CRM · checked 2026-10-19Can I vibecode Streak?
KINDA· weekend project
The pipeline half of Streak is a board of cards with custom fields, notes and tasks, which an agent builds in a sitting. The hard half is that it lives inside Gmail: an extension that attaches threads to deals, injects panels into Gmail's page and keeps working when Google changes its markup. Streak's own open-source InboxSDK does much of that injection for you, but open tracking, mail merge at volume and team sharing are where a weekend runs out.
$59/moprice per seat
$708you'd save a year
weekendbuild time
—people replaced it
What you need on hand.
DifficultyAdvanced · Real infrastructure or OAuth work.
TimeA weekend; getting the Gmail panels to behave takes the debugging
- 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.
- Desktop ChromeYou load the extension unpacked in developer mode; it won't run on mobile Gmail.
- An InboxSDK app IDFree, registered with your Google account on the InboxSDK site.
- Your Streak exportsPipelines exported to Google Sheets, one per pipeline.
Before you buildStreak Free has email tracking, snippets and 50 mail merges a day but no pipelines. If tracking is what you use it for, you may not need the paid plan.
- 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 Gmail pipeline extension to replace Streak. Requirements:
- A Chrome extension (Manifest V3) in TypeScript, built with Vite and the open-source InboxSDK
(`@inboxsdk/core`), plus a local companion server (Node.js 22, Fastify) on http://localhost:4600
that holds the data. Load the extension from chrome://extensions in developer mode.
- Storage: better-sqlite3 in ./data/pipelines.db: pipelines with ordered stages, boxes (a deal or
lead) with name, stage, value, custom fields (text, number, date, select), notes, tasks with due
dates, and links from a box to Gmail thread IDs.
- Gmail UI through InboxSDK: an "Add to pipeline" button on every open thread, a sidebar panel
showing the box for the current thread (stage dropdown, fields, notes), and a nav item that opens
the pipeline board.
- Board: one column per stage, cards dragged between stages, filters by field, a sortable table
view, and a "no reply for N days" flag computed from the last message date of the linked threads.
- Snippets: saved templates expanded by typing a shortcut in the compose window (`#intro`), with
merge fields {{firstName}} and {{company}} filled from the box.
- Tasks: reminders raise a Chrome notification (`chrome.alarms`) and appear in a "Due today" list.
- Single user. No accounts, no telemetry, local-first: data stays in the SQLite file and the
extension talks to localhost only.
- Out of scope: team sharing, mobile apps, Outlook, automations, email open and click tracking, mail merge sending.
- README: loading the extension, registering a free InboxSDK app ID, running the server at login
(launchd or systemd), CSV export of boxes, and a warning that Gmail's markup changes can break the extension.Opens your agent with the prompt filled in, you press enter. Or copy it and paste it into an empty folder.
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 Streak.
Add a Streak importer to the extension's server in this folder. Requirements: - A command `pipelines import-streak <file.csv>` that reads one pipeline exported from Streak to Google Sheets and saved as CSV. - Create the pipeline, its stages from the Stage column, and a custom field per other column, guessing text, number, date or select from the values. - Create one box per row; print the rows it skipped and why. - Dry-run by default, `--write` to apply, and running it twice must not duplicate boxes. - Update the README with the Streak export steps.
Add a small mail merge to the Gmail extension in this folder. Requirements: - From a pipeline view, "Merge" takes the selected boxes, a snippet and a merge-field map, and creates one Gmail draft per box through InboxSDK's compose API. - Send at most 50 drafts a day, one every 30 to 90 seconds at random, and queue the rest for the next day. - Skip any box whose email address was already sent this snippet; log every send in SQLite. - Show a preview of three merged emails before anything is created. - Update the README with the sending limits of a personal Gmail account.
Add email open tracking to the Gmail extension in this folder. Requirements: - A tiny public endpoint on a second port (TRACK_PORT in .env) that serves a 1x1 GIF at /p/<token>.gif and records time, user agent and IP hash against the token in SQLite. - A "Track this email" toggle in compose that inserts the pixel and links the token to the box. - Show opens on the box timeline, flagging opens that look like Gmail's image proxy or Apple Mail Privacy Protection as "unreliable". - Document exposing only that port through a tunnel, and that opens are a hint, not proof. - Update the README.
What you lose
- Email open and link tracking and mail merge with follow-ups
- Shared pipelines, automatic email sharing and permissions for a team
- iOS and Android apps
- Automations, Zapier and direct integrations with Calendly, Typeform and Slack
- Report dashboards and the AI deal summaries and autofill
Why people still pay
Teams already working in Gmail want the CRM to be the inbox rather than another tab, with every email on a deal shared with colleagues automatically. Streak has done that for years, and paying per seat is easier than keeping a home-made extension alive through Gmail changes.
Streak or your own copy?
Seats
Over
Your usage
12h ×$/h
Streak, 1 yr$708
Your own copy, 1 yr$8running + build session
You keep$701pays for itself in the first month
Estimate · Runs on your machine with no hosting. The build is token usage on your agent plan.
Take your data, then cancel.
1 · Take your data out of Streak
- 1In the pipeline toolbar open the three-dot menu and choose Export.
- 2Pick the full pipeline, selected boxes or a saved view, and export to a new or existing Google Sheet.
- 3Boxes, contacts and organizations are selected by default; you can add the pipeline newsfeed, call logs, meeting notes and tasks, then click Start Export. A link arrives by email.
- 4Email threads, files and comments are not in the export: the threads stay in your Gmail, and comments and file keys are available through Streak's API.
2 · Cancel Streak
- 1Use desktop Chrome: open Streak's Home page from the left navigation or the Streak icon in your inbox.
- 2Click the credit card icon in the top right to open Billing and Teams, then Cancel Paid Plan under Plan.
- 3Answer the two questions and confirm. The account moves to the Free plan when the current billing cycle ends.
- 4To cancel immediately, write to support@streak.com.
- Cancelling deletes nothing: pipelines and boxes become view-only on the Free plan, and email tracking, mail merge and snippets keep working.
- Export your pipelines before the plan ends, and save the receipts.
- The cancellation article doesn't cover refunds or annual plans; ask support before cancelling a prepaid year.
- Scheduled exports only exist on Pro+ and Enterprise, so run manual exports on Pro.
The escape hatch
Don't feel like building it? These are already free.
TwentyOpen sourceSelf-hostable CRM with views, custom objects, pipelines and workflows; AGPL-3.0 apart from a few commercial enterprise files, run with Docker Compose. It isn't Gmail-native.★ 59k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
WebVisit ↗EspoCRMOpen sourceAGPL-3.0 CRM with leads, opportunities, tasks, an email client with IMAP and a workflow engine; runs on Docker or a PHP host.★ 3.5k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
WebVisit ↗Atomic CRMOpen sourceMIT React and Supabase CRM with contacts, tasks and a deals board, written to be forked and changed.★ 1.4k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
WebVisit ↗
WebVisit ↗EspoCRMOpen sourceAGPL-3.0 CRM with leads, opportunities, tasks, an email client with IMAP and a workflow engine; runs on Docker or a PHP host.★ 3.5k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
WebVisit ↗Atomic CRMOpen sourceMIT React and Supabase CRM with contacts, tasks and a deals board, written to be forked and changed.★ 1.4k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
WebVisit ↗
The numbers
Streak pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Annual, per month | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/user | $0/user | Email and link tracking, snippets, mail merge (50 a day), Streak Share, thread splitter. No CRM pipelines. |
| Pro | $59/user | $49/user | Unlimited pipelines, records and contacts; custom and magic fields, automatic email sharing, tasks, formulas, mobile apps, Google Workspace and LinkedIn integrations, standard API, import and export; 20 AI credits per user a month. |
| Pro+ | $89/user | $69/user | Adds advanced reports, automations, Zapier, direct integrations (Calendly, Typeform, Slack), webhooks, archived users and priority support; 150 AI credits per user a month. |
| Enterprise | $159/user | $129/user | Adds custom roles and permissions, data validation rules, dedicated support, custom billing and advanced implementation; 500 AI credits per user a month. |
- Free tier
- Mail merge capped at 50 sends a day and no pipelines.
- Billing
- Per user, in USD, by card or bank wire; every team member is a paid seat and everyone must be on the same plan, with no view-only price. Annual billing saves 20% and the listed annual rates need it. Credits are pooled across the team and don't roll over.
- Hidden costs
- AI credit packs are recurring add-ons from $100 a month for 1,000 credits to $1,000 a month for 25,000. Advanced implementation help costs extra below Enterprise. Streak runs on Gmail, so each user also needs a Google account.
- Source
- www.streak.com
Also on the list
Related apps
Free works inside Gmail with email and link tracking, snippets, mail merge at 50 a day, Streak Share and a thread splitter, but has no CRM pipelines.
Kinda. The core is a weekend build with the prompt on this page, but real gaps remain: Email open and link tracking and mail merge with follow-ups, Shared pipelines, automatic email sharing and permissions for a team.
About $59 a month on the Pro plan per seat, $708 a year (checked 2026-10-19).
Email open and link tracking and mail merge with follow-ups; Shared pipelines, automatic email sharing and permissions for a team; iOS and Android apps; Automations, Zapier and direct integrations with Calendly, Typeform and Slack; Report dashboards and the AI deal summaries and autofill. If any of those matter to you, keep paying.
Yes: Twenty (open source), EspoCRM (open source), Atomic CRM (open source).