Apache OFBiz vs Exact Online

Apache OFBiz is a suite of business applications for organizations that need functions across finance, commerce, inventory and manufacturing. Its ready-to-use modules include accounting, CRM, order management, e-commerce, warehousing, inventory, manufacturing and MRP. Product and catalog management, promotions, pricing, supply-chain fulfillment, contracts, payments and billing are also listed. Finance tools cover the general ledger, receivables, payables, invoices, payments, statements, aging and financial reporting. Manufacturing functions include bills of materials, production planning, routings, job costing and raw-material procurement. For commerce, OFBiz lists payment gateway integrations and integrated online and point-of-sale stores, with support for physical, digital and configurable products. It is built as a Java-based web framework with entity and service engines and a widget-based interface, and can be downloaded and run on Unix-based or Windows-based systems. The framework and plugins trunk and release 24.09 require at least Java 17 JDK. The software is self-hosted and costs nothing, with no licensing fees.

Exact Online is a cloud-delivered package for accounting and business operations, with accounting and CRM included across its products. Online accounting provides bank feeds and invoicing, while Time & Billing includes time tracking, invoicing, and CRM. Industry solutions are available for manufacturing, wholesale, and professional services. Wholesale offerings list order, relation, and stock management; a listed manufacturing plan includes calculation, planning, and production. The service also includes inventory and order management, and users can work together online. The accountancy solution supports administration management with clients. Exact says around 675,000 companies use Exact Online and that 2,000 specialists are ready to help. Packages are priced monthly and exclude VAT; payments, including extensions, are made by direct debit. The pricing note says From £25/mo, while the listed Accountancy Professional plan costs £91 a month. There is no free plan, and the free trial's duration and feature limits are unstated.