The 7 best open source CRM systems for your company

Pia Heßler 7/3/2024

In this article, we explain what an open source CRM is and which are the 7 best CRM open sources from our community

Table of contents
  1. What is an open source CRM?
  2. Open source CRM or Cloud CRM software?
  3. These are the 7 best Open Source CRMs

Are you looking for the best open source CRM system, but struggling to find the right software for your needs and budget? Then you've come to the right place! We'll introduce you to the seven best (and top-rated) open source CRM software and explain what you should look out for when choosing.

What is an open source CRM?

Open source CRM software is a Customer Relationship Management tool whose source code is available to the public for free use and/or modification. With open source CRM software, you as an entrepreneur have full control over the CRM solution and can further develop the open source CRM software to best achieve your own business goals.

Open source CRM or Cloud CRM software?

With an open source CRM system, we are talking about software whose infrastructure, hardware and operating system are located on the customer's premises. This means that maintenance, repairs and updates are carried out by the customer's own IT department.

The main advantage of an open source CRM is that it is usually fully customized for your company. Therefore, it comes with higher acquisition costs. Since you carry out the maintenance with your employees who have been specially trained for this, the running costs are lower.

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Another advantage of this system is that you, as the entrepreneur, have full control over the management of the system and can decide when it should be updated and what changes your employees should make.

Compared to cloud CRM software, the infrastructure, hardware and operating system are located in the cloud. They belong to the cloud computing family. One of their main advantages is that they are almost always subscription-based, which means that their access costs are much lower. They are therefore not associated with high initial investments.

In this case, the tool providers are responsible for all administration, maintenance and updating. Users do not have to take care of this themselves. All that is needed for access is an end device and a stable internet connection, which makes things much easier for most users.

Ultimately, it depends on whether higher procurement costs and low running costs or low procurement costs and higher running costs are more important to you. Whether you want to keep maintenance costs lower and therefore prefer to carry them out yourself or outsource them.

Managing IT systems yourself can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. Depending on whether your employees should invest time in it.

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These are the 7 best Open Source CRMs

These are the seven most popular CRM open source softwares, based on verified user reviews and experiences on our software review platform OMR Reviews.

We present the seven CRM tools to you with a brief description, their functionalities, prices and alternatives. Add them to your tool comparison and see which software best suits your needs.


1. Vtiger CRM Open-Source

Vtiger CRM is an Open Source CRM software with integrated solutions ranging from email marketing to activity and project management and beyond. Vtiger CRM-On-Demand is a one-stop organization management solution suitable for many business structures and processes.

Vtiger CRM functions

  • Email marketing features: They help you to create email marketing campaigns and send appealing newsletter templates to the selected subscriber list. In addition, email results - clicks, opens, unsubscribes, bounces - are tracked and measured on an engagement scale to identify your customers' areas of interest.
  • Functions for project management: With Vtiger CRM you can create projects linked to customers or support cases, set project milestones and assign tasks to users or user groups.
  • Functions for calendar and task management: Customers can create, assign and manage tasks and events with the Vtiger calendar. These are linked to sales opportunities, customers, cases and other data records.
  • Inventory management functions: You can manage product quantities and services and use price books to set different pricing rules for different customer groups, trigger orders and much more.

Vtiger CRM prices

The prices of Vtiger CRM depend on the package you choose. The professional version of Vtiger CRM for sole traders costs 42 US dollars per user per month. As an individual app, you can get it for 28 US dollars. The version for companies costs 58 US dollars. In this case, the individual app costs 42 US dollars.

The prices listed here refer to a monthly payment method. If you decide to pay for your chosen package annually, the monthly amount is reduced - the professional version then costs 30 US dollars and the company version 42 US dollars.

Vtiger CRM alternatives

On OMR Reviews, you can find an overview of Vtiger CRM alternatives and use the verified ratings and testimonials to choose the open source CRM that's right for you.

 
 

2. SuiteCRM Open-Source

SuiteCRM is an Open-Source CRM system that enables both large and small to medium-sized companies to sell and manage more efficiently and intelligently.

The application is scalable to any company size and requirement. It can be tailored to current or future business processes. Different modules can be turned on or off to make the application simple or complex.

SuiteCRM functions

  • Functions for sales: SuiteCRM helps you to automate your sales and pursue goals such as increasing the conversation rate and prioritizing leads (Lead scoring).
  • Functions for marketing: The open source CRM system is also designed to help increase brand awareness. The target group module can be used to create buyer personas and segment data. Touchpoints can be recorded in modules.
  • Functions for customer service: Correspondence is recorded and evaluated in the case management module, which should help customers* to be better understood. The self-service customer portal allows customers to solve problems themselves.
  • Functions for process organization: Automated workflows eliminate administrative tasks and make processes more effective.

SuiteCRM prices

SuiteCRM is available as an open source CRM free download if it is self-hosted. There is also a cloud solution which is £95 per month and includes an unlimited number of users.

For more information and user reviews on SuiteCRM pricing, check out the SuiteCRM profile page on our OMR Reviews platform.

SuiteCRM alternatives

On OMR Reviews, you can find an overview of SuiteCRM alternatives and choose the open source CRM that's right for you based on verified reviews and testimonials.

 
 

3. OroCRM Open-Source

OroCRM is a flexible and complete open source CRM software. The CRM solution is based on the idea that today's companies need a CRM that is tailored to their individual business needs. This solution is suitable for companies of all sizes and industries: from SMEs to large multinational corporations.

OroCRM functions

  • Functions for sales and marketing: According to OroCRM in these areas. OroCRM can be customized for all requirements. Data is collected during all customer interactions: Product views, emails, support tickets and at touchpoints.
  • Functions for RFM analysis: The aim of this analysis is to identify the most loyal customers.
  • Functions for lead generation: Information from the entire sales process for sales forecasts, sales pipelines and for higher closing rates.

OroCRM pricing

This open source CRM system is free as a community edition. The OroCRM prices for the Enterprise Edition are available on request.

OroCRM alternatives

On OMR Reviews you will find an overview of OroCRM alternatives and can select the open source CRM that is right for you with the help of verified ratings and testimonials.

 
 

4. EspoCRM Open-Source

EspoCRM is a tool provider for customer relationship management and is available in two versions: either as an open source self-hosted CRM or as a cloud solution.

EspoCRM functions

  • Functions for sales: EspoCRM helps you to automate sales. You can manage leads to be converted in the next steps, identify sales potential and assign contacts to accounts. Roles and statuses can be assigned to them. EspoCRM also includes functions for customer service, such as a customer portal and a knowledge database. Documents can be attached and stored in folders.
  • Calendar functions: With the calendar function in EspoCRM, you can manage meetings, phone calls and tasks. Invitations can be sent and calendars can be shared. Synchronization with the Google calendar and the Outlook calendar is possible.
  • Mailing functions: Incoming emails can be automatically assigned to correspondence. The open source customer management software includes email templates, folders, signatures, filters and functions for outbound emails and bulk emails.
  • Functions for marketing: EspoCRM has several functions for marketing campaigns, mass mailings, web-to-lead activities and much more.

EspoCRM prices

EspoCRM costs EUR 15 per month per user for the cloud version. This includes 1 GB of memory, 100,000 entries and the Advanced Feature Pack. EspoCRM as an open source version is free of charge and is self-hosted.

EspoCRM alternatives

On OMR Reviews you will find an overview of EspoCRM alternatives and can choose the open source CRM that is right for you with the help of verified ratings and testimonials.

 
 

5. 1CRM Open Source

1CRM is a flexible CRM software that can be used on your own server (open source) and as a cloud solution. This CRM solution offers customers a number of features for different areas of the company, e.g. marketing, sales and customer service, order and invoice management and project management.

1CRM functions

  • Functions for sales: With 1CRM you can centralize your contact and customer management and track a detailed customer history. With features such as activity overview, communication history and integrated links to social media profiles, you can build and strengthen customer loyalty. The tool also helps you to keep track of your sales opportunities and determine the likelihood of closing a deal. It also includes functions for increasing sales with your own partner network and data management. Sales charts and reports are designed to help you evaluate and assess your sales activities.
  • Functions for marketing: The marketing features are designed to support you in customer acquisition with web-to-lead campaigns and transfer leads directly into the CRM. Target customer lists can be created automatically and processes can be automated. You can use 1CRM to carry out multi-stage email drip campaigns and thus automate your lead generation.
  • Functions for customer service: Service contracts and renewals can be managed with integrated contract management. It includes service request management, which can be used to assign cases to individual employees, automatically assign processes and record times.
  • Functions for project management: The open source-based CRM system is designed to ensure that tasks are planned, executed and completed successfully. Milestones can be created, Gantt charts created and meetings and phone calls organized. Projects can be managed clearly with central project management and highlighting of deviations from the schedule.

1CRM prices

The prices of 1CRM depend on the package you choose for your company. There are different variants in the open source area: self-hosted and buy.

  • Host CRM yourself:
    • 1CRM Startup+ Edition On-Premises for 17 - 230 EUR
    • 1CRM Professional Edition On-Premises for 28 - 340 EUR
    • 1CRM Enterprise Edition On-Premises for 34 - 400 EUR
  • Buy CRM
    • 1CRM Professional Edition Perpetual License for 550 EUR
    • 1CRM Enterprise Edition Perpetual License for 750 EUR

This makes 1CRM one of the few CRM tool providers that offers its software not only as a subscription, but also for purchase.

1CRM alternatives

On OMR Reviews you will find an overview of 1CRM alternatives and can choose the open source CRM that is right for you with the help of verified ratings and testimonials.

 
 

6. Odoo Open Source CRM

Odoo is one of the most installed business software in the world. Odoo is used by 7 million users worldwide: from very small companies with one user to very large companies with 300,000 users.

Why is that?

Because Odoo is based on apps. This means that each individual customer can put together their own tool kit according to their individual needs and select and book the apps they need in their company.

Odoo functions

  • Functions for communication, campaigns and the organization of sales activities: Odoo helps you to acquire new customers via your website or databases and turn the sales channel into opportunities. Data on contacts can be analyzed, evaluated and optimized.
  • Functions for the automated processing of incoming and outgoing emails: For example, you can send automated emails to generate and activate leads.
  • Functions with which Microsoft Outlook, Thunderbird cell phones etc. can be integrated: Various integrations are possible for smooth interaction. You can also create quotes and invoices directly from the CRM and automatically create your website visitors as leads in the system.
  • Functions that allow you to track customer emails and documents: Odoo is a comprehensive database of your company contacts and more. With the pipeline, reporting and sales activities, you can record all information, assign tasks and track processes.

Odoo prices

Odoo prices are based on the number of apps used. According to Odoo, the first app booked is free forever and users only pay for all further apps. Odoo also offers two price packages: Standard and Custom.

The standard version is available for EUR 24.90 per user per month and includes all apps for Odoo Online. The user-defined package for EUR 37.40 per user per month also includes all apps, but with the additions of Odoo Studio, several companies and an external API. The prices listed here apply to new customers and for monthly payments. If you prefer to pay annually, you can save money here.

Odoo alternatives

You can find an overview of Odoo alternatives on OMR Reviews and use the verified ratings and testimonials to choose the open source CRM that's right for you.

 
 

7. CiviCRM Open-Source

CiviCRM is a popular open source CRM software, especially for non-profit organizations - already 11,000 non-profit organizations rely on CiviCRM. It was developed collaboratively by an international community and a core team that constantly monitors the quality of the product.

CiviCRM functions

  • Contact management
  • Membership and donation management
  • Event management
  • Email marketing, incl. A/B testing, scheduling and segmentation
  • Case management
  • Organization-specific workflows
  • Contract management
  • Reports

CiviCRM prices

CiviCRM is free of charge and works in conjunction with WordPress, Drupal oder Joomla. There is no cloud version of CiviCRM.

You can find out more about the prices of CiviCRM on our platform.

CiviCRM alternatives

On OMR Reviews you will find an overview of CiviCRM alternatives and can choose the open source CRM that is right for you with the help of verified ratings and testimonials.

 
 

Recommended CRM tools & software

In total, we have listed over 250 CRM system providers on OMR Reviews that can support you in customer relationship management (CRM). So take a look at OMR Reviews and compare the CRM-Tools with the help of authentic and verified user reviews. Here are a few worth recommending:

Pia Heßler
Author
Pia Heßler

Pia war mehr als 10 Jahre im Vertrieb und Marketing verschiedenster Unternehmen aktiv. Danach gründete sie ihr eigenes Unternehmen und betreibt dieses zusammen mit ihrer Geschäftspartnerin.

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