# How to Vibe Code Your Own Capsule CRM (and Stop Paying for It) > CRM Made Simple - Site: https://capsulecrm.com - Category: Productivity & SaaS - Verdict: **Solid side project** (68/100 vibecodeable) - Estimated effort: 2-3 weeks of focused building ## Verdict Build a solid personal subset of the CRM core loop, but keep paying if you rely on deep Xero/QuickBooks accounting sync and mobile apps. The core CRM loops—contacts, Kanban sales boards, and task reminders—are standard full-stack CRUD work that AI coding tools handle easily. The friction comes from building a responsive, polished multi-entity relational schema (organizations, contacts, opportunities, tasks, projects) and wiring up bulletproof email threading without duplicate log entries. ### What you can't replicate - Official native iOS and Android mobile apps with offline local caching - Pre-certified enterprise accounting integrations with Xero and QuickBooks - 17 years of battle-tested uptime and compliance infrastructure ## What it does Cloud-based customer relationship management platform for small businesses featuring contact management, sales pipelines, task tracking, and lightweight project boards. ### Core features - Centralized person and organization contact directory with custom fields - Drag-and-drop Kanban sales pipeline boards with deal stage forecasting - Task management, reminders, and calendar day-view follow-ups - Lightweight internal project management boards for post-sale delivery - Email templates and communication history logging - Basic workflow automations and triggers ## The business ### Pricing - Free: $0/mo - Growth: $36/mo per user Founded 2009. Team size: 20-50. ## The hard parts - Bi-directional email sync and intelligent header threading across contact timelines - Complex relational schema supporting custom fields, tags, and multi-entity links - Robust background worker queue for delayed automation conditions - Granular role-based access control (RBAC) across pipelines and team members ## How to vibe code Capsule CRM ### Prerequisites - Node.js (free): Runtime environment for Next.js and TypeScript full-stack development - GitHub (free): Source control and version management for AI agent handoffs ### Recommended AI tools - Claude Code: Best-in-class multi-file agentic coding tool for scaffolding the entire relational CRM schema and UI components ### Stack - Frontend: Next.js with Tailwind CSS and shadcn/ui - Backend: Next.js Server Actions and API Routes - Database: Turso (SQLite at the edge for relational simplicity) - Auth: better-auth - Payments: None (personal use clone) - Other: Inngest for background automation worker queues, Resend for transactional email logs ### Hosting - Cloudflare (Hosting Next.js frontend, API routes, and Turso serverless SQLite database): $0/mo ### Build guide 1. **Project Scaffolding & Database Schema** — Initialize the Next.js project with Tailwind CSS, configure Turso SQLite via Drizzle ORM, and set up the multi-entity database schema. ``` Create a new Next.js application using App Router, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS. Initialize Drizzle ORM configured for Turso SQLite. Define the core database schema for a CRM: Organizations (id, name, address, created_at), People (id, organization_id, first_name, last_name, email, phone, created_at), Opportunities (id, organization_id, name, value, stage, probability, expected_close_date), Tasks (id, entity_type, entity_id, title, due_date, completed, assigned_to), and Projects (id, name, status, client_id). Ensure proper foreign key constraints, indexes on email and stage fields, and write a seed script with sample realistic B2B CRM data. ``` 2. **Authentication & User Management** — Implement self-hosted authentication using better-auth to secure dashboard access and manage single-tenant user sessions. ``` Integrate better-auth into the Next.js application using Turso as the backing store. Implement email/password signup and login flows, session cookie handling, and protected layout wrappers for the CRM dashboard routes (/dashboard/*). Create a user settings profile page allowing users to update their name and avatar. ``` 3. **Contact Management & Search Directory** — Build the searchable contacts and organizations directory with detail view pages showing activity logs and linked deals. ``` Build the contacts and organizations management interface. Create a server-side filtered data table for People and Organizations with pagination and instant search by name or email. Build a dynamic detail view page (/contacts/[id]) displaying contact metadata, communication notes timeline, active tasks, and associated sales opportunities. Implement Server Actions to add notes, update contact details, and delete records cleanly. ``` 4. **Visual Sales Pipeline Kanban Board** — Develop the interactive drag-and-drop Kanban board for tracking sales deals across customizable stages. ``` Build a visual sales pipeline Kanban board page. Fetch all opportunities grouped by stages (Prospecting, Qualification, Proposal, Won, Lost). Implement drag-and-drop column movement (using @hello-pangea/dnd or native HTML5 drag-and-drop) that instantly updates the deal stage and recalculates pipeline total forecasts in real-time via Server Actions. Add a modal to create and edit deal values, probabilities, and expected close dates. ``` 5. **Task Calendar & Day View** — Implement the task tracking system with repeating reminders, priority flags, and calendar filter views. ``` Implement the Task & Calendar workspace. Build a centralized task list view with filters for 'Due Today', 'Overdue', and 'Upcoming', allowing inline completion checkboxes. Create a calendar view component rendering tasks on their respective due dates. Include a quick-add task drawer accessible globally from the top navigation bar linked to specific contacts or deals. ``` 6. **Lightweight Project Delivery Boards** — Create internal project management boards to track client work after deals are successfully closed. ``` Build the Projects module for post-sale client delivery. Create project boards with columns (Backlog, In Progress, Review, Completed) mirroring simple Kanban workflows. Allow linking a project directly to an organization or closed deal. Provide task checklists within each project card to track milestones and deliverables. ``` 7. **Background Automation Engine & Polish** — Configure Inngest to handle background task queues and automation triggers when deal stages change. ``` Integrate Inngest into the Next.js application to handle automated background workflows. Set up an event listener triggered when an Opportunity stage moves to 'Won'. When triggered, automatically create a welcome task for account management and queue a notification email via Resend. Add global toast notifications, error boundaries, and polish the UI styling with clean shadcn/ui components. ``` ### Cost vs paying **Starting costs (one-time):** - Claude Pro (AI coding assistant): $20.00 - Total: ~$20 one-time **Ongoing costs (monthly):** - Cloudflare & Turso free tiers: $0.00 - Total: ~$0/mo - Paying for the SaaS instead: $36/mo (Growth Plan) - Build time: 25-35 hours - AI tool credits: $20 one-time (Claude Pro) - Break-even: 0 months (Free self-hosted tier) ## Sources - [Capsule CRM Official Website](https://capsulecrm.com) - [TechRadar Capsule CRM Review & Pricing](https://www.techradar.com)