SHSelfHostIndex

Dolibarr vs LedgerSMB

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted crm & business apps options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
DO Dolibarr Open-source ERP and CRM for small businesses VS LE LedgerSMB Integrated accounting and ERP system for small and midsize businesses,
FeatureDolibarrLedgerSMB
CategoryCRM & Business AppsCRM & Business Apps
LicenseGPL-3.0GPL-2.0
LanguagePHPPerl
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM1,024 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metaldocker
GitHub stars★ 7,494★ 554
First released20032026
ReplacesSAP, Salesforce—

Why pick each one

Choose Dolibarr if…

  • Easy for small businesses
  • Modular features
  • Mature project
Dolibarr details

Choose LedgerSMB if…

  • Released under the GPL-2.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Written in Perl
  • Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
LedgerSMB details

Frequently asked questions

Is Dolibarr or LedgerSMB better?

Neither is universally better. Dolibarr has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Dolibarr and LedgerSMB free and open-source?

Yes. Dolibarr is licensed under GPL-3.0 and LedgerSMB under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Dolibarr and LedgerSMB with Docker?

Dolibarr: yes. LedgerSMB: yes.

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