ALMOST

A weekend of work, and real gaps remain.

A CRM built like a database: you define the objects and relations you need, and it fills them from your email and calendar rather than from forms.

Promptfree, for everyone, and the only version there is
Build me a CRM whose data model I define, that fills itself from my mailbox.

STACK
- Astro with a Node adapter, SQLite via better-sqlite3
- IMAP and CalDAV for the sync, running as a worker

THE MODEL
- Objects declared in a config file: name, attributes with types, and relations to other objects
- Changing the config generates a migration; it never drops a column silently
- Every record has an id, a created event and an append-only change log

BUILDING THE GRAPH WITHOUT TYPING
- Poll IMAP; for every message, extract participants and their email domains
- Create or update a person per address and a company per domain, excluding a list of consumer providers
- Record an interaction event per message: direction, date, subject, thread id — never the body by default

CALENDAR
- Read events, match attendees to people, and record a meeting interaction
- Strength of a relationship is computed from interaction recency and frequency, and shown as a number with its inputs visible

VIEWS
- A table per object with filters, sorts and saved views
- One record page showing attributes, relations and the interaction timeline

PRIVACY
- Message bodies are not stored unless explicitly enabled per thread; the README must say so

Include a README on the config-to-migration step, the consumer-domain exclusion list, and IMAP throttling.

What you lose

  • Data model flexibility: any object, any relation, without leaving the interface
  • Automatic enrichment of companies and people from public sources
  • Email and calendar sync that builds the relationship graph without data entry
  • Real-time collaboration on records, with presence and comments
  • An interface fast enough that sales people actually keep it open

If you would rather not build

  • EspoCRM — open-source, mature, more traditional
  • Folk — paid, similar relationship-first approach

The escape hatch

open source · no votes, no paid placement

Twenty

$0

Open-source CRM with pipelines, custom objects and a modern interface.

twentyhq/twentyfree · open source

Monica

$0

Personal relationship manager: people, interactions and reminders, self-hosted.

monicahq/monicafree · open source

Why this verdict

our own opinion · changed only by a person

51/100

Verdict kinda at 51: the mailbox-to-graph idea is the good part and it is buildable in a weekend for one inbox. Enrichment from public sources and an interface fast enough to be lived in are the two things that keep it a subscription.

History

tracked since 9 Aug 2026 · nothing is ever overwritten

Interest · last 30 days

Nothing recorded yet. This chart fills in once the page has visitors, votes or prompt copies — it will not draw a flat line to look busy.

Questions about Attio

answered from the record above

Is Attio free?

No — the plan we track is $34 a month. Plus at $34 per user per month billed monthly, $29 annually; Pro adds automations and reporting at a higher rate.

Can you replace Attio by building your own?

ALMOST. A weekend of work, and real gaps remain. Replacement score 51 out of 100, build time a weekend. Read what you lose before you decide.

How much does Attio cost?

$34 a month on Plus — $408 a year. Recorded 9 Aug 2026.

What do you lose by replacing Attio?

Data model flexibility: any object, any relation, without leaving the interface; Automatic enrichment of companies and people from public sources; Email and calendar sync that builds the relationship graph without data entry; Real-time collaboration on records, with presence and comments; An interface fast enough that sales people actually keep it open. If any of those carry weight for you, keep paying.

Is there an open-source alternative to Attio?

Yes: Twenty, Monica. The prompt on this page is for when you want it your way instead.

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