metasfresh vs Part-DB
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted crm & business apps options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Part-DB
Web-based inventory for electronic components
| Feature | metasfresh | Part-DB |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 68 · Good | 85 · Excellent |
| Category | CRM & Business Apps | CRM & Business Apps |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Java | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,431 | ★ 1,774 |
| First released | 2015 | 2017 |
| Replaces | SAP, NetSuite | NetSuite |
What are metasfresh and Part-DB?
metasfresh
metasfresh is an open-source ERP system for small and medium-sized businesses. It provides sales, procurement, manufacturing, logistics, and accounting functions.
- Full ERP feature set
- Responsive web UI
- Frequent releases
- Sales and procurement workflows
Part-DB
Part-DB is an open-source, web-based inventory management application for electronic components and parts. It tracks stock, suppliers, prices, and storage locations.
- Component inventory tracking
- Supplier and price history
- Storage location hierarchy
- Barcode and label support
metasfresh vs Part-DB: key differences
Metasfresh is written in Java, while Part-DB is built with PHP. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for metasfresh versus AGPL-3.0 for Part-DB. Part-DB is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for metasfresh. Metasfresh is the more established project (first released 2015), while Part-DB arrived in 2017.
Why pick each one
Choose metasfresh if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.4k GitHub stars)
- Written in Java
Choose Part-DB if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is metasfresh or Part-DB better?
Neither is universally better. metasfresh has the larger community, while Part-DB is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are metasfresh and Part-DB free and open-source?
Yes. metasfresh is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Part-DB under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run metasfresh and Part-DB with Docker?
metasfresh: yes. Part-DB: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, metasfresh or Part-DB?
Part-DB has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for metasfresh. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.