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Nonprofits · head to head

Salsa CRM vs Tendenci

Salsa CRM logo

Salsa CRM

Nonprofits

Integrated CRM and email marketing for nonprofits

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Tendenci logo

Tendenci

Nonprofits

Open-source association management system for nonprofits

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Tendenci has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Salsa CRM no longer sold as Salsa. salsalabs.com redirects to Bonterra, which absorbed it alongside EveryAction; Tendenci self-hosting is a real operational commitment, and organisations without technical capacity should not treat the free licence as a free system
  • They diverge on capability: Salsa CRM covers Contact management, Tendenci covers Open-source licence.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Salsa CRM and Tendenci actually diverge.

Attributes where Salsa CRM and Tendenci differ
AttributeSalsa CRMTendenci
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionOpen source, with paid hosting available
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Mobile-responsiveWeb, Linux, Self-hosted, Cloud
Founded2000Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Nonprofits).

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 Salsa CRM

  • Contact management
  • Email marketing
  • Fundraising tools
  • Advocacy campaigns
  • Analytics
  • Stripe
  • PayPal
  • Salesforce

Only in Tendenci

  • Open-source licence
  • Membership management
  • Events and registration
  • Donations
  • Content-managed website
  • Email

What people use each for

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

Salsa CRM

  • Business operationsnot Tendenci
  • Productivitynot Tendenci
  • Automationnot Tendenci

Tendenci

  • Nonprofits whose boards require member and donor data to stay under their own controlnot Salsa CRM
  • Organisations with data residency obligations a hosted platform cannot satisfynot Salsa CRM
  • Groups with technical capacity wanting to avoid per-member subscription costs at scalenot Salsa CRM
  • Associations needing to customise workflows beyond what a proprietary platform allowsnot Salsa CRM

Where each one falls short

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

Salsa CRM

  • No longer sold as Salsa. salsalabs.com redirects to Bonterra, which absorbed it alongside EveryAction
  • Pricing is not published

Tendenci

  • Self-hosting is a real operational commitment, and organisations without technical capacity should not treat the free licence as a free system
  • The community is small compared with mainstream open-source projects, so answers are harder to find and contributors are few
  • The interface is dated against the commercial association platforms and this is the most common user complaint
  • Fewer integrations than commercial competitors, and building them is a development task rather than a configuration one
  • Feature depth in events and continuing education is behind the specialist commercial systems

Pricing, plan by plan

Salsa CRM

On request
  • Essential$85/month
    • Contact management
    • Email marketing
  • Advanced$200/month
    • Fundraising tools
    • Advocacy campaigns
    • Reporting

Tendenci

Free
  • Self-hostedFree
    • Full source code
    • No per-member licence
    • Community support
  • Managed hosting$undefined/month
    • Hosted and maintained
    • Updates applied
    • Support included

Which should you pick?

Choose Salsa CRM if

  • You need contact management.
  • You work on Web, Mobile-responsive.
  • You also want email marketing.
Salsa CRM review

Choose Tendenci if

  • You need open-source licence.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux, Self-hosted, Cloud.
  • You also want membership management.
Tendenci review

Questions people ask

Is Salsa CRM or Tendenci better?
Neither clearly leads. Salsa CRM starts at On request and Tendenci at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Salsa CRM or Tendenci?
Tendenci has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Salsa CRM and Free for Tendenci.
Does Salsa CRM or Tendenci run on more platforms?
Salsa CRM runs on Web, Mobile-responsive. Tendenci runs on Web, Linux, Self-hosted, Cloud.
Can I use Tendenci for free?
Yes. Tendenci has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Salsa CRM starts at On request.
What is Salsa CRM best used for?
Salsa CRM is most often used for business operations, productivity, automation. Of those, business operations and productivity are not what Tendenci is typically brought in for.
What can Salsa CRM do that Tendenci cannot?
Salsa CRM covers Contact management, Email marketing, Fundraising tools, Advocacy campaigns. Tendenci covers Open-source licence, Membership management, Events and registration, Donations.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Tendenci: Is Tendenci really free?

The software is, under an open-source licence with no per-member fee. Running it is not: hosting, updates, backups and security are the organisation responsibility unless managed hosting is purchased.

Tendenci: Who should choose it?

Organisations with a genuine requirement to control their own data, and the technical capacity to act on it. Choosing it purely to avoid subscription cost usually ends badly.

Tendenci: Can I move my data out?

Yes, entirely. That is the point. Data lives in a PostgreSQL database you control, and there is no vendor holding it.

Tendenci: How does it compare to Wild Apricot?

Wild Apricot is easier, better supported and better looking. Tendenci is the answer when data ownership is a requirement rather than a preference.

Tendenci: Is it actively maintained?

It is developed openly on GitHub with a small team and community. Check recent commit activity before committing, as with any small open-source project.

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