Twenty
Twenty 2.48 runs agent conversations inside Slack threads and lets API keys export records.
Comparison · CRM
Corteza vs Monica
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Corteza and Monica — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Corteza vs Monica: at a glance
What is Corteza?
Corteza's 2026.9 release candidates keep landing daily, each fixing one MySQL or RBAC edge.
Corteza has published three 2026.9.0 release candidates in three days. rc.4 made cast-value checks MySQL 8 compatible, rc.5 stopped permission reports from counting deny rules on roles the caller cannot hold, and rc.6 gives workflow test reminders an assignment time MySQL accepts. Before that, the feed was a slow patch train on the 2024.9 line, ending at 2024.9.10 in late August.
What is Monica?
v5 'Chandler' rewrite stalled in beta — newest release is over a year old
Monica's entire recent history is the v5.0.0 'Chandler' rewrite, a ground-up rebuild first released in June 2023 and progressing through five betas. The latest, beta.5 (April 2025), added a Typesense search connector and Keycloak/Kanidm SSO among many fixes. But it is now the newest entry by more than a year, with no stable v5 or further beta since.
Corteza vs Monica: editorial side-by-side
Corteza
5.0CRM
Corteza's 2026.9 release candidates keep landing daily, each fixing one MySQL or RBAC edge.
◆ Current state
Corteza has published three 2026.9.0 release candidates in three days. rc.4 made cast-value checks MySQL 8 compatible, rc.5 stopped permission reports from counting deny rules on roles the caller cannot hold, and rc.6 gives workflow test reminders an assignment time MySQL accepts. Before that, the feed was a slow patch train on the 2024.9 line, ending at 2024.9.10 in late August.
◆ Where it's heading
The jump from 2024.9 to 2026.9 marks a new major line, and the candidates are converging through narrow fixes. Two of three fixes target MySQL, which suggests the release is being validated across database backends. The substance of the new line still isn't visible in the notes.
◆ Prediction
A 2026.9.0 final looks close given daily single-fix candidates; what it contains beyond compatibility and RBAC fixes is unclear from the notes published so far.
Monica
0.0CRM
v5 'Chandler' rewrite stalled in beta — newest release is over a year old
◆ Current state
Monica's entire recent history is the v5.0.0 'Chandler' rewrite, a ground-up rebuild first released in June 2023 and progressing through five betas. The latest, beta.5 (April 2025), added a Typesense search connector and Keycloak/Kanidm SSO among many fixes. But it is now the newest entry by more than a year, with no stable v5 or further beta since.
◆ Where it's heading
The arc is a long, slowing beta cycle that appears to have stalled. Early betas shipped broad feature sets; later ones narrowed to incremental fixes and self-hoster conveniences (SSO, search backends, DAV sync). The gap since April 2025 is the dominant signal: momentum on the rewrite has visibly stalled and a stable v5 has not materialized.
◆ Prediction
Hard to call given the year-plus silence — either a long-delayed v5 stable cut or continued dormancy. The entries don't support confidence either way; the absence of recent activity is itself the most telling data point.
Alternatives to Corteza and Monica
Other CRM products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Corteza or Monica.
Twenty
Twenty 2.48 puts its CRM agent into Slack threads and lets AI chat manage agents.
Folk
folk packages its recent releases as a field-sales toolkit.
GroupOffice
GroupOffice ships three 26.0 builds in four days, all with install-only notes.
Django CRM
Django CRM spends a morning hardening itself against abusive input.
Close CRM
Close adds OIDC single sign-on as voice agents and Chloe take on more of the CRM.
See all Corteza alternatives → · See all Monica alternatives →
Recent activity from Corteza and Monica
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1d agoCortezaCorteza 2026.9 rc.6 fixes MySQL reminder timestamps
- 2d agoCortezaCorteza 2026.9 rc.5 fixes deny rules in permission reports
- 3d agoCortezaCorteza 2026.9 rc.4 fixes MySQL 8 cast checks
- 1mo agoCortezaCorteza 2024.9.10 cuts workflow session memory use
- 1mo agoCortezaRC4: skip workflow scope snapshots for uninspected steps
- 1mo agoCortezaRC3: fix workflow sessions copying scope on every step
- 1y agoMonicabeta.5: Typesense search and Keycloak/Kanidm SSO
- 2y agoMonicabeta.4: more vCard exports, markdown notes
- 2y agoMonicabeta.3: DAV client subscriptions and groups
- 3y agoMonicabeta.2: instance administrator, Telegram setup
- 3y agoMonicabeta.1: first release of the Chandler rewrite ⚡
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Corteza and Monica?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Corteza is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Corteza better than Monica?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Corteza is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other CRM products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Corteza?
Top Corteza alternatives in CRM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Corteza alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/corteza for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Monica?
Top Monica alternatives in CRM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Monica alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/monica for the full list with editorial commentary on each.