SHSelfHostIndex

iDempiere vs OpenBoxes

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?
ID iDempiere Community-driven open-source ERP and CRM VS OP OpenBoxes Open-source inventory and supply chain management
FeatureiDempiereOpenBoxes
Deploy effortRead-the-docs projectUnder-an-hour setup
Health score76 · Good82 · Excellent
CategoryCRM & Business AppsCRM & Business Apps
LicenseGPL-2.0MPL-2.0
LanguageJavaGroovy
Setup difficultyHardHard
Min. RAM2,048 MB2,048 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, sourcedocker, bare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 664★ 900
First released20112011
ReplacesSAP, Oracle ERPSAP, NetSuite

What are iDempiere and OpenBoxes?

iDempiere

iDempiere is a fully open-source ERP, CRM, and supply chain management business suite. It is highly extensible through an OSGi plugin architecture.

  • Complete ERP and CRM
  • OSGi plugin architecture
  • Supply chain management
  • Community governance

OpenBoxes

OpenBoxes is an open-source inventory and supply chain management system. It was designed to manage stock, track inventory, and support supply chains for healthcare facilities.

  • Inventory and stock tracking
  • Supply chain workflows
  • Shipment management
  • Reporting and analytics

iDempiere vs OpenBoxes: key differences

IDempiere is written in Java, while OpenBoxes is built with Groovy. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for iDempiere versus MPL-2.0 for OpenBoxes. OpenBoxes lists first-class Docker deployment; iDempiere does not.

Why pick each one

Choose iDempiere if…

  • Released under the GPL-2.0 license
  • Written in Java
iDempiere details

Choose OpenBoxes if…

  • Released under the MPL-2.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Written in Groovy
OpenBoxes details

Frequently asked questions

Is iDempiere or OpenBoxes better?

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

Are iDempiere and OpenBoxes free and open-source?

Yes. iDempiere is licensed under GPL-2.0 and OpenBoxes under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run iDempiere and OpenBoxes with Docker?

iDempiere: check the project docs for container support. OpenBoxes: yes.

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