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ERP · head to head

ADempiere vs Fusion 360

ADempiere logo

ADempiere

ERP

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Fusion 360 logo

Fusion 360

Manufacturing

Cloud-based 3D CAD, CAM, and CAE platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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.; Fusion 360 requires paid subscription for professional use
  • They diverge on capability: ADempiere covers Application dictionary, Fusion 360 covers 3D CAD modeling.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ADempiere and Fusion 360 actually diverge.

Attributes where ADempiere and Fusion 360 differ
AttributeADempiereFusion 360
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feefreemium
PlatformsWeb, Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hostedWeb, Windows, macOS
CategoryERPManufacturing
FoundedUnknown1982

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Fusion 360

  • 3D CAD modeling
  • Simulation
  • CAM programming
  • PCB design
  • Cloud collaboration
  • Autodesk ecosystem
  • Manufacturing partners
  • PLM systems

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 Fusion 360
  • A company that wants to modify ERP screens and document workflows without a vendor change request, using the application dictionary rather than codenot Fusion 360
  • An organisation with a hard requirement to keep financial data on its own servers under its own control with no cloud dependencynot Fusion 360
  • A systems integrator building a vertical ERP product on a permissive base it can fork and ship without paying a licence feenot Fusion 360

Fusion 360

  • Product designnot ADempiere
  • Prototypingnot ADempiere
  • Manufacturingnot ADempiere
  • 3D printingnot ADempiere
  • Simulationnot 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.

Fusion 360

  • Requires paid subscription for professional use
  • Cloud-based, requires internet connection
  • Free tier limited to students and educators

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

Fusion 360

Free
  • Personal UseFree
    • Non-commercial use
    • Basic CAD tools
    • Cloud storage
  • Commercial$70/month
    • Full CAD/CAM/CAE
    • Simulation
    • Rendering

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 Fusion 360 if

  • You need 3d cad modeling.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want simulation.
Fusion 360 review

Questions people ask

Is ADempiere or Fusion 360 better?
Neither clearly leads. ADempiere starts at Free and Fusion 360 at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ADempiere or Fusion 360?
ADempiere starts at Free and Fusion 360 at Free.
Does ADempiere or Fusion 360 run on more platforms?
ADempiere runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted. Fusion 360 runs on Web, Windows, macOS.
Can I use ADempiere for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Fusion 360 is typically brought in for.
What can ADempiere do that Fusion 360 cannot?
ADempiere covers Application dictionary, Financial accounting, Order to cash and procure to pay, Inventory and warehouse. Fusion 360 covers 3D CAD modeling, Simulation, CAM programming, PCB design.

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.

Fusion 360: Is Fusion 360 free?

Fusion 360 is free for students, educators, and academic institutions with full features. It offers a 30-day free trial for all users, and a limited personal-use license for hobbyists and makers.

Source
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.

Fusion 360: How much does Fusion 360 cost for professionals?

Fusion 360 professional subscriptions start at $85/month, $680/year, or $2,040 for a 3-year commitment. Startups that qualify can get a discount starting at $150.

Source
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.

Fusion 360: Does Fusion 360 support 3D modeling, CAD, and CAM?

Yes. Fusion 360 is a cloud-based platform that integrates 3D modeling, CAD, CAM, CAE (simulation), and PCB design in one software.

Source
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.

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