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ERP · head to head

Dolibarr vs Justworks

Dolibarr logo

Dolibarr

ERP

Modular open source ERP and CRM for very small businesses, installable on shared hosting

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Justworks logo

Justworks

Payroll

Professional employer organisation with published per-employee pricing and a separate payroll-only tier

From
$8/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Dolibarr has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Dolibarr the core is deliberately shallow, so a serious requirement such as advanced manufacturing, EDI or a specific payment gateway usually means buying a DoliStore module from a third-party author, and the quality and maintenance of those modules varies widely.; Justworks the published per-employee fee is the platform charge, not your cost; health insurance premiums and workers' compensation are billed on top and are usually several times larger, so the transparent price is transparent about the smaller number.
  • They diverge on capability: Dolibarr covers Module toggles, Justworks covers Co-employment PEO.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Dolibarr and Justworks actually diverge.

Attributes where Dolibarr and Justworks differ
AttributeDolibarrJustworks
Starting priceFree$8/month
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feePer employee per month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Self-hosted, Docker, Windows, macOS, Linux, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryERPPayroll

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 Dolibarr

  • Module toggles
  • Third-party management
  • Quotes to invoices
  • Stock and warehouses
  • Double-entry accounting
  • Projects and time
  • Point of sale
  • DoliStore

Only in Justworks

  • Co-employment PEO
  • Large-group benefits
  • Payroll and filings
  • Workers' compensation
  • Compliance support
  • Standalone payroll
  • International contractors
  • HR consulting

What people use each for

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

Dolibarr

  • A two-person consultancy wants quotes, invoices and basic accounting self-hosted on an existing five euro a month shared hosting account with no server administration.not Justworks
  • A French or Spanish small business needs VAT handling and accounting exports that match local practice out of the box rather than after configuration.not Justworks
  • An association or nonprofit needs membership, subscription and donation tracking alongside ordinary invoicing without paying per member.not Justworks
  • A small distributor wants stock, purchase orders and sales orders in one system and is willing to buy a DoliStore module rather than commission bespoke development.not Justworks

Justworks

  • A twenty-person US startup that wants health insurance comparable to a large employer without an insurance broker relationshipnot Dolibarr
  • A company hiring across several US states that does not want to register as an employer and file taxes in each of themnot Dolibarr
  • A founder replacing a bookkeeper-run payroll with something that will not produce a state tax penalty noticenot Dolibarr
  • A team that wants payroll and benefits administration only, without co-employment, at the $8 per employee tiernot Dolibarr

Where each one falls short

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

Dolibarr

  • The core is deliberately shallow, so a serious requirement such as advanced manufacturing, EDI or a specific payment gateway usually means buying a DoliStore module from a third-party author, and the quality and maintenance of those modules varies widely.
  • Accounting was designed around French practice, and the chart of accounts, VAT model and fiscal exports need real work to satisfy accountants in the United States, the UK or Australia.
  • The interface is functional rather than designed and shows its age against Odoo, which makes internal adoption harder when staff are comparing it to consumer-grade software.
  • Upgrades between major versions can break paid third-party modules, because module authors update on their own schedules and there is no guarantee your combination will work on version 24 the day it ships.
  • Support is community forums unless you buy a partner contract, and the documentation is a wiki of uneven quality with substantial parts written in French, so English-only teams hit dead ends.

Justworks

  • The published per-employee fee is the platform charge, not your cost; health insurance premiums and workers' compensation are billed on top and are usually several times larger, so the transparent price is transparent about the smaller number.
  • Leaving a PEO is a project, not a cancellation: you must source your own health plan, obtain your own state employer registrations and unemployment accounts, and time the switch to a plan year, which typically takes months.
  • Coverage is United States only, so the moment you hire your first employee in another country you are running a second system and Justworks handles them only as a contractor.
  • PEO Basic looks like a cheaper way in but excludes the Justworks health plans, which is the main reason companies choose a PEO at all, so most buyers end up on Plus.
  • Benefit plan choice is constrained to what Justworks has negotiated, and a company with strong preferences about carriers or network coverage in a specific region may find the options do not fit.

Pricing, plan by plan

Dolibarr

Free
  • Self-hostedFree
    • Full GPL source, all core modules
    • Unlimited users
    • You provide PHP and MySQL hosting
  • Partner cloud hosting$14/month
    • Managed hosting from DoliCloud or a certified partner
    • Backups, updates and support included
    • Typically 10 to 30 euros per user per month

Justworks

$8/month
  • Payroll$8/month
    • Plus a $50 monthly base fee
    • Payroll, tax filing and benefits administration
    • No co-employment, so no access to Justworks health plans at PEO rates
  • PEO Basic$79/month
    • Full co-employment PEO
    • Payroll, tax filing and compliance
    • Does not include access to Justworks-sponsored health plans
  • PEO Plus$109/month
    • Everything in Basic
    • Access to Justworks health, dental and vision plans
    • Premiums are billed separately and are the larger cost
  • Dedicated HR consulting$30/month
    • Add-on to PEO plans
    • Named HR adviser support

Which should you pick?

Choose Dolibarr if

  • You need module toggles.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted, Docker, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android.
  • You also want third-party management.
Dolibarr review

Choose Justworks if

  • You need co-employment peo.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want large-group benefits.
Justworks review

Questions people ask

Is Dolibarr or Justworks better?
Neither clearly leads. Dolibarr starts at Free and Justworks at $8/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Dolibarr or Justworks?
Dolibarr has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Dolibarr and $8/month for Justworks.
Does Dolibarr or Justworks run on more platforms?
Dolibarr runs on Web, Self-hosted, Docker, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android. Justworks runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Dolibarr for free?
Yes. Dolibarr has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Justworks starts at $8/month.
What is Dolibarr best used for?
Dolibarr is most often used for a two-person consultancy wants quotes, invoices and basic accounting self-hosted on an existing five euro a month shared hosting account with no server administration., a french or spanish small business needs vat handling and accounting exports that match local practice out of the box rather than after configuration., an association or nonprofit needs membership, subscription and donation tracking alongside ordinary invoicing without paying per member., a small distributor wants stock, purchase orders and sales orders in one system and is willing to buy a dolistore module rather than commission bespoke development.. Of those, a two-person consultancy wants quotes, invoices and basic accounting self-hosted on an existing five euro a month shared hosting account with no server administration. and a french or spanish small business needs vat handling and accounting exports that match local practice out of the box rather than after configuration. are not what Justworks is typically brought in for.
What can Dolibarr do that Justworks cannot?
Dolibarr covers Module toggles, Third-party management, Quotes to invoices, Stock and warehouses. Justworks covers Co-employment PEO, Large-group benefits, Payroll and filings, Workers' compensation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Dolibarr: Is Dolibarr genuinely free?

Yes. The full application is GPL with no user limit and no paid edition of the core. You pay only for hosting, optional DoliStore modules and optional partner support.

Justworks: What does co-employment actually mean?

Justworks becomes the employer of record for payroll tax and benefits purposes while you retain full control over hiring, management and day-to-day work. It is a legal arrangement, not an outsourcing of your team.

Dolibarr: Can it run on shared hosting?

Yes, that is its main practical advantage. It needs only PHP and MySQL or MariaDB, so an ordinary cPanel account is enough.

Justworks: Is the $79 figure my total monthly cost per employee?

No. It is the platform fee. Health insurance premiums, dental, vision and workers' compensation are additional and typically dwarf it.

Dolibarr: How does it compare to Odoo?

Odoo is deeper and better presented but its useful modules are in the paid Enterprise edition and it needs a proper deployment. Dolibarr is thinner but free end to end and far easier to host.

Justworks: Can Justworks employ people outside the US?

No. It can pay international contractors, but it is not an employer of record abroad.

Dolibarr: Does it handle UK or US accounting?

Not comfortably out of the box. The accounting module reflects French conventions and needs configuration and often a local module to satisfy an accountant elsewhere.

Justworks: What is the difference between the Payroll plan and the PEO?

The Payroll plan handles payroll and benefits administration under your own EIN at $8 per employee per month plus a base fee. The PEO adds co-employment and pooled large-group insurance at $79 or $109.

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