Pricing: CRM + Accounting + Automation
| Tool | Cheapest Paid Plan | Free Option |
|---|---|---|
| Pipedrive | Lite $14/seat/mo — but automations require Growth at $39/seat/mo | No free tier |
| HubSpot CRM | Starter $20/seat/mo | Free: unlimited contacts, basic CRM |
| QuickBooks Online | Simple Start $38/mo | No free tier (30-day trial) |
| FreshBooks | Lite $23/mo (5 clients) | No free tier (30-day trial) |
| Wave | Pro $16/mo | Starter: free invoicing, manual bank entry |
| Zapier | Professional $29.99/mo (750 tasks, multi-step) | Free: 100 tasks, 2-step only |
| Make | Core $10.59/mo (10,000 ops) | Free: 1,000 ops, 2 scenarios |
Recipe: Pipedrive → QuickBooks via Zapier
Trigger: Pipedrive “Updated Deal Stage” → filter for “Won” stage.
This requires a 3-step Zap (trigger + filter + action), so you need Zapier Professional at $29.99/mo. Each won deal = 3 tasks consumed.
Action: QuickBooks “Create Invoice” with mapped deal fields.
Map Pipedrive deal value → invoice amount, contact name → customer name, email → send-to address. QuickBooks creates the invoice and optionally emails it immediately.
Optional: add a Slack notification step.
4-step Zap now. Each won deal = 4 tasks. At 50 deals/month, that's 200 tasks — well within Professional's 750.
Total cost: Pipedrive Growth ($39/seat) + QuickBooks Simple Start ($38/mo) + Zapier Professional ($29.99/mo) = $106.99/mo for a solo founder.
Budget Alternative: HubSpot Free + Wave Free + Make Free
HubSpot CRM Free (deal pipeline) + Wave Starter (free invoicing) + Make Free (1,000 ops/month). This gives you deal tracking, automatic invoicing, and zero monthly cost if you close fewer than ~166 deals/month (each flow = ~6 operations in Make). The tradeoff: HubSpot Free has limited automation, Wave has no auto bank imports on Starter, and Make Free limits you to 2 active scenarios.
Total cost: $0/mo for low-volume businesses. Upgrade to Make Core ($10.59/mo) when you need more scenarios.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Pipedrive have a native QuickBooks integration?
Pipedrive has a QuickBooks integration via the Marketplace, but it's for syncing invoices back into Pipedrive, not for auto-creating invoices on deal close. You still need Zapier or Make for the trigger logic.
Can HubSpot trigger invoices natively?
HubSpot Professional ($890/mo) includes workflow automation that can trigger QuickBooks actions. On Free or Starter, you need an external automation tool. For most small businesses, $890/mo is not justified for invoice automation alone.
Is Wave good enough for real accounting?
Wave Starter is genuinely free for invoicing and basic accounting. Pro ($16/mo) adds automatic bank imports. For freelancers and solopreneurs, it covers most needs. For complex inventory or multi-entity accounting, QuickBooks ($38+/mo) or FreshBooks ($23+/mo) is better.
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