Assembly vs ERPNext: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Assembly and ERPNext to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
Assembly
6.3/10
Assembly, formerly Copilot, is a branded client portal for service businesses. It combines messaging, a lightweight CRM, billing, files, tasks and an AI app builder.
ERPNext
6.5/10
Open-source ERP from Frappe with built-in CRM for leads, opportunities, quotations and campaigns, aimed at small and mid-sized businesses that need sales tied to accounting and stock.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | E ERPNext |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.3/10 | 6.5/10 |
| Customization | 6/10 | 9/10 |
| Analytics | 4/10 | 5/10 |
| Integration | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Support | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Ease of Use | 8/10 | 4/10 |
| Security | 8/10 | 6/10 |
| Cost | 5/10 | 9/10 |
| Scalability | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | $49/mo Starter | $5/mo Sites |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | Free Self-hosted (open source) |
| Features | ||
| Built-in Calling | Not listed | |
| Collaboration | Not listed | |
| Contact Management | Not listed | |
| Customer Support Management | Not listed | |
| Integrations | Not listed | |
| Lead Management | Not listed | |
| Marketing Automation | Not listed | |
| Mobile Access | Not listed | |
| Opportunity Management | Not listed | |
| Reporting & Analytics | Not listed | |
| More features | ||
| Team messaging | Not listed | |
| File sharing | Not listed | |
| Client collaboration | Not listed | |
| App integrations | Not listed | |
| Task lists | Not listed | |
| Gantt charts | Not listed | |
| Task management | Not listed | |
| Time tracking | Not listed | |
| Workflow automation | Not listed | |
| Collaboration tools | Not listed | |
Assembly vs ERPNext cost by team size
Assembly and ERPNext cost the same at 1 user.
| Team size | Assembly | ERPNext |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeFree | FreeSelf-hosted (open source) |
| 5 users | Contact for pricing | FreeSelf-hosted (open source) |
| 10 users | Contact for pricing | FreeSelf-hosted (open source) |
| 25 users | Contact for pricing | FreeSelf-hosted (open source) |
| 50 users | Contact for pricing | FreeSelf-hosted (open source) |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Assembly
- Higher Ease of Use score (8/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Support score (7/10 vs 5/10)
- Better fit for accountants and bookkeepers (8/10 vs 5/10)
EWhy choose ERPNext
- Higher Cost score (9/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Customization score (9/10 vs 6/10)
- Better fit for mid-market (7/10 vs 5/10)
Pros & Cons
Assembly
Pros
- Reviewers say a non-technical team can launch a polished, branded client portal quickly.
- Messaging, a CRM, invoicing, contracts, forms and files share one client login.
- A free plan and no-contract self-serve billing make it easy to test.
- SOC 2 Type II, AES-256 encryption at rest and a HIPAA BAA on Advanced suit regulated firms.
Cons
- Project management is basic, with no Gantt charts or dependencies.
- There is no native time tracking or scheduling.
- Automations lack conditional branching, and there is no native mobile app.
- Reviewers report a high cost and friction with international invoicing.
EERPNext
Pros
- All modules are free and open source with no per-user fees, so costs scale with compute rather than headcount.
- Leads, opportunities and quotations connect directly to sales orders, invoices and stock in the same system.
- Highly customizable: reviewers praise changing forms without code, with full scripting and custom apps for developers.
- Wide set of built-in connectors, including Twilio and Exotel telephony, Stripe, PayPal, Shopify, WooCommerce and Plaid.
- Cheap managed hosting on Frappe Cloud starting at $5 a month, with a 14-day trial.
Cons
- The ERPNext CRM workspace is scheduled for removal in version 17, and Frappe recommends its separate Frappe CRM app instead.
- Reviewers say setup and integration with legacy systems require skilled technical staff.
- Reviewers report performance slowdowns with large databases.
- Reporting is described as limited by some reviewers, and the interface as dated.
- The Product Warranty covers bug fixes only, not functional support.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
ERPNext scores higher on our CRM criteria: 6.5/10 against 6.3/10 for Assembly. The largest gap is in Cost: 5/10 for Assembly and 9/10 for ERPNext.
Yes, both Assembly and ERPNext have a free plan.
Assembly is the better fit for accountants and bookkeepers: we rate it 8/10 for them, against 5/10 for ERPNext.
