Sustainable Substitutes for Big Tech CRM & ERP Services

Alternatives to Salesforce and SAP, focusing on open-source and self-hostable solutions.

  • Feasibility: How easily can the average user switch to this substitute? Higher feasibility results in a higher ranking.
  • Editor's Rating: How sustainable is the substitute? The more sustainability attributes it fulfils, the higher it is ranked.
civicrm logo

CiviCRM

An open-source Constituent Relation Management system for non-profit organisations.

CiviCRM is free of charge. It is open-source software, meaning you can download, install, and use it without any licensing fees. However, costs may arise from hosting, customisation, or support services if you choose to use third-party providers.
CiviCRM is open-source software, allowing users to access, modify, and distribute the source code.
CiviCRM is based in the UK, ensuring compliance with European data protection regulations like GDPR.
CiviCRM does not display advertisements, providing a clean and uninterrupted user experience.
CiviCRM can be self-hosted, giving users complete control over their infrastructure and data.
CiviCRM features a modular architecture, allowing users to enable or disable specific components based on their needs.
CiviCRM does not have unnecessary AI as a core feature, but third party AI integrations may exist.
CiviCRM is designed with privacy in mind, especially when self-hosted, as it minimises exposure to third-party data collection.
Website
suitecrm logo

SuiteCRM

An open-source, affordable and customisable Customer Relatation Management system.

SuiteCRM is fully open-source, ensuring transparency, customization, and community-driven development.
SuiteCRM Ltd is based in Scotland (UK). SuiteCRM is developed and maintained in the EU/UK.
SuiteCRM can be self-hosted, giving businesses full control over their data and infrastructure.
SuiteCRM does not include advertisements, maintaining a professional and clean interface.
SuiteCRM prioritises user privacy, particularly in self-hosted environments.
SuiteCRM itself does not have built-in, mandatory AI, but it supports AI integrations via third-party modules and tools.
Self-hosting the community edition is completely free apart from the hosting costs.
SuiteCRM offers a modular design, enabling customisation and scalability according to specific business needs.
Website

ERPNext

An open-source, affordable and customisable Enterprise Resource Planning system.

ERPNext is fully open-source, ensuring transparency, customization, and community-driven development.
ERPNext can be self-hosted, giving businesses full control over their data and infrastructure.
ERPNext is free of charge, making it accessible to businesses of all sizes.
ERPNext does not display advertisements, ensuring a clean and professional user experience.
ERPNext features a modular design, allowing users to customise and extend functionality based on their requirements.
ERPNext is designed to be privacy-friendly, particularly in self-hosted environments, minimising data exposure.
ERPNext does not include AI bloat in its core product. AI-based extensions are available though.
Website

Odoo

An open-source Customer Relation Management and Enterprise Ressource Planning suite.

Odoo is open-source, allowing full transparency, customization, and community-driven development.
Odoo is based in Belgium, ensuring compliance with GDPR and strong European privacy laws.
Odoo can be self-hosted, giving businesses full control over their data and infrastructure.
Odoo features a modular architecture, allowing users to enable or disable specific applications based on their needs.
Odoo does not display advertisements, providing a clean and uninterrupted user experience.
Odoo is designed with privacy in mind, especially when self-hosted.
The community edition (self-hosted) is free of charge.
Website

How to move away from Big Tech CRM & ERP Services

Here's a guide on how to easily get away from Salesforce and SAP.

Migration away from proprietary CRM/ERP vendors will probably require some manual work, even though the systems mentioned above have import features and modules, such as the CiviCRM import wizard, the Odoo ETL intergration or the ERPNext data import framework. SuiteCRM offers a professional migration service. The output will have to be carefully tested and users need to be trained before the migration can be considered complete.