SugarCRM vs Pipedrive: A Complete Comparison
SugarCRM and Pipedrive are leading customer relationship management (CRM) systems. While each has unique features, both help businesses track customer interactions and leads.
SugarCRM streamlines and enhances organizations’ customer relationship management processes. With everything in one place, you can get a comprehensive view of every customer and their behavior. You can then use this data to inform decisions that improve sales, marketing, and customer support efforts. And with built-in sales and marketing automation, Sugar takes away some of the manual work too. Sugar also prides itself on being highly customizable with an excellent support team who are available to help.
As for Pipedrive, this CRM helps businesses simplify their sales processes. Just like its name suggests, sales pipeline management is a key functionality. But it goes beyond this, with activity, task and contact management, reporting, and analytics among its features.
This blog compares SugarCRM vs Pipedrive so that you can decide which CRM is right for your needs and preferences.
What we'll Cover:
Comparing SugarCRM to Pipedrive
In our comparison of SugarCRM and Pipedrive, we’ll evaluate the CRM solutions based on five key criteria:
- Ease of use
- Pricing
- Features
- Integrations
- Customer support & training
By comparing the CRMs across these areas, you’ll be better placed to identify which platform suits your business’ requirements.
SugarCRM vs Pipedrive: Ease of Use
Large businesses with unique operations tend to find SugarCRM easy to use due to its flexibility, customization options, and intuitive platform. Businesses with existing workflows and processes can incorporate them into Sugar. With some CRMs, companies have to change how they work to suit the software’s rigidity. But Sugar flexes to suit every business’s existing ways of working – making it simpler to use.
Another benefit of SugarCRM is that its software is designed for scalability. So, if you’re small today but dreaming big, Sugar gives you room to grow.
While Pipedrive is a popular tool for sales teams, it has fewer features. For some, simpler will mean ‘easier’. But this isn’t always the case. While some teams will quickly get to grips with Pipedrive and love its straightforward interface, larger businesses may struggle to get Pipedrive to work the way they want because there are fewer customization options.
SugarCRM vs Pipedrive: Pricing
SugarCRM’s Sugar Sell is the key Sugar product for sales teams.
As of August 2024, Sugar Sell is available in four pricing options:
- Essentials — standalone sales automation from $19 USD per user per month (billed annually) for between three and nine users
- Standard — everything in Essentials plus pipeline management, forecasting, support for custom fields, and more from $59 USD per user per month (billed annually) for a minimum of 10 users
- Advanced — all of the above with added AI, bug tracking, case management, and more from $85 USD per user per month (billed annually) for a minimum of 10 users; this is the most popular subscription
- Premier — the most comprehensive package (including geo mapping and enhanced support) from $135 USD per user per month (billed annually) for a minimum of 10 users
Sales teams can use Sugar Sell independently. Or combine it with Sugar Serve (at $80 USD per user per month — billed annually) and Sugar Market (starting from $1,000 USD per month, unlimited users, for 10,000 contacts with additional contacts starting at $150 USD per month — billed annually). As Sugar is a modular CRM, you can choose the elements you’ll benefit from while leaving out those you don’t need – saving you money.
Pipedrive has five different tiers:
- Essential — basic CRM tools and platform integrations from $14 USD per user per month (billed annually)
- Advanced — extra automation and communication tools from $34 USD per user per month (billed annually)
- Professional — the same as the above but with enhanced reporting, team management, and more tools from $49 USD per user per month (billed annually)
- Power — introduces extra functionality for additional work groups and allows more custom fields from $64 USD per user per month (billed annually)
- Enterprise — unrestricted access to more Pipedrive tools from $99 per user per month (billed annually)
Although SugarCRM has a higher entry price than Pipedrive, it provides more extensive capabilities at its base level. So, you’re getting better value for money – particularly if your business has complex needs. SugarCRM is an affordable choice for businesses that value customization but don’t need the highest packages.
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Learn MoreSugarCRM vs Pipedrive: Features
SugarCRM’s features include:
- Quote management
- Sales forecasting
- Customization and configuration
- Mobile CRM app
- Campaign management software
- Lead management tools
- In-built security
- Case management and bug tracking
- Self-service portal, including a searchable (and manageable) knowledge base
- Activity streams
- Interactive map-based interface
- Easy-to-use search, filters, and tagging
- List segmentation
- Reporting dashboards
Pipedrive’s features include:
- Sales software
- Email marketing with templates
- Project management tools
- Lead generation LeadBooster (available as an add-on)
- Web Visitors add-on to help you track who’s visiting your site
- The ability to create documents and templates within the CRM
While both platforms cover core CRM features, drilling down into details helps you see if there are any unique qualities that you’d use. For example, Sugar’s Email Builder makes it simple to set up advanced A/B testing, while Pipedrive’s Smart Bcc lets you forward emails to sync comms in your CRM.
While Pipedrive’s primary focus is on pipeline management for sales teams, Sugar is a more holistic CRM that offers a broader range of functionalities including marketing automation, customer support, and service management. Pipedrive branches out into these areas, but Sugar may be the more comprehensive solution you’re looking for. While Pipedrive provides basic analytics and reporting, SugarCRM’s features are more extensive.
Another strong feature of SugarCRM is its excellent customer service. Sugar Support ensures every user gets the help they need. Sugar also has extensive multilingual and multi-currency support. Pipedrive supports 22 languages, while Sugar supports over 30 as standard and gives you a framework to add more.
Another key difference is that SugarCRM offers on-premises and cloud-based deployment, while Pipedrive is only available on the cloud. On-premises solutions give businesses total ownership and control over their data. For security and compliance reasons, on-premises CRMs are usually preferred by industries dealing with sensitive data, such as finance or healthcare.
SugarCRM vs Pipedrive: Integrations
You can enhance SugarCRM and Pipedrive with integrations, connectors, and add-ons.
It’s easy to integrate Sugar with a wide variety of tools including ERPs (e.g. Sage and Epicor, document management systems (e.g. Dropbox and DocuSign), B2B data intelligence software (e.g. ZoomInfo), calendars, and email inboxes.
Pipedrive’s Marketplace also lets you integrate your favorite tools that take your CRM to the next level. You can find apps that enhance Pipedrive via Pipedrive Marketplace. Sugar’s equivalent is SugarOutfitters. Both are easy to search and explore.
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Learn MoreSugarCRM vs Pipedrive: Customer Support & Training
SugarCRM prides itself on excellent customer service and support.
Sugar’s support offerings vary depending on a customer’s chosen plan:
- Basic: Email support during business hours, 5 days a week.
- Standard: Email and phone support during business hours, Monday to Friday.
- Enhanced: Support via email, phone, and live chat during business hours, with priority phone service.
- Premium: 24/7 global support for urgent issues, faster case handling, and a dedicated senior support team.
Basic Support is included with Sugar Sell Essentials, Standard Support comes free with Sugar Sell Advanced, and Enhanced Support is part of Sugar Sell Premier. As Sugar champions flexibility, you can pay to upgrade your support package separately.
Regardless of their support plan level, all Sugar users have a free self-service portal with self-help documents. Everyone also has access to SugarClub, which is home to user forums, live and on-demand training classes, and educational resources. Plus, there’s SugarCRM’s online support page.
Pipedrive also offers different support tiers for its live chat:
- Advanced – Monday to Friday, business hours (9:00 am to 5:00 pm in the user’s timezone)
- Professional – 24 hours Monday to Friday
- Power or Enterprise – 24/7
All Pipedrive customers can access phone support in English and Portuguese Monday to Friday, 7:00 am to 11:00 pm (CET/CEST). Anyone can reach out via email at any time, too.
A key support difference between Pipedrive and SugarCRM is the availability of live training. While SugarCRM offers live online training with certifications and in-person sessions, Pipedrive doesn’t offer either. In contrast, Pipedrive’s only training materials are independent learning online courses and pre-recorded video tutorials. However, Pipedrive users can ask questions during live webinars.
The Final Verdict: SugarCRM or Pipedrive?
It’s easy to see why SugarCRM and Pipedrive are both popular.
While Pipedrive gives sales teams the basics they need, businesses that want a holistic CRM may find that Sugar better meets their needs. Sugar’s customizability lets businesses adjust the platform to suit even the most complex processes and operations. Plus, Sugar’s support team and enthusiastic community are on hand to help you get the most out of the CRM, too.
SugarCRM may cost more, but it offers more features. This can work out better value for money in the long term. You don’t need to pay for third-party tools when your CRM gives you everything you need.
Which CRM is best for you will depend on your needs. We hope that our comparison helps you make the right decision.
Frequently asked questions
Is SugarCRM better suited for larger enterprises compared to Pipedrive?
As SugarCRM has greater customization capabilities, it’s typically better suited to large enterprises than Pipedrive. Sugar’s setup makes it easy for businesses to adjust the CRM to suit their operations and processes. For larger organizations, this is extremely important.
While you can scale Pipedrive to suit a large business, the biggest organizations may prefer a CRM with more advanced features.
Are there any industry-specific advantages or disadvantages between SugarCRM and Pipedrive?
As SugarCRM is highly customizable, it’s a particularly good fit for industries with complex workflows and processes, like manufacturing. Its scalability also suits large-scale operations that require extensive data and user management needs. Plus, because it has an off-premises option, Sugar is compliant with industry regulations like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
One disadvantage of SugarCRM is that its wide range of customization capability may require IT resources. As a result, smaller businesses may not be able to make full use of every Sugar feature.
As for Pipedrive, it’s easy to use and set up which is beneficial for smaller firms that don’t have extensive IT teams. The limited customization options do make it less flexible though, which is less appealing to industries with complex CRM needs, like customer service.
