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Do the CiviCRM extensions cost money or are they free?
Sorry, very new to all of this. Trying to compare open source with something like Salesforce. So with Salesforce they have a kind of app store where you can buy things made with salesforce CRM?
Thank you in advance, Chloe
Like CiviCRM, its extensions are currently without any upfront or ongoing licensing fees. People are free to offer paid extensions, but I am not aware of them.
You are free to use, modify and share the code. If you benefit from Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), you are encouraged to contribute back to the community.
Not a direct answer to your question, but an important thing to remember, is that nothing is completely 'free'. Specifically, every piece of code you add to your installation has a cost to you in installing, configuring, testing, maintenance and machine cycles.
The extension architecture is a fabulous way for the CiviCRM community to share their code, but there's no guarantees with it, so you need to make sure you know what you're doing before enabling too many of them.
You can find a list of many extensions here - you should be able to install and use most of them more or less "out of the box".
In addition there is a bunch of extensions that are not in the extension directory for various reasons (too specific, not yet stable enough...) which are usually also free.
Especially if you want to use those but also if you have complex requirements/workflows you may require some customization or support in order to efficiently use extension. This may require some funding but I don't think it would be different with another system such as salesforce.
