ERPNext vs Corteza
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted crm & business apps options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | ERPNext | Corteza |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 99 · Excellent | 86 · Excellent |
| Category | CRM & Business Apps | CRM & Business Apps |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 39,476 | ★ 2,164 |
| First released | 2010 | 2019 |
| Replaces | SAP, NetSuite, Salesforce | Salesforce, Microsoft Power Apps |
What are ERPNext and Corteza?
ERPNext
ERPNext is a comprehensive open-source ERP covering accounting, inventory, manufacturing, HR, CRM, and more. It targets small and mid-sized businesses wanting an all-in-one system. It is deployed via Docker or the Frappe bench tool.
- Full ERP modules in one suite
- Accounting and inventory
- Manufacturing and HR
- Built on the Frappe framework
Corteza
Corteza is an open-source, low-code platform that includes a ready-made CRM, service desk, and the ability to build custom business applications. It provides workflow automation, dashboards, and fine-grained access control.
- Built-in CRM and service desk
- Low-code app builder
- Workflow automation
- Role-based access control
ERPNext vs Corteza: key differences
ERPNext is written in Python, while Corteza is built with Go. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for ERPNext versus Apache-2.0 for Corteza. Corteza is the lighter option, starting around 2,048 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for ERPNext. ERPNext is the more established project (first released 2010), while Corteza arrived in 2019. ERPNext has the considerably larger community, at 39,476 GitHub stars versus 2,164.
Why pick each one
Choose ERPNext if…
- Very comprehensive
- Active community
- Fully open source
Watch out for
- Complex to deploy and learn
- Resource heavy
Choose Corteza if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Active community (2.2k GitHub stars)
Watch out for
- Resource intensive
- Learning curve for builder
Frequently asked questions
Is ERPNext or Corteza better?
Neither is universally better. ERPNext has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are ERPNext and Corteza free and open-source?
Yes. ERPNext is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Corteza under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ERPNext and Corteza with Docker?
ERPNext: yes. Corteza: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, ERPNext or Corteza?
Corteza has the smaller minimum footprint at 2,048 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for ERPNext. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.