A free ERP for small businesses could be a lifesaver if you own a start-up or microscale organization. It helps you to manage your time efficiently and boost productivity. Handling all the processes of a company is challenging. You have to deal with a lot of things, including payroll, inventory, accounting, finance, and many more. But an ERP application makes things easy for you. Check the best free ERP systems available in the market and try something according to your needs.
Why should you use a free ERP for small businesses?
A free ERP seeks zero or less initial investment. You might not want to spend a lot on an ERP system as a startup or small brand. But, using such software brings discipline and stability to your business. It’s where a free enterprise resource planning application comes into the picture. You get the required tools to manage your business without paying a hefty amount.
You might have noticed that a lot of free ERP systems are open-source. Hence, they are flexible. So, you can try any of the open-source ERP software and add functionalities according to your will. Above all, you do not need any license to use such an application. Hence, not only cost-effective, free ERP for small businesses are also versatile.
Top twelve free ERP for small business
Odoo
Odoo is the best free ERP for small businesses. It’s an open-source system that comprises multiple business functions, including human resources, eCommerce, financial management, manufacturing, inventory management, accounting, project management, CRM, sales, and more. This application is suitable to tackle all the professional activities of small to medium size organizations. There are multiple other components to add if you need more functions.
Odoo is a powerful ERP, yet it’s free. Moreover, this application has a user-friendly interface. In addition, it’s a web-based program. Hence, you can use it on computers, tablets, and smartphones.
If you use Odoo for one app, it supports unlimited users without any cost. For more than one app, it has Standard and Custom plants available to subscribe at $7.25 and $10.90 per user/month.
WP ERP
WP ERP is unique as it lets you manage the business processes from your WordPress admin panel. Therefore, you can manage your site and business simultaneously. This application has almost all the modules to manage your work. Accounting tools, CRM, and HR managers are some of its crucial components.
WP ERP is not only free to use, but it’s also open-source. So, you can customize this software as per your needs. The pro version is also available if you want additional functions. Its price starts from $9.99 per month. The premium plan includes 4-by-7 support, video tutorials, and many helpful documents.
iDempiere
iDempiere is written in Java. This application is a generic ERP, which means you can use it regardless of your business type. Plus, the software can be translated into nine different languages.
iDempiere is created to suit all businesses. However, it’s perfect for manufacturing, distribution, retail, and services. The interface of iDempiere is similar to old-school SAP. You might have to spend some time on the dashboard to get a hold of all the functions.
Dolibarr
Dolibarr is an open-source and free ERP package for small, medium, and large businesses. It also suits freelancers, entrepreneurs, and startups. The application was first made available in October 2002. It’s created in PHP and uses MySQL, MariaDB, and PostgreSQL databases.
You might not like the interface of Dolibarr because of its outdated appearance. However, its dashboard has useful functions and features to manage your business. On top of that, the terminal is easy to understand. This free ERP has components to control manufacturing, human resources, accounting, invoicing, projects, stocks, logistics, sales, CRM, and many more.
WebERP
If you are looking for one of the best free ERPs for small businesses, try WebERP. You can download it without making any payment. Moreover, this application suits almost all business sizes. So, you can install and use it regardless of your employee strength.
WebERP comes loaded with a lot of useful functions to manage your business. It comprises inventory, invoicing, project management, and many other modules. What’s more? This application is web-based for effortless usage and access. You can open its dashboard using a browser or even a PDF reader.
WebERP has a user-friendly user interface. Furthermore, it’s open-source software. So, adding new functionalities is not a challenge. All its modules communicate with each other seamlessly. Hence, you need to provide the input only once.
ERPNext
Frappe Technologies is the owner of ERPNext, an open-source ERP software for small, medium, and large enterprises. This application is based on python and JavaScript, while its database is MariaDB. The ERP system is popular and preferred by startups because of its straightforward user interface. In addition, the installation is simple.
ERPNext is a versatile ERP tool. It helps you manage multiple parts of your business, including customer relationships, manufacturing, and inventory management. Apart from that, this ERP tool is available in 70 different languages. Above all, it’s an open-source ERP software. So, endless customizations are possible.
xTuple
Try xTuple if you want complete control over the business operations. It’s an open-source enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM). This tool combines all the supply chain components within a single dashboard. It includes tools for distribution, manufacturing, and inventory control.
xTuple is an open-source ERP system, which makes it highly flexible. Moreover, this application has ERPlets™, which allows separate usage of the components without deploying the complete system. Furthermore, the program can connect to a lot of third-party apps because of its rich API option.
All thanks to a simple installation and scalability, xTuple could be the perfect choice for startups and small to medium-sized businesses. It’s also suitable software if you are overwhelmed due to unorganized operations and endless spreadsheets. xTuple consolidates everything into a single entity, which saves your time and money. Hence, you can focus more on development plans for your business.
Apache OFBiz
Apache OFBiz is one of the best ERP systems for small, medium, and large businesses. It combines all the business applications into one dashboard and is suitable for any industry. Moreover, this application is built over a common framework. So, your developers can easily extend or enhance its features and add new ones as per the requirements.
The Java-based web framework comprises two engines (entity and service), and a widget-based user interface helps to create drafts and develop new web applications. It’s one of the reasons why OFBiz is one of the top-notch ERP products by Apache. Plus, this application has the flexibility and maturity to grow or adapt according to your business.
Metasfresh
Metasfresh is a Java-based open-source package with the ability to adapt according to your business growth and changes. Its coding is simple. So, a developer can customize this application as per your requirements. Hence, it’s perfect if you own a small business or are planning a startup.
Metasfresh is compatible with all the major operating systems, including Windows, Linux, OS X, iOS, and Android. The ERP system is free if you self-host it. If you need cloud hosting, Metasfresh has a premium plan.
ERP5 ERP
ERP5 ERP is open-source and free software for small businesses. It comprises a lot of functions, including project management, production, product design, human resource management, shipping, logistics, invoicing, inventory management, CRM, warehouse, and retail. This application has three different versions. The installation process is described on its website. So, anyone with basic knowledge of computers can configure the ERP. How to index and documentation is available for assistance in case you have any troubles.
ERP5 is an open-source ERP. So, it’s easily customizable according to your requirements. Furthermore, this application is web-based and works on all browsers. Hence, you can access it using any computer.
Neogia
Neogia is a free and open source ERP for small business and medium-sized businesses. It comes with functions to manage distribution, stock, shipping, finance, production, customer relationship, and more. This application also has a CRM and catalog for B2C and B2B products under the eCommerce module.
As Neogia is an open-source program, you can easily customize it to cover more business processes. This application is based on OFBiz ERP. Hence, it never fails to assist you in managing your organization’s daily activities.
Sage Intacct
Sage Intacct is one of the first-based free ERPs for small businesses. This application has a huge list of loyal users because it covers all the business modules, including project management, fixed assets, consolidation, sales order management, accounts, payments, and many more. Hence, Intacct is popular among software and SaaS startups, non-profit organizations, and marketing agencies.
Sign up on sageintacct.com to watch the ERP in action. Apart from the demo, you can also try it for 30 days. In other words, Sage Intacct is a risk-free option to check.
Final thoughts
Now you know some of the best free ERP for small businesses. Understand the requirements of your business, decide on a budget, make a note of all your client preferences, and consider all other factors before you try an ERP system.
The options suggested above are perfect for small organizations and startups. Some of the software can also work for enterprises. Odoo is the best bet because it saves your time and money. WP ERP, iDempiere, and other applications are also worth your consideration.
