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With so many different open source resource management software, figuring out which is right for you is tough. You know you want to manage your resources in an efficient and effective manner using a customizable app but need to figure out which tool is best. I've got you! In this post I'll help make your choice easy, sharing my personal experiences using dozens of different resource management tools with a variety of businesses, with my picks of the best open source resource management software.

What Is Open Source Resource Management Software?

Open source resource management software is a tool whose source code is available for anyone to inspect, modify, and enhance. It helps organizations manage their resources, like employees, equipment, and time, by providing tools for scheduling, tracking, and reporting. This type of software is freely accessible and can be adapted to suit various organizational needs.

The key benefits of using open source resource management software include its customizability and cost-effectiveness. Since it's open source, users can tailor the software to fit their specific requirements. It's usually free or low-cost, making it a budget-friendly option, especially for smaller organizations. And open source software often has strong community support, offering a wealth of shared knowledge and regular updates. This makes it a flexible and evolving solution for resource management.

open source resource management software logos list

Open Source Resource Management Software

Here’s a brief description of each of the open-source resource management software on my list, showing what it does best, screenshots, features, and more.

Best for customization using its open GraphQL API

  • 14-day free trial + free plan available
  • From $8/user/month (billed annually, min 3 seats)
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Rating: 4.7/5

monday.com is a flexible platform to help teams communicate in context, get a birds-eye view of outstanding projects, available resources, and projected timelines. monday.com’s simplistic design and straightforward interface mean teams can get started planning timelines, assigning project ownership, and managing any project in minutes.

monday.com offers various views to represent data, so each team member can work according to his preferences. With workload view, you can easily see who’s able to take on more work and who’s not. Gain insight into your team’s work capacity and make adjustments to timelines or ownership accordingly— no matter where you are. The monday.com app gives you the flexibility and power to run your team on the go. You can organize your daily work, projects, and teams all in one place.

monday.com has over 40 integrates with apps like Slack, Excel, Google Drive, Gmail, Google Calendar, Jira, GitHub, Trello, Dropbox, Typeform, and others, accessible via Zapier.

monday.com costs from $6/user/month and comes with a free 14-day trial. They offer a free plan for up to 2 users.

Best for small businesses and medium-sized businesses

  • Free software
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Rating: 4.7/5

WP ERP allows you to optimize and manage your business directly from your WordPress dashboard. The tool is easy to install and use, and provides access to extensions and modules for additional features and capabilities.

As a tool powered by WordPress—with the traditional WordPress layout—the learning curve is minimal.

Best open source resource management software for freelancers

  • Free trial available
  • From $9/user/month

Even without employees, freelancers and startup companies can benefit from the use of resource management software. Dolibarr is designed specifically for freelancers who require a flexible solution and advanced features in an easy to use package.

The marketing, finance and billing, and sales features are particularly useful to freelancers.

Best open source resource management software for simplicity

  • From $332/month

ResourceSpace is an easy-to-use and understand resource management software. The tool also has digital asset management capabilities and features for file sharing, version control, privacy and access controls, and more.

ResourceSpace also allows for a wide variety of integrations, including integrations with Microsoft Active Directory, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and more.

Best open source resource management software for large teams

  • 14 days free trial
  • Free up to 3 users + starts at $8/month
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Rating: 3.5/5

Orangescrum can be used by teams of all sizes, but it’s best for large teams seeking a streamlined project management solution. The dashboard is simple to use and understand, which cuts down on training time.

Also, for a fee, Orangescrum provides access to various high-level features, such as document management, in-app chat, and invoice Pro.

Best for those seeking flexibility

  • Free Version available

TaskJuggler is a flexible resource management tool that also assists with project planning and tracking. It covers a comprehensive list of resource management tasks, such as resource assignment, project scoping, communication management, and revenue planning.

A great feature is TaskJuggler’s ability to calculate timelines and resources based on your project plan any constraints or dependencies you’ve added.

Summary Of The Best Open Source Resource Management Software

How about a reader-friendly table neatly summarizing basic info about the tools described above? Here it is!

Tools Price
monday.com From $8/user/month (billed annually, min 3 seats)
WP ERP No price details
Dolibarr From $9/user/month
ResourceSpace From $332/month
Orangescrum Free up to 3 users + starts at $8/month
Odoo From $31/user/month
TaskJuggler Free Version available
Sentrifugo Free to use
ABP Commercial From $1999/user, as a one-time payment.
Apache OFBiz No price details
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Compare Software Specs Side by Side

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Other Open Source Resource Management Software Options

  1. GanttProject

    Best open source resource management software for beginners

  2. OpenProject

    Best open-source enterprise resource planning software

  3. EPESI CRM

    Best for built-in BIM capabilities

  4. ProjectLibre

    Best free open source resource management software

  5. WP-HR Manager Software

    Best for WordPress integration

How I Picked The Best Open Source Resource Management Software

When selecting software, I research and analyze certain categories which are relevant to the topic. In this case, I weighed different factors and used the following criteria to shortlist the best RM software.

  1. User Interface (UI): How well designed is the software? Is it easy to navigate? The user interface is what you will interact with every day. Definitely a category to look at.
  2. Usability: I like to test the software and see if it's easy to use. This includes the user experience and any resources to help you get better. Therefore, I look at tutorials, guides, and training videos.
  3. Integrations: I like to see the different ways in which a tool extends its capabilities. Therefore, I looked at the existence of pre-built integrations, access through 3rd parties, and customizable APIs.
  4. Pricing: It's important to analyze the different paid options that software vendors give you. Even with open-source software there can be fees for additional modules or features.

Open Source Resource Management Software FAQs

Find answers to common questions around this topic.

What's Next?

If you would like to continue learning about this topic, check out our in-depth guide to resource availability in project management.

Additionally, you can learn about 5 different techniques that can help you keep your projects balanced according to the your available resources.

By Ben Aston

I’m Ben Aston, a digital project manager and founder of thedpm.com. I've been in the industry for more than 20 years working in the UK at London’s top digital agencies including Dare, Wunderman, Lowe and DDB. I’ve delivered everything from film to CMS', games to advertising and eCRM to eCommerce sites. I’ve been fortunate enough to work across a wide range of great clients; automotive brands including Land Rover, Volkswagen and Honda; Utility brands including BT, British Gas and Exxon, FMCG brands such as Unilever, and consumer electronics brands including Sony. I'm a Certified Scrum Master, PRINCE2 Practitioner and productivity nut!