Sections of this topic
Open source CRM software provides a slew of customer management tools alongside nearly unlimited customization options for your business. With so many CRM options out there, selecting the perfect one for your company can feel like an impossible task. We’ve identified the five best open source CRM software solutions to make your decision as simple as possible.
Pros and Cons of Using Open Source CRM
Open source CRM has many great benefits but is not without its flaws. Take a look at the pros and cons of this particular type of software.
Pros
Price
In most cases, the best open source CRM software solutions have at least some sort of free version your business can make use of. Free plans may not include full access to an app’s feature set but have enough to get you well on your way. Other companies may allow free use of software but charge for dedicated hosting if you don’t have the means to do so yourself.
Customization
The possibilities are endless when it comes to the top open source CRM software. Having the code frees you up to customize every aspect of the program to meet your business needs. Many platforms even have built-in customizations without the need for an API or programming knowledge.
Organization
CRM software is the best way to log all your contacts, generate leads, and stay connected along the way. Keeping all your potential customer data in one location saves untold time and energy as opposed to bouncing between all your social media accounts. With one data pool, you can target specific people with marketing campaigns and track progress.
Community
Open source software often fosters a community of users with their own experiences, insights, and knowledge about the product. These people become invaluable resources for asking questions, working through issues, and building a platform that can carry your business forward.
Cons
Security
Security across public domains can be an issue, and no one wants client data spilling out onto the dark recesses of the internet. Many vendor default security options aren’t that great, putting your business information at risk. That said, anyone with the know-how can put their own safeguards in place.
Difficult to learn
Each open source CRM software comes with a considerable learning curve you’ll need to climb before having a good grasp of just what you can do. Once you’ve figured this out, you’ll still need to teach the rest of your team how to navigate the nuances of the program.
Support
It’s usually not hard to find community support for your open source CRM software, but developer help is often sorely lacking. If there’s even a support option, receiving an answer from anyone from the company can take considerable time. No one wants to find themselves stuck for days or weeks waiting for a fix with sales floating out the window.
Interfaces
Developers tend to focus on the code that makes CRM work and less on the interface businesses use to assimilate and use data. This can lead to bare-bones, clunky setups that are a chore to navigate. Of course, this isn’t the case with every open source CRM software out there.
Limited Updates
Since open source software is usually free, developers aren’t always quick to implement updates or fix bugs as you’d expect from a paid platform. Unless you deal with the issue on your own, there’s no saying how long you’ll have to wait. At times, programmers will abandon software altogether without any notice.
Best Open Source CRM
- Odoo CRM – Best Overall
- SuiteCRM – Best Free CRM
- Vtiger – Best All-in-One CRM
- OroCRM – Best for Reporting
- CiviCRM – Best for Nonprofits
When selecting our top open source CRM software, we considered the merits of free versions and any potential costs along the way. We then studied how well each handles lead management and interaction tracking. Finally, we assessed analytics and reporting capabilities for monitoring your company’s well-being.
You can find a more detailed list of our methodologies here.
Software
Price
Free Version
Lead Management
Interaction Tracking
Analytics and Reporting
$24.90 to $37.40/user per month
Yes for unlimited users
Score leads, import contacts, create campaigns
Automatically send emails, live chat
Predefined dashboards, visualize KPIs
£95 to £475/month
Yes for unlimited users
Integrated across multiple apps for data sharing
Full customer view to capture key insights
Dashboards with real-time info on stats and users
$30 to $42/user per month
Yes for ten users
Lead capture with webforms, duplicate alerts
One View lists all engagements, contact records
Build and schedule reports, access charts
Must contact sales for quote
Yes for unlimited users
Automatically sync and update customer profiles
View and manage customer interactions, 360° customer view
Powerful reporting engine covering revenue, pipelines, conversion rates, and more
$0
Yes for unlimited users
Nearly unlimited number of custom fields for data, importing and exporting
Link contacts through groups and tags, act on your web of connections
Over 40 standard reports in multiple formats
Odoo CRM: Best Overall Open Source CRM
4.7
Odoo’s excellent free app steals the show, giving access to one of its many apps. From there, you can either purchase add-ons for other modules or upgrade to paid plans that include all available apps.
The extensive suite of tools cover everything from CRM to point of sale for a well-rounded system. Many of these have features for specific business types to save you even more time as you work.
Why we chose it: Odoo’s jam-packed free version and incredible offerings for different business types earn it top honors.
- Robust free version
- Large suite of apps to select from
- Tools for any business types
- Limited customer support
- Significant learning curve
- Confusing price structure
Pricing: Outside the free version, Odoo’s Standard plan gives full access to over 1,000 available apps for $24.90/user per month. Upgrading to the Custom tier adds in on-premise hosting, Odoo Studio, and external APIs.
Free Version
Odoo hands you one free app from its list, which for the purposes of this article would be your CRM software. The platform doesn’t restrict usage to CRM tools, but other features like invoicing and some sales functionality come from another app. Accessing other modules moves you into the paid category.
Lead Management
The impressive CRM tools at your disposal make it easy to import contacts from all your sources with a few keystrokes. All your leads in one place facilitates connections and tracking. Its marketing software is excellent for scoring leads through campaigns from any device.
Interaction Tracking
An any time, you can pull up an overview of customers to gauge interests and view purchases. Through the platform, you can send automated emails or make use of live chat to target specific people.
Analytics and Reporting
Odoo provides insights as you work to help make smarter decisions about company needs. You can design custom dashboards to see snapshots of your business and go deep with real-time reports.
SuiteCRM: Best Free Open Source CRM
4.6
You won’t find a better free version than what SuiteCRM brings to the table, sharing CRM, sales, marketing, and more in one package. Its tools are designed for several industries, covering manufacturing, healthcare, retail, and more.
Rest API works wonders for connecting your SuiteCRM setup to your other business applications. The site also has a great community, but you’ll likely find yourself turning to them for help rather than waiting for SuiteCRM to respond.
Why we chose it: SuiteCRM has the most well-rounded free version of its open source software, making it ideal for businesses hoping to save a little cash.
- Full featured free plan
- Rest API to integrate with other applications
- Tools for multiple industries
- Difficult to set up
- Mostly community-based support
- Costly paid plan
Pricing: Everything you’ll likely need from Suite CRM is free. You can pay for dedicated hosting with varying levels of performance and storage as your company demands. The Starter plan is £95.00/month ($115 USD), recommended for one to ten users. You can upgrade from there to the Business tier for £332.50/month ($410 USD), or jump to Premium at £475 ($580 USD).
Free Version
As long as you don’t need a hosting package, the lion’s share of SuiteCRM’s tools are yours for free. There are no limitations on the number of users you can add to your system once you download the app. The free version is readily customizable with hundreds of extensions and integrations.
Lead Management
SuiteCRM integrates across your business apps through Rest API so you can share data and pull in leads from other areas. Use personalized experiences and automations to handle repetitive steps to generate more leads.
Interaction Tracking
The site becomes your go-to source for customer data, enabling you to record key insights and tailor campaigns as needed. SuiteCRM helps you build a 360-degree view of your customer data so you know how best to reach each one.
Analytics and Reporting
Dashboards share real-time statistics on users and pipelines for a critical view of your business strategy. You can build whatever reports suit your interests at any given moment by pulling data from any of SuiteCRM’s many modules.
Vtiger: Best All-in-One Open Source CRM
4.5
The all-in-one Vtiger CRM offers a unified view of customer data while seamlessly connecting with other internal apps to promote business success. Additional tools for marketing and project management in the same package create a fluid data flow and fast integration.
Vtiger has one of the best user communities for help and insights should you get stuck along the way, and a generous free plan allows up to ten users to log in without cost.
Why we chose it: Vtiger CRM goes above and beyond, bringing with it marketing and project management software to maximize your business prowess.
- Includes marketing and project management software
- Vibrant community of users
- Free plan available
- Most features require a hosting plan
- Minimal reporting in free version
- A little rough around the edges
Pricing: If you need more than what the free plan has to offer, consider upgrading to Professional for $30/user per month. Here, you can share the platform with unlimited users and open up sales pipelines. For full use of the platform, you’ll need to come up with $42/user per month for the Enterprise package.
Free Version
Vtiger’s introductory plan is currently free, down from the $5/user per month the site used to charge. Here you can have up to ten users and track 3,000 different records before considering a paid option.
There are some limitations to contact management, email functionality, and other tools that can slow you down over time. Still, having even basic access to free project management and sales tools is a huge plus.
Lead Management
You can tag contacts and organizations through Vtiger, adding in tips for communication should you opt for a paid plan. Marketing automations via email and webform help you reach new leads and expand your influence.
Interaction Tracking
As data comes in from contacting your leads, Vtiger stores it in a 360-degree view of every contact. A series of insights and alerts draw attention to opportunities for boosting interactions and winning sales.
Analytics and Reporting
A built-in sales intelligence dashboard comes with every version of Vtiger, although you’re limited to specific reports if you don’t want to pay. Paid plans introduce custom reports and adjustable business snapshots to indicate how specific areas perform.
OroCRM: Best Open Source CRM for Reporting
4.4
Get under the hood of your business with OroCRM’s robust reporting tools. The software allows you to analyze everything from revenue to conversion rates with its detailed tracker.
Online businesses can take advantage of built-in eCommerce tools, and OroCRM’s open source code is made accessible to everyone. There’s no pricing information on its site, requiring a phone call to create your package.
Why we chose it: OroCRM’s reporting tools are second to none, featuring a powerful reporting engine offering unparalleled insights into your company.
- Excellent reporting dashboard
- Built-in eCommerce tools
- Free open source code available
- Must contact sales for pricing
- Lacks mobile app
- Customer service only available in paid tiers
Pricing: OroCRM doesn’t even allude to what costs may be for its CRM software. To find out, you need to fill out a form to request a demo and then work with the sales team for a custom quote.
Free Version
Fortunately, OroCRM’s free version is immediately accessible for download without having to jump through hoops. With it, you can play with a handful of CRM features for as long as you want. It’s possible to connect an unlimited number of users to your system for interaction and collaboration.
Lead Management
Through OroCRM’s interface, you can view and manage all your contacts from an intuitive interface. It automatically syncs your customer profiles and clears away duplicate information that can cause confusion. Tools like webforms allow you to reach new leads to help close opportunities.
Interaction Tracking
OroCRM captures a 360° view of your customer, storing information from every encounter, from product views to email responses. Feedback extends to your online store, social channels, and email campaigns targeting specific people.
Analytics and Reporting
Analytics and reporting are OroCRM’s bread and butter. It comes standard with a powerful reporting engine generating deep insights into your business, and the customer thought process. You can quickly generate reports to track crucial KPIs from every aspect of your company to keep you on track with deliverables.
CiviCRM: Best Open Source CRM for Nonprofits
4.2
Every aspect of CiviCRM is tailored to the nonprofit crowd thanks to an emphasis on events and fundraisers. The features don’t end there, incorporating contact management and email marketing campaigns to further connections.
You can customize your CiviCRM setup as you see fit through a bunch of options and access to its open source software. Best of all, it’s completely free to use.
Why we chose it: CiviCRM’s customer relationship, fundraising, and event tracking tools are perfect for nonprofit organizations.
- Built from the ground up for nonprofits
- Completely free open source software
- Multitude of customization options
- No customer support team
- Out of date interface
- Not designed for sales
Pricing: CiviCRM is free to download and use for everyone. Keep in mind that the platform does not offer hosting options.
Free Version
The full gamut of CiviCRM features are included in its free version. While made for nonprofits, any business can take advantage of lead management and reporting features within. Having the full software means you can customize your setup to suit your specific needs.
Lead Management
Through the CiviCRM interface, importing and exporting contact information is simple and flexible. From there, CiviCRM makes it easy to create and manage targeted emails or use templates within the software.
Interaction Tracking
As customers respond to your queries, CiviCRM is ready to collect insights on your conversations. There’s basically no limit to the number of custom fields you can use to list leads and track data you care about the most. Much of this can happen automatically as you set up automations.
Analytics and Reporting
The reporting subset of CiviCRM has more than 40 standard options to choose from so you can evaluate your business impact. Your team can configure and save versions of these reports for further analysis. If CiviCRM doesn’t have what you need, the custom reporter lets you create charts on your own.
Methodology for the Best Open Source CRM
We carefully crafted our list of the best open source CRM software solutions while taking several important factors into account. These considerations made the top of our list when making our selections:
- Price: Price is an obvious factor, as no business has an infinite budget to work with. We studied which open source CRM services charge for features, hosting, and other tools to help your business grow. Even if you’re on a tight budget, we looked for options that pay for themselves with what they offer.
- Free Version: The best open source CRM software solutions are even better if they offer some or all functionality for free. We analyzed what each free option comes with and what you can do without ever paying a cent.
- Lead Management: CRM is nothing without lead management tools. Each app needs to capture current and potential customers, simplifying communication through forms, emails, and social media. We assessed what each open source CRM software can do here.
- Interaction Tracking: Understanding consumer insights opens the doorway to repeat sales and long-term relationships. Being able to track conversations, price points, and customer desires helps you target people with promotions specific to their needs. We researched what lengths CRM services will go to help with this.
- Analytics and Reporting: Reports create a window into your business dealings, revealing where you shine and areas in need of improvement. We identified CRM services with comprehensive reporting and analytics capabilities so you can always feel the pulse of your operation.
Who Should Use an Open Source CRM?
Businesses of all shapes and sizes can benefit from open-source CRM software. These platforms often have many different business types already in mind when creating solutions, offering modules for specific needs.
Where traditional CRMs can be quite rigid, open source services make room for customization that fits your particular business model. This flexibility even allows you to integrate niche apps that most other CRMs aren’t compatible with.
If your team has the know-how, tapping into open source software gives free rein to create the CRM of your dreams. There are rarely limitations on how far you can modify code to make the app truly your own.
Since most of the best open source CRM software solutions have a free version, they also work well for startups or companies on a tight budget. As your company grows, you still have the option to modify the software on your own or upgrade to paid versions with additional features or hosting.
Best Open Source CRM Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Want more information on the best open source CRM software? This FAQ may have the answers you’re looking for.
Bottom Line
The best open source CRM software comes with the tools your business needs to nurture leads, build relationships, and grow sales. What’s more, your team has the freedom to customize the source code and build the perfect app for you.
We’re huge fans of Odoo’s incredible free version, flexibility, and extensive selection of business applications. That said, we feel any of the options on our list can serve you well.
Noah is an American copywriter on a mission to help clarify the nuances of the business world through unique insights stemming from backgrounds in both engineering and the medical field. When not working, you’ll likely find him running or traveling.
