Dolibarr vs Odoo Community
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted crm & business apps options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Dolibarr
Open-source ERP and CRM for small businesses
VS
Odoo Community
Modular open-source business management suite
| Feature | Dolibarr | Odoo Community |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 92 · Excellent | 100 · Excellent |
| Category | CRM & Business Apps | CRM & Business Apps |
| License | GPL-3.0 | LGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,652 | ★ 54,545 |
| First released | 2003 | 2005 |
| Replaces | SAP, Salesforce | Salesforce, SAP, NetSuite |
What are Dolibarr and Odoo Community?
Dolibarr
Dolibarr is an open-source ERP and CRM suite for small and medium businesses, covering invoicing, inventory, and contacts. It targets small companies wanting an easy all-in-one tool. It is deployed via Docker or a PHP stack.
- Combined ERP and CRM
- Invoicing and inventory
- Module-based activation
- Easy installation
Odoo Community
Odoo Community Edition is a modular business management suite covering CRM, sales, inventory, accounting, and many other apps. It targets businesses wanting a flexible, app-based platform. It is deployed via Docker or packages.
- Modular app-based design
- CRM, sales and inventory apps
- Large marketplace of modules
- Customizable workflows
Dolibarr vs Odoo Community: key differences
Dolibarr is written in PHP, while Odoo Community is built with Python. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Dolibarr versus LGPL-3.0 for Odoo Community. Dolibarr is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Odoo Community. Dolibarr is the more established project (first released 2003), while Odoo Community arrived in 2005. Odoo Community has the considerably larger community, at 54,545 GitHub stars versus 7,652.
Why pick each one
Choose Dolibarr if…
- Easy for small businesses
- Modular features
- Mature project
Watch out for
- Interface looks dated
- Less polished than Odoo
Choose Odoo Community if…
- Very flexible and modular
- Large ecosystem
- Polished UI
Watch out for
- Best features in Enterprise
- Complex to maintain
Frequently asked questions
Is Dolibarr or Odoo Community better?
Neither is universally better. Odoo Community has the larger community, while Dolibarr is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Dolibarr and Odoo Community free and open-source?
Yes. Dolibarr is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Odoo Community under LGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dolibarr and Odoo Community with Docker?
Dolibarr: yes. Odoo Community: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Dolibarr or Odoo Community?
Dolibarr has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Odoo Community. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.