Monica vs OroCRM
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted crm & business apps options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Monica | OroCRM |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 66 · Good | 62 · Good |
| Category | CRM & Business Apps | CRM & Business Apps |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | OSL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 25,354 | ★ 685 |
| First released | 2017 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Salesforce, HubSpot | Salesforce, HubSpot |
What are Monica and OroCRM?
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
OroCRM
OroCRM is an open-source customer relationship management application designed for B2B and multi-channel sales. It offers strong reporting, segmentation, and workflow automation.
- B2B sales pipeline
- Advanced segmentation
- Workflow automation
- Detailed analytics
Monica vs OroCRM: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Monica versus OSL-3.0 for OroCRM. Monica is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for OroCRM. OroCRM is the more established project (first released 2014), while Monica arrived in 2017. Monica has the considerably larger community, at 25,354 GitHub stars versus 685.
Why pick each one
Choose Monica if…
- Unique personal CRM focus
- Helps maintain relationships
- Open source
Watch out for
- Not for business sales
- Development pace varies
Choose OroCRM if…
- Released under the OSL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is Monica or OroCRM better?
Monica is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider OroCRM if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Monica and OroCRM free and open-source?
Yes. Monica is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and OroCRM under OSL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Monica and OroCRM with Docker?
Monica: yes. OroCRM: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Monica or OroCRM?
Monica has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for OroCRM. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.