Corteza vs Fat Free 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 | Corteza | Fat Free CRM |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 86 · Excellent | 86 · Excellent |
| Category | CRM & Business Apps | CRM & Business Apps |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Go | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,165 | ★ 3,632 |
| First released | 2019 | 2008 |
| Replaces | Salesforce, Microsoft Power Apps | Salesforce |
What are Corteza and Fat Free CRM?
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
Fat Free CRM
Fat Free CRM is an open-source, Ruby on Rails based customer relationship management platform. It offers group collaboration, campaign and lead management, contact lists, and an opportunity pipeline out of the box.
- Lead and campaign management
- Contact and account lists
- Opportunity pipeline
- Group collaboration
Corteza vs Fat Free CRM: key differences
Corteza is written in Go, while Fat Free CRM is built with Ruby. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Corteza versus MIT for Fat Free CRM. Fat Free CRM is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Corteza. Fat Free CRM is the more established project (first released 2008), while Corteza arrived in 2019.
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 Fat Free CRM if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.6k GitHub stars)
- Written in Ruby
Watch out for
- Dated interface
- Slower development
Frequently asked questions
Is Corteza or Fat Free CRM better?
Fat Free CRM 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 Fat Free CRM free and open-source?
Yes. Corteza is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Fat Free CRM under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Corteza and Fat Free CRM with Docker?
Corteza: yes. Fat Free CRM: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Corteza or Fat Free CRM?
Fat Free CRM has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Corteza. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.