An Enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is critical in an organization because it controls all business aspects. Such an application acts as a single interface to manage all your professional activities. A lot of paid and free ERP software is available in the market. Their features vary as per the developers, but most of them do the needful. But should you purchase an ERP tool?
You might not have severe requirements for ERP software. Hence, you do not want to spend extra on an unwanted application. Or you could be new to business management tools and want to try an ERP before you invest in one. These are the situations where free and open source ERP could be useful.
Such ERP programs are free to download and use. You can upgrade to their premium version as per your demands or preferences. Let’s discuss the top ten free and open source ERP software and then you can learn which one suits your needs.
Odoo
Odoo is a popular open source ERP application with over seven million active users. It’s developed in Python. This software is free to use if you have only one app. You have to go for the premium plans if you wish to use more than one app.
Odoo ERP includes a wide range of components, including project management, accounting, CRM, and HRM. All its components communicate seamlessly with each other. So, the users have to input any data only once.
The open-source nature of Odoo allows you to set more modules as per your usage. In addition, Odoo has more than 16000 plugins and third-party apps in its app store. What’s more? This software is compatible with all the major operating systems, including Linux, Windows, and Mac.
Features
- Incredible CRM to maintain customer relations
- Excellent accounting module with all the functions
- Extraordinary expense management
- HelpDesk module for customer service
Price: Free for one app. The Premium version starts from $7.25/user/month.
Dolibarr
Dolibarr is a free open source system, and cloud-based ERP application with modules of customer relationship management (CRM), financial management, human resources, analytics, and reporting. It also lets you manage your service and product catalogs, including their quantity and price. In addition, this software has warehouse inventory tracking.
Dolibarr supports numerous third-party apps, including Magento, Google Calendar, Google Contacts, Stripe, and PayPal. It also works on almost all operating systems, like Mac, Windows, and Linux. Plus, a smartphone application for iOS and Android is available.
Features
- Perfect for small, medium and large businesses
- All in one suite to manage all the professional activities
- Low-code Modular Builder assistant to extend the features
- Latest upgrades available without any data loss
Price: Free
ERPNext
ERPNext is another free and open-source enterprise resource planning software designed for modern users. Created for small and medium-sized businesses, it comes with a wide range of apps. This application has a Python and JavaScript-based service-side framework, while it uses the MariaDB database.
ERPNext lets you handle almost all your business activities from one dashboard. It helps you to set up manufacturing, and inventory tracking across all the warehouses across different locations, set up client servicing points, and handle multiple customers at once. This software has a simple setup. So, you can configure it without wasting a lot of time and energy. Moreover, the application has a clean and user-friendly interface.
Features
- Simple, yet powerful ERP
- Comes with more than 1000 components
- Integrates with a lot of third-party apps
- Free trial available for paid plans
Price: Free if you self-host ERPNext. Cloud-based hosting starts from 750 INR/site per month
WP ERP
WordPress is a reputed and popular open-source platform to build websites. This online application is incredible because of its ability to support endless plugins. If you own a WordPress site and want to turn it into a full-fledged ERP, try WP ERP.
WP ERP is affordable, efficient, and user-friendly. Download, activate, install and configure it within a few minutes to transform your WordPress admin panel into a powerful enterprise resource planning system. As this is open-source software, your developer can customize it according to your business requirements.
WP ERP is suitable for small organizations. It has three core components, accounting, CRM, and HR. All of them combined work as an ERP for all the business categories. You can choose to install all of them or one particular component. Moreover, this system has a user-friendly interface.
Features
- Project management
- Employee profiles with customizations
- Leave management
- Task assigning to the related team or team member
- Income, payments, and balance management
- Sales tax report with balance sheet
- Analytics and reports for accounting, HR, and CRM
Price: Free plan is sufficient for a small business. If you need advanced features, WP ERP Pro is available at $9.99 per month. The price is for 9 applications.
inoERP
inoERP is a free open source web-based enterprise resource planning system, which comprises a wide range of functions to serve almost all business categories. It has a versatile structure, which means you can conveniently add new modules according to the needs of your organization. Moreover, this application is accessible via any browser. So, you can use it with the help of any computer, tablet, smartphone, and mobile scanner.
inoERP is an all-in-one suite to manage all your professional transactions. It comes with more than 2000 seeded entities and integrates with over 100K entities, including ServiceNow, SalesForce, Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Oracle E-Business Suite R12, SAP HANA S/4, and many more. You can check the demo of inoERP on its website.
Features
- Modular and extensible
- Production-ready
- End-to-end management of your business
- Integrates without any code
- Support multiple formats of data
- Best-in-class technology stack to use
Price: Free
Metasfresh
Metasfresh is a free open source ERP system written in Java and JavaScript Scripting language and uses the PostgreSQL database management system. It is specially developed for small to medium-sized businesses. Furthermore, this ERP system is simple to use.
Metasfresh is a flexible ERP system, which adapts to your requirements. Sometimes you can add a new module without any coding. You can check the demo of Metasfresh on its website and also try it for free.
Features
- Guarantee functionality
- Hands-on training and online webinars
- A huge community for idea sharing and help
- User-friendly dashboard
- Support packages for paid users
Price: Free if you self-host. The cloud-hosted solution is available at 24 pounds per user per month.
Apache OFBiz
Apache OFBiz is an open source ERP developed using a common architecture. Hence, you can easily customize it according to the business requirements. So, this application is perfect for small, medium, or large companies that need improvements in terms of management.
The OFBiz comprises multiple business applications and can be used for any business regardless of its nature. It comes with accounting, CRM, eCommerce, order management, warehousing & inventory, and manufacturing & MRP. In addition, this software has product & catalog management, pricing & promotion management, supply chain and contracts, payments & billing. As you can see, it has almost everything you need to manage your organization.
Features
- Customization friendly
- Reliable & Scalable enterprise solution
- Adaptable according to your business
Price: Free
Bitrix24
If you need a self-hosted ERP solution, try Bitrix24. It gives you the source code for customizations. Plus, this application is performance-friendly. You can run multiple CRM entities and send endless requests as per the requirements, it never hangs or lags.
Bitrix 24 is highly flexible. It is compatible with all the third-party apps available in the market. In addition, this open source ERP system is secure. It uses an SSL-encrypted connection combined with a 256-bit key for data protection during all the transfers.
Features
- Two-step authorization for added security
- Custom backup rules
- AWS-ready and MS Azure compatible
- Web application firewall
Price: Free for unlimited users. Premium plans start from 2442 INR per month for 5 users.
Blueseer
Blueseer is a free open source ERP for small to medium businesses. You do not need to register, purchase license keys or try this software, download it and start using it. Blueseer is developed to provide an alternative to the expensive ERP applications available in the market.
A lot of ERP systems claim to be free, but the truth is something else. However, Blueseer is different. It’s not free only for marketing. This application never asks you to pay anything even if you use all its functionalities. So, try it if you are looking for an affordable business management tool.
Features
- Multilingual, available in six languages
- Available for Windows and Linux
- Integrated MRP functionality
- Warehouse/Distribution modules
Price: Free
Tryton
If you are searching for a free open source ERP to boost productivity and save time, try Tryton. It is programmed in Python and Java. Hence, this application has a stable and reliable framework.
Tryton has all the functions to manage a small or medium business. It also gives you an optional add-on that lets you manage the timesheets via any browser. This application is available as a desktop client for Windows and macOS. You can also try it before installing it.
Features
- All in one suite
- Ideal for any business
- Scalable and secure
Price: Free
Conclusion
Now you know some of the best free open source ERP systems. All the recommendations are suitable for small and medium-sized organizations. Some of them can also work for enterprises. As these applications are open source, you do not have to pay for licenses. Download and try one of them as per your business needs.
