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CRM · head to head

EspoCRM vs Salesflare

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
Salesflare logo

Salesflare

CRM

CRM that builds its own records from email, calendar and phone activity for B2B sales teams

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only EspoCRM has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real 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.; Salesflare enterprise carries a five seat minimum, so its 99 dollar per user headline is really a 495 dollar monthly floor, and a three person team wanting the training and migration that tier includes still pays for five.
  • They diverge on capability: EspoCRM covers Entity manager, Salesflare covers Automated data entry.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which EspoCRM and Salesflare actually diverge.

Attributes where EspoCRM and Salesflare differ
AttributeEspoCRMSalesflare
Starting priceFree$29/month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Linux, Docker, iOS, AndroidWeb, 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 EspoCRM

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

Only in Salesflare

  • Automated data entry
  • Email and site tracking
  • Gmail and Outlook sidebars
  • LinkedIn sidebar
  • Email workflows
  • Lead credits
  • Custom dashboards
  • Permissions

What people use each for

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

EspoCRM

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

Salesflare

  • A ten person B2B agency whose previous CRM failed because nobody updated it and who need records created from email traffic automaticallynot EspoCRM
  • A consultancy that sells over long email threads and wants full account timelines without reps logging anythingnot EspoCRM
  • A founder-led sales team working mainly from Gmail and LinkedIn who will not switch to a separate CRM interfacenot EspoCRM
  • A team that needs email sequences and pipeline in one tool rather than a CRM plus a separate outreach productnot EspoCRM

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Salesflare

  • Enterprise carries a five seat minimum, so its 99 dollar per user headline is really a 495 dollar monthly floor, and a three person team wanting the training and migration that tier includes still pays for five.
  • Lead enrichment credits are metered and Growth includes only five a month, so any prospecting workflow effectively requires Pro or a credit top-up, priced from 39 dollars for two hundred and fifty.
  • The automation depends on connected mailboxes and calendars, so deals worked over phone, WhatsApp or in person leave large gaps in the timeline the product is meant to fill.
  • Email workflows, permissions and custom dashboards are all withheld from the entry Growth tier, which means most teams that evaluate on the 29 dollar price actually buy at 49 dollars.
  • It is built for B2B pipelines with named accounts and has little to offer high-volume B2C sales, field service dispatch or any process that is not a small number of relationship-led opportunities.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Salesflare

$29/month
  • Growth$29/month
    • Billed annually, 39 USD on monthly billing
    • Automated CRM data entry from email and calendar
    • Email and website visit tracking
  • Pro$49/month
    • Billed annually, 64 USD on monthly billing
    • Everything in Growth
    • Multi-email workflow sequences
  • Enterprise$99/month
    • Billed annually, 124 USD on monthly billing
    • Minimum five seats, so a floor of 495 USD per month
    • Dedicated account manager

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Salesflare if

  • You need automated data entry.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want email and site tracking.
Salesflare review

Questions people ask

Is EspoCRM or Salesflare better?
Neither clearly leads. EspoCRM starts at Free and Salesflare at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, EspoCRM or Salesflare?
EspoCRM has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for EspoCRM and $29/month for Salesflare.
Does EspoCRM or Salesflare run on more platforms?
EspoCRM runs on Web, Linux, Docker, iOS, Android. Salesflare runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use EspoCRM for free?
Yes. EspoCRM has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Salesflare starts at $29/month.
What is EspoCRM best used for?
EspoCRM is most often used for a small business that wants a crm on its own hosting with no per-seat fee and no vendor holding its customer data, a public sector or healthcare team with data residency rules that rule out us-hosted commercial crm, a developer or agency needing a crm whose data model can be extended into a bespoke entity structure through configuration, an organisation with many light users, where self-hosting avoids paying seat prices for people who open the crm twice a month. Of those, a small business that wants a crm on its own hosting with no per-seat fee and no vendor holding its customer data and a public sector or healthcare team with data residency rules that rule out us-hosted commercial crm are not what Salesflare is typically brought in for.
What can EspoCRM do that Salesflare cannot?
EspoCRM covers Entity manager, Dynamic logic, Email integration, Sales pipeline. Salesflare covers Automated data entry, Email and site tracking, Gmail and Outlook sidebars, LinkedIn sidebar.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Salesflare: How much is Salesflare?

Growth is 29 USD, Pro 49 USD and Enterprise 99 USD per user per month on annual billing. Monthly billing is 39, 64 and 124 USD.

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.

Salesflare: Is there a seat minimum?

Yes, on Enterprise. It requires five seats, giving a minimum spend of 495 USD per month.

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.

Salesflare: What does automated data entry actually cover?

Contact and company details, email threads, meetings and calls from connected mailboxes and calendars, assembled into account timelines without manual record creation.

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.

Salesflare: Are there contracts?

No. There is no contract and you can cancel at any time, with a thirty day trial requiring no card.

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