Best Open Source CRM Software For Your Small Business

The rather noble philosophy behind Open Source CRM software deserves recognition. For small businesses, Open Source CRM software solutions will merit serious consideration in the near future.

Right now, however, Open Source is a bit of an unknown quantity from a CRM context, and especially from a small business perspective.

But this grassroots movement has already assumed cult-like status with major backers from IBM to astro-entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth. Sun has also made Java fully open source. With this groundswell of support, CRM Open Source solutions will find themselves in the mainstream sooner rather than later.

The open source contender to Microsoft Office - Star Office/Open Office, is steadily eroding Microsoft's market share as it proves itself a reliable, capable alternative.

What makes OpenSource products attractive are their price, depending on how the Open Source Foundation (OSF) price models are applied. Open Source products are ostensibly free. But there is a hidden price tag. Support is not that readily available, and comes at a cost. Your choice of software is still rather limited and a proficient IT person/team is necessary if you are to fully benefit from open source software.

So, approach with caution. Our 'small business' instincts are probably more tuned to the word 'FREE' than others, and Open Source CRM solutions could end up being a case of 'false economy'.

If you are going to need to customize your CRM software, however, as is often the case, there is strong justification for going the Open Source route. Proprietory CRM software can be difficult and expensive to customize as the source code is not readily available, if at all. And using their in-house development services could end being extremely costly if you are not careful.

If you do opt to have a proprietory CRM vendor or one of their VAR's (Value Added Resellers) do your customization, ensure your CRM specification is thoroughly thought through, right to the last full-stop!

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Best Open Source CRM Software Solutions.

If you are keen to check out some CRM solutions based on Open Source, look at:

• SugarCRM. Recommended. It is more suitable for larger businesses, however. According to their website, SugarCRM is being downloaded up to 500 times per day.

• CentricCRM. Recommended. Is a well designed, fully J2EE compliant, open source CRM solution. CentricCRM is less expensive than SugarCRM, yet is adaptable for small or mid-sized corporations, or businesses with complex sales environments.

  • Read our CentricCRM review

• vTiger. vTiger offers a comprehensive CRM feature set for small and medium businesses. A Helpdesk, product database, strong Outlook integration and mass emailing are some of its strengths. A 100% open source CRM product. vTiger is a badge-engineered version of SugarCRM, with a different subscription-based revenue model for customer support.

• Daffodil CRM. Now fully integrated with Compiere, ComDaf is targetted at small to medium businesses. ComDaf CRM is a full featured ERP/CRM solution. They will even customize for you at nominal rates. DaffodilCRM will be reviewed later.

  

  • Daffodil CRM resellers..

• JunariCRM. Built on the OpenERP platform, Junari CRM is extensible and fully customisable as you have access to the source code. Also offers support for various mobiles including iPhone and Blackberry. See more mobile CRM solutions

• SellWinCRM. Discontinued? SellWin was developed by Open App Inc., a startup company located in Texas, USA, that provides software services for customers needing professional services centered around the SellWin product.

• Anteil CRM. Popular with govt. departments, non-profits, real estate and even the fashion and publishing industries. Product is currently being ported to Java with AJAX.

• We want your independent CRM reviews/experiences of these and other CRM products!

• Please read or add your reviews or comments to these Open Source CRM's at bottom of page

Open Source Accounting and CRM Solutions for Accountants.

• TurboCASH. One of the most popular Open Source Accounting software solutions is TurboCASH.

  TurboCASH .7 is an open source accounting package that is free for everyone to download and distribute under the terms of the General Public Licence (GPL).

  Although aimed at the small- to medium-sized business market, TurboCASH is not a simple 'home finances' bookkeeping system. TurboCASH features everything one would expect from accounting software costing £250 or more. And since it's governed by the GPL, TurboCASH is free - no 30-day trials or restricted versions.

  If you have access to Open Source skills, TurboCASH is probably the Open Source Accounting package of choice for small businesses. Unfortunately it does not yet offer a CRM module (but, I'm told, it's in the pipeline).

  To read more about TurboCASH, click here:

• Read How Small Businesses Can Leverage Open Source CRM Technology.

• For information about Open Source generally, go to : OpenSource.org

• For the largest download repository of Open Source products, visit: SourceForge

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What Other Visitors Have Said About Open Source CRM Software

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