Corteza CRM vs Kylas

Corteza CRM and Kylas both offer a free way into CRM, but through very different models. Corteza is fully open source under the Apache 2.0 license, requires…

Best for Corteza CRM: Technical teams that want a fully open-source, self-hostable CRM with no vendor lock-in, especially those who also want a low-code app builder for building custom internal apps beyond CRM.
Best for Kylas: Sales teams that want a hosted, ready-to-use CRM with a genuinely free lifetime tier, AI lead scoring, and unlimited users on every plan without managing infrastructure.

At a Glance

 Corteza CRMKylas
Primary categoryCRMCRM
RatingNot documentedNot documented
Pricing modelFree / Open Source (self-hosted); optional paid support from Planet CrustFreemium
Starting priceFreeFree (Elevate plan from $250/month)
Free planYesYes
Free trialNot documentedYes
PlatformsNot documentedWeb, iOS, Android
Team collaborationNot documentedNot documented
AI featuresNot documentedYes
Public APIYesNot documented

Key Differences

Licensing and Openness

Corteza CRM: Corteza is fully open source under the Apache 2.0 license, with code contributed to the Commons Conservancy Software Foundation so access can't be revoked by a single vendor.

Kylas: Kylas is a proprietary SaaS product; no open-source licensing is documented.

Open-source licensing affects vendor lock-in risk and the ability to inspect or modify the underlying code.

Hosting Model

Corteza CRM: Corteza requires self-hosting (e.g. via Docker); its own cons note there's no first-party managed cloud, though third parties like Planet Crust offer hosted instances.

Kylas: Kylas is a hosted SaaS product with tiered plans (Embark, Elevate, Exceed) and no self-hosting option documented.

Self-hosting shifts infrastructure and maintenance responsibility onto the customer, while SaaS trades that control for convenience.

Scope Beyond CRM

Corteza CRM: Corteza bundles its CRM module with a unified workspace, Slack-style enterprise messaging, and a general low-code app builder for records-based apps beyond CRM.

Kylas: Kylas is purpose-built as a sales CRM with a communication hub, field sales management, and quotation management, not a general app builder.

Buyers looking for a single platform to build custom internal tools need different capabilities than buyers who just need a CRM.

AI Features

Corteza CRM: No AI features are documented for Corteza.

Kylas: Kylas includes AI-powered tools such as call sentiment analysis, an AI chatbot, lead scoring, and automation agents.

AI-assisted lead scoring and sentiment analysis can help sales teams prioritize outreach without manual review.

User Pricing Model

Corteza CRM: Corteza is free as open-source software with no per-user licensing, though it requires technical setup and infrastructure costs.

Kylas: Kylas offers unlimited users on every plan, including paid tiers, with a free lifetime Embark plan capped at 10,000 records and 5GB storage.

Per-seat pricing caps can make growing sales teams expensive on some CRMs; unlimited users removes that constraint.

Feature-by-Feature

CRM Core Features

FeatureCorteza CRMKylas
Pipeline/deal managementAvailableAvailable
AI lead scoringNot documentedAvailable
Multichannel communication hub (email/SMS/WhatsApp)Not documentedAvailable
Quotation managementNot documentedAvailable
Field sales trackingNot documentedAvailable

Deployment & Pricing

FeatureCorteza CRMKylas
Self-hosted deploymentAvailableNot documented
Free planAvailableAvailable
Unlimited users on paid plansNot documentedAvailable
Marketplace/app integrationsNot documentedAvailable

AI & Extensibility

FeatureCorteza CRMKylas
AI-powered features (scoring, chatbot, sentiment)UnavailableAvailable
Low-code custom app builder beyond CRMAvailableUnavailable
Open-source licenseAvailableUnavailable
Role-based access controlAvailableNot documented

Pricing Compared

Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.

Corteza CRM

Community (Self-Hosted) — Free N/A

Kylas

Embark — Free Lifetime free
Elevate — From $250/month, flat rate Monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, or annual
Exceed — Custom pricing Custom

Pros & Cons

Corteza CRM

Pros

  • Free and open source with no per-seat licensing fees, unlike Salesforce, HubSpot, or Zoho CRM
  • Fully customizable data model, fields, and workflows via the underlying Corteza low-code platform
  • Includes built-in sales automation, lead scoring, and forecasting out of the box
  • Self-hosting keeps customer and sales data entirely within the organization's own infrastructure

Cons

  • Requires self-hosting and DevOps capability, unlike turnkey SaaS CRM products
  • Smaller feature depth and third-party marketplace than dedicated commercial CRMs like HubSpot or Salesforce
  • Fewer native integrations with popular marketing and support tools out of the box
  • Smaller community and documentation base than mainstream CRM platforms

Kylas

Pros

  • Flat, predictable pricing with unlimited users rather than per-seat fees
  • Genuinely usable free (Embark) tier with 10,000 records and unlimited users
  • Built-in telephony, email, and WhatsApp/SMS integration without extra tooling
  • Self-funded, profitable-leaning company with steady product investment
  • Simple setup aimed specifically at SMB sales teams rather than complex enterprise configuration

Cons

  • Flat-rate pricing from $250/month can be more expensive than per-seat competitors for very small teams
  • Many features, such as extra workflows, email templates, custom fields, and BI analytics, are metered as paid add-ons
  • Smaller ecosystem of third-party integrations and marketplace apps than Salesforce, HubSpot, or Zoho
  • Primarily focused on sales CRM, without the broader marketing and service hub breadth of platforms like HubSpot
  • Less brand recognition and fewer public case studies outside its core India and SMB market

Use Cases

Choose Corteza CRM: Technical teams that want a fully open-source, self-hostable CRM with no vendor lock-in, especially those who also want a low-code app builder for building custom internal apps beyond CRM.
Choose Kylas: Sales teams that want a hosted, ready-to-use CRM with a genuinely free lifetime tier, AI lead scoring, and unlimited users on every plan without managing infrastructure.
Need both: There's no realistic scenario for running both as parallel CRMs for the same sales team -- a company picks one architecture (self-hosted open source versus hosted SaaS) as its system of record rather than splitting customer data across two CRMs.

Corteza CRM

  • Free Self-Hosted CRM — Small and mid-sized businesses adopt Corteza CRM to get full CRM functionality without recurring per-seat SaaS fees.
  • Customizable Sales Pipeline Management — Organizations with non-standard sales processes use Corteza CRM's low-code customization to tailor fields and workflows to their exact process.
  • Salesforce Replacement — Organizations looking to move off Salesforce for cost or data-control reasons adopt Corteza CRM as an open-source, self-hosted alternative.

Kylas

  • SMB sales teams outgrowing spreadsheets — Move lead and pipeline tracking off spreadsheets into a structured CRM without paying per-seat fees as the team grows.
  • Growing sales orgs needing flat-fee scaling — Add unlimited sales reps under one flat monthly price instead of renegotiating per-seat contracts.
  • Field sales operations — Use the mobile app and field sales tracking add-on to log visits, calls, and deal progress from outside the office.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Corteza really free?

Yes, Corteza is fully open source under the Apache 2.0 license and free to download and self-host.

Is Kylas free?

Yes -- the Embark plan is free for life, with up to 10,000 records and 5GB of storage, though it lacks email, telephony, and advanced automation features.

Does Kylas charge per user?

No, all Kylas plans, including paid tiers, include unlimited users with no per-seat cost.

Can Corteza be used without managing a server?

Corteza is designed to be self-hosted via Docker; hosted cloud instances are also offered by third parties such as Planet Crust, separate from the core open-source project.

Does Kylas include AI features?

Yes -- call sentiment analysis, an AI chatbot, lead scoring, and automation agents.

Is Corteza only a CRM?

No. Corteza is a broader low-code platform that includes a CRM module alongside a unified workspace and enterprise messaging.

Read the full Corteza CRM review · Read the full Kylas review