OVERALL
ALTERNATIVES
SPECS
VS AVERAGE
REVIEWS
Scored using CRM Software Methodology v3.0
CRM Software Methodology v3.0
Mathematical & Unbiased Scoring
Products in this category are scored under Frontum CRM Software Methodology v3.0: the technical score from the specifications is the base, and independent expert and video reviews (up to ±0.5 points), owner opinions (up to ±0.3) and best-of lists (up to +0.3) move it up or down.
Explore CRM Software Methodology v3.0

CiviCRM review: 54 specs compared

Starting price:0 USD/user/moFree plan:yesAI assistant:noBuilt-in quotes and invoicing:yesWorkflow automation:yes

CiviCRM Review: Compare 54 technical specifications, 4 expert and video reviews and 1 best-of list to see how this product ranks in the CRM Software category and whether it is worth buying.

CiviCRM
8.1/10

Overall score

Score
8.1/ 10
✕
What it is
Our main score for this model, 1–10. It combines specs, expert reviews and best-of lists.
How we count it
Parts: Technical score 40%, Reviews score 30%, List score 30%
Marks: Each part gets a mark out of 10. For reviews, lists and owners, a typical model in this category gets about 8 and the best one gets 10.
No data yet: A part with no data shows "?". It counts as the mark of a weaker model in this category (4 in 5 models with data score higher). This way, models with reviews, lists and owners usually come out ahead.
Score distribution
▼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
▲ Better than 76% of models
Score components

40%

8.0

Technical score

30%

8.3

Reviews score

30%

8.0

List score

▲Better than 76% of CRM software
8.0

Technical score

Technical score
8.0/ 10
✕
What it is
How good the specs are compared with the other models in this category, 1–10.
How we count it
Areas: We rate the specs in each area against the other models in this category.
Weighting: The areas that matter most to buyers count more. The shares are shown under Score components.
Share: The technical score is 40% of the overall score.
Score distribution
▼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
▲ Better than 60% of models
Score components

25%

8.9

Product & Pricing

25%

8.2

Core CRM

20%

5.8

Sales & Automation

15%

9.0

Integrations & Access

15%

8.3

Security & Deployment

▲Better than 60%
8.3

Reviews score

Reviews score
8.3/ 10
✕
What it is
Average grade from independent test sites, magazines and video reviewers, 1–10.
How we count it
Grades: Each review's own score is converted to 1–10; without one, we grade the review ourselves. Every review counts the same: written or video, short or full test.
Score: The average grade is 80% of the review mark; the number of reviews is the other 20% (1 review = 5, the typical number in this category = 8, the most-reviewed model = 10).
Enough data: With few reviews, the average grade is pulled toward the typical grade of this category. No reviews yet: 7.6 for now.
Share: Reviews count 30% of the overall score.
Score distribution
▼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
▲ Better than 73% of models

80%

8.4

Average grade

20%

8.3

Popularity

Grades by review (4)
4 videos, average 8.8/10. Reviews count 30% of the overall score.
User ratings collected online are not part of this score.
▲Better than 73%
8.0

List score

List score
8.0/ 10
✕
What it is
How often independent test sites, magazines and video reviewers put this model in their best-of lists for this category.
How we count it
Points: The model in the most lists of this category gets 10; the others get 8 to 10 in proportion. In no list yet: 7.5. Lists count 30% of the overall score.
Enough data: Every list counts, even a single one. With fewer than 5 best-of lists in the category, this part is left out.
Lists with this model (1)
List score: in 1 of 44 lists (2%)
▲Better than 73%
Pricing & Access
Best rankings
Available: ranking among products currently available (including other versions of this product).All: ranking among all products in the database.

What reviewers say about CiviCRM

Based on 1 · 4

Reviewers love its CMS integration and donor, event and membership tools, but most find installation and setup hard.
Praised
Criticised
Pick a topic to see who said what
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CRM Software product ranking

Ranked #58 of 242 products in CRM Software (Overall score)

Technical Specifications of CRM platform CiviCRM

Technical score
Technical score
8.0/ 10
✕
What it is
How good the specs are compared with the other models in this category, 1–10.
How we count it
Areas: We rate the specs in each area against the other models in this category.
Weighting: The areas that matter most to buyers count more. The shares are shown under Score components.
Share: The technical score is 40% of the overall score.
Score distribution
▼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
▲ Better than 60% of models
Score components:

25%

8.9

Product & Pricing

25%

8.2

Core CRM

20%

5.8

Sales & Automation

15%

9.0

Integrations & Access

15%

8.3

Security & Deployment

8.0
Reviews score
8.3
List score
8.0
Starting price
0 USD/user/mo
Market range: <0 USD/user/mo – >100 USD/user/mo
This CRM platform has a starting price of 0 USD/user/mo, which is lower than that of 98.8% of CRM platforms and equal to that of 1.2% of CRM platforms.
Billing period
Monthly, Annual
Free plan
yes
This CRM platform offers a permanent free plan.
100% free open-source software.
Free trial
no
This CRM platform does not offer a time-limited free trial.
Open source software does not require a limited trial.
Minimum seats
1 seat
Market range: <1 seat – >6 seats
This CRM platform has a minimum purchase requirement of 1 seat, which is lower than that of 1.9% of CRM platforms and equal to that of 98.1% of CRM platforms.
Show more
Account and company management
yes
This CRM platform supports account and company management. 0.2% of CRM platforms support account and company management.
Contact management
yes
This CRM platform supports contact management. 0% of CRM platforms support contact management.
Lead management
yes
This CRM platform supports lead management. 0.2% of CRM platforms support lead management.
Lead intake and qualification tracking.
Deal and pipeline management
yes
This CRM platform supports deal and pipeline management. 0.2% of CRM platforms support deal and pipeline management.
Visual sales and opportunity pipeline.
Custom fields
yes
This CRM platform supports custom fields. 0% of CRM platforms support custom fields.
Show more
What reviewers say
AI assistant
no
This CRM platform does not offer an AI assistant. 22% of CRM platforms offer this feature.
Workflow automation
yes
This CRM platform supports workflow automation. 0.5% of CRM platforms offer this feature.
Automated workflow rules and activity triggers.
Lead scoring
no
This CRM platform does not support lead scoring. 19.8% of CRM platforms offer this feature.
Email sync and tracking
yes
This CRM platform supports email sync and tracking. 0.5% of CRM platforms offer these features.
Sales forecasting
no
This CRM platform does not support sales forecasting. 15% of CRM platforms offer this feature.
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Marketplace integrations
yes
This CRM platform offers marketplace integrations. 1.9% of CRM platforms offer marketplace integrations.
CiviCRM integration directory with Zapier and third-party tools.
API access
yes
This CRM platform offers API access. 0.2% of CRM platforms offer API access.
Webhooks
yes
This CRM platform supports webhooks. 1.4% of CRM platforms support webhooks.
Mobile apps
yes
This CRM platform offers mobile apps. 2.4% of CRM platforms offer mobile apps.
Native mobile applications for iOS and Android for CiviCRM.
Data import and export
yes
This CRM platform supports data import and export. 0% of CRM platforms support data import and export.
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What reviewers say
Single sign-on (SSO)
no
This CRM platform does not support single sign-on. 23.2% of CRM platforms support single sign-on.
Security certifications
SOC 2
Role-based permissions
yes
This CRM platform supports role-based permissions. 0.7% of CRM platforms support role-based permissions.
Role-based access levels and user permissions.
Audit logs
yes
This CRM platform provides audit logs. 2.6% of CRM platforms provide audit logs.
System activity log tracking user actions.
Supported operating systems
Web, iOS, Android
Show more
What reviewers say

CiviCRM vs the average CRM platform

246810TotalProduct & PricingCore CRMSales & AutomationIntegrations & AccessSecurity & Deployment
  • 39 USD/user/mo $/user/mo lower starting price
    User score
    7.0/ 10
    ✕
    What it is
    Average of independent expert reviews and videos, graded by us; missing reviews count as 7/10.
    When it matters
    When you want to know how independent test sites and video reviewers rate the product in real use.
    Score distribution
    ▼▼
    <55-66-77-88-99-10
    CiviCRM
    the average CRM platform
    CiviCRM has a lower starting price than the average CRM platform (0 USD/user/mo vs 39 USD/user/mo). The average starting price across CRM platforms is 39 USD/user/mo.
    0 USD/user/mo vs 39 USD/user/mo
  • Offers a permanent free plan
    This CRM platform offers a permanent free plan, while the average CRM platform does not.
    100% free open-source software.
  • More included file storage
    This CRM platform includes more file storage than the average CRM platform (unlimited GB vs 10 GB).
    unlimited GB vs 10 GB
  • Wider interface language choice
    This CRM platform offers a wider choice of interface languages than the average CRM platform (15+ languages vs English only).
    15+ languages vs English only
  • Offers European data residency
    This CRM platform offers European data residency, while the average CRM platform does not. 21.6% of CRM platforms offer European data residency.
  • Supports self-hosting
    This CRM platform supports self-hosting, while the average CRM platform does not. 6.7% of CRM platforms support self-hosting.
    Self-hosted on private servers or cloud VPS.
  • 5.1% higher review score
    Reviews score
    8.3/ 10
    ✕
    What it is
    Average grade from independent test sites, magazines and video reviewers, 1–10.
    How we count it
    Grades: Each review's own score is converted to 1–10; without one, we grade the review ourselves. Every review counts the same: written or video, short or full test.
    Score: The average grade is 80% of the review mark; the number of reviews is the other 20% (1 review = 5, the typical number in this category = 8, the most-reviewed model = 10).
    Enough data: With few reviews, the average grade is pulled toward the typical grade of this category. No reviews yet: 7.6 for now.
    Share: Reviews count 30% of the overall score.
    Score distribution
    ▼
    <55-66-77-88-99-10
    ▲ Better than 73% of models

    80%

    8.4

    Average grade

    20%

    8.3

    Popularity

    Grades by review (4)
    4 videos, average 8.8/10. Reviews count 30% of the overall score.
    User ratings collected online are not part of this score.
    8.3 vs 7.9
  • 4.1% better value for money
    CiviCRM offers better value for money than the average CRM platform (8.69 vs 8.3).
    8.69 vs 8.34
  • 5.1% higher review score
    Reviews score
    8.3/ 10
    ✕
    What it is
    Average grade from independent test sites, magazines and video reviewers, 1–10.
    How we count it
    Grades: Each review's own score is converted to 1–10; without one, we grade the review ourselves. Every review counts the same: written or video, short or full test.
    Score: The average grade is 80% of the review mark; the number of reviews is the other 20% (1 review = 5, the typical number in this category = 8, the most-reviewed model = 10).
    Enough data: With few reviews, the average grade is pulled toward the typical grade of this category. No reviews yet: 7.6 for now.
    Share: Reviews count 30% of the overall score.
    Score distribution
    ▼
    <55-66-77-88-99-10
    ▲ Better than 73% of models

    80%

    8.4

    Average grade

    20%

    8.3

    Popularity

    Grades by review (4)
    4 videos, average 8.8/10. Reviews count 30% of the overall score.
    User ratings collected online are not part of this score.
    8.3 vs 7.9
  • 4.1% better value for money
    CiviCRM offers better value for money than the average CRM platform (8.69 vs 8.3).
    8.69 vs 8.34
  • 39 USD/user/mo $/user/mo lower starting price
    User score
    7.0/ 10
    ✕
    What it is
    Average of independent expert reviews and videos, graded by us; missing reviews count as 7/10.
    When it matters
    When you want to know how independent test sites and video reviewers rate the product in real use.
    Score distribution
    ▼▼
    <55-66-77-88-99-10
    CiviCRM
    the average CRM platform
    CiviCRM has a lower starting price than the average CRM platform (0 USD/user/mo vs 39 USD/user/mo). The average starting price across CRM platforms is 39 USD/user/mo.
    0 USD/user/mo vs 39 USD/user/mo
  • Offers a permanent free plan
    This CRM platform offers a permanent free plan, while the average CRM platform does not.
    100% free open-source software.
  • More included file storage
    This CRM platform includes more file storage than the average CRM platform (unlimited GB vs 10 GB).
    unlimited GB vs 10 GB
  • Wider interface language choice
    This CRM platform offers a wider choice of interface languages than the average CRM platform (15+ languages vs English only).
    15+ languages vs English only
  • Offers European data residency
    This CRM platform offers European data residency, while the average CRM platform does not. 21.6% of CRM platforms offer European data residency.
  • Supports self-hosting
    This CRM platform supports self-hosting, while the average CRM platform does not. 6.7% of CRM platforms support self-hosting.
    Self-hosted on private servers or cloud VPS.
  • No time-limited free trial
    This CRM platform does not offer a time-limited free trial, while the average CRM platform does.
    Open source software does not require a limited trial.
  • 2.4% lower list score
    List score
    8.0/ 10
    ✕
    What it is
    How often independent test sites, magazines and video reviewers put this model in their best-of lists for this category.
    How we count it
    Points: The model in the most lists of this category gets 10; the others get 8 to 10 in proportion. In no list yet: 7.5. Lists count 30% of the overall score.
    Enough data: Every list counts, even a single one. With fewer than 5 best-of lists in the category, this part is left out.
    Lists with this model (1)
    List score: in 1 of 44 lists (2%)
    8.0 vs 8.2
  • 2.4% lower list score
    List score
    8.0/ 10
    ✕
    What it is
    How often independent test sites, magazines and video reviewers put this model in their best-of lists for this category.
    How we count it
    Points: The model in the most lists of this category gets 10; the others get 8 to 10 in proportion. In no list yet: 7.5. Lists count 30% of the overall score.
    Enough data: Every list counts, even a single one. With fewer than 5 best-of lists in the category, this part is left out.
    Lists with this model (1)
    List score: in 1 of 44 lists (2%)
    8.0 vs 8.2
  • No time-limited free trial
    This CRM platform does not offer a time-limited free trial, while the average CRM platform does.
    Open source software does not require a limited trial.

Video reviews

Hands-on testing and real-world video evaluations

9.0
HelperMan
≈ estimated
07/10/2025
Short overview · features and suitability for nonprofits
Verdict
CiviCRM is still a strong, reliable choice for mission-driven nonprofits, though not suited to sales-focused teams.
8.0
KnowledgeAgent
≈ estimated
08/07/2025
Short overview · features and tradeoffs, no hands-on testing
Verdict
CiviCRM is a strong, budget-friendly choice for nonprofits with in-house technical staff, though setup and support are harder.
9.0
Ron Tester
≈ estimated
21/11/2024
Short overview · features and who it suits
Verdict
CiviCRM is an excellent, budget-friendly choice for nonprofits and membership organizations with some technical expertise.
Overview video
Shop video

Third-party reviews

What customers like about CiviCRM

  • Full source code control and self-hosting flexibility, ensuring complete on-premise governance over customer records.
  • Visual workflow automation builder facilitating status updates, assignment rules, and reminder notifications.
  • Native quote and estimate generation pulling live product catalogs and line-item discounts directly into deals.
  • Extensive marketplace connectors complemented by full REST API endpoints and webhooks for software stack integration.
  • Permanent free subscription tier providing core contact tracking capabilities for micro-teams without upfront billing.

What customers don't like about CiviCRM

  • The complimentary tier enforces strict record volume and automation limits, necessitating paid plan upgrades as operations grow.
  • Lacks native enterprise SAML Single Sign-On (SSO) in standard plans, complicating centralized corporate authentication.
  • Native telephony dialer and call recording are not built into the core interface, requiring third-party VoIP software.
  • Self-hosted deployment demands ongoing infrastructure administration, technical database maintenance, and hands-on software update oversight.

Verdict

CiviCRM is an open-source, self-hosted customer relationship management platform developed by CiviCRM to provide complete data sovereignty and code transparency. The software delivers modular architecture for lead management, contact records, multi-stage deal pipelines, and custom database schema extensions. Operational flexibility is driven by unrestricted user deployments, full source code access alongside configurable automation workflows. Enterprises benefit from complete on-premises database control, unrestricted API integrations, zero per-seat subscription licenses, and native European data compliance. However, practical considerations involve the requirement for in-house server administration, manual security patching, and the absence of vendor phone support. It is particularly well suited for privacy-conscious organizations, technical teams, and European enterprises requiring complete control over customer data. Furthermore, administrative settings maintain flexible oversight as operational requirements expand.

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