Highrise vs Pipedrive: This Comparison Is Already Over
Highrise closed its doors to new customers on August 20, 2018. If you're researching Highrise vs Pipedrive, this isn't really a comparison anymore - it's a migration decision with context. Here's what you need to know to make the right call in 2026.
30-Second Verdict
- Simple sales CRM: Pipedrive Lite at $14/seat/mo, or Growth at $39/seat/mo for automation features.
- Free CRM: HubSpot CRM's free tier.
- Skip both if your Highrise contacts are years old. Clean and enrich that data before importing into any new CRM. Stale records will poison your pipeline from day one.
What Happened to Highrise
Highrise launched as a lightweight CRM from the Basecamp team - genuinely zero learning curve, with legacy pricing at $4/user/month. Then Basecamp decided to focus. Highrise closed to new signups in August 2018 and entered maintenance-only mode. TrustRadius now labels it "Highrise CRM (discontinued)."
No new features. No roadmap. If you're still on it, you're running sales on software frozen in amber.
Pipedrive in 2026
Pipedrive is the obvious landing spot for former Highrise users who want simplicity without sacrificing a modern feature set. It holds a 4.3/5 on G2 from nearly 3,000 reviews - 65% five-star, 26% four-star.
Where Pipedrive wins: visual pipeline management, workflow automation on Growth plans and above, email integration, and a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.
Where it falls short: G2 reviewers frequently tag "Missing Features," "Expensive," and "Integration Issues" as cons. Advanced reporting feels limited compared to Salesforce or HubSpot, and useful features like automation and sequences are locked behind higher tiers. Marketing automation is thin - you'll need add-ons or a separate tool.
Here's the thing: Pipedrive is the best CRM for teams of 1-15 who sell a straightforward product. The moment you need complex reporting or multi-touch attribution, you'll outgrow it. Know that going in.
Feature Comparison
| Highrise | Pipedrive | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Discontinued (2018) | Active |
| Starting price | $4/user/mo (legacy) | $14/seat/mo |
| New signups | No | Yes (14-day trial) |
| Visual pipeline | No | Yes |
| Automation | No | Yes (Growth+) |
| G2 rating | Not listed | 4.3/5 (2,953 reviews) |
| Migration path | CSV export | Full import tools |
Migrating from Highrise means importing contacts that have been decaying since 2018. Prospeo's enrichment returns updated data on 83% of leads - 50+ data points per contact, 98% email accuracy, refreshed every 7 days. At ~$0.01/lead, it costs less than one bounced campaign.
Clean your Highrise data before it poisons your new CRM.
Pipedrive Pricing in 2026
Pipedrive introduced new plan names and packaging - that's why half the comparison sites show outdated info. Here's what's actually current:
| Plan | Price (annual) | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Lite | $14/seat/mo | Basic pipeline + contacts |
| Growth | $39/seat/mo | Automation + sequences |
| Premium | $59/seat/mo | Advanced reporting |
| Ultimate | $79/seat/mo | Full platform access |
Watch the add-ons. LeadBooster starts at $32.50/mo, Campaigns at $13.33/mo. Budget accordingly - a 5-seat Growth plan with add-ons climbs fast.
How to Migrate from Highrise
We've seen teams complete this in under four hours with clean data. For datasets under 5,000 contacts, the DIY path works fine:
- Export from Highrise - contacts, notes, and tags to CSV
- Clean and enrich your data (critical - more below)
- Import into Pipedrive - map CSV fields to Pipedrive properties
- Rebuild pipeline stages from scratch, since Highrise never had a visual pipeline
- Spot-check 50 records for accuracy
If you'd rather not DIY, SyncMatters offers managed migrations from $299 for basic jobs up to $3,500+ for complex work, with a free sample migration to test first.
Clean Your Data Before You Import
Let's be honest about what's sitting in your Highrise account. Those contacts are at minimum three years stale. Probably closer to six or eight. That means bounced emails, disconnected numbers, people who've changed jobs twice since you last talked to them. Importing that mess into a fresh CRM is like moving into a new apartment and bringing all the junk from your old place.
We've watched teams skip this step and immediately torch their sender reputation with a 30%+ bounce rate on their first campaign out of Pipedrive. Don't be that team.
Upload your Highrise CSV to Prospeo's enrichment tool before importing - 83% of leads come back with updated contact data across 50+ data points, emails verified at 98% accuracy, at roughly $0.01/lead. With a 7-day data refresh cycle versus the 6-week industry average, you're getting the freshest records available. It's the cheapest insurance policy you'll buy during migration.
Teams that skip data cleaning before a CRM migration hit 30%+ bounce rates on their first outbound campaign. Prospeo verifies emails through a 5-step process with spam-trap and honeypot removal - so your Pipedrive pipeline starts with contacts that actually connect.
Start your new CRM with 98% accurate emails, not Highrise-era dead ends.
Alternatives Beyond Pipedrive
Not sold on Pipedrive? Two other options worth a look:
If you want free and don't mind growing into paid: HubSpot CRM's free tier at $0. Paid plans start at $20/mo when you need more. It's the safest "try before you commit" option.
When budget is everything: Freshsales starts at $9/user/mo. Bare-bones, but functional for small teams who just need contact management and a basic pipeline.
FAQ
Is Highrise CRM still available?
Not for new customers. Highrise stopped signups on August 20, 2018. Existing accounts remain accessible, but there's zero development - maintenance-only mode with no feature roadmap.
What's the cheapest Pipedrive plan in 2026?
Pipedrive Lite costs $14/seat/month billed annually. It covers basic pipeline management and contacts. Automation requires the Growth plan at $39/seat/month.
How do I avoid data problems when switching CRMs?
Export contacts to CSV, then verify and enrich them before importing. Prospeo updates stale emails and phone numbers at ~$0.01/lead with 98% email accuracy and an 83% match rate - far cheaper than dealing with bounced campaigns after the fact.
Is comparing Highrise and Pipedrive still relevant?
Only if you're migrating off a legacy Highrise account. Since Highrise has been discontinued since 2018, the real decision is choosing the right active CRM - Pipedrive, HubSpot, or Freshsales - and cleaning your data before the switch.