The top os inventory and management software choices here are open source, so the licence cost is zero when you self-host, and the real cost is hosting, setup, and care. Snipe-IT and GLPI suit IT asset tracking, while Odoo, ERPNext, and Dolibarr suit stock, sales, and accounting in one system. InvenTree suits parts, bills of materials, and builds, OpenBoxes suits healthcare supply chains, and Grocy suits household stock.
Open source inventory software gives you control over your data, your hosting, and your code, and it removes the licence fee that closed tools charge. That freedom comes with a trade: your team owns installation, updates, backups, and security unless you buy a hosted plan. The eight tools below cover IT assets, warehouse stock, manufacturing parts, healthcare supplies, and household goods. Each one is free to download and self-host, with a hosted or support route for teams that want help.
On this page
Top os inventory and management software: comparison table
Swipe the table sideways on a phone to see every column.
| # | Name | Best for | Starting price | Free plan / trial | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snipe-IT | IT teams tracking laptops, licences, and accessories | Free self-hosted | Yes | Visit |
| 2 | Odoo Inventory | Businesses that want stock, sales, and accounting together | $24.90 per user/month | Yes, One App Free | Visit |
| 3 | ERPNext | Small businesses that want a full ERP at zero licence cost | Free self-hosted | Yes | Visit |
| 4 | Dolibarr | Small firms that want a light ERP, CRM, and stock suite | Free self-hosted | Yes | Visit |
| 5 | GLPI | IT teams that need asset inventory plus a service desk | Free self-hosted | Yes | Visit |
| 6 | InvenTree | Hardware and manufacturing teams tracking parts and builds | Free, self-hosted | Yes | Visit |
| 7 | OpenBoxes | Healthcare and relief organisations managing medical supplies | Free, self-hosted Community Edition | Yes | Visit |
| 8 | Grocy | Households and small workshops tracking consumables and expiry dates | Free, self-hosted | Yes | Visit |
The 8 best top os inventory and management software tools, in detail
Snipe-IT
Best for: IT teams tracking laptops, licences, and accessories
Snipe-IT is a free, open source IT asset management system from Grokability. You can record hardware, software licences, accessories, and consumables, assign items to people, and track check-in and check-out history. Warranty alerts, custom fields, and barcode scanning help a small team keep records current.
- Self-hosting is free with unlimited users and assets, while Basic Hosting costs $39.99 per month or $399.99 per year and adds managed servers, backups
- The main limit is discovery: Snipe-IT does not scan your network, so accuracy depends on disciplined entry, imports, or sync.
Pros
- Free self-hosted edition with unlimited users and assets
- Check-in and check-out with user attribution, licence tracking, and barcode support
Cons
- No native network discovery, so assets need manual entry, import, or sync
- Self-hosting puts installation, backups, and upgrades on your team
Odoo Inventory
Best for: Businesses that want stock, sales, and accounting together
Odoo Inventory is the stock module inside Odoo, a suite of open source business apps that covers CRM, sales, purchasing, and accounting. Stock moves through receiving, storage, picking, packing, and shipping, with multi-warehouse support, barcode operations, and lot and serial tracking. Because inventory shares a database with sales and purchase orders, a sale can reserve stock.
- The Odoo pricing page lists One App Free at $0 for one app with unlimited users, Standard at $24.90 per user per month billed annually, and Custom at
- The page also lists regular prices of $31.10 for Standard and $61.00 for Custom, so check the current first-year terms.
- Implementation, training, and custom work sit outside the subscription, and the per-user price grows with headcount.
Pros
- Inventory, sales, purchase, and accounting share one database
- One App Free covers a single app for unlimited users
Cons
- Implementation service is not included in the subscription price
- Adding a second app moves you from the free tier to a per-user plan
ERPNext
Best for: Small businesses that want a full ERP at zero licence cost
ERPNext is a free and open source ERP from Frappe, and the most complete system in this guide. The stock module covers multi-warehouse stock, serial and batch tracking, valuation, and reorder rules, while the wider suite adds accounting, sales, purchasing, manufacturing, CRM, projects, and HR. That breadth suits a business that has outgrown spreadsheets and does not want per-user licence fees for every new hire.
- The ERPNext pricing page splits cost into hosting and implementation, and states that the software is free and open source.
- Frappe Cloud Sites start at $5 per month, Servers start at $20 per month, and premium dedicated servers start at $125 per month, with a 14-day free tr
- Someone still has to design processes, migrate data, and train staff, either in-house or through a Frappe partner.
Pros
- Full ERP scope with stock, accounting, manufacturing, CRM, and HR in one system
- No per-user licence fee, so adding staff does not raise the licence bill
Cons
- Frappe does not provide implementation services directly, so setup needs a partner or in-house skill
- Self-hosting needs care for updates, backups, and security
Dolibarr
Best for: Small firms that want a light ERP, CRM, and stock suite
Dolibarr is an open source ERP and CRM suite in active use since 2003, and it suits small businesses, freelancers, and associations that want invoicing, CRM, stock, and projects in one place. You enable only the modules you need, from products and stock to orders, invoices, and point of sale, and you can add more from the Dolistore marketplace. It runs on modest PHP and MySQL hosting.
- The software is free to download and self-host.
- For teams that do not want a server, DoliCloud lists Basic at 14 euros per user per month and Premium at 30 euros per month plus 15 euros per user per
- Basic includes 4 GB of storage, 2,000 API calls per month, daily backups, and ticket support, while Premium raises storage to 20 GB and API calls to 2
Pros
- Modular design, so you switch on only the modules you need
- Runs on a standard PHP and MySQL stack with low hosting needs
Cons
- DoliCloud Basic allows only 4 GB of storage and 2,000 API calls per month
- Email sending is limited to 250 emails per day on the Basic plan
GLPI
Best for: IT teams that need asset inventory plus a service desk
GLPI is a free, open source IT service management suite from Teclib, pairing asset inventory with a help desk in one database. You can track computers, network gear, software, licences, and contracts, link assets to tickets and users, and use the GLPI agent for inventory collection. The service desk adds ticket workflows and a knowledge base, so a team using separate tools can bring both jobs into one place.
- The GLPI pricing page lists 2026 rates.
- Public Cloud costs 19 euros per user per month excluding tax, starting with 1 user, with unlimited assets and end users, 5 GB of file space, daily bac
- Private Cloud costs 21 euros per user per month with a 25-user minimum, a dedicated server, and 50 GB of file space.
- Self-hosted support starts at 100 euros per month for Basic.
Pros
- Combines IT asset inventory, licence tracking, and an ITIL-style service desk
- Free self-hosted edition with unlimited assets and end users
Cons
- Public Cloud gives only 5 GB of file space and 97 percent annual availability
- Self-hosted support subscriptions start at 100 euros per month for Basic
InvenTree
Best for: Hardware and manufacturing teams tracking parts and builds
InvenTree is an open source inventory system under the MIT licence, built for parts management and stock control. Parts sit in structured categories with supplier records and pricing data, while stock sits in nested locations with serial numbers where needed. Bills of material show which sub-parts make a finished part, and build, purchase, and sales orders track stock in and out.
- The InvenTree homepage describes the system as open source and free to use, with no licence fee stated, and no hosted plan is listed.
- The software cost is zero, but the total cost is your server, your time, and your care for updates and backups.
- The project shows an active community, but community support is not the same as a vendor support contract.
Pros
- Parts, categories, stock locations, suppliers, and bills of material in one open source system
- Plugin and API support for custom workflows and integrations
Cons
- No vendor-hosted plan is listed, so your team must install and maintain it
- No native retail sales channel integration out of the box
OpenBoxes
Best for: Healthcare and relief organisations managing medical supplies
OpenBoxes is an open source supply chain system created for healthcare facilities and disaster relief, growing from work with Partners In Health after the 2010 Haiti earthquake. It tracks inventory levels, orders, shipments, and consumption across facilities, with lot and expiry tracking, stock requisitions, and built-in and custom reports. That design suits hospitals, clinics, and relief programmes that must know where stock sits and what expires next.
- The OpenBoxes site states that the Community Edition is free to download and use, with no licence fees or per-user charges.
- The services page lists optional help separately: installation at $750 per server, a one-time upgrade at $250 per server, support incidents at $150 ea
- A managed hosted edition, OpenBoxes Lift, is also offered.
Pros
- Built for multi-facility supply chains, with lot, expiry, shipment, and requisition tracking
- Free Community Edition with no licence fee, per-user charge, or feature gate
Cons
- Healthcare focus means retail and general manufacturing features are thin
- Help with installation costs $750 per server and support incidents cost $150 each
Grocy
Best for: Households and small workshops tracking consumables and expiry dates
Grocy tracks groceries and household stock by quantity, location, and best-before date, warns you before food spoils, and turns low stock into a shopping list. You can define minimum stock amounts, scan barcodes, plan meals, and track chores and equipment in the same app. Grocy is fully free and open source under the MIT licence, with no extra tier on its homepage.
- That makes it the lowest cost option here for a home, a shared kitchen, or a small workshop.
- It is not a business ERP: there are no sales orders, invoices, or accounting modules, and the project describes itself as a hobby project by a single
Pros
- Stock, expiry dates, minimum stock amounts, recipes, and shopping lists in one free app
- MIT licence with no extra tier, cloud upsell, or feature gate
Cons
- Household focus means no sales orders, purchasing, or accounting for a business
- The web app provides no offline usage, and setup needs a server or Home Assistant
How we chose
We read each vendor pricing page on 2026-11-12 and used the price shown there, with the page listed in Sources for every tool. We checked the vendor homepage and docs for the core job, the licence, and limits on the entry plan, such as storage and API calls. We included only tools with a free open source edition that a team can download and self-host. We did not claim hands-on testing, and we did not use review scores, awards, customer counts, or test results. Where a vendor lists no hosted price, we state that the software is free to self-host and name the optional services instead.
Which option fits your team size and budget
| Team size and budget | Best starting point | Monthly vendor cost from the pricing pages | | 1 person, home or hobby use | Grocy or InvenTree, self-hosted | $0 for the software, plus your own hosting | | 1 to 5 people, IT assets only | Snipe-IT, self-hosted or Basic Hosting | $0 self-hosted, or $39.99 per month hosted | | 1 to 5 people, small business stock and invoicing | Dolibarr on DoliCloud Basic | 14 euros per user per month, so 5 users cost 70 euros per month | | 5 to 20 people, IT assets plus a service desk | GLPI Network Public Cloud | 19 euros per user per month, so 10 users cost 190 euros per month | | 5 to 20 people, full ERP with manufacturing | ERPNext on Frappe Cloud Sites or Servers | $5 per month for Sites, or $20 per month for Servers | | 5 to 20 people, stock plus sales and accounting | Odoo Standard, billed annually | $24.90 per user per month, so 10 users cost $249 per month | | Healthcare or relief programme, multi-facility stock | OpenBoxes Community Edition, self-hosted | $0 for the software, plus hosting and optional services | | Hardware team, parts and builds | InvenTree, self-hosted | $0 for the software, plus your own hosting |
Use the table as a starting point, not a quote. Add server, migration, training, and support costs, then compare the total for 12 months before you choose.
Frequently asked questions
What does OS mean in top os inventory and management software?
OS here means open source. The tools in this guide publish their source code under an open source licence, so you can download, inspect, change, and self-host the software. The licence cost is zero for the self-hosted edition, but hosting, setup, updates, backups, and support still cost time or money.
Which open source inventory tool is best for a small business?
Odoo Inventory and Dolibarr suit most small businesses, because they combine stock with sales, purchasing, invoicing, and accounting in one system. ERPNext suits a small business that also needs manufacturing, projects, and HR. Pick Odoo for a hosted plan with a clear per-user price, and Dolibarr for a lighter suite with a lower hosted entry price.
Is open source inventory software really free?
The software licence is free when you self-host, but the system is not free to run. You still need a server, time for installation and updates, backups, and training. Hosted plans remove much of that work for a monthly fee, and implementation help and support are usually charged separately, so budget for the full 12-month total.
Can I move from spreadsheets to one of these tools?
Yes, and most teams start by cleaning their spreadsheet data first. Export products, quantities, locations, suppliers, and expiry dates, remove duplicates, then import a small sample and check totals before you import the full file. Test barcode scanning and stock moves with real items, and keep the spreadsheet as a backup until the new system matches your counts for one full stock cycle.
Which tool is best for IT asset inventory?
Snipe-IT is the simplest pick for IT assets, with check-in and check-out, licence tracking, and barcode support at zero licence cost when self-hosted. GLPI is the better pick when you also need a service desk and network inventory collection in the same database. Both offer hosted plans, so choose Snipe-IT for a focused asset register and GLPI for a wider IT service system.
What is the cheapest hosted option in this guide?
ERPNext on Frappe Cloud Sites starts at $5 per month for a single site on shared servers, the lowest hosted entry price found on the vendor pages read for this guide. That price covers hosting, not implementation, so check the limits before you use it for a large team.
Sources
- https://snipeitapp.com/
- https://snipeitapp.com/pricing
- https://www.odoo.com/
- https://www.odoo.com/pricing
- https://erpnext.com/
- https://erpnext.com/pricing
- https://www.dolibarr.org/
- https://www.glpi-project.org/
- https://www.glpi-project.org/en/pricing/
- https://inventree.org/
- https://openboxes.com/
- https://openboxes.com/services/
- https://grocy.info/
Prices and features were read on each company’s own website in November 2026. They change often, so confirm the current offer on the official site before you sign up or buy.