head to head · open source
ERPNext vs OpenBudgeteer
ERPNext has 39,326 GitHub stars, 12,835 forks, 1,822 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenBudgeteer has 973 stars, 62 forks, 15 open issues and last shipped 8 months ago. ERPNext leads on adoption by 3,942% (39,326 vs 973 stars). ERPNext is written in Python under GPL-3.0; OpenBudgeteer is written in C# under AGPL-3.0. ERPNext has attracted 33% as many forks as stars, OpenBudgeteer 6%. 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 | OpenBudgeteer | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 39K | ★ 973 |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | C# |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-01-10 |
| Forks | ⑂ 13K | ⑂ 62 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick ERPNext if
- You weight community size — 39K 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 OpenBudgeteer if
- You want the OpenBudgeteer feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You evaluated both and OpenBudgeteer fits your workflow better
About ERPNext
ERPNext is a free and open source Enterprise Resource Planning system built on the Frappe Framework. It unifies core business functions—including accounting, procurement, manufacturing, CRM, HRMS, and asset management—into a single platform, eliminating the need for multiple proprietary tools. The project lives in the Python based Frappe ecosystem and is licensed under GPL 3.0.
read the full ERPNext overview →
About OpenBudgeteer
OpenBudgeteer is a self hosted budgeting web application built on the Bucket Budgeting Principle, aimed at people who want to run their own budget planning software in Docker rather than pay for a hosted service.
read the full OpenBudgeteer overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is ERPNext or OpenBudgeteer more popular?
ERPNext has 39,326 GitHub stars and OpenBudgeteer has 973. ERPNext has the larger community by that measure.
Are ERPNext and OpenBudgeteer free?
Both are open source. ERPNext is licensed under GPL-3.0 and OpenBudgeteer under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between ERPNext and OpenBudgeteer?
ERPNext is written in Python and OpenBudgeteer in C#. 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 OpenBudgeteer?
Choose ERPNext if you want the larger community (39,326 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose OpenBudgeteer if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.