head to head · open source
Shelf vs craftplan
Shelf has 3,049 GitHub stars, 384 forks, 181 open issues and last shipped yesterday. craftplan has 1,156 stars, 68 forks, 1 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Shelf leads on adoption by 164% (3,049 vs 1,156 stars). Shelf is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; craftplan is written in Elixir under AGPL-3.0. Shelf has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, craftplan 6%. Shelf 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.
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Side by side
| Shelf | craftplan | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 3.0K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | Custom / other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Elixir |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-01 |
| Forks | ⑂ 384 | ⑂ 68 |
| 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 craftplan if
- You want the craftplan feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Elixir
- You evaluated both and craftplan 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 craftplan
Craftplan Open source ERP for small scale artisanal manufacturers and craft businesses 1.20" 1.8" Craftplan brings all essential business tools into one platform: catalog management, inventory control, order processing, production planning, purchasing, and CRM, so you can get off the ground quickly without paying for multiple separate platforms. Features Catalog & BOM Product catalog with photos and labels Versioned Bills of Materials — edit latest, older versions read only Automatic cost rollups across nested BOMs Labor steps with time and cost tracking Orders & Invoices Customer order processing with calendar…
read the full craftplan overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Shelf or craftplan more popular?
Shelf has 3,049 GitHub stars and craftplan has 1,156. Shelf has the larger community by that measure.
Are Shelf and craftplan free?
Both are open source. Shelf has no licence declared in this registry, and craftplan is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Shelf and craftplan?
Shelf is written in TypeScript and craftplan in Elixir. 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 craftplan?
Choose Shelf if you want the larger community (3,049 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose craftplan if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.