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CRM · head to head

Ontraport vs SuiteCRM

Ontraport logo

Ontraport

CRM

All-in-one CRM and marketing automation

From
$24/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: Ontraport no plan name, monthly price, contact band, user count or email send limit is published on the pricing page; 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: Ontraport 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 Ontraport and SuiteCRM actually diverge.

Attributes where Ontraport and SuiteCRM differ
AttributeOntraportSuiteCRM
Starting price$24/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Linux, Self-hosted, iOS, Android
Founded2009Unknown

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 Ontraport

  • Contact management
  • Sales pipeline
  • Email marketing
  • Marketing automation
  • Automation
  • Reporting
  • Landing pages
  • Zapier

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.

Ontraport

  • CRM with marketing automation and campaign buildingnot SuiteCRM
  • Managing contacts, pages and email sequences in one platformnot SuiteCRM

SuiteCRM

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

Where each one falls short

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

Ontraport

  • No plan name, monthly price, contact band, user count or email send limit is published on the pricing page
  • Reaching a figure requires a trial signup or a sales conversation
  • The two months free saving requires annual billing

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

Ontraport

$24/month
  • Plus$24/month
    • Contact management
    • Email marketing
  • Pro$79/month
    • Everything in Plus
    • Automation
    • CRM
  • Pro+$149/month
    • Everything in Pro
    • Advanced features
    • API access

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 Ontraport if

  • You need contact management.
  • You also want sales pipeline.
Ontraport 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 Ontraport or SuiteCRM better?
Neither clearly leads. Ontraport starts at $24/month and SuiteCRM at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ontraport or SuiteCRM?
SuiteCRM has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $24/month for Ontraport and Free for SuiteCRM.
Does Ontraport or SuiteCRM run on more platforms?
Ontraport runs on Web. 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. Ontraport starts at $24/month.
What is Ontraport best used for?
Ontraport is most often used for crm with marketing automation and campaign building, managing contacts, pages and email sequences in one platform. Of those, crm with marketing automation and campaign building and managing contacts, pages and email sequences in one platform are not what SuiteCRM is typically brought in for.
What can Ontraport do that SuiteCRM cannot?
Ontraport covers Contact management, Sales pipeline, Email marketing, Marketing automation. SuiteCRM covers Studio module builder, Workflow engine, Opportunity and quote management, Case management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Ontraport: How much does Ontraport cost?

Ontraport does not publish specific pricing online. The company offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required, and users must contact sales or start a trial to learn pricing details.

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.

Ontraport: What payment options does Ontraport offer?

Ontraport offers flexible subscription options with monthly or annual billing available. Annual subscriptions include two months free compared to monthly rates.

Source
SuiteCRM: How does it relate to SugarCRM?

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

Ontraport: Are there long-term contracts required?

Ontraport emphasizes month-to-month commitment availability with no long-term contracts required. Users can upgrade or downgrade plans as needed.

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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