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Customer Support · head to head

DelightChat vs EspoCRM

DelightChat logo

DelightChat

Customer Support

Omnichannel customer support for D2C brands

From
$29/month
Free plan
No
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
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only EspoCRM has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: DelightChat startup plan at $29/month has limited features compared to competitors; 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: DelightChat covers Unified inbox, EspoCRM covers Entity manager.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which DelightChat and EspoCRM actually diverge.

Attributes where DelightChat and EspoCRM differ
AttributeDelightChatEspoCRM
Starting price$29/monthFree
Pricing modelUnknownPer user per month
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Linux, Docker, iOS, Android
CategoryCustomer SupportCRM
Founded2020Unknown

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 DelightChat

  • Unified inbox
  • WhatsApp integration
  • Instagram DM
  • Facebook Messenger
  • Email
  • Order management
  • Shopify
  • WooCommerce

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.

DelightChat

  • E-commerce supportnot EspoCRM
  • WhatsApp marketingnot EspoCRM
  • Order inquiriesnot EspoCRM
  • Social commercenot 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 DelightChat
  • A public sector or healthcare team with data residency rules that rule out US-hosted commercial CRMnot DelightChat
  • A developer or agency needing a CRM whose data model can be extended into a bespoke entity structure through configurationnot DelightChat
  • An organisation with many light users, where self-hosting avoids paying seat prices for people who open the CRM twice a monthnot DelightChat

Where each one falls short

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

DelightChat

  • Startup plan at $29/month has limited features compared to competitors
  • WhatsApp integration requires the official WhatsApp Business API approval process
  • Limited customization options for workflow automation compared to enterprise alternatives

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

DelightChat

$29/month
  • Startup$29/month
  • Scale$99/month
  • Growth$299/month

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 DelightChat if

  • You need unified inbox.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want whatsapp integration.
DelightChat 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 DelightChat or EspoCRM better?
Neither clearly leads. DelightChat starts at $29/month and EspoCRM at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, DelightChat or EspoCRM?
EspoCRM has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for DelightChat and Free for EspoCRM.
Does DelightChat or EspoCRM run on more platforms?
DelightChat runs on Web, Ios, Android. 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. DelightChat starts at $29/month.
What is DelightChat best used for?
DelightChat is most often used for e-commerce support, whatsapp marketing, order inquiries, social commerce. Of those, e-commerce support and whatsapp marketing are not what EspoCRM is typically brought in for.
What can DelightChat do that EspoCRM cannot?
DelightChat covers Unified inbox, WhatsApp integration, Instagram DM, Facebook Messenger. EspoCRM covers Entity manager, Dynamic logic, Email integration, Sales pipeline.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

DelightChat: What channels does DelightChat support for customer communication?

DelightChat unifies WhatsApp, Instagram DMs, Facebook Messenger, email, and live website chat into a single inbox for managing customer conversations.

Source
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.

DelightChat: Does DelightChat work with Shopify?

Yes, DelightChat has deep Shopify integration allowing you to view and modify order data while responding to customers, with automatic contact creation for new orders.

Source
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.

DelightChat: Does DelightChat include WhatsApp marketing beyond support?

Yes, DelightChat includes a WhatsApp Marketing suite for sending broadcasts, automating abandoned cart recovery, and sending order tracking notifications.

Source
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.

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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