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CRM · head to head

Keap vs SuiteCRM

Keap logo

Keap

CRM

CRM and marketing automation for small business

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SuiteCRM logo

SuiteCRM

CRM

Open source fork of SugarCRM with no per user licence fee, sold as hosting and support

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only SuiteCRM has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Keap the entry price is $299 a month and includes only 2 user licences, with each additional user at $39 a month; SuiteCRM the interface still carries SugarCRM conventions from over a decade ago, and sales teams used to modern CRMs frequently resist adoption, which is the most common reason SuiteCRM projects fail rather than any technical limit.
  • They diverge on capability: Keap covers Contact management, SuiteCRM covers Studio module builder.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Keap and SuiteCRM actually diverge.

Attributes where Keap and SuiteCRM differ
AttributeKeapSuiteCRM
Starting price$29/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Linux, Self-hosted, iOS, Android
Founded2000Unknown

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 Keap

  • Contact management
  • Pipeline management
  • Email marketing
  • Marketing automation
  • Sales automation
  • Reporting
  • Zapier
  • Slack

Only in SuiteCRM

  • Studio module builder
  • Workflow engine
  • Opportunity and quote management
  • Case management
  • Campaign module
  • Reporting engine
  • Security groups
  • REST API

What people use each for

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

Keap

  • Contact management and CRMnot SuiteCRM
  • Marketing automationnot SuiteCRM
  • Sales pipeline managementnot SuiteCRM

SuiteCRM

  • An organisation with two hundred occasional CRM users where per seat pricing from Salesforce or HubSpot would dominate the budgetnot Keap
  • A public sector body or regulated firm that must host customer data on infrastructure it controlsnot Keap
  • A company that needs custom modules modelling its own objects and wants to build them in Studio rather than pay for platform licencesnot Keap
  • A business that wants open source economics but whose procurement requires a warranty, which SuiteASSURED suppliesnot Keap

Where each one falls short

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

Keap

  • The entry price is $299 a month and includes only 2 user licences, with each additional user at $39 a month
  • Price varies with contact count, and the bands are only visible by entering a number into a calculator on the page
  • Implementation services are described as required rather than optional
  • Text marketing beyond the included 500 messages is a separate add on running from $24 to $279 a month

SuiteCRM

  • The interface still carries SugarCRM conventions from over a decade ago, and sales teams used to modern CRMs frequently resist adoption, which is the most common reason SuiteCRM projects fail rather than any technical limit.
  • Zero licence fee does not mean zero cost: hosting, ten hours of annual support and a quick start implementation together run into thousands of pounds before anyone has configured a pipeline.
  • The integration marketplace is small compared with Salesforce or HubSpot, so common connections to marketing, telephony and finance tools are often paid third party add-ons or custom builds.
  • Upgrades between major versions can break customisations made outside Studio, so heavily customised instances tend to lag behind current releases and accumulate security debt.
  • Native email marketing and campaign functionality is basic next to a dedicated tool, so most deployments end up paying for a separate marketing platform and syncing it, undoing part of the cost saving.

Pricing, plan by plan

Keap

$29/month
  • Lite$29/month
    • Contact management
    • Email marketing
  • Standard$59/month
    • Everything in Lite
    • Sales automation
    • Pipeline management
  • Professional$149/month
    • Everything in Standard
    • Advanced automation
    • AI features

SuiteCRM

Free
  • Self-hostedFree
    • GPL licensed with no per user fee at any user count
    • All core CRM modules included
    • You provide hosting, upgrades and support
  • Managed hosting$50/month
    • Hosting, security patching, updates and monitoring
    • Still no per user licence fee
    • Support purchased separately
  • Standard support$1200/year
    • Ten support hours per year
    • Discount available when bought with managed hosting
    • Does not include implementation work
  • SuiteASSURED$3350/year
    • Warranty and legal indemnification over the open source code
    • Priority support and security assurances
    • Aimed at organisations whose procurement rules block unwarranted open source

Which should you pick?

Choose Keap if

  • You need contact management.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want pipeline management.
Keap review

Choose SuiteCRM if

  • You need studio module builder.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux, Self-hosted, iOS, Android.
  • You also want workflow engine.
SuiteCRM review

Questions people ask

Is Keap or SuiteCRM better?
Neither clearly leads. Keap starts at $29/month and SuiteCRM at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Keap or SuiteCRM?
SuiteCRM has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for Keap and Free for SuiteCRM.
Does Keap or SuiteCRM run on more platforms?
Keap runs on Web, Ios, Android. SuiteCRM runs on Web, Linux, Self-hosted, iOS, Android.
Can I use SuiteCRM for free?
Yes. SuiteCRM has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Keap starts at $29/month.
What is Keap best used for?
Keap is most often used for contact management and crm, marketing automation, sales pipeline management. Of those, contact management and crm and marketing automation are not what SuiteCRM is typically brought in for.
What can Keap do that SuiteCRM cannot?
Keap covers Contact management, Pipeline management, Email marketing, Marketing automation. SuiteCRM covers Studio module builder, Workflow engine, Opportunity and quote management, Case management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Keap: How much does Keap cost?

Keap costs $299/month billed at $2,988/year for the main plan, which includes 2 user licenses. Additional users cost $39/month each.

Source
SuiteCRM: Is SuiteCRM really free?

The software is, at any user count. SalesAgility charges for managed hosting from about 50 GBP per month, support from about 1,200 GBP per year and SuiteASSURED from about 3,350 GBP per year.

Keap: What text messaging fees does Keap charge?

Text marketing tiers range from $24 to $279/month with included message allotments. Overages are $0.015 per message and $0.01 per minute for voice.

Source
SuiteCRM: How does it relate to SugarCRM?

It is a fork of SugarCRM Community Edition, created after SugarCRM discontinued its open source release.

Keap: Is implementation included in Keap pricing?

Implementation services are required at additional cost. Package pricing is available through Keap sales.

Source
SuiteCRM: Are there per user fees?

No. This is the central commercial argument for it, particularly for organisations with many occasional users.

SuiteCRM: What is SuiteASSURED?

A paid subscription that adds warranty, indemnification and legal protections on top of the open source licence, for buyers whose procurement rules block unwarranted software.

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