Is iDempiere or Kingdee better?

Neither clearly leads. iDempiere starts at Free and Kingdee at $300/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, iDempiere or Kingdee?

iDempiere has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for iDempiere and $300/month for Kingdee.

Does iDempiere or Kingdee run on more platforms?

iDempiere runs on Web, Self-hosted, Docker, Linux, Windows. Kingdee runs on Cloud, On-premise, Hybrid.

Can I use iDempiere for free?

Yes. iDempiere has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Kingdee starts at $300/month.

What is iDempiere best used for?

iDempiere is most often used for a distributor wants multi-organisation, multi-currency accounting and warehouse costing without a per-user erp licence that scales with headcount., an organisation that has been caught by an open core vendor moving features into a paid tier wants an erp with no company that can make that decision., a team needs heavy customisation of screens, fields and approval workflows that must survive version upgrades, which the application dictionary makes possible without forking., a public sector or university body in latin america or indonesia needs a locally supportable erp where the source and the implementation skills are both available in-country.. Of those, a distributor wants multi-organisation, multi-currency accounting and warehouse costing without a per-user erp licence that scales with headcount. and an organisation that has been caught by an open core vendor moving features into a paid tier wants an erp with no company that can make that decision. are not what Kingdee is typically brought in for.

What can iDempiere do that Kingdee cannot?

iDempiere covers Application dictionary, OSGi plug-in architecture, Multi-organisation accounting, Materials management. Kingdee covers Financial management, Inventory management, Supply chain, Human resources. Both handle Manufacturing.

ERP · head to head

iDempiere vs Kingdee

iDempiere

ERP

Community-governed open source ERP, CRM and supply chain built on Java, OSGi and PostgreSQL

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Kingdee

ERP

Cloud ERP for enterprises in Asia

From: $300/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only iDempiere has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: iDempiere there is no vendor, so there is no support contract, no service level agreement and nobody to escalate to; you either build the skills internally or you depend entirely on a local partner whose quality you must judge yourself.; Kingdee no pricing published on website; quote-based model only
They diverge on capability: iDempiere covers Application dictionary, Kingdee covers Financial management.
Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which iDempiere and Kingdee actually diverge.

Attributes where iDempiere and Kingdee differ
Attribute	iDempiere	Kingdee
Starting price	Free	$300/month
Pricing model	Open source, no licence fee	subscription
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	Web, Self-hosted, Docker, Linux, Windows	Cloud, On-premise, Hybrid
Founded	Unknown	1993

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 iDempiere

Application dictionary
OSGi plug-in architecture
Multi-organisation accounting
Materials management
Workflow engine
Report and print engine
No paid edition

Only in Kingdee

Financial management
Inventory management
Supply chain
Human resources
Chinese regulatory compliance
Local payment systems
Custom modules
Third-party systems

Both cover

Manufacturing

What people use each for

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

iDempiere

A distributor wants multi-organisation, multi-currency accounting and warehouse costing without a per-user ERP licence that scales with headcount.not Kingdee
An organisation that has been caught by an open core vendor moving features into a paid tier wants an ERP with no company that can make that decision.not Kingdee
A team needs heavy customisation of screens, fields and approval workflows that must survive version upgrades, which the application dictionary makes possible without forking.not Kingdee
A public sector or university body in Latin America or Indonesia needs a locally supportable ERP where the source and the implementation skills are both available in-country.not Kingdee

Kingdee

Enterprise resource planningnot iDempiere
Financial management and accountingnot iDempiere
Supply chain and operations managementnot iDempiere

Where each one falls short

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

iDempiere

There is no vendor, so there is no support contract, no service level agreement and nobody to escalate to; you either build the skills internally or you depend entirely on a local partner whose quality you must judge yourself.
It demands real Java, OSGi and PostgreSQL administration, so the running cost is a systems engineer rather than a subscription, and that engineer is harder to hire than a PHP developer.
The ZK-based interface is dense and dated, with a data-entry feel inherited from Compiere that staff used to modern software find hostile, which drives up training cost.
Localisation depends on community contribution, so tax, payroll and statutory reporting for your country may be absent, out of date or maintained by one person, and you may end up funding it yourself.
The documentation is a community wiki with gaps and stale pages, and much of the practical knowledge sits in forum threads and partner heads rather than in anything you can hand to a new administrator.

Kingdee

No pricing published on website; quote-based model only
Requires contacting sales or requesting a demo for cost information

Pricing, plan by plan

iDempiere

Free

iDempiereFree
- Full ERP, CRM and supply chain source
- Unlimited users and organisations
- No enterprise edition and no feature gating
Implementation partner$undefined/year
- Local partners provide installation, configuration, training and support
- Priced per engagement, not published
- Realistically the only viable route for a production deployment

Kingdee

$300/month

Core$300/month
- Financial management
- Inventory
- Basic supply chain
Enterprise$800/month
- Complete ERP
- Manufacturing
- Advanced analytics

Which should you pick?

Choose iDempiere if

You need application dictionary.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, Self-hosted, Docker, Linux, Windows.
You also want osgi plug-in architecture.

iDempiere review

Choose Kingdee if

You need financial management.
You work on Cloud, On-premise, Hybrid.
You also want inventory management.

Kingdee review

Questions people ask

Is iDempiere or Kingdee better?: Neither clearly leads. iDempiere starts at Free and Kingdee at $300/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, iDempiere or Kingdee?: iDempiere has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for iDempiere and $300/month for Kingdee.
Does iDempiere or Kingdee run on more platforms?: iDempiere runs on Web, Self-hosted, Docker, Linux, Windows. Kingdee runs on Cloud, On-premise, Hybrid.
Can I use iDempiere for free?: Yes. iDempiere has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Kingdee starts at $300/month.
What is iDempiere best used for?: iDempiere is most often used for a distributor wants multi-organisation, multi-currency accounting and warehouse costing without a per-user erp licence that scales with headcount., an organisation that has been caught by an open core vendor moving features into a paid tier wants an erp with no company that can make that decision., a team needs heavy customisation of screens, fields and approval workflows that must survive version upgrades, which the application dictionary makes possible without forking., a public sector or university body in latin america or indonesia needs a locally supportable erp where the source and the implementation skills are both available in-country.. Of those, a distributor wants multi-organisation, multi-currency accounting and warehouse costing without a per-user erp licence that scales with headcount. and an organisation that has been caught by an open core vendor moving features into a paid tier wants an erp with no company that can make that decision. are not what Kingdee is typically brought in for.
What can iDempiere do that Kingdee cannot?: iDempiere covers Application dictionary, OSGi plug-in architecture, Multi-organisation accounting, Materials management. Kingdee covers Financial management, Inventory management, Supply chain, Human resources. Both handle Manufacturing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

iDempiere: Is iDempiere the same as ADempiere or Compiere?

It shares the lineage. iDempiere forked from ADempiere in 2011 to rebuild the platform on OSGi, and it is the branch that remains actively developed.

Kingdee: How much does Kingdee cost?

Kingdee does not publish pricing on its website. Pricing is customized by sales team based on your enterprise requirements. Contact Kingdee at +65 3138 7820 or request a demo.

Source

iDempiere: Is there a paid or enterprise edition?

No. There is no commercial owner and no feature gating. Money is spent on implementation partners and hosting, not on licences.

Kingdee: Does Kingdee offer flexible pricing for different company sizes?

Kingdee pricing is tailored to individual enterprise needs. Request a demo or contact their sales team to discuss pricing options for your organization.

Source

iDempiere: What does it actually cost to run?

Nothing in licence fees, and a great deal in skills: expect a partner implementation and ongoing Java and PostgreSQL administration, which for a mid-sized company is comparable to a commercial subscription.

iDempiere: Which database does it need?

PostgreSQL or Oracle. PostgreSQL is the mainstream community choice and the one most partners deploy.

iDempiere vs Kingdee

iDempiere

Kingdee

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in iDempiere

Only in Kingdee

Both cover

What people use each for

iDempiere

Kingdee

Where each one falls short

iDempiere

Kingdee

Pricing, plan by plan

iDempiere

Kingdee

Which should you pick?

Choose iDempiere if

Choose Kingdee if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on iDempiere

More on Kingdee

Keep looking

Other head to heads