Open-Source Customisation · ERP
ERPNext, set up and made to fit
Open-source ERP for stock, orders, buying, manufacturing and accounts, customised to how your business runs and connected to Shopify and the rest of your systems.
One system instead of six
ERPNext puts stock, orders, buying, manufacturing, projects and accounts in one database, so a sale updates stock, raises the invoice and lands in the ledger without anyone copying it across.
It is built by Frappe, a company in India, and used by businesses all over the world. It is free and open source under the GPL-3.0 licence, and actively developed, with new releases most weeks. HR and payroll now come as a separate free app, Frappe HR. You can run it on your own server or pay Frappe to host it for you. Licence and release details checked against the project's own repository on 9 October 2026.
Stock and warehouses
Multiple warehouses, batches and serial numbers, stock valuation, reorder levels and transfers.
Selling and buying
Quotes, sales orders, deliveries and invoices on one side; purchase orders, receipts and supplier bills on the other.
Accounts
A full general ledger, bank reconciliation, multiple currencies and companies. Filing UK VAT returns under Making Tax Digital needs an add-on or Xero alongside: see the questions below.
Manufacturing
Bills of materials, work orders, job cards and production planning, for businesses that make what they sell.
Projects and CRM
Leads, opportunities, projects, timesheets and costing. For a fuller CRM alongside it, see Frappe CRM.
Ecommerce
An official connector for Shopify, plus others for Amazon and more, so orders, stock and products stay in step.
Making it fit, without breaking upgrades
ERPNext is unusually good at being changed safely. Most of it can be adapted through its own screens, and anything bigger goes in a separate app that sits alongside it.
Set up properly
Chart of accounts, tax, warehouses, item structure and opening balances. Getting these right at the start saves months of untangling later.
Fields, forms and documents
Extra fields, adjusted forms, your own invoice and delivery note layouts, and approval workflows, all through ERPNext's own customisation tools.
Rules and automation
Small scripts for the rules your business follows: pricing, checks before an order can be confirmed, notifications to the right person.
A custom app for the big stuff
Anything larger is built as a separate Frappe app. ERPNext's own code is never edited, so updates keep flowing.
Connect it to everything else
Shopify, your warehouse or 3PL, couriers, your website and your own systems, through ERPNext's REST API or our own integrations.
Data, training and support
Moving your products, customers, suppliers and balances across, showing your team how to use it, and looking after it afterwards.
To be straight with you: ERPNext is written in Python on the Frappe framework, not in PHP, which is our home ground. Most customisation happens through its own tools rather than code, and for the rest we work the way Frappe intends. If a job needs deep Python specialism, we will tell you before you commit.
Is ERPNext right for you?
A good fit when
- Stock, orders and accounts are spread across spreadsheets and add-ons
- You sell physical products, online or to trade customers
- You make or assemble what you sell
- NetSuite or Sage X3 quotes made your eyes water
Think twice when
- Xero or QuickBooks already does everything you need
- Your accountant is not willing to work with it: ask them first
- Nobody in the business can own the system day to day
- You need UK payroll in the same system: dedicated payroll software is usually simpler
- You want VAT returns filed to HMRC straight from the same system without add-ons (see below)
Already set on NetSuite? We integrate that too: see NetSuite and Shopify integration. And if your problem is one specific process rather than the whole business, a smaller custom tool may be the better answer.
What people ask us
The software is, with no licence fee per user. What you pay for is setting it up properly, any customisation, moving your data across, and hosting, either on your own server or through Frappe's paid hosting. Over a few years that usually comes out well below a per-user ERP, and the gap grows with your team.
Yes. Frappe maintains an official Shopify connector that keeps orders, customers, products and stock in step. Where a business needs more than it offers, such as particular stock rules or a 3PL in the middle, we build that on top. We already connect Shopify to NetSuite and warehouse systems, so the moving parts are familiar.
Not out of the box. ERPNext keeps proper VAT records, but filing the return to HMRC needs something extra. There are three routes: a third-party ERPNext app (several exist, none yet well established, so check it is on HMRC's list of recognised software first), HMRC-recognised bridging software fed by an export from ERPNext, or keeping your accounts in Xero or QuickBooks and having ERPNext send sales and purchases across, so VAT is filed from there. For most UK businesses we would suggest the last one. Talk to your accountant before choosing.
Not if it is done the way Frappe intends. Custom fields, forms and scripts are stored separately from ERPNext's own code, and bigger changes go in a separate app. We never edit ERPNext itself, so you can keep taking updates. We test your customisations against new versions before they go live.
It depends far more on your data and processes than on the software. A straightforward setup for a small trading business is a matter of weeks. Several warehouses, manufacturing or a lot of integrations takes longer. We will give you an honest estimate after a first conversation, and we prefer to go live in stages rather than all at once.
What our clients say
19 clients. A few of their words.
A well-rounded team, ensuring a full suite of expertise & resource is always available. CDS Global have seen the successful completion of major projects over the years where Dev Partners' ability to grasp the underlying business needs to provide a future-proof solution has been invaluable.
We have worked with Jason & his team to develop our Shopify store, and the experience was outstanding from start to finish. The design is clean, modern, and perfectly aligned with our brand identity, while the build is fast, responsive, and easy to manage on the backend. They clearly understood our vision and delivered a store we're genuinely proud of. Highly recommend to any brand looking for a top-quality Shopify partner.
After ongoing issues and delays with our previous developers, we brought in Rob & Jason at Dev Partners to take over all our websites and bespoke software. What a breath of fresh air, fully focused, excellent pre-launch designs and clear communication throughout. Highly recommended.
BPC Energy Ltd turned to Dev Partners for a complete turnkey solution, and they exceeded our expectations. The team handled everything from project management to development and support with real care and attention. They understood what we were aiming for, stayed on top of every detail, and always delivered on schedule with excellent quality.
Working with Dev Partners to redesign and modernise our WMS system: the whole process has been thoroughly professional from the outset and a delight to work with. Cannot recommend enough.
Great agency. Have used Dev Partners for several years and they have built 20+ sites for us, in addition to taking on our legacy websites, upgrading and maintaining. Easy to work with and some great practical ideas to improve our digital offerings.
Jones Hire have been working with Dev Partners on several projects, which have been very successful. They linked our catering database to a new improved website so clients can easily place and update orders, created a custom warehouse picking app to fulfil all our challenging requirements, and are currently developing a custom transport app to streamline our loading and delivery process.
We have been trying to reinvent our website for over 5 years, trying to make it convert and failing each time. Spoke to Rob at Dev Partners, the team helped create our new site and the improvement was instant.
We have been working with Rob and the team for about 10 years now. Dev Partners helped us build a completely bespoke CRM from scratch which manages our daily business and is always well maintained. We have been able to use the system and roll it out in our new franchise branches.
We collaborated with Dev Partners on the front end of a fairly complex telemarketing platform. Rob and Jason took the time to properly understand the moving parts, asked the right questions, and delivered a clean, intuitive interface that's made the system far easier for our team to use.
I have been working with the team at Dev Partners for the last 3 years and we have always been impressed with the speed in which they act on things for us, along with the honest open communication. The team are a valuable and vital part of our supply chain.
We've had a program for our business in the electronic security sector that Dev Partners developed and keep up to date. They've never let us down, always there when needed. Thanks Rob and the team.
Dev Partners have been working with us for just over 2 years. They have significantly upgraded and redesigned our existing web platforms, and always deliver a first class service.
Dev Partners helped us build an event website. The team were very knowledgeable, easy to work with and quick to deliver a high quality product.
Working with Dev Partners has been an exceptional experience. Their team is highly skilled, professional, and committed to delivering results. What truly sets them apart is their communication and transparency; we always felt informed, supported, and confident.
We've worked with Dev Partners a few times to support us on bespoke web build tasks. They're very easy to work with, approachable, and explain the detail in a way that's understandable. A great partner for technical issues at sensible prices.
Excellent customer service backed up with solid experience. As a media business we have had five websites built by Dev Partners. I would certainly recommend them.
Found Dev Partners and they were great, nothing too much trouble. They managed to help us with integrating our old existing system with Shopify.
I've worked with Rob and his team off and on for many years and have always found them to be professional, knowledgeable, and best of all, they listen to their clients and deliver what is required.
We have worked with Dev Partners for 7 years and can highly recommend them for their expertise and excellent customer service.
Is ERPNext the answer?
Tell us what you run now and where it hurts.
What systems you use today, roughly how many orders and products you handle, and what you most want to stop doing by hand. If ERPNext is the wrong answer, we will say so.
What we will cover:
- Whether ERPNext fits, or something smaller would do
- What needs customising and connecting
- Moving your data across and going live in stages
- Hosting, support and who keeps it updated
We reply within one working day.
