Twenty: Open Source Alternative to Salesforce and HubSpot

Twenty is an open-source CRM for sales teams, startups, and technical teams that want a modern alternative to Salesforce and HubSpot with self-hosting, custom objects, workflow automation, and full control over their CRM data.

It is often used as an alternative to Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho CRM, and SuiteCRM by teams that want source code access, extensibility, AI-native workflows, and a CRM they can customize like the rest of their product stack.

What is Twenty?

Twenty is a modern open-source CRM built for managing contacts, companies, opportunities, pipelines, activities, and customer relationships.

Unlike traditional proprietary CRMs, Twenty is designed for customization and extensibility. Teams can define custom objects, fields, layouts, workflows, and apps, while keeping the option to self-host their CRM infrastructure.

Twenty is especially useful for:

• startups replacing HubSpot or Pipedrive
• technical teams replacing Salesforce
• sales teams that need customizable pipelines
• companies that want self-hosted CRM data
• teams building custom CRM workflows
• companies that want CRM configuration in code
• AI-native sales and customer operations workflows

Key features

CRM core

• Contacts and companies
• Opportunities and pipelines
• Kanban, table, and custom views
• Email sync
• Activity timeline
• Notes and tasks
• Custom fields
• Custom objects
• Custom layouts
• Multi-workspace support

Customization and extensibility

• Define objects and fields through the UI or code
• TypeScript-based object definitions
• Twenty CLI for scaffolding custom apps
• GraphQL API
• REST API
• Webhooks
• Version-controlled CRM configuration
• Custom business apps on top of CRM data

AI and automation

• AI-native CRM workflows
• Workflow engine for business automation
• AI agents for sales and operations workflows
• MCP server for tools like Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor
• Automation for repetitive CRM tasks
• Extensible architecture for custom AI workflows

Self-hosting and data ownership

• Self-hosted deployment with Docker Compose
• Same core product as the cloud version
• PostgreSQL database
• Redis
• MinIO for file storage
• SSL required for production domains
• Full control over CRM data when self-hosted

Twenty vs Salesforce

Feature	Twenty	Salesforce
Main use case	Open-source customizable CRM	Enterprise CRM and customer platform
License	AGPL-3.0	Proprietary SaaS
Deployment	Self-hosted or Twenty Cloud	Managed cloud SaaS
Custom objects	Yes, through UI or code	Yes, through Salesforce platform
Extensibility	TypeScript definitions, APIs, webhooks, custom apps	AppExchange, Apex, Flow, platform tooling
AI workflows	AI-native workflows and agents	Salesforce Einstein and platform AI features
Data control	High when self-hosted	Vendor-hosted infrastructure
Best for	Technical teams wanting ownership and customization	Enterprises needing a mature CRM platform
Cost model	Open-source software; infrastructure or optional cloud costs apply	Subscription-based SaaS pricing

Choose Twenty if you want an open-source Salesforce alternative with self-hosting, custom objects, APIs, workflow automation, and more control over CRM data.

Choose Salesforce if you need a mature enterprise CRM platform with a large ecosystem, advanced governance, and extensive enterprise features.

Twenty vs HubSpot

Twenty and HubSpot both help teams manage contacts, companies, deals, and sales pipelines, but they target different priorities.

HubSpot is a managed CRM and marketing platform with strong sales, marketing, support, and automation features. Twenty is a better fit if you want an open-source CRM, self-hosting, developer extensibility, and CRM customization like code.

Feature	Twenty	HubSpot
Main use case	Open-source CRM for technical teams	Managed CRM, marketing, sales, and service platform
Deployment	Self-hosted or Twenty Cloud	Managed SaaS
Source code	Open source	Proprietary
Marketing features	CRM and workflow focused	Strong marketing automation and CMS features
Customization	Custom objects, fields, layouts, APIs, code-based extensions	Custom objects and automation depending on plan
Data control	High when self-hosted	Vendor-hosted infrastructure
Best for	Teams wanting ownership and extensibility	Teams wanting an all-in-one managed growth platform

Twenty vs Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a managed sales CRM focused on pipeline management and sales team productivity.

Twenty can be a strong Pipedrive alternative if you want open-source code, self-hosting, custom objects, and more technical control. Pipedrive is better if you want a simple managed sales CRM with minimal setup.

Feature	Twenty	Pipedrive
Main use case	Customizable open-source CRM	Managed sales pipeline CRM
Deployment	Self-hosted or cloud	Managed SaaS
Source code	Open source	Proprietary
Pipeline management	Yes	Core product focus
Extensibility	APIs, webhooks, custom objects, custom apps	Integrations and workflow features
Best for	Technical teams building custom CRM workflows	Sales teams wanting a simple managed pipeline tool

Twenty vs Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM is a managed CRM platform that is part of the larger Zoho business suite.

Twenty is better if you want open-source code, self-hosting, and developer-first customization. Zoho CRM is better if you want a managed CRM connected to a broad suite of business apps.

Twenty vs SuiteCRM

SuiteCRM is a mature open-source CRM with a long history and many traditional CRM features.

Twenty is more modern and developer-friendly, with a cleaner UI, custom objects, TypeScript-based extensibility, APIs, and AI-native workflows. SuiteCRM may be better for teams that want a more established open-source CRM ecosystem.

At a glance

Attribute	Details
License	AGPL-3.0
Category	CRM / Business Software
Main users	Sales teams, startups, technical teams, self-hosters
Focus	CRM, custom objects, pipelines, workflow automation
Deployment	Self-hosted or Twenty Cloud
Self-hosted	Yes
Stack	TypeScript, NestJS, React, PostgreSQL, Redis
API	GraphQL, REST, webhooks
Alternatives	Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho CRM, SuiteCRM

Self-hosting

Twenty can be self-hosted by teams that want full control over CRM infrastructure, customer data, and customization.

A typical self-hosted Twenty setup includes:

• Docker Compose
• Twenty server
• PostgreSQL
• Redis
• MinIO for file storage
• SSL for production domains
• Email sync configuration
• Reverse proxy and HTTPS
• Monitoring and backups for production deployments

Self-hosting is a good fit for teams that need CRM data ownership, internal infrastructure control, compliance, or deep customization.

Twenty Cloud is a better fit if you want the same CRM experience with less operational work.

FAQ

Is Twenty a Salesforce alternative?

Yes. Twenty is an open-source alternative to Salesforce for CRM, contacts, companies, opportunities, pipelines, custom objects, workflow automation, and self-hosting.

Is Twenty a HubSpot alternative?

Yes. Twenty can be used as a HubSpot alternative for CRM and sales pipeline management. HubSpot is broader for marketing automation, CMS, and customer support, while Twenty is more focused on open-source CRM, customization, and data ownership.

What is the difference between Twenty and Salesforce?

Twenty is open source and can be self-hosted, while Salesforce is a proprietary enterprise CRM platform. Twenty is better for technical teams that want ownership and customization. Salesforce is better for large organizations that need a mature enterprise CRM ecosystem.

What is the difference between Twenty and HubSpot?

Twenty is an open-source CRM with self-hosting and developer extensibility. HubSpot is a managed all-in-one CRM, marketing, sales, and service platform.

Is Twenty open source?

Yes. Twenty is open source under the AGPL-3.0 license.

Can Twenty be self-hosted?

Yes. Twenty can be self-hosted with Docker Compose. A production setup typically includes PostgreSQL, Redis, MinIO, SSL, HTTPS, monitoring, and backups.

Is Twenty better than Pipedrive?

Twenty is better if you want open-source code, self-hosting, custom objects, APIs, and extensibility. Pipedrive is better if you want a simple managed sales CRM with minimal setup.

Is Twenty better than Zoho CRM?

Twenty is better if you want self-hosting, source code access, and developer-first customization. Zoho CRM is better if you want a managed CRM connected to a broad suite of business tools.

Is Twenty similar to SuiteCRM?

Yes. Both are open-source CRMs. Twenty is more modern, AI-native, and developer-focused, while SuiteCRM is more mature and traditional.

Is Twenty suitable for production?

Yes. Twenty can be used in production. For production self-hosting, teams should plan for PostgreSQL, Redis, MinIO, SSL, email sync, monitoring, backups, and infrastructure scaling.