Assembly vs GroupOffice: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Assembly and GroupOffice to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
Assembly
6.3/10
Assembly, formerly Copilot, is a branded client portal for service businesses. It combines messaging, a lightweight CRM, billing, files, tasks and an AI app builder.
GroupOffice
6.3/10
Open-source groupware and CRM platform from Dutch firm Intermesh, combining email, calendar, contacts, projects, helpdesk and newsletters for businesses and public organisations.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.3/10 | 6.3/10 |
| Customization | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Analytics | 4/10 | 3/10 |
| Integration | 6/10 | 5/10 |
| Support | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Ease of Use | 8/10 | 6/10 |
| Security | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Cost | 5/10 | 9/10 |
| Scalability | 6/10 | 5/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | $49/mo Starter | Contact for pricing |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Features | ||
| Collaboration | Not listed | |
| Contact Management | Not listed | |
| Customer Support Management | Not listed | |
| Integrations | Not listed | |
| Marketing Automation | Not listed | |
| Mobile Access | Not listed | |
| More features | ||
| Team messaging | Not listed | |
| File sharing | Not listed | |
| Client collaboration | Not listed | |
| App integrations | Not listed | |
| Task lists | Not listed | |
| Gantt charts | Not listed | |
| Task management | Not listed | |
| Time tracking | Not listed | |
| Workflow automation | Not listed | |
| Collaboration tools | Not listed | |
Assembly vs GroupOffice cost by team size
| Team size | Assembly | GroupOffice |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeFree | Contact for pricing |
| 5 users | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| 10 users | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| 25 users | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| 50 users | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Assembly
- Higher Support score (7/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Ease of Use score (8/10 vs 6/10)
- Better fit for consultancies (8/10 vs 6/10)
- Better fit for freelancers (6/10 vs 4/10)
Why choose GroupOffice
- Higher Cost score (9/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Customization score (8/10 vs 6/10)
Pros & Cons
Assembly
Pros
- Reviewers say a non-technical team can launch a polished, branded client portal quickly.
- Messaging, a CRM, invoicing, contracts, forms and files share one client login.
- A free plan and no-contract self-serve billing make it easy to test.
- SOC 2 Type II, AES-256 encryption at rest and a HIPAA BAA on Advanced suit regulated firms.
Cons
- Project management is basic, with no Gantt charts or dependencies.
- There is no native time tracking or scheduling.
- Automations lack conditional branching, and there is no native mobile app.
- Reviewers report a high cost and friction with international invoicing.
GroupOffice
Pros
- The Community edition is free and open source under AGPL-3.0 with unlimited users, so there are no per-seat costs.
- Professional is a perpetual licence at €439 for up to 100 users, far cheaper than subscription CRMs for a team that size.
- Data can stay on your own servers or in a Dutch datacentre, and the vendor cites GDPR compliance, two-factor authentication and encryption.
- Standard protocols (ActiveSync, CalDAV, CardDAV, IMAP, WebDAV) sync mail, contacts and calendars to native apps on phones and desktops.
- The Studio module and custom fields let administrators build their own modules.
Cons
- CRM features centre on contacts, newsletters and tickets. No pipeline, lead scoring or sales analytics were found.
- Few user reviews exist, and most date from 2019 to 2020, so there is little recent independent evidence.
- Updates, phone support and managed setup cost extra through annual contracts.
- The vendor's site does not clearly show the hosted Online price.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Assembly and GroupOffice both score 6.3/10 on our CRM criteria. The largest gap is in Cost: 5/10 for Assembly and 9/10 for GroupOffice.
Yes, both Assembly and GroupOffice have a free plan.
Assembly is the better fit for consultancies: we rate it 8/10 for them, against 6/10 for GroupOffice.
