Last updated: June 11, 2026
Inventory software is one of those things you don’t want to pay a per-seat subscription for until you’re sure it fits. Good news: the open-source options here are genuinely capable, and a few run real warehouses and parts labs. This roundup covers six worth knowing — what each is built for, the stack, the license, and who should pick it. The licenses range from do-anything MIT to strict AGPL, and for inventory software that difference matters more than usual, so it’s called out on every entry.
One distinction up front. “Inventory” covers a few different jobs: stock control for a shop or warehouse, parts tracking for a lab or workshop, and IT asset tracking for a company’s laptops and licenses. The tools below lean toward one of those. The verdict says which.
How to choose
Start with the license, because here it bites. Most of these are network apps you’d host and let staff log into, and a couple use the AGPL — which says that if you modify the code and run it as a service, you have to publish your changes. For internal use that’s a non-issue. If you ever plan to wrap one in a product you sell, MIT and LGPL give you room that AGPL does not.
Then the stack: PHP/MySQL projects drop onto cheap shared hosting with the least fuss, while the Python/Django and Frappe platforms are heavier but scale further. Last, check the last commit date and release cadence before you commit — an inventory system you’ll rely on daily needs to still be getting security fixes.
1. InvenTree — parts tracking done right
InvenTree is the one to beat for physical parts and stock. It’s a Python/Django app with strong low-level stock control: part categories, locations, bills of materials, supplier links, and a full REST API plus a mobile app for scanning. It’s actively developed and has become the default recommendation in maker and hardware circles.
Stack: Python (Django), REST API, companion mobile app.
License: MIT.
Repo: github.com/inventree/InvenTree
Verdict: The best pick for a workshop, lab, or small manufacturer tracking real parts — and the MIT license means you can build on it however you like. Python helps if you want to extend it.
2. ERPNext — inventory inside a full ERP
ERPNext treats stock as one module of a complete business system. If you want inventory wired directly into purchasing, sales, manufacturing, and accounting, this is the all-in-one answer. Built on Frappe, it’s mature and widely deployed, with warehouses, batch and serial tracking, and reorder logic out of the box.
Stack: Python (Frappe framework), MariaDB.
License: GNU GPL v3.
Repo: github.com/frappe/erpnext
Verdict: Reach for ERPNext when inventory is part of running a whole business, not a standalone need. Heavier to stand up than a single-purpose tool, but you grow into the rest of it.
3. Odoo Community — modular and friendly to commercialize
Odoo’s Community Edition gives you an Inventory app within its big modular suite, and its LGPL license is the loosest of the ERPs here. That license is the headline: LGPL lets you build separate modules on top and license your own code however you want, even closed. The Community inventory features are solid, though some advanced bits live in the paid Enterprise tier.
Stack: Python, PostgreSQL.
License: GNU LGPL v3.
Repo: github.com/odoo/odoo
Verdict: A strong choice if you’re a developer who might build and sell add-ons, thanks to the LGPL. Just know the Community/Enterprise split before you map features.
4. Dolibarr — the easy-to-host SMB option
Dolibarr is the gentlest install on this list. It’s a PHP ERP/CRM that runs on ordinary LAMP hosting, with modules you toggle on as you need them — stock, orders, suppliers, invoicing. It’s aimed squarely at small businesses and freelancers who want something working this afternoon, not a platform to engineer.
Stack: PHP, MySQL/MariaDB (LAMP).
License: GNU GPL v3.
Repo: github.com/Dolibarr/dolibarr
Verdict: Best for a small shop or a capstone that wants a real, deployable system on familiar PHP without much setup. Less depth than ERPNext, far less ceremony.
5. Snipe-IT — for IT asset and license tracking
Snipe-IT is a different flavor of inventory: it tracks a company’s hardware and software assets — who has which laptop, when licenses expire, what’s checked out. If your “inventory” is IT equipment rather than retail stock, this is purpose-built for it, with a clean Laravel app and good check-in/check-out flows.
Stack: PHP (Laravel), MySQL.
License: GNU AGPL v3.
Repo: github.com/grokability/snipe-it
Verdict: The right tool for IT asset management, not warehouse stock. Note the AGPL — fine internally, something to plan around if you’d build a hosted product on it.
6. Part-DB — electronics parts with datasheets
Part-DB is a focused inventory for electronic components. It tracks parts and storage locations, generates barcode labels, and can pull datasheets and pricing from suppliers like Digikey, Mouser, and LCSC. For a hardware bench or an electronics lab, that supplier integration saves real time.
Stack: PHP (Symfony), web-based.
License: GNU AGPL v3.
Repo: github.com/Part-DB/Part-DB-server
Verdict: A great niche pick for electronics inventory specifically. Like Snipe-IT, the AGPL is worth a glance if you plan anything beyond self-hosting.
Which one should you pick?
Tracking physical parts in a lab or workshop? InvenTree, and the MIT license keeps every door open.
Need inventory as part of running a business? ERPNext if you want the whole suite, Dolibarr if you want something light and live today on plain PHP.
Planning to build and sell add-ons? Odoo Community’s LGPL gives you the most commercial freedom of the ERPs.
Your inventory is IT gear or electronic components? Snipe-IT and Part-DB respectively — both purpose-built, both AGPL.
Whichever you pick, clone it, open the LICENSE file yourself, and check the latest release before you build anything on top.
Want a smaller, guided project to study or submit instead? Browse our ERP and business management source code and PHP project collections — built to run, read, and learn from.