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Side-by-side comparison · Sales & Customer Support

lemlist vs Pipedrive vs Retell AI

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

lemlist

3.7

From From $69/mo

Pipedrive

4.1

From $14/seat/mo

Retell AI

4.1

From About $0.07–$0.31/min

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Pick it if: Founders, agencies and sales reps who reach prospects on email and LinkedIn and want each message to feel personal.

Easiest to use

Pick it if: Small businesses, agencies and sales teams of one to twenty people who want a clear view of every deal without a complicated CRM.

Pick it if: Service businesses and agencies that want an AI receptionist or phone agent without hiring developers.

Overview

AttributelemlistPipedriveRetell AI
In one linePersonalised cold outreach by email, LinkedIn, calls and WhatsApp in one sequence.Simple sales CRM that shows every deal as a card on a board, with an AI sales assistant.AI phone agents that answer calls, book appointments and make outbound calls.
Pricing modelPaidPaidPaid
Starting priceFrom $69/mo$14/seat/moAbout $0.07–$0.31/min
Free plan No No No
Works with Claude Code Yes Yes Yes

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributelemlistPipedriveRetell AI
Overall rating3.74.14.1
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
3.5
4.5
3.5
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.5
4.0
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
3.5
4.0
4.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
3.5
4.0
4.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
3.5
4.0
4.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributelemlistPipedriveRetell AI
Access & platform
Free plan No No No
Mobile app No Yes–
Desktop app–––
Browser extension Yes Yes–
API access Yes Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes Yes Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes– Yes
Connects to other apps Yes Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No No
AI abilities
Works with your files–– Yes
Understands images–––
Makes images– No No
Makes video No No No
Writes code No No–
Runs agents or automations Yes Yes Yes
Learns your brand or style–––
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score7/ 177/ 177/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributelemlistPipedriveRetell AI
Plans

Email

From $69/mo, or $55/mo billed yearly

Teams doing email-only outreach.

Lite

$14/seat/mo billed yearly, or $24 monthly

One person who just needs a pipeline and reminders.

Pay as you goOur pick

About $0.07–$0.31/min

Most small businesses and agencies.

MultichannelOur pick

$109/user/mo, or $87/user/mo billed yearly

Reps who reach prospects on LinkedIn and by phone too.

GrowthOur pick

$39/seat/mo billed yearly, or $49 monthly

Small teams who live in their inbox.

Enterprise

Custom

High call volumes and compliance needs.

Enterprise

Custom

Larger teams with security and compliance needs.

Premium

$59/seat/mo billed yearly, or $79 monthly

Teams that want to capture and score leads too.

Ultimate

$79/seat/mo billed yearly, or $99 monthly

Bigger teams that need the highest limits and tighter security.

Which plan to pickIf you only send email, the Email plan is fine, but compare it with Instantly first. Pick Multichannel if LinkedIn or calls are part of how you sell, since that's what lemlist does best. Add the data add-on ($16 a month billed yearly for 2,000 credits) if you need to find emails and phone numbers. The 14-day trial includes Multichannel features and 200 credits.Growth is the plan most small teams should start on, because Lite has no proper email sync or automations. Move to Premium if you want web forms and lead scoring without paying for add-ons. Prices exclude tax and vary by country.Start on pay as you go with the free credits, build one agent for your most common call and test it on your own phone. Talk to sales only once you run thousands of minutes a month.

Key features

AttributelemlistPipedriveRetell AI
Standout features
  • Multichannel sequences
  • Personalisation
  • lemAgent
  • Lead database
  • Deliverability
  • MCP server and CLI
  • Visual pipeline
  • AI Sales Assistant
  • Email sync and tracking
  • Automations
  • Lead capture
  • Reports and forecasts
  • Phone agents
  • Flow builder
  • Appointment booking
  • Knowledge base
  • Batch calling
  • Call analysis

Pros and cons

AttributelemlistPipedriveRetell AI
Pros
  • Email, LinkedIn, calls, SMS and WhatsApp in one sequence
  • Strong personalisation, including custom images
  • Warm-up and deliverability tools included
  • lemAgent can build a campaign for you
  • Own MCP server and CLI for connecting AI tools
  • Very easy to learn, even for people who hate CRMs
  • The pipeline view makes it obvious what needs doing
  • Official Claude connector for reading and updating deals
  • Huge app marketplace with 500+ integrations
  • Good mobile app for updating deals on the go
  • Natural voices and quick responses
  • Visual builder makes it usable for non-developers
  • Pay per minute with no platform fee
  • Strong reviews from small businesses and agencies
Cons
  • Overlaps Instantly, which is usually cheaper for email only
  • Multichannel is priced per user, so costs climb as the team grows
  • Contact data and buying signals cost extra
  • LinkedIn automation can get your LinkedIn account restricted
  • No mobile app, and reviews mention a learning curve and integration bugs
  • No free plan, only a 14-day trial
  • Lite is too limited, so the real starting price is Growth
  • Lead capture, campaigns and web visitor tracking cost extra on lower plans
  • Marketing tools are thin next to HubSpot
  • Reporting gets limited once you want detailed custom reports
  • Per-minute cost varies a lot with your model and voice choices
  • Takes testing to handle real callers reliably
  • Some users want more voice and customisation options

Who each one is for

AttributelemlistPipedriveRetell AI
Best for
  • Sequences that mix email, LinkedIn and calls
  • Personalised cold email with custom images and first lines
  • Finding leads and their emails in the same tool
  • Having AI build an outreach campaign from a chat
  • Tracking deals from first contact to signed
  • Reminders so no lead is forgotten
  • Small sales teams who want a simple CRM
  • Forecasting what's likely to close this month
  • AI receptionist for a small business
  • Booking appointments by phone
  • Answering after-hours and overflow calls
  • Outbound reminder and follow-up calls
You'll find it used by
  • Founders
  • Sales reps
  • Agencies
  • Recruiters
  • Freelancers
  • Small businesses
  • Agencies
  • Sales teams
  • Consultants
  • Real estate
  • Small business owners
  • Clinics
  • Voice AI agencies
  • Customer service teams
  • Developers

Questions people ask

Which is better, lemlist, Pipedrive or Retell AI?

They tie on our overall rating (lemlist 3.7/5, Pipedrive 4.1/5 and Retell AI 4.1/5). lemlist is best for sequences that mix email, LinkedIn and calls and personalised cold email with custom images and first lines. Pipedrive is best for tracking deals from first contact to signed and reminders so no lead is forgotten. Retell AI is best for AI receptionist for a small business and booking appointments by phone.

Which is cheaper, lemlist, Pipedrive or Retell AI?

lemlist: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at From $69/mo. Pipedrive: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $14/seat/mo. Retell AI: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at About $0.07–$0.31/min.

Which is easier to use, lemlist, Pipedrive or Retell AI?

Pipedrive rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Small businesses, agencies and sales teams of one to twenty people who want a clear view of every deal without a complicated CRM.

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.

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