Axelor vs Crater Cloud OFBiz
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted crm & business apps options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Axelor | Crater Cloud OFBiz |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 82 · Excellent | 79 · Good |
| Category | CRM & Business Apps | CRM & Business Apps |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Java | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 976 | ★ 1,125 |
| First released | 2014 | 2006 |
| Replaces | SAP, Odoo | SAP, Oracle ERP |
What are Axelor and Crater Cloud OFBiz?
Axelor
Axelor Open Suite is an open-source ERP, CRM, and business process management platform. It includes a low-code studio for customizing apps and workflows.
- ERP, CRM, and BPM modules
- Low-code studio
- Configurable business workflows
- Modern web interface
Crater Cloud OFBiz
Apache OFBiz is an open-source enterprise automation suite. It bundles ERP, CRM, e-commerce, supply chain, and manufacturing capabilities in a single framework.
- ERP and CRM in one suite
- Built-in e-commerce
- Manufacturing and supply chain
- Extensible component model
Axelor vs Crater Cloud OFBiz: key differences
Both projects are written in Java. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Axelor versus Apache-2.0 for Crater Cloud OFBiz. Crater Cloud OFBiz is the more established project (first released 2006), while Axelor arrived in 2014. Axelor lists first-class Docker deployment; Crater Cloud OFBiz does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Axelor if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Java
Choose Crater Cloud OFBiz if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Active community (1.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Java
Frequently asked questions
Is Axelor or Crater Cloud OFBiz better?
Neither is universally better. Crater Cloud OFBiz has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Axelor and Crater Cloud OFBiz free and open-source?
Yes. Axelor is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Crater Cloud OFBiz under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Axelor and Crater Cloud OFBiz with Docker?
Axelor: yes. Crater Cloud OFBiz: check the project docs for container support.