SHSelfHostIndex

CiviCRM vs EspoCRM

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?
CI CiviCRM CRM for nonprofits, NGOs, and advocacy groups VS ES EspoCRM Fast and lightweight open-source CRM
FeatureCiviCRMEspoCRM
CategoryCRM & Business AppsCRM & Business Apps
LicenseAGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguagePHPPHP
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM1,024 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, sourcedocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 762★ 3,201
First released20052014
ReplacesSalesforce, BlackbaudSalesforce, HubSpot

Why pick each one

Choose CiviCRM if…

  • Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
  • Written in PHP
CiviCRM details

Choose EspoCRM if…

  • Fast and responsive
  • Highly customizable
  • Lightweight
EspoCRM details

Frequently asked questions

Is CiviCRM or EspoCRM better?

Neither is universally better. EspoCRM has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are CiviCRM and EspoCRM free and open-source?

Yes. CiviCRM is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and EspoCRM under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run CiviCRM and EspoCRM with Docker?

CiviCRM: check the project docs for container support. EspoCRM: yes.

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