Streak

Build a simple pipeline beside a local mailbox index without embedding inside Gmail

NOT REALLY · consider alternatives
price $59/mo per seatsubscription / year $708estimated build time closest consolation build: one sittingreplaced by 0 people

A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Streak, build a simple pipeline beside a local mailbox index without embedding inside Gmail. The hard boundary is deep gmail integration, shared mailboxes, email tracking, automations, and team adoption, plus integrations, data quality, and workflow lock-in.

Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability

What you give up

  • deep Gmail integration, shared mailboxes, email tracking, automations, and team adoption
  • automatic email and calendar capture
  • data enrichment
  • large integration ecosystem
  • enterprise reporting

Why people still pay

People still pay for Streak because CRM value compounds as the system becomes the shared memory of every customer interaction and embeds itself in the rest of the stack. The recurring cost buys deduplication, permissions, imports, sync, enrichment, email capture, automations, backups, and audit history, not just the visible interface.

Your build guide

The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.

Before you start

  • Docker
  • PostgreSQL
  • self-hosted server
  • optional email API credentials
01
Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, Drizzle ORM, and Docker Compose.
02
Model contacts, companies, activities, stages, and follow-up history; store source IDs and timestamps for each.
03
Interface for this contacts, relationships and sales pipelines workflow: a local web page with input, progress, review, and export views.
engineering roadmap

Implementation plan

1

Phase 1, architecture and data

Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, Drizzle ORM, and Docker Compose. Model contacts, companies, activities, stages, and follow-up history; store source IDs and timestamps for each.

2

Phase 2, implement

Create contacts, companies, opportunities, notes, tasks, and configurable pipeline stages.

3

Phase 3, implement

Add fast global search, duplicate detection, merge, CSV import, and CSV export.

4

Phase 4, review and output

Implement saved views, filters, owner assignment, and a next-action dashboard. Add fast global search, duplicate detection, merge, CSV import, and CSV export.

5

Phase 5, recovery and acceptance

Add role-based access, an immutable activity log, backups, and a recovery command. Verify this invariant with a saved fixture: An invalid input or interrupted operation must retain the source and show a recoverable state; exported records must reload with the same IDs. State the practical limit: deep Gmail integration, shared mailboxes, email tracking, automations, and team adoption.

the pro prompt
Build me a focused contacts, relationships and sales pipelines workflow for the personal core of Streak. Requirements:

- Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, Drizzle ORM, and Docker Compose. Model contacts, companies, activities, stages, and follow-up history; store source IDs and timestamps for each.
- Paid product context: Build a simple pipeline beside a local mailbox index without embedding inside Gmail. Build only this DIY scope: Manage contacts and companies beside a local mailbox index, move opportunities through a simple pipeline, log interactions, and surface the next action without embedding inside Gmail.
- Create contacts, companies, opportunities, notes, tasks, and configurable pipeline stages.
- Add fast global search, duplicate detection, merge, CSV import, and CSV export.
- Implement saved views, filters, owner assignment, and a next-action dashboard. Add role-based access, an immutable activity log, backups, and a recovery command.
- Use a local web page with input, progress, review, and export views. Required input or access: Docker; self-hosted server.
- Recovery: Add role-based access, an immutable activity log, backups, and a recovery command.
- Acceptance: with one labelled sample, show the input, saved intermediate state, and exported result; verify this invariant: An invalid input or interrupted operation must retain the source and show a recoverable state; exported records must reload with the same IDs.
- Out of scope: deep Gmail integration, shared mailboxes, email tracking, automations, and team adoption; automatic email and calendar capture. Keep this a personal, inspectable workflow.
- Include a README with setup, a sample input, required keys or permissions, data location, and the supported scope.

$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy AGENTS.md · generated from this app's build plan

share on X ↗

Alternatives to building your own

TwentyA modern pipeline CRM with custom objects, views and mailbox sync; the subscription becomes a Compose file.54kaug 2026open source↗EspoCRMA traditional CRM that actually lets you change the data model; polished enough, but still your server.3.2kaug 2026open source↗Frappe CRMA clean leads-and-deals board with notes, tasks and email; Frappe underneath means a real server, not a toy.3.2kaug 2026open source↗

all 7 free alternatives to Streak →· no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real

Streak pricing

planmonthlyannual (per mo)what you get
free email power tools$0/user$0/userMail merge 50 emails/day plus email/link tracking, snippets, Streak Share and Thread Splitter; no paid-plan CRM record entitlement statedThe current pricing page describes these tools as free forever rather than presenting a full free CRM tier.
pro$59/user$49/userUnlimited CRM records and shared contacts; 20 AI credits/user/month; mail merge up to 1,500/day on Google Workspace (400/day personal Gmail)
pro+$89/user$69/userUnlimited records; 150 AI credits/user/month; advanced reports, integrations and automations
enterprise—$129/userMinimum 10 users; 500 AI credits/user/month; custom roles, data validation and dedicated supportPricing grid displays $159/month as the month-to-month comparator, but the FAQ says Enterprise is sold only annually to teams of 10+.

free tierFree email tools: 50 mail-merge emails/day plus tracking, snippets, Streak Share and Thread Splitter; current page does not state a free CRM-record allowance

billingPro and Pro+ monthly + annual (-20%); Enterprise annual only with 10-seat minimum

hidden costsAll members of a team must use the same paid plan and there is no cheaper view-only seat. AI credits do not roll over; recurring add-ons cost $100/month for 1,000, $200 for 2,500, $500 for 10,000 or $1,000 for 25,000 credits. Advanced implementation can carry a separate fee.

pricing sources checked 2026-08-12 · pricing source ↗

Questions about Streak

Can you build your own Streak with AI?

A full replacement is not the recommended project. A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Streak, build a simple pipeline beside a local mailbox index without embedding inside Gmail. The hard boundary is deep gmail integration, shared mailboxes, email tracking, automations, and team adoption, plus integrations, data quality, and workflow lock-in.

What does the Streak build prompt cover?

The prompt starts with this scope: Manage contacts and companies beside a local mailbox index, move opportunities through a simple pipeline, log interactions, and surface the next action without embedding inside Gmail. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: deep Gmail integration, shared mailboxes, email tracking, automations, and team adoption; automatic email and calendar capture; data enrichment. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.

How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?

Start with the Streak prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.

How long will this Streak project take?

The catalogue estimate is closest consolation build: one sitting for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.

What would I give up by replacing Streak?

deep Gmail integration, shared mailboxes, email tracking, automations, and team adoption; automatic email and calendar capture; data enrichment; large integration ecosystem; enterprise reporting. People still pay for Streak because CRM value compounds as the system becomes the shared memory of every customer interaction and embeds itself in the rest of the stack. The recurring cost buys deduplication, permissions, imports, sync, enrichment, email capture, automations, backups, and audit history, not just the visible interface.

What price is this guide comparing against?

The recorded Pro plan is $59/mo per seat (monthly per user), checked 2026-07-31. Check the linked pricing source before buying. Building your own also has hosting, API and maintenance costs; the recorded amount is not a guaranteed saving.

What can I use instead of building Streak?

Twenty: A modern pipeline CRM with custom objects, views and mailbox sync; the subscription becomes a Compose file. EspoCRM: A traditional CRM that actually lets you change the data model; polished enough, but still your server. Frappe CRM: A clean leads-and-deals board with notes, tasks and email; Frappe underneath means a real server, not a toy. Compare all listed options at https://howtovibecodeit.dev/streak-crm/alternatives. Check each option's license, hosting needs and feature limits.

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