CRM · checked 2026-10-19

Can I vibecode Capsule?

KINDA· weekend project

A CRM for one person is a small database: contacts and companies, a pipeline of deals, tasks with due dates and a timeline of notes per record. An agent builds that in a sitting. The weekend goes on what makes a CRM get used: logging email without typing, a phone in your pocket and moving your history over, since Capsule's export packs notes and email history into the last column of each CSV. A team that needs permissions, workflows and hundreds of connectors is better off self-hosting Twenty or EspoCRM than building.

$22/moprice per seat

$264you'd save a year

weekendbuild time

—people replaced it

Before you start

What you need on hand.

DifficultyIntermediate · Some system setup or keys.

TimeA sitting for the CRM itself; email logging and the Capsule import add a weekend

Claude Code, Codex or CursorAny of them can run the prompt.
Node.js 22better-sqlite3 compiles a native module, so build tools must be installed.
Your Capsule exportAccount Settings > Export Data emails one link that works for 12 hours; attachments are not in it.
An IMAP mailbox and app passwordOptional. Gmail needs 2-step verification before it offers app passwords.

Before you buildCheck Capsule Free first: two users, 250 contacts, one pipeline and 5 custom fields cost nothing and cover most solo use. You outgrow it at 250 contacts or a second pipeline.

1. Install one agent: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor.
2. Make an empty folder and open it in the agent.
3. Paste the prompt below, press enter, and answer its questions as it builds.

The prompt

Build me a personal sales CRM to replace Capsule. Requirements:

- Node.js 22 + TypeScript: a Fastify server and a React front end built with Vite.
`npm start` serves everything on http://localhost:4750.
- Storage: better-sqlite3 in ./data/crm.db. Parties (a kind of person or organisation, with an
optional employer link), typed custom fields, opportunities (title, party, value, currency,
stage, expected close date, open/won/lost), tasks (due date, category, linked record) and one
notes table (body, timestamp, linked record). Migrations run on start.
- Pipeline: a board whose stages live in a table (default Lead, Qualified, Proposal, Won, Lost);
dragging a card moves it and writes the change as a note. Show open value by expected close month.
- Record page: a reverse-chronological timeline of notes, emails and tasks for a party or an
opportunity, plus full-text search over names, notes and fields with SQLite FTS5.
- Tasks: Overdue / Today / Upcoming across every record; completing one can create the next.
- Email log: read a folder called CRM over IMAP (`imapflow`, IMAP_HOST, IMAP_USER and
IMAP_PASSWORD in .env) and attach each message to the party whose address matches the sender
or a recipient. Unmatched messages go to an inbox to sort by hand.
- Import: `crm import-capsule <zip>` reads the Contacts, Opportunities and Projects CSVs from
Capsule's Account Settings > Export Data. Map columns by header, split the note and email
history in the last column into note rows, print a dry-run summary first, and make a second
run a no-op. Export every table back to CSV.
- Single user behind one password in .env (signed cookie). No accounts, no telemetry,
local-first. The only outbound connection is your IMAP server.
- Out of scope: teams and permissions, workflow automation, sending email, calendar sync, project
boards, marketing campaigns, a mobile app.
- README: setup, the .env keys, an app password for Gmail or Outlook IMAP, and a note that
Capsule's export leaves out file attachments, so download those from the records first.

Opens your agent with the prompt filled in, you press enter. Or copy it and paste it into an empty folder.

Share on X

Max MiskowSponsoredAI agents, automations and MVPs, built for your company.Visit site ›

Then keep going

Next prompts, same folder.

The first prompt builds the core. Run these one at a time in the same folder to grow it into your own Capsule.

Add a morning digest to the CRM in this folder. Requirements:

- A command `crm digest` that sends one email through nodemailer SMTP (SMTP_URL and DIGEST_TO in .env)
  listing overdue and due-today tasks, with the party name, the task text and a link to the record.
- Group by overdue first, then today; skip the email when there is nothing to send.
- Add a deals section: open opportunities whose expected close date passed, with value and stage.
- Provide a launchd plist and a cron line in the README to run it at 07:30.
- Update the README.

Make the CRM in this folder usable on a phone. Requirements:

- Add a web app manifest and a service worker (`vite-plugin-pwa`) so it installs to the home screen;
  cache the shell only, never record data.
- A mobile layout for the record page and the task list: one column, large tap targets, and a quick-add
  button that creates a note or a task in two taps.
- Serve over HTTPS on a Tailscale address (`tailscale serve`), keep the password login, and
  never expose the port to the public internet.
- Update the README with the Tailscale setup.

Add calendar logging to the CRM in this folder. Requirements:

- Read events from one CalDAV calendar (`tsdav`, CALDAV_URL, CALDAV_USER and CALDAV_PASSWORD in .env)
  for the last 30 days and the next 7, every 15 minutes.
- Match attendees to parties by email address; create one note per matched event with title,
  time and attendees, linked to each matched party. Never create the same note twice.
- Events with no match go to a review list with a button that creates the party.
- Update the README.

Add project boards to the CRM in this folder. Requirements:

- A projects table linked to a party and, optionally, to the won opportunity that created it,
  with stages stored in a table (default To do, In progress, Review, Done).
- A board page where cards move between stages by drag and drop, each card with a due date and
  notes; tasks can be linked to a project as well.
- A button on a won opportunity that creates a project with the same party and value.
- Import the Projects CSV from the Capsule export when `crm import-capsule` runs.
- Update the README.

What you lose

Email sync on Growth and up, which files messages against the right contact for you
The mobile app for logging a call from the road
100+ ready integrations, including Xero, QuickBooks, Slack and Zapier
Shared use: teams, access controls and workflow automations
AI summaries of a contact's last 50 activities, contact enrichment and meeting prep

Why people still pay

Teams pay for shared history: everyone sees the notes and emails on a customer, the follow-up reminders land on the right person, and the accounting and mail tools they already use plug in. Per-seat pricing stays small next to a lost deal. That value shrinks to nearly nothing if you are the only user, which is where a local copy makes sense.

Moatintegrations switching costs collaboration

Do the math

Capsule or your own copy?

Seats

Over

Your usage

Count my time12h ×$/h

Capsule, 1 yr$264

Your own copy, 1 yr$44running + build session

You keep$221pays for itself in the first month

Estimate · Runs on your machine, or on a $5 VPS if you want it on your phone. IMAP and SQLite add nothing. The build is token usage on your agent plan.

Leaving Capsule

Take your data, then cancel.

1 · Take your data out of Capsule

1Make sure you have export rights: Super Administrators and any admin granted them can export.
2Open Account Settings, then Export Data. Capsule emails one download link, and it stops working 12 hours after the email is sent.
3The download is a ZIP with three CSV files: Contacts, Opportunities and Projects, in UTF-8. Note and email history sit in the last column of each CSV.
4File attachments are not included; download them one at a time from each record.

2 · Cancel Capsule

1A Super Administrator opens Account Settings, then Account and Plan.
2Under Cancel Account, click the button, tick every checkbox on the Account Cancellation page and choose Cancel account.
3There is no notice period. A confirmation email carries a restore link that works for 14 days.
4To stay on Free instead: Account and Plan, Manage Subscription, then pick Free. Capsule lists what to fix first, such as contacts above 250 or extra users.

Export before cancelling: the account's data is permanently deleted 14 days after cancellation.
A downgrade removes the higher plan's features straight away, billing updates at the next payment date, and lost features such as Teams or custom activity types are not restored automatically.
An annual plan can switch to monthly billing only in its last month, and annual invoices are due within 30 days.
The billing article does not cover refunds: ask through Capsule's Contact Us page.

Checked 2026-10-19 against Capsule's docs: 1, 2, 3, 4

The escape hatch

Don't feel like building it? These are already free.

TwentyOpen sourceModern CRM with pipelines, custom objects and mail and calendar sync; the core is AGPL and a few enterprise parts are licensed separately.★ 59k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
WebVisit ↗EspoCRMOpen sourceLong-running PHP CRM with leads, opportunities, email accounts and workflows; AGPL-3.0 with an official Docker image.★ 3.5k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
WebVisit ↗Atomic CRMOpen sourceMIT React and Supabase CRM with contacts, notes, tasks, a deals board and email capture by CC; you fork it and run Supabase yourself.★ 1.4k · active Oct 2026 · self-host, real ops
WebVisit ↗

All 5 free alternatives to Capsule ›

The numbers

Capsule pricing

Plan	Monthly	Annual, per month	What you get
Free	$0	$0	2 users, 250 contacts, 5 custom fields, 1 sales pipeline, custom sales milestones and task categories, Gmail or Outlook mail connection.
Starter	$22	$18	30,000 contacts, email templates, shared mailbox, basic reporting, premium integrations (Xero, Zendesk, Import2), goals, custom activity types, AI pipeline generator.
Growth	$40	$36	60,000 contacts plus workflow automations, advanced sales reporting and dashboards, multiple pipelines and project boards, email sync, team and access controls, AI summaries, enrichment and meeting prep (beta).
Advanced	$60	$54	120,000 contacts, 50 project boards and 50 sales pipelines on top of Growth.
Ultimate	$75	$72	240,000 contacts, a dedicated account manager, custom training and priority support.

Free tier: 250 contacts, one pipeline, 5 custom fields and a limit of 2 users; email sync, workflow automation and the AI tools are not included.
Billing: Monthly or annual per user. Monthly bills every active, suspended and pending user at the plan price on the billing day; annual is users times price times 12, invoiced with 30 days to pay. A yearly plan can switch to monthly only in its final month. The page shows USD for the US and international region, GBP for the UK and EUR for Europe; USD prices read here.
Hidden costs: The Marketing add-on for email campaigns is extra, from about $11 a month. Email sync, workflow automations and every AI feature start on Growth at $40 per user monthly, so the cheapest paid plan covers the contact database but not the email logging most people want.
Source: capsulecrm.com

Also on the list

Close$19/mo · CRMKINDA

Pipedrive$24/mo · CRMKINDA

Twenty$12/mo · CRMKINDA

Questions

Capsule, briefly

Not answered here? Tell us and we'll add it.

Ask a question ›

Free covers up to 2 users, 250 contacts, one sales pipeline and 5 custom fields, with Gmail or Outlook connected for sending mail.

Kinda. The core is a weekend build with the prompt on this page, but real gaps remain: Email sync on Growth and up, which files messages against the right contact for you, The mobile app for logging a call from the road.

About $22 a month on the Starter plan per seat, $264 a year (checked 2026-10-19).

Email sync on Growth and up, which files messages against the right contact for you; The mobile app for logging a call from the road; 100+ ready integrations, including Xero, QuickBooks, Slack and Zapier; Shared use: teams, access controls and workflow automations; AI summaries of a contact's last 50 activities, contact enrichment and meeting prep. If any of those matter to you, keep paying.