Open-Source ERP

Open-source ERP makes its source code openly available, often paired with a paid enterprise edition offering extra features and support.

Open-Source ERP: Not to be confused with

Open-source ERP is NOT automatically free to use. The software itself is usually free of licence cost, but hosting, customisation, support and enterprise add-on modules are still commonly charged for by most vendors.

The Open Source Initiative defines the criteria a licence must meet to qualify as open source, in particular free redistribution and access to the source code (Source 1). For open-source ERP such as Odoo, ERPNext or Apache OFBiz, this means the core software can be freely installed and modified, while vendors generate revenue through hosting, support contracts and separately licensed enterprise modules.

An overview of the open-source systems established in the Swiss market is on the systems overview page.

Related terms

• ERP

Sources for Open-Source ERP

1. Open Source Initiative (OSI), "The Open Source Definition" ↗