Open-source ERP is the one software category where the free option is also the complete one: Odoo Community (LGPLv3), ERPNext (GPL-3.0), Dolibarr (GPL-3+), Tryton (GPL-3+), Apache OFBiz (Apache 2.0), iDempiere (GPL-2.0), Axelor (AGPLv3) and metasfresh (GPL) all include accounting, sales, purchasing and inventory with no caps. What costs money is hosting and the enterprise layer — Odoo’s hosted plans from $31 a user, Frappe Cloud from $5 a month, Axelor Enterprise from €55 a user with a 20-user minimum. One tool often listed as open source is not: Akaunting (BSL) is source-available. Prices are USD and were checked on 24 October 2026. How we score · All Kurums Free lists
TL;DR — the free ERP that fits
- The biggest ecosystem, self-hosted: Odoo Community — LGPLv3, the core of Odoo Enterprise; hosted Standard is $31.10 a user.
- A full ERP with HR and payroll, cheapest to host: ERPNext — GPL-3.0; Frappe Cloud sites from $5 a month.
- Lightweight, runs on PHP shared hosting: Dolibarr — GPL-3+, free for personal or commercial use; partner clouds from €10 a month.
- Permissive licence for a product company: Apache OFBiz — Apache 2.0, no licensing fees ever.
- One hosted module free, no server: Odoo One App Free — any single app, unlimited users, hosted by Odoo.
Which open-source erp tools have a free plan in 2026?
Every system below is free to download, install and run commercially with no caps on users, records or modules, under the licence its row names. The practical differences are the licence’s reach (Apache 2.0 at OFBiz is permissive; AGPL at Axelor obliges you to share modifications of a hosted service; GPL and LGPL sit between), the size of the module ecosystem (Odoo’s is far the largest), and the cost of not self-hosting: Odoo Online from $31.10 a user a month, Frappe Cloud from $5 a month per site, Dolibarr partners from €10 a month, Axelor Enterprise €55 a user with a 20-user minimum, metasfresh from €79 a user.
Odoo appears twice because its two free offers are different products: Community is the self-hosted LGPL edition without Enterprise’s modules; One App Free is a hosted Enterprise app, any one of them, for unlimited users. Bitrix24 is listed to say what it is not — proprietary and not an ERP. Akaunting is excluded as source-available: its repository carries the Business Source Licence, which is not OSI-approved.
The table shows the licence, the hosted price and the Free Score; Friction is scored on hosting burden and licence obligations. Open a row for modules, the enterprise split and the page we checked.
| Company | Free as | Key limit | Card | Free Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E |
Open source | GPL-3.0 · all modules · cloud from $5 | No | 86 | Scorecard ↓ |
| O |
Open source | Self-hosted · LGPLv3 · Enterprise modules paid | No | 86 | Scorecard ↓ |
| D |
Open source | GPL-3+ · PHP · partner clouds from €10 | No | 82 | Scorecard ↓ |
| O |
Free forever | 1 hosted app · unlimited users | No | 82 | Scorecard ↓ |
| T |
Open source | GPL-3+ · accounting-centric · v8.2 | No | 74 | Scorecard ↓ |
| A |
Open source | Apache 2.0 · Java · no fees ever | No | 72 | Scorecard ↓ |
| I |
Open source | GPL-2.0 · PostgreSQL/Oracle · v13 LTS | No | 68 | Scorecard ↓ |
| A |
Open source | AGPLv3 · Enterprise €55/user, 20 minimum | No | 66 | Scorecard ↓ |
| M |
Open source | GPL · supply chain · hosted from €249/mo | No | 60 | Scorecard ↓ |
| E |
Open source | Open source · Zope · site dated | No | 50 | Scorecard ↓ |
| B |
Free forever | Proprietary · CRM + tasks · not an ERP | No | 48 | Scorecard ↓ |
Free tiers verified 24 October 2026 on each vendor’s pricing page (third-party sources named in the Scorecard where the vendor page was silent). Order is by Free Score only; sponsorship never changes it.
What do the free ERP plans actually include?
Open any row for the eight-field Scorecard. The “Why it ranks here” note under each row explains the score in plain terms.
1E
ERPNextIndia · GPL-3.0 with accounting, procurement, sales, CRM, stock, manufacturing, projects, assets, POS, quality, support, HR and payroll; self-host for nothing or Frappe Cloud from $5Open sourceGPL-3.0 · all modules · cloud from $5No card86⌄
- What’s free
- GPL-3.0; self-host and ‘pay us absolutely nothing’; accounting, procurement, sales, CRM, stock, manufacturing, projects, assets, POS, quality, support, HR and payroll, no-code builder
- Hard limits
- None stated · Frappe Cloud has no free tier, a 14-day trial · the server starting price is $20 on one vendor page and $40 on another
- Time limit
- None self-hosted
- Card required
- Not applicable self-hosted.
- Upgrade trigger
- Managed hosting
- Cheapest paid step
- Frappe Cloud sites from $5/month, servers from $20 or $40; billed monthly, not per user
- Best free for
- A company that wants HR and payroll inside the ERP and the cheapest managed hosting
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · frappe.io/erpnext/pricing and frappe.io/cloud/pricing (server start price differs between the two pages)
2O
Odoo CommunityBelgium · the self-hosted Community edition is the core on which Odoo Enterprise is built, under LGPLv3; hosting, upgrades, mobile and Studio are EnterpriseOpen sourceSelf-hosted · LGPLv3 · Enterprise modules paidNo card86⌄
- What’s free
- Self-hosted Community edition: the core upon which Odoo Enterprise is built
- Hard limits
- Enterprise-only features (hosting, upgrades, mobile, Studio and others)
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- Enterprise modules or hosting
- Cheapest paid step
- Standard $31.10/user/month (promotional from $38.90, 12 months for initial users); Custom $46.70
- Best free for
- A company that wants the largest ERP module ecosystem and will run it
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · odoo.com/page/editions and the GitHub LICENSE (LGPLv3); prices from odoo.com/pricing-plan
Why it ranks here. The widest reach of any open-source ERP, with the clearest commercial pull toward Enterprise; the feature split is the thing to study before committing.
3D
DolibarrFrance · a GPL-3+ ERP and CRM with CRM, HR, website and POS, stock, double-entry finance, marketing and projects, free for personal or commercial use; version 24Open sourceGPL-3+ · PHP · partner clouds from €10No card82⌄
- What’s free
- GPL-3+ ERP/CRM: CRM and sales, HR, CMS, website and POS, product and stock, finance and billing with double-entry accounting, marketing, projects, API and module builder; free for personal or commercial use; latest 24.0.2
- Hard limits
- None
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- Hosted SaaS
- Cheapest paid step
- Partner SaaS: Ma Gestion Cloud €10 ex VAT a month regardless of users after 45 days free; DoliCloud 15-day trial, price not stated
- Best free for
- A small company that wants a complete ERP on ordinary web hosting
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · dolibarr.org, GitHub (GPL-3+) and the Dolibarr wiki’s cloud-solutions page
Why it ranks here. The easiest of the full ERPs to install and the cheapest to have hosted; smaller in scope than Odoo or ERPNext at scale.
4OOdoo One App FreeBelgium · one app of your choice with unlimited users on Odoo Online, dependency apps, hosting, support and maintenance included — until you install a secondFree forever1 hosted app · unlimited usersNo card82⌄
- What’s free
- One app with unlimited users on Odoo Online, including required dependency apps, hosting, support and maintenance
- Hard limits
- One app · a second app moves you to Standard, and Studio or extra companies to Custom, automatically
- Time limit
- Not stated
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Installing a second app
- Cheapest paid step
- Standard $31.10/user/month
- Best free for
- A company that needs one module — invoicing, CRM, purchase — hosted and free
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · odoo.com/pricing-plan
Why it ranks here. Not an ERP, one piece of one, hosted free with no seat cap; easy to trigger the paid plan by clicking Install.
5T
TrytonBelgium · a 100% open-source modular ERP under GPL-3.0-or-later with financial and analytic accounting, sales, inventory, CRM, purchasing, manufacturing and subscriptions; version 8.2 released October 2026Open sourceGPL-3+ · accounting-centric · v8.2No card74⌄
- What’s free
- 100% open source: financial and analytic accounting, sales, inventory, CRM, purchasing, supply chain, manufacturing, shipping, projects, subscriptions
- Hard limits
- None · no vendor SaaS; a network of service providers
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- None
- Cheapest paid step
- Not stated (providers)
- Best free for
- A company whose ERP needs start from the general ledger
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · tryton.org and PyPI (GPL-3.0-or-later, 8.2.0 on 5 Oct 2026)
Why it ranks here. Rigorous and well-maintained, with a smaller community and no hosted option from the project; friction is the absence of a vendor.
6A
Apache OFBizUS (ASF) · an Apache 2.0 ERP with accounting, CRM, order management and e-commerce, warehousing, manufacturing, HR and POS — ‘no licensing fees, ever’Open sourceApache 2.0 · Java · no fees everNo card72⌄
- What’s free
- Apache License 2.0; accounting (GL, AR, AP, fixed assets), CRM, order management and e-commerce, warehousing and inventory, manufacturing and MRP, HR, web POS
- Hard limits
- None · release version not on the home page
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- None
- Cheapest paid step
- Not stated
- Best free for
- A Java shop, or a company building a product on an ERP core and needing a permissive licence
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · ofbiz.apache.org
Why it ranks here. The only permissive licence in the list, which matters if you will embed it; the user experience and community are the trade.
7I
iDempiereCommunity · the Compiere and ADempiere lineage under GPL-2.0: enterprise accounting, multi-entity, BI, workflow and portals, with no licensing cost; version 13 LTSOpen sourceGPL-2.0 · PostgreSQL/Oracle · v13 LTSNo card68⌄
- What’s free
- No licensing cost; enterprise accounting, multi-entity, BI, workflow and portals; iDempiere 13 LTS
- Hard limits
- None
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- None
- Cheapest paid step
- Not stated
- Best free for
- A multi-entity company on PostgreSQL or Oracle with ERP experience in-house
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · idempiere.org and the GitHub badge (GPL-2.0)
Why it ranks here. Deep and old-school; the steepest learning curve on the list.
8A
Axelor Open SuiteFrance · an AGPLv3 suite with CRM, sales, finance, HR, projects, inventory and production on a low-code platform; the pricing page describes only the Enterprise editionOpen sourceAGPLv3 · Enterprise €55/user, 20 minimumNo card66⌄
- What’s free
- AGPLv3 open-source suite: CRM, sales, finance and cost, HR, projects, inventory and supply chain, production, multi-company, multi-currency, multilingual
- Hard limits
- The community edition is not described on the pricing page · AGPL obligations for hosted modifications
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- Enterprise support or e-invoicing
- Cheapest paid step
- Enterprise €55/user/month, minimum 20 users; Light User €10 annual
- Best free for
- A French or European mid-size company that wants a low-code ERP
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · axelor.com/pricing and the GitHub LICENSE (AGPLv3) and README
Why it ranks here. Capable and modern, with a vendor page that would rather you did not notice the free edition; the 20-user minimum is a mid-market signal.
9M
metasfreshGermany · a GPL ERP for supply chain, food and wholesale, free to install anywhere; vendor hosting from €249 a month and user fees from €79Open sourceGPL · supply chain · hosted from €249/moNo card60⌄
- What’s free
- Free and open-source ERP; install and use anywhere
- Hard limits
- None self-hosted · no free tier on the commercial site · GPL version unspecified
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- Vendor support or cloud
- Cheapest paid step
- User fee from €79/user/month annual (€99 monthly); cloud hosting from €249/month annual; ex VAT
- Best free for
- A wholesaler or food business in the German-speaking market
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · metasfresh.com (served in German) and the GitHub badge (GPL)
Why it ranks here. Specialised and well-built; the commercial page is in German and its prices are the dearest here.
10E
ERP5France · an open-source ERP on Zope with accounting, CRM, HR, projects, inventory, manufacturing and e-commerce; the site’s copyright stops at 2015 and no licence is namedOpen sourceOpen source · Zope · site datedNo card50⌄
- What’s free
- Accounting, CRM, HR, project, inventory, manufacturing, e-commerce, PDM, knowledge management, POS, trade
- Hard limits
- None · licence not stated · the site appears dated
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- None
- Cheapest paid step
- Not stated (TioLive SaaS mentioned without a price)
- Best free for
- Large or niche deployments with Zope expertise
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · erp5.com (licence not stated; copyright 2001–2015)
Why it ranks here. Historically important and hard to recommend from a page that has not been touched in a decade.
11B
Bitrix24Cyprus · a proprietary free plan with basic CRM, tasks, calendars, chat and 5 GB — a workspace, not an ERP, listed because the hub card named itFree foreverProprietary · CRM + tasks · not an ERPNo card48⌄
- What’s free
- Free: basic CRM with deals and contacts, tasks with Kanban and Gantt, shared calendars, chat and video, 5 GB
- Hard limits
- The card says 1–2 users and the FAQ says unlimited · no telephony or Market apps · proprietary
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated for free; the trial needs none.
- Upgrade trigger
- Telephony, automation or storage
- Cheapest paid step
- Basic $49/organisation/month billed annually ($69 monthly), 5 users
- Best free for
- A team that wants free CRM and tasks and does not need accounting or inventory
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · bitrix24.com/prices (user cap stated two ways)
Why it ranks here. Not open source and not an ERP; scored accordingly and kept so the comparison is honest.
Which free ERP has no credit-card requirement?
Every open-source system here is a download with nothing to enter. Odoo One App Free and Bitrix24 do not state a card requirement; Frappe Cloud creates a subscription when a payment method is added after its trial. Nothing converts on its own except Odoo’s hosted plan, which switches you to Standard the moment a second app is installed.
The obligations are in the licences, not the sign-up forms: AGPL (Axelor) requires sharing modifications of a hosted service; GPL (ERPNext, Dolibarr, Tryton, iDempiere, metasfresh) requires sharing modifications you distribute; LGPL (Odoo) and Apache 2.0 (OFBiz) are lighter. Read the licence before building a product on any of them.
When does the free plan stop being enough?
Kurums Match: which free ERP fits your situation?
Wants the biggest app store
Odoo Community.
Wants HR and payroll free, cheap hosting
ERPNext.
Small firm, shared PHP hosting
Dolibarr.
Accounting-first
Tryton.
Java team or product company
Apache OFBiz.
One hosted module, no server
Odoo One App Free.
French mid-size company
Axelor.
Where can you find paid providers when a free plan is not enough?
The Kurums Solutions Directory lists more than 800 software vendors, service providers, investors and schools in 52 categories, compiled A–Z by our editors with a buyer’s guide for each — no one pays for a position.
How we score free tiers
Duration (30): free forever scores 30, a 30-day-plus trial 15, a trial of 14 days or less 8, credit-based tiers 12. Capacity (30): whether the limits carry a team of three for twelve months. Core job (25): whether the free tier does the category’s main work — here, running accounting, sales, purchasing, inventory and HR in one system with no licence fee and a real exit from the vendor. Friction (15): no card 15; card but no auto-charge 8; auto-charge 0; self-hosting deducts for setup and maintenance.
Each free tier was checked on the vendor’s pricing page on 24 October 2026; where the vendor page was silent, the Scorecard names the third-party source used. Free tiers change, so this list is re-verified every quarter and a discontinued free plan stays listed for one month with a notice. Order is by Free Score only. Kurums Free sells no placement; sponsorship, affiliate links and vendor requests never change a score, a rank or a label. Vendors can submit corrections to the Kurums editorial team.
How did we verify these free tiers?
We opened each project’s home or pricing page and its repository and recorded licence, modules, hosted options and prices. Odoo’s licence comes from the GitHub LICENSE file. ERPNext’s two vendor pages state different Frappe Cloud server starting prices. Tryton’s licence and version come from PyPI; iDempiere’s and metasfresh’s from GitHub badges; ERP5 names no licence. Akaunting (BSL) was excluded as source-available; Odoo.sh and Frappe Cloud as paid hosting.
Prices are USD for Odoo and Frappe, EUR for Dolibarr partners, Axelor and metasfresh.
Frequently asked questions
Which open-source ERP is best for a small business?
Dolibarr (GPL-3+) installs on ordinary web hosting and covers CRM, stock, finance and projects; ERPNext (GPL-3.0) adds HR and payroll and can be hosted from $5 a month; Odoo Community has the largest module ecosystem and needs more to run.
Is Odoo free?
The Community edition is free under LGPLv3 to self-host, without Enterprise’s modules. Odoo also hosts any single app free for unlimited users; installing a second app triggers the Standard plan at $31.10 a user.
Is Akaunting open source?
Its repository states it is released under the Business Source Licence, which is source-available rather than OSI open source.
Which ERP has the most permissive licence?
Apache OFBiz, under Apache License 2.0. Odoo’s LGPLv3 is the next lightest; ERPNext, Dolibarr, Tryton, iDempiere and metasfresh are GPL; Axelor is AGPL.
What does hosted ERPNext cost?
Frappe Cloud sites start at $5 a month and servers at $20 or $40 depending on which Frappe page you read, billed monthly rather than per user, after a 14-day trial.
Is Bitrix24 an open-source ERP?
No. Bitrix24 is proprietary, and its free plan is CRM, tasks and chat rather than accounting or inventory.
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