head to head · open source
ERPNext vs hledger
ERPNext has 40,868 GitHub stars, 13,377 forks, 1,822 open issues and last shipped yesterday. hledger has 4,806 stars, 426 forks, 328 open issues and last shipped yesterday. ERPNext leads on adoption by 750% (40,868 vs 4,806 stars). ERPNext is written in Python under GPL-3.0; hledger is written in Haskell under GPL-3.0. ERPNext has attracted 33% as many forks as stars, hledger 9%. ERPNext was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (accounting), 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 | hledger | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 4.8K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | Haskell |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 13K | ⑂ 426 |
| 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 hledger if
- You want the hledger feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Haskell
- You evaluated both and hledger 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 hledger
hledger Robust, intuitive plain text accounting Welcome! This is a brief intro to hledger. For a more detailed version, see the home page: hledger is lightweight, cross platform, multi currency, double entry accounting software. It lets you track money, investments, cryptocurrencies, invoices, time, inventory and more, in a safe, future proof plain text data format with full version control and privacy. hledger aims to help both computer experts and regular folks gain clarity in their finances and time management. Though the UIs are basic, hledger can model any accounting situation and provide precise, clear…
read the full hledger overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is ERPNext or hledger more popular?
ERPNext has 40,868 GitHub stars and hledger has 4,806. ERPNext has the larger community by that measure.
Are ERPNext and hledger free?
Both are open source. ERPNext is licensed under GPL-3.0 and hledger under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between ERPNext and hledger?
ERPNext is written in Python and hledger in Haskell. 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 hledger?
Choose ERPNext if you want the larger community (40,868 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose hledger if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.