6 Best Open Source CRM Software for 2022
Jess served on the founding team of a successful B2B startup and has used a wide range of sales and marketing tools over the course of her 15-year career. She uses her industry knowledge to deliver the best answers to your questions about sales tools and sales management.
This article is part of a larger series on CRM.
Open source customer relationship management (CRM) software lets organizations take a system’s source code and tailor it to their functionality and modular needs. Though it requires a higher level of technical knowledge to develop, businesses can ensure the system will offer and integrate with everything they desire to fulfill their CRM objectives.
We evaluated dozens of free and paid open source software and identified the top six options:
- Vtiger: Best overall open source CRM; excellent for teams looking for the best value
- CiviCRM: Great option for nonprofit organizations and advocacy groups
- Odoo: Best scalable choice for startups and growing businesses
- OroCRM: Ideal for sales teams looking for the best lead management capabilities
- SuiteCRM: Top open source CRM plan for businesses wanting automation features
- X2CRM: Excellent pick for most robust email and website marketing tools
Best Open Source Platforms Compared
Provider | Free Plan | Starting Price for Paid Plans* | Free Trial for Paid Plans | Key Features | Customer Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Yes, up to 10 users | $30 per user, per month (or $20 for individual apps) | 15 days | Sales, service, marketing, and inventory modules | 24/7 email, phone, and chat support |
 | Yes | Unclear, must contact expert for pricing | Yes, number of days is not available | Modules specific for managing nonprofits | 24/7 support via contributors, sponsors, and partners |
 | Yes, unlimited users | $24 per user, per month for the CRM module | 15 days | 40+ custom and scalable application add-ons | 24/7 global support via live chat, phone, and email |
 | Yes | $116 per month | Yes, number of days is not available | Robust lead and profile management capabilities | 24/7 support via chat, phone, and email |
 | Yes | $1,500 per year | 30 days | Sales, marketing and workflow automation | 24/7 support via phone, chat, and email |
 | Yes | Contact for pricing | 30 days | Email and website marketing with A/B testing | Phone and email support during business hours |
*Based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available at slightly higher rates.
Vtiger: Best Overall Open Source CRM
Vtiger
Overall Score: 4.78
OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Free project management and marketing features included
- Optional pay-per-use module options for sales, marketing, project management, help desk, and inventory apps
- Well-designed, user-friendly interface
What's Missing
- Work order features require Enterprise plan
- Lacks essential multipipeline and lead scoring on free plan
Vtiger Pricing at a Glance*
- One Pilot: Free for 10 users
- One Professional: $20 per user, per month for single app (Sales, Marketing, Help Desk, Projects, or Inventory) or $30 per user, per month for all-in-one apps
- One Enterprise: $30 per user, per month for single app (Sales, Marketing, Help Desk, Projects, or Inventory) or $42 per user, per month for all-in-one apps
- Free trial: 15 days
*Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available at a higher cost.
Vtiger is an all-in-one, open source solution for businesses looking for sales, marketing, project management, help desk, and inventory management capabilities. There are also options to only pay for what you need if you want to use one of the modular applications. For instance, if you just wanted the sales features, you could subscribe only to the Sales module for slightly less per month.
This open source CRM software was assessed to be the best overall on this list, mostly for its all-around value. There’s a great freemium option available, including most sales, marketing, and project management features. The paid plans aren’t competitively priced, and users have access to a range of modular capabilities to customize their system and automate sales, marketing, and service activities.
Vtiger is genuinely the ultimate open source CRM based on pricing, modular capabilities, and ease of use. One downside, however, is that the work order management features that are part of the desk management app are only available on the Enterprise level plan. This feature is particularly useful for contractors who need to monitor maintenance jobs. Odoo is a better alternative with maintenance and field service add-ons for only $24 per user, per month.
Vtiger Plan Summary
One Pilot | One Professional | One Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|---|
One View Contact Management | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Email & Phone Integration | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Project Management | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Email Sequencing & Template Builder | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Multiple Pipelines | ✕ | ✔ | ✔ |
Profile & Lead Scoring | ✕ | ✔ | ✔ |
Service Desk Ticket Management | ✕ | ✔ | ✔ |
Custom Dashboards & Reports | ✕ | ✔ | ✔ |
Invoicing & Order Management | ✕ | ✔ | ✔ |
Internal Ticketing System | ✕ | ✕ | ✔ |
Work Order Management | ✕ | ✕ | ✔ |
Vtiger Key Features
- Email marketing tools: List segmentation with email marketing capabilities that include an email template designer, reporting, and automated deployment
- Project management and team collaboration features: Full project management with tasks, milestones, and Gantt and Kanban views along with action and comments pages to collaborate with team members
- Help desk application: Customer service tools such as email-to-case, service level agreement (SLA) management, round-robin ticket assignment, and work order management
- Sales organization and automation: Contact and lead management with automated lead scoring, workflows, and document engagement
Vtiger sales dashboard (Source: Vtiger)
Vtiger Customer Support
Vtiger offers excellent customer service with 24/7 email, live chat, and phone support across the globe. There’s also no shortage of online resources, such as an academy, webinars, tutorials, and e-books to assist open source developers and product users.
CiviCRM: Best for Nonprofits & Political Campaigns
CiviCRM
Overall Score: 4.48
OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Free open source CRM software plan available
- Unique modular features for nonprofit contributions and membership management
- Extensive customization and configuration capabilities
What's Missing
- Lacks pricing transparency
- Not built for traditional businesses
- Outdated, clunky interface
CiviCRM Pricing at a Glance*
- No clear pricing indicated, but free open source options are available
*Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available at a higher cost.
This open source CRM system was built as a project to help advocacy groups and nonprofits fulfill their mission. Most of the code is free to use, and lets organizations customize their modules to their needs while working in sync with WordPress, Drupal, or Backdrop content management system (CMS) platforms.
CiviCRM stands out for its features relevant to nonprofits. This includes modules for planning and executing events and campaign management for receiving and tracking donations. There’s also advocacy campaign management, which groups contributions, marketing, and events into one module, and basic CRM functionality for contact management and email marketing.
Because it’s a specialty CRM system meant for advocacy groups, nonprofits, and political campaigns, this is not well-suited for traditional for-profit businesses. Vtiger and Odoo are the best alternatives on this list for multifunctional management capabilities useful for a business.
CiviCRM Plan Summary
Description | |
|---|---|
Contact Management | Contact overview, mapping, groups, tags, relationships, and activities with custom fields |
Email Marketing | Mass emailing along with list configuration |
Event Management | Event planning with sign-up and attendance tracking, and event email marketing |
Memberships | Component for defining, managing sign-ups, tracking, and reporting on members of an organization |
Accounting Integrations | Back-end linking between accounting categories and the contribution pages to track account totals |
Case Management | Case sequence tracking and management between personnel and contacts of an organization |
Advocacy Campaigns | Modular grouping of events, mailing, and contributions into one system |
Contributions Management | Donation collection, tracking, and reporting capabilities |
CiviCRM Key Features
- Contributions: Modular component that lets you accept and track donations as well as run fundraising campaigns and report results
- Email marketing: Email capabilities with list management as well as designing and distributing mass email campaigns
- Events management: Self-service registration capabilities, sign-up and attendance tracking, and promotion of events directly from the website
- Advocacy campaigns: Options to link mailing, events, and contributions under one umbrella for specific advocacy initiatives
CiviCRM Customer Support
The CiviCRM support system is unique because, given that it’s an open source civic project, support is given by its contributors, partners, and sponsors—as opposed to a dedicated in-house team. They technically offer 24/7 global assistance in 13 different languages depending on your specific service needs and which content management system you use.
Odoo: Best for CRM Scalability
Odoo
Overall Score: 4.40
OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Pick and choose modular apps where you only pay for what you use
- Free open source code available
- Wide range of modules for all types of businesses
What's Missing
- Complicated pricing structure that’s dependent on apps selected
- Lacks phone support
- Free option is only for cloud hosting; apps and integrations require additional costs
Odoo Pricing at a Glance*
- Free: Free standard cloud hosting or self-hosting options (unlimited users as long as extra applications are not installed)
- CRM: $24 per user, per month
- Custom apps: Custom add-on apps and integrations ranging from $12 to $96 per user, per month
- Free trial: 15 days
*Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available at a higher cost.
Odoo is a robust, comprehensive open source system dedicated to helping businesses fulfill finance, sales, human resources, website, customer service, and marketing functions. Other standout modules users can access include inventory management, manufacturing, and productivity assistance apps with voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) and approval process tools.
This CRM is the best on the list for the scalability of modules and features. Businesses only pay for the modules they need and do so on a per-user, per month basis. This allows them to slowly add on what they need to fulfill their business objectives based on how many users they have at that time.
Odoo only allows cloud or self-hosting options on the free plan, meaning that you get the environment and infrastructure to construct your system but not the actual applications to perform activities and tasks. Vtiger is a better alternative that allows up to 10 users on its free plan, which includes functional apps like sales and project management.
Odoo Plan Summary
Description | |
|---|---|
CRM | Pipeline tracking with lead and contact management |
Invoicing | Contract management with invoicing capabilities which include recurring billing and automated tracking |
Website | Website builder with blog, SEO, and live chat management |
Ecommerce | Product page designer with inventory tracking and online payment processing |
Project Management | Full range project organization, scheduling, planning, and analysis |
Accounting | Accounting management with bank sync, invoicing, reconciliation, and bills and expense tracking |
Manufacturing | Modular engineering, supply chain, maintenance, and quality control management |
Email Marketing | Mass email design and deployment as well as automated campaigns |
Recruiting | Job application, job offer, and applicant document management |
Social Media Marketing | |
Help Desk | Customer service ticket management and multichannel communication |
Odoo Key Features
- Extra integrations: Additional shipping integrations with DHL, UPS, USPS, and FedEx, along with an eBay and Amazon connector and VoIP integrations
- Inventory and manufacturing: Modules for tracking manufacturing, maintenance, quality control, and purchase processes as well as inventory
- Comprehensive marketing: Full-scale marketing service options through email, phone, and SMS as well as events management
- Website and ecommerce: Website builder with search engine optimization (SEO), blog, and online chat system that includes ecommerce capabilities
Odoo Customer Support
Odoo has plenty of online documentation, tutorials, and education programs developers can use to create their ideal CRM. Users can also schedule one-hour appointments with experts during standard business hours or chat with support via live chat, email, or phone.
Learn more about how this platform’s rich feature set by reading our in-depth Odoo review.
OroCRM: Best for Lead Management Features
OroCRM
Overall Score: 4.26
OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Free open source plan available that contains most features
- Excellent lead and profile management capabilities
- Great feature options for enterprise sales teams including territory and multi-organization management
What's Missing
- Expensive starting price
- No mobile application
- Limited mostly to sales and marketing features; other modules require different products
OroCRM Pricing at a Glance*
- Free: Open source code available
- Enterprise Plan: Starts at $116 per month
- Free trial: Yes, but no indication on the number of days
*Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available at a higher cost.
OroCRM is just one of the open source products available to users that allow businesses to manage many of their sales and marketing activities. There is a free option available to the public as well as an Enterprise plan, which adds in features for managing different teams, territories, and even other organizations.
The easy-to-use lead and profile management capabilities stand out the most for this product. Users can organize, score, and filter out leads based on preset criteria and desired data fields. There’s also data enrichment and a full, 360-degree view of leads, accounts, and customers to see their information and interaction history. Lastly, you can track their pipeline progress and engage with them through email marketing tools.
Unlike some of the other CRMs mentioned on this list, OroCRM only offers sales and marketing features on their CRM software—with other modules requiring different Oro products. Odoo is an ideal alternative with pick-and-choose apps for other business functions to go with its CRM platform.
OroCRM Plan Summary
Free | Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|
Accounts & Case Management | ✔ | ✔ |
Leads, Pipeline & Opportunity Management | ✔ | ✔ |
Reporting, Analytics & Dashboards | ✔ | ✔ |
Recency, Frequency & Monetary Analysis | ✔ | ✔ |
360-degree Customer View | ✔ | ✔ |
Task Management With Calendar Sync | ✔ | ✔ |
Email Marketing | ✔ | ✔ |
Territory Management | ✕ | ✔ |
Multi-Organization View | ✕ | ✔ |
Outlook Integration | ✕ | ✔ |
Record Sharing | ✕ | ✔ |
OroCRM Key Features
- Lead management: Tools for tracking, collecting, and enriching lead and customer data as well as monitoring sales pipeline progress, and includes a 360-degree holistic view on a profile
- Reporting and analytics: Comprehensive insights on key performance indicators (KPIs) and performance on the CRM dashboard and reporting layouts
- Multi-unit overview: Ability to track multiple business units or segmented teams through territory management or multi-organization view modules
- Account management: Full view of customers and interaction history with merging and auto-syncing data to prevent duplicates
OroCRM Customer Support
OroCRM has 24/7 support on all channels 365 days per year. There are also plenty of online resources, including product documentation, user guides, and an Oro Academy found on the website.
SuiteCRM: Best for Automation Capabilities
SuiteCRM
Overall Score: 3.49
OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Free code available
- Robust workflow, activity, and sales automation options
- Notably comparable to popular CRMs like Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics
What's Missing
- No clarity as to which features are free and which aren't
- Difficult to set up CRM system and navigate the interface
- Paid plan is expensive
SuiteCRM Pricing at a Glance
- Free: Free open source code
- Paid subscription: $1,500 per month
- Free trial: 30 days
Offering both a free plan and paid option, SuiteCRM provides users with an ideal solution for completing, tracking, and reporting on sales and marketing activities. Users can store critical sales data within the system, design personas for them, and create marketing campaigns to engage them through email channels.
The easily customizable automation features can be used to streamline the entire sales process and other workflows users want to complete automatically. You can also create condition-based data, tasks, notes, and meetings based on actions taken by a lead or contact. Users can configure email campaigns to target and retarget market segments. There are also automated reminders that send follow-ups to those you’ve sent invoices or quotes.
Though advanced in features, SuiteCRM lacks usability attributes when setting up and navigating the interface. Vtiger and Odoo are solid options for businesses that prioritize product usability.
SuiteCRM Plan Summary
Description | |
|---|---|
Lead, Contact & Pipeline Management | Data and progress tracking for customers and sales opportunities |
Marketing Lists | Customer persona management and list segmentation with mass campaign design and deployment |
Sales Reporting | Customizable reports with data pulled from any module |
Dashboard Analytics | Real-time data insights with personalized dashboard visuals |
360-degree Customer View | Full view of customer information and history on one page |
Automated Workflows | Configurable task and sales process automation based on conditions set within the CRM |
Activity Management | Calls, meetings, tasks, and notes logging |
Case Management | Customer service module for tracking support issues and providing self-service options to customers |
Configuration Studio | Fully customizable CRM system for data fields, layouts, and entire modules |
SuiteCRM Features
- Sales automation features: Automated capabilities for sending quotes, completing tasks, sending emails, and logging information in the CRM system
- Reporting and analytics: Customizable reports and dashboards with analytics that can use data from any module
- Configuration Studio: Feature for customizing administrative privileges and the entire CRM platform for data fields, layouts, and modules
- Campaign marketing: Persona and segmented-based marketing which allows for content creation, delivery, and automating of marketing tasks
SuiteCRM Customer Support
SuiteCRM offers 24/7 support through phone, email, and live chat. There are also robust user guides with excellent follow-along formats to learn how to operate some of the features.
X2CRM: Best for Managing Marketing Campaigns
X2CRM
Overall Score: 3.09
OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Free code available to developers
- Great marketing automation tools including A/B testing, drip campaign builder, and web visitor tracking
- Includes document and quote management features
What's Missing
- No transparent pricing
- Difficult to understand which features are included in which modules
- High technical skill required to set up
X2CRM Pricing at a Glance
- Free: Open source code available
- Paid plans: Modular pricing; must contact the provider for quotes
- Free trial: 30 days
X2CRM gives users plenty of custom solutions for organizing contacts, leads, and opportunities. The automaton capabilities give tons of options for types of triggers that can yield specific actions related to a record, task, or marketing campaign. These workflows are configurable through drag-and-drop as well.
The marketing module of X2CRM deserves plenty of recognition for both the standard features, like email campaigns, as well as unique features, like A/B testing and visitor tracking. The email campaigns can serve long-term objectives and handle automated drip functions based on actions taken by the audience. For the website, teams can create landing pages and target content toward certain visitors, all while being able to capture leads.
The skill needed to set up the X2CRM is something worth noting, as it could deter businesses from selecting this open source product. Vtiger and Odoo are the best CRM alternatives in the usability category for setting up, operating features, and navigating the interface.
X2CRM Plan Summary
Description | |
|---|---|
Campaign Management | Email designer tools including automated drip and long-term campaigns |
Website Management | Web landing page designer with content targeting and visitor tracking |
Lead Capture & Routing | Automated lead data added to CRM through website or campaigns and auto-assigned to sales reps |
Contact, Accounts & Opportunity Management | Data organization and progress monitoring for customers and leads within the CRM |
Sales Quotations | Quoting and invoicing directly from the CRM system |
Customer Service Cases | Automate case creation, routing, assignment, and reporting |
Document Management | Module for editing documents, creating templates, and storing files, including seamless integration with Google Drive |
Reporting & Analytics | Insights on sales activities, production, and progress of marketing campaigns on report or dashboard view |
Workflow Automation | Ability to automate tasks and processes using drag-and-drop builder |
X2CRM Features
- Email automation: Mass emailer designer with template storage and automated drip campaign options
- Website and content development: Landing page creator with website visitor tracking and the option to conduct A/B testing to optimize campaigns
- Workflow automation: Drag-and-drop workflow process automation with over 100 types of triggers and actions for managing records, tasks, and campaigns
- Quote management: Quote document designer with trackable proposals in real time with invoicing and product pricing centralization
X2CRM activity dashboard (Source: X2CRM)
X2CRM Customer Support
X2CRM has phone and email support during business hours Pacific Time. There are also plenty of user and reference guides available on the website.
Looking to tailor a CRM to your business but don’t have the development skills required for open source platforms? Check out our picks for the top customizable CRM options for 2022. Here you’ll get insights into pricing, features, and customization capabilities on products that don’t require coding skills.
How We Evaluated Open Source CRMs for Small Business
To determine the best CRMs for open source code, we looked at attributes relevant to custom designing a CRM system, such as creating modules, customizing fields, and automating processes. Robust open source development should also allow users to manage multiple business functions like sales, marketing, projects, and customer service. Lastly, we evaluated general product characteristics such as price, ease of use, and customer support.
We found that Vtiger is the best overall choice as an open source option because of the limitless value it offers. The software is easy to use and has excellent pricing options that include a free plan and affordable paid plans. Additionally, its CRM features extend past sales and marketing to include project, inventory, and customer service management functionality.
The tabs below offer insight into our evaluation process of the best open source CRMs:
30%
General Features
20%
Pricing
20%
Ease of Use
20%
Help & Support
10%
Expert Score
30% of Overall Score
We looked at overall features we feel are necessities in open source code like modular, functionality, and automation customization. CRM integration options, analytics tools, and a mobile CRM app were also evaluated as they allow users widened access to features and capabilities that could be essential to their unique operation.
20% of Overall Score
Pricing took into account free plan availability and various scalable pricing options that a business could purchase affordably to customize their CRM system. We also looked at availability for a subscriber to either pay monthly or save by paying annually.
20% of Overall Score
The solutions were also evaluated on platform usability. This was analyzed in terms of the expertise required to set up an account, the ease of integrating with native or third-party applications, and the skill needed to use the features. We also reviewed the overall intuitiveness of navigating the system’s interface as well as when customizing the open source code to the user’s needs.
20% of Overall Score
Extensive support and service help prevent poor user experiences users may encounter while using and customizing any of these systems. Help and support were evaluated in terms of customer service hours and the availability of support via phone, live chat, and email.
10% of Overall Score
In addition to firsthand experience with these software systems, we evaluated what users say about each product. These criteria consider how customers feel, based on their reviews, to gain insight into platform popularity, ease of use, and overall value for the price.
*Percentages of overall score
