frappe/crm - Detailed Review#

1. Overview & GitHub Stats#

• URL: https://github.com/frappe/crm
• Stars: 1319
• License: GNU General Public License v3.0
• Primary Language: JavaScript (56.1%), Python (41.3%)
• Last Updated: August 2025

2. Project Description#

Frappe CRM is a fully-featured, modern customer relationship management system built on the Frappe Framework. It’s designed to help businesses manage their sales pipeline, customer interactions, and marketing campaigns in a single, integrated platform. Unlike many commercial CRMs, Frappe CRM offers complete transparency and customization capabilities while maintaining enterprise-grade functionality.

The platform follows a modular architecture, allowing businesses to start with essential CRM features and extend functionality as needed. It integrates seamlessly with other Frappe applications, particularly ERPNext, making it an excellent choice for businesses looking for a comprehensive business management suite.

3. What Software Does It Replace?#

Frappe CRM serves as a compelling alternative to several popular CRM solutions:

Commercial Alternatives:

• Salesforce Sales Cloud
• HubSpot CRM (Premium plans)
• Zoho CRM
• Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales

Open Source Alternatives:

• SuiteCRM
• Odoo CRM
• Vtiger CRM
• EspoCRM

4. Core Functionality#

Frappe CRM offers comprehensive CRM capabilities including:

Sales Pipeline Management:

• Visual pipeline board with drag-and-drop functionality
• Customizable deal stages and probability tracking
• Automated lead scoring and routing

Customer Management:

• 360-degree customer view with interaction history
• Contact management with social media integration
• Organization hierarchy and relationship mapping

Marketing Automation:

• Email campaign management
• Lead capture forms and landing pages
• Marketing analytics and ROI tracking

Communication Tools:

• Integrated email and calendar synchronization
• Call logging and recording integration
• Meeting scheduling and follow-up reminders

Analytics and Reporting:

• Customizable dashboards and reports
• Sales performance metrics
• Pipeline forecasting and trend analysis

5. Pros and Cons#

Pros:

• ✅ Completely free and open source
• ✅ Self-hosted option ensures data privacy
• ✅ Extensive customization capabilities
• ✅ Strong integration with Frappe/ERPNext ecosystem
• ✅ Modern, responsive user interface
• ✅ Active community and regular updates
• ✅ Multi-currency and multi-language support

Cons:

• ❌ Requires technical expertise for self-hosting
• ❌ Smaller third-party integration ecosystem compared to commercial options
• ❌ Limited official support compared to enterprise solutions
• ❌ Steeper learning curve for non-technical users
• ❌ Mobile app functionality is more limited than desktop version

6. Detailed Installation Guide (Self-host)#

1
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
2
sudo apt install python3-dev python3-setuptools python3-pip \
3
python3-venv git curl software-properties-common \
4
mariadb-server mariadb-client redis-server

1
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_16.x | sudo -E bash -
2
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs
3
sudo npm install -g yarn

1
sudo mysql_secure_installation
2
# Create database user and database
3
sudo mysql -u root -p

1
CREATE DATABASE frappe_crm;
2
CREATE USER 'frappeuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_secure_password';
3
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON frappe_crm.* TO 'frappeuser'@'localhost';
4
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
5
EXIT;

1
sudo -H pip3 install frappe-bench

1
bench init frappe-bench --python python3
2
cd frappe-bench

1
bench new-site frappe-crm.local \
2
--mariadb-root-password your_mysql_root_password \
3
--admin-password admin_password_here

1
bench get-app crm https://github.com/frappe/crm
2
bench --site frappe-crm.local install-app crm

1
bench start

1
bench setup production minhpt
2
sudo supervisorctl restart all
3
sudo bench setup nginx
4
sudo systemctl restart nginx