Softwr

ERP · head to head

ADempiere vs eMaint

ADempiere logo

ADempiere

ERP

Community-run open source ERP forked from Compiere, with no vendor behind it

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
eMaint logo

eMaint

Manufacturing

Configurable CMMS from Fluke Reliability for asset-heavy operations

From
$69/user/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only ADempiere has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: ADempiere there is no company behind it, so there is no support contract to buy, no SLA, no escalation path and no roadmap commitment; if your implementation partner leaves the market you own the problem entirely.; eMaint the interface is dated against MaintainX and Limble, and this is the most common objection from technicians during a trial
  • They diverge on capability: ADempiere covers Application dictionary, eMaint covers Configurable without code.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ADempiere and eMaint actually diverge.

Attributes where ADempiere and eMaint differ
AttributeADempiereeMaint
Starting priceFree$69/user/month
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feePer user per month, three-user minimum
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hostedWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryERPManufacturing

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in ADempiere

  • Application dictionary
  • Financial accounting
  • Order to cash and procure to pay
  • Inventory and warehouse
  • Manufacturing
  • Point of sale
  • Workflow engine
  • Java and PostgreSQL stack

Only in eMaint

  • Configurable without code
  • Preventive and condition-based
  • Fluke sensor integration
  • Parts and purchasing
  • Compliance reporting
  • Multi-site

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ADempiere

  • A manufacturer in Latin America with an existing ADempiere consulting partner that needs localised tax and accounting behaviour a global vendor will not buildnot eMaint
  • A company that wants to modify ERP screens and document workflows without a vendor change request, using the application dictionary rather than codenot eMaint
  • An organisation with a hard requirement to keep financial data on its own servers under its own control with no cloud dependencynot eMaint
  • A systems integrator building a vertical ERP product on a permissive base it can fork and ship without paying a licence feenot eMaint

eMaint

  • Asset-heavy manufacturing with an established maintenance process to reproducenot ADempiere
  • Teams moving from calendar-based to condition-based maintenancenot ADempiere
  • Regulated environments needing audit-ready maintenance recordsnot ADempiere
  • Organisations already invested in Fluke test and monitoring equipmentnot ADempiere

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ADempiere

  • There is no company behind it, so there is no support contract to buy, no SLA, no escalation path and no roadmap commitment; if your implementation partner leaves the market you own the problem entirely.
  • The official website adempiere.net does not resolve, which strands most of the historic documentation and tutorials that search engines still point at and makes onboarding a new developer considerably harder.
  • The last conventional stable release, 3.9.4, is from January 2023, so despite ongoing GitHub activity a buyer evaluating on release cadence sees a project moving slowly.
  • iDempiere, a later fork of the same codebase, absorbed much of the developer community, so ADempiere competes for contributors with its own descendant and is the smaller of the two ecosystems.
  • The interface and the Java Swing heritage feel dated, and staff coming from a modern cloud ERP will need training and will complain; expect resistance from finance and warehouse users during rollout.

eMaint

  • The interface is dated against MaintainX and Limble, and this is the most common objection from technicians during a trial
  • Configurability means implementation is a project rather than a signup, and teams that under-resource it end up with a half-configured system
  • The three-user minimum makes it poor value for very small teams
  • Mobile is functional but clearly secondary to the web application
  • Pricing above the Team tier is quote-based, so comparison against published competitors requires a sales conversation

Pricing, plan by plan

ADempiere

Free
  • Community editionFree
    • GPL v2 licensed, no licence fee
    • Full ERP, CRM, supply chain and POS modules
    • Self-hosted on your own infrastructure

eMaint

$69/user/month
  • Team$69/user/month
    • Three-user minimum
    • Work orders
    • Preventive maintenance
  • Professional$undefined/user/month
    • Parts and purchasing
    • Custom forms
    • Advanced reporting
  • Enterprise$undefined/user/month
    • Condition monitoring
    • API and integrations
    • SSO

Which should you pick?

Choose ADempiere if

  • You need application dictionary.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted.
  • You also want financial accounting.
ADempiere review

Choose eMaint if

  • You need configurable without code.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want preventive and condition-based.
eMaint review

Questions people ask

Is ADempiere or eMaint better?
Neither clearly leads. ADempiere starts at Free and eMaint at $69/user/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ADempiere or eMaint?
ADempiere has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for ADempiere and $69/user/month for eMaint.
Does ADempiere or eMaint run on more platforms?
ADempiere runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted. eMaint runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use ADempiere for free?
Yes. ADempiere has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. eMaint starts at $69/user/month.
What is ADempiere best used for?
ADempiere is most often used for a manufacturer in latin america with an existing adempiere consulting partner that needs localised tax and accounting behaviour a global vendor will not build, a company that wants to modify erp screens and document workflows without a vendor change request, using the application dictionary rather than code, an organisation with a hard requirement to keep financial data on its own servers under its own control with no cloud dependency, a systems integrator building a vertical erp product on a permissive base it can fork and ship without paying a licence fee. Of those, a manufacturer in latin america with an existing adempiere consulting partner that needs localised tax and accounting behaviour a global vendor will not build and a company that wants to modify erp screens and document workflows without a vendor change request, using the application dictionary rather than code are not what eMaint is typically brought in for.
What can ADempiere do that eMaint cannot?
ADempiere covers Application dictionary, Financial accounting, Order to cash and procure to pay, Inventory and warehouse. eMaint covers Configurable without code, Preventive and condition-based, Fluke sensor integration, Parts and purchasing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ADempiere: Should I choose ADempiere or iDempiere?

Look at iDempiere first. It is a later fork of the same codebase with a more active community and a modular OSGi architecture. Choose ADempiere if a specific partner or localisation you need only exists there.

eMaint: Who owns eMaint?

Fluke Reliability, part of Fortive. That is why condition monitoring data from Fluke instruments integrates directly.

ADempiere: Is ADempiere free?

The software is GPL licensed with no licence fee. The cost is implementation, customisation and permanent in-house maintenance, which for a real deployment is substantial.

eMaint: What does it actually cost?

The Team plan is 69 USD per user per month with a three-user minimum, so roughly 2,484 USD a year at the floor. Professional and Enterprise are quoted.

ADempiere: Is the project still alive?

Development continues on GitHub with commits into 2026, but the official website is down and the last stable release is from January 2023. Treat it as maintained rather than actively advancing.

eMaint: Is it better than MaintainX or Limble?

Different trade. eMaint is more configurable and better on condition-based maintenance; the others are markedly better on mobile experience and speed of setup. Asset complexity should decide it.

ADempiere: What is the application dictionary?

It is the metadata layer inherited from Compiere that stores the definition of every window, field and validation rule as data, so you can change the application without touching source code.

eMaint: How long does implementation take?

Weeks rather than days for anything beyond a basic work order setup. The configurability that makes it flexible is also what makes setup a project.

eMaint: Does it suit small teams?

Poorly. The three-user minimum and the configuration effort both assume an organisation large enough to have a maintenance function rather than a maintenance person.

Share

Related pages

More on ADempiere

More on eMaint

Keep looking

Other head to heads