ERP Software

How We Ranked the Best ERP Software

To complete the list of the best software platforms for enterprise resource planning, we’ve devised a custom evaluation methodology with the most important aspects of any reputable product. You can check out the details of our methodology below.

Industry & Business Size Focus

ERP software can be generic and provide a one-size-fits-all solution, leaving little to no options for customization. The benefit of this software type is that it’s affordable. Then, there are industry-specific software products developed with the particular requirements of that market, offering specific functionalities. Some of the most common industries that these products are tailored to include manufacturing, construction, distribution, healthcare, and professional services.

More often than not, the software will cater to organizations of specific sizes. This is important for classification purposes because software designed to serve small or midsize businesses will not be a good fit for larger organizations and vice versa.

Deployment Method

Choosing the best product is a matter of shortlisting the best ERP software vendors and the products with the best features. For classification purposes, we also take note of the software’s delivery models. There are a variety of deployment options and not all vendors support all of them. While some might offer two or three, others focus on just one.

On-premise

On-premise deployment is the most common option among ERP users. With this delivery model, the software is installed on-site on your company computers.

Cloud-based

Cloud deployment refers to software that exists on a cloud computing platform that can be public or private. A public cloud is owned and hosted remotely by the vendor and the user pays a subscription rate (a licensing model known as SaaS). The private cloud is hosted on-premises but offers the same features as a public cloud.

Hybrid Solution

A hybrid model has on-premises capabilities but integrates cloud services to some degree. This type of deployment model enables customers to migrate from one model to another seamlessly and without losing any data in the process.

Key Features

After we classify the software products, we go on to explore their features. Check out some of the functionalities we expect from a top ERP software:

ERP Accounting

Financial management is one of the most important operations for every business. That’s why we look for ERP platforms with robust accounting tools to help manage and automate processes such as tax payments, budgets, accounts receivable and payable, costs, payment processing, forecasts, and sales analysis. This ERP functionality will enhance the processing time and accuracy while reducing the burden of handling these operations manually.

Business Intelligence

A respectable enterprise resource planning solution should employ BI to help users make informed business decisions. The software should analyze data related to all business operations and then provide relevant and actionable insights that help you target the pain points of your business so that you can implement more efficient strategies, improving your performance and gaining a competitive edge.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

A CRM within an ERP will centralize the customer data and enable quick access. It will also track interactions with partners, clients, customers, and prospects across all departments, helping you to optimize your sales efforts. Another benefit of an ERP CRM software is that it streamlines buyer history tracking. Thanks to this option, you can easily cross-sell or upsell. What’s more, the CRM will handle marketing automation, allowing you to create campaigns, track the progress throughout the sales lifecycle and assess customer satisfaction.

Human Resources

Employees are a crucial component of every organization. To make sure everything runs smoothly, you need a top enterprise resource planning software that will automate the process. A professional ERP system will handle all aspects of employee management including talent management, employee training, compensation management, timekeeping, benefits administration, and payroll.

Manufacturing Management

A manufacturing management module will make processes like product planning, daily production monitoring, product forecasting, and materials sourcing more efficient. Its goal is to help execute projects seamlessly from beginning to end. This module is usually integrated with inventory modules and SCM.

Inventory Management

Inventory management is another important module offered by the best enterprise resource planning software platforms. It provides businesses with up-to-date information about their inventory and enables them to gain control over their finance, operations, logistics, and inventory from one centralized hub. This means fewer errors and better efficiency.

Support

Any professional software will provide ongoing support. We look for software providers with skilled support teams reachable by phone or email, and proactive solutions to technical errors. Beyond technical support, the software provider should offer on-site support, particularly needed when implementing new features. We also give a boost in rankings to ERP software companies that use KPIs to evaluate the success of the platform, identify issues and fix bugs and errors throughout the software’s life cycle.

System Integration

System integration enables the connection of your existing system with the software, supporting more integrated management of the business processes and more efficient use of data. A quality ERP platform will enable easy integration, not impeding your activities while boosting productivity and helping you increase your profits and business reach.

Pricing

When it comes to enterprise resource planning prices, we first check the type of pricing. Vendors who provide cloud ERP solutions often display the prices on their websites while others give customized quotes upon request. Usually, the price is determined by the number of users. The average price per user ranges from $1,500 to $4,000. Billing, however, might also be conducted based on the deployment method as:

Perpetual Licence

Perpetual license is paid once at the moment of software deployment and is used for on-premises software. This is a one-time investment that depends on the number of users and the level of customization of the enterprise resource planning software. With this type of software, you’ll need to pay for maintenance, data migration, and training.

SaaS Pricing Model

With the SaaS pricing model, users pay a subscription fee on a monthly or yearly basis for cloud solutions. This type of pricing enables users to access the cloud-based software and cover the costs for maintenance, updates, and hosting on a third-party server.

Other aspects that influence pricing are the license, level of customization, hardware and software installation, training services, and more. SMBs typically pay $75,000-$750000 for implementation, while prices for large organizations range from $1 million to $10 million.

ERP Software Reviews

Beyond listing the best enterprise resource planning options, we provide you with detailed reviews of each product with essential specifications including the product’s main features, pros, and cons, etc.

NetSuite ERP

NetSuite ERP is a top ERP software that caters to fast-growing mid-sized businesses and large companies. It automates many business processes such as revenue, inventory and financial management.

Pros

• Highly flexible and customizable
• Excellent integration
• High uptime

Cons

• CRM is a bit difficult to use
• Customer service could be better

Features

NetSuite ERP is designed to accelerate growth and drive innovation. It comes with built-in business intelligence that provides analytics to generate meaningful insights. Financial management and planning are some of NetSuite’s main functionalities. They shorten cycle times and provide intuitive budgeting and forecasting solutions, as well as robust analytics for smarter decisions.

This ERP software also provides order management, centralizing customer, invoice, order, and shipping information to streamline the fulfillment flow. The product management helps you get your items to market and leverage real-time visibility into production management processes. You also get complete visibility of your supply chain including inventory management, purchasing features, and manufacturing. NetSuite also provides accurate revenue recognition management and procurement.

Pricing

NetSuite ERP’s price is available upon request. You should contact the vendor to get a customized quote.

Epicor ERP

Epicor is one of the leading ERP software solutions with robust functionalities for inventory control, accounting, manufacturing execution, and more. The system is available as on-premise, hosted, or cloud-based software. This particular platform is modular which means you can choose which modules you want to purchase.

Pros

• Highly customizable
• Excellent integration capabilities
• Great customer support

Cons

• Occasional bugs
• The in-program training features could be improved

Features

Epicore is feature-rich and its CRM is among its most notable functionalities. It provides a complete view of the customers, partners, or suppliers, helping you manage the entire lifecycle and enhance efficiency. Then, the financial management module enables you to access financial operations from anywhere and gain insight into performance, risks, and expenses.

Epicor’s DocStar Enterprise Content Management is a cloud-based tool that allows you to manage your content and make well-informed decisions. The supply chain management is an excellent module for delivering information about inventory, product delivery and service, accuracy, and more, enabling you to efficiently operate a supply chain. When it comes to BI and analytics, Epicor provides a module for strategic decision-making. Other features of this ERP software include global business management, ecommerce solutions, product and production management.

Pricing

Epicor’s price isn’t publicly disclosed. You should reach out to the vendor to get a customized quote.

Odoo

Odoo is the best option if you need a single tool for managing all types of operations including finance management, process automation, logistical operations, and project management. This open-source ERP software is highly flexible and modular. There are more than 30 main modules to start with and you can always add more as you go. Every module is interconnected to seamlessly automate the processes and reduce redundant manual inputs.

Pros

• Modular system
• Amazing feature set
• Budget-friendly

Cons

• Poor documentation organization
• Occasional bugs

Features

Designed to meet the needs of organizations of all sizes, Odoo is a fully integrated online ERP software that can handle sales, manufacturing, inventory, accounting, CRM, and many other business needs. Odoo has a drag-and-drop editor for building custom sites.

You can also easily add CTAs, customer portals, and blogs. This software also comes with a built-in SEO feature. The ecommerce module has an integrated platform with automatic stock adjustments and reporting.

With Odoo, you can personalize your sales cycle, create marketing campaign automation, and take control of their statistics to boost your performance. Through the subscription app, you can manage subscribers and set recurring billing and include analysis tools. Odoo’s accounting module further offers tools such as bank synchronization, invoicing, and expense management. As a leading manufacturing ERP software on the market, Odoo has unique, double-entry inventory management that allows easy tracking of products and preparing orders based on availability.

Pricing

There is a free plan, Odoo Community, that includes only one app. The pricing for the Enterprise version is $24 per user plus the cost of each application you add. The application prices start at $6.68 per month. You can get a discount if you opt to be billed annually. For more information, check Odoo’s pricing plan.

SAP Business ByDesign

SAP Business ByDesign is a cloud ERP software designed for mid-sized businesses and local public sector organizations. It provides great solutions for HR, accounting, procurement, and more.

Pros

• Robust analytics
• Highly configurable and scalable
• Clear display of orders and revenue

Cons

• Licencing can be pricey for larger organizations
• Occasional slowness

Features

SAP manages system upgrades, hosting, and maintenance. It’s praised for its ability to scale up and has features that enable you to manage accounts for different operating units. SAP’s finance features give a real-time overview of your financial state, manage the cash and liquidity, and streamline the accounting process. The HR features further enable you to take care of organization management, track time and attendance of employees, and other HR processes.

SAP’s project management features similarly integrate with all areas to organize the project regardless of its complexity and size. The CRM of this ERP software is considered among the best on the market — it can help you manage your sales and service processes, as well as marketing. SAP also has the features to meet your supply chain needs, helping you cut costs and enhance effectiveness. Managing contracting and sourcing, and empowering employees with self-service procurement is another strong feature of this software.

Pricing

SAP Business ByDesign’s price depends on the number of users and the type of access you want. The Self-Service subscriptions start from $17 while the starting price of the Team user subscriptions stands at $90 per user, per month. The Enterprise user fees start at $152 per user, per month, while the Base package has a flat monthly rate of 1,655.

Scoro

Scoro is a cloud-based ERP software for small business organizations and midsize businesses that simplifies processes and offers useful features for collaboration, tracking, CRM, finance, etc. It serves organizations in a variety of industries including advertising, IT, and consulting.

Pros

• Great for first-time ERP users
• Avid customer support
• A variety of integrations

Cons

• No offline mode
• No HR tool

Features

Scoro is a feature-rich ERP software but what really sets it apart from the rest is its control hub that displays the most important data such as account info, key performance metrics, and tasks. With this software, you can see all tasks in real-time to stay on top of business performance. Scoro provides strong security features meaning that only relevant employees will see and work on a particular project. The software’s project management has features such as budget allocation, configurable progress statuses, comments and files, planning tasks and meetings, and managing invoices all of which save time.

Scoro is one of the best ERP software examples when it comes to CRM. It provides a single-page overview of all the important details about the contacts. You can filter based on categories, latest activities, location, and so on to get a complete overview of the sales funnel and closing probability. Scoro’s financial management tool automates finance-related tasks, tracks purchases and costs, enables you to compare budget plans against real revenue, and more. The dashboard displays the KPIs, conversions, and actionable items. You can find information about the billable and non-billable hours, unassigned and delegated tasks, missed deadlines, completed tasks, and more.

Pricing

Scoro is one of the ERP software systems that offer multiple pricing plans. The Essential subscription is perfect for smaller teams and its monthly price is $26 per user. There are also two Working Hub subscription plans designed for creative and professional services: Work Hub Premium which costs $42 per user per month and Work Hub Ultimate that comes in at a monthly price of $56 per user.

Designed to help organizations manage sales efficiently, the Sales Hub Premium subscription costs $42 while the Sales Hub Ultimate’s monthly fee is $56 per user. If you need a powerful tool for automation your business, the Business Hub Premium and Business Hub Ultimate come in at $68 and $82 per user, per month, respectively.

Acumatica

Acumatica is an intuitive enterprise resource planning software available both on-premise and in the cloud. It offers a variety of features for small and midsize businesses in different industries that look to automate their processes and enhance the workflow.

Pros

• Solid reporting
• Easy navigation
• On-premises and cloud deployment

Cons

• Unclear pricing structure
• Report filters could be improved

Features

One of Acumatica’s best features is its built-in CRM that offers a centralized view of customer records. It enables access to invoices, quotes, customer activity, etc. The post-sales service and portals allow you to take customer experience on a whole new level, while the Acumatica Customer Portal streamlines customer collaboration. The financial management applications are scalable and designed to handle all finance-related operations and provide financial statements, as well as analytics, planning and budgeting tools.

This enterprise resource planning platform also offers great inventory control to keep track of your stockpile which is particularly important if you are a retail or service company. The distribution management feature meanwhile simplifies order management and automates the purchasing process. The manufacturing management tools help with the integration of shop floor scheduling, materials purchasing, and production planning with customer management, purchasing, inventory, and accounting, enabling real-time coordination of activities.

Pricing

Acumatica’s pricing is based on what you use and the price is only available upon request.

Workday

Workday is the best ERP software for medium and large businesses in a variety of industries and niches including healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and service businesses.

Pros

• Analytics and Big Data
• Organized and user-friendly
• Pre-built interfaces for specific vendors

Cons

• Setting up reports can be complicated
• Lack of payroll features

Features

Financial Management is one of the main features of Workday. It’s highly appreciated by users for its real-time insights, process management, and the full range of financial capabilities. The Human Capital Management solution is another notable feature of this ERP software that combines HR and talent management into one solution. It allows you to organize your workforce with tools for planning, recruiting, audit and internal controls, benefits, payroll management, and more.

Workday is one of the best ERP software when it comes to providing actionable insight. With this software, you both get accurate data and the whole picture of your organization. You can also configure Workday to adapt it to your company’s needs. This platform also makes it simple to build, manage, and evolve integration to seamlessly connect the ERP software to your other applications and resources.

Pricing

Workday doesn’t have set pricing. They provide quotes upon request based on your specific needs.

SYSPRO ERP

SYSPRO is a scalable distribution ERP software designed to help users with their decision-making process, resource allocation, and to improve their productivity. This platform is highly responsive and agile, which means it easily scales up and adapts as your business grows.

Pros

• Comprehensive Reporting
• A variety of modules
• Easy to use

Cons

• Lack of built-in HR/payroll module

Features

SYSPRO leverages machine learning and AI to provide critical insights for quick and easy analysis which enables you to make better decisions, improve your processes, and meet your goals. This ERP software also fosters collaboration and engagement, empowering users in everyday operations. This platform has the ability to adapt to your organization and specific needs, supporting full customization of your workspace.

With SYSPRO you can improve the interactions and data management through its integration services and APIs. This software also uses BOT agents which enable the automation of business processes, improving the supply chain collaboration, accounting, warehouse management, manufacturing operations, and more. Its scheduling capability is especially strong, providing Gantt charts that showcase timelines. SYSPRO is also considered to be the best ERP accounting software with modules that include purchase order entry, general ledger, and fixed assets. The sales order module meanwhile helps you fulfill your orders accurately and on time.

Pricing

SYSPRO provides custom pricing upon request. Contact the vendor to get your quote.

Genius ERP

Genius is an all-in-one ERP solution perfect for small and midsize manufacturers. It comes with robust features for managing projects, employees, customers, production, accounts, and more. It’s a cloud-based tool designed to handle projects within industries such as transportation, machinery, and food production.

Pros

• Easy implementation
• Support proactivity

Cons

• The financial module has some limitations
• Customer support can be better
• No free trial available

Features

Product engineering is among Genius’s most notable features, letting you transform CAD designs into RFQs and BOMs while saving time and reducing errors. Genius also simplifies the accounting process, connecting finances and payment information. The project management tools are designed to save time and help you meet targets. Another aspect where Genius ERP software shines is inventory control. You will be able to optimize the process and avoid item shortages altogether.

This platform’s quality control features help you track warranties, generate NCRs, and ensure that the highest standards are met. Genius also offers API integration with third-party apps, custom programs, or websites. Sales CRM, production planning, and customer management also form part of the Genius’s feature pack.

Pricing

While the starting price is unavailable on the vendor’s site, our research indicates that on-premise options start at $3,000 per user, per year, while the annual price for a subscription starts from $1,500 per user.

Deskera ERP

Deskera is a diverse enterprise resource planning software used by businesses of all sizes. It can be easily aligned with your workflow, allowing you to set up user roles, automate alerts, and choose preferences. It’s feature-rich and comes with built-in integration with third-party systems.

Pros

• Great interface
• Easy customization
• Robust reporting feature

Cons

• Customer service could be improved
• Occasional bugs and slowness

Features

Deskera is focused on facilitating the recording and processing of financial processes and transactions. It helps you with operations like quotation and invoicing, returns and payments, etc. Plus, thanks to its integration options, you can connect your inventory and manufacturing data with your ERP software. When it comes to managing supplies, Deskera offers planning and inventory features that allow you to monitor stock levels and consumption, create a product catalog, keep optimal product replenishment cycle, optimize processes, and improve the service quality.

Deskera also improves user experience by allowing you to keep all important customer data in one central repository. You can learn all about your customers’ preferences and problems and classify them based on different parameters. Deskera’s intuitive reporting tool further provides graphs and charts with an in-depth analysis of the business performance, highlighting areas that need attention.

Pricing

Deskera’s pricing is quote-based and depends on the specific business requirements. To get a personalized quote, you should contact the vendor.

Buying Guide: Compare ERP Software Against Your Preferences

While having all the essential software specifications in one place makes it easier to find the best one, it’s still important to do some research before choosing. What follows is a short buying guide to help you simplify the process.

Filter Based on Business Size & Industry

The first step in shortlisting the available ERP software solutions is discarding those that don’t fit your business size. If you are an SMB, you shouldn’t pay for features you will never use. You, however, will still need a solution that can scale up for potential future growth.

Then, if you’re a large enterprise, you need software with a broad spectrum of features that is also flexible and has extensive customization options. If your business is in a regulated industry such as healthcare or finance, you will need software with compliant modules and processes.

Define Your Needs

Once you narrow down the options based on your business size, make a list of the features you need. When doing this, consider the problems your business is facing and think about how to simplify your operations. This is also the time to decide on the type of software — on-premise, cloud, or hybrid — that would best suit you. You’ll then have a shortlist with providers whose product matches your requirements.

Define a Budget

Finally, decide how much money you can spend on ERP software on a monthly or annual basis. Then, compare pricing quotes. The software that aligns best with your budget is the one you should go with.