All packaged software has limitations that result from either legacy code and legacy decisions (so called “technology debt”) that are either not in line with a particular user’s needs or by a whole industry’s needs. Bitrix, like other packages, is in the same situation.
- There is no real support, you must use a “partner” to handle first level support. What support you get from Bitrix is frequently flat out wrong. Bitrix hasn’t quite figured out how to run a support center.
- Few partners in the US/with good English Skills. Bitrix is a Russian developed package and even the “US” based consultancies are often just fronts for Russian companies on the other end of the phone.
- Cloud version isn’t truly multi-tenant. There are significant limitations in the “cloud” version over the “self hosted” version in that there are very few and modest alternations that can be made on the cloud version. I wouldn’t even call it cloud as much as shared.
- It is open source in that the source code is provided when you buy or demo a license, but it isn’t open source in that the code is free to download, use and modify. There is a free “cloud” version that is very limited. Do not think that this is going to be a great system that costs nothing to use. It is not supported or developed by a community, it is developed and supported by a company.
- It really is a mix of CRM and task management system and it gets confusing on which is which. It really isn’t presented as CRM-centric even though it is.
- Very difficult to add a new object (Table) to the data model! Any complex modification has to be done within the limitation of only using the standard table of the CRM. The good news is that it has an exceptionally thorough set of well documented REST API (and Web Hooks) for third party app integration with the database.
If we have missed something or have been unfair in any of these, please let us know.