EspoCRM review

EspoCRM ranks fifth as a lean, well-documented CRM that is easy to install. The core covers accounts, contacts, leads, opportunities and sales pipelines with a Kanban view, plus calls, meetings, tasks, dashboards and an activity stream. Email sync over IMAP links incoming messages to the right records, and shared calendars and a meeting scheduler with booking pages help teams coordinate. The code is licensed under AGPLv3, with a commercial license for companies that need non-copyleft terms. Self-hosting is simple: an install script or the official Docker image sets up EspoCRM with NGINX and MySQL, and it also supports MariaDB and PostgreSQL. The main caveat is that reports, BPMN 2.0 business processes and workflows come from the official Advanced Pack add-on, which is separate from the free core but included in every Cloud plan. EspoCRM Cloud requires at least 3 users on Basic and offers servers in the United States or Germany.

Who it is for

small and mid-sized companies that want a light, fast self-hosted CRM

Price

Free to self-host; see vendor pricing for EspoCRM Cloud plans (USD check pending).

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• Accounts, contacts, leads, opportunities and sales pipelines with Kanban view
• IMAP email sync and SMTP sending with automatic linking to CRM records
• Shared calendars, working time calendars and a meeting scheduler with booking pages
• Advanced Pack add-on with reports, BPMN 2.0 business process management and workflows
• Install script and official Docker image with NGINX and MySQL preconfigured

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: AGPLv3 license, with a commercial license available if you need non-copyleft terms
• Strength: Cloud plans include all extensions, so Advanced Pack features come built in
• Strength: Runs on MySQL, MariaDB or PostgreSQL
• Weakness: Reports, workflows and BPM come from the separate Advanced Pack add-on on self-hosted installs
• Weakness: Cloud Basic needs at least 3 users and caps records at 100,000
• Weakness: Cloud prices showed in euros from our location, so USD prices are pending

Key facts

• License: AGPLv3, commercial license available
• Cloud minimum: 3 users on Basic
• Cloud servers: United States or Germany
• Free trial: 30 days on Cloud

Where it ranks

EspoCRM is No. 5 in our Best Open Source CRM verdict.