head to head · open source
Shelf vs cmms
Shelf has 3,049 GitHub stars, 384 forks, 181 open issues and last shipped yesterday. cmms has 853 stars, 250 forks, 34 open issues and last shipped 7 days ago. Shelf leads on adoption by 257% (3,049 vs 853 stars). Shelf is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; cmms is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. Shelf has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, cmms 29%. Shelf was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (asset-management), 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
| Shelf | cmms | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 3.0K | ★ 853 |
| License | Custom / other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-27 |
| Forks | ⑂ 384 | ⑂ 250 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Shelf if
- You weight community size — 3.0K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick cmms if
- You want the cmms feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and cmms fits your workflow better
About Shelf
Open source asset management infrastructure for everyone. Website · Documentation · Discord · Twitter Shelf is a platform for tracking physical assets — equipment, devices, tools, vehicles, props, inventory. It's built for teams that need to know what they have, where it is, and who's using it. Organizations use Shelf to manage thousands of assets across locations with role based access for their teams. Features QR asset tags — Generate and print QR codes. Scan with any phone to view, check out, or report an asset. Bookings and reservations — Schedule equipment, prevent double bookings, set…
read the full Shelf overview →
About cmms
Atlas CMMS Atlas CMMS is a powerful, self hosted maintenance management system designed for both web and mobile platforms using Docker. It simplifies and automates the management of maintenance activities, making it ideal for IT managers or developers looking to implement solutions that keep their organization's assets running smoothly. Think of it like Jira for technicians . Example industries Facilities Managers (buildings, property, real estate) Manufacturing/Production Teams (machinery and equipment) Healthcare Facilities (medical equipment maintenance) Hospitality Managers (hotels and resorts) Public Sector…
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Frequently asked questions
Is Shelf or cmms more popular?
Shelf has 3,049 GitHub stars and cmms has 853. Shelf has the larger community by that measure.
Are Shelf and cmms free?
Both are open source. Shelf has no licence declared in this registry, and cmms is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Shelf and cmms?
Shelf is written in TypeScript and cmms in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Shelf or cmms?
Choose Shelf if you want the larger community (3,049 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose cmms if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.