Twenty vs Salesforce: Open-Source CRM vs the Market Leader
Twenty is an open-source CRM you can self-host for no license fee or run on its cloud from $9 per user per month; Salesforce Sales Cloud is the market-leading managed CRM, listed from $25 to $550 per user per month. Choose Salesforce for a large sales organization that needs its ecosystem and enterprise depth. Choose Twenty when you want to own your CRM, model your own data, and stop paying more every time you hire.
Prices are vendor list prices as of September 2026 — see sources below. Updated .
Twenty vs Salesforce at a glance
| Dimension | Twenty | Salesforce |
|---|---|---|
| Licensing | AGPLv3 core (some enterprise-licensed files); self-hosting is free | Proprietary SaaS subscription |
| List price | Self-hosted: no license fee. Cloud: $9 (Pro) or $19 (Organization) per user/month | Sales Cloud: $25 (Starter) to $550 (Max) per user/month, billed annually |
| Hosting | Your own cloud, or Twenty Cloud | Salesforce cloud only |
| Data ownership | Full — the database is yours when self-hosted | Stored with Salesforce; exportable via tools and API |
| Customization | Custom objects and fields; source-level changes possible when self-hosted | Very deep configuration via Flow, Apex, and AppExchange |
| Ecosystem | Younger and smaller; growing partner network | Largest CRM ecosystem — apps, admins, consultants |
| Best fit | Small and mid-sized teams with a defined process that want ownership | Large or complex sales organizations |
The honest answer
Choose Twenty if…
- Per-seat CRM fees are becoming a meaningful line item as you grow
- Your process needs custom records and relationships, not just contacts and deals
- Data ownership or residency matters to you or your customers
- You have — or can partner for — the technical capacity to run and extend it
Choose Salesforce if…
- You run a large sales team that depends on forecasting, territories, and CPQ
- You rely on AppExchange apps or a Salesforce-specific integration
- You already employ Salesforce admins and developers
- You need the breadth of a mature enterprise platform more than ownership
A worked example
At list price, 20 users on Salesforce’s Pro Suite ($100 per user per month, billed annually) is $24,000 a year in licenses, rising with every hire. The same 20 users on Twenty’s Organization cloud plan ($19) is $4,560 a year. Self-hosted Twenty has no license fee at all — you pay for hosting and for setup and customization, which is a one-time cost rather than one that grows with headcount.
Run your own numbers in the cost calculator →What migration involves
Moving from Salesforce means exporting accounts, contacts, opportunities, activities, and custom fields, mapping them to Twenty’s data model, and rebuilding the automations your team relies on. Workflows built in Flow or Apex need to be re-implemented, so the effort depends heavily on how customized your Salesforce org is. Running both in parallel for a short period before cutover avoids losing data or momentum.
If you decide to switch
Twenty vs Salesforce — common questions
Is Twenty a real alternative to Salesforce?+
How much does Twenty cost compared to Salesforce?+
Is Twenty open source?+
Can we migrate from Salesforce to Twenty?+
Sources
Vendor pricing changes. Figures reflect each source as of September 2026; check the vendor before deciding.
Customizing Twenty CRM: An Open-Source Alternative to Salesforce
Why Twenty CRM is the open-source CRM worth building on in 2026, and how to customize and self-host it for your sales process without vendor lock-in.
How to Choose a CRM in 2026: Open-Source vs Managed
A practical 2026 CRM buying guide — open-source vs managed, total cost of ownership, customization, and how to pick a CRM that fits your sales process.
Self-Hosted vs SaaS: The True Cost of Per-Seat Software
Per-seat SaaS looks cheap until you scale. Here's how self-hosted open-source software compares on total cost of ownership — and when switching pays off.
More comparisons
Want a straight recommendation?
Tell us what you use today and what's not working. We'll tell you whether to switch, customize, or stay put — and scope it if switching makes sense.