# Best open source software for small business

> For a small business, a self-hosted stack starts with Odoo for accounting, Twenty for customers and Ever Gauzy for inventory. Each section takes the top-ranked apps in one catalog category, scored on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses, project websites, recent commits and deploy guides.

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Question | What is the best open source software for a small business? |
| Picks | 18 |
| Top pick | Odoo (54,848 stars) |
| Data as of | Oct 7, 2026 |
| Canonical URL | https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-small-business |

A small business stack built from self-hostable apps, ranked with the small-business profile: stars, activity, Docker images, open-source licenses and appsgit deploy guides.

## Accounting and invoicing

- [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.

## CRM

- [Twenty](https://appsgit.com/apps/twenty) (57,949 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): Twenty has 57,949 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 7,656 commits in the last year; it replaces Salesforce and HubSpot.
- [Krayin](https://appsgit.com/apps/krayin) (23,970 stars, MIT, PHP, Docker): Krayin has 23,970 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 483 commits in the last year; it replaces Salesforce and HubSpot.

## ERP and inventory

- [Ever Gauzy](https://appsgit.com/apps/ever-gauzy) (8,194 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): Ever Gauzy has 8,194 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,967 commits in the last year; it replaces BambooHR and Workday.
- [Dolibarr](https://appsgit.com/apps/dolibarr) (7,686 stars, GPL-3.0, PHP, Docker): Dolibarr has 7,686 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 8,073 commits in the last year; it replaces Square POS and Shopify POS.

## Point of sale

- [Open Source POS](https://appsgit.com/apps/open-source-pos) (4,420 stars, MIT, PHP, Docker): Open Source POS has 4,420 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 290 commits in the last year; it replaces Square POS and Shopify POS.
- [Lakasir](https://appsgit.com/apps/lakasir) (911 stars, GPL-3.0, PHP, Docker): Lakasir has 911 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 155 commits in the last year; it replaces Square POS and Shopify POS.

## Online store

- [Saleor](https://appsgit.com/apps/saleor) (23,410 stars, BSD-3-Clause, Python, Docker): Saleor has 23,410 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-3-Clause license, ships a Docker image and had 468 commits in the last year; it replaces Shopify.
- [MedusaJs](https://appsgit.com/apps/medusajs) (36,615 stars, MIT, TypeScript, AI features): MedusaJs has 36,615 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 1,716 commits in the last year; it replaces Shopify.

## Website

- [Strapi](https://appsgit.com/apps/strapi) (73,281 stars, MIT, TypeScript): Strapi has 73,281 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 1,477 commits in the last year; it replaces WordPress.com and Webflow.
- [WordPress](https://appsgit.com/apps/wordpress) (21,450 stars, GPL-2.0, PHP): WordPress has 21,450 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 2,047 commits in the last year; it replaces WordPress.com and Medium.

## Appointments

- [Cal.diy](https://appsgit.com/apps/cal-diy) (48,880 stars, MIT, TypeScript, Docker): Cal.diy has 48,880 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,893 commits in the last year; it replaces Calendly.
- [Rallly](https://appsgit.com/apps/rallly) (5,285 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): Rallly has 5,285 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,513 commits in the last year; it replaces Calendly.

## Files and documents

- [Syncthing](https://appsgit.com/apps/syncthing) (89,175 stars, MPL-2.0, Go, Docker): Syncthing has 89,175 GitHub stars, uses the MPL-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 223 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Drive and Dropbox.
- [Puter](https://appsgit.com/apps/puter) (43,656 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): Puter has 43,656 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 2,363 commits in the last year; it replaces Dropbox.

## Passwords

- [Vaultwarden](https://appsgit.com/apps/vaultwarden) (68,572 stars, AGPL-3.0, Rust, Docker): Vaultwarden has 68,572 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 181 commits in the last year; it replaces Bitwarden and 1Password.
- [Bitwarden](https://appsgit.com/apps/bitwarden) (20,244 stars, AGPL-3.0, C#, Docker): Bitwarden has 20,244 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,544 commits in the last year; it replaces Bitwarden and 1Password.

## How this list was made

- Each section is filled automatically with the top apps from one catalog category, ranked with the small business profile.
- Base score: GitHub stars on a log scale plus commits in the last 12 months (log scale, capped at 1,000).
- Bonus points for a published Docker image, an OSI-approved open-source license, a project website, a commit in the last 90 days and an appsgit deploy guide.
- Source-available apps can rank, but they are labelled and never described as open source.
- An app appears only once on the page, in the first section it fits.

## FAQ

### Can a small business run this without an IT team?

Yes, if someone is comfortable with Docker or a server panel. Pick the apps that ship Docker images, start with one or two, and set up automatic backups before you move real data in.

### Is Odoo free?

Yes. Odoo is open-source software released under the LGPL-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?

15 of the 18 apps here publish Docker images, including Odoo, ERPNext and Twenty, 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 are the best open source AI tools for a small business?](https://appsgit.com/best/ai-tools-for-small-business)
- [What is the best open source accounting software?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-accounting-software)
- [What is the best open source CRM?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-crm)
- [What is the best open source ERP?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-erp)
- [What is the best open source POS system?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-pos)
- [What open source software should a freelancer use?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-freelancers)
- [What open source tools should a solo developer self-host?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-solo-developers)
- [What open source software should a SaaS company self-host?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-saas)

## See also

- [All ERP & inventory apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/erp-inventory)
- [All CRM apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/crm)
- [All HR & time tracking apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/time-tracking)
- [All point of sale apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/point-of-sale)
- [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)
- [Open-source alternatives to Xero](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/xero)
- [Odoo vs ERPNext](https://appsgit.com/compare/odoo-vs-erpnext)
- [ERPNext vs Dolibarr](https://appsgit.com/compare/erpnext-vs-dolibarr)
- [Twenty vs Krayin CRM](https://appsgit.com/compare/twenty-vs-krayin)
- [Vaultwarden vs Bitwarden](https://appsgit.com/compare/vaultwarden-vs-bitwarden)
- [Twenty vs SuiteCRM](https://appsgit.com/compare/twenty-vs-suitecrm)
- [Open Source POS vs NexoPOS](https://appsgit.com/compare/open-source-pos-vs-nexopos)
- [How to self-host WordPress with Docker Compose](https://appsgit.com/guides/wordpress)
- [How to self-host Syncthing with Docker Compose](https://appsgit.com/guides/syncthing)
- [How to self-host Vaultwarden with Docker Compose](https://appsgit.com/guides/vaultwarden)

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Canonical page: https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-small-business
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