CiviCRM
6.6/10Open-source CRM built for nonprofits and advocacy groups, covering contacts, donations, memberships, events, email marketing and case management.
Data last updated November 2026 · Our methodology
Overview
CiviCRM is an open-source CRM project that started in 2005 and is licensed under the GNU AGPL v3. It is designed for nonprofits, charities, membership associations and advocacy groups, not for traditional sales teams. Its core modules handle contact management, contributions and donation processing, memberships with renewals and reminders, event registration with payments, bulk email through CiviMail, case management and peer-to-peer fundraising. Reviewers say it ships with about 40 standard reports, and you can also build custom reports. The software is free to download and runs inside WordPress, Drupal or Joomla, so organisations can share data between their website and their CRM. Because it is self-hosted, you pay for hosting and often for a developer or implementation partner. For organisations that want a managed option, the official Spark hosted service costs $15, $30 or $50 per month. Every Spark plan allows unlimited users, with caps on contacts and email volume, and there is a 30-day money-back guarantee. A large extension ecosystem and an active community make CiviCRM very customisable. The main drawback is usability. Reviewers regularly describe the interface as dated and say that setting it up and customising it needs technical skill. The open-source project offers no dedicated vendor customer service, so help comes from the community or from paid partners.
Our Rating
Who CiviCRM is best for
Less suited
- Mid-Market6/10
Reviewers say it scales to large organisations, provided they have the technical resources to run it.
Spark's low-cost hosted plans suit small nonprofit organisations, but the product is built around fundraising rather than commercial small-business sales.
CiviMail and Mosaico cover nonprofit email campaigns, but the marketing automation is basic.
It is aimed at donors and members, not at sales pipelines or deal tracking.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- The core software is free and open source under the AGPL, so there are no licence fees whatever the number of users or contacts.
- Donations, memberships, events, CiviMail email and case management all come in one nonprofit-focused system.
- It runs inside WordPress, Drupal and Joomla, so data is shared between the website and the CRM.
- Every Spark hosted plan allows unlimited users, starting at $15 per month.
- A large extension ecosystem and an active community make it highly customisable.
Cons
- Reviewers consistently describe the interface as dated and clunky.
- Self-hosted setup and customisation usually need a developer, which adds hidden costs.
- The open-source project offers no dedicated vendor customer service. Help comes from community forums or paid partners.
- Spark plans cap contacts at 5,000 to 10,000 and limit integrations and customisation.
- It has no sales pipeline or opportunity tooling for commercial sales teams.
Key Features
CiviCRM Pricing
Self-hosted (open source)
- Free AGPL v3 download
- Runs inside WordPress, Drupal or Joomla
- Hosting and implementation paid separately
Spark Starter
- CiviMail
- Unlimited users
- Up to 5,000 contacts
- Most CiviCRM components
- CiviAcademy subscription
Spark Essentials
- Unlimited users
- Up to 10,000 emails
- Up to 5,000 contacts
- Mosaico HTML email editor
Spark Pro
- Custom domain
- Unlimited users
- Up to 50,000 emails
- Additional extensions
- Up to 10,000 contacts
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The software is free under the GNU AGPL v3, but you have to pay for hosting and possibly for implementation help. Spark, the official hosted service, costs $15 to $50 per month.
The Spark page does not mention a free trial. Instead it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, and you can cancel at any time.
Reviewers confirm that it integrates with WordPress, Drupal and Joomla.
All Spark plans allow unlimited users. Starter and Essentials cover up to 5,000 contacts, and Essentials includes up to 10,000 emails. Pro raises the limits to 10,000 contacts and 50,000 emails.
Most help comes from community forums, the StackExchange site and documentation. Spark plans include a CiviAcademy subscription, and paid partners offer professional support.
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