ERPNext vs Spoolman
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?
ERPNext
Open-source ERP for growing businesses
VS
Spoolman
Keep track of your inventory of 3D-printer filament spools
| Feature | ERPNext | Spoolman |
|---|---|---|
| Category | CRM & Business Apps | CRM & Business Apps |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 37,773 | ★ 2,686 |
| First released | 2010 | 2026 |
| Replaces | SAP, NetSuite, Salesforce | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Spoolman if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is ERPNext or Spoolman better?
Neither is universally better. ERPNext has the larger community, while Spoolman is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are ERPNext and Spoolman free and open-source?
Yes. ERPNext is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Spoolman under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ERPNext and Spoolman with Docker?
ERPNext: yes. Spoolman: yes.