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CRM · head to head

Daylite vs EspoCRM

Daylite logo

Daylite

CRM

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

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
EspoCRM logo

EspoCRM

CRM

AGPL open source CRM in PHP that you can self-host free or buy as cloud with seat minimums

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only EspoCRM 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.; EspoCRM the AGPLv3 licence obliges you to publish source modifications if you make the modified software available over a network, which blocks resellers who want to offer a customised hosted version without opening their code.
  • They diverge on capability: Daylite covers Native Apple apps, EspoCRM covers Entity manager.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Daylite and EspoCRM actually diverge.

Attributes where Daylite and EspoCRM differ
AttributeDayliteEspoCRM
Starting price$15/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsmacOS, iOS, iPadOSWeb, Linux, Docker, iOS, Android

Identical on both: pricing model (Per user per month), user rating (Not yet rated), category (CRM).

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 EspoCRM

  • Entity manager
  • Dynamic logic
  • Email integration
  • Sales pipeline
  • Case management
  • Reports and dashboards
  • Workflow automation
  • REST API

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 EspoCRM
  • 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 EspoCRM
  • 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 EspoCRM
  • A small business already standardised on Apple hardware wants to avoid paying for a CRM whose Mac experience is an afterthought.not EspoCRM

EspoCRM

  • A small business that wants a CRM on its own hosting with no per-seat fee and no vendor holding its customer datanot Daylite
  • A public sector or healthcare team with data residency rules that rule out US-hosted commercial CRMnot Daylite
  • A developer or agency needing a CRM whose data model can be extended into a bespoke entity structure through configurationnot Daylite
  • An organisation with many light users, where self-hosting avoids paying seat prices for people who open the CRM twice a monthnot 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.

EspoCRM

  • The AGPLv3 licence obliges you to publish source modifications if you make the modified software available over a network, which blocks resellers who want to offer a customised hosted version without opening their code.
  • Cloud plans carry seat minimums of three, five and ten users, so a two-person consultancy pays for three seats and a small team wanting the Ultimate features pays for ten.
  • Record ceilings are real on the cheaper cloud tiers, with Basic capped at 100,000 records, and hitting the cap means a tier upgrade rather than a small overage charge.
  • Marketing automation, sequences and native telephony are thin compared with HubSpot or Zoho, so most deployments end up wiring in a separate mailing tool and a separate dialler.
  • Self-hosting shifts the entire cost to your own team: PHP version upgrades, database backups and security patching are yours, and a neglected instance becomes an internet-facing liability holding your customer list.

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

EspoCRM

Free
  • Self-hostedFree
    • AGPLv3 licence, no fee
    • Runs on PHP with MySQL or MariaDB
    • Advanced Pack, Sales Pack and other extensions sold separately as one-off purchases
  • Cloud Basic$15/month
    • Three-user minimum
    • 3GB storage per user
    • Up to 100,000 records
  • Cloud Enterprise$25/month
    • Five-user minimum
    • 10GB storage per user
    • Up to 10 million records, extendable for a fee
  • Cloud Ultimate$69/month
    • Ten-user minimum
    • 400GB total storage
    • Unlimited records

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 EspoCRM if

  • You need entity manager.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux, Docker, iOS, Android.
  • You also want dynamic logic.
EspoCRM review

Questions people ask

Is Daylite or EspoCRM better?
Neither clearly leads. Daylite starts at $15/month and EspoCRM at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Daylite or EspoCRM?
EspoCRM has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $15/month for Daylite and Free for EspoCRM.
Does Daylite or EspoCRM run on more platforms?
Daylite runs on macOS, iOS, iPadOS. EspoCRM runs on Web, Linux, Docker, iOS, Android.
Can I use EspoCRM for free?
Yes. EspoCRM 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 EspoCRM is typically brought in for.
What can Daylite do that EspoCRM cannot?
Daylite covers Native Apple apps, Apple Mail Assistant, Projects as first-class objects, Pipelines. EspoCRM covers Entity manager, Dynamic logic, Email integration, Sales pipeline.

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.

EspoCRM: Is the self-hosted version really full featured?

The core CRM is, but several paid extension packs including Advanced Pack for reports and BPM are sold separately as one-off purchases and are not in the free download.

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.

EspoCRM: What are the cloud seat minimums?

Three users on Basic, five on Enterprise and ten on Ultimate, so the advertised per-user rate is not the smallest bill you can pay.

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.

EspoCRM: What does it need to run?

PHP, MySQL or MariaDB and a web server. It installs on ordinary shared hosting or a small VPS, which is unusual for a modern CRM.

Daylite: Does it work offline?

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

EspoCRM: Can I move from cloud to self-hosted later?

Yes. EspoCRM states customers own their database and data files, so an export and reinstall is possible, though you take on all maintenance when you do.

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