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ERP · head to head

ADempiere vs Priority Software

ADempiere logo

ADempiere

ERP

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Priority Software logo

Priority Software

ERP

Affordable cloud ERP for small businesses

From
$400/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.; Priority Software pricing is by quote only, with no published rate, minimum user count, contract term or add on cost for any of the Commercial, Manufacturing, POS or Optima PMS plans
  • They diverge on capability: ADempiere covers Application dictionary, Priority Software covers Financial management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ADempiere and Priority Software actually diverge.

Attributes where ADempiere and Priority Software differ
AttributeADempierePriority Software
Starting priceFree$400/month
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hostedCloud, Web, Mobile
FoundedUnknown1990

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

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 Priority Software

  • Financial management
  • Inventory
  • Supply chain
  • CRM
  • Reporting
  • REST APIs
  • Webhooks
  • Third-party 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 Priority Software
  • A company that wants to modify ERP screens and document workflows without a vendor change request, using the application dictionary rather than codenot Priority Software
  • An organisation with a hard requirement to keep financial data on its own servers under its own control with no cloud dependencynot Priority Software
  • A systems integrator building a vertical ERP product on a permissive base it can fork and ship without paying a licence feenot Priority Software

Priority Software

  • ERP for small and mid sized commercial and manufacturing businessesnot ADempiere
  • Running retail point of sale alongside back office ERPnot ADempiere
  • Property management for hospitality through the Optima PMS plannot 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.

Priority Software

  • Pricing is by quote only, with no published rate, minimum user count, contract term or add on cost for any of the Commercial, Manufacturing, POS or Optima PMS plans
  • Point of sale, manufacturing and hospitality capabilities are sold as separate plans rather than one product

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

Priority Software

$400/month
  • Starter$400/month
    • Core ERP modules
    • Financial management
    • Inventory
  • Professional$900/month
    • All modules
    • Advanced features
    • 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 Priority Software if

  • You need financial management.
  • You work on Cloud, Web, Mobile.
  • You also want inventory.
Priority Software review

Questions people ask

Is ADempiere or Priority Software better?
Neither clearly leads. ADempiere starts at Free and Priority Software at $400/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ADempiere or Priority Software?
ADempiere has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for ADempiere and $400/month for Priority Software.
Does ADempiere or Priority Software run on more platforms?
ADempiere runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted. Priority Software runs on Cloud, Web, Mobile.
Can I use ADempiere for free?
Yes. ADempiere has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Priority Software starts at $400/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 Priority Software is typically brought in for.
What can ADempiere do that Priority Software cannot?
ADempiere covers Application dictionary, Financial accounting, Order to cash and procure to pay, Inventory and warehouse. Priority Software covers Financial management, Inventory, Supply chain, CRM.

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.

Priority Software: How much does Priority Software cost?

Priority Software does not publish specific pricing on their website. The site emphasizes custom solutions with the tagline 'Pricing plans that suit your business. Not the other way around.' Visitors are directed to speak with a sales expert for quotes.

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.

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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