Top 10 Open Source CRM Software You Should Try in 2025

Are you frustrated with a CRM that doesn’t fit your business needs? Many businesses spend thousands on software that doesn’t match how they work. In fact, over 60% of companies stop using a CRM within the first year because it ends up being too complicated or expensive.

With an open source CRM, you can adjust it to fit your team’s workflow and access your customer data freely. You’ll also see how it can make daily tasks easier and improve the way you manage customer relationships.

By the end, you’ll see what an open source CRM is, how it compares to paid options, and the top solutions you can try for your business.

What is an Open-Source CRM?

An open-source CRM is software that helps businesses manage customers, sales, and communications. Its code is publicly available, which means you can make customization, control your data, and adjust workflows to fit your team’s needs.

Businesses of all sizes use open-source CRMs to organize customer information, improve team coordination, and make processes more efficient. You can add new features or tools as your business grows, which makes it flexible for daily operations.

With an open-source CRM, your business can manage customer relationships and data in a way that fits your operations and priorities.

Why It Matters in 2025?

Open source CRM software is quickly becoming the preferred alternative for companies frustrated with expensive, unchanged, and closed-source CRM systems. It matters in 2025 because it directly addresses the three biggest pain points for growing companies:

1. Full Data Control: You decide where your customer data is stored. Whether you host it yourself or on a private cloud, your information stays secure, helping you follow legal requirements and keep customer trust.

2. Cost Stability: Open-source CRMs replace unpredictable subscription fees with a more consistent cost structure, allowing you to plan budgets and invest in maintenance and improvements as needed.

3. Flexible Workflows: With customizable features, your CRM platform can be adjusted to match how your team actually works. This means it helps you manage sales and service processes perfectly, giving you an advantage over competitors.

How It Benefits Your Business?

Choosing an open source solution transforms CRM from a static expense into a strategic advantage. From better team coordination to cost efficiency, here’s how it can make a real difference for your business:

• Eliminates Vendor Lock-in: You control the code and data, so you can switch support or make changes anytime, keeping your business flexible and uninterrupted.
• Enhances Security and Auditability: Full access to the source code lets your team check for weak points and ensure the system meets your security standards.
• Drives Seamless Integration: Open code makes integration with tools like business management or accounting software easy and efficient.
• Fosters Innovation: You can create custom modules and features with open CRM that helps your business improve processes and enable solutions that standard CRMs can’t offer.

Difference Between Open Source and Paid CRMs

When deciding on a CRM, it’s important to see how open-source and paid options affect your team and operations. The right choice can make a big difference in flexibility, cost, and how you handle customer data. Here’s a clear comparison for small and medium-sized businesses:

Tip: If flexibility and full control over your data matter most, an open-source CRM software is usually the smarter choice. Paid CRMs may be easier to set up, but they often limit customization and add extra expenses as your team grows.

10 Best Open Source CRM Solutions for Your Business

When it comes to managing customer relationships effectively, best open source CRMs give you flexibility, control, and affordability. Here’s a list of top 10 CRM softwares that can transform the way your business handles leads, sales, and customer interactions.

1. Qoli:

Qoli helps businesses manage their sales teams and customer relationships more effectively. It gives managers a clear view of performance and keeps teams coordinated, saving time and reducing mistakes. Field teams stay productive while managers make informed decisions based on real data.

Key Features:

• Records every call for clear follow-up
• Tracks team location with geo-fencing
• Provides monthly call and location reports
• Shows call details like person, time, type, and duration
• Simple dashboard that is easy for anyone to read

Best For:

Businesses that want clear visibility into field team activity, call performance, and customer interactions in one simple dashboard with detailed reports making it an ideal crm platform designed to help and manage efficiently.

2. phpList:

phpList is an open-source email marketing and list management tool, focused on handling large subscriber lists rather than usual sales CRM tasks. It lets you send campaigns, segment audiences, and analyze engagement in a self-hosted setup or via its hosted version. Its design gives you full control over your data and email flow.

Key Features:

• Unlimited list segmentation and personalization
• Campaign scheduling, queue management, and re-queueing
• Bounce processing, unsubscribe handling, and detailed analytics
• CSV import/export and REST API for integrations
• Sends HTML or plain-text emails with attachments

Best For:

Organizations that primarily need to run email campaigns, maintain mailing lists, and analyze subscriber behavior especially when data control and privacy are important.

3. Twenty:

Twenty is a modern, open‑source CRM, it’s highly customizable and lets you shape your data model and workflows to match exactly how your business works. With strong API support, Twenty is made for teams that need freedom and flexibility.

Key Features:

• Custom data model: create objects and fields to suit your process
• Workflow automation via webhooks and APIs
• User permission and role management
• Open‑source license (GPL) gives full control over the software

Best For:

Development teams, IT managers, and business analysts who need a flexible CRM that can be customized to fit their workflows.

4. Pipeline:

Pipeline’s main focus is on sales process visualization and simplicity. It helps teams track deals, monitor stages, and understand where their opportunities are stuck. This kind of CRM tool is all about clarity and seeing your sales and marketing flow at a glance.

Key Features:

• Visual sales pipeline to track stages
• Deal management with status updates
• Contact and lead tracking
• Activity logging (calls, notes, follow-ups)

Best For:

Sales teams that need a clean, visual way to manage their pipeline and want to see exactly where each deal stands, without unnecessary complexity.

5. Axelor CRM:

Axelor CRM is part of a low-code, open-source business suite that blends CRM with process automation. It centralizes customer data, tracks leads, and enables you to automate sales or marketing workflows using an open-source crm platform designed for flexible operations.

Key Features:

• Lead and opportunity management
• Quote creation and management with PDF templates
• Automated workflows via low-code BPM platform
• Responsive mobile interface (iOS/Android) and offline access

Best For:

Businesses that want a highly customizable CRM integrated into a larger ERP or low-code platform, with automation and flexibility built-in.

6. X2CRM:

X2CRM is an open-source CRM solution that combines CRM and marketing tools to help businesses manage campaigns and track customer engagement. Automated workflows reduce manual work, and dashboards provide clear visibility into leads, sales, and marketing performance.

Key Features:

• Campaign creation and management
• Lead tracking and scoring
• Automation of tasks and workflows
• Custom reports and dashboards

Best For:

Businesses that want CRM + marketing in one tool and want to run automated campaigns effectively.

7. SuiteCRM:

SuiteCRM is a powerful open-source CRM that helps businesses organize contacts, deals, and projects in one place. Its flexible design allows teams to customize crm modules and automate processes. Managers can track performance and sales pipelines efficiently using real-time dashboards and reports.

Key Features:

• Manage leads, contacts, and opportunities
• Track calls, meetings, and tasks
• Generate quotes and invoices
• Real-time reports and dashboards
• Automate actions with workflow rules

Best For:

Businesses that need a powerful and customizable CRM, especially if you want to build or adapt modules for your specific needs.

8. EspoCRM:

EspoCRM is a lightweight, easy-to-use CRM that helps teams manage leads, contacts, and opportunities efficiently. It supports activity tracking and simple automation while remaining flexible for growth. Dashboards and reporting give managers visibility into sales performance.

Key Features:

• Lead, account, and contact management
• Call, meeting, task, and email tracking
• Kanban view for opportunities
• Workflow automation and business process management
• Custom reports and dashboards

Best For:

Small to medium teams that want a clean, no-frills CRM with enough flexibility for growth.

9. Odoo CRM:

Odoo CRM integrates with a broader suite of business apps, helping teams manage leads, opportunities, and customer interactions. It simplifies sales tracking with drag-and-drop pipelines,shared customer history,, and automated notifications. Dashboards and reports give a quick overview of performance.

Key Features:

• Email-based lead creation and scoring
• Drag-and-drop opportunity pipeline
• Schedule calls, meetings, and next actions
• Shared address book and customer history
• Custom dashboards and reports

Best For:

Businesses that already use or plan to use Odoo’s other apps (like sales, inventory, or accounting) and want a unified system.

10. CiviCRM:

CiviCRM is designed for nonprofits and membership-based organizations. It helps track members, donors, and event participation while streamlining communication. Customizable reports make it easy to monitor engagement and contributions over time.

Key Features:

• Track contacts and organizations
• Manage memberships and recurring contributions
• Handle event registrations and participation
• Send bulk emails and newsletters
• Generate detailed reports for donations and engagement

Best For:

Nonprofits and associations that need to track members, donors, and events while keeping costs low.

How to Choose the Right CRM For Your Business

Finding a CRM that fits your business can be simple if you focus on the key factors. Whether you’re looking for an enterprise resource planning (ERP) CRM or a smaller system, here’s what to consider:

• Know Your Needs: Identify whether you need sales tracking, marketing automation, or customer management.
• Ease of Use: Choose a CRM that your team can adopt quickly without long training.
• Flexibility: Look for a system that lets you customize workflows and adapt as your business grows.
• Integrations: Ensure it works with your email, marketing tools, and other sales applications.
• Insights & Reports: Pick a CRM that tracks performance and forecasts revenue with the help of dashboards and analytics.

💡 Tip: Testing a CRM before committing helps you find a tool that fits your workflow, boosts productivity, and scales with your business.

Conclusion

Open source CRMs offer businesses control, flexibility, and cost-efficiency. By choosing a platform that matches your workflow, integrates with your tools, and provides clear insights, you can streamline sales, improve team coordination, and manage customer relationships effectively.

The right CRM helps your business adapt and grow, whether you need detailed reporting, marketing automation, or simple sales tracking. Evaluating your needs and testing platforms ensures you pick a system that truly supports productivity and long-term success.