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ERP · head to head

OpenBravo vs Unit4

OpenBravo logo

OpenBravo

ERP

Open-source-derived ERP that has narrowed its focus to retail commerce

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Unit4 logo

Unit4

ERP

ERP for people-based organisations where the cost centre structure keeps changing

From
$800/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only OpenBravo has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: OpenBravo the commercial product is a paid subscription despite the open source lineage, so buyers who assume open source means low cost find the licence conversation no different from any other vendor's.; Unit4 manufacturing, warehouse management and supply chain planning are not the point of this product, so a business with significant inventory will find capability gaps that no amount of configuration closes.
  • They diverge on capability: OpenBravo covers Retail point of sale, Unit4 covers Flexible organisational model.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which OpenBravo and Unit4 actually diverge.

Attributes where OpenBravo and Unit4 differ
AttributeOpenBravoUnit4
Starting priceFree$800/month
Pricing modelopen-sourcesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsSelf-hosted, WebCloud, Web, Mobile
Founded20001987

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 OpenBravo

  • Retail point of sale
  • Omnichannel order management
  • Inventory and warehouse
  • Financials
  • Modular architecture
  • Web-based interface
  • Open source lineage

Only in Unit4

  • Flexible organisational model
  • Project and time accounting
  • Financial management
  • Human resources
  • Planning and forecasting
  • Reporting
  • Grant and fund accounting

Both cover

  • Procurement

What people use each for

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

OpenBravo

  • A retail chain replacing separate point of sale and back office systems with one platform across storesnot Unit4
  • A retailer needing a single view of stock across shops, warehouse and online fulfilmentnot Unit4
  • An organisation that requires source code access for auditability or long term control of its own extensionsnot Unit4
  • A business in Europe or Latin America where Openbravo's partner presence is establishednot Unit4

Unit4

  • A university or public body whose funding structure and reporting hierarchy change more often than its accounting system can keep up withnot OpenBravo
  • A professional services firm that needs time, project profitability and financials in one ledger rather than in three systemsnot OpenBravo
  • A nonprofit or NGO accounting for restricted funds and reporting to donors on how each was spentnot OpenBravo
  • An organisation going through a merger or restructure that needs comparative reporting across both the old and new structuresnot OpenBravo

Where each one falls short

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

OpenBravo

  • The commercial product is a paid subscription despite the open source lineage, so buyers who assume open source means low cost find the licence conversation no different from any other vendor's.
  • Development focus has narrowed towards retail commerce, so a buyer wanting a general purpose ERP for manufacturing or services is choosing a product whose investment is going somewhere else.
  • The community around the horizontal ERP is much quieter than it once was, so independent documentation, forum answers and third party modules are sparse and you are dependent on the vendor and its partners in practice.
  • The partner network is small and concentrated in particular regions, which limits your choice of implementer and leaves you exposed if the one available partner in your country is unavailable or underperforms.
  • Extending the platform requires Java and SQL skills specific to its framework, so customisation means hiring or contracting developers for a niche stack, and a heavily modified installation becomes yours to maintain across upgrades.

Unit4

  • Manufacturing, warehouse management and supply chain planning are not the point of this product, so a business with significant inventory will find capability gaps that no amount of configuration closes.
  • Payroll is generally handled by a separate product or a regional third party rather than being included, so multi-country organisations end up managing several payroll vendors alongside the ERP.
  • Moving from an established on premise Agresso installation to the current cloud product is closer to a re-implementation than an upgrade, with data migration, process redesign and retraining to pay for on a system that already worked.
  • The consulting and partner ecosystem is considerably smaller than for SAP, Oracle or Microsoft, so specialist skills are harder to hire, cost more, and are concentrated in a small number of firms with limited availability.
  • The flexibility that makes reorganisation cheap also makes it easy to build a model nobody understands, and an organisation that has reconfigured its hierarchy repeatedly without documentation ends up unable to explain its own reporting.

Pricing, plan by plan

OpenBravo

Free
  • Community EditionFree
    • Open-source
    • Core functionality
    • Community support
  • Enterprise Support$200/month
    • Professional support
    • Updates
    • Consulting

Unit4

$800/month
  • Professional Services$800/month
    • Project accounting
    • Resource management
    • Time tracking
  • Enterprise$2000/month
    • Advanced features
    • Multi-entity
    • Analytics

Which should you pick?

Choose OpenBravo if

  • You need retail point of sale.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Self-hosted, Web.
  • You also want omnichannel order management.
OpenBravo review

Choose Unit4 if

  • You need flexible organisational model.
  • You work on Cloud, Web, Mobile.
  • You also want project and time accounting.
Unit4 review

Questions people ask

Is OpenBravo or Unit4 better?
Neither clearly leads. OpenBravo starts at Free and Unit4 at $800/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, OpenBravo or Unit4?
OpenBravo has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for OpenBravo and $800/month for Unit4.
Does OpenBravo or Unit4 run on more platforms?
OpenBravo runs on Self-hosted, Web. Unit4 runs on Cloud, Web, Mobile.
Can I use OpenBravo for free?
Yes. OpenBravo has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Unit4 starts at $800/month.
What is OpenBravo best used for?
OpenBravo is most often used for a retail chain replacing separate point of sale and back office systems with one platform across stores, a retailer needing a single view of stock across shops, warehouse and online fulfilment, an organisation that requires source code access for auditability or long term control of its own extensions, a business in europe or latin america where openbravo's partner presence is established. Of those, a retail chain replacing separate point of sale and back office systems with one platform across stores and a retailer needing a single view of stock across shops, warehouse and online fulfilment are not what Unit4 is typically brought in for.
What can OpenBravo do that Unit4 cannot?
OpenBravo covers Retail point of sale, Omnichannel order management, Inventory and warehouse, Financials. Unit4 covers Flexible organisational model, Project and time accounting, Financial management, Human resources. Both handle Procurement.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

OpenBravo: Is Openbravo free?

The lineage is open source and source code is available, but the commercial retail product is sold as a subscription. Treat it as commercial software with an open codebase rather than as free software with paid support.

Unit4: Is Unit4 ERP the same thing as Agresso?

Yes, in lineage. Agresso is the earlier name for the same product line and long-standing customers still use it. Current marketing uses Unit4 ERP, and the cloud product is a substantially different deployment from the on premise Agresso installations still in service.

OpenBravo: Can I still use it as a general ERP?

The horizontal capability exists in the architecture, but the commercial attention is on retail. If you are not a retailer, you would be relying on parts of the product that are not where investment is going.

Unit4: Can it run a manufacturing business?

Not well. This product is built for organisations whose cost base is people and projects. If your planning problem is materials and production capacity, look at a manufacturing ERP instead.

OpenBravo: What skills do I need in-house?

Java and SQL for anything beyond configuration, plus familiarity with the module framework. If you have no development capacity and no intention to acquire any, the open codebase gives you nothing you will use.

Unit4: What actually justifies the price against a mainstream ERP?

The cost of change. If your structure is stable, the flexibility is worth little and a mainstream product is cheaper. If you reorganise regularly and each reorganisation currently means a consultancy engagement, that recurring cost is where the business case sits.

OpenBravo: How do I judge the implementation risk?

By the partner, and specifically by whether there is more than one credible partner in your country. A single available implementer is a concentration risk that should be reflected in your contract terms.

Unit4: Is it sold direct or through partners?

Both. Unit4 sells and implements direct in its main markets and also works with partners. Ask which model applies to your region and country, because it determines who is accountable when the implementation slips.

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