# Best open source software for manufacturing > For a manufacturer, a self-hosted stack starts with Carbon for production planning, Inventree for parts and stock and Octoprint for machine control. Each pick was chosen by hand for its job and is shown with GitHub data from October 2026. ## Key facts | Fact | Value | |---|---| | Question | What is the best open source software for manufacturing? | | Picks | 15 | | Top pick | Carbon (2,686 stars) | | Data as of | Oct 7, 2026 | | Canonical URL | https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-manufacturing | Manufacturing software from the catalog: manufacturing ERP and MES, parts and inventory, 3D printer and CNC control, IoT and monitoring. ## Manufacturing ERP - [Carbon](https://appsgit.com/apps/carbon) (2,686 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): Carbon has 2,686 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 2,990 commits in the last year; it replaces SAP Business One. - [Odoo](https://appsgit.com/apps/odoo) (54,848 stars, LGPL-3.0, Python, Docker): Odoo has 54,848 GitHub stars, uses the LGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 10,679 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Square POS. - [ERPNext](https://appsgit.com/apps/erpnext) (39,821 stars, GPL-3.0, Python, Docker): ERPNext has 39,821 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 6,664 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Square POS. - [metasfresh](https://appsgit.com/apps/metasfresh) (2,442 stars, GPL-2.0 / GPL-3.0, Java, Docker): metasfresh has 2,442 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 / GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 4,856 commits in the last year; it replaces NetSuite and SAP Business One. ## Parts and inventory - [Inventree](https://appsgit.com/apps/inventree) (7,671 stars, MIT, Python): Inventree has 7,671 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 1,172 commits in the last year. - [Part-DB](https://appsgit.com/apps/part-db) (1,787 stars, AGPL-3.0, PHP, Docker): Part-DB has 1,787 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 977 commits in the last year. - [Spoolman](https://appsgit.com/apps/spoolman) (2,883 stars, MIT, Python, Docker): Spoolman has 2,883 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 649 commits in the last year. ## 3D printing and CNC - [Octoprint](https://appsgit.com/apps/octoprint) (9,120 stars, AGPL-3.0, Python, Docker): Octoprint has 9,120 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 641 commits in the last year. - [Mainsail](https://appsgit.com/apps/mainsail) (2,220 stars, GPL-3.0, Vue, Docker): Mainsail has 2,220 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 311 commits in the last year. - [Fluidd](https://appsgit.com/apps/fluidd) (1,838 stars, GPL-3.0, Vue, Docker): Fluidd has 1,838 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 348 commits in the last year. - [CNCjs](https://appsgit.com/apps/cncjs) (2,647 stars, MIT, JavaScript): CNCjs has 2,647 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 49 commits in the last year. - [LinuxCNC](https://appsgit.com/apps/linuxcnc) (2,480 stars, GPL-2.0, Python): LinuxCNC has 2,480 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 1,428 commits in the last year. ## IoT and monitoring - [Node RED](https://appsgit.com/apps/node-red) (23,716 stars, Apache-2.0, JavaScript, Docker): Node RED has 23,716 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 684 commits in the last year; it replaces Zapier and IFTTT. - [Thingsboard](https://appsgit.com/apps/thingsboard) (22,512 stars, BUSL-1.1, source-available, Java, Docker): Thingsboard has 22,512 GitHub stars, is source-available under the BSL 1.1 (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 3,539 commits in the last year. - [Grafana](https://appsgit.com/apps/grafana) (77,096 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): Grafana has 77,096 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 11,362 commits in the last year; it replaces Datadog and Grafana Cloud. ## How this list was made - Apps were picked by hand from the appsgit catalog for each job, then checked against the snapshot: unknown or archived projects and projects with no commit in two years are dropped automatically. - Inside each section the curated order is kept, most broadly useful first; an app appears only once on the page. - Stars, license, Docker and activity facts come from the GitHub API as of October 2026. - Source-available apps are labelled; they are not open source, so read their licenses before commercial use. ## FAQ ### Is there an open source MES? Carbon describes itself as a manufacturing ERP, MES and QMS covering quoting, MRP, inventory, shop floor and quality tracking. Odoo and ERPNext also cover manufacturing as part of a wider ERP. ### Is Carbon free? Yes. Carbon is open-source software released under the AGPL-3.0 license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan. ### Can I run this stack with Docker? 12 of the 15 apps here publish Docker images, including Carbon, Odoo and ERPNext, so most of the stack can run side by side with Docker Compose on one server. Size the server for the heaviest app and add off-site backups. ## Related questions - [What is the best open source software for logistics and delivery?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-logistics) - [What is the best open source software for law firms?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-law-firms) - [What are the best open source AI tools for lawyers?](https://appsgit.com/best/ai-tools-for-law-firms) - [What is the best open source HR and recruiting software?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-hr) - [What are the best open source AI tools for HR?](https://appsgit.com/best/ai-tools-for-hr) - [What is the best open source software for nonprofits?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-nonprofits) - [What is the best open source software for content creators?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-creators) - [What are the best open source AI tools for content creators?](https://appsgit.com/best/ai-tools-for-creators) ## See also - [All ERP & inventory apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/erp-inventory) - [All manufacturing & agriculture apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/manufacturing-agriculture) - [All home automation & IoT apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/home-automation) - [All monitoring & status pages apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/monitoring) - [Open-source alternatives to SAP Business One](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/sap-business-one) - [Open-source alternatives to QuickBooks](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/quickbooks) - [Open-source alternatives to Square POS](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/square-pos) - [Open-source alternatives to Shopify POS](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/shopify-pos) - [Open-source alternatives to Lightspeed](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/lightspeed) - [Open-source alternatives to Toast](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/toast) - [Odoo vs ERPNext](https://appsgit.com/compare/odoo-vs-erpnext) - [ERPNext vs Dolibarr](https://appsgit.com/compare/erpnext-vs-dolibarr) - [n8n vs Node-RED](https://appsgit.com/compare/n8n-vs-node-red) - [Grafana vs Metabase](https://appsgit.com/compare/grafana-vs-metabase) - [How to self-host Grafana with Docker Compose](https://appsgit.com/guides/grafana) --- Canonical page: https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-manufacturing Source: appsgit (https://appsgit.com), the app store for github. Data from the GitHub API, refreshed nightly. Machine access: JSON API https://appsgit.com/api/v1/apps (OpenAPI: https://appsgit.com/openapi.json), MCP server https://mcp.appsgit.com/mcp, full index https://appsgit.com/llms-full.txt.