Why we build on Frappe
We are not here to claim Frappe is the best at everything. We build on it because, for growing companies that want a modern ERP and CRM without vendor lock-in, it is the best combination of value, flexibility, and ownership.
The honest position
Enterprise products like SAP and Salesforce genuinely outperform Frappe in some areas, such as ecosystem size and specialized enterprise modules. We will never pretend otherwise.
But for most SMEs and growing companies, those advantages come with significantly higher cost and complexity. Frappe gives you the same core capability, open-source, self-hostable, and fully yours, without the per-user licensing or the lock-in.
How Frappe compares
A practical feature comparison. Frappe / ERPNext is highlighted; scroll to see every platform.
| Frappe / ERPNext | Salesforce | SAP S/4HANA | Odoo | Dynamics 365 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open source | Fully open-source | Community + Enterprise | |||
| Vendor lock-in | None | High | Very high | Medium | High |
| License costs | No per-user licensing | Expensive | Very expensive | Moderate | Expensive |
| Self-hosting | Full control | Limited | Possible | Possible | Limited |
| Cloud hosting | |||||
| ERP | Excellent | Limited | Enterprise-grade | Excellent | Excellent |
| CRM | Included | Industry leader | |||
| Accounting | Included | Needs integrations | |||
| HR | Included | ||||
| Manufacturing | Included | Best-in-class | |||
| Projects | Included | ||||
| Helpdesk | Included | ||||
| Website builder | Included | ||||
| E-commerce | Native | ||||
| Workflow automation | Powerful | ||||
| Custom apps | Built-in framework | Apex required | Complex | Python modules | .NET |
| API-first | REST & GraphQL friendly | ||||
| Low-code development | Excellent | ||||
| Source code ownership | Complete | ||||
| Customisation freedom | ★★★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★ |
| Time to implement | Fast | Medium | Slow | Fast | Medium |
| Total cost of ownership | Lowest | Very high | Highest | Medium | High |
| Best for | Growing companies | Sales-driven enterprises | Large corporations | SMEs | Microsoft ecosystem |
Where Frappe genuinely excels
An honest self-assessment. We rate it high where it earns it, and average where enterprise suites still lead.
Why we chose Frappe
Avoid expensive licensing
No per-user fees or hidden licensing costs.
Own your software
Your business owns the code and the data.
Adapt to your processes
The software adapts to your business, not the other way around.
Scale over time
Start with CRM, add ERP, HR, Manufacturing, Projects, and more whenever you need them.
Rapid development
New modules and automations can often be delivered in days rather than months.
Modern technology
Python, MariaDB / PostgreSQL, REST APIs, Docker, and cloud-native architecture.
Integration friendly
Connect to Shopify, WooCommerce, accounting systems, payment gateways, IoT, AI, and virtually any API.
Future-proof
Open-source means you are never dependent on a single vendor.
An honest comparison
Every platform has its strengths. Here is where each one wins.
Salesforce
Exceptional if your company is primarily focused on enterprise-grade sales CRM and has the budget for licenses and custom development.
SAP S/4HANA
One of the strongest ERP systems for very large multinationals with highly complex operations, but implementations often take many months or years and require significant investment.
Microsoft Dynamics 365
A natural fit for organizations deeply invested in the Microsoft ecosystem: Office, Teams, Azure, and Power Platform.
Odoo
A capable ERP for SMEs, but many advanced features require the Enterprise edition, and extensive customization can become harder to maintain over time.
Frappe / ERPNext
One of the strongest combinations of flexibility, transparency, low total cost of ownership, and rapid customization. For companies that want software tailored to their processes, without recurring licensing fees or vendor lock-in, it is often the most balanced long-term choice.
Our philosophy
We chose Frappe because we believe your business should own its software, not rent it.
Frappe combines the flexibility of custom software with the speed of an established ERP platform. That lets us deliver CRM, ERP, HR, manufacturing, project management, customer portals, and business automations that evolve with your company, rather than forcing your company to adapt to the software.
Want to know if Frappe fits you?
Book a call and we will give you an honest answer, even if the answer is that another platform suits you better.
Vilnius · Remote worldwide