ERPNext vs Bigcapital
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
Bigcapital
Open-source accounting and financial management
| Feature | ERPNext | Bigcapital |
|---|---|---|
| Category | CRM & Business Apps | CRM & Business Apps |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 37,773 | ★ 3,821 |
| First released | 2010 | 2022 |
| Replaces | SAP, NetSuite, Salesforce | QuickBooks, Xero |
Why pick each one
Choose Bigcapital if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is ERPNext or Bigcapital better?
Neither is universally better. ERPNext has the larger community, while Bigcapital is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are ERPNext and Bigcapital free and open-source?
Yes. ERPNext is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Bigcapital under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ERPNext and Bigcapital with Docker?
ERPNext: yes. Bigcapital: yes.