Dolibarr vs Frappe CRM
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted crm & business apps options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Dolibarr | Frappe CRM |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 92 · Excellent | 88 · Excellent |
| Category | CRM & Business Apps | CRM & Business Apps |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,652 | ★ 3,585 |
| First released | 2003 | 2023 |
| Replaces | SAP, Salesforce | HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive |
What are Dolibarr and Frappe CRM?
Dolibarr
Dolibarr is an open-source ERP and CRM suite for small and medium businesses, covering invoicing, inventory, and contacts. It targets small companies wanting an easy all-in-one tool. It is deployed via Docker or a PHP stack.
- Combined ERP and CRM
- Invoicing and inventory
- Module-based activation
- Easy installation
Frappe CRM
Frappe CRM is a clean, modern, and open-source customer relationship management tool built on the Frappe framework. It manages leads, deals, and customer communication.
- Lead and deal pipelines
- Built-in call and email
- Kanban deal views
- Custom fields and automations
Dolibarr vs Frappe CRM: key differences
Dolibarr is written in PHP, while Frappe CRM is built with Vue. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Dolibarr versus AGPL-3.0 for Frappe CRM. Dolibarr is the more established project (first released 2003), while Frappe CRM arrived in 2023. Dolibarr has the considerably larger community, at 7,652 GitHub stars versus 3,585.
Why pick each one
Choose Dolibarr if…
- Easy for small businesses
- Modular features
- Mature project
Watch out for
- Interface looks dated
- Less polished than Odoo
Choose Frappe CRM if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.6k GitHub stars)
- Written in Vue
Frequently asked questions
Is Dolibarr or Frappe CRM 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 Dolibarr and Frappe CRM free and open-source?
Yes. Dolibarr is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Frappe CRM under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dolibarr and Frappe CRM with Docker?
Dolibarr: yes. Frappe CRM: yes.