Django-CRM vs Twenty
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted crm & business apps options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Twenty
Modern open-source CRM alternative
| Feature | Django-CRM | Twenty |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 86 · Excellent | 100 · Excellent |
| Category | CRM & Business Apps | CRM & Business Apps |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,427 | ★ 57,290 |
| First released | 2016 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Salesforce, Zoho CRM | Salesforce, HubSpot |
What are Django-CRM and Twenty?
Django-CRM
Django-CRM is a free, open-source customer relationship management application built with Django. It manages leads, contacts, accounts, and opportunities with a straightforward web interface for small teams.
- Lead and contact management
- Opportunity pipeline
- Account tracking
- Django-based
Twenty
Twenty is a modern, open-source CRM designed as a flexible alternative to Salesforce with a clean, customizable interface. It targets startups and teams wanting an open CRM. It is deployed via Docker.
- Modern customizable CRM
- Flexible data model
- Keyboard-driven UI
- API and webhooks
Django-CRM vs Twenty: key differences
Django-CRM is written in Python, while Twenty is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Django-CRM versus AGPL-3.0 for Twenty. Django-CRM is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Twenty. Django-CRM is the more established project (first released 2016), while Twenty arrived in 2023. Twenty has the considerably larger community, at 57,290 GitHub stars versus 2,427.
Why pick each one
Choose Django-CRM if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.4k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Watch out for
- Basic reporting
- Manual data entry
Choose Twenty if…
- Clean modern interface
- Customizable objects
- Active development
Watch out for
- Young project
- Some features still maturing
Frequently asked questions
Is Django-CRM or Twenty better?
Neither is universally better. Twenty has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Django-CRM and Twenty free and open-source?
Yes. Django-CRM is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Twenty under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Django-CRM and Twenty with Docker?
Django-CRM: yes. Twenty: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Django-CRM or Twenty?
Django-CRM has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Twenty. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.