Key takeaways

  • Open source CRMs are customer relationship management software applications created and updated by an online community of developers.
  • Benefits of open source CRMs include cost-effectiveness, customizability, and quick bug fixes and issue solving.
  • The ability to modify code and add functionality is driving more businesses toward open source CRM adoption.

With an open source CRM, you can save time and money. Learn what open source CRM is, the benefits of using it, and the most popular software solutions.

Below are some of the top open source CRM providers in the market, each with unique features and functions that make them best suited to specific needs. Find out which CRM is best for your business:

Open Source CRM

Best for

Starting price

My expert score

An all-in-one open source CRM

Free or $24.90, billed annually

4.68

Customization

Free or $12/user/month, billed annually

4.46

Scalability

Free or contact sales

4.43

Community support

Free or contact sales

4.27

Ease-of-use

Free or $20/month, billed annually

4.23

Full data control

$9/user/month, billed annually

4.12

Software Spotlight: HubSpot
HubSpot, known for its inbound marketing expertise, offers a free CRM solution that is a core component of its business management suite. This free CRM includes essential tools like contact management and email templates, along with integrations for Gmail and Outlook. Some open-source tools HubSpot offers include:
  • Event App [beta] for leveraging CMS Hub tools for efficient consumer needs fulfillment.
  • Node Packages and CLI for local development and continuous deployment on HubSpot CMS.
  • CMS Boilerplate as a foundation for website building on HubSpot CMS.
  • VS Code HubL Language Extension for rapid CMS page development.
  • Developer Chrome Extension adding a menu and shortcuts for HubSpot CMS development.
  • CrankShaft Framework to accelerate build times on HubSpot CMS.
  • HubXML Blog Importer for converting blog content into HubSpot importable XML files.
This is a paid placement. However, our team of experts approved it as an appropriate product and our content remains editorially independent.
TechnologyAdvice is able to offer our services for free because some vendors may pay us for web traffic or other sales opportunities. Our mission is to help technology buyers make better purchasing decisions, so we provide you with information for all vendors — even those that don’t pay us.

Featured partners

How is an open source CRM different from regular CRMs?

What sets open source CRMs apart from proprietary solutions is that their source code is publicly available. Developers and users can access, modify, and distribute the software freely.

The concept of open source CRMs can be traced back to the 1990s and early 2000s, when open source software started gaining popularity. The rise of open source CRMs was driven by a growing demand for customizable and cost-effective solutions to manage customer relationships and the increasing awareness of the benefits of open source software.

With an open source CRM, you can save time and money. According to a 2024 study, small and medium-sized businesses that adopt CRM software can improve customer retention by up to 40% and sales by up to 30%.

Learn what open source CRM is, the benefits of using it, and the most popular software solutions.

October 10, 2025: Added a new provider to the list. Updated the rankings based on their individual rubric scores.

October 16, 2024: Switched all products to the new card style. Added fresh comparisons to all Why I Chose sections. Add additional key features to all vendors and ensure accuracy of those in place. Added screenshot galleries to each vendor as well.

July 9, 2024: Rebuilt the table in a more modern style. Updated logos throughout. Minor copy edits. Changed green coloring to the new TA green colors.

June 17, 2024: Made numerous minor aesthetic changes, fixed some typosOct. 18, 2023: Updated formatting to current theme.

The TechnologyAdvice editorial process follows strict standards that include intensive research, product assessment, and scoring of each provider. This ensures that we adhere to our mission of being a trusted source of information for tech buyers.

In this guide, I assessed the essential aspects of the best open source CRM software. These include their pricing, features, ease of use, range of support services, and expert score.

Additionally, I read user reviews and conducted hands-on experience testing for software intuitiveness. Moreover, I use the following work experiences to put together buyer’s guides for sales software:

  • Over 14 years of editorial research and writing
  • Over six years of writing expert reviews about sales and business technologies
  • Almost four years in the combined sales team and territory management

To identify the best open source CRM, I assessed a curated list of top providers based on their pricing, features, compatibility, user experience, and real user scores. Each platform was scored using the following criteria.


Pricing: 10% of the overall score
Transaction-based pricing, yearly or bulk discounts, value for money, and scalability were key factors in evaluating the pricing. Providers that offered free trials and free plans received higher scores.

General features: 30% of the overall score
I evaluated the open source CRM solutions based on the presence and quality of their features for managing customer relationships and experience personalization. These include contact/lead management, reporting with dashboards, customizable pipelines, and sales/marketing management. I also examined other key features, such as data import/export, integrations, and mobile access.

Advanced/niche features: 20% of the overall score
I evaluated niche features specifically for the open source or customization tools. The specific advanced features I reviewed include customer portal, security, sales automation, calendar and email sync, and user permissions. These capabilities are essential for seamless and secure sales, marketing, and service task automation.

Ease of use: 10% of the overall score
I evaluated how easy the software is to set up, learn, navigate, and use through hands-on trial and feedback from real users. I rated its built-in templates, learning curve, and ease of setup.

Support: 15% of the overall score
The factors that I considered for this criterion included the availability of 24/7 support and free resources for getting started, such as demos and webinars. In addition, I checked if each provider offered multiple support options, including email, phone, and live chat.

Expert score: 15% of the overall score
The expert score considers my perception of the software’s features and value for money. I also rated how easy it is to research the product and find details about its features and capabilities. Another factor I considered is its average user rating on reputable review sites, such as G2, Capterra, App Store, and Google Play Store.

What are the top open source CRM solutions for 2025?

Odoo logo.

What makes Odoo CRM the best all-in-one open source CRM solution?

Overall Reviewer Score

4.68/5

Pricing

5/5

General features

4.75/5

Advanced/niche features

4.25/5

Ease of use

4/5

Support

3.75/5

Expert score

4.25/5

Pros

  • Cost-effective CRM solution
  • All-in-one ERP
  • Cloud and on-premises deployment solutions
  • Active developer community
  • Scalability
  • Modular approach

Cons

  • Steep learning curve
  • Limited official support
  • Non-intuitive integration
  • Customization costs
  • Performance issues

Why I picked Odoo CRM

Odoo CRM tops my list of the best open source CRMs because it is one of the most powerful and flexible solutions on the market. Unlike most CRMs that focus solely on sales or marketing, Odoo is built as part of a complete business suite. That means your CRM serves as a single hub that connects seamlessly with modules for accounting, inventory, project management, marketing, HR, and ecommerce.

You can start small with just the CRM app (free in the Community Edition) and expand as your business grows. The best part is that you can do this without migrating data or adopting new systems. Odoo CRM’s modular design keeps everything centralized and scalable, offering a single source of truth across departments.

What I appreciate most about Odoo CRM is its flexibility. Because it’s open source, you can fully customize workflows, automate lead management, and build dashboards tailored to your KPIs. It’s a strong fit for small to midsize teams that want enterprise-grade features without enterprise pricing. While setup can take a bit more technical know-how than plug-and-play systems, the payoff is a CRM that grows with you and not just one you’ll outgrow.

If your team values customization, integration, and ownership of your data, Odoo CRM offers one of the best open-source foundations for building your customer operations.

Odoo CRM is part of the larger Odoo Business Management Suite, an open-source platform that combines CRM, ERP, and business process automation into one unified ecosystem. Initially launched in Belgium in 2005, Odoo has grown into one of the most widely adopted open-source business applications worldwide, trusted by more than 12 million users.

  • CRM: As an ERP, Odoo offers a built-in CRM to manage leads, opportunities, and customer interactions and data
  • Modular architecture: Odoo has a wide range of apps that can be integrated and customized to fit specific business needs
  • Suite of apps: An integrated suite powered by AI can handle everything from HR to project management, accounting, marketing, and more

  • Open source (Community Edition): Free
  • Open core (Enterprise Edition): $24.90/month for all Odoo apps
VTiger crm logo icon with blue and green cloud outlines.

What makes Vtiger the best for customization?

Overall Reviewer Score

4.46/5

Pricing

4.25/5

General features

4.33/5

Advanced/niche features

3.68/5

Ease of use

3.45/5

Support

4.63/5

Expert score

4.5/5

Pros

  • Comprehensive features
  • Customization options
  • Third-party integrations
  • Active community

Cons

  • Limited documentation
  • Learning curve
  • User interface
  • Performance and resource usage

Why I picked Vtiger

Vtiger offers one of the most well-rounded combinations of usability, automation, and value in the open-source CRM space. It delivers enterprise-level functionality, such as lead scoring, workflow automation, and sales forecasting, without the steep learning curve or price tag of traditional CRMs.

What I like most about Vtiger is its all-in-one structure. Sales, marketing, and customer support teams can all work within the same platform, eliminating the need for multiple disconnected tools. Whether you’re tracking deals, launching email campaigns, or managing support tickets, everything stays centralized and easy to manage.

Vtiger also gives businesses flexibility in deployment, offering both a free open-source version for teams that want full control and a cloud-based option for those who prefer convenience. That balance, along with its intuitive interface and strong automation tools, makes Vtiger an ideal CRM for businesses of any size looking to simplify operations and boost productivity.

Vtiger CRM is a versatile open-source and cloud-based CRM platform designed to help businesses unify their sales, marketing, and customer service operations. Originally launched in 2004 as a fork of SugarCRM, Vtiger has evolved into a full-featured CRM trusted by over 300,000 businesses worldwide for its balance of affordability and enterprise-grade capability.

  • Layout and UI customization: Modify the user interface by rearranging fields, sections, and related lists
  • Custom API development: Utilize Vtiger’s RESTful API to build custom integrations or develop new features
  • Extension marketplace and third-party integrations: Vtiger’s extension marketplace offers a variety of plugins and add-ons to extend the platform’s functionality

  • Open source: Free
  • Open core (VTiger One): Starts at $12/user/month
orocrm icon logo in gold.

What makes OroCRM the best for scalability?

Overall Reviewer Score

4.43/5

Pricing

2.5/5

General features

4.48/5

Advanced/niche features

4.25/5

Ease of use

3.55/5

Support

4.28/5

Expert score

4.7/5

Pros

  • Customization
  • Multi-channel support
  • Scalability

Cons

  • Learning curve
  • Resource-intensive
  • Maintenance cost

Why I picked OroCRM

OroCRM is one of the few open-source CRMs purpose-built for scalability and complex business operations. While many open-source systems focus on basic sales tracking, OroCRM is designed to handle multi-channel, multi-brand, and enterprise-level customer management from day one. It’s particularly strong for B2B and ecommerce organizations that need to consolidate customer data across storefronts, regions, or product lines without sacrificing performance as they grow.

OroCRM’s enterprise-grade architecture is built on the Symfony PHP framework. It offers robust APIs, modular components, and deep customization options, making it a favorite among development teams and IT-driven organizations. Businesses can extend OroCRM to support new workflows, automate complex sales and marketing processes, or integrate it with ERP and commerce systems like Magento and OroCommerce.

Despite its technical power, OroCRM remains surprisingly flexible for small and midsize businesses preparing for growth. You can start small with core CRM features, like contact management, segmentation, and reporting, and scale up to handle thousands of users, advanced workflows, and custom data models. If your organization plans to expand operations, launch new sales channels, or manage multiple brands under one system, OroCRM delivers the scalability and open-source control needed to grow without limits.

OroCRM is an open-source customer relationship management platform built to give businesses complete control, scalability, and deep integration capabilities across their customer operations. Developed by the creators of Magento, OroCRM was designed with flexibility and enterprise-grade architecture in mind, making it one of the most powerful CRMs for B2B, B2C, and ecommerce organizations alike.

  • 360-degree customer view: A unified view of every customer interaction across sales, marketing, and support channels that helps teams make data-driven decisions and deliver personalized experiences.
  • Reporting and analytics: Advanced, customizable reporting tools that enable users to track key performance metrics, identify trends, and measure the effectiveness of customer engagement strategies.
  • Flexible modular architecture: Allows businesses to extend, customize, and integrate the system easily, adapting it to specific workflows and evolving business needs.

  • Open source (Community Edition): Free
  • Open core (Enterprise Edition): Contact OroCRM
suitecrm icon logo in red and dark grey.

What makes SuiteCRM the best for community support?

Overall Reviewer Score

4.27/5

Pricing

2.13/5

General features

4.03/5

Advanced/niche features

4/5

Ease of use

3.83/5

Support

4.5/5

Expert score

4.75/5

Pros

  • Open source
  • Community support
  • Customizable workflows

Cons

  • Learning curve
  • Limited out-of-the-box features
  • Limited documentation

Why I picked SuiteCRM

SuiteCRM is one of the most community-driven open source CRM available today, with more than 2,300 forks on its official repository and over $8,000 in donations to support its development. Unlike many platforms that lock key features behind paid tiers, SuiteCRM is built entirely around open collaboration. Its global developer and user community continuously improves its codebase, adding extensions and providing free peer-to-peer support. That makes it a uniquely sustainable choice for businesses of all sizes looking for long-term value without vendor lock-in.

SuiteCRM has an impressive active ecosystem with thousands of contributors maintaining plugins, integrations, and documentation to help the platform evolve faster than most proprietary alternatives. From small startups to large enterprises, users benefit from a steady flow of community-driven innovation, whether that means better UI modules, reporting tools, or API integrations. And because it’s fully open source, companies can modify or extend SuiteCRM to match their specific workflows, often with the help of certified partners or independent developers from its thriving network.

For organizations that prioritize ownership, transparency, and flexibility, SuiteCRM embodies the best of what open-source CRM can be. Its community ensures consistent updates, strong security practices, and abundant self-help resources. This makes it a dependable and future-proof solution for businesses that want control over their CRM without sacrificing support.

SuiteCRM is one of the world’s leading open source CRM platforms, designed to give businesses full control over their data and technology stack. Originally forked from SugarCRM in 2013, SuiteCRM has grown into a global project supported by a large and active community of developers, partners, and users across industries. With over 4.5 million downloads and users ranging from small startups to large enterprises, SuiteCRM remains a proven, cost-effective alternative to proprietary CRMs.

  • SuiteCRM 8: The latest upgrade to the platform offers better control of data and business solutions
  • Sales territory management: Users can define and manage sales territories, enabling the assignment of leads based on region
  • Security suite: This feature provides advanced security options, including role-based access control, group-based permissions, and customizable user roles

  • Open source (Community edition): Free
  • Fully-supported (SuiteAssured edition): Contact SuiteCRM
HubSpot logo.

What makes HubSpot CRM the best for ease of use?

Overall Reviewer Score

4.23/5

Pricing

4/5

General features

4.13/5

Advanced/niche features

3.88/5

Ease of use

3.5/5

Support

4.43/5

Expert score

3.5/5

Pros

  • User-friendly interface
  • Third-party integrations
  • Documentation and resources

Cons

  • Free version limited features
  • Customization limitations
  • Scaling limitations

Why I picked HubSpot CRM

HubSpot CRM remains the benchmark for ease of use in the CRM world, open source or otherwise. While it’s technically an open-core platform rather than fully open source, HubSpot’s free CRM gives businesses of all sizes access to a remarkably intuitive system that’s ready to use right out of the box. Its clean interface, drag-and-drop pipelines, and built-in onboarding tutorials make it one of the easiest CRMs to adopt, even for teams without dedicated admins or IT support.

What makes HubSpot stand out is its immediate usability. Sales reps can log deals, send emails, and track engagement within minutes of setup, while managers can customize pipelines and dashboards with simple clicks instead of complex configurations. The platform’s design prioritizes accessibility; everything is laid out logically, with data synced seamlessly across contacts, companies, and activities.

HubSpot CRM also scales beautifully as businesses grow. Teams can start with the free CRM and gradually add advanced tools for marketing, customer service, or automation as their needs expand. This combination of ease, flexibility, and scalability makes HubSpot CRM an ideal choice for organizations that want powerful customer management tools without the technical overhead of traditional open-source systems.

HubSpot CRM is a leading open-core CRM platform built to help businesses manage contacts, automate sales, and improve customer relationships with minimal setup or technical expertise. Launched in 2014 as part of HubSpot’s all-in-one marketing and sales ecosystem, the platform now serves millions of users worldwide across industries ranging from startups to global enterprises.

  • Contact management: Easily keep track of interactions and sales
  • Pipeline management: Track deals through each stage of the sales process 
  • Integration with HubSpot ecosystem: Integrate the free CRM with other HubSpot tools and third-party applications

  • Limited version: Free
  • Cloud-hosted version: Starts at $9/user/month
Twenty CRM

What makes Twenty CRM the best for full data control?

Overall Reviewer Score

4.13/5

Pricing

4.25/5

General features

4.41/5

Advanced/niche features

3.33/5

Ease of use

3.8/5

Support

3.33/5

Expert score

3.8/5

Pros

  • Modern, intuitive interface
  • Self-hosting option and data ownership
  • Customizable fields and workflows

Cons

  • Still in development
  • Documentation and support gap
  • Limited integrations

Why I picked Twenty CRM

Twenty CRM offers true data ownership and control, a rare feature among modern CRM platforms. It is a fully open-source system (GPL-licensed) that gives you the freedom to self-host or run in the cloud, so you’re never locked into a vendor.

Beyond ownership, Twenty CRM is built for extensibility and flexibility. You can define custom objects, fields, workflows, views, and permissions to shape the platform around your business logic. Its roadmap is open, and community contributions are actively welcomed, letting teams guide development in ways that benefit their use case.

Because Twenty prioritizes control without sacrificing usability, it’s uniquely suited for organizations that value transparency, customization, and long-term flexibility. If your business demands that you own your data, Twenty CRM is one of the most compelling open-source options available today.

Twenty CRM is a modern, open-source CRM platform designed to give businesses complete control over their data and infrastructure. Developed by TwentyHQ, the platform is a transparent, flexible alternative to closed-source CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot; it offers comparable usability and scalability without vendor lock-in.

  • Contact management: Centralize customer and lead information with detailed activity timelines, notes, and communication history for every contact.
  • Pipeline management: Visualize and manage deals across customizable stages, track progress in real time, and forecast revenue with intuitive drag-and-drop pipelines.
  • Data ownership and customization: Self-host your CRM to maintain full control over your data, and tailor fields, objects, and workflows to match your unique business processes.

  • Pro: $9/user/month
  • Organization: $19/user/month

Which software is right for your business: Open source or proprietary?

Choosing the right CRM software for your business depends on your goals, budget, and technical capabilities. Both open-source and proprietary options have distinct advantages, from flexibility and customization to ease of setup and support. Understanding the key differences will help you determine which approach best aligns with your business needs and long-term growth strategy.

What are the advantages of open source code?

Open-source CRM solutions offer a range of benefits for businesses of all sizes. With full access to the source code, companies can modify and expand the software to fit their exact needs, creating a system that aligns perfectly with their operations.

Key advantages include:

  • High flexibility: Businesses can customize workflows, modules, and integrations to meet unique requirements.
  • Cost-effectiveness: Open-source CRMs typically have no licensing fees, making them more affordable than proprietary systems.
  • Community-driven innovation: A global network of developers continuously enhances features, fixes bugs, and improves security.
  • Reliability and longevity: The active developer community ensures consistent updates and long-term platform stability.

In short, open-source CRMs provide unmatched control, scalability, and value for organizations seeking a customizable, budget-friendly solution.

What are the advantages of proprietary software?

While open-source CRMs provide great flexibility, proprietary CRM solutions offer distinct advantages that may better suit some businesses. Each organization is unique, so the right choice depends on your priorities, resources, and technical capabilities.

Key advantages include:

  • Dedicated customer support: Proprietary vendors provide direct technical assistance and troubleshooting, ensuring faster and more reliable help than community forums.
  • Automatic updates and upgrades: Regularly scheduled updates deliver quick bug fixes, improved performance, and stronger security. These are especially valuable for businesses without in-house IT teams.
  • Time and resource savings: With proprietary systems, updates, integrations, and maintenance are handled by the vendor, reducing the need for internal technical management.
  • Feature-rich platforms: Proprietary CRMs often include advanced tools and preconfigured features designed to meet specific business needs, saving time on setup and customization.

In essence, proprietary CRMs offer a convenient, fully supported solution that’s ideal for businesses that value ease of use, reliability, and vendor-backed service. 

How we choose our top picks

At TechnologyAdvice, we assess a wide range of factors before selecting our top choices for a given category. 

To make our selections, we rely on our extensive research, product information, vendor websites, competitor research, and first-hand experience. We then consider what makes a solution best for customer-specific needs.

For our Top Open Source CRM list, we looked at 20 options before whittling them down to the six that cover all accounting needs for startups all the way up to enterprises.

TechnologyAdvice is able to offer our services for free because some vendors may pay us for web traffic or other sales opportunities. Our mission is to help technology buyers make better purchasing decisions, so we provide you with information for all vendors — even those that don’t pay us.

Featured Partners: CRM

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Open source CRM (customer relationship management) software is developed and distributed under an open source license. This allows users to access and modify the application’s source code.

Small and medium-sized businesses can benefit greatly from open source CRM software. It is free to use and modify while offering the same functionality as expensive proprietary CRM software without the cost.

Yes, several open-source CRMs offer free versions, including SuiteCRM, VTiger, and Odoo. These platforms provide core CRM functionalities for free, with optional paid features or services. These features, such as hosting, support, and premium modules, could be great additions depending on what you need from a CRM.

Google does not offer its own CRM system. However, many CRM platforms, such as HubSpot and VTiger, integrate seamlessly with Google Workspace (Gmail, Calendar, Drive) to streamline workflows.

Yes, Odoo offers a free version of its CRM as part of its open-source community edition. However, additional apps, hosting, and support services may require payment.

Office 365 does not have its own free CRM. However, third-party CRM platforms like HubSpot and VTiger integrate with Office 365, allowing users to manage customer data alongside their existing Microsoft tools.