head to head · open source
ERPNext vs Polar
ERPNext has 40,868 GitHub stars, 13,377 forks, 1,822 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Polar has 10,454 stars, 811 forks, 141 open issues and last shipped yesterday. ERPNext leads on adoption by 291% (40,868 vs 10,454 stars). ERPNext is written in Python under GPL-3.0; Polar is written in Python under Apache-2.0. ERPNext has attracted 33% as many forks as stars, Polar 8%. ERPNext was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| ERPNext | Polar | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 10K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 13K | ⑂ 811 |
| 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 Polar if
- You want the Polar feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and Polar 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 Polar
Website • Docs • API Reference Polar: A billing platform for the intelligence era Turn usage into revenue. Polar is the financial layer for a new generation of intelligent software, built for AI startups that need to charge for tokens, agents, and compute without building billing infrastructure from scratch. Ship any pricing model in an afternoon. Usage billing, subscriptions, seats, credits, trials, and discounts. Compose them however your product charges. Meter what matters. Bill tokens, API calls, agent runs, GPU seconds, and storage with precision down to the event. Checkouts that convert , realtime metrics…
read the full Polar overview →
More in Business Software
Related comparisons
More Finance & Accounting projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Finance & Accounting field.
Frequently asked questions
Is ERPNext or Polar more popular?
ERPNext has 40,868 GitHub stars and Polar has 10,454. ERPNext has the larger community by that measure.
Are ERPNext and Polar free?
Both are open source. ERPNext is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Polar under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between ERPNext and Polar?
ERPNext is written in Python and Polar in Python. 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 Polar?
Choose ERPNext if you want the larger community (40,868 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Polar if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.