• Best overall open-source CRM: SuiteCRM
  • Best open-source with CMS tools: HubSpot CRM
  • Best for integrating native and third-party apps: Odoo
  • Best open-source CRM supporting e-commerce: OroCRM
  • Best open-source CRM for international clients: YetiForce


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Software Spotlight: Hubspot


HubSpot’s open-source capabilities allow businesses to totally customize content, websites and workflows through a CMS software by providing unique developer tools and projects.

  • Gain access to a variety of packages and licenses for open source software.
  • HubX Asset Copier is a chrome extension tool to help HubSpot CMS developers.
  • Use the Developer Info button from HubSpot CMS to get a comprehensive JSON tree of all the information available in a page or post.


Open-source CRM software is any CRM with the niche functionality of allowing its source code to be publicly available for any user to make changes or customizations to it. Organizations that choose an open source software over closed source are typically capable of advanced tech coding and are after the benefits of being able to customize their platform and solution at an affordable price.

Top open-source CRM software comparison

Open-source CRMs are downloadable software that users then sort and code on their own to fit their specific needs. These options we compare below also offer hosted CRMs that are subscription based, ready-to-go and come with the features and tools prebuilt on the platform. The best open source CRM offer modern API for coding, vast scalability and both preset and customizable modules to manage pipelines and data.

Below we dive into top providers like SuiteCRM, Odoo and OroCRM and identify the ideal use cases to help guide you to a software that fits your business needs best.

SoftwarePipeline managementMobile appCloud-based platformBuilt-in reporting toolOpen-source pricing*
SuiteCRMYesYesNoYesFree
HubSpot CRMYesYesYesYesFree
OdooYesYesYesYesFree
OroCRMYesNoYesYesFree
YetiForceYesYesYesLimitedFree with add-ons

Cost to download basic open source platform*

DOWNLOAD: This CRM feature comparison from TechRepublic Premium

SuiteCRM: Best overall open-source CRM

SuiteCRM logo.
Image: SuiteCRM

SuiteCRM is a great all-in-one open-source CRM that prioritizes giving users a 360-degree view of their customers and business as a whole. SuiteCRM supports a range of features that can be customized with sales, case management, workflow and configuration tools. SuiteCRM’s open-source capabilities ensure users with the technical expertise and community support can adapt their features to build out entire sales processes end-to-end.

Pricing

  • Open source community tier: Free to download.
  • SuiteAssured: Hosting platform, contact for quote.

Features

  • Configuration studio: Add new fields, customize layouts and create new modules with their system admin tools.
  • Activity management: Automate and track touchpoints with clients with their calls, meetings, tasks and notes modules.
  • Report module: Build, auto-generate and schedule reports based on real time data from any module within the CRM.
Screenshot of SuiteCRM's report scheduling feature.
SuiteCRM report scheduling tool. Image: SuiteCRM

SuiteCRM pros and cons

ProsCons
30-day free trial.Users report outdated UI/UX.
Software demo.No customer support via phone.
Multiple industry expertise.Users report invoicing errors.

Why we chose Suite CRM

Suite CRM is a popular open source CRM with almost 2 million downloads and 5 million users. The tool offers advanced customizations while prioritizing building out that 360-degree view of the customers. The provider provides unique solutions with a focus on helping users build relationships, increase sales, engage customers and improve customer satisfaction.

While Suite CRM’s free trial is long compared to the industry standard, there are user reports of an outdated platform interface. If you’re wanting a modern but easy-to-navigate platform, look into HubSpot.

HubSpot CRM: Best open-source with CMS tools

HubSpot logo.
Image: HubSpot

HubSpot’s free tools are robust, making it a great general CRM. Though the CRM platform itself isn’t open source, its integrations are developer-friendly. Users can build an application on their app marketplace, create a custom integration with access tokens and then code directly on that app. There’s also the ability to design a website with your own developers and frameworks in the HubSpot CMS feature.

Pricing

  • Free CRM: Free for up to 5 users with contact management, quotes, live chat and more.
  • Sales Hub Starter: $15 per seat per month, billed annually, or $20 when billed monthly. The Starter plan includes all free tools plus simple automation, e-signature, conversation routing and more.
  • Sales Hub Professional: $90 per seat per month, billed annually, or $100 when billed monthly and a one-time $1,500 onboarding fee. This plan includes all Starter features and prospecting workspace, playbooks, forecasting and more.
  • Sales Hub Enterprise: $150 per seat per month, with an annual commitment and one-time $3,500 onboarding fee. Users of this plan receive all Professional tools plus advanced permissions, predictive lead scoring, conversation intelligence and lead form routing.

Features

  • Lead prospecting: Manage incoming leads and sales opportunities from one personalized prospecting workspace.
  • HubSpot AI: Use AI-powered tools to create sales and marketing material.
  • Email templates: Create templates from effective sales emails to share with a team.
Screenshot of sample HubSpot email template.
HubSpot sample email template. Image: HubSpot

HubSpot pros and cons

ProsCons
Variety of integrations.Costly higher support tiers.
Reports of a simple user interface.No free trial.
24/7 support via chat.Add-ons start at $25 per month.

Why we chose HubSpot

HubSpot is a top scoring free CRM and is a popular option for businesses of different sizes. The software offers all the core CRM features, such as document and payment management, business forecasting and powerful AI tools. In addition to those features, the tool offers solutions for marketing, support and sales teams to work together to grow profit.

Apart from the open source CMS, the prebuilt platform with its free and premium features is HubSpot’s bread and butter. If you’re set on finding an open source provider, I suggest looking into SuiteCRM.

For more details, check out our HubSpot review.

Odoo: Best for integrating native and third-party apps

Odoo logo.
Image: Odoo

Odoo’s open-source development offers a broad range of applications that can be integrated into one tool. This can be cost-effective, especially since organizations don’t need to purchase multiple platforms that are unconnected. Odoo’s free version only allows one app for unlimited users, which might be limiting depending on what you’re needing a CRM to handle. Instead, the standard and custom tiers allow access to thousands of applications for finance, sales, marketing, HR, inventory and productivity tracking.

Pricing

  • Community open source: Free to download.
  • Enterprise hosting: Contact for quote.
  • One app tier: One app download for unlimited users.
  • Standard tier: $24.90 per user per month for unlimited apps through Odoo online.
  • Custom tier: $37.40 per user per month for unlimited apps through Odoo online, on-premise.

Features

  • Lead mining: Generate new leads who match an ideal customer profile and have them merged into an Odoo database.
  • Assignation rules: Define unique rules and triggers to assign and route leads to specific sales teams or individual reps.
  • 360-degree visibility: Uncover what pages leads visited on a website, what emails or meetings they engaged in and more.
Sample productivity view with Odoo.
Odoo example project productivity view. Image: Odoo

Odoo pros and cons

ProsCons
Free demo.Limited reporting and analytics.
Unlimited hosting and maintenance for paid plans.User reports of poor customer support.
Community resources and tutorials.Limited documentation.

Why we chose Odoo

Odoo is a customer-centric CRM meant for sales teams. The platform gives users a birds-eye, kanban view of all sales pipelines for maximum efficiency. Uniquely, Odoo can also run as a point-of-sales tool for in-person commercial shops and restaurants. Other industry-specializations include finance and human resources.

As I mentioned, Odoo’s free download might be limited to accessing only one application. If you’re wanting a robust free option, I’d recommend considering SuiteCRM for its top scoring open-source platform or HubSpot for its free, robust CRM.

OroCRM: Best open-source CRM supporting e-commerce

Oro logo.
Image: Oro

OroCRM’s open source offering makes Oro products more accessible and innovative, especially for B2B eCommerce organizations. This solution helps organizations move online for the first time to support physical locations with a digital channel while maintaining operations by tracking all sales activities. Industries like automotives, industrial parts and medical supplies can all use this open source platform to sync digital, marketing, sales and IT teams in one hub.

Pricing

  • Open source: Free to download.
  • OroCloud hosting: Contact for quote.

Features

  • Recency, frequency and monetary analysis: Identify top customers based on how recently, how often and how much they spend on purchases.
  • Account management: View and manage all accounts, interactions and information from one dashboard.
  • Performance dashboards: Track team and individual performance in segmented campaigns or opportunity close rates with workflows.
Screenshot of sample performance Oro dashboard.
Oro CRM dashboard showing organization management. Image: Oro

OroCRM pros and cons

ProsCons
User-driven security.Over 25 admin users cost extra.
Offers a free demo.No mobile application.
Integrations.User reports of a learning curve.

Why we chose OroCRM

OroCRM can be used by a single or multi-channel business focused on B2B, B2C or a combination of both. The open-source CRM software offers flexibility to customize any business’s unique workflow. Users can download the open-source CRM that comes with rich features for optimizing conversions, growing sales and increasing customer satisfaction.

OroCRM can be a difficult CRM to implement and get off the ground, depending on your team’s expertise. If you’re wanting a provider that can offer unlimited hosting and ongoing platform maintenance, I’d check out Odoo.

YetiForce: Best open-source CRM for international clients

YetiForce logo.
Image: YetiForce

YetiForce offers an easy five-step process for downloading and registering their open source CRM. This includes access to documentation on how to properly configure the functionalities available on the system as well as granting access and language settings. YetiForce comes with 80 ready-to-use modules that can be freely configured in their modern API. Its sales, marketing, support and logistics tools support users from across the globe and 35+ languages.

Pricing

  • Open source: Free download with paid add-ons.

Features

  • Online store: Store all data and analytics at once in a central system that’s controlled through configurations.
  • International entry: Access account or client data online from anywhere in the world.
  • Customer portal: Exchange data and information directly from a fully integrated portal.
Sample sales dashboard on the YetiForce CRM.
Sample sales dashboard on the YetiForce platform. Image: YetiForce

YetiForce pros and cons

ProsCons
300+ deployments.Limited customer support.
90+ configuration panels.No lead scoring.
In accordance with OWASP ASVS.No native application.

Why we chose YetiForce

YetiForce is an adaptable CRM software that can offer solutions for marketing, sales, support, logistics and more. Users can quickly implement the platform with its unlimited expandability and customization. With more than 80 modules, users no longer need paid solutions such as Trello, Slack, Redmine, Asana or Jira. YetiForce is an open source software with no restrictions for anyone of any skill set.

While YetiForce can be a powerful tool, there are some limitations with integrations and overall tenure of the platform. If you’re wanting a well-rounded solution with more than 1,500+ integrations, check out HubSpot.

How do I choose the best open-source CRM software for my business?

Now knowing some of the top open-source CRM on the market to date, their core features, pricing and more, it’s time to start looking into which software would best fit your organization. For these reasons, the best open-source providers are different from the top general enterprise CRM. All of the CRMs on this list offer a free trial and have sales teams to help guide you through their purchasing and onboarding process.

Below are some questions to consider when selecting an open-source CRM:

  • What in-market industry specialization does the software have?
  • Do their services match your allocated budget for an open-source CRM?
  • Does your organization have the technical expertise for their open-source software?
  • Does the platform accommodate for your small business size and potential growth?

SEE: For more information on CRM benefits and how to implement the platform, check out our piece on how a CRM can help your small business grow.

Review methodology

We reviewed and scored each open-source software against an inhouse rubric with outlined criteria and subcategories of standard CRM features and offerings. Using that rubric and an algorithm to calculate an overall star rating, we determined each CRM software’s ideal use case.

Here is a breakdown of the scoring criteria we followed:

  • Cost: Weighted 25% of the total score.
  • Core features: Weighted 25% of the total score.
  • Customizations: Weighted 15% of the total score.
  • Integrations: Weighted 15% of the total score.
  • Ease of use: Weighted 10% of the total score.
  • Customer support: Weighted 10% of the total score.

SEE: How we review CRMs

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

What is open-source CRM software?

Open-source CRM software is a downloadable version of a CRM with its source code available for users to modify the platform. Users are able to tailor the CRM platform to meet their specific business needs by downloading a skeleton-like tool and building customizations on top.

Which is the best open-source CRM?

The best open-source CRM providers include SuiteCRM, Odoo, OroCRM and others I’ve included on this list. While these providers are all great options in their own right, I recommend considering the ideal use cases I’ve provided for each, plus each one’s CRM pricing, key features, pros and cons to identify the best option for your business.

Is there a risk using an open-source CRM?

The biggest risk while using an open-source CRM is the lack of security. Since the code is running open, there is a risk that the data is accessible and easily manipulated. Hackers or unauthorized users are able to discover vulnerabilities in the open-source system quickly, and typically before admins are able to repair and block them. I suggest understanding general CRM best practices, plus how to implement additional security measures.