Pipedrive vs Zoho CRM — Australia 2026
Pipedrive vs Zoho CRM for AU businesses. Compare sales pipeline UX, free plans, AU data hosting, Xero integration & per-user pricing.
Zoho CRM for AU data sovereignty and budget; Pipedrive for sales UX
Zoho CRM offers a free tier for up to 3 users and has an AU data centre in Sydney — critical for businesses needing data sovereignty under the Australian Privacy Act. Pipedrive has the best visual pipeline management in the CRM category and a cleaner sales UX, but stores data in the EU with no AU option. Both integrate with Xero. Choose Zoho CRM if cost or data sovereignty matters; choose Pipedrive if deal pipeline visibility is your top priority.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Pipedrive | Zoho CRM |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Tallinn, Estonia / New York, USA | Chennai, India |
| Entry Price | $24/mo | Free |
| BAS Lodgement | CRM — not an accounting tool | CRM — not an accounting tool |
| STP Phase 2 | n/a | n/a |
| Payday Super | n/a | n/a |
| Modern Awards | N/A | N/A |
| Data Hosting | EU | AU |
| AU Support Hours | 24/7 live chat for all paid plans | Mon-Fri 9am-5pm AEST (for AU region) |
| Phone Support | No | Yes |
| Integrations | 500+ apps | 1000+ apps |
Pricing Comparison (AUD, Mar 2026)
Pipedrive Plans
- ✓Deals: unlimited
- ✓Contacts: unlimited
- ✓Leads Per User: 2500
- ✓Deals: unlimited
- ✓Contacts: unlimited
- ✓Leads Per User: 5000
- ✓Email Sync: Yes
- ✓Automation: Yes
- ✓Deals: unlimited
- ✓Contacts: unlimited
- ✓Email Sync: Yes
- ✓Automation: Yes
- ✓Reporting: Yes
- ✓Leadbooster Included: Yes
- ✓Deals: unlimited
- ✓Contacts: unlimited
- ✓Email Sync: Yes
- ✓Automation: Yes
- ✓Reporting: Yes
- ✓Leadbooster Included: Yes
- ✓Sso Saml: Yes
Zoho CRM Plans
- ✓Users: 3
- ✓Contacts: 5000
- ✓Users: unlimited
- ✓Contacts: 100000
- ✓Users: unlimited
- ✓Contacts: unlimited
- ✓Automation: Yes
AU Compliance Scores
Pipedrive
Zoho CRM
Pros & Cons
Pipedrive
Pros
- Best visual sales pipeline management in CRM category
- 500+ integrations including native Xero connection
- 33% recurring affiliate commission
- Intuitive drag-and-drop deal management
- 24/7 live chat support on all plans
- AI Sales Assistant for deal recommendations
Cons
- No free plan — only 14-day trial
- No AU-specific features — no BAS, STP, or compliance tools
- EU-hosted data — not AU data sovereign
- No phone support on lower tiers
- Per-user pricing adds up for larger teams
- Limited marketing automation compared to HubSpot
Zoho CRM
Pros
- Free plan for up to 3 users — great for micro businesses
- Affordable Standard plan at $20/user/month
- 1,000+ integrations including Xero and Zoho Books
- Part of broader Zoho ecosystem (Books, Payroll, etc.)
- AU data centre available for data sovereignty
- Phone support available
Cons
- Not AU-specific — no BAS, STP, or AU compliance features
- Free plan limited to 3 users and 5,000 contacts
- UI can feel cluttered with so many features
- 15% affiliate commission is lower than HubSpot (30%) or Pipedrive (33%)
- Support team not AU-based despite AU data centre
Who Should Choose Pipedrive
Pipedrive is best suited for businesses that need sales team, small business sales, deal pipeline.
Choose Pipedrive if you are:
- Sales Team
- Small Business Sales
- Deal Pipeline
- B2b Sales
- Real Estate Agent
Who Should Choose Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM is best suited for businesses that need micro business free crm, zoho ecosystem user, budget crm.
Choose Zoho CRM if you are:
- Micro Business Free Crm
- Zoho Ecosystem User
- Budget Crm
- Small Sales Team