BUSY vs ERP5

BUSY is billing, accounting and business operations software from a company headquartered in New Delhi, India, and founded in 1997. It is available as desktop software and as a cloud-based online version, with hybrid deployment listed. Its modules cover finance, inventory, order management, manufacturing and multiple entities. Inventory tools track items and warehouses and support ordering, batches, serial numbers and reorder levels. GST reconciliation covers GSTR-1, 2A, 2B and 3B, including ITC mismatch tracking. Other listed functions include IRP integration for e-invoices and WhatsApp invoice sharing. The free Express plan includes billing and accounting, invoices, receipts, inventory, multiple companies, reports and financial statements. Paid plans start at ₹5,000 per year, and a 15-day trial does not require a credit card. The mobile app supports reports, orders, quotations, invoices, ledgers, stock and payment reminders. Regular SQL plans include server backups; user access rights and activity logs provide user controls. Support includes 24/7 phone service, email and WhatsApp.

ERP5 is a free, open-source business platform covering CRM, production management, supply chain, product design, accounting, human resources and e-commerce. Its listed modules include finance, inventory, order management and manufacturing, with support for multiple entities. The system can be used and configured in a web browser, and the maker says all browsers are supported. Organizations can also run a preconfigured ERP5 virtual machine on their own server. That VM package is not recommended for large production environments with many users or for development; the maker recommends SlapOS for production deployments and complex integrations. ERP5 is written mostly in Python and uses the NEO transactional NoSQL database alongside a relational SQL database, with MariaDB preferred. It provides a HATEOAS JSON API and an MCP implementation that can expose read-only or read-write services. ERP5 uses role-based permissions configured by module and document. The maker says it is intended for organizations prepared to supervise deployment or learn the platform in depth. ERP5 is free to download and use under GPL v2.