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CRM · head to head

EspoCRM vs Seamless.AI

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
Seamless.AI logo

Seamless.AI

CRM

Sales lead search engine for finding contact and company data

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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.; Seamless.AI pro and Enterprise pricing is not published and requires contacting sales.
  • They diverge on capability: EspoCRM covers Entity manager, Seamless.AI covers Contact search.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which EspoCRM and Seamless.AI actually diverge.

Attributes where EspoCRM and Seamless.AI differ
AttributeEspoCRMSeamless.AI
Pricing modelPer user per monthfreemium
PlatformsWeb, Linux, Docker, iOS, Androidweb, api

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Seamless.AI

  • Contact search
  • Real-time search engine
  • Job change alerts
  • Buyer intent data
  • CRM and API integrations
  • Enterprise security

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 Seamless.AI
  • A public sector or healthcare team with data residency rules that rule out US-hosted commercial CRMnot Seamless.AI
  • A developer or agency needing a CRM whose data model can be extended into a bespoke entity structure through configurationnot Seamless.AI
  • An organisation with many light users, where self-hosting avoids paying seat prices for people who open the CRM twice a monthnot Seamless.AI

Seamless.AI

  • B2B sales teams building prospecting listsnot EspoCRM
  • Finding verified emails and phone numbers for outreachnot EspoCRM
  • Tracking job changes among target contactsnot EspoCRM
  • Identifying accounts showing buyer intentnot 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.

Seamless.AI

  • Pro and Enterprise pricing is not published and requires contacting sales.
  • Free plan is limited to just 50 credits and a single user.
  • Data accuracy for contact details can vary and requires verification before outreach.
  • Credit-based usage model means heavy prospecting can exhaust allotments quickly.

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

Seamless.AI

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 user
    • 50 credits
    • Email and cell phone search
  • Pro$undefined/mo
    • Per-user pricing
    • Unlimited exports
    • Annual credit packages
  • Enterprise$undefined/mo
    • Unlimited users
    • Custom credit allotments
    • Dedicated success 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 Seamless.AI if

  • You need contact search.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want real-time search engine.
Seamless.AI review

Questions people ask

Is EspoCRM or Seamless.AI better?
Neither clearly leads. EspoCRM starts at Free and Seamless.AI at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, EspoCRM or Seamless.AI?
EspoCRM starts at Free and Seamless.AI at Free.
Does EspoCRM or Seamless.AI run on more platforms?
EspoCRM runs on Web, Linux, Docker, iOS, Android. Seamless.AI runs on web, api.
Can I use EspoCRM for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Seamless.AI is typically brought in for.
What can EspoCRM do that Seamless.AI cannot?
EspoCRM covers Entity manager, Dynamic logic, Email integration, Sales pipeline. Seamless.AI covers Contact search, Real-time search engine, Job change alerts, Buyer intent data.

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.

Seamless.AI: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

Yes, the Free plan includes 1 user and 50 credits, with access to email and cell phone search, real-time search, and API access.

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.

Seamless.AI: How is usage metered on Seamless.AI?

Seamless.AI uses a credit system where credits are consumed to research contact details; paid Pro plans start with larger annual credit packages than the Free plan.

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.

Seamless.AI: Does Seamless.AI have an API?

Yes, API access is included even on the Free plan, alongside export and integration capabilities on paid plans.

Source
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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