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8 Best Free and Open Source CRM Software in 2024

One of the best ways to improve your business’ ROI, retain customers, and improve conversions overall is by using a customer relationship management (CRM) solution.

A CRM can handle a number of tasks for you. From communicating with prospective clients, getting them on board, sending proposals, to collecting historical data, and analyzing the client life cycle. This can all help build better relationships with your clients and help your business grow.

That said, there are a lot of expensive CRM solutions out there. So if you’re highly budget-conscious, then you’ll appreciate the list we’ve put together here.

In the remainder of this article, we are going to compare the best free and open source CRM tools and their features. We’ll also review what factors you should keep in mind when making your decision. By the end, you’ll have enough information to make the best choice for your business.

What to look for when choosing a free CRM

Finding the best CRM solution for your business depends on the functionality and flexibility that you are expecting. Every free option is limited to a degree, so it is up to you to consider the features that might be relevant for your business, exclude those that aren’t, and select a tool accordingly.

That said, you don’t have to figure this out all by yourself. We’ve provided a list of top factors to take into account for your convenience:

Ease of usage
Customer relationship management is as important as time management. A good free CRM should be able to offer a minimal learning curve, especially when your team is using a CRM tool for the first time. This means the users should be able to grasp the interface quickly and get started in no time.
Features and flexibility
The next big thing to consider are the features you are looking for. For instance, some new companies assign one or two employees to handle customer relations, but others might have more people working on different aspects of customer relationship building. Thus, for the latter cases, you might want to find a free CRM that offers an unlimited number of users. Similarly, check for other features like third-party integrations, sales tracking, web hooks, number of leads or contacts allowed, and so on.
Reports and analytics
Generally, look for CRM tools that offer the most in-depth analysis and sales insights for your business. Feedback and reports are important for building solid, long-term relationships with your clients and close more deals.
Customizability
Since we’re reviewing open source CRM software, we can’t ignore the customizability aspect. Some free CRMs offer a completely customized experience for your business. Most of the time, you’ll have to pay for additional customizability, but some options offer it for free.
Easy to grasp pricing
The last factor to consider is potential upgrade charges. If, at any point, you need to switch from a free to a paid version, whether it be to remove a limit or add new features, you will be charged a fixed amount. You need to take this into consideration, since it is something that can happen down the line.

Our hand-selected list 📜

⚠️ Not all tools on this list are both free and open source at the same time. We’ve done our best to highlight the differences and make sure that everyone understands the limitations of each one.

So what’s the difference between free and open source, aren’t they the same?

Not legal advice, don’t treat it as such; but:

  • A CRM being free usually only means that you can use it for free – without payment.
  • A CRM being open source means that you can not only download and use it for free, but you also get access to the source code, and can modify / compile that source code by yourself.

Read more about different types of open source licenses here.

Now that you have a grasp of the nuanced difference between free and open source CRM software, let’s dive into the list:

1. Bitrix24

Bitrix24 homepage.
  • Open source: (via partner network)
  • Upgrade starting from: $49 per organization, per month (billed annually; max 5 users)
  • CRM emails: bulk send up to 1,000,000 emails per month
  • Number of users: unlimited
  • Unlimited leads and contacts: unstated
  • Analytics and reports:
  • Top features: Kanban boards, Gantt charts, workload planning
 

Bitrix24 is a great choice if you’re looking for a free and open source CRM. Though the open source part of the offering has to be handled by a Bitrix24 partner.

The big reason why I recommend Bitrix24 is the number of features it offers without charging top dollar for them. For instance, you will get unlimited feature records, sales tracking, email marketing, and more – all for free.

The fact that over 15,000,000 companies use Bitrix24 says much about the popularity of this tool. The only downside of this cloud-based CRM software is the learning curve (even with the paid version), especially when you compare it to platforms like Freshsales.

Putting that aside, it is one of the best free CRM software for improving your collaboration and communication, as well as helping you manage your clients with ease. I think it’s a good choice for small businesses looking for a collaboration software that doesn’t put a dent in their marketing budgets and that offers almost all of the advanced features.

2. Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM landing page.
  • Open source:
  • Upgrade starting from: $14 per user, per month (billed yearly)
  • CRM emails: 4,500
  • Number of users: 3
  • Unlimited leads and contacts:
  • Analytics and reports:
  • Top features: scoring rules, workflows, email notifications, web forms, custom dashboard
 

Zoho started as a cloud-based CRM. However, over time, they have also added diversification to the picture. Nowadays, they offer an all-in-one suite to help you manage everything from invoicing to customer management.

Although it’s not an open source CRM, it can be easily integrated with other platforms via third party apps. For instance, you can use Zapier to connect to ecommerce platforms like Shopify, which is otherwise not possible.

If you want to use it for a small business, I’d suggest that you go with the Standard plan featuring custom reports and analytics in addition to lead scoring, webhooks, etc. It’s a good choice for startups or new businesses. Alternatively, you can try Bigin, which is a CRM tool that’s part of the Zoho family but specifically dedicated to small business needs.

3. EspoCRM

EspoCRM homepage.
  • Open source:
  • Upgrade starting from: $15 per user, per month (minimum of 3 users)
  • CRM emails: Unstated (presumed unlimited)
  • Number of users: Unstated (presumed unlimited); for cloud plans, it’s based on the individual plan
  • Unlimited leads and contacts:
  • Analytics and reports:
  • Top features: real-time activity management, unified inbox, core business metrics, Kanban Boards
 

EspoCRM is a comprehensive customer relationship management solution designed to improve sales productivity and streamline business processes. It offers a wide range of features covering various aspects of business operations, including customer support, sales and purchases, document management, analytics, and marketing automation.

The platform provides tools for managing leads, opportunities, accounts, and contacts in a centralized system. It includes a calendar function for scheduling meetings, calls, and tasks, as well as email management capabilities with features like email templates, filters, and mass email functionality. EspoCRM also offers workflow automation, allowing businesses to model and automate their processes, and analytics tools to generate reports on business performance.

In addition, it supports integration with popular tools like Google Calendar, Outlook, and MailChimp. If you like what it offers, but you don’t want to fiddle with the open source version, you can pay for a cloud-hosted version. Overall, it’s a versatile choice for various business needs with different IT infrastructures.

4. Freshsales

freshsales.
  • Open source:
  • Upgrade starting from: $9 per user, per month (billed yearly)
  • CRM emails:
  • Number of users: 3
  • Unlimited leads and contacts:
  • Analytics and reports: basic and limited
  • Top features: 24×5 support, role-based access, mobile app, email templates, built-in phone, and live chat
 

Many of the free CRM options out there aim to be all-in-one suites – handling everything from getting a new lead to then nurturing it throughout its life cycle.

However, Freshsales have their focus narrowed down to sales. You can use it to engage with customers, close more deals, and attract new sales.

Freshsales offers a free forever plan for startups with limited budgets. With this plan, up to three users can log in and use the software – and it lets you do quite a lot for a free plan. contacts, and premium support, including email, chat, and phone support. Feature-wise there is a lot there for startups and new businesses, especially since they aren’t charging anything at all.

On the flip side, Freshsales free is missing out on some advanced features like email tracking, behavior analytics, and reports. All that’s available is a basic overview via the sales dashboard.

There is a minimal learning curve, so companies that are new to CRM software can get started quickly. To sum it up, I’d say Freshsales is a good CRM to start with. It focuses solely on scalability and sales to help you grow your business faster. The free plan is best for startups, but you might want to skip on this one if you are running a small to mid-sized business.

5. SuiteCRM

SuiteCRM homepage.
  • Open source:
  • Upgrade starting from: £100 per month (billed annually; up to 10 users)
  • CRM emails: unstated
  • Number of users: 10
  • Unlimited leads and contacts:
  • Analytics and reports:
  • Top features: enterprise-ready platform, fully customizable
 

SuiteCRM is another solution that makes the list of our best free and open source CRM tools. This software gives you actionable insights to make more educated business decisions and create marketing strategies.

SuiteCRM is a feature-rich tool that can be customized to your needs – it’s open source. The interface is very much beginner-friendly and easy to use. The fact that it is open source and includes REST API makes it easy for SuiteCRM to seamlessly integrate with your other business systems.

Unlike other tools, you will need to download SuiteCRM and then connect it by registering on their website. Use this CRM software to gather important data about your customers and build solid relationships to enhance and nurture your business.

This CRM is your choice if the no.1 requirement in your book is using software that’s open source.

6. HubSpot CRM

HubSpot CRM landing page.
  • Open source:
  • Upgrade starting from: $15 per month, per user (paid yearly)
  • CRM emails: 2,000 per month (with HubSpot branding)
  • Number of users: unlimited ♾️
  • Unlimited leads and contacts:
  • Analytics and reports:
  • Top features: unlimited team members, Gmail/Outlook integration, contact insights, canned snippets
 

HubSpot started its free CRM service in 2014, expanding their company in a whole new direction. This expansion means you can have your marketing and sales all under one roof.

In addition to inbound marketing campaigns, you can use HubSpot software for generating more sales by connecting better with your customers. The cornerstone of HubSpot is its unlimited teams feature that allows to add multiple users and build a better team.

When you sign up for the HubSpot CRM forever free plan, you can select how familiar you are with customer relationship management software. It will then give you a quick walk-through around the software so you can use it easily. After that, you get to import your existing data, filter contacts, and invite your team members.

HubSpot has an integrated dashboards collection for sales, marketing, service, and CMS to manage it all easily. To help you get more sales, there are six unique sales reports available on different factors focusing on your monthly performance. All of the contacts are kept in one centralized customizable database, making the software organized.

What’s great about HubSpot CRM is that it gives you some advanced features like email tracking, deal pipelines, messenger integrations, and email templates. These features don’t come standard in some of the other free CRMs.

7. Vtiger

Vtiger CRM landing page.
  • Open source:
  • Upgrade starting from: $0 (the entry-level cloud plan is free)
  • CRM emails: unstated
  • Number of users: unlimited
  • Unlimited leads and contacts:
  • Analytics and reports:
  • Top features: Outlook integration, contacts and engagement score
 

Vtiger is unique in that it not only has an open source CRM available, but it also has a free version of their cloud CRM available as well. This is extremely rare. Usually any open source CRM that offers a cloud plan asks you to pay for it. Vtiger does have higher paid plans as well, but the entry-level plan is free – and quite generous with what it gives you.

With a vibrant community and easy to navigate documentation, you can quickly start working with it. It’s highly customizable. It consists of various areas, called modules, which contain the tools you need to manage your sales, support, marketing, project management, calendar, and more. You can remove the modules you don’t use to create a cleaner interface. However, it’s important to note that the open source version has limitations compared to the cloud version.

To unlock more advanced features, you can switch to the cloud version, which as mentioned, starts off as free. If you only want a specific functionality like customizable call popups, pipeline view, VTE currency converter, and more, you can use the extension marketplace by Vtiger. Free integrations are limited, but you will get outlook compatibility in the open source version.

8. CiviCRM

  • Open source:
  • Upgrade starting from: $0
  • CRM emails: unlimited ♾️
  • Number of users: unlimited ♾️
  • Unlimited leads and contacts:
  • Analytics and reports:
  • Top features: campaign analysis, mapping, fundraising management, donor management, multiple integrations
 

Last but not least on our list of the best free and open source CRM software is CiviCRM. It is designed for the nonprofit, civic sector and related organizations.

CiviCRM is a fully customizable, free, and developer-friendly software with built-in features like online fundraising, grant tracking, case management, and other useful features targeted towards association-based organizations. You can even collect donations by integrating PayPal, Stripe, and CiviSMTP.

Another cool feature that makes this free and open source CRM great, is the compatibility with top CMSs like WordPress or Drupal. If you’re already familiar with WordPress, using CiviCRM will be easier. For users who are completely new to this, the learning curve can be steeper.

Final thoughts 💭

There are a lot of free and open source CRM solutions on the market, but they come with limitations or even cut out some features in their free versions. Here are the platforms we’d recommend, along with why:

  • Fewest limitations – Should you want an option that offers the most features in the free version, you can’t go wrong with Bitrix24.
  • Most scalable – For new companies with big teams, HubSpot is the best choice as it provides an option for unlimited users. If you want something more focused on scalability, then choose Freshsales.
  • Fully open source and free – CiviCRM is perfect for WordPress users and non-profit organizations. Vtiger or EspoCRM are both great as well.
  • Alternatives – An all-in-one suite with a low upgrade price is Zoho CRM. Finally, for an enterprise-level, highly customizable solution, head over to SuiteCRM.

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Layout, presentation and editing by Karol K.

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Pulkit Bhardwaj
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