FluentCRM vs Groundhogg
Both are email marketing CRMs with automation. FluentCRM has a much larger install base. Groundhogg has a visual flow editor and a paid pipeline.
Both plugins have a checked value for 23 of 33 features, and they differ on 12 of them.
Verdict
FluentCRM is the safer default for email marketing. Groundhogg fits when you want visual flows free, or a pipeline next to your automation.
Choose FluentCRM if
- You want the larger community and a lower first-year price.
- You want deep integrations with other WordPress plugins.
Choose Groundhogg if
- You want a visual automation editor in the free version.
- You want a sales pipeline in the same plugin and accept the Plus plan price.
At a glance
| FluentCRM | Groundhogg | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Email marketing CRM | Email marketing CRM |
| Active installs | 80,000+ | 2,000+ |
| Rating | 4.77 / 5 (250 ratings) | 4.87 / 5 (149 ratings) |
| Last updated | Oct 12, 2026 | Oct 13, 2026 |
| Free version | Yes | Yes |
| Price | From $90 / year | From $240 / year |
| Lifetime licence | Not listed | Not listed |
| Refunds | 14-day money-back guarantee | 14-day money-back guarantee |
Feature by feature
| Feature | FluentCRM | Groundhogg |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts and companies | ||
| ContactsStores people with their details, notes and a history of what happened with them. | YesFree | YesFree |
| CompaniesStores companies (accounts) as their own records, with contacts linked to them. | YesFree | YesPaid: PlusCompany records come from the Companies extension, included from Plus or sold alone from $59 a year. |
| Custom fieldsYou can add your own fields to contacts or other records. | YesFree | YesFree |
| Duplicate mergeFinds the same person or company entered twice and merges the two records. | Not checked | PartialFreeTwo contacts can be merged by hand from the record. No tool that finds duplicates was found. |
| Sales pipeline | ||
| DealsTracks sales opportunities with a value, a stage and an expected close date. | No | YesPaid: PlusThe Sales Pipeline extension is included from Plus or sold alone from $79 a year. Deals have a close date, a close probability and products. |
| Kanban boardShows deals as cards in stage columns that you drag from one stage to the next. | No | YesPaid: Plus |
| Several pipelinesYou can run more than one pipeline, each with its own stages. | No | YesPaid: Plus |
| Sales forecastReports expected revenue, weighted by stage probability or by close date. | No | Not checked |
| Lead conversionA lead is a separate record that converts into a contact, a company or a deal once qualified. | NoA contact is labelled Lead or Customer. There is no separate lead record to convert. | NoThere is no separate lead record. Leads are contacts, and deals are created from them. |
| Activities and email | ||
| TasksTasks with a due date and an assignee, linked to a record. | PartialFreeTasks come from the separate FluentBoards plugin and show on the contact profile. | YesFree |
| CalendarA calendar view of tasks, meetings or appointments inside the CRM. | Not checked | Not checked |
| Calls and meetingsLogs calls and meetings as their own activities on a record. | YesFreeCalls and meetings are note types in the Notes and Activities tab. | YesFree |
| Email from a recordSends a one-to-one email from a contact's record and keeps it on the record. | YesFreeDirect email works only for contacts with a Subscribed status. | YesFree |
| Incoming emailReads a mailbox and files incoming mail against the matching records. | Not checked | PartialPaid: ProReplies to Groundhogg emails reach the contact record through Groundhogg's hosted relay. It needs an active licence and does not read a mailbox of your own. |
| Marketing | ||
| Email campaignsSends newsletters or bulk email to a list or segment of contacts. | YesFree | YesFree |
| Marketing automationRuns sequences or workflows triggered by events, such as a tag added or a form submitted. | YesFreeThe free version has a small set of triggers and actions. Most integration triggers need Pro. | YesFree |
| Lead capture formsHas its own forms that create contacts or leads, without a separate form plugin. | PartialFreeForms created in FluentCRM are Fluent Forms forms, so the free Fluent Forms plugin must be installed. | YesFree |
| Customer support | ||
| Tickets or casesA support queue of customer requests with a status and an owner. | NoTickets come from the separate Fluent Support plugin and show on the contact profile. | NoThere is no ticket queue. A paid Help Scout integration connects an outside helpdesk. |
| Knowledge baseHelp articles you write in the CRM and can show to customers. | Not checked | No |
| Client portalCustomers log in on your site to see their own records, such as tickets, invoices or documents. | Not checked | Not checked |
| Team and permissions | ||
| CRM rolesPermissions set per CRM role, beyond the standard WordPress roles. | PartialPaid: Solo/BloggerPro managers get permissions set per user, not per named role. | YesFreeAdds Marketer, Sales Manager and Sales Representative roles. |
| Record-level accessLimits which records or fields a user can see, for example only their own or their team's. | NoManager permissions apply globally, so a manager sees all contacts their permissions cover. | YesFreeSales Representatives see only the contacts they own. Field-level limits were not found. |
| Change historyKeeps a log of who changed what on a record. | Not checked | Not checked |
| Reports and data | ||
| ReportsBuilt-in reports or dashboards on contacts, deals or activity. | YesFreeCampaign and automation reports are free. Contact, WooCommerce and LMS reports need Pro. | YesFree |
| CSV import and exportImports contacts from a CSV file and exports them to one. | YesPaid: Solo/BloggerCSV import is free. Contact export needs Pro. | YesFree |
| WebhooksSends a message to a URL you choose when records change. | YesPaid: Solo/BloggerOutgoing webhooks run as an automation step in Pro. Incoming webhooks are free. | YesPaid: BasicSending a webhook is a premium flow step, listed on every paid plan. Free users cannot use it. |
| REST APIA documented API for reading and writing CRM records from other software. | YesFreeDeveloper docs say core endpoints work on the free plugin, but the Free vs Pro table lists the REST API under Pro. | YesFree |
| Commerce | ||
| WooCommerceLinks WooCommerce customers and their orders to CRM contacts. | YesFreePurchase history on the contact profile is free. Segmentation, triggers and reports for WooCommerce need Pro. | YesPaid: ProThe WooCommerce extension is included in Pro or sold alone from $99 a year. |
| Quotes and invoicesCreates quotes or invoices from the CRM. | Not checked | No |
| Integrations | ||
| Form plugin integrationsSends entries from form plugins such as Contact Form 7, WPForms or Gravity Forms into the CRM. | YesFreeFluent Forms is free. Elementor, Divi Bloom, Thrive and Beaver Builder forms need Pro. Other form plugins can post to an incoming webhook. | YesPaid: PlusContact Form 7, Gravity Forms, WPForms, Fluent Forms and others are listed from Plus. |
| Calendar syncSyncs CRM meetings or tasks with Google Calendar or Outlook. | Not checked | YesPaid: PlusGoogle Calendar sync comes with the Booking Calendar extension, included from Plus or sold alone from $79 a year. |
| Platform | ||
| Where your data livesWhether records are stored in your WordPress database or on the vendor's servers. | Your WordPress database | Your WordPress database (custom tables) |
| CRM on a site pageStaff can use the CRM on a page of the site, outside wp-admin. | Not checked | Not checked |
- Yes: The plugin does this.
- Partial: It does part of this; the note says what is missing.
- No: The plugin does not do this.
- Not checked: We could not confirm it from the vendor's own pages, so we do not claim either way.