permanently retired
cannot be exported
recommended by Zendesk
for a smooth migration
Why Sell users need to act now
Back in September 2025, Zendesk announced it would exit the CRM business entirely and redirect all resources towards expanding Support, AI and Employee Service. Zendesk Sell remains fully available until the end of August 2027, but after that date all data will be permanently deleted.
The standard data export from Sell covers leads, contacts, deals, notes and tasks as CSV files. Activity histories, appointments, emails, call logs and documents are explicitly excluded. If you need to preserve that information, you'll have to work through the API or a specialised migration partner well ahead of time.
Good to know: Once the deadline passes or your Sell subscription ends, permanent data deletion begins – and it cannot be reversed. Teams that wait until the last moment will be competing with a wave of late movers for the same service providers and migration slots.
Timeline: What happens when
Zendesk announces the Sell retirement and names Pipedrive as the official migration partner.
Ideal window for evaluation, data backup and preparing the switch.
Execute the migration, build new processes, train the team.
Zendesk Sell is retired, all remaining data is deleted.
Before you compare: Review your own sales process first
A CRM switch is a good opportunity to take a hard look at how your sales organisation actually works. Fields, pipelines, automations and reports accumulate over the years – some of them carry real weight in day-to-day operations, while others have long outlived their usefulness.
Before weighing HubSpot against Pipedrive, get clarity on your own setup:
Quick check: Your sales process
Answering these questions thoroughly allows you to evaluate a new CRM far more precisely and avoids carrying old weaknesses into a new system. Learn how a structured CRM consulting process can support this on our CRM consulting page.
HubSpot and Pipedrive: Two systems, two philosophies
Both CRMs come up regularly when Sell users look for alternatives – and both have merit. They take fundamentally different approaches, though, and those differences show clearly in everyday use.
- Sales, marketing and automation run in a single system – contacts, companies and deals are interconnected
- Strong AI features: predictive lead scoring, AI-powered forecasting, automatic email generation
- Comprehensive reporting across all hubs, attribution tracking, custom dashboards
- Over 1,500 integrations in the App Marketplace
- Free CRM as a starting point, prices increase significantly at higher tiers (Professional from approx. €90/month per seat, onboarding fee from €750) – more about our HubSpot consulting
- The pipeline is front and centre – deals are managed visually via drag-and-drop, with activities and progress tracked directly against them
- Clear navigation, flat learning curve: teams are typically productive within a few days
- Official migration partner of Zendesk – with dedicated migration tools and native Zendesk Support integration
- Over 500 marketplace integrations, open API
- Transparent per-user pricing (from approx. €14/month), no onboarding fee, free onboarding call
Feature comparison at a glance
This comparison is based on the Professional plans of both providers.
| Category | HubSpot Sales Hub | Pipedrive |
|---|---|---|
| Pipeline management | ✔ comprehensive | ✔ core strength |
| Visual deal management | ✔ | ✔ particularly strong |
| Sales automation | ✔ | ✔ |
| Email tracking & sequences | ✔ | ✔ |
| AI features (lead scoring, forecasting) | ✔ broadly developed | limited, expanding |
| Marketing automation | ✔ natively integrated | via marketplace / add-on |
| Custom reporting & dashboards | ✔ very deep | ✔ good, from Pro plan |
| Native Zendesk integration | ✔ | ✔ officially supported |
| Usability / learning curve | good, requires onboarding | ✔ very intuitive |
| Onboarding costs | from €750 (Professional) | ✔ free |
| Cost Professional / user / month | approx. €90 | approx. €49 |
| Trustpilot rating | 2.4 ★ | 4.5 ★ |
| G2 rating | 4.4 ★ | 4.3 ★ |
Sources: Provider websites (as of 2025/2026), G2, Capterra, Trustpilot. The HubSpot Trustpilot rating refers to the overall platform.
Where the differences show up in practice
Data model and platform logic
HubSpot organises sales around a central database that is tightly connected to marketing and other functions. Contacts, companies and deals are interlinked, automations build on that foundation, and reporting spans multiple areas. This model plays to its strengths in more complex setups involving several departments.
Pipedrive structures sales around the pipeline. Deals sit at the centre, with activities and progress tracked directly against them. Emails, notes and calls are documented at deal level, whereas HubSpot ties communication primarily to the contact. For clearly defined sales processes focused on deals and activities, Pipedrive offers a very direct way of working.
Cost and scalability
Pipedrive's pricing stays predictable: per user, per month, with no onboarding fees or hidden extras. HubSpot offers a free CRM as a starting point but becomes significantly more expensive at higher tiers – especially once advanced reporting, automations or contact-based billing come into play. The jump from the Starter to Professional plan at HubSpot is substantial.
Onboarding and adoption
Pipedrive is regularly praised for its short ramp-up time. New users typically find their way around within a few days. HubSpot brings more functionality but also demands more onboarding effort – particularly when multiple hubs are rolled out simultaneously.
Which solution fits your sales team?
The choice depends on how your sales organisation is structured and what requirements arise in day-to-day operations.
→ Take a closer look at HubSpot if …
Marketing and sales work closely together and campaigns feed directly into your sales process. If a shared data foundation across all customer-facing areas is a priority and you plan to run service, operations or content management on the same platform long term.
If you also use Zendesk Support, you can connect both systems seamlessly: Our HubSpot App for Zendesk displays contact, company and deal data directly in the ticket, without switching systems.
→ Take a closer look at Pipedrive if …
Your focus is squarely on managing deals, your team needs to be productive quickly with minimal training, and cost predictability matters. Especially relevant for teams that continue using Zendesk Support and want to benefit from the official Zendesk partnership.
What if neither is quite right? In some cases it's worth looking at Salesforce (for complex enterprise setups with heavy customisation needs) or evaluating whether Zendesk Support on its own, paired with a lightweight CRM layer, covers your requirements.
Migrating from Zendesk Sell: What you need to know
The switch involves far more than a data export. Fields need to be recreated, relationships mapped correctly and automations rebuilt in the new system. At the same time, the team needs to find its way around and internalise new workflows.
Take the data gap seriously
Zendesk's standard export delivers your core data (leads, contacts, deals, notes, tasks) as CSV. Activity histories, emails, call logs, appointments and documents are missing from the export. If you depend on that information, you'll need to work through the Sell API or a migration partner well ahead of the deadline.
Common pitfalls during migration
What Leafworks brings to the table
Leafworks has been advising companies across the DACH region on customer service, CRM and sales tools for years. We know the Zendesk ecosystem inside out, work as both a HubSpot and Zendesk partner, and support teams through CRM selection, implementation and migration. Find an overview of our partner technologies here.
We help you make the right decision – with a clear-eyed view of your sales process, your data and your workflows. Whether the outcome is HubSpot, Pipedrive or something else entirely: the goal is a system that works in your day-to-day operations and holds up long term. Learn more about how a cloud CRM can improve your customer relationships here.
Let’s work out together which CRM is right for your sales team
We support teams every step of the way, from assessing your current situation and selecting the right tools to completing the migration – and, if you wish, we can also help implement the changes directly. From our experience working with Zendesk, HubSpot and Pipedrive, we know where the typical pitfalls lie and how to avoid them.
Get in touch!
Robert Cwicinski
CRM & Customer Service Expert
- Structured requirements analysis
- Clear recommendation with reasons
- One-stop migration planning
