Open-source CRM for nonprofits: CiviCRM vs Frappe CRM
Choose CiviCRM if you want an open-source CRM that already does nonprofit fundraising, membership and events. Choose Frappe CRM if you already run ERPNext, need unlimited users on your own servers, or plan a custom build where the CRM is one part of a bigger system. Either way, “free” means no licence fee, not no cost. This is a deep dive from our comparison of the best CRMs for nonprofits.
Side by side
| CiviCRM | Frappe CRM | |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | AGPL-3 with the CiviCRM licensing exception | AGPL-3.0, source at github.com/frappe/crm |
| Built for | Nonprofits: contributions, memberships, events, mailings, case management | Sales teams: leads, deals, email, WhatsApp, calls |
| Nonprofit fundraising out of the box | Yes | No; build it, or add Frappe's free Non Profit app (GPL v3, for ERPNext v14/15) |
| Runs with | Usually a website CMS such as WordPress or Drupal | The Frappe framework; links to ERPNext |
| Hosted option | Spark, from US$15/month for up to 10,000 contacts | Frappe Cloud, from US$5/month per site, unlimited users |
| Interface | Functional, older | Modern, fast |
| Best fit | Membership and advocacy charities, UK and US | ERPNext users, large teams, custom builds in India |
What AGPL means for a nonprofit
Both are under the GNU Affero General Public License. In plain terms: you can use, change and host them free. If you modify the code and let people use it over a network, such as a donor portal, you must make your modified source available to those users. For most nonprofits this is a feature, not a risk: funders that ask for open infrastructure get it, and nobody can lock your data behind a licence. Check with your developer before you combine AGPL code with proprietary code you don’t want to publish.
This matches how we describe Frappe and open source on our platforms page: choose it when large teams make per-user licences expensive, data must stay on your own servers, or a funder expects open infrastructure. Look elsewhere when no one will own hosting, updates and backups.
Worked example: the true cost of “free”
A 40-user Indian nonprofit is choosing between Zoho CRM and open source. Licences for 40 users on Zoho CRM Professional list at about US$11,000 a year. That gap is why open source comes up. Here is the worksheet we use. Fill in your own numbers.
| Cost line (per year) | CiviCRM (self-hosted) | Frappe CRM (Frappe Cloud) | What to ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Server + backups | From US$5/site/month, more for larger plans | Who is paged when it goes down? |
| Upgrades and security patches | 4–8 partner days | 3–6 partner days | How often do major versions ship? |
| Donor features build | Mostly configuration | Donation, receipt and recurring-gift build: 20–40 days one-off | Can we reuse an existing app? |
| Indian receipts (80G) and FCRA tagging | Custom fields + receipt template | Custom doctypes + print format | Who maintains the template when forms change? |
| Internal owner | 0.2–0.5 FTE | 0.2–0.5 FTE | Named person, not "IT" |
If the internal owner line reads “nobody”, stop. Open source moves responsibility to you; the licence saving disappears the first time an unpatched server leaks a donor list. India’s DPDP Act makes that more expensive, not less (see our plain-English guide to the DPDP Act for NGOs).
When CiviCRM wins
- You are a membership, campaigning or events-heavy charity.
- You want nonprofit fundraising features without building them.
- You are in the UK or US, where CiviCRM partners and Gift Aid extensions are easier to find.
When Frappe CRM wins
- You already run ERPNext for accounts, HR or inventory and want one stack.
- You have 30+ users and per-user licences are the blocker.
- You need the CRM to be part of a custom system with programme or field data.
- You want a modern interface staff will actually open.
When neither is right
A team of five with no technical staff should not self-host anything. Start on Bigin or Bloomerang. Our sibling piece, Zoho Bigin vs Zoho CRM for small NGOs, shows what a light start looks like.
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