# a CRM for freelancers

**A freelancer CRM is a crowded but mostly stale niche; the gap is not demand, it's differentiation.**

Confidence: medium  ·  69 signals  ·  checked 2026-08-01

[Full report with live links](https://showsitsworks.com/idea/crm-for-freelancers)

## Who is already building this

*From data*

- Dolibarr/dolibarr has 7,467 stars and is still maintained, with a last push on 2026-08-01; it is an open-source ERP/CRM aimed at businesses, foundations, and freelancers.
  - [Dolibarr/dolibarr](https://github.com/Dolibarr/dolibarr) `github` — 2011-06-26
- DjangoCRM/django-crm has 608 stars and is still maintained, with a last push on 2026-08-01; it targets businesses and freelancers with CRM, task management, and email marketing.
  - [DjangoCRM/django-crm](https://github.com/DjangoCRM/django-crm) `github` — 2024-06-23
- mazer-dev/pejota has 162 stars and is still maintained, with a last push on 2026-07-31; it is an ERP and CRM for freelancers and solo entrepreneurs with clients, projects, contracts, tasks, and timesheets.
  - [mazer-dev/pejota](https://github.com/mazer-dev/pejota) `github` — 2024-05-20
- jgaa/f-crm has 34 stars and is still maintained, with a last push on 2025-10-28; it is customer relations management for freelancers and individual contractors.
  - [jgaa/f-crm](https://github.com/jgaa/f-crm) `github` — 2018-03-15
- luckyshot/CRMx has 110 stars and is stale, with a last push on 2022-11-24; it is a micro-CRM for personal, freelance, and small businesses.
  - [luckyshot/CRMx](https://github.com/luckyshot/CRMx) `github` — 2013-03-24
- LaravelDaily/QuickAdminPanel-Freelancer-CRM has 103 stars and is stale, with a last push on 2020-09-24; it is a demo project for freelancers to manage projects and income.
  - [LaravelDaily/QuickAdminPanel-Freelancer-CRM](https://github.com/LaravelDaily/QuickAdminPanel-Freelancer-CRM) `github` — 2019-09-15
- thorin-schiffer/freeturn has 60 stars and is stale, with a last push on 2022-12-27; it describes itself as freelance mission control.
  - [thorin-schiffer/freeturn](https://github.com/thorin-schiffer/freeturn) `github` — 2018-07-20
- anishdcruz/ck-flow has 41 stars and is dead, with a last push on 2022-04-16; it is a simple CRM solution for freelancers and small business owners.
  - [anishdcruz/ck-flow](https://github.com/anishdcruz/ck-flow) `github` — 2022-04-16

## What people actually say

*From data*

- "There are <Dr Evil>one million</Dr Evil> choices when it comes to CRM's" — a Hacker News user in 2014 saying the space felt overloaded, while asking what freelancers actually use.
  - [Ask HN: Which CRM for a solo-freelancer in 2014?](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7397846) `hackernews` — 2014-03-14
- "I haven't found any decent threads on this for a while." — the same HN post, showing people were still searching for a clear answer in that period.
  - [Ask HN: Which CRM for a solo-freelancer in 2014?](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7397846) `hackernews` — 2014-03-14
- "What CRM are all the freelancers out there using?" — an explicit request for real-world recommendations from solo freelancers.
  - [Ask HN: Which CRM for a solo-freelancer in 2014?](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7397846) `hackernews` — 2014-03-14
- "I don't know much about running a small business, and I've run into lots problems that I hope have software solutions." — a freelancer asking for tools to help run the business side of freelancing.
  - [Ask HN: Software/Resources for Freelancers](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3697676) `hackernews` — 2012-03-13
- "what is your preferred stack of tools for handling Project management, CRM, time tracking, invoicing, expenses etc...?" — a freelancer-focused HN thread asking for an integrated workflow.
  - [Ask HN: Freelancers – your preferred CRM and Project Management stack?](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7200992) `hackernews` — 2014-02-08

## People asking to be sold to

*From data*

- "What SaaS apps do you pay for that make life as a freelancer easier?" — this is a direct buying-intent question, even though it does not name a specific CRM need.
  - [Ask HN: Freelancers – are you using a CRM/any other SaaS?](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7517076) `hackernews` — 2014-04-02
- "I'm about to go solo and am not sure what to go for" — a user actively comparing CRM options before starting freelance work.
  - [Ask HN: Which CRM for a solo-freelancer in 2014?](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7397846) `hackernews` — 2014-03-14
- "If you're not showing up in th" — a founder describing the need to track AI discovery channels for a product; this is adjacent, but not a freelancer CRM buying signal.
  - [Show HN: Mentionable – Track if ChatGPT recommend your brand](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46853772) `hackernews` — 2026-02-02
- The signal set contains 0 first-hand complaints, 0 unsolved questions, and 0 stated wants in the counted facts, so there are no strong explicit willingness-to-pay quotes here.

## Where the opening is

*Model estimate*

- The existing projects mostly bundle CRM with broad ERP, invoicing, project tracking, or task management; the data does not show a product built narrowly around the freelancer workflow end to end.
  - [Dolibarr/dolibarr](https://github.com/Dolibarr/dolibarr) `github` — 2011-06-26
  - [DjangoCRM/django-crm](https://github.com/DjangoCRM/django-crm) `github` — 2024-06-23
  - [mazer-dev/pejota](https://github.com/mazer-dev/pejota) `github` — 2024-05-20
  - [luckyshot/CRMx](https://github.com/luckyshot/CRMx) `github` — 2013-03-24
  - [LaravelDaily/QuickAdminPanel-Freelancer-CRM](https://github.com/LaravelDaily/QuickAdminPanel-Freelancer-CRM) `github` — 2019-09-15
  - [thorin-schiffer/freeturn](https://github.com/thorin-schiffer/freeturn) `github` — 2018-07-20
  - [anishdcruz/ck-flow](https://github.com/anishdcruz/ck-flow) `github` — 2022-04-16
  - [jgaa/f-crm](https://github.com/jgaa/f-crm) `github` — 2018-03-15
- Several projects are either stale or dead, which suggests room for a maintained product, but not proof of an unmet feature gap.
  - [luckyshot/CRMx](https://github.com/luckyshot/CRMx) `github` — 2013-03-24
  - [LaravelDaily/QuickAdminPanel-Freelancer-CRM](https://github.com/LaravelDaily/QuickAdminPanel-Freelancer-CRM) `github` — 2019-09-15
  - [thorin-schiffer/freeturn](https://github.com/thorin-schiffer/freeturn) `github` — 2018-07-20
  - [anishdcruz/ck-flow](https://github.com/anishdcruz/ck-flow) `github` — 2022-04-16
- The signals do not show a clear specialty around solo-freelancer constraints like very low client counts, lightweight follow-up, and minimal admin overhead; that is an inference from the absence of such specifics.
  - [Dolibarr/dolibarr](https://github.com/Dolibarr/dolibarr) `github` — 2011-06-26
  - [DjangoCRM/django-crm](https://github.com/DjangoCRM/django-crm) `github` — 2024-06-23
  - [mazer-dev/pejota](https://github.com/mazer-dev/pejota) `github` — 2024-05-20
  - [luckyshot/CRMx](https://github.com/luckyshot/CRMx) `github` — 2013-03-24
  - [LaravelDaily/QuickAdminPanel-Freelancer-CRM](https://github.com/LaravelDaily/QuickAdminPanel-Freelancer-CRM) `github` — 2019-09-15
  - [thorin-schiffer/freeturn](https://github.com/thorin-schiffer/freeturn) `github` — 2018-07-20
  - [anishdcruz/ck-flow](https://github.com/anishdcruz/ck-flow) `github` — 2022-04-16
  - [jgaa/f-crm](https://github.com/jgaa/f-crm) `github` — 2018-03-15

## How big the market might be

*Model estimate*

- This search found 8 named open-source projects, with 3 active, 4 dead, and 1 slow.
- The largest maintained competitor is Dolibarr at 7,467 stars; the next biggest live one is DjangoCRM at 608 stars.
  - [Dolibarr/dolibarr](https://github.com/Dolibarr/dolibarr) `github` — 2011-06-26
  - [DjangoCRM/django-crm](https://github.com/DjangoCRM/django-crm) `github` — 2024-06-23
- There were 30 Hacker News discussions in the search set, but the counted facts show 0 first-hand complaints, 0 unsolved questions, and 0 stated wants.
- Only one registry package showed up, with 223 downloads last month for noto-crm-mcp-server, which is usage but still a very small signal.
  - [npm: noto-crm-mcp-server](https://www.npmjs.com/package/noto-crm-mcp-server) `registries` — 2026-03-31

## What could go wrong

*Model estimate*

- This looks like a convenience product in a crowded category, not a new category; buyers may default to spreadsheets, general CRMs, or existing freelancer tools.
  - [Ask HN: Which CRM for a solo-freelancer in 2014?](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7397846) `hackernews` — 2014-03-14
  - [Ask HN: Software/Resources for Freelancers](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3697676) `hackernews` — 2012-03-13
  - [Ask HN: Freelancers – your preferred CRM and Project Management stack?](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7200992) `hackernews` — 2014-02-08
- Several visible competitors are already open source and some are still maintained, so a new entrant will need a sharp wedge rather than 'CRM for freelancers' as the pitch.
  - [Dolibarr/dolibarr](https://github.com/Dolibarr/dolibarr) `github` — 2011-06-26
  - [DjangoCRM/django-crm](https://github.com/DjangoCRM/django-crm) `github` — 2024-06-23
  - [mazer-dev/pejota](https://github.com/mazer-dev/pejota) `github` — 2024-05-20
  - [jgaa/f-crm](https://github.com/jgaa/f-crm) `github` — 2018-03-15
- Because the search produced no explicit complaints or stated wants, the risk is that the problem is real but not painful enough for people to switch.

## What to do this week

*Model estimate*

- Narrow the product to one specific freelancer job-to-be-done, such as follow-ups after proposals, repeat client tracking, or a client timeline that replaces scattered notes.
  - [Ask HN: Which CRM for a solo-freelancer in 2014?](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7397846) `hackernews` — 2014-03-14
  - [Ask HN: Freelancers – your preferred CRM and Project Management stack?](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7200992) `hackernews` — 2014-02-08
- Test whether people want a lightweight system that avoids enterprise CRM clutter, because that theme appears repeatedly in the existing projects and discussions.
  - [mazer-dev/pejota](https://github.com/mazer-dev/pejota) `github` — 2024-05-20
  - [luckyshot/CRMx](https://github.com/luckyshot/CRMx) `github` — 2013-03-24
  - [thorin-schiffer/freeturn](https://github.com/thorin-schiffer/freeturn) `github` — 2018-07-20
  - [keeep-app/keeep](https://github.com/keeep-app/keeep) `github` — 2023-11-22
  - [Micro SaaS Ideas You'll Want to Steal](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19966471) `hackernews` — 2019-05-20
  - [Micro SaaS Ideas You'll Want to Steal](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19965398) `hackernews` — 2019-05-20
  - [Micro SaaS Ideas You'll Want to Steal](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19963782) `hackernews` — 2019-05-20
- If you build it, lead with a workflow claim, not a generic CRM claim: solo use, few clients, fast follow-up, and low admin overhead.
  - [Ask HN: Which CRM for a solo-freelancer in 2014?](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7397846) `hackernews` — 2014-03-14
  - [Ask HN: Software/Resources for Freelancers](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3697676) `hackernews` — 2012-03-13
  - [Ask HN: Freelancers – your preferred CRM and Project Management stack?](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7200992) `hackernews` — 2014-02-08
  - [Ask HN: An invoicing platform specifically for Freelancers](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42607730) `hackernews` — 2025-01-06

## Competitor strength

| Project | Stars | Downloads/mo | Activity |
|---|---:|---:|---|
| [Dolibarr/dolibarr](https://github.com/Dolibarr/dolibarr) | 7,467 | — | active |
| [DjangoCRM/django-crm](https://github.com/DjangoCRM/django-crm) | 608 | — | active |
| [mazer-dev/pejota](https://github.com/mazer-dev/pejota) | 162 | — | active |
| [luckyshot/CRMx](https://github.com/luckyshot/CRMx) | 110 | — | dead |
| [LaravelDaily/QuickAdminPanel-Freelancer-CRM](https://github.com/LaravelDaily/QuickAdminPanel-Freelancer-CRM) | 103 | — | dead |
| [thorin-schiffer/freeturn](https://github.com/thorin-schiffer/freeturn) | 60 | — | dead |
| [anishdcruz/ck-flow](https://github.com/anishdcruz/ck-flow) | 41 | — | dead |
| [jgaa/f-crm](https://github.com/jgaa/f-crm) | 34 | — | slow |

## Domain names

- `freelancercrm.com` — available
- `freelancercrm.io` — available
- `freelancer.com` — taken
- `getfreelancer.com` — taken

---

Sources searched: hackernews (30), github (20), githubissues (none), discourse (none), intent (none), stackexchange (none), registries (1), tavily (8), devto (10)

Generated by Shows Its Work — https://showsitsworks.com/idea/crm-for-freelancers
Findings link to their sources. Estimates are marked as estimates.