Corteza 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.
| Feature | Corteza | SuiteCRM |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 86 · Excellent | 90 · Excellent |
| Category | CRM & Business Apps | CRM & Business Apps |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,165 | ★ 5,764 |
| First released | 2019 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Salesforce, Microsoft Power Apps | Salesforce, HubSpot |
What are Corteza and SuiteCRM?
Corteza
Corteza is an open-source, low-code platform that includes a ready-made CRM, service desk, and the ability to build custom business applications. It provides workflow automation, dashboards, and fine-grained access control.
- Built-in CRM and service desk
- Low-code app builder
- Workflow automation
- Role-based access control
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
Corteza vs SuiteCRM: key differences
Corteza is written in Go, while SuiteCRM is built with PHP. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Corteza versus AGPL-3.0 for SuiteCRM. SuiteCRM is the more established project (first released 2013), while Corteza arrived in 2019. SuiteCRM has the considerably larger community, at 5,764 GitHub stars versus 2,165.
Why pick each one
Choose Corteza if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Active community (2.2k GitHub stars)
Watch out for
- Resource intensive
- Learning curve for builder
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 Corteza or SuiteCRM better?
SuiteCRM is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Corteza if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Corteza and SuiteCRM free and open-source?
Yes. Corteza is licensed under Apache-2.0 and SuiteCRM under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Corteza and SuiteCRM with Docker?
Corteza: yes. SuiteCRM: yes.