CRM · head to head
EspoCRM vs Seismic
EspoCRM
CRM
AGPL open source CRM in PHP that you can self-host free or buy as cloud with seat minimums
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
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.; Seismic weak digital sales room and micro-site functionality with low customer engagement
- They diverge on capability: EspoCRM covers Entity manager, Seismic covers Content management.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which EspoCRM and Seismic actually diverge.
Identical on both: 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 Seismic
- Content management
- LiveDocs automation
- Content analytics
- Learning & coaching
- Buyer engagement
- Salesforce
- Microsoft Dynamics
- HubSpot
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 Seismic
- A public sector or healthcare team with data residency rules that rule out US-hosted commercial CRMnot Seismic
- A developer or agency needing a CRM whose data model can be extended into a bespoke entity structure through configurationnot Seismic
- An organisation with many light users, where self-hosting avoids paying seat prices for people who open the CRM twice a monthnot Seismic
Seismic
- Content managementnot EspoCRM
- Sales trainingnot EspoCRM
- Proposal automationnot EspoCRM
- Buyer engagementnot 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.
Seismic
- Weak digital sales room and micro-site functionality with low customer engagement
- Search feature lacks keyword depth, making content discovery difficult
- Limited learning and LMS capabilities with underwhelming analytics and reporting
- Complex implementations requiring dedicated internal resources and strong change management
- High price point with multi-year contracts and no free trial option
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
Seismic
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Seismic review.
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.
Choose Seismic if
- You need content management.
- You work on Web, API.
- You also want livedocs automation.
Questions people ask
- Is EspoCRM or Seismic better?
- Neither clearly leads. EspoCRM starts at Free and Seismic at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, EspoCRM or Seismic?
- EspoCRM has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for EspoCRM and On request for Seismic.
- Does EspoCRM or Seismic run on more platforms?
- EspoCRM runs on Web, Linux, Docker, iOS, Android. Seismic runs on Web, API.
- Can I use EspoCRM for free?
- Yes. EspoCRM has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Seismic starts at On request.
- 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 Seismic is typically brought in for.
- What can EspoCRM do that Seismic cannot?
- EspoCRM covers Entity manager, Dynamic logic, Email integration, Sales pipeline. Seismic covers Content management, LiveDocs automation, Content analytics, Learning & coaching.
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.
Seismic: How is Seismic priced?
Seismic uses custom, quote-based pricing without published list rates. Typical pricing ranges from $30-60 per user for Professional Edition, with mid-market teams spending $20,000-60,000 annually and enterprises exceeding $100,000 per year. Seismic Learning is priced as an incremental per-user fee.
SourceEspoCRM: 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.
Seismic: What does Seismic's Enablement Cloud include?
Seismic Enablement Cloud spans five areas: Content Management, Learning & Coaching, Program Strategy & Execution, Meeting Intelligence, and Digital Sales Rooms. An AI engine called Aura runs across all functions, powering content recommendations, learning content generation, meeting summaries, and conversational search.
SourceEspoCRM: 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.
Seismic: Does Seismic integrate with Salesforce?
Yes, Seismic provides real-time, two-way sync with Salesforce to embed personalized content, playbooks, and AI-driven recommendations directly into Sales Cloud and Experience Cloud workflows. Seismic also integrates with 150+ platforms including Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom, Webex, and sales engagement tools like Salesloft and Outreach.
SourceEspoCRM: 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.
Seismic: What was Seismic's recent acquisition?
On February 12, 2026, Seismic announced a definitive agreement to merge with Highspot. The combined company operates as Seismic, led by CEO Rob Tarkoff, with Highspot founder Robert Wahbe joining the board. The deal creates a platform worth north of six billion dollars.
SourceSeismic: What are Seismic's main limitations?
Key limitations include weak micro-site and digital sales room functionality with low customer engagement, search features that miss keywords, limited learning and LMS capabilities, complex implementations requiring dedicated resources, and high pricing with multi-year contracts and no free trial.
SourceRelated pages
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