Open Source CRM Software (2026): 9 Tools by Licence and Hosting

The first decision with an open source CRM isn't which one looks nicest. It's whether you'll run the server yourself or hand that job to someone else, and that choice matters more than any feature list.

If you've got a developer, or someone on the team who's happy patching a Linux box and testing backups, self-hosting gives you full control of your customer data. If you haven't, most of the projects here also sell hosting or support, and that's a perfectly sensible place to start. Either way, the code being free doesn't make the system free of effort. Someone still has to install it, update it, secure it and fix it when an upgrade breaks a custom field.

Below I've sorted nine open source CRMs into three licence bands, because the licence is what tells you how far you can bend the software to fit your business. They're in no particular order within each band, and nothing here is crowned. For hosted tools with a free tier rather than open code, see our list of free CRM tools for small businesses.

What an open source licence means for a business owner

Open source isn't one thing for a CRM. Most of the nine here use the AGPL, a copyleft licence with a network clause: if you change the code and offer that modified copy to other people over a network, you can be obliged to publish your changes. If you only run it for your own staff, that rarely bites, but it matters the moment you build a client portal or resell it.

Two projects here use permissive licences, MIT and Apache 2.0, which let you fork the code into your own product with very few strings. One uses the LGPL, which sits between the two. And three keep part of the product commercial, through enterprise files, separately licensed plugins or a licensed edition beside the open one.

So before you commit, open the licence file and check that the exact feature you need sits in the open part. A feature you saw in a demo may live in the commercial part of the product. And remember that with any of them, unless you buy hosting, you run and secure the server yourself.

Band one: permissive licences you can fork freely

These suit businesses with developers who want to build the CRM into something of their own. Atomic CRM is an MIT-licensed contacts, tasks, notes and deals app from marmelab that needs Node, Docker and Supabase to run locally. Corteza is a low-code platform under Apache 2.0 with a CRM app included, which means you're starting from building blocks rather than a finished product.

Band two: copyleft, with the whole product open

Here the full product sits under the AGPL, with no separate commercial edition holding back features.SuiteCRM is a full suite with sales, marketing and support modules, and its company sells hosting and a supported build separately. EspoCRM is a lighter web CRM whose vendor also runs a hosted cloud and an extensions shop, so the software and the service are separate things. Frappe CRM covers leads and deals and can be self-hosted or run on Frappe Cloud. CiviCRM is built for nonprofits and plugs into several website platforms or runs standalone.

If you only need a CRM for your own team, this band gives you the whole product without a commercial edition hanging over the features. If you plan to modify it and offer it to clients, read the AGPL first.

Band three: open core, with commercial parts beside the code

Open core projects give you a free core and keep some parts commercial. Twenty's licence file says the project is mostly AGPLv3, but files marked Enterprise fall under a commercial licence. Erxes says plugins ending in -ee are separately licensed and the software can't be hosted as a service that competes with the company. Odoo CRM comes in a Community edition under the LGPL and a licensed Enterprise edition built on top of it, and the CRM is one app in a much wider business suite.

None of that makes them a bad choice. It just means you should list the features you need and check which edition each one lives in before your data goes anywhere.

The nine open source CRMs side by side

Tool	Licence and model	Good for
Atomic CRM	Permissive MIT, developer-built	Contacts, tasks, notes and deals you fork and own
CiviCRM	Copyleft AGPL, nonprofit focus	Donors, members, events and campaigns for nonprofits
Corteza	Permissive Apache 2.0, low-code platform	Building your own CRM on a low-code base
Erxes	Open core, AGPL with restrictions	CRM, shared inbox and marketing on one self-hosted platform
EspoCRM	Copyleft AGPL, extensions shop	Contacts, companies, opportunities and cases in one web app
Frappe CRM	Copyleft AGPL, self-host or managed	Lead and deal tracking with follow-ups and views
Odoo CRM	Open core, LGPL Community vs Enterprise	A CRM app inside a wider business suite
SuiteCRM	Copyleft AGPL, hosting and support sold	Sales, marketing and support modules in one suite
Twenty	Open core, AGPL plus enterprise files	Custom objects, workflows and dashboards for technical teams

All nine tools, in no particular order

Atomic CRM

Best for: Developers who want a contacts, tasks, notes and deals CRM they can fork into their own product under an MIT licence, running on Supabase.

CiviCRM

Best for: Charities, membership bodies and advocacy groups managing donors, members, events and campaigns, either inside WordPress, Drupal, Joomla or Backdrop, or on its own.

Corteza

Best for: Teams happy to assemble their own system: a low-code platform with a starter CRM app, case management and workflows, which the vendor says is fully open source.

Erxes

Best for: Businesses wanting CRM, a shared inbox and marketing together on one platform, with a community edition the vendor calls free, self-hosted and open source.

EspoCRM

Best for: Small and mid-sized firms tracking contacts, companies, opportunities and cases in a web CRM, run on their own server or on the vendor's cloud.

Frappe CRM

Best for: Sales teams managing leads, deals and follow-ups who want the choice of self-hosting or running on Frappe Cloud, from the makers of the Frappe framework.

Odoo CRM

Best for: Companies that may later want accounting, inventory and other business apps beside their CRM, starting from the open source Community edition.

SuiteCRM

Best for: Organisations wanting a full suite with sales, marketing and support modules, and the option of buying hosting or a supported build from the company behind it.

Twenty

Best for: Technical teams that want to shape their own objects, workflows and dashboards, and are comfortable self-hosting with Docker Compose.

My advice before you install anything

Start from your team, not the software. If you've got no technical help, pick a project that sells hosting and treat the open licence as your exit route: if the vendor ever changes direction, you can take the code and your data elsewhere. If you do have a developer, a permissive or fully copyleft project gives you the most room, and open core is fine as long as the features you rely on sit in the open part.

Whichever band you choose, import a small slice of real contacts first, run a week of normal work through it and test a restore from backup before you move everything across. If you're still weighing open code against a hosted app, our guide to CRM options for startups covers the hosted side.

The jobs that come with running your own CRM

• Updates. Each project ships releases regularly, and security fixes need applying on your server, not just announced on theirs.
• Backups. Your customer records live on your machine, so schedule backups and test that you can restore one.
• Security. You're responsible for the server, the database, user access and encryption. Data protection rules vary by country, so check with your regulator rather than a vendor summary.
• Email and integrations. Connecting your mailbox, calendar and website forms takes set-up time on any self-hosted CRM.
• People. Decide who owns the system on day one. A self-hosted CRM with no owner drifts out of date fast.

Do you make open source CRM software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.

Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.

Frequently asked questions

Is open source CRM software free?

The code is free to download and use under its licence, but running it isn't free of effort. You host the server, apply updates, keep backups and secure the data, unless you buy hosting or support from the project's company.

What's the difference between AGPL and MIT for a CRM?

MIT is permissive: you can change the code and build it into your own product with very few conditions. AGPL is copyleft with a network clause, so if you offer a modified copy to others over a network you can be required to publish your changes.

What does open core mean?

It means a free, open source core sits beside commercial parts, such as enterprise files, licensed plugins or a separate edition. Check which side the features you need fall on before you commit.

Can I self-host an open source CRM without a developer?

You can, but it's harder than it looks. Installing is the easy part; updates, backups, security and email set-up are where non-technical teams struggle. Buying hosting from the project's company is often the calmer route.

Is there an open source CRM for nonprofits?

Yes. One project on this list is built around donors, members, events and campaigns, and it runs inside common website platforms or on its own.

Can I move my data out of an open source CRM later?

Usually, yes, and that's one of the main reasons to choose open code. You hold the database, so you can export it. Plan the export format early and test it, because custom fields don't always map cleanly to another system.