5 Best Open Source CRM Tools
Customer Relationship Management or CRM is an essential tool that allows business organisations to manage information about leads or clients in an efficient manner. CRM tools enable organizations to maintain the list of contacts, client records, transaction history and other details that are necessary for smooth conduct of business. CRM tools are useful for businesses of all sizes – small, medium and large.
The presence of flexible, feature-rich, open source CRM tools have increased their popularity among business organisations. Let us have a look at the 5 best open source CRM tools.
SugarCRM is one of the most widely used open source CRM tools. SugarCRM is equipped with a number of features such as customer management, lead management, contract management, analytics and reporting, mobile support and various other marketing tools.
SugarCRM is a web-based application that is available in two versions – a hosted version and a Community edition. While the hosted version is a paid one, the Community edition is a free one and can be downloaded and installed on the user server. Though the Community edition does not have all the features of the hosted version, it has enough functions to serve the purpose of small businesses efficiently. The Community edition can be downloaded for Linus, UNIX and Mac OS as well as for some versions of the Windows OS.
Vtiger is a popular and feature-rich open source CRM tool. Though it is based on SugarCRM code and offers all the core features of SugarCRM, it lacks in some task management and third-party integration features. Vtiger has a few features of its own as well and its functions are extensible via add-ons. It packs in features like customer portal, reporting and an Outlook plugin, features that are mostly available in the paid versions of other CRM tools.
Vtiger is available in two version: a free version and a hosted version. The hosted version is a paid version and is called Vtiger CRM on Demand. The free version can be downloaded and installed on the user server. Vtiger focuses on features like marketing automation, sales force automation, product customization, inventory management, customer service and support, reports, etc. Vtiger is ideal for small or medium sized business organizations.
Fat Free CRM is a lightweight and customizable open-source CRM tool. This minimal CRM tool offers features like group collaboration, campaign and lead management, contact lists, and opportunity tracking. Fat Free CRM has one of the most simple and intuitive user interfaces. It is a Ruby on Rails-based open source CRM product. Several plug-ins are available to extend the functions of Fat Free CRM and users can develop their own plug-ins as well.
Fat Free CRM is available as a freely downloadable version that can be installed on the user server. It has no hosted or paid version but users can try their online demo before taking a final call. Though Fat Free CRM is a minimal system, it is enough for small business organizations to manage their customer relationships smoothly.
SplendidCRM is a performance-rich open-source CRM tool. Unlike other CRM applications that are mostly Linux-based, SplendidCRM is built on the Microsoft platform (SQL Server, Windows Server, IIS, .NET C# and ASP.NET) and is targeted at business organizations having Windows-based servers. SplendidCRM is a highly scalable and highly customizable enterprise application.
SplendidCRM is available in three versions: a Community version, a Pro version and an Enterprise version. The Community version is a free version while the other two are paid versions. The freely available Community version includes core CRM features like contacts, leads, accounts and opportunities. The Pro version has features like report designer, integration, product and order management surveys, etc. The Enterprise version has features like workflow, ad-hoc reporting and an offline client application. SplendidCRM is a web-based product that can be availed as an on-site application or as an on-demand service.
Dolibarr is a function-packed open-source CRM tool. Though a lesser known CRM application as compared to the popular CRM tools in the market, this application offers all the features that are needed for efficient management of customer relationships in a business. Its long list of features include customers’ directory, products and services catalogue, commercial proposals, contract management, stock management, order management, invoice management, payment management, bank accounts management, standing orders, shipping, NRP VAT support, and many more.
Dolibarr is available as a freely downloadable version. It can be installed and used as a standalone application, or online on a mutualized or dedicated server to use it from anywhere. It is also available on ready to use Cloud services. Several plug-ins and add-ons are also available for Dolibarr. This CRM tool is ideal for small business organizations.
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