TL;DR — pick by team + scope
- Laravel + Filament: fastest CRUD-heavy CRM. Best if your team knows PHP.
- Next.js + Postgres + custom: best UX flexibility, best for client-facing features.
- Refine + Next.js: middle ground — admin scaffolding + custom flexibility.
- Retool / Tooljet: low-code; good for <5-user internal tools, hits walls at scale.
The 4 main options
Laravel + Filament — the speed champion
What it gives you: admin scaffolding for 80% of CRUD in days. Permissions, search, filters, exports, charts — all built-in. Add custom views as needed.
Build time: ₹50K-1.5L for a starter custom CRM with workflows.
Pick when: PHP team, mostly CRUD-heavy, internal-facing.
Next.js + Postgres + custom — the flexibility champion
What it gives you: total freedom on UX. Better for customer-portal-style CRMs where the experience matters.
Build time: ₹1.5-4L for similar feature set (no admin scaffolding shortcut).
Pick when: TypeScript team, UX matters, client-facing features.
Refine + Next.js — the middle ground
What it gives you: opinionated React framework with admin scaffolding for CRUD + flexibility for custom views.
Build time: ₹1-2.5L for typical CRM.
Pick when: TypeScript team but want some scaffolding.
Retool / Tooljet — low-code
What it gives you: drag-and-drop UI on top of your DB. Live in days. Per-user pricing scales painfully.
Build time: ₹50K for setup.
Pick when: 1-5 user internal tool, simple workflows, quick experiments.
Avoid when: 10+ users (per-user fees), complex business logic, customer-facing.
The decision matrix
| Need | Best pick |
|---|---|
| Sales pipeline + lead routing for 5-25 users | Laravel + Filament |
| Multi-team SaaS-like CRM (25+ users) | Next.js + Postgres custom |
| Customer portal + internal admin combined | Refine + Next.js |
| Internal data view tool (5 users) | Retool |
| Field-rep mobile + admin dashboard | Next.js admin + React Native field app |
| Migration FROM Salesforce/Zoho | Laravel + Filament (data import via CSV / API) |
Common mistakes
- Picking React because it's modern: if your team is PHP and you need internal CRUD, Laravel + Filament ships in 1/3 the time
- Building everything custom: skip if Filament / Refine has 80% of what you need
- Picking Retool for production CRM: per-user fees + lock-in bite at 10+ users
- Multi-tenant from day 1: only if you'll sell the CRM as SaaS. Otherwise single-tenant is simpler.
For Indian SME CRM builds: ~70% Laravel + Filament (fastest), ~25% Next.js + Postgres (when UX matters), ~5% other. Custom CRM playbook →
Last reviewed: 27 April 2026.
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