How to vibe codeBigin
AI-powered simple CRM for small businesses
bigin.com ↗CRM
The verdict: can you vibe code Bigin?
Build a solid subset of the pipeline management, database relations, and AI assistants, but keep paying if you rely on production telephony and WhatsApp webhooks.
Building a personal-use CRM clone of Bigin is a rewarding full-stack challenge. A modern AI coding agent handles the Next.js frontend, database schema, and kanban views rapidly. However, you will hit real friction wiring up live two-way WhatsApp webhooks, reliable IMAP email sync, and background worker queues for automated workflows without breaking local state. For a personal dashboard to replace messy spreadsheets, it is an excellent weekend-to-weeks build. For mission-critical business telephony and multi-channel messaging, stick with the paid product.
Estimated effort: 3-4 weeks of focused development
What you can't replicate
- The massive existing integration ecosystem with Zoho Books, QuickBooks, and social ad lead sync
- Enterprise compliance certifications (HIPAA, SOC 2, ISO 27001) and security guarantees
- The dedicated support team and global partner migration network
Founded
2020
Raised
$0
Team
17,000+ (Zoho Corporation total)
Cheapest paid tier
US$ 0 /user/month
What Bigin does
Lightweight CRM platform providing pipeline management, multichannel communication, workflow automation, and AI assistance for small teams.
Core features
- Multi-stage kanban pipeline management with team separation
- Contact, Company, and Deal relationship database
- No-code workflow automation engine for triggered tasks and emails
- Multichannel communication history (Email, WhatsApp, telephony logs)
- AI assistive features (summaries, reply assistants, cross-sell suggestions)
- Online booking and appointment scheduling pages
The business
Pricing
- FreeUS$ 0 /user/month
- ExpressUS$ 7 /user/month
- PremierUS$ 12 /user/month
- Bigin 360US$ 18 /user/month
Funding
$0 from Bootstrapped by Zoho Corporation
Pay vs build, cumulative
No break-even inside 24 months at these numbers.
The hard parts of vibe coding Bigin
- Designing a reliable background job queue for date-based scheduled workflow automations and triggers
- Integrating two-way webhook sync with external channels like WhatsApp Business and IMAP/SMTP mailboxes
- Enforcing strict relational record constraints and per-tenant limits across custom modules
- Managing secure LLM context and prompt pipelines for assistive AI features without cross-tenant token leaks
How to vibecode Bigin
Prerequisites
Node.jsfree
Required runtime for building and running the Next.js application locally.
GitHubfree
Source control repository to store and deploy your codebase.
CursorFree tier / $20/mo Pro
AI code editor to iterate on frontend components and backend routes with direct diff reviews.
AI coding tools
Recommended stack
| Frontend | Next.js with TypeScript and Tailwind CSS |
|---|---|
| Backend | Next.js App Router API Routes / Server Actions |
| Database | Turso (SQLite at the edge) |
| Auth | better-auth |
| Payments | None (personal clone) |
| Other | Resend for transactional emails, Anthropic API for AI assistive summaries and replies |
Hosting & infrastructure
| Cloudflare | Deploys the Next.js application via Cloudflare Pages and hosts the serverless SQLite database on Turso with zero-config edge speed. | $0-5/mo |
Build guide
01Project Scaffolding & Database Schema Setup
Initialize the Next.js project with Tailwind CSS and configure Turso with Drizzle ORM to establish core CRM relational models: Users, Teams, Pipelines, Stages, Contacts, Companies, Deals, Activities, and Notes.
Scaffold a new Next.js project using TypeScript and Tailwind CSS. Configure Drizzle ORM to connect to a Turso SQLite database. Create a robust database schema for a CRM: tenants/users, pipelines with orderable stages, companies, contacts (with custom fields), deals (linked to contacts/companies and pipeline stages), activities (calls, tasks, meetings), and notes. Set up foreign key constraints and proper indexes for fast searching and filtering by stage and owner. Provide migration scripts and a seed file with realistic sample data.02Authentication & Tenant Setup
Implement user authentication and organization workspace management using better-auth with Turso as the backing store.
Integrate better-auth into the Next.js app using Turso as the database adapter. Configure email/password authentication and Google OAuth. Create middleware to protect dashboard routes and ensure users belong to an active organization/workspace. Build clean login, signup, and account settings pages styled with Tailwind CSS.03Visual Kanban Pipeline & Deal Management Board
Build an interactive drag-and-drop kanban board representing sales stages, allowing users to move deals across columns and update deal amounts and closing probabilities in real-time.
Build a Kanban pipeline board view in Next.js. The board should display columns for each stage of the active pipeline. Fetch deals grouped by stage and render them as interactive cards showing deal name, company, value, and owner. Implement drag-and-drop state updates using HTML5 drag-and-drop or a lightweight library, hitting a server action that updates the deal stage in Turso. Add filtering by owner, tag, and date, plus a toggle to switch between Kanban view and List/Sheet view.04Contact & Company 360-Degree Record View
Create a comprehensive detail view for individual contacts and companies, consolidating associated deals, activity timelines, past notes, and communication logs.
Develop a detailed CRM record view page for Contacts and Companies. The page layout should feature a left sidebar with contact metadata and custom fields, a central timeline showing chronological activities (calls, emails, tasks, notes) with action buttons to log new interactions, and a right panel showing associated deals and pipeline status. Implement server actions for adding notes, scheduling tasks, and updating contact properties.05No-Code Workflow Automation Engine
Implement a background workflow rule builder and execution engine that triggers automated tasks or field updates when a deal enters a specific stage.
Build a workflow automation rule builder UI where users can define simple 'When X happens, do Y' rules (e.g., When Deal Stage changes to 'Proposal Sent', automatically create a Task for 'Follow up in 3 days'). Implement a background job handler using server actions or cron triggers that evaluates rule conditions against database state changes and executes the requested actions reliably.06AI Assistant Integration (Zia Clone)
Integrate the Anthropic API to provide AI-powered record summaries, email draft generation, and contextual reply suggestions directly inside contact and deal views.
Integrate the Anthropic API (Claude 3.5 Sonnet) into the backend to power CRM assistive features. Create API endpoints for: (1) generating a concise summary of a contact's history and active deals, (2) drafting professional follow-up emails based on deal context and intent, and (3) suggesting quick reply options for incoming messages. Build clean UI components with loading states to trigger and display these AI insights on the deal detail page.07Dashboard Analytics & Polish
Build performance KPI charts and dashboards summarizing total pipeline value, conversion rates, and closed deals by owner.
Create an Analytics Dashboard page featuring summary KPI cards (Total Pipeline Value, Won Deals, Open Leads, Average Deal Size) and interactive charts using Tailwind and a charting library like Recharts or Chart.js. Query the Turso database efficiently using aggregate SQL functions to compute monthly conversion rates and revenue performance. Polish all UI states, add toast notifications for user actions, and ensure responsive design across desktop and mobile browsers.
Cost vs paying for Bigin
What will you build it with?
Starting total with Claude Code$0 one-time
Starting costs (one-time)
- Domain name$12 one-time
Total~$12 one-time
Ongoing costs (monthly)
- AI coding subscription (optional)$20/mo
- Hosting & Database (Cloudflare + Turso)$0-5/mo
Total~$20-25/mo
Paying for Bigin
$18/mo (Bigin 360 plan)
Your time to build
30-40 hours
AI tool credits
$20/mo (Cursor Pro or Claude Pro)
Break-even
N/A (Build for learning and personal use)
Vibe code Bigin: FAQ
- Can you vibe code Bigin yourself?
- Solid side project — 68/100 vibecodeable. Build a solid subset of the pipeline management, database relations, and AI assistants, but keep paying if you rely on production telephony and WhatsApp webhooks.
- How long does it take to vibe code Bigin?
- 3-4 weeks of focused development — roughly 30-40 hours of hands-on time with an AI coding agent.
- How do you build your own Bigin?
- Scoped to personal use: Next.js with TypeScript and Tailwind CSS on the front, Next.js App Router API Routes / Server Actions behind it, Turso (SQLite at the edge) for data. Follow the 7-step build guide on this page — each step has a paste-ready prompt for an AI coding agent.
- How do you code your own Bigin without being an expert?
- Use an AI coding tool (Claude Code or Cursor) and work in small steps: scaffold, data model, core screens, then deploy. Realistic effort: 3-4 weeks of focused development. The prompts on this page are written so the AI does the heavy lifting.
- How much does it cost to vibe code Bigin instead of paying?
- About ~$12 one-time to start and ~$20-25/mo to run, versus $18/mo (Bigin 360 plan) for Bigin. Break-even: N/A (Build for learning and personal use).
- What stack should you use to vibe code Bigin?
- Next.js with TypeScript and Tailwind CSS; Next.js App Router API Routes / Server Actions; Turso (SQLite at the edge); plus Resend for transactional emails, Anthropic API for AI assistive summaries and replies.