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CRM · head to head

Daylite vs Dolibarr

Daylite logo

Daylite

CRM

CRM and project management built exclusively for Mac, iPhone and iPad

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Dolibarr logo

Dolibarr

ERP

Modular open source ERP and CRM for very small businesses, installable on shared hosting

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Dolibarr has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Daylite it is Apple-only. There is no Windows client, so a single team member on a Windows machine, or a client-facing contractor who is not on a Mac, makes the product unworkable for the whole organisation.; Dolibarr the core is deliberately shallow, so a serious requirement such as advanced manufacturing, EDI or a specific payment gateway usually means buying a DoliStore module from a third-party author, and the quality and maintenance of those modules varies widely.
  • They diverge on capability: Daylite covers Native Apple apps, Dolibarr covers Module toggles.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Daylite and Dolibarr actually diverge.

Attributes where Daylite and Dolibarr differ
AttributeDayliteDolibarr
Starting price$15/monthFree
Pricing modelPer user per monthOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsmacOS, iOS, iPadOSWeb, Self-hosted, Docker, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android
CategoryCRMERP

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Daylite

  • Native Apple apps
  • Apple Mail Assistant
  • Projects as first-class objects
  • Pipelines
  • Linked records
  • Smart lists
  • Offline working
  • Delegation

Only in Dolibarr

  • Module toggles
  • Third-party management
  • Quotes to invoices
  • Stock and warehouses
  • Double-entry accounting
  • Projects and time
  • Point of sale
  • DoliStore

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Daylite

  • An all-Mac law firm or architecture practice wants a CRM that behaves like Mac software and files emails from Apple Mail rather than forcing everyone into a browser tab.not Dolibarr
  • A consultancy needs client relationships and delivery projects in one system, where the project is a real record with its own tasks and meetings rather than a custom object bolted onto a deal.not Dolibarr
  • A team works frequently without connectivity, on site or in transit, and needs a CRM with a genuine local data store rather than a web app that degrades to nothing offline.not Dolibarr
  • A small business already standardised on Apple hardware wants to avoid paying for a CRM whose Mac experience is an afterthought.not Dolibarr

Dolibarr

  • A two-person consultancy wants quotes, invoices and basic accounting self-hosted on an existing five euro a month shared hosting account with no server administration.not Daylite
  • A French or Spanish small business needs VAT handling and accounting exports that match local practice out of the box rather than after configuration.not Daylite
  • An association or nonprofit needs membership, subscription and donation tracking alongside ordinary invoicing without paying per member.not Daylite
  • A small distributor wants stock, purchase orders and sales orders in one system and is willing to buy a DoliStore module rather than commission bespoke development.not Daylite

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Daylite

  • It is Apple-only. There is no Windows client, so a single team member on a Windows machine, or a client-facing contractor who is not on a Mac, makes the product unworkable for the whole organisation.
  • The web experience is secondary to the native apps, so remote access from a borrowed or non-Apple computer is limited in a way buyers used to browser CRMs do not anticipate.
  • It has no built-in marketing automation, email campaigns or lead scoring, so anything beyond one-to-one email means a separate tool and a Zapier connection.
  • Plan caps are hard rather than advisory: Leap is a single user with 500 contacts, and crossing twenty users forces you from Growth to Scale, which is a 50 per cent increase in the per-user rate for capacity you may not need.
  • Third-party integrations are thin compared with HubSpot or Pipedrive, and much of what does exist runs through Zapier, so accounting, telephony and support connections are indirect and add their own subscription cost.

Dolibarr

  • The core is deliberately shallow, so a serious requirement such as advanced manufacturing, EDI or a specific payment gateway usually means buying a DoliStore module from a third-party author, and the quality and maintenance of those modules varies widely.
  • Accounting was designed around French practice, and the chart of accounts, VAT model and fiscal exports need real work to satisfy accountants in the United States, the UK or Australia.
  • The interface is functional rather than designed and shows its age against Odoo, which makes internal adoption harder when staff are comparing it to consumer-grade software.
  • Upgrades between major versions can break paid third-party modules, because module authors update on their own schedules and there is no guarantee your combination will work on version 24 the day it ships.
  • Support is community forums unless you buy a partner contract, and the documentation is a wiki of uneven quality with substantial parts written in French, so English-only teams hit dead ends.

Pricing, plan by plan

Daylite

$15/month
  • Leap$15/month
    • One user only
    • 500 contacts
    • One email integration
  • Growth$30/month
    • Up to 20 users
    • 25,000 contacts
    • Three email integrations per user
  • Scale$45/month
    • Up to 100 users
    • 250,000 contacts
    • Ten email integrations per user
  • Custom$undefined/month
    • For teams of ten or more with specific requirements
    • Quoted on application

Dolibarr

Free
  • Self-hostedFree
    • Full GPL source, all core modules
    • Unlimited users
    • You provide PHP and MySQL hosting
  • Partner cloud hosting$14/month
    • Managed hosting from DoliCloud or a certified partner
    • Backups, updates and support included
    • Typically 10 to 30 euros per user per month

Which should you pick?

Choose Daylite if

  • You need native apple apps.
  • You work on macOS, iOS, iPadOS.
  • You also want apple mail assistant.
Daylite review

Choose Dolibarr if

  • You need module toggles.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted, Docker, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android.
  • You also want third-party management.
Dolibarr review

Questions people ask

Is Daylite or Dolibarr better?
Neither clearly leads. Daylite starts at $15/month and Dolibarr at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Daylite or Dolibarr?
Dolibarr has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $15/month for Daylite and Free for Dolibarr.
Does Daylite or Dolibarr run on more platforms?
Daylite runs on macOS, iOS, iPadOS. Dolibarr runs on Web, Self-hosted, Docker, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android.
Can I use Dolibarr for free?
Yes. Dolibarr has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Daylite starts at $15/month.
What is Daylite best used for?
Daylite is most often used for an all-mac law firm or architecture practice wants a crm that behaves like mac software and files emails from apple mail rather than forcing everyone into a browser tab., a consultancy needs client relationships and delivery projects in one system, where the project is a real record with its own tasks and meetings rather than a custom object bolted onto a deal., a team works frequently without connectivity, on site or in transit, and needs a crm with a genuine local data store rather than a web app that degrades to nothing offline., a small business already standardised on apple hardware wants to avoid paying for a crm whose mac experience is an afterthought.. Of those, an all-mac law firm or architecture practice wants a crm that behaves like mac software and files emails from apple mail rather than forcing everyone into a browser tab. and a consultancy needs client relationships and delivery projects in one system, where the project is a real record with its own tasks and meetings rather than a custom object bolted onto a deal. are not what Dolibarr is typically brought in for.
What can Daylite do that Dolibarr cannot?
Daylite covers Native Apple apps, Apple Mail Assistant, Projects as first-class objects, Pipelines. Dolibarr covers Module toggles, Third-party management, Quotes to invoices, Stock and warehouses.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Daylite: Does Daylite run on Windows?

No. It is macOS, iPadOS and iOS only. This is the single most common reason buyers rule it out.

Dolibarr: Is Dolibarr genuinely free?

Yes. The full application is GPL with no user limit and no paid edition of the core. You pay only for hosting, optional DoliStore modules and optional partner support.

Daylite: Is there a web version?

There is browser access, but the product is designed around the native Mac app and the web view is not a full replacement.

Dolibarr: Can it run on shared hosting?

Yes, that is its main practical advantage. It needs only PHP and MySQL or MariaDB, so an ordinary cPanel account is enough.

Daylite: What does it cost?

Leap is 15 US dollars a month for one user billed annually, Growth 30 per user and Scale 45 per user, rising to 20, 40 and 60 on monthly billing.

Dolibarr: How does it compare to Odoo?

Odoo is deeper and better presented but its useful modules are in the paid Enterprise edition and it needs a proper deployment. Dolibarr is thinner but free end to end and far easier to host.

Daylite: Does it work offline?

Yes. The Mac app keeps a local store and syncs through Marketcircle Cloud when a connection returns.

Dolibarr: Does it handle UK or US accounting?

Not comfortably out of the box. The accounting module reflects French conventions and needs configuration and often a local module to satisfy an accountant elsewhere.

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