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CRM · head to head

Apptivo vs Krayin

Apptivo logo

Apptivo

CRM

A bundle of around fifty business apps sold on one per-user subscription

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Krayin logo

Krayin

CRM

Open source Laravel CRM for sales teams that want to own the code

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Krayin has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Apptivo the tiers gate the number of apps rather than only the depth, so a business that buys Lite at 15 US dollars because of the CRM and later needs an app in the 46-app Premium set faces a 67 per cent per-seat increase to unlock it.; Krayin it is far less mature than EspoCRM, SuiteCRM or Vtiger, with thinner reporting, weaker forecasting and fewer built-in integrations, so evaluations that start from a feature checklist will not favour it.
  • They diverge on capability: Apptivo covers CRM core, Krayin covers Lead pipelines.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Apptivo and Krayin actually diverge.

Attributes where Apptivo and Krayin differ
AttributeApptivoKrayin
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelPer user per monthOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Self-hosted, Docker, Linux

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 Apptivo

  • CRM core
  • Invoicing and estimates
  • Project management
  • Field service
  • Help desk
  • Procurement and inventory
  • Custom apps and fields
  • Email and calendar sync

Only in Krayin

  • Lead pipelines
  • Contacts and organisations
  • Quotes
  • Email integration
  • Custom attributes
  • Roles and permissions
  • Laravel package architecture
  • MIT licence

Both cover

  • Workflow automation

What people use each for

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

Apptivo

  • A ten-person consultancy that wants CRM, project timesheets and invoicing on one subscription instead of stitching three tools togethernot Krayin
  • A distributor needing quotes, purchase orders and stock levels against the same customer record without an integration projectnot Krayin
  • A service business replacing a spreadsheet-driven help desk that also wants the ticket history visible on the sales contactnot Krayin
  • A business already paying separately for CRM, invoicing and project tools that wants to cut vendor count and consolidate billingnot Krayin

Krayin

  • A PHP or Laravel development shop wants a CRM it can fork and rebrand for clients without paying per seat or negotiating an OEM licence.not Apptivo
  • An organisation under data residency rules needs the customer database physically on its own infrastructure, which rules out every hosted CRM.not Apptivo
  • A small sales team wants an unlimited-user CRM where adding a tenth or fiftieth user costs nothing beyond server capacity.not Apptivo
  • A Bagisto ecommerce store wants a CRM from the same vendor that shares its technology stack and conventions rather than a bridged integration.not Apptivo

Where each one falls short

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

Apptivo

  • The tiers gate the number of apps rather than only the depth, so a business that buys Lite at 15 US dollars because of the CRM and later needs an app in the 46-app Premium set faces a 67 per cent per-seat increase to unlock it.
  • Workflow automation is capped at 25 rules on both Lite and Premium, which is low for any business automating more than a basic sales process, and lifting it means jumping to Ultimate at 40 US dollars.
  • Each app is shallower than the dedicated product it replaces, so teams that outgrow one module end up buying a specialist tool anyway and lose the single-record advantage that justified the suite.
  • There is no free tier, only a 30-day trial, so evaluating the breadth properly against real data requires paying or rushing the trial window.
  • The interface is dense and inconsistent between apps because they were built over many years, which lengthens onboarding and produces persistent user complaints in teams that are not technically confident.

Krayin

  • It is far less mature than EspoCRM, SuiteCRM or Vtiger, with thinner reporting, weaker forecasting and fewer built-in integrations, so evaluations that start from a feature checklist will not favour it.
  • Practical functionality such as certain telephony, messaging and marketing connectors sits in paid marketplace extensions from Webkul, so the free CRM plus the extensions you actually need is not free.
  • The roadmap is controlled by a single services company whose revenue depends on selling implementation and extensions, so there is a structural incentive against making the core complete.
  • You are responsible for the whole operational burden: PHP and MySQL hosting, backups, security patching, mail deliverability and upgrades, and a botched upgrade of a customised install is your problem alone.
  • The cloud hosting page does not publish prices, so the managed option that would remove that burden cannot be budgeted without contacting sales, which undercuts the transparency the open licence otherwise offers.

Pricing, plan by plan

Apptivo

On request
  • Lite$15/month
    • 18 apps
    • 100 custom fields per app
    • 25 workflows
  • Premium$25/month
    • 46 apps
    • 250 custom fields per app
    • 25 workflows
  • Ultimate$40/month
    • All apps
    • 350 custom fields per app
    • 150 workflows
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • 500 custom fields per app
    • 300 workflows
    • 100 custom dashboards

Krayin

Free
  • Self-hostedFree
    • Full MIT-licensed source
    • Unlimited users
    • No feature gating
  • Cloud hosting and extensions$undefined/month
    • Starter and Pro managed hosting packs from Webkul
    • Premium extensions sold individually in the Krayin marketplace
    • White label and custom development quoted separately

Which should you pick?

Choose Apptivo if

  • You need crm core.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want invoicing and estimates.
Apptivo review

Choose Krayin if

  • You need lead pipelines.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted, Docker, Linux.
  • You also want contacts and organisations.
Krayin review

Questions people ask

Is Apptivo or Krayin better?
Neither clearly leads. Apptivo starts at On request and Krayin at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Apptivo or Krayin?
Krayin has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Apptivo and Free for Krayin.
Does Apptivo or Krayin run on more platforms?
Apptivo runs on Web, iOS, Android. Krayin runs on Web, Self-hosted, Docker, Linux.
Can I use Krayin for free?
Yes. Krayin has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Apptivo starts at On request.
What is Apptivo best used for?
Apptivo is most often used for a ten-person consultancy that wants crm, project timesheets and invoicing on one subscription instead of stitching three tools together, a distributor needing quotes, purchase orders and stock levels against the same customer record without an integration project, a service business replacing a spreadsheet-driven help desk that also wants the ticket history visible on the sales contact, a business already paying separately for crm, invoicing and project tools that wants to cut vendor count and consolidate billing. Of those, a ten-person consultancy that wants crm, project timesheets and invoicing on one subscription instead of stitching three tools together and a distributor needing quotes, purchase orders and stock levels against the same customer record without an integration project are not what Krayin is typically brought in for.
What can Apptivo do that Krayin cannot?
Apptivo covers CRM core, Invoicing and estimates, Project management, Field service. Krayin covers Lead pipelines, Contacts and organisations, Quotes, Email integration. Both handle Workflow automation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Apptivo: Does Apptivo have a free plan?

No. There is a 30-day free trial; the cheapest ongoing plan is Lite at 15 US dollars per user per month billed annually.

Krayin: Is Krayin really free?

The CRM itself is MIT licensed with no user limit and no enterprise edition. Premium extensions, managed hosting and custom development from Webkul are paid.

Apptivo: What is the real difference between Lite and Premium?

Mostly app count and dashboards: Lite opens 18 apps, Premium opens 46 with custom dashboards. Check which specific app you need before choosing on price.

Krayin: Who maintains it?

Webkul Software of Noida, India, the same company behind the Bagisto open source ecommerce platform.

Apptivo: Is monthly billing more expensive?

Yes, by roughly a third. Lite is 15 annually versus 20 monthly, Premium 25 versus 30, Ultimate 40 versus 50.

Krayin: What do I need to run it?

A standard LAMP or LEMP stack with PHP, Composer and MySQL or MariaDB. Any host that runs Laravel will run Krayin.

Apptivo: Are all fifty apps really included?

Only on the top tiers. The lower tiers include a subset, and the app list per tier is the thing to verify before buying.

Krayin: How does it compare to EspoCRM?

EspoCRM is more mature with deeper reporting and a longer track record. Krayin is easier for a Laravel developer to extend and has a more permissive licence.

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