What it is

Twenty is an open-source CRM platform built for technical teams that need to design and deploy custom customer relationship management systems without vendor lock-in. It provides a framework for defining data models, views, workflows, and AI-powered agents entirely as code, enabling full version control and integration into existing development pipelines. The project lives in the JavaScript/TypeScript ecosystem and uses modern tooling including NestJS, React, PostgreSQL, and Redis.

It solves the problem of rigid, proprietary CRMs like Salesforce by letting teams build tailored systems that evolve with their business logic—without paying for unused features or being constrained by limited customization options. Instead of configuring through a GUI alone, developers define CRM structure and behavior programmatically, supporting complex, domain-specific requirements.

Key capabilities

• Define custom CRM objects (e.g., deals, contacts, tasks) and fields via TypeScript SDK with typed schemas
• Create and manage dynamic views (lists, kanban, calendar) for data presentation and filtering
• Build and deploy AI agents that automate tasks using natural language or structured triggers
• Version CRM configurations and apps using Git workflows and publish to workspaces via CLI
• Extend functionality with custom logic functions, workflows, and integrations
• Support multi-tenancy and role-based access control out of the box
• Use GraphQL APIs for querying and mutating CRM data

Who uses it and how

• Engineering teams at startups and scale-ups build internal sales or support CRMs aligned with their product stack
• Agencies develop client-specific CRM applications using the Twenty CLI and deploy to hosted or self-hosted instances
• Open-source contributors and developers contribute to the core platform or extend it with custom objects and logic

Getting started

Deploy via the hosted option at twenty.com, or scaffold a local app with npx create-twenty-app my-app. Self-host using Docker Compose or contribute locally using the documented setup guide.

When to use it — and when not to

Use Twenty when you need full control over CRM structure, version-controlled configurations, and tight integration with your tech stack. Avoid it if you require out-of-the-box industry templates, minimal technical involvement, or managed support SLAs—self-hosting requires managing PostgreSQL, Redis, and optionally SMTP for email. It trades convenience for flexibility, offering no native migration tools from legacy CRMs.

npx create-twenty-app my-app

import { defineObject, FieldType } from 'twenty-sdk/define';

export default defineObject({
  nameSingular: 'deal',
  namePlural: 'deals',
  labelSingular: 'Deal',
  labelPlural: 'Deals',
  fields: [
    { name: 'name', label: 'Name', type: FieldType.TEXT },
    { name: 'amount', label: 'Amount', type: FieldType.CURRENCY },
    { name: 'closeDate', label: 'Close Date', type: FieldType.DATE_TIME },
  ],
});

npx twenty app:publish --private