The Best Open Source CRM 2025
Forbes Advisor Ratings
What is an Open Source CRM?
Most CRM solutions deliver as ready-to-operate software, with a dedicated set of features. A typical CRM will have a selection of templates to work from and built-in tools for enhancing and optimizing customer relations.
Meanwhile, open source CRM offers businesses a higher level of customization. Instead of being developed and controlled by one company, it consists of a source code published publicly and shared by users and developers all over the world. While these typically are finished products that are ready to use, what makes an open source CRM so beneficial is that anyone with the know-how can “open up” the software themselves and change features, interface elements and virtually anything else as they see fit.
The fun (and useful application) in using public source code is that businesses can tweak and update it however is seen fit based on the design and growth of the company. Open source software is ideal for niche businesses requiring specific features not offered by the large traditional platforms.
Benefits of Open Source CRMs
An open source program can benefit your business in a variety of ways. More flexibility allows for more avenues to explore via customer relations, but much of the benefit of open source CRM is in the customization. Whatever you’re looking for, you can build it yourself and add it in.
Customizable and Adaptable
Public source code offers a software design accessible to everyone. It’s a developed product ready for use but also adaptable to individual needs. By nature, public-accessible code is much easier to upgrade and adapt. You can rethink the layout of the program entirely as a company grows and evolves.
Community of Users
Open source CRMs tend to have large communities of users and developers sharing ideas and tips with each other via web forums, video tutorials and more. While they may not have a dedicated customer support team like the big traditional vendors, you almost always have a wide network of users just like yourself that you can reach out to if you ever need help or ideas on how to improve your CRM app.
Cost-effective
Because the basic philosophy of open source is to offer a public source code for users to adapt and use to customize CRM solutions, the software is usually either free or at a much lower cost than big, for-profit CRM providers. For small businesses with a little more technical savviness and available time for development, this could decrease expenses that would otherwise go toward customer relations staff or an on-demand CRM software subscription.
Note that open source CRM solutions require development to fit specific needs, so while the base software is free, unless you have experience with building CRM software, hiring developers or dedicating in-house development resources to customization can be costly. Larger companies with the resources to put towards more advanced system development can also benefit from developing CRM platforms in-house.
Drawbacks of an Open Source CRM
Here are some potential drawbacks of using open source CRM software you should keep in mind:
Security
The communal aspect of an open source code can make it easier to manipulate and access the data stored by a particular business, so there is some controversy among web development experts regarding its level of security. There are certainly precautions that should be taken with data protection and encryption to protect personal data.
Less User-friendly
The flexibility of an open source CRM is something of a double-edged sword. While you have more control over how your platform looks and behaves, they tend to offer a less intuitive experience than the likes of Monday.com and Insightly. If you want to customize the solution, you will probably want an experienced developer on your team, or you can hire one out to help you.
CRM Partners
1
HubSpot
Free; $15 per user per month (billed annually)
14 days
Yes
2
monday CRM
Free; $12 per user per month for basic features
14 days
Yes
3
Pipedrive
$14 per user per month (billed annually)
14 days
Yes
Methodology
As we were choosing the best open source CRM options, we considered both the features that you have come to expect from other CRM comparisons as well as the unique features that make an open source CRM. We looked at everything from pricing to ease of use and the features of each to help you customize your customer relationship management system.
Some of the things we considered include:
- Ease of use: We preferred software that was not only easy to navigate and use without any customizations but also one that is easy to make changes for your tech team.
- Costs: We wanted to make sure that all the options on this list were affordable for what each offered. The value for the amount you’ll have to spend was weighed to make sure that each solution is a viable candidate to use compared to the competition.
- Features and functionality: We were looking for how functional it is to adjust the source code and customize the software for your own needs. We were also looking for features available out of the box that make the software a good platform before customization, such as the analytics capabilities and the functionality of the customer database.
- Support: When using open source software, your tech team may need to access the support of those who built it from time to time. It’s important that the support team is active and responsive when looking for a CRM open source product.
- Reputation: The success that other businesses or organizations have had in customizing each of these open source CRM platforms is important in our criteria. Having a strong reputation of being a product that people like to use, combined with a reputation of responsiveness and continuous development, are important long-term things to consider.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is a CRM?
A CRM is a software platform you can use to gather customer data to share with others on your staff and internal teams. This makes it possible for your teams to create opportunities that will allow them to increase sales and create long-term clients for your business.
Are open source CRMs free?
A CRM is not free because it is open source but there are free open source CRM options. All of the companies on our list offer free CRM solutions in addition to applicable paid plans.
How do I know if open source is right for me?
Open source software is probably best for niche businesses requiring specific features where the confines of vendor-developed products could ultimately limit innovative opportunities for growth. It can also radically help much larger enterprises that have a development team to focus purely on the upkeep, upgrades and maintenance of the program.
Is open source CRM secure?
While an open source CRM can be secure with the right protections in place, you are open to threats not found in most mainstream systems. Since the source code is available to the public, hackers can leverage that information to break into your system. Ultimately, it will depend on the platform you choose.
Is there support for open source users?
Most open source CRMs do not offer dedicated support teams like their traditional counterparts. It is best to research and find the best type of open source CRM that matches your specific needs and then look at how widely used it is. The larger the community of developers who are working with a particular code base, the more support and knowledge can be shared. Some companies also offer technical support for the source code they’ve published for an additional fee.
Can small businesses use CRM?
There are many types of CRM for different teams or needs, even though it’s traditionally used by sales teams. Look for the best marketing CRM software, which should include tools to automate marketing campaigns, or real estate CRM, which focuses on communication tools, such as click-to-call and text messaging within the app.
