Open Source CRM: 5 Salesforce and HubSpot Alternatives You Can Deploy in One Click
Niklas KarolyFounder Nodion
In short
- Twenty, EspoCRM, CiviCRM, Corteza and Odoo are open source CRMs that run as your own instance instead of a hosted service priced per user, like Salesforce or HubSpot.
- Twenty (AGPL-3.0, Enterprise files under a commercial license) is a sales CRM you can extend as code, and EspoCRM (AGPL-3.0) is a classic CRM for sales, marketing and support.
- CiviCRM (AGPL-3.0) is built for nonprofits, Corteza (Apache-2.0) is a low-code platform for building your own CRM, and Odoo Community (LGPL-3.0) puts the CRM inside a full ERP.
- All five are in the one-click catalog: Nodion creates the app together with the resources it needs.
Salesforce and HubSpot are hosted CRMs. Both have free offerings, and as of October 2026 their paid sales plans are priced per user or per seat: Salesforce per user per month for its Sales Cloud editions, HubSpot per seat for its paid Sales Hub plans. As the team grows, so does the bill, and your customer data lives on their platform.
An open source CRM changes both. You run your own instance, the customer data sits in a database you control, and you pay for the resources the instance uses instead of per seat. Here are five open source CRMs from the Nodion one-click catalog, from a modern sales CRM to a full ERP.
At a glance
| Tool | Best for | License | Runs with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twenty | A modern sales CRM you extend as code | AGPL-3.0, Enterprise files separate | PostgreSQL, Valkey, volume |
| EspoCRM | A classic CRM for sales, marketing and support | AGPL-3.0 | PostgreSQL, object storage, volumes |
| CiviCRM | Nonprofits: donors, members and events | AGPL-3.0 | MySQL, volumes |
| Corteza | Building your own CRM on a low-code platform | Apache-2.0 | PostgreSQL, volume |
| Odoo | CRM inside a full ERP | LGPL-3.0 (Community) | PostgreSQL, volume |
How we picked
- Covers the CRM basics (contacts, organizations, a pipeline and activities) or lets you build them.
- Open source under an OSI-approved license, checked against each project's LICENSE file.
- Runs as your own instance from the official container image with a standard database.
- Actively maintained, with commits or releases in 2026.
1. Twenty
Twenty calls itself the open alternative to Salesforce and gives technical teams the building blocks for a custom CRM: objects, views, workflows and AI agents. It ships with People, Companies and Opportunities, and shows the sales pipeline as a kanban board. You can add your own objects and fields, define them as code with the Twenty SDK and version them like the rest of your stack. REST and GraphQL APIs and webhooks connect it to other tools.
License: mostly AGPL-3.0. Files marked as Enterprise are under a commercial license, and developer packages such as the SDK are MIT. License file, project site.
On Nodion: the preset runs a web and a worker process from the official image, with PostgreSQL, Valkey and a 10 GB volume for files. It generates the encryption key and turns telemetry off. On first open you create the first user, who becomes the workspace admin; there is no default password. Email and S3 storage can be set up later under Settings → Admin Panel.
2. EspoCRM
EspoCRM is a classic CRM: leads, contacts, opportunities in a sales pipeline, marketing campaigns and support cases, with a calendar for meetings, calls and tasks, and email that links messages to CRM records. The Entity Manager adds custom entities, fields and relationships, and a REST API connects it to other systems.
License: AGPL-3.0. Reports, workflows and BPM come with the Advanced Pack, an extension you license separately from the EspoCRM team. License file, project site.
On Nodion: a web and a daemon process with PostgreSQL, an object storage bucket for files and three 10 GB volumes for data and customizations. Sign in as admin with the generated ESPOCRM_ADMIN_PASSWORD from the app's environment, then change the password. Connect a mailbox under Administration to send and receive email.
3. CiviCRM
CiviCRM is a constituent relationship management system for nonprofits, NGOs and advocacy groups. Next to contact management it covers contributions and fundraising, events, memberships, email marketing, case management and reports. If you raise donations or run a membership organization, it fits better than a sales CRM.
License: AGPL-3.0. License file, project site.
On Nodion: the official image runs CiviCRM Standalone, so you need no WordPress or Drupal. The preset adds MySQL and three 10 GB volumes for public files, private files and extensions, and installs CiviCRM on the first start. Sign in as admin with the generated CIVICRM_ADMIN_PASS, and change the password after you sign in.
4. Corteza
Corteza is a low-code platform rather than a ready-made CRM. You build CRM, business process and other data apps in it, automate them with workflows and connect other systems through its REST API. Access control is role-based, privacy settings help you follow data protection rules, and the interface follows WCAG 2.1. Planet Crust, which founded the project, maintains it.
License: Apache-2.0, the only permissive license among the five. License file, project site.
On Nodion: one web process with PostgreSQL and a 10 GB volume, and a generated JWT secret. Corteza needs at least 2 GB of memory. The first person who signs up becomes the administrator, so sign up right after the first release. Email confirmation stays off until you attach SMTP.
5. Odoo
Odoo is a suite of business apps, and CRM is one of them: you track leads and close opportunities in a pipeline, with email, calendar and contacts built in. The same instance can run a website and e-commerce, inventory, manufacturing and accounting, so Odoo suits companies that want the CRM inside a full ERP.
License: Odoo Community is LGPL-3.0. Odoo Enterprise is a separate edition under the Odoo Enterprise Edition License. There is no official Docker image for Enterprise, so the preset runs Community. License file, project site.
On Nodion: one web process from the official odoo image in proxy mode, with PostgreSQL and a 10 GB volume for Odoo's files. Odoo needs at least 2 GB of memory. The first open shows the database manager: create the first database and an administrator account, using the PostgreSQL host, user and password from the app's environment. Then change the master password, which starts as admin.
Also worth a look
- Dolibarr (GPL-3.0 or later) is an ERP and CRM for companies, foundations and freelancers: contacts, suppliers, invoices, orders, stock, agenda and accounting. It runs with MySQL and is in the one-click catalog too.
How to choose
- You want a modern sales CRM that developers can extend as code: Twenty.
- You want a classic CRM with email, calendar and support cases: EspoCRM.
- You manage donors, members and events for a nonprofit: CiviCRM.
- You want to build your own CRM under a permissive license: Corteza.
- You need the CRM next to inventory, manufacturing and accounting in one system: Odoo.
Each of them runs on Nodion as your own instance in the region you pick, with the database and storage created for you. Browse all apps in the one-click catalog, or let your coding agent deploy one for you: Let Claude Code deploy your app.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best open source alternative to Salesforce?
For a modern sales CRM, Twenty, which calls itself the open alternative to Salesforce. For a classic CRM with email, calendar and support cases, EspoCRM. Both are licensed under the AGPL-3.0; Twenty keeps some Enterprise files under a commercial license.
Is there an open source alternative to HubSpot CRM?
Yes. EspoCRM and Twenty cover contacts and a sales pipeline, and Odoo Community adds a website, inventory and accounting. You run your own instance and pay for its resources instead of per seat.
Which open source CRM is best for nonprofits?
CiviCRM. It is built for nonprofits, NGOs and advocacy groups and covers contributions and fundraising, events, memberships, email marketing and case management.
What does an open source CRM need to run?
Twenty needs PostgreSQL, Valkey and a volume. EspoCRM needs PostgreSQL, object storage and volumes, CiviCRM needs MySQL and volumes, and Corteza and Odoo need PostgreSQL and a volume. On Nodion the one-click preset creates these resources for you.