Open source ERP software compared: Odoo Community and the alternatives

Open source ERP software is enterprise resource planning software whose source code is published under an open source licence, so anyone can download, run, inspect and change it without a licence fee. As of November 2026, the most widely used options include Odoo Community, ERPNext, Dolibarr, Apache OFBiz, Axelor and metasfresh. You can run each one on your own server, and most also have a paid hosted or enterprise offer.

What is open source ERP software?

An ERP brings a company's core processes, such as accounting, sales, purchasing, inventory and manufacturing, into one system with one database. If the term is new, start with our plain-English guide to what ERP is.

"Open source" means the code is published under a licence approved for open source use, such as the GPL, LGPL, AGPL or Apache licence. You may run it for any purpose and change it. The licences differ mainly in what you must share if you distribute a modified version or offer it as a service, so read the licence before you build a product on top of one.

Is open source ERP software free?

The software licence is free. Running an ERP is not. Expect to pay for some or all of these:

• Hosting: a server, backups, monitoring and security updates, or a hosting service that does those for you.
• Implementation: setting up your company, importing data and configuring workflows. For anything beyond a small business, many companies hire a partner.
• Customization and upgrades: your own modules have to be updated for each new major version.
• Support: community forums are free; guaranteed support usually is not.

Several projects follow an "open core" model: a free open source edition, plus a paid edition or hosted service from the company behind it. Odoo works this way, with a free Community edition and a per-user Enterprise subscription. ERPNext takes the opposite line:

"ERPNext is a 100% open-source enterprise resource planning software with a modern, comprehensive, and user-friendly Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution."

Open source ERP software compared

Licences are from each project's own licence file, and versions from each project's site or code, as of November 2026.

Odoo Community

Odoo Community is the open source core of Odoo, published under LGPLv3. It includes apps such as CRM, Sales, Purchase, Inventory, Manufacturing, Invoicing, Project, Website and eCommerce, and thousands of community modules, many maintained by the Odoo Community Association (OCA). Odoo Enterprise adds full accounting, Studio and more apps for a per-user fee. Our comparison of Odoo Community and Enterprise covers the differences.

ERPNext

ERPNext, built by Frappe on its own Frappe framework, is released under GPLv3 and keeps all its features in the open source code. Its v16 line was current in November 2026. Frappe also sells hosting through Frappe Cloud. It suits companies that want a broad ERP with no paid edition behind it.

Dolibarr

Dolibarr is a GPLv3 web ERP and CRM written in PHP. Version 24 was released on 11 September 2026, and 24.0.2 was the latest version on its site in November 2026. It is aimed at SMEs, freelancers and associations, and is quick to install.

Apache OFBiz

Apache OFBiz is an Apache Software Foundation project under the Apache 2.0 licence, with 24.09.08 the latest release on its downloads page in November 2026. It is often used as a framework as much as an application, so it suits teams with developers who want to build a tailored system.

Axelor and metasfresh

Axelor publishes its open suite under AGPLv3, and offers ERP, CRM and business process management (BPM) products. metasfresh is a GPLv2 ERP with a focus on supply chain, whose website and community are mainly German-language. Both are smaller communities than Odoo or ERPNext, so check the availability of local partners before you choose them.

Self-hosted ERP: what running it yourself involves

Every option here can run on your own server. That gives you control over data location, customization and upgrade timing, but it also makes you responsible for:

• Installing and updating the application and its database.
• HTTPS, a domain and email delivery.
• Daily backups with a copy off the server, and a tested restore.
• Monitoring, security updates and capacity as the company grows.
• Testing upgrades on a copy before production.

Our Odoo production hosting checklist covers these for Odoo, and most of it applies to any self-hosted ERP.

How to choose an open source ERP

• Scope: list the processes you need today and in two years, and check each project's modules against them.
• Ecosystem: count partners and maintained modules in your country and industry. A large ecosystem lowers implementation risk.
• Technology: pick a stack your team or partner can support: Python for Odoo and ERPNext, PHP for Dolibarr, Java for OFBiz, Axelor and metasfresh.
• Upgrade path: check how often major versions come out and how customizations are carried forward.
• Way out: know whether a paid edition exists, what it adds and what it costs, so you can grow without switching systems.

Running Odoo Community with CloudPilot

If Odoo Community fits, CloudPilot takes care of the hosting work. Choose a version, name the instance, and it is live on a free subdomain with SSL in minutes, with automated backups, staging copies, Git deploys for custom modules and monitoring.

• Starter runs one Odoo Community instance on CloudPilot's servers.
• Pro adds one-click servers in your own cloud account, unlimited instances, and Odoo Community and Enterprise.

Odoo Community itself has no licence fee. See Odoo Community hosting for an overview, Odoo pricing for what Enterprise costs if you need it, and CloudPilot pricing for each plan.

Open source ERP software: questions

Sources

• Odoo licence file (LGPLv3), checked 6 November 2026.
• ERPNext by Frappe and its source repository (GPLv3, v16), checked 6 November 2026.
• Dolibarr (latest version and V24 release date), checked 6 November 2026.
• Apache OFBiz downloads (latest release), checked 6 November 2026.
• Axelor Open Suite repository (AGPLv3) and metasfresh repository (GPLv2), checked 6 November 2026.