Dolibarr vs Monica
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted crm & business apps options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Dolibarr
Open-source ERP and CRM for small businesses
VS
Monica
Personal CRM to remember the people you know
| Feature | Dolibarr | Monica |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 92 · Excellent | 66 · Good |
| Category | CRM & Business Apps | CRM & Business Apps |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,646 | ★ 25,346 |
| First released | 2003 | 2017 |
| Replaces | SAP, Salesforce | Salesforce, HubSpot |
What are Dolibarr and Monica?
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
Monica
Monica is a personal CRM that helps you record and remember details about friends, family, and personal contacts. It targets individuals who want to nurture personal relationships. It is deployed via Docker or a PHP stack.
- Tracks personal relationships
- Reminders for important dates
- Notes, gifts and activities
- Contact journaling
Dolibarr vs Monica: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Dolibarr versus AGPL-3.0 for Monica. Monica is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Dolibarr. Dolibarr is the more established project (first released 2003), while Monica arrived in 2017. Monica has the considerably larger community, at 25,346 GitHub stars versus 7,646.
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 Monica if…
- Unique personal CRM focus
- Helps maintain relationships
- Open source
Watch out for
- Not for business sales
- Development pace varies
Frequently asked questions
Is Dolibarr or Monica better?
Neither is universally better. Monica has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Dolibarr and Monica free and open-source?
Yes. Dolibarr is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Monica under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dolibarr and Monica with Docker?
Dolibarr: yes. Monica: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Dolibarr or Monica?
Monica has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Dolibarr. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.