with other CRMs.
Pipedrive vs Keap: The basics of both CRMs
Before getting into the specifics, let's clarify what each platform brings to the table.
Both Pipedrive and Keap (formerly Infusionsoft) are CRM platforms focused on helping businesses manage their customer relationships and sales processes.
Pipedrive's strengths lie mostly in its visual sales pipeline management and deal tracking features, which is why it became so popular among sales teams who want to have a good visibility of their opportunities. It's considered one of the most simple CRMs and easy to work with.
Keap also has great sales management tools, but puts a bit more emphasis on marketing automation. But, similarly to Pipedrive, it also targets small to medium-sized businesses, offering things like contact management, pipeline tracking, and workflow automation.
The platforms share many core functionalities - they both help teams track leads, manage customer interactions, and close deals efficiently. But in the end, the main difference will be that Pipedrive tends to be better at sales visualization and pipeline management, while Keap offers more built-in marketing tools in its base packages.
But let’s look at both of them a bit better.
Pipedrive’s key features
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The platform's core strengths, as we’ve said, are centered around practical sales management tools. Pipedrive emphasizes practicality over complexity, with a drag-and-drop system that makes deal management straightforward. Sales teams can easily move opportunities through different stages and get a clear overview of their pipeline at any time:
- Visual pipeline tracking that lets sales teams monitor deals through customizable stages
- Email integration with popular platforms like Gmail and Outlook for centralized communication
- Activity-based selling approach that helps teams focus on high-priority actions
- Smart contact data that automatically enriches customer information
- Customizable workflow automation for routine sales tasks
Pipedrive’s pros and cons
Pipedrive works well for teams focused primarily on sales pipeline management, although companies wanting more extensive reporting or advanced analytics might find that the basic tiers fall short. But their simple approach to things makes them quite a good fit for small to medium-sized sales teams who want a visual pipeline management and practical functionality, and not too many complex features.
✓ Clean, professional interface with minimal learning curve
✓ Over 400 integrations with essential business tools
✓ Comprehensive video tutorials and support resources
✓ Functional mobile apps for iOS and Android platforms
✓ Two-way Google Apps synchronization
✓ Visual pipeline with drag-and-drop functionality
✓ Activity-driven sales methodology
✗ No Kanban view available for contacts section
✗ Limited analytics customization capabilities
✗ Basic reporting in lower-tier plans
✗ Restricted customer support for basic plans
✗ Some users report syncing issues with external calendars
✗ Advanced features locked behind higher-priced tiers
Keap’s key features
Keap combines CRM capabilities with practical marketing tools that help businesses streamline their operations. The platform focuses on automating repetitive tasks while maintaining personalized customer interactions:
- Complete sales and marketing automation with visual campaign builder
- CRM with advanced contact management and lead scoring
- Email and SMS marketing automation with customizable templates
- Payment processing and invoicing automation
- Multi-channel communication tracking
- Landing page builder with customizable templates
- Business phone line and scheduling tools
Keap’s pros and Cons:
✓ Intuitive interface with minimal learning curve
✓ Comprehensive onboarding and coaching support
✓ Powerful automation capabilities for marketing and sales, like text marketing automation
✓ Strong integration options with popular business tools
✓ Built-in payment processing and invoicing
✓ Visual campaign builder for easy workflow creation
✓ Complete CRM functionality with lead scoring
✓ Meeting scheduler built-in
✗ Relatively high starting price point
✗ Mandatory setup/onboarding fee
✗ Limited customization in lower-tier plans
✗ Steeper learning curve for advanced features
✗ No built-in project management tools
✗ Mobile app currently only available in select countries
This combination of features also makes Keap quite effective for small and medium businesses that are already established in the market but need to automate their sales and/or marketing efforts. However, newer businesses or those with limited contact lists might find the initial investment and learning curve challenging to justify.
Pipedrive vs Keap: Comparison overview
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Pipedrive vs Keap: A detailed features comparison
Pipeline and deal management - Pipedrive leads
As we’ve seen already, Pipedrive is great in pipeline visualization and deal tracking, with a drag-and-drop interface that makes moving deals between stages intuitive, while custom fields and stages allow teams to adapt the pipeline to their specific sales process. Keap also offers good pipeline management features, but has a bit less visual emphasis. So, in the end, both platforms enable users to track deal values, set follow-up tasks, and monitor sales progress, though Pipedrive's interface makes things clearer.
Lead generation and capture - Pipedrive offers more tools
When it comes to lead generation, Pipedrive takes the lead with its comprehensive Lead Booster feature set, which includes a built-in chatbot for 24/7 customer engagement, a Prospector tool for identifying potential leads, and customizable web forms for gathering prospect information. Keap, on the other hand, offers a very user-friendly form builder with drag-and-drop functionality that creates modern lead capture forms, and these forms integrate directly with Keap's marketing automation features, enabling immediate lead nurturing once contact information is captured.
Marketing automation - Keap wins
Keap shows its true strength in marketing automation. The platform includes sophisticated email sequences, lead scoring, and automated follow-ups in its base packages. So, basically users can create detailed customer journeys and trigger actions based on specific behaviors. And while Pipedrive also offers automation options, they're more limited and often require add-ons, which will add up on the final price you’ll end up paying. For instance, email marketing features are only available in higher-tier Pipedrive plans, whereas Keap includes them as standard features.
Contact management - Let’s call it a tie
We don’t see a specific advantage from any of the two. They both handle contact management effectively, offering quite similar options. Both allow users to store detailed customer information, track interaction history, and segment contacts based on various criteria. With Pipedrive and Keap, users can add custom fields, tag contacts, and maintain thorough records of all customer communications. Neither platform has a clear advantage, as both provide the essential tools needed for good contact management.
Customization and flexibility - Pipedrive is more flexible
We’ll say that Pipedrive offers more flexibility in customizing the sales process and workflow views. Users can modify their pipeline stages, create custom fields, and adjust the interface to match their workflow. Ok, Keap also allows customization - but their options are somewhat more rigid, especially in terms of pipeline visualization and reporting layouts. However, both platforms enable users to adapt the system to their business needs through custom fields and workflow adjustments, so it’s not such a big difference.
Reporting and analytics - Keap has a more depth
In terms of data, Keap gives better reporting capabilities, especially when it comes to marketing metrics. You can track campaign performance, customer engagement, and sales metrics in more detail. Pipedrive also offers great sales reporting features, like revenue forecasting and activity tracking, but all in all their marketing analytics aren’t as extensive. Keap's reporting tools just give users deeper insights into both sales and marketing performance.
Integrations - Pipedrive has more options
Talking about third-party applications, Pipedrive takes a clear lead with approximately 400 native integrations. The platform connects with tools like Slack, Zoom, Google Meet, Asana, Trello, and QuickBooks, allowing teams to maintain their existing workflows while managing customer relationships. One can manage projects in Trello or handle communications in Slack without leaving their CRM environment.
Keap offers fewer native integrations but also covers essential business needs through connections with Gmail, Outlook, Jotform, and ScheduleOnce. While both platforms support Zapier integration for additional connectivity options, Keap relies more heavily on this third-party service. This means Pipedrive users often enjoy more direct, seamless connections with their favorite tools, while Keap users might need additional setup steps for certain integrations.
Data import and export - Balanced capabilities
Both platforms provide similar capabilities for importing and exporting data, like importing contact lists, exporting reports, or transferring data between systems. They offer standard CSV import/export functions and API access for more advanced data management needs. Neither platform stands out significantly in this area.
Security features - Comparable offerings
When it comes to data security, both platforms maintain great standards. They offer role-based permissions, data encryption, and compliance with major security regulations. One can control access levels, track system activities, and ensure their customer data remains protected. Both platforms meet industry security standards without significant differences in their offerings.
Customer support - Keap offers more
Keap provides more comprehensive support options, including dedicated onboarding assistance and coaching services. While Pipedrive offers reliable customer support through email and chat, Keap's additional training resources and personalized support give it an advantage, particularly for users new to CRM systems.
Keap vs Pipedrive: Two pricing models
Keap
👉There’s a 14-day free trial
Looking at Keap's pricing structure, it scales based on two main factors: number of users and contact volume. And, important to know - if you pay annually, you get a 17% discount. Oh, and there’s also onboarding fees.
But let’s look at some examples:
- 2 users with 1,500 contacts: $249/month ($2,988/year)
- 2 uses with 2,500 contacts: $278/month ($3,334/year)
- 3 users with 1,500 contacts: $281/month ($3,372/year)
- 3 users with 2,500 contacts: $310/month ($3,718/year)
- 10 users and 11,500 contacts: $697/month ($8,364/year)
- 30 users and 26,500 contacts: $1481/month ($17,772/year)
After analyzing Keap's pricing model, we get some interesting patterns in how costs scale with both user count and contact volume. Adding new users follows a predictable pattern, with each additional user increasing to a certain point by approximately 13%. But if you have more contacts, then this user’s increase would be lower.
When really evaluating Keap's cost-effectiveness, smaller businesses and solopreneurs might find the initial investment challenging. The combination of setup fees, monthly costs, and scaling prices for larger contact lists can strain limited budgets. Nevertheless, established businesses often find substantial value in the platform. By combining CRM, marketing automation, email marketing, payment processing, and invoicing in one solution, Keap can significantly streamline operations. Many users report saving 6-7 hours weekly through automation features alone, which can offset the cost when considering typical business hourly rates.
What’s also worth noting is their automation library, which is divided into four main categories, and upon which you might have to make some decisions:
- Marketing Automation: Focuses on lead generation and nurturing with tools like lead magnets, email sequences, and consultation requests
- Sales Automation: Handles revenue generation through webinars, cart abandonment recovery, and sales pipeline management
- Service Automation: Centers on customer satisfaction with surveys, review requests, and referral programs
- Operations Automation: Streamlines internal processes including hiring, billing, and affiliate management
Pipedrive
👉 There’s a 14-day free trial
Pipedrive's pricing model is structured somewhat differently, as it comes in different plans:
- Essential (€14/user/month annually): The entry-level plan provides fundamental CRM features including lead management, pipeline visualization, activity tracking, basic reporting, and integration with 400+ tools. It's designed for small teams just starting with CRM.
- Advanced (€39/user/month annually): Building on Essential, this tier adds comprehensive email capabilities including templates and tracking, group emailing, an automation builder for sequences, and integrated meeting scheduling. It suits growing teams ready to automate their sales processes.
- Professional (€49/user/month annually): The most popular tier introduces AI-powered features like Sales Assistant and smart emailing, along with contract management, e-signatures, lead routing, revenue forecasting, and advanced reporting. It's ideal for established teams seeking sophisticated sales tools.
- Power (€64/user/month annually): Designed for larger operations, this plan adds project planning capabilities, enhanced team permissions, and premium support including 24/7 live chat and phone assistance. It's perfect for organizations needing robust collaboration tools.
- Enterprise (€99/user/month annually): The top tier offers unlimited access to all features, enhanced security, unlimited reporting and customization options, and maximum automation capabilities. It's built for large organizations requiring complete flexibility and control.
This CRM has a strategic price scaling that aligns with business growth stages. The jump from Essential to Advanced represents the largest percentage increase (179%), suggesting Pipedrive sees automation and email features as high-value additions. The smaller price gaps between subsequent tiers (26% from Advanced to Professional, 31% from Professional to Power, and 55% from Power to Enterprise) indicate a more gradual feature expansion.
Monthly billing comes at a premium, with rates approximately 40-70% higher than annual plans, so that’s quite a difference between . This pricing strategy strongly encourages annual commitments - for instance, choosing monthly billing for the Professional plan costs €69 instead of €49, resulting in an additional €240 yearly expense.
The inclusion of AI features starting from the Professional plan marks a clear division in Pipedrive's offering, establishing a minimum entry point for access to advanced automation and intelligence tools. This tiering suggests Pipedrive positions these capabilities as premium features worth the price increment for scaling businesses.
👉 Read more: Pipedrive's pricing guide
Choosing between Pipedrive and Keap: What’s the best CRM for you?
After comparing both platforms in detail, the choice between Pipedrive and Keap largely depends on your needs and priorities. While both CRMs serve similar purposes, Pipedrive is better when we talk about crystal-clear pipeline visibility and sales-focused features. If you want to prioritize deal tracking, probably that’s your tool. Meanwhile, Keap has great marketing capabilities and automation tools, offering a more comprehensive solution for businesses wanting to unite their sales and marketing efforts under one platform.
Your decision should take into account not just your current requirements, but also your anticipated growth and the specific challenges your team faces in managing customer relationships.
So, to sum it up, choose Pipedrive if you:
- Need clear, visual pipeline management
- Want a straightforward CRM focused on sales processes
- Require extensive third-party integrations
- Prefer a lower initial investment
- Value interface simplicity
- Have a team primarily focused on sales
Or pick Keap if you:
- Need more built-in marketing automation, like text automation
- Want combined sales and marketing features
- Plan to handle email marketing within your CRM
- Have an established business that can justify the higher cost
- Need detailed reporting across sales and marketing
- Value comprehensive customer support
Meet Zeeg: Optimize your business scheduling
Whichever CRM you choose, you'll likely need a reliable scheduling solution to manage your sales meetings effectively. This is where Zeeg comes in as a natural complement to both platforms. As a GDPR-compliant scheduling tool, Zeeg can integrate with both Pipedrive and Keap, adding automated appointment scheduling to your sales workflow.
Prospects can book meetings directly through your calendar, while all appointments automatically sync with your CRM system. Therefore, this integration will keep a consistent flow of information between your scheduling and customer management platforms, eliminating the need for manual data entry and preventing scheduling conflicts.
Here’s a few of Zeeg’s advanced scheduling capabilities:
- Smart Routing with Lead Qualification - Automatically direct meetings to the right team members based on customer attributes, with customizable intake forms and conditional routing rules that ensure prospects reach the best-matched representatives
- Advanced Team Management & Group Scheduling - Handle complex team scheduling through round-robin distribution and stack mode options, while enabling collective appointments that automatically find mutually agreeable times across multiple participants
- Comprehensive Analytics Dashboard - Track essential metrics like completion rates, no-shows, and team performance through a detailed analytics interface that helps optimize scheduling patterns and improve meeting efficiency
- Enterprise Security & Compliance - Ensure data protection through GDPR compliance, European server hosting, and end-to-end encryption, complemented by SAML SSO integration and SCIM provisioning for enterprise-grade security
- Automated Workflows with Payment Integration - Create custom triggers and actions for scheduling events, send automated notifications, and process payments directly through the platform, streamlining the entire booking and payment process
