Open Source CRM: start in the cloud or run it self-hosted

Customermates is an open source CRM for small teams: contacts, organizations, deals and tasks in lists you configure yourself, with REST, webhooks and MCP for AI agents. The core is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and public on GitHub. Start in the managed cloud with a free Pro trial and no credit card, or run the core self-hosted with Docker Compose and PostgreSQL.

What is open source about Customermates?

First-party code outside ee/ is licensed under AGPL-3.0 only. Code in ee/ uses the Customermates Commercial License, except the material that Section 6 of ee/LICENSE.md keeps under AGPL-3.0: the parts delivered to the browser (images, fonts, CSS and client-side JavaScript).

The commercial license allows running the official image in self-hosted mode as a Community Build, in production too, as long as the cloud features stay off. The exact terms are in LICENSE and ee/LICENSE.md. Read both before you modify or redistribute the code (license details checked on 29 October 2026).

The CRM itself works the same way in both: lists for people, organizations, deals or tasks, custom fields, table, Kanban and calendar views, dashboards, roles and an activity log. External AI clients such as Claude or ChatGPT work through the MCP server with the permissions of the user they are connected as.

Cloud or self-hosted: which route fits you?

The cloud fits when you want to work with real customers today and do not want to run servers. The primary production database is configured in AWS Frankfurt; that is a chosen setting, not a certification and not a residency guarantee. Region, providers and safeguards are covered on the cloud CRM page.

Self-hosting fits when your team can run Docker and PostgreSQL and the Starter feature set is enough. What exactly runs and what is missing is on the self-hosted CRM page.

How to try Customermates in the cloud

1. Create an account

   Sign up and create your first workspace. It gets 7 days of Pro features, with no credit card.

2. Describe your workspace

   Answer a few questions about customers, sales and numbers, or let it read your website. The AI setup shows a plan with lists, pipeline stages, fields, dashboard and knowledge base pages that you confirm or adjust.

3. Bring your own data

   Import an Excel workbook (XLSX) or start with sample data to check views and pipeline.

4. Connect your own AI

   Connect Claude, ChatGPT or another MCP client if you want. Mate works in the workspace with the user's permissions, and sensitive actions need your approval.

5. Choose a plan

   If Customermates fits, choose a plan. Nothing is billed without a checkout; after the trial the workspace pauses until a plan is chosen.

Plans and what they include are on the pricing page.

How to run Customermates self-hosted

The self-hosting guide walks through it step by step: fetch docker-compose.yml and .env from the repository with curl, fill in the password, secret, BASE_URL and email delivery, then run docker compose up -d. The image is built for linux/amd64 and linux/arm64 and applies pending database migrations on every start.

A self-hosted instance holds any number of workspaces, counts no seats and bills nothing. In return you own updates, backups, tested restores, TLS and monitoring. Self-hosting does not make a CRM GDPR compliant on its own: configuration, connected providers, contracts and operations remain your responsibility.

What Customermates is not built for

Customermates is a focused CRM, not a business suite. There are no quotes or invoices, no sequences or mass email, no telephony or SMS, no native mobile apps and no compliance certification. SSO and white-label are not built. If you need ERP, accounting or marketing automation in the same system, a larger suite fits better.

If you are weighing several open source CRMs side by side, our open source CRM comparison gives criteria for license, deployment and operating effort. Direct comparisons cover SuiteCRM, EspoCRM and Twenty.

Frequently asked questions