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Open-source CRM comparison

ClientFlo vs Salesforce

Salesforce is the industry giant — and expensive. ClientFlo is the free, open-source alternative that gives you projects, invoices, time tracking, and a client portal without the per-seat pricing or vendor lock-in.

ClientFlo

$0

Free forever · MIT license

Salesforce

$25–$300

Per seat / month

FeatureClientFloSalesforce
PricingFREE (MIT License)$25–$300/seat/month
Self-HostedYes (Node.js / Vercel)No (cloud only)
Per-Seat PricingNoneYes
Data Ownership100% yoursOn Salesforce servers
Client PortalBuilt-in$75+/seat + Experience Cloud
ProjectsYesRequires add-on
InvoicingBuilt-inRequires CPQ ($75+/seat)
Time TrackingBuilt-inRequires add-on
MessagingBuilt-inChatter (limited)
Meetings / SchedulingYesRequires add-on
AnalyticsYesEinstein Analytics ($75+/seat)
CustomizationFull (MIT license)Platform-dependent
Setup Time<10 minutesWeeks to months
Ideal ForSMBs, freelancers, teamsLarge enterprises

Why switch from Salesforce to ClientFlo

Salesforce is built for enterprises with enterprise budgets. ClientFlo gives you the core CRM features SMBs actually need — at zero cost and with full data ownership.

100% Free

ClientFlo is completely free under the MIT license. Salesforce costs $25–$300 per seat per month — that's $3,000–$36,000/year for a 10-person team before add-ons.

Self-Hosted, Your Data

ClientFlo runs on your infrastructure via Node.js or Vercel. Your data never leaves your servers. Salesforce stores everything on their cloud — you're renting access to your own customer data.

No Per-Seat Pricing

Invite unlimited users to ClientFlo at no additional cost. Salesforce charges per seat, so growing your team means growing your bill.

No Feature Gates

Every ClientFlo feature is available to everyone. Salesforce hides core features behind paywalls — invoicing needs CPQ ($75+/seat), analytics needs Einstein ($75+/seat), a portal needs Experience Cloud.

Fast Setup

Deploy ClientFlo in under 10 minutes. Salesforce implementations typically take weeks to months and often require consultants.

All Essential Features Built In

Projects, invoices, time tracking, messaging, meetings, analytics, contracts, and client portal — all in one platform. No add-ons, no integrations to maintain.

Try ClientFlo — No signup needed

Click one button and explore a fully-loaded workspace with projects, invoices, time tracking, and client portal.

No account. No credit card. Just click and explore.