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ERP · head to head

ADempiere vs Odoo Inventory

ADempiere logo

ADempiere

ERP

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Odoo Inventory logo

Odoo Inventory

Inventory

Open source inventory management module

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.; Odoo Inventory the One App Free plan covers a single app, so using Inventory alongside another Odoo app moves the account onto a paid plan
  • They diverge on capability: ADempiere covers Application dictionary, Odoo Inventory covers Inventory management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ADempiere and Odoo Inventory actually diverge.

Attributes where ADempiere and Odoo Inventory differ
AttributeADempiereOdoo Inventory
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feesubscription
PlatformsWeb, Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hostedWeb, Mobile app, Cloud/On-premise
CategoryERPInventory
FoundedUnknown2005

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
  • Point of sale
  • Workflow engine
  • Java and PostgreSQL stack
  • gRPC and REST services

Only in Odoo Inventory

  • Inventory management
  • Barcode scanning
  • Multi-warehouse
  • Automated replenishment
  • Odoo ERP modules
  • E-commerce
  • Accounting
  • Web support

Both cover

  • Manufacturing

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

Odoo Inventory

  • Tracking stock across multiple warehouses and locationsnot ADempiere
  • Running receipts, deliveries and internal transfersnot ADempiere
  • Connecting inventory to Odoo sales, purchasing and manufacturingnot 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.

Odoo Inventory

  • The One App Free plan covers a single app, so using Inventory alongside another Odoo app moves the account onto a paid plan
  • The Standard plan at $16.90 per user per month is restricted to Odoo Online hosting
  • Odoo.sh and on premise hosting require the Custom plan at $25.50 per user per month
  • Odoo Studio, multi company management and external API access require the Custom plan
  • Billing is per user, defined as any employee with backend access to create, view or edit documents
  • The advertised discounted rates apply for the first 12 months, after which the list rates of $21.10 and $31.90 per user per month apply

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

Odoo Inventory

Free
  • CommunityFree
    • Open source
    • Basic features
    • Community support
  • Standard$20/month
    • Full features
    • Hosting included
    • Email support
  • Custom$40/month
    • Customization
    • Studio access
    • Priority support

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 Odoo Inventory if

  • You need inventory management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile app, Cloud/On-premise.
  • You also want barcode scanning.
Odoo Inventory review

Questions people ask

Is ADempiere or Odoo Inventory better?
Neither clearly leads. ADempiere starts at Free and Odoo Inventory at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ADempiere or Odoo Inventory?
ADempiere starts at Free and Odoo Inventory at Free.
Does ADempiere or Odoo Inventory run on more platforms?
ADempiere runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted. Odoo Inventory runs on Web, Mobile app, Cloud/On-premise.
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 Odoo Inventory is typically brought in for.
What can ADempiere do that Odoo Inventory cannot?
ADempiere covers Application dictionary, Financial accounting, Order to cash and procure to pay, Inventory and warehouse. Odoo Inventory covers Inventory management, Barcode scanning, Multi-warehouse, Automated replenishment. Both handle Manufacturing.

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.

Odoo Inventory: How much does the Odoo Inventory app cost?

The Odoo Inventory app is free, forever, with unlimited users at no cost. Additional costs only apply if you install other applications in the Odoo suite.

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.

Odoo Inventory: Do I need to pay to use Odoo Inventory?

No, Odoo Inventory is completely free with no credit card required to start. The free trial and app remain free indefinitely.

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.

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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