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?
iDempiere
Community-driven open-source ERP and CRM
VS
OpenBoxes
Open-source inventory and supply chain management
| Feature | iDempiere | OpenBoxes |
|---|---|---|
| Category | CRM & Business Apps | CRM & Business Apps |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | Java | Groovy |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 647 | ★ 871 |
| First released | 2011 | 2011 |
| Replaces | SAP, Oracle ERP | SAP, NetSuite |
Why pick each one
Choose OpenBoxes if…
- Released under the MPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Groovy
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.