Monica vs Twenty
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 | Twenty |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 66 · Good | 100 · Excellent |
| Category | CRM & Business Apps | CRM & Business Apps |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 25,354 | ★ 57,389 |
| First released | 2017 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Salesforce, HubSpot | Salesforce, HubSpot |
What are Monica and Twenty?
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
Twenty
Twenty is a modern, open-source CRM designed as a flexible alternative to Salesforce with a clean, customizable interface. It targets startups and teams wanting an open CRM. It is deployed via Docker.
- Modern customizable CRM
- Flexible data model
- Keyboard-driven UI
- API and webhooks
Monica vs Twenty: key differences
Monica is written in PHP, while Twenty is built with TypeScript. Monica is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Twenty. Monica is the more established project (first released 2017), while Twenty arrived in 2023. Twenty has the considerably larger community, at 57,389 GitHub stars versus 25,354.
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 Twenty if…
- Clean modern interface
- Customizable objects
- Active development
Watch out for
- Young project
- Some features still maturing
Frequently asked questions
Is Monica or Twenty better?
Neither is universally better. Twenty has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Monica and Twenty free and open-source?
Yes. Monica is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Twenty under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Monica and Twenty with Docker?
Monica: yes. Twenty: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Monica or Twenty?
Monica has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Twenty. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.