Pipedrive lead scoring: how Scores works, and how to rank leads when it only scores deals
Pipedrive's built-in scoring rates deals, not leads. Here is what it does, what it needs, and four ways to rank leads before they reach the pipeline.
Pipedrive lead scoring works differently from what the name suggests. Pipedrive’s built-in scoring tool is called Scores, and it sits inside Pulse, the prospecting toolkit Pipedrive announced in July 2025. Scores rates deals, on a scale of 0 to 100, using criteria you set. It does not score leads in the Leads Inbox, people, or organizations. Pipedrive’s documentation is direct about it: “Currently, you can only calculate scores for deals.”
This guide covers what Scores does, which plan you need, how to set it up, and how to rank leads in Pipedrive when the built-in tool stops at deals. Product details come from Pipedrive’s own help pages, mainly Scores and Scores calculation, both last updated in September 2026. Pipedrive is still changing Pulse, so where your account differs, trust your account.
Pipedrive lead scoring at a glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is it called? | Scores, part of Pulse. Pipedrive’s marketing calls it custom scoring |
| Where is it? | Pulse in the sidebar, then Scores |
| What can it score? | Deals only |
| Which plans? | Premium and Ultimate |
| Who can set it up? | Deal admin users. Regular users can view scores |
| Score range | 0 to 100 |
| Point values | Fixed: +25, +10, and -10, by group |
| Criteria | Up to 10 in total, from deal and activity fields |
| Active scores | One per pipeline |
| Decay | Not documented |
| How reps see it | A read-only field in the deal detail and deal list views. Hovering shows which factors contributed |
Leads or deals: what Pipedrive’s marketing says and what the docs say
Pipedrive’s product page talks about ranking and scoring leads. Its help center says the target entity is deals only, and that only deal and activity fields can be used as criteria. When the two disagree, go with the help center, because it describes what the builder lets you select.
This matters because of how Pipedrive is laid out. Leads live in the Leads Inbox until someone converts them to a deal. A score that starts at the deal cannot tell you which of 300 leads in the inbox to open first. It can tell you which open deals deserve attention, which is a useful but different job.
Before you open Pulse: plan the model
You get ten criteria, so choose them with care.
- Fit criteria. Pick the three or four facts your won deals share, such as company size, industry, and the buyer’s role. Your ideal customer profile is the source, and our five-step framework for building an ICP scoring model covers how to choose them.
- Put fit data on the deal. Criteria can only read deal and activity fields. If company size and industry sit on the organization, add matching custom fields to the deal and fill them when the deal is created.
- Activity criteria. Choose a few signs of real engagement, such as a completed meeting or a next activity on the calendar.
- Negative criteria. Decide what should pull a deal down, such as no activity in several weeks.
- A cutoff. Decide which score means “work this today” before you look at the numbers.
How to set up Scores in Pipedrive, step by step
These steps follow Pipedrive’s help page.
Step 1: Open Scores
Go to Pulse in the sidebar, then Scores, and click + Score.
Step 2: Fill in the details
Give the score a name and description, confirm the target entity, which is deals, and choose the pipeline it applies to.
Step 3: Add criteria to the three groups
Sort your criteria into the three groups. Each group has a fixed point value:
| Group | Points per criterion | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Highly positive | +25 | The facts that best predict a win |
| Slightly positive | +10 | Helpful signs that are not decisive |
| Negative | -10 | Facts that should lower the score |
You can combine conditions with AND and OR, and name each criteria group. You cannot set your own point values. The total across all three groups is capped at 10 criteria.
Step 4: Test in the preview
The preview runs your criteria against real deals and shows the point values. Check a few deals you won and a few you lost. If they score alike, change the criteria before anyone relies on the number.
Step 5: Activate
Activate the score. Pipedrive allows one active score per pipeline. Scores recalculate automatically when deal data changes.
How Pipedrive calculates the score
Pipedrive describes the result as the likelihood of success on a scale of 0 to 100. A deal scores 0 when only negative criteria are met, and 100 when every positive criterion is met and no negative one is. Pipedrive does not publish the formula in between, so use the preview to see how a real deal lands.
Two things follow from the fixed values. First, you cannot say that industry matters three times as much as deal size; you can only place one in the +25 group and the other in the +10 group. Second, there is no partial credit. A criterion is met or it is not.
An example Pipedrive scoring model
Demo data. A B2B software company sells to operations teams at companies with 200 to 1,000 employees. Company size and industry are copied to deal custom fields when a deal is created.
| Group | Criterion | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Highly positive | Company size (deal field) is 200 to 1,000 employees | +25 |
| Highly positive | Industry (deal field) is a core industry | +25 |
| Highly positive | A demo meeting activity is marked done | +25 |
| Slightly positive | Buyer role (deal field) is director or above | +10 |
| Slightly positive | A next activity is scheduled | +10 |
| Slightly positive | Deal source is a referral or inbound request | +10 |
| Slightly positive | Deal value is above your median | +10 |
| Negative | No completed activity in the last 21 days | -10 |
| Negative | Expected close date has passed | -10 |
| Negative | Company size (deal field) is under 50 employees | -10 |
That is all ten criteria. Check in your own account which field types and conditions the builder offers, because Pipedrive’s documentation does not list every operator.
How to rank leads in Pipedrive before they become deals
Scores starts at the deal. Teams that need to rank leads use one of four approaches.
| Approach | How it works | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| A qualification pipeline | Convert every new lead to a deal in a first pipeline called Qualification, and run a score there | Fills your deal reports with unqualified records unless you filter that pipeline out |
| Lead labels and filters | Create your own labels in the Leads Inbox and filter by label and by lead fields | Manual. Somebody has to apply the labels |
| A marketplace app | Outfunnel scores on web visits, email events, Pipedrive activities, and custom fields, with time decay. Salespanel tracks customer journeys and syncs lead scores to Pipedrive contacts | Another tool to pay for and maintain |
| A spreadsheet or scorecard | Export leads, score them on fit and engagement, and import the result into a custom field | Goes stale between exports |
If you use labels, name them for the action, such as “Call today” or “Nurture”, so everyone reads them the same way.
Putting the score to work
Reps see the score as a read-only field on the deal and in the deal list, and hovering over it opens a pop-up that explains which factors contributed. That explanation is the most valuable part: a rep who can see why a deal scored 70 is more likely to act on it.
Pipedrive’s formula fields list the deal score as an available input, which lets you build a calculated field from it. Formula fields are on Premium and higher, are limited to ten per company account, and calculate on deals only.
Pipedrive’s documentation does not say whether the score can be used in filters, automation triggers, or Insights reports. Check in your account before you plan a workflow around it.
What about AI scoring in Pipedrive?
Pipedrive’s AI Sales Assistant page promises AI-powered win probability predictions, and a 2023 press release said the assistant predicts a deal’s win probability. The current help center does not document this as a scoring feature. The Sales Assistant article describes a question-and-answer and summary assistant that is in beta for a select group of users. The “probability” you will find in the help center is the manual deal and stage probability you set yourself.
Treat Scores as a rules-based tool. You decide the criteria, and the reasons are visible on every deal.
Limits to know
- Deals only. No scoring for leads, people, or organizations.
- Deal and activity fields only. Email campaign engagement and web visits are not documented as criteria.
- Fixed points. +25, +10, and -10. No custom weights.
- Ten criteria in total.
- One active score per pipeline.
- No documented decay. Use time-based conditions, such as no activity in 21 days, to let old deals fall.
- Premium or higher, managed by deal admins.
- Still settling. Pipedrive’s Pulse article says some Pulse features are in beta.
Common setup mistakes
| Mistake | What happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Expecting it to rank the Leads Inbox | Nothing in the inbox gets a score | Use a qualification pipeline, labels, or an app |
| Fit data left on the organization | Fit criteria cannot be selected | Copy the key fields to the deal |
| Ten activity criteria and no fit | Busy deals at the wrong companies score highest | Split the ten between fit and activity |
| No negative criteria | Stalled deals keep a high score | Add an inactivity condition |
| Skipping the preview | The score does not separate wins from losses | Test on closed deals first |
Our piece on where teams get ICP scoring wrong covers the modeling errors behind most of these.
Where BoostIdeal fits
This guide is for teams on Pipedrive, and BoostIdeal is not a Pipedrive tool. It works with HubSpot, or a CSV you upload: you build the model and set the weights by hand, with AI helping you analyze your data, and each score, shown out of 10, writes back to HubSpot with its reasons. It is not the right fit if your data is in Pipedrive and you do not want to work from CSV exports, or if you want a vendor to hand over a number you never question.
The principles carry over. Keep fit and engagement in view as separate ideas, let old activity count for less, show the reasons on the record, and make sure a person owns the criteria.
Frequently asked questions
Does Pipedrive have lead scoring?
Pipedrive has a scoring tool called Scores, inside Pulse, on the Premium and Ultimate plans. It scores deals from 0 to 100 using criteria you set. It does not score leads in the Leads Inbox.
Which Pipedrive plan includes scoring?
Scores is available on Premium and higher, which means Premium and Ultimate. Deal admin users manage scores, and regular users can view them.
How many scoring criteria can I use in Pipedrive?
Up to 10 in total, spread across three groups: highly positive at +25 points, slightly positive at +10, and negative at -10. The point values are fixed.
Can Pipedrive score leads in the Leads Inbox?
Not with the built-in tool. Pipedrive’s documentation says scores can only be calculated for deals. To rank leads, use a qualification pipeline, lead labels and filters, or a marketplace app such as Outfunnel or Salespanel.
Does Pipedrive scoring use AI?
The Scores tool is rules-based: you choose the criteria. Pipedrive’s marketing mentions AI win probability predictions, but the current help center does not document it as a scoring feature.
Do Pipedrive scores decay over time?
Pipedrive does not document a decay setting. Scores recalculate when deal data changes, so a time-based negative criterion, such as no activity in 21 days, is the way to make stale deals drop.
The takeaway
Pipedrive’s Scores tool is a simple, readable deal score: ten criteria, three fixed point groups, one active score per pipeline, and reasons a rep can see by hovering. It is on Premium and Ultimate, and it starts at the deal. If you need to rank leads earlier, move qualification into a pipeline, use labels, or add an app. Whichever route you take, test the score on deals you have already won and lost before you trust it.