CiviCRM vs Dolibarr
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted crm & business apps options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
CiviCRM
CRM for nonprofits, NGOs, and advocacy groups
VS
Dolibarr
Open-source ERP and CRM for small businesses
| Feature | CiviCRM | Dolibarr |
|---|---|---|
| Category | CRM & Business Apps | CRM & Business Apps |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 762 | ★ 7,494 |
| First released | 2005 | 2003 |
| Replaces | Salesforce, Blackbaud | SAP, Salesforce |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is CiviCRM or Dolibarr better?
Neither is universally better. Dolibarr has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are CiviCRM and Dolibarr free and open-source?
Yes. CiviCRM is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Dolibarr under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run CiviCRM and Dolibarr with Docker?
CiviCRM: check the project docs for container support. Dolibarr: yes.