What is SuiteCRM? Features, cost, versions and how it looks

What is SuiteCRM?

SuiteCRM is a free, open-source CRM for sales, marketing and customer service, released by SalesAgility in 2013 as a fork of SugarCRM Community Edition and licensed under the AGPL. You can self-host it at no licence cost or pay for managed hosting and support. Two versions are current: SuiteCRM 7 and SuiteCRM 8.

What SuiteCRM is used for

SuiteCRM is a full customer relationship management system: one database of the companies and people you deal with, and the modules that work on it. Out of the box it ships with:

• Sales: Accounts, Contacts, Leads, Opportunities, Quotes, Products and Contracts.
• Marketing: Campaigns, Target Lists, Surveys and Events.
• Service: Cases, Bugs and Knowledge Base.
• Work: Calendar, Calls, Meetings, Tasks, Notes, Documents, Emails and Projects.
• Automation and reporting: Workflow (rules that run when records change), Reports and Dashboards.

Because the code is open, teams also use it as a base to build on: new modules through Studio and Module Builder, integrations through its REST API, and installable packages through Module Loader.

Is SuiteCRM really free?

The software is free: SuiteCRM is published under the GNU Affero General Public License, so you can download, install and modify it without paying a licence fee, for any number of users. What costs money is running it. These are the figures on SuiteCRM's own pricing page in October 2026, in pounds sterling as that page states them:

Other suppliers host SuiteCRM too, usually for a monthly fee per instance rather than per user. Add the things most companies end up buying: customisation work, add-ons from the SuiteCRM Store, and a theme so the CRM carries the company's brand instead of the stock blue.

SuiteCRM 7 and SuiteCRM 8: which versions are current?

Two lines are maintained at once. SuiteCRM 7 is the original product. SuiteCRM 8 wraps a new Angular front end around the same core, converting modules to the new interface release by release, with the rest still drawn by the classic screens.

Older releases in each line stop receiving updates once a new one ships, so check SuiteCRM's release notes for the supported list before choosing a version to install. The two lines also differ in how they are themed and extended: see SuiteCRM 7 vs SuiteCRM 8 theming.

What SuiteCRM looks like, and how to change it

A fresh install is blue and grey. SuiteCRM 7 ships one theme, SuiteP, with four colour variants (Dawn, Day, Dusk and Night) that each user picks from their profile. SuiteCRM 8 ships Dawn and Noon for its classic views and a separate Angular theme for the new screens. There is no colour setting in Admin on either version: the stock themes are compiled stylesheets, and the logo is the only visual an administrator can change from a form.

To put a company's colours on it you either build a sub-theme by hand (SuiteCRM 7, SuiteCRM 8) or generate one. Brandtint makes an installable theme from a logo for both versions.

Where SuiteCRM falls short

• You run it. Self-hosting means updates, backups, PHP and database upkeep and security are your job, or your host's.
• SuiteCRM 8 is still a migration in progress: many modules, plus Admin and Studio, still open in the classic interface, so a SuiteCRM 8 install mixes two looks.
• The stock interface looks dated next to hosted CRMs, and changing it means compiled stylesheets rather than a settings page.
• Support beyond the community forum is paid, and most add-ons come from third parties.

Who SuiteCRM is for

• Companies that want a full CRM without per-user licence fees, and have someone to run a server or a budget for managed hosting.
• Teams that need to change the product itself: new modules, custom fields, integrations with their own systems.
• Organisations that must keep customer data on their own infrastructure.
• Agencies that deliver and brand a CRM for clients under their own name.