Pipedrive is a beautifully simple CRM. But it's still built around the assumption that you're managing dozens of active deals every month.
Pipedrive's visual pipeline is elegant—if you have a pipeline. But if your 'sales process' is more about maintaining long-term relationships than closing deals every week, you're using a drag-and-drop board you don't need. We build relationship managers that integrate directly with your Outlook and Xero, without the complexity of 50-field entry forms.
You pay 100% of the subscription but typically use only 45% of the functionality
Why rent the other 55% forever?
Pipedrive forces you to think in terms of 'deals' and 'stages.' But not every business works that way. If you're a law firm, engineering consultancy, or niche B2B service provider, your clients don't move through stages—they're ongoing relationships. You need to track interactions, not forecast conversion rates.
Beyond features, there are fundamental differences in philosophy, ownership, and total cost of ownership.
| Metric | The "Universal" SaaS (Pipedrive) | The Itsy Bytesy Custom Build (Client Relationship Manager) |
|---|---|---|
| Philosophy | "One tool for everyone." | "A tool specifically for *you*." |
| Cost Model | OpEx (Rent): Per-user, forever. | CapEx (Asset): One-time build cost + minimal hosting. |
| Data Ownership | API Limits & Export Fees. | Direct SQL Access. You own the database. |
| Update Cycle | UI changes randomly, confusing your staff. | UI only changes when *you* ask for it. |
| The "Noise" | Gamification, Social Feeds, Upsell Popups. | Zero distractions. Pure utility. |
A Client Relationship Manager focused on your actual workflow:
Ongoing client relationship tracking
Meeting notes and interaction history
Email thread association with clients
Simple reporting on client activity
Don't guess. Book a 15-minute architecture review. We'll tell you honestly if you should stick with Pipedrive or build your own asset.