Self-host Monica
updated Aug 2026deployed by usprices checked · Jul 2026Install verified on Ubuntu 26.04 · Sep 2026 · how we test
We earn commissions when you shop through the links below. Full disclosure →
Monica is a personal CRM (a PRM, not a business CRM) for tracking relationships with family, friends, and other personal contacts — reminders for birthdays and calls, gift ideas, and a private journal of interactions. It self-hosts via the official Docker image with a MariaDB backend.
Key facts
CategoryCRM
LicenseAGPL-3.0
StackPHP, Laravel, Vue.js
Min RAM1024 MB
Official imageyes
Measured idle RAM209 MB
Difficulty
Our recommendation
Monica is a personal CRM (a PRM) for keeping track of relationships with family and friends — birthdays, conversations, gifts — not a business sales tool. It's a fine fit if that's genuinely what you're after; it is not a Salesforce or HubSpot alternative for running a sales pipeline, and shouldn't be treated as one.
What you need
- Any VPS with at least 1024 MB of RAM
- A domain you control — most self-hosted setups need HTTPS in front of them
- Under an hour if you've used Docker before
Where to host itaffiliate disclosure
Hetzner Cloudrun it on
From $23.59/mo · 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 80 GB · EU + USKamaterafree trial
From $4/mo · 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 20 GB · US + EU + AsiaDigitalOceanalso works on
From $6/mo · 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 25 GB · US + EU + AsiaPaid link — we earn a commission if you shop through it.
Install with Docker Compose
Save this as compose.yml and run docker compose up -d:
# Monica — official monica:apache image + MariaDB
services:
app:
image: monica:apache
depends_on:
- db
ports:
- "8080:80"
environment:
- APP_ENV=production
- DB_HOST=db
- DB_DATABASE=monica
- DB_USERNAME=monica
- DB_PASSWORD=secret
volumes:
- data:/var/www/html/storage
restart: always
db:
image: mariadb:11
environment:
- MYSQL_RANDOM_ROOT_PASSWORD=true
- MYSQL_DATABASE=monica
- MYSQL_USER=monica
- MYSQL_PASSWORD=secret
volumes:
- db-data:/var/lib/mysql
restart: always
volumes:
data:
db-data:
# docker compose up -d → http://SERVER_IP:8080What you take on
Monica's biggest risk isn't a resource number, it's the project's own pace — worth weighing carefully before you rely on it:
non-negotiableNo stable release since May 2024. Monica's v5 rewrite has been in progress for over two years with no shipped stable release as of this writing — a real maintenance-risk flag, not a footnote, and worth checking the project's current status before you commit to it.
non-negotiableIt's a personal CRM, not a business one. Don't reach for Monica if you need a sales pipeline, deal tracking, or team collaboration — it's built for relationship-tracking with the people in your life, and this cluster's business CRMs (Twenty, EspoCRM, SuiteCRM) are the right comparison set for that job.
non-negotiableIt's AGPL-3.0. Network-copyleft terms apply if you modify and offer it as a service — standard caveat for this cluster, worth checking regardless of the project's pace.
More in CRM
CRM
EspoCRM
PHPJavaScript
easyRead guide →
CRM
Frappe CRM
PythonFrappe FrameworkVue.js
hardRead guide →
CRM
Krayin CRM
PHPLaravelVue.js
moderateRead guide →
CRM
OroCRM
PHPSymfonyPostgreSQL
hardRead guide →