CiviCRM
by CiviCRM
What CiviCRM is
CiviCRM is a web-based, customizable, open-source CRM made for nonprofit and civic-sector organizations. The project comes from CiviCRM, founded in 2005 and headquartered in San Francisco, California. It can run self-hosted and offers API and extension options, with community-created extensions for Backdrop, Drupal, Joomla, and WordPress. Fundraising tools handle contribution forms, recurring contributions, and donation management. Event features cover registrations, configurable participant details, pricing, and automated messages. CiviMember manages memberships through flexible price sets, membership rules, and automated communications. CiviMail sends targeted, personalized bulk email in rich HTML or text-only formats; those formats are available to Pro subscribers on Spark. SearchKit supports complex searches and actions on results, while Form Builder works with SearchKit; both are still evolving. Listed integrations include Stripe, PayPal, Mailchimp, Twilio, QuickBooks, Drupal, Backdrop, WordPress, and Joomla. Users can choose free self-hosting or Spark subscriptions from $15 a month. CiviCRM publishes security advisories, offers documentation and community support, and licenses versions 2.x and later under GNU AGPL 3 with a CiviCRM Licensing Exception.
Who it suits
CiviCRM suits nonprofit and civic-sector organizations needing fundraising, event, membership, and communication tools. Spark is aimed at small to medium-sized organizations that are new to CRM or want control of their data and systems.
What it does well
- Free, open-source self-hosted edition
- Handles contributions and recurring donations
- Includes event registration and membership management
- Supports targeted, personalized bulk email
- Integrates with payment, communication, accounting, and CMS services
- Community extensions expand functionality
What to know first
- Self-hosting requires technical skill
- Spark entry level limits contacts and monthly emails
- Spark does not include a website CMS
- Spark does not support every extension
Limits
Spark Starter allows up to 5,000 contacts and 10,000 emails per month. Spark does not include a website CMS and does not support every CiviCRM extension; self-hosting requires technical skill.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| CiviCRM (self-hosted) | Free to download, use and share · Self-hosted; requires technical skill | Free |
| Spark Starter | Per Month · Unlimited users · Up to 5,000 contacts · Most CiviCRM components · CiviMail | $15 a month |
| Spark Essentials | Per Month · Everything in Starter · Mosaico HTML emails · Up to 10,000 emails | $30 a month |
| Spark Pro | Per Month · Additional extensions · Up to 10,000 contacts · Up to 50,000 emails · Custom domain | $50 a month |
As civicrm.org lists them, read 12 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Visit https://civicrm.org/
- Choose the free self-hosted edition or a Spark subscription
- Download and run the self-hosted version if you have the required technical skill
- Select a Spark plan starting with Starter at $15 a month
- Connect supported services such as Stripe, PayPal, Mailchimp, Twilio, QuickBooks, or a listed CMS
- Add community-created extensions from the relevant CMS directory
Verdict
Choose CiviCRM if your nonprofit or civic organization needs an open-source system covering fundraising, events, memberships, and communications. Self-hosting provides a free download with control of the system, while Spark offers managed plans. Look elsewhere if you require a built-in website CMS on Spark or complete extension coverage.
Questions
Is CiviCRM free?
The self-hosted CiviCRM edition is free to download, use, and share. Spark subscriptions start at $15 a month.
What Spark plans are available?
Spark Starter costs $15 a month, Essentials costs $30 a month, and Pro costs $50 a month.
Which platforms does CiviCRM support?
CiviCRM supports API, extension, self-hosted, and web use. CMS integrations listed include Drupal, Backdrop, WordPress, and Joomla.
Is CiviCRM open source?
Yes. CiviCRM is open source, and versions 2.x and later use GNU AGPL 3 with a CiviCRM Licensing Exception.
Does CiviCRM integrate with other services?
Listed integrations include Stripe, PayPal, Mailchimp, Twilio, QuickBooks, Drupal, Backdrop, WordPress, and Joomla.
Facts from CiviCRM's own pages
- Audience
- Spark is intended for small to medium-sized organizations that are new to CRM or want to control their data and systems. · civicrm.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Communications
- CiviMail supports targeted and personalized bulk emails, including rich HTML and text-only messages for Pro subscribers on Spark. · civicrm.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Email sync
- No · civicrm.org, 23 Sept 2026
- Events
- Its event tools support registrations, configurable participant information, pricing, and automated communications. · civicrm.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Extensibility
- Community-created installable extensions add functionality, with CMS-specific directories for Backdrop, Drupal, Joomla, and WordPress. · civicrm.org, 12 Oct 2026
- Founded
- 2005 · civicrm.org, 28 Sept 2026
- Free plan
- Yes · civicrm.org, 23 Sept 2026
- Fundraising
- CiviCRM supports contribution forms, recurring contributions, and donation management. · civicrm.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, California, United States · civicrm.org, 28 Sept 2026
- Integrations
- The official integrations showcase lists payment and communication services including Stripe, PayPal, Mailchimp, Twilio, and QuickBooks, and CMS integrations including Drupal, Backdrop, WordPress, and Joomla. · civicrm.com, 12 Oct 2026
- License
- CiviCRM 2.x and later is licensed under GNU AGPL 3 with a CiviCRM Licensing Exception. · civicrm.org, 12 Oct 2026
- Memberships
- CiviMember supports membership management, flexible price sets, membership rules, and automated communications. · civicrm.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Open source
- Yes · civicrm.org, 23 Sept 2026
- Privacy and control
- CiviCRM says users control their data and system, and its project page describes privacy as a core value. · civicrm.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- CiviCRM is a web-based, customizable open-source CRM for nonprofit and civic-sector organizations. · civicrm.org, 12 Oct 2026
- Reporting
- SearchKit supports complex searches and actions on search results, while Form Builder integrates with SearchKit; both are described as still evolving and not yet feature complete. · civicrm.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Security
- CiviCRM publishes security advisories and provides instructions for subscribing to security notices and reporting suspected issues. · civicrm.org, 12 Oct 2026
- Spark limits
- Spark supports up to 5,000 contacts and 10,000 emails per month at its entry level, does not include a website CMS, and does not support every CiviCRM extension. · civicrm.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Support
- Support options include documentation, Stack Exchange, community chat, events, release notes, bug reporting, and professional consulting. · civicrm.org, 12 Oct 2026
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