Open-Source CRM · SuiteCRM
SuiteCRM customisation, support and migration
The most complete open-source CRM, made to fit how you sell, kept updated, and moved from version 7 to 8 without losing what you built.
SuiteCRM in plain English
SuiteCRM started life as the open-source fork of SugarCRM, and it still does almost everything: leads, accounts, deals, marketing campaigns, support cases, quotes, workflows and reports. It is written in PHP, licensed under the AGPL-3.0 and actively maintained, with SuiteCRM 8.10.2 and 7.15.2 both released at the end of July 2026 (checked on the project's GitHub, 11 October 2026).
It suits larger sales and service teams who need the breadth, and anyone already running SuiteCRM or an old SugarCRM who wants it sorted out rather than replaced. If you only need a simple pipeline, it can feel heavy, and we will say so.
We should be upfront about two things. We are independent, not a SuiteCRM partner. And while we have spent fifteen years building and looking after PHP business systems, including the CRM we wrote to run our own business, we would describe the approach below to you rather than point at a past SuiteCRM project.
SuiteCRM customisation and development, done so it survives upgrades
SuiteCRM implementation
Modules, fields, layouts, users, security groups and workflows set up around how your team actually sells and supports customers, with your data brought in and checked.
Customisation the upgrade-safe way
Changes go in SuiteCRM's custom area or as proper extensions, never by editing its own code. That is what lets you keep taking updates.
Integrations
Your website forms, accounts package, Shopify, phone system or your own software, connected through SuiteCRM's API so nobody retypes anything.
SuiteCRM support and maintenance services
Updates tested against your customisations, security patches applied, backups checked, and someone to ring when something looks wrong.
The people who build it are the people who support it: Rob, Jason and a small team in Kent. If you are looking for SuiteCRM developers or a SuiteCRM consultant to sort out an installation someone else set up, that is the same job, starting with a look at what is there.
SuiteCRM migration 7 to 8
SuiteCRM 8 is not a normal upgrade. According to SuiteCRM's own migration guide, version 8 adds a Symfony application layer and an Angular interface, with the version 7 code running inside it as a legacy layer. Moving across means a new SuiteCRM 8 installation, not a patch on your existing one, and your 7.x system has to be on the release the migration package expects first.
There is no panic. SuiteCRM's supported versions page gives 7.15 ESR active support until December 2027 and security support until March 2028. But 7.14 left security support in March 2026, so anyone still on 7.14 or older should at least move to 7.15 now.
How we would approach the move:
- List every customisation, add-on and integration on your current system, because the migration can remove files it does not recognise.
- Bring 7.x up to the release the migration package needs, on a copy, not the live system.
- Run the migration on a test server, then check each customisation and add-on for SuiteCRM 8 support. Some old customisations are better rebuilt the version 8 way.
- Have your team use the test system for real work for a few days, then switch over at a quiet moment with a tested way back.
Some teams are better staying on 7.15 for now, especially with a lot of old custom code. We would tell you which camp you are in before you spend anything.
Outlook, WhatsApp and AI
SuiteCRM Outlook integration
The official SuiteCRM Outlook Plugin is a paid add-on from the SuiteCRM Store. Its documentation lists support for SuiteCRM 7.10.10 onwards and SuiteCRM 8, and it archives emails against CRM records. Manual sync works out of the box; automatic sync needs a Microsoft Azure subscription. We can set it up, or connect Microsoft 365 directly through its API if you need something it does not do.
SuiteCRM WhatsApp integration
There is no official WhatsApp feature. The SuiteCRM Store lists several third-party add-ons that send and log WhatsApp messages through providers such as Twilio, and each charges for the add-on plus the provider's per-message fees. We help you pick one, or build the integration directly on the WhatsApp Business API if you would rather own it.
SuiteCRM AI integration
SuiteCRM does not have AI built in. Third-party add-ons in the SuiteCRM Store, such as SuiteAI Insight, add record summaries and email drafts using OpenAI, Gemini or a local model. We can also build AI features into your own workflows through the API, with the AI suggesting and a person or a fixed rule deciding what gets saved. More on that in AI-assisted development.
SuiteCRM hosting, and what a partner should do for you
SuiteCRM hosting is straightforward on a properly set-up Linux server with PHP and MySQL or MariaDB. We host it on UK servers in an account you own, patched, monitored and backed up, with restores tested every quarter. More in Linux server management.
When people look for a SuiteCRM partner, they usually want three things: someone who understands the system, someone who will still be around next year, and someone who does not lock them in. We are not on SuiteCRM's official partner list, so judge us on those three. You own the code we write, the hosting account is in your name, and if you leave, you get the documentation and a walk-through.
What people ask about SuiteCRM
The software is free under the AGPL-3.0 licence, with no fee per user. You pay for hosting, any paid add-ons such as the Outlook plugin, and the setup, customisation and support work. For a team of any size that is usually far less than a per-user subscription.
Not necessarily yet. SuiteCRM 7.15 has active support until December 2027 and security support until March 2028. If you are on 7.14 or older, move to 7.15 now. Plan the move to 8 once your customisations and add-ons are known to work with it.
They will if they were built in the upgrade-safe custom area or as extensions. Changes made directly to SuiteCRM's own files are the ones that break. Part of our first look is finding any of those and moving them somewhere safe.
Yes. We start by reviewing what is there: version, customisations, add-ons, integrations and how it is hosted. You get a written list of what is fine, what is risky and what we would fix first.
No. We are an independent UK development team. You own everything we build, the hosting is in your name, and you can move to someone else at any time.
Other open-source CRMs
Running SuiteCRM, or thinking about it?
Tell us which version you are on and what is getting in the way.
Or what you would want a CRM to do, if you are starting out. If SuiteCRM is the wrong fit, we will say so.
We reply within one working day.
