Dolibarr vs SuiteCRM
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
SuiteCRM
Award-winning open-source CRM application
| Feature | Dolibarr | SuiteCRM |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 92 · Excellent | 90 · Excellent |
| 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 | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,646 | ★ 5,762 |
| First released | 2003 | 2013 |
| Replaces | SAP, Salesforce | Salesforce, HubSpot |
What are Dolibarr and SuiteCRM?
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
SuiteCRM
SuiteCRM is a fully featured, open-source CRM with sales, marketing, and service modules, forked from SugarCRM. It targets businesses wanting a mature, free CRM. It is deployed via Docker or a LAMP stack.
- Sales, marketing and service modules
- Workflow automation
- Customizable modules
- Reporting engine
Dolibarr vs SuiteCRM: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Dolibarr versus AGPL-3.0 for SuiteCRM. Dolibarr is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for SuiteCRM. Dolibarr is the more established project (first released 2003), while SuiteCRM arrived in 2013.
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 SuiteCRM if…
- Feature-complete CRM
- Free and open source
- Mature
Watch out for
- Interface feels dated
- Setup can be heavy
Frequently asked questions
Is Dolibarr or SuiteCRM 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 SuiteCRM free and open-source?
Yes. Dolibarr is licensed under GPL-3.0 and SuiteCRM under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dolibarr and SuiteCRM with Docker?
Dolibarr: yes. SuiteCRM: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Dolibarr or SuiteCRM?
Dolibarr has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for SuiteCRM. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.