Twenty
Replaceable in one session with an AI coding agent.
An open-source CRM with a customisable data model: records, relations and views you shape yourself, hosted by them or on your own server.
Self-host it, or write the narrow CRM you actually need. THE HONEST OPTION - Twenty is open source and self-hosting is a Docker Compose file IF YOU WANT THE SMALL VERSION STACK - Astro with a Node adapter, Postgres THE MODEL - Companies, people, deals, activities — four tables, real foreign keys, no generic entity table - Resist a custom-field system until you have needed one twice VIEWS - A view is a saved filter, sort and column set stored as JSON - Filters compile to parameterised SQL HISTORY - Deal stage changes append to a history table; nothing about a deal is overwritten - Every report — velocity, win rate, ageing — reads that table MAIL - Poll Gmail for threads with addresses that match a contact - Store address, subject and timestamp only; never the body Include the schema, the filter compiler and the stage history.
What you lose
- A managed instance with upgrades and backups, which is the whole difference between the free and paid versions
- A data model you can reshape without a migration, which is a serious piece of engineering
- Mail and calendar sync already written
If you would rather not build
- Postgres and four tables, which is what most teams need
The escape hatch
open source · no votes, no paid placement
Why this verdict
our own opinion · changed only by a person
78/100
Verdict yes at 78 because the code is free — leaving the hosted plan is Docker. Four real tables beat a generic entity model for a long time.
History
tracked since 10 Aug 2026 · nothing is ever overwritten
Questions about Twenty
answered from the record above
Is Twenty free?
No — the plan we track is $9 a month. Cloud from around $9 per user per month billed monthly; the software is free to self-host.
Can you replace Twenty by building your own?
YES. Replaceable in one session with an AI coding agent. Replacement score 78 out of 100, build time one session. Read what you lose before you decide.
How much does Twenty cost?
$9 a month on Cloud — $108 a year. Recorded 10 Aug 2026.
What do you lose by replacing Twenty?
A managed instance with upgrades and backups, which is the whole difference between the free and paid versions; A data model you can reshape without a migration, which is a serious piece of engineering; Mail and calendar sync already written. If any of those carry weight for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to Twenty?
Yes: Twenty, EspoCRM. The prompt on this page is for when you want it your way instead.
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