Do I need to configure SMTP to sign up?

No. Monica's registration and login flow works without any mail configuration. The first user to register on a fresh instance becomes the administrator. SMTP is only needed if you want Monica to send you reminder emails — but reminders also appear on the Monica dashboard, so email delivery is optional. You can add SMTP credentials later in Settings → Mail.

What database does Monica use, and can I use PostgreSQL?

Monica v4 officially supports MySQL and MariaDB only. The ServOrbit marketplace recipe uses MariaDB 11, which is the recommended open-source MySQL-compatible database. PostgreSQL support is not available in Monica v4 — the application relies on MySQL-specific features and the ORM configuration targets MySQL/MariaDB exclusively.

How much RAM does Monica CRM need on a VPS?

Monica itself typically uses under 256 MB of RAM at rest. MariaDB adds 150–300 MB depending on query concurrency and cache settings. Redis adds under 50 MB. In total, a 1 GB VPS is comfortable for personal use (up to ~5 users and tens of thousands of contacts). Scale to 2 GB if you plan to host a small team or run large imports regularly.

Can I import my phone or Google contacts into Monica?

Yes. Monica imports vCard (.vcf) files, which is the standard export format for iPhone (via iCloud), Android (via Google Contacts) and desktop tools (Apple Contacts, Outlook, Thunderbird). Export your contacts from your phone or cloud service, upload the .vcf file in Settings → Import, and Monica maps fields automatically. CSV import with custom field mapping is also supported.

Is there a mobile app for Monica CRM?

Monica is a progressive web app (PWA) — you can add it to your phone's home screen from the browser (Share → Add to Home Screen on iOS; Add to Home Screen in Android Chrome) and it behaves like a native app with offline caching. There is no dedicated native iOS or Android app, but the PWA works well on mobile. Third-party community apps exist but are not officially supported.

Run commercial and administrative operations.

Monica CRM

Self-hosted personal CRM — keep your relationships organised in total privacy, no subscription, no cloud.

1 GB RAM 1 vCPU Port 8080 Available

Tech stack

DockerPHP/LaravelMariaDB 11Redis 7

Minimum RAM1 GB

Minimum CPU1 vCPU

Default port8080

Compatible OSChoice of Linux distributions

Monica CRM (AGPL-3.0, 22 k+ stars, v2.19.0) is an open-source personal relationship manager built for individuals and small teams who want to stay close to the people that matter — without feeding their data to a SaaS provider.

Unlike business CRMs such as Salesforce or Twenty, Monica focuses on the human side: birthdays, relationship context, personal notes, gift ideas, life events and follow-up reminders. Every contact gets its own timeline — a chronological log of every interaction, note, phone call, email and meeting — so you always know where you left off.

Deployed on a ServOrbit VPS via Docker Compose, Monica runs a PHP/Laravel application backed by MariaDB 11 and Redis 7. The first user to register becomes the admin; no SMTP configuration is required to get started. Import existing contacts via vCard (.vcf) or CSV, and let Monica remind you to check in before a friendship drifts.

All data stays on your server. No analytics, no subscription tier, no data broker. Just your relationships, your server, your rules.

Key features

Rich contact profiles — name, birthday, relationships, custom fields, occupation, company, social handles

Activity log per contact — notes, calls, meetings, emails with full timestamp history

Smart reminders — birthday alerts, custom reminder dates, recurring check-in prompts

Gift ideas and task management per contact — track what you gave, what you plan to give

Life events timeline — engagements, pregnancies, job changes, moves, health events

Journal for personal notes that span multiple contacts

vCard / CSV import — bring your phone contacts on day one

AGPL-3.0 — 100 % data ownership, no telemetry, no per-seat billing

When to use this solution?

1

Stay in touch with your professional network

Freelancers and consultants use Monica to track every client interaction — last call date, meeting notes, pending tasks — so nothing falls through the cracks. Set a recurring reminder to check in every 30 or 90 days, and Monica will ping you before a valuable relationship goes cold. Because the data lives on your VPS, your contact list never leaves your infrastructure.

2

Keep family relationships alive

Add your extended family to Monica and let it remind you of birthdays, anniversaries and life milestones a week in advance. Log a quick note after each phone call so you remember what Grandma mentioned last time. Gift ideas per contact mean you no longer scramble at Christmas — and all of it is private, on your server.

3

Run a personal CRM for your startup community

Founders and community builders use Monica to track every investor, mentor, partner and candidate in their orbit. Unlike a spreadsheet, Monica gives each person a dedicated page with the full relationship timeline, custom tags and follow-up tasks — giving you the organisation of a business CRM without the SaaS cost or privacy trade-off.

Deploy Monica CRM on your VPS

Guide optimized for ServOrbit Cloud VPS.

01

Order a ServOrbit VPS

A 1 vCPU / 1 GB RAM plan on Ubuntu 24.04 is sufficient to start. Monica's PHP/Laravel application typically uses under 256 MB of RAM; MariaDB adds another 150–300 MB. Scale to 2 GB if you plan to store large amounts of contact history or run heavy import jobs.

02

One-click deploy from the ServOrbit marketplace

Open your ServOrbit control panel, navigate to Marketplace → ERP & CRM → Monica CRM, and click Deploy. The provisioning playbook pulls the official Monica Docker image alongside MariaDB 11 and Redis 7, runs the database migrations automatically, and starts the server on port 8080. The web interface is ready in under 60 seconds.

03

Create your admin account

Open http://:8080 in your browser. Because Monica ships with open registration by default, the first account you create automatically becomes the administrator. Enter your name, email address and password — no SMTP relay is needed at this stage, Monica works fully without email for initial setup.

04

Import your existing contacts

Go to Settings → Import and upload a vCard (.vcf) file exported from your phone, Google Contacts, Apple Contacts or Outlook. Monica deduplicates on email and merges new fields into existing profiles. You can also import a CSV — Monica walks you through field mapping in the UI. Large imports of a few thousand contacts complete in seconds.

05

Set reminders and start logging

Open any contact and click Add Reminder. Choose a one-time or recurring date (weekly, monthly, yearly) and write a short note about what to do — e.g. 'Call to check in' or 'Send birthday card'. Monica will surface the reminder on its dashboard on the due date. Log every interaction — call, email, meeting — directly on the contact page to build the relationship timeline.

Frequently asked questions

Monica CRM (AGPL-3.0, 22 k+ stars) is a personal relationship manager focused on individuals rather than sales pipelines. Where business CRMs like Twenty or HubSpot track deals, leads and revenue, Monica tracks the human side: birthdays, personal notes, gift ideas, life events and follow-up reminders. It is designed for managing your personal and professional network — friends, family, mentors, clients — not a structured sales funnel.