Struggling to decide between Pipeline Pro and ClickFunnels? Let’s make it easier for you.
Both tools help you manage sales funnels, but their differences might make one a better fit for your business. Picking the right platform is key to having the features and tools you need to grow effectively.
In this guide, I’ll break down Pipeline Pro vs ClickFunnels, covering their features, pricing, ease of use, and more. By the end, you’ll know exactly which one suits your goals and budget best.
Whether you’re new to sales automation or thinking about switching platforms, this guide will give you the clarity to choose with confidence.
So, let’s get started,
What is Pipeline Pro?
Pipeline Pro is a sales CRM and automation platform designed for small to midsize B2B companies.
It provides you core sales features like contact management and reporting plus multi-channel automation for email, SMS, and voice campaigns.
Let’s say you’re an online trainer offering a course on digital marketing.
With Pipeline Pro, you can create a system to capture leads from your website, track their progress in your sales funnel, and send automated email or SMS follow-ups.
For instance, after someone signs up for a free webinar, It can automatically send reminders, share a post-webinar discount for your course, and even track who’s ready to enroll.
Best Pipeline Pro Features
- Contact Management: Robust CRM for managing contacts, accounts, and deals in one place.
- Lead Scoring: Automatically track and score leads based on engagement and profile data.
- Email Sequencing: Create targeted email campaigns to nurture prospects.
- SMS Marketing: Send SMS messages to contacts straight from Pipeline Pro.
- Progressive Profiling: Gradually gather more lead info through smart forms.
- Sales Analytics: Detailed reports and dashboards to analyze your pipeline.
- Gamification: Motivate sales reps with competitions, leaderboards, badges, etc.
Pros of Using Pipeline Pro
- Specialized for B2B: Pipeline Pro is purpose-built for B2B sales with relevant features.
- Intuitive Interface: A simple and visually appealing design makes it easy to navigate.
- Lead Nurturing: Robust automation helps turn cold leads into sales-ready prospects.
- Sales Focus: Provides in-depth pipeline analysis and metrics to optimize sales.
- Affordable Pricing: Competitively priced for small and midsize businesses.
Cons of Using Pipeline Pro
- Less Customization: Provides less ability to customize fields and workflows than some CRMs.
- Weak Reporting: Reporting and dashboards are basic compared to advanced CRM analytics.
- Limited Integrations: Connects with popular apps but offers fewer integration options than other platforms.
- Steep Learning Curve: It can take time for sales teams to learn the software thoroughly.
- No Free Version: It does not offer a free CRM option, only free trials.
What is ClickFunnels?
ClickFunnel is a sales funnel builder designed to help online businesses convert visitors into customers.
It simplifies technically complex funnel creation including landing pages, email sequences, membership sites, webinars, and shopping carts.
For example, If you sell gadgets like wireless earbuds,
ClickFunnels can create a funnel to showcase the product, offer discounts, upsell accessories like phone cases, and handle payments, all while nurturing customer relationships through automated emails.
Best ClickFunnels Features
- Drag-and-Drop Editor: Build sales funnels rapidly without any coding.
- Premade Funnel Templates: Start with proven funnel designs for various business models.
- A/B Testing: Test variations of pages and offers to optimize conversions.
- Membership Sites: Create gated access sites with protected content for members.
- Affiliate Management: Track affiliate promotions and commission payments.
- Webinar Hosting: Schedule and run webinars directly within ClickFunnels.
- Actionetics: Suite of marketing automation tools for emails, SMS, and messaging.
Pros of Using ClickFunnels
- Speeds Up Funnel Building: Allows users to quickly build funnels without tech skills.
- Simplifies Sales Process: Consolidates all steps from attracting to selling customers.
- Great for Digital Products: Optimized for selling online courses, software, and services.
- Top-Notch Tracking: Provides deep analytics on all stages of your sales funnel.
- Prominent User Community: Large community of users creating funnels.
Cons of Using ClickFunnels
- Steep Learning Curve: Takes time for beginners to learn to use it effectively.
- Complex Pricing: Pricing tiers and add-ons can be confusing to navigate.
- Not Ideal for All Businesses: Better suited for digital vs traditional brick-and-mortar.
- Payment Processing Costs: Additional fees for using integrated payment processing.
- Limited CRM Functionality: Less robust CRM features compared to dedicated CRM platforms.
Pipeline Pro vs ClickFunnels – Comparison Table
A glance at the comparison of Pipeline Pro vs ClickFunnels.
| Tools | Pipeline Pro | ClickFunnels |
| Main Use Case Focus | Sales and Marketing Automation | Sales Funnel Creation and Marketing |
| Ease of use for beginners | User-friendly, Simple Interface | Beginner-friendly with Drag-n-Drop |
| Pricing | Subscription Based | Subscription Based |
| Landing Page Builder | Yes | Yes |
| Templates Library | Limited | Extensive |
| Customization and Flexibility | Moderate | High Level |
| A/B Testing | Available | Available |
| Analytics | Basic | High Functioning |
| Email Marketing | Basic Features | Integrated Capabilities |
| Funnel Features (Lead Gen & Sales) | Automation | Sales Funnels |
| Support Availability | Email Support with Online Resources | Email Support with Extensive Documentation |
Pipeline Pro vs ClickFunnels: In-depth Key Differences
Let’s analyze the differences between Pipeline Pro vs ClickFunnels in depth.
i. Objective & Claims
Pipeline Pro is your all-in-one solution if you’re running a small to midsize B2B business. It helps you manage your sales pipeline, automate repetitive tasks, and close deals faster.
With tools like contact management, reporting, and multi-channel automation, you can simplify your workflow and focus on growing your business.
ClickFunnels is a great fit if you’re an online business owner looking to boost conversions. Its intuitive platform makes it easy for you to create high-converting sales funnels without technical expertise.
From landing pages and automation to payment systems, ClickFunnels simplifies the process so you can focus on scaling your business.
ii. Ease of Use
Pipeline Pro makes creating multi-touch sales automation simple for you with its intuitive drag-and-drop workflow builder—no coding needed.
Its clean CRM interface is user-friendly, ensuring you and your team can easily manage contacts, deals, and pipelines without a steep learning curve.
ClickFunnels, on the other hand, offers a more robust set of features but can feel overwhelming at first.
However, its drag-and-drop funnel editor helps you tackle complex, multi-step funnels without technical expertise. Plus, the premade templates save you time by jump-starting your funnel creation process.
iii. Landing Page Builder
Both platforms let you create landing pages with easy drag-and-drop builders.
However, ClickFunnels gives you more options with over 100 high-converting page templates, perfect if you want to sell or promote offers quickly.
Pipeline Pro keeps it simple with under 10 basic templates, which might work if you’re looking for straightforward designs.
ClickFunnels also includes extra features like countdown timers, progress bars, testimonials, and pricing tables to help you create sales-focused pages that convert better.
iv. Templates Library
ClickFunnels gives you access to 50+ pre-made funnel templates designed for various businesses like e-commerce, coaching, and SaaS.
If you want to save time setting up your funnels, these templates make it easier for you to get started quickly.
Pipeline Pro, on the other hand, focuses on workflow automation templates instead of full sales funnels.
These templates are great for organizing outreach sequences but won’t give you the complete conversion funnel blueprints that ClickFunnels offers.
v. Customization and Flexibility
ClickFunnels gives you full control over your funnels. It allows you to customize pages, opt-in forms, and the overall flow without any restrictions.
If you’re looking to dive deep into customizations, this platform lets you tailor funnels exactly to your needs.
Pipeline Pro, however, offers more limited customization. You’ll work with preset fields and options within the platform.
So while it’s easy to use, you won’t have as much flexibility to customize CRM funnel objects, landing pages, or automation workflows beyond the built-in tools.
vi. A/B Testing
ClickFunnels includes sophisticated multivariate and A/B split testing features. It allows you to test different variations of headlines, copy, designs and offers directly within the platform.
This built-in capability is essential for optimizing funnel performance and improving conversions.
On the other hand, Pipeline Pro lacks native A/B testing functionality. To conduct A/B tests, you would need to integrate third-party testing tools, which could add complexity to your process.
If A/B testing is a priority for you, ClickFunnels provides a seamless solution, while Pipeline Pro requires additional setup for testing.
vii. Analytics
ClickFunnels offers detailed funnel analytics, capturing conversion data, funnels metrics, ROI, and engagement at every stage from impression to purchase. This helps you identify which pages or offers are most effective for driving sales.
Pipeline Pro, in contrast, focuses on general sales pipeline reporting and forecasting. Its analytics are more geared toward overall sales activities, rather than specifically tracking conversion funnel performance.
If you’re looking for in-depth funnel insights, ClickFunnels provides more tailored analytics, while Pipeline Pro excels at broader sales pipeline tracking.
viii. Email Marketing
Both ClickFunnels and Pipeline Pro allow you to create and send emails, build automation workflows, and integrate email with other channels like SMS.
However, ClickFunnels offers more advanced email capabilities, including autoresponders, broadcast emails, a wider selection of templates, email list segmentation, and stronger deliverability features.
Pipeline Pro focuses more on basic email automation, providing the essentials for sending follow-ups and managing campaigns but without the advanced features found in ClickFunnels.
If email marketing is a major part of your strategy, ClickFunnels offers more robust tools, while Pipeline Pro is a simpler solution for basic email automation.
ix. Funnel Features
ClickFunnels provides a comprehensive set of conversion-focused funnel features, including upsells, downsells, webinars, memberships, subscriptions, and affiliate management. These features are designed to drive lead generation and sales effectively.
Pipeline Pro, on the other hand, is more focused on general sales automation and does not offer the same level of conversion-centric funnel capabilities as ClickFunnels.
If you’re looking for a wide range of funnel features to boost conversions, ClickFunnels is the better choice, while Pipeline Pro is more suited for straightforward sales automation.
x. Pricing & Plans
Pipeline Pro offers three straightforward pricing plans that scale from basic CRM and automation to more advanced features, making it easy for you to pick the right plan based on your needs.
ClickFunnels gives you a variety of plans and add-ons, including email marketing, which may make pricing a bit more complex.
However, it provides a broader range of features to help you scale your business more effectively.
xi. Support
ClickFunnels offers extensive support through a comprehensive knowledge base, community forums, and direct access to coaching and experts, ensuring you get the help you need.
Pipeline Pro provides email and chat support, which is responsive and helpful, but it doesn’t offer the same variety of support options as ClickFunnels.
The Better Solution – a Potential Alternative to Consider
As you saw in the comparison of Pipeline Pro vs ClickFunnels, they both have their unique advantages.
But if you are looking for something that can give you the best of both of these tools, then you should consider a third option – WPFunnels (with MailMint).
WPFunnels combined with MailMint provides a powerful alternative that offers the robust funnel-building capabilities of ClickFunnels along with the sales CRM and automation features of Pipeline Pro.
WPFunnels enables drag-and-drop funnel building with beautiful templates, landing pages, and forms – similar to ClickFunnels.
MailMint provides contact management, pipeline analysis, multi-channel automation, and email marketing comparable to Pipeline Pro.
Together, WPFunnels and MailMint provide an all-in-one sales solution. You get user-friendly funnel creation paired with deep CRM and marketing automation features tailored for small businesses. And at a more affordable price point.
For today’s online businesses looking for the best of both worlds, WPFunnels + MailMint presents a compelling combined alternative to Pipeline Pro and ClickFunnels individually.
The integration provides strong funnel creation and optimization along with robust sales and marketing automation capabilities.
Is WPFunnels (with Mail Mint) a Better Option?
WPFunnels gives you the same powerful funnel-building features as ClickFunnels, with its easy drag-and-drop editor, professional templates, and simple creation of landing pages, lead flows, membership sites, webinars, and shopping carts.
It makes complex processes easy, even if you’re not tech-savvy. When paired with MailMint, you get sales CRM and automation features like Pipeline Pro.
It helps you manage contacts, track your sales pipeline, and automate multi-channel marketing. Mail Mint focuses on simplifying your entire sales process.
Together, WPFunnels and MailMint create a single, unified platform that combines the best of both Pipeline Pro and ClickFunnels, giving you everything you need to grow your business:
- User-friendly funnel building and customization
- Expansive template libraries for conversions
- Advanced sales CRM features and automation
- Deep analytics across pipelines and funnels
- Email marketing and multi-channel messaging
- Affordable and scalable pricing
For many online businesses, using WPFunnels alongside MailMint can eliminate the need for separate tools like Pipeline Pro and ClickFunnels by consolidating the essential sales and marketing capabilities into an integrated platform.
Those looking for both optimized funnel creation and robust sales management can find WPFunnels + MailMint provides the most well-rounded, cost-effective all-in-one solution.
It offers an alternative way to get the best features of Pipeline Pro and ClickFunnels in one unified package.
WPFunenls And Mail Mint Pricing
- Next, a quick comparison between Pipeline Pro, ClickFunnels, and finally, WPFunnels+Mailmint
| Feature | WPFunnels + Mail Mint | Pipeline Pro | ClickFunnels |
| Visual Funnel Mapping | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Custom Landing Pages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Customized Checkout | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sales funnel builder | Yes (via WooCommerce) | Yes | Yes |
| Lead funnel builder | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Product Management | Yes (via WooCommerce) | Yes | Limited |
| Lead Collection | Unlimited | Unlimited | Limited |
| Lead Segmentation | Yes | Yes | Limited |
| Email Marketing | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Email Automation | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Membership site | No | No | No |
| Sales Solution Builder | Yes (via TutorLMS & LearnDash) | No | No |
| Video Hosting | Self-hosted | No | No |
| Affiliate Management | Yes (via AffiliateWP) | No | Yes |
| Integrate To Current Website | Yes (for WordPress) | Yes | Yes |
| Support availability | Fast |
When it comes to core funnel-building capabilities, WPFunnels provides a similar drag-and-drop funnel editor as ClickFunnels, making it easy for non-technical users to create optimized sales funnels.
WPFunnels enables you to build high-converting landing pages, multi-step lead flows, upsell pages, webinar registration, and shopping carts rapidly with no coding needed.
Like ClickFunnels, WPFunnels offers professionally designed templates for different types of funnels and industries to accelerate the creation process.
You can either start from scratch or use pre-made templates tailored for lead generation, tripwire funnels, product launches, online courses, and more.
For customization, WPFunnels gives users full control over pages, elements like opt-in forms and headers, as well as the broader funnel flow.
Experienced users can deeply customize funnels beyond the out-of-the-box options. This flexible editing matches the customization capabilities provided in ClickFunnels.
When it comes to analytics, WPFunnels provides detailed conversion tracking and funnel analytics to optimize performance.
You can see granular metrics on leads, conversions, drop-offs, and sales across each funnel stage. The analytics focus specifically on the health and results of the funnel versus general website analytics.
For email and automation, WPFunnels integrates with MailMint to connect funnels with email marketing workflows.
Overall, WPFunnels mirrors the core funnel-building approach of ClickFunnels while focusing specifically on sales funnels.
When paired with a robust email marketing platform, it can provide an integrated funnel solution for small businesses at a more affordable price point.
Pipeline Pro vs ClickFunnels vs WPFunnels: Which One Should You Use?
When choosing the right platform for your business, it’s important to focus on your specific business goals.
If you’re looking to grow your business, Pipeline Pro can simplify your sales process with solid tracking features and multi-channel automation.
For businesses needing complex sales funnels, ClickFunnels offers pre-designed funnel templates, order bump options, and powerful conversion tracking features to optimize performance.
If you’re aiming for simplicity and an intuitive user interface, WPFunnels offers seamless integrations with tools like MailMint. It enables you to create funnel pages and manage your customers’ sales process effortlessly.
For growing businesses with diverse needs, WPFunnels + MailMint provides flexibility with membership site functionality, A/B testing tools, and the ability to handle different business needs through custom funnels and enterprise plans.
All three platforms cater to business leaders with unique features, sophisticated features, and robust customer service options, making them appealing choices for businesses of all sizes and requirements.
Here are some key factors to help determine the right platform:
- For advanced funnel creation and optimization is crucial, lean ClickFunnels.
- If you mostly need general sales CRM and automation, Pipeline Pro fits best.
- If you want both funnel building and robust CRM/automation, evaluate WPFunnels + MailMint.
- In case a streamlined sales process is most important, consider Pipeline Pro or WPFunnels + MailMint.
- Selling complex products/services online being your priority, ClickFunnels can be ideal.
While there is overlap in capabilities, choose the platform that aligns closest with your core sales objectives.
Test out WPFunnels + MailMint if you want a unified solution with strong funnel creation and sales automation. As your business evolves, you can find you need capabilities across both platforms.
Conclusion
Deciding between Pipeline Pro vs ClickFunnels depends on your business needs. Pipeline Pro is ideal for B2B companies focused on managing leads and sales pipelines, while ClickFunnels shines at creating funnels for digital product sales.
Both tools offer free trials, so explore them to see which fits your needs best. Remember, your business can evolve, so it’s okay to revisit your choice later.
No matter which tool you choose, taking a step toward sales and marketing automation will help your business grow smarter and faster.
If you’re a WordPress user, WPFunnels offers an easy way to create sales funnels right on your site. It’s a simple and effective option to start growing your sales.
** FAQs **
Is Pipeline Pro better than ClickFunnels?
- It depends on your goals. If you need a user-friendly interface to manage leads and automate sales processes, Pipeline Pro could be the best option for growing your business. However, ClickFunnels excels at building effective sales funnels for digital products.
What is the difference between a sales funnel and a sales pipeline?
- A sales funnel represents the journey your leads take from awareness to purchase. It focuses on nurturing and guiding them through stages. A sales pipeline manages and tracks prospects through stages of the sales process. It also helps you prioritize leads and optimize sales funnel efficiency based on data-driven decisions.
What is Pipeline Pro used for?
- Pipeline Pro is a user-friendly platform that helps you manage leads, automate follow-ups, and track sales opportunities. It integrates with popular marketing tools and provides detailed analytics to help you make data-driven decisions and boost business growth while optimizing the customer sales process.
What is the main purpose of a pipeline?
- The main purpose of a pipeline is to organize and track sales opportunities through various stages. It ensuring no lead is overlooked. It helps prioritize prospects, improve sales funnel efficiency, and make decisions that align with your marketing goals, ultimately boosting your chances of closing deals.
Which 3rd option is better than Pipeline Pro vs ClickFunnels?
- If you’re a WordPress user, WPFunnels could be a better choice. It’s a cost-effective solution that integrates directly with WordPress, offering a user-friendly design, custom funnels, and email automation. It’s perfect for businesses looking to create sales funnels without switching platforms.
