Frappe CRM 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.
| Feature | Frappe CRM | Monica |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 66 · Good |
| Category | CRM & Business Apps | CRM & Business Apps |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Vue | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,585 | ★ 25,354 |
| First released | 2023 | 2017 |
| Replaces | HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive | Salesforce, HubSpot |
What are Frappe CRM and Monica?
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
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
Frappe CRM vs Monica: key differences
Frappe CRM is written in Vue, while Monica is built with PHP. Monica is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Frappe CRM. Monica is the more established project (first released 2017), while Frappe CRM arrived in 2023. Monica has the considerably larger community, at 25,354 GitHub stars versus 3,585.
Why pick each one
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
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 Frappe CRM 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 Frappe CRM and Monica free and open-source?
Yes. Frappe CRM is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Monica under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Frappe CRM and Monica with Docker?
Frappe CRM: yes. Monica: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Frappe CRM or Monica?
Monica has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Frappe CRM. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.