head to head · open source
ERPNext vs Akaunting
ERPNext has 40,843 GitHub stars, 13,361 forks, 1,822 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Akaunting has 10,265 stars, 3,010 forks, 14 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. ERPNext leads on adoption by 298% (40,843 vs 10,265 stars). ERPNext is written in Python under GPL-3.0; Akaunting is written in PHP under a custom or non-standard licence. ERPNext has attracted 33% as many forks as stars, Akaunting 29%. ERPNext was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (accounting, crm, erp), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| ERPNext | Akaunting | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 10K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | Python | PHP |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-31 |
| Forks | ⑂ 13K | ⑂ 3.0K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick ERPNext if
- You weight community size — 41K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Akaunting if
- You want the Akaunting feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches PHP
- You evaluated both and Akaunting fits your workflow better
About ERPNext
ERPNext Powerful, Intuitive and Open Source ERP Live Demo Website Documentation ERPNext 100% Open Source ERP System to help you run your business. Motivation Running a business is a complex task handling invoices, tracking stock, managing personnel, and other daily operations. In a market where software is sold separately to manage each of these tasks, ERPNext does all of the above and more, for free. Key Features Accounting : All the tools you need to manage cash flow in one place, right from recording transactions to summarizing and analyzing financial reports. Order Management : Track inventory levels…
read the full ERPNext overview →
About Akaunting
Akaunting™ Online accounting software designed for small businesses and freelancers. Akaunting is built with modern technologies such as Laravel, VueJS, Tailwind, RESTful API etc. Thanks to its modular structure, Akaunting provides an awesome App Store for users and developers. Home The house of Akaunting Forum Ask for support Documentation Learn how to use Developer Portal Generate passive income App Store Extend your Akaunting Requirements PHP 8.1 or higher Database (e.g.: MariaDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite) Web Server (eg: Apache, Nginx, IIS) Other libraries Framework Akaunting uses Laravel, the best existing…
read the full Akaunting overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is ERPNext or Akaunting more popular?
ERPNext has 40,843 GitHub stars and Akaunting has 10,265. ERPNext has the larger community by that measure.
Are ERPNext and Akaunting free?
Both are open source. ERPNext is licensed under GPL-3.0, and Akaunting has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between ERPNext and Akaunting?
ERPNext is written in Python and Akaunting in PHP. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, ERPNext or Akaunting?
Choose ERPNext if you want the larger community (40,843 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Akaunting if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.