Zoho CRM has a free tier for a small team and a very low paid entry; Pipedrive has no free plan (only a 14-day free trial, no credit card required) and starts paid at US$14 for Lite, US$39 for Growth (per seat per month, billed annually). Zoho's free plan covers 3 users, forever free, and its paid ladder starts below Pipedrive's.
The one difference that decides it
Adoption versus reach. Pipedrive is built so a rep opens it, sees the pipeline, and works; the whole product is the sales motion. Zoho gives you more surface for the money (a free tier, a deep feature ladder, and an ecosystem of connected Zoho apps), but that reach is also more to learn and configure. A team that has abandoned a CRM before because "nobody updated it" usually needs Pipedrive's focus; a team that wants one low-cost system spanning more than sales leans Zoho.
What the pricing really costs
On list price Zoho is the cheaper tool: its Standard plan runs about US$14/user/mo and Professional about US$23/user/mo, under Pipedrive's Growth at US$39. Treat Zoho's figures as directional: its page carries a monthly/annual toggle we did not isolate, so read them as the annual-billed rate and confirm at checkout. Pipedrive's full breakdown, including the annual-versus-monthly gap, is on Pipedrive pricing.
Still undecided?
If your last CRM died from non-use, buy the one your reps will open. That is Pipedrive, and the extra cost buys adoption. If cost is the hard constraint and you have someone willing to configure it, Zoho's free tier and lower entry are hard to beat. The best budget CRM ranking weighs both against the field, and the Pipedrive small-business guide routes the rest of the decision.
Visit Pipedrive -- $39/seat/mo (Growth, annual) See Zoho CRM plans