Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Top Open Source Marketing Automation Software & Tools

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Clearly, open source marketing apps have their place. These days, marketing departments are responsible for a sizable percentage of enterprise application purchases and deployment decisions. In fact, Gartner has predicted that by 2017 chief marketing officers (CMOs) will spend more on IT than chief information officers (CIOs) do.

While the accuracy of that forecast is open to debate, marketing teams are certainly becoming more involved in the selection of software. The marketing automation industry alone is now worth an estimated $1.62 billion per year, and many marketing teams are also involved in choosing content management systems, customer relationship management, ecommerce software and other solutions.

With this new reality in mind, we’ve put together a list of the top open source marketing applications. The more marketing-specific projects are near the top of the list, and farther down you will find Web CMSes, CRM and ERP projects with noteworthy marketing features.

As always, if you know of additional projects that you believe should have been included on our list, feel free to make note in the Comments section below.

Marketing Automation

1. Mautic

Mautic combines tools for social media marketing, lead management and email marketing in one unified platform that includes the abilities to create campaigns and run reports. It’s available as an open source download or as a hosted service. Operating System: OS Independent.

2. Pimcore

This multi-function tool is primarily a Web content management and ecommerce solution that also has marketing automation features. It includes SEO, email marketing, social media, analytics and testing capabilities. Paid support and enterprise add-ons are available. Operating System: OS Independent.

Marketing Integration

3. CampaignChain

Currently in private beta testing, CampaignChain aims to give marketers an integrated view of all their campaign activities across various channels. Interested users can download the software or sign up to be part of the service trial and receive a discount when the paid service goes live. Operating System: OS Independent.

Email Marketing

4. OpenEMM

OpenEMM boasts features like template-based HTML mailings, automatic bounce management, open and link tracking, real-time statistics, time-driven import and export, and more. It has been downloaded more than half a million times. Users who prefer a cloud-based solution, can purchase EMM on an SaaS basis from the same organization. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.

5. Inker

Inker describes itself as “a front-end CSS and HTML email framework and delivery API that will change how you think about one-to-one emails in your company.” It handles both coding and delivery. Operating System: OS Independent.

Marketing Information

6. Open Source Marketing

Open Source Marketing isn’t so much an application as a methodology and platform for applying open source principles to the discipline of marketing. It allows all kinds of organizations to share marketing intelligence and reuse the core processes developed by the organization behind the project. That organization also sells related services and training. Operating System: N/A

7. Calligra

Calligra is a complete office productivity suite with Microsoft-compatible word processing and spreadsheet software. It also has a vector drawing application called Karbon, a sketching and painting application called Krita, and a diagraming tool called Flow. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X

8. Gimp

Short for GNU Image Manipulation Program, Gimp is a full-featured, professional-caliber photo editing program. Its capabilities are very similar to those of Adobe Photoshop. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X

9. Inkscape

Another professional-quality tool, Inkscape is a vector graphics program that rivals Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw. Key features include multiple drawing tools, shape tools, text tools, cloning, transformations, grouping, layers, fills, node editing, path simplification and much more. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X

10. Scribus

Also suitable for use by professionals, Scribus is an open source page layout/desktop publishing application that can be used to create digital or printed documents. It has been called “one of the most powerful and useful open-source projects out there.” Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X

Customer Relationship Management

11. ConcourseSuite

In addition to its features for sales and customer service teams, this Web-based CRM solution includes multiple features for marketers, including lead tracking, targeted email campaigns and survey capabilities. In addition to the open source version, a paid, supported version is also available. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.

12. openCRX

This full-featured CRM solution combines groupware functionality (email, calendar and contacts) with sales force automation, marketing automation, customer service and analytics features. Paid support and custom development are available through partners. Operating System: OS Independent

13. SplendidCRM

Marketing features in SplendidCRM include campaigns, email marketing, Web-to-lead capture and Twilio and Twitter integration. It comes in multiple on-premise and cloud-hosted versions, both free and paid. Operating System: Windows

14. Sugar Community Edition

One of the most popular open source CRM applications available, Sugar offers numerous tools for marketers, such as campaign management, marketing automation, email marketing, marketing analytics, social management and data enrichment. The company offers multiple paid versions, as well as the open source version. Operating System: OS Independent

15. vTiger

Boasting millions of downloads, vTiger offers both paid cloud-based versions and a free open source version. Note that in order to get marketing features like email marketing, users will need either the Sales Edition or Ultimate Edition, both of which require a fee. Operating System: Windows, Linux, iOS, Android

16. X2Contacts

This CRM tool gives marketers the ability to capture Web leads, track Website visits, draft and track emails, and automate and manage campaigns. It comes in a cloud-based version that runs on AWS or in an open source version. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X

Web Content Management

17. Bitweaver

Bitweaver aims to make it easy for non-technical staff, like the marketing team, to add content to corporate or small business websites. It includes tools for adding articles, blogs, calendars and image galleries, and multiple add-ons are available. Operating System: OS Independent.

18. DNN

DNN, formerly known as DotNetNuke, promises the ability to power “rich interactive websites and intranets.” It includes SEO management, content analytics, content personalization, responsive templates, engagement analytics, advocate marketing and integration with numerous third-party services, including Google Analytics, Marketo, Dropbox, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Paid versions are sold under the Evoq brand name. Operating System: Windows

19. Drupal

Used by organizations like the BBC, NBC, MTV UK, Amnesty International, the University of Oxford and many government agencies, Drupal is one of the most popular CMSes in the world. The latest version, Drupal 8, features contributions from more than 3,200 developers and features more than 200 improvements. Operating System: OS Independent.

20. Get Simple

Designed for smaller websites, Get Simple’s claim to fame is its extreme ease of use. It boasts excellent security, an intuitive interface, customization capabilities, integrated site backups and more. Operating System: Linux.

21. Hippo CMS

Hippo was the only Java-based open source CMS in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for 2015. For marketers, it offers the ability to measure “which content matters to their audiences and deliver optimal and personalized digital experiences based on this insight.” It comes in open source and enterprise editions as well as the Hippo OnDemand platform as a service. Operating System: OS Independent.

22. Joomla

Downloaded more than 50 million times, Joomla is one of the most popular CMSes of any kind. It includes a media manager, article editor, banner manager, integrated search, tagging, syndication and much more. Operating System: OS Independent.

23. Mezzanine

Built using the Django framework, Mezzanine offers features like an intuitive interface, scheduled publishing, WYSIWYG or in-line page editing, SEO features, ecommerce, dashboard widgets, and a blog engine. Visit the live demo on the website to see it in action. Operating System: OS Independent.

24. Okatea

Modular, PHP-based Okatea describes itself as “a compromise between simplicity and flexibility.” It boasts a modular architecture which allows users to add features for news, contact forms, etc. Operating System: OS Independent.

25. Orchard

This ASP.NET-based CMS is modular and highly extensible, making it easy to add blogs, photos and much more. The project has several international communities, and Microsoft staffers are involved in the project. Operating System: Windows.

26. Plone

Calling itself “the ultimate enterprise CMS,” Plone offers integration with many other enterprise tools including Salesforce and other CRM solutions, Oracle, continuous integration tools, and many Web services. Paid support and other services are available through third-party providers. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X

27. SEOToaster

This solution claims to be “the most advanced SEO CMS and ecommerce website builder.” It offers hub and spoke marketing technology that allows users to manage localized websites from a centralized interface. Operating System: OS Independent

28. TYPO3

Installed more than 500,000 times, TYPO3 is a widely used enterprise CMS with multisite functionality, excellent scalability, granular permissions, multi-channel content publishing and more. Paid support is available. Operating System: Windows, Linux, Unix

29. WebGUI

Used by thousands of organizations, WebGUI offers capabilities like wikis, online surveys, news feeds, event management, message boards, shopping carts, blogs and more. Several third-party partners offer related services. Operating System: Windows, Linux/Unix, OS X

30. XOOPS

Another very popular content management system, XOOPS has won several awards. It boasts a modular architecture, SEO features, excellent security, dynamic editing, email notifications and more. Operating System: OS Independent

31. XWiki

Most wiki software falls a little short when it comes to meeting marketing needs, but XWiki is a very full-featured platform with more advanced capabilities than most other open source projects of its kind. It supports blogging, reporting and the creation of simple Web applications, all of which can be useful to marketing teams. It comes in both a free and a paid enterprise version. Operating System: OS Independent.

Ecommerce

32. AbanteCart

AbanteCart humbly proclaims itself to be the “most powerful eCommerce platform to sell anything.” Key features for marketing teams include responsive templates, audio/video support, customer reviews, customer wishlists, coupons, an affiliate system, localization, SEO, smart search, storefront banners and more. Operating System: Windows, Linux.

33. Broadleaf Commerce

One of the more popular open source ecommerce solutions, Broadleaf is modular and Java-based. Key features include promotions, personalized offers and discounts, personalized ad targeting, promo code support, built-in content editing, multi-currency support, product information management, smart search and browse, SEO management and more. Paid services are available. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.

34. CubeCart

Used by tens of thousands of merchants, CubeCart bosts features like unlimited products, built-in statistics, gift certificates, coupons, social media plug-ins, customizable SEO features, Google Analytics support and more. Paid technical support is available, and hosting and other services are available through partners. Operating System: Linux.

35. JadaSite

Java-based JadaSite offers one-page checkout, support for multiple payment gateways, Microsoft Bing translator, inventory tracking, date-based sale pricing, cross-sell and up-sell features, multi-lingual and multi-currency capabilities, coupon support, item ratings, multiple discounting options, personalization features and more. Paid implementation, consultation and customization are available. Operating System: OS Independent

36. Loaded Commerce

Used by more than 10,000 stores, Loaded boasts that it is “the most powerful ecommerce software available.” Key features include comprehensive catalog and shopping cart, data-driven inventory management, digital downloads, affiliate system, and more. Paid Pro and B2B versions are available. Operating System: Windows, Linux

37. Magento

This eBay-owned project has won multiple awards and claims to power twice as many Internet Retailer Top 1000 merchants as any other solution. It comes in multiple paid versions, both cloud-based an on-premises, as well as the community edition. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X

38. nopCommerce

Claiming to be “stable and highly usable,” nopCommerce has been downloaded more than 1.5 million times. Key features include mobile commerce, multi-store capabilities, SEO, and marketing features like a reward points system, discounts and coupons, Facebook export, related products upselling, newsletter subscriptions, product reviews and ratings, product comparison and an affiliate program. Operating System: Windows.

39. OpenCart

“Feature-rich and user-friendly,” OpenCart offers a visually appealing interface, multi-currency and multi-language support, product reviews and ratings, SEO, PCI compliance, sales reports, discounting and more. Commercial support is provided through partners. Operating system: Windows, Linux, OS X

40. osCMax

A fork of osCommerce (see below), osCMax boasts features like vouchers and coupons, virtual product support, web-based administration, customer loyalty discounts, SEO-friendly URLs, an article manager and more. Paid documentation is available. Operating System: Windows, Linux

41. osCommerce

Used by more than 280,000 online stores, osCommerce has been around for 16 years. Services are available through third-party partners. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.

42. OXID eShop

OXID offers B2B and B2C ecommerce, as well as omnichannel solutions. The open source version is called eShop, and it has a large and vibrant user community. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X

43. PrestaShop

Boasting more than 250,000 users, PrestaShop is a very popular ecommerce solution with mobile-responsive design, advanced SEO features, in-depth sales statistics, dynamic pricing rules, coupons and vouchers, reviews, loyalty programs and email marketing. Paid cloud and expert versions are available, as well as the free download. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.

44. SmartStore.Net

For Windows users, SmartStore.NET is a multilingual, SEO-optimized, mobile optimized, customizable and scalable ecommerce solution. The organization offers several levels of paid support. Operating System: Windows

45. Spreecommerce

Powering more than 45,000 online retail sites, Spreecommerce offers modular architecture, customization, responsive site design and more. It’s won several awards, and extensive documentation can be found on the site. Operating System: OS Independent

46. Tomato Cart

This mobile-friendly project claims to be “the first open source shopping cart solution designed for offering great user experience for all digital devices. Key marketing features include a banner manager, Google Adsense integration, Web analytics, SEO, email system, catalog management, reviews and ratings, wishlists, “tell a friend,” discounts, newsletters and more. Operating System: Windows, Linux

47. X-Cart

Now 15 years old, X-Cart handled more than $2.3 billion in transactions from more than 35,000 stores last year. It’s PHP-based, and multiple paid versions are available. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X

ERP

48. Apache OFBiz

Short for “Open for Business,” this Apache ERP solution offers a number of capabilities for marketing teams, including advanced ecommerce, catalog management, promotion and pricing management, CRM, content management, and more. In addition, it also includes traditional ERP functionality like accounting, supply chain management, project management, etc. Operating System: OS Independent

49. Odoo

Used by more than 2 million people, Odoo promises to simplify omnichannel sales. It includes tools for website building, blogging, ecommerce, CRM, subscriptions, email marketing, surveys, events, and much more. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X

50. opentaps

Calling itself the “most advanced open source ERP + CRM solution,” Opentaps counts Toyota and Honeywell among its users. It includes tools for tracking the leads to account sales conversion process, campaigns, contact lists, ecommerce, VoIP integration, and more. A paid professional version, a cloud version, and related services are available for purchase. Operating System: Windows, Linux

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