Tine vs Kontact
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted groupware options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Tine
Professional open-source groupware and CRM
VS
Kontact
Integrated personal information manager for KDE
| Feature | Tine | Kontact |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Groupware | Groupware |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | HTML | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 21 | ★ 200 |
| First released | 2007 | 2004 |
| Replaces | Microsoft 365, Google Workspace | Microsoft Outlook |
Why pick each one
Choose Tine if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in HTML
Choose Kontact if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C++
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Tine or Kontact better?
Neither is universally better. Kontact has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Tine and Kontact free and open-source?
Yes. Tine is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Kontact under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Tine and Kontact with Docker?
Tine: yes. Kontact: check the project docs for container support.