Epicor Kinetic is the best software for most manufacturers of 50 or more employees that build to order, because Epicor describes it as specialized for discrete, make-to-order manufacturing and an ERP keeps production and finance in one system. A custom system built by Black Badger ranks third, and it is the better choice when quoting, shop floor tracking or another central part of your operation fits no product without workarounds.
The ranking, entry by entry
1 Epicor Kinetic
Best for discrete manufacturers that make to order
Epicor Kinetic ranks first because it is the one ERP on this list that its maker describes as specialized for discrete, make-to-order manufacturing. For a manufacturer of 50 or more employees that builds to a customer order, a system designed around that work needs fewer workarounds than a general ERP. Epicor calls it cloud-focused with flexibility for on-premises and hybrid deployments.
Watch for. Epicor publishes no Kinetic price. Ask which deployment the quote covers, since cloud, on-premises and hybrid are all offered.
- Price
- Not published, quoted per customer Epicor shows Request a Demo and Contact Sales on the Kinetic page and gives no price. Its site describes Kinetic cloud packages and industry bundles.
- Main limit
- Quote only, built for discrete make-to-order manufacturers
2 Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform
Best for plants that want machines, quality and finance on one platform
Plex, from Rockwell Automation, ranks second. Its annual subscription has no named or concurrent user license, and Plex says it supports unlimited users and machines with no overage charges. That matters in a plant, where operators, inspectors and supervisors all need a screen. Packages run from plant-level MES up to full-business ERP. It sits behind Epicor only because the right package can be identified only in a sales conversation.
Watch for. Decide how much of the business goes on Plex before the demo. The packages are tiered by scope, and no dollar amount is published for any of them.
- Price
- Not published, quoted per customer Plex sells an annual subscription with no named or concurrent user license. It says the subscription supports unlimited users and machines and has no overage charges. The packaging page shows no dollar amount.
- Main limit
- Quote only, built for manufacturers, and sold as a plant to business package
3 Custom build by Black Badger
Best for manufacturers whose quoting or shop floor fits no product
Black Badger publishes this guide and builds custom software for manufacturers, so weigh this entry with that in mind. A custom system ranks third because a plant with a working ERP often needs one part built and not a new ERP. That part is the one the ERP handles badly, usually quoting, scheduling or shop floor tracking, built the way the plant runs and connected to the ERP it keeps. You own the code and the accounts, and there is no per-seat fee.
Watch for. A build starts with discovery and a written scope, which sets the cost and the schedule. We work mainly with manufacturers of 50 or more employees.
- Price
- One-time build scoped in writing, no per-seat fee After launch you pay running costs such as hosting, database and email. There are no licenses, so adding a person adds no fee.
- Main limit
- Needs a scoping call first, and suits companies of 50 or more employees
What a custom build involves, and how to ask about one
4 Oracle NetSuite
Best for manufacturers that want finance, inventory and orders in one cloud
NetSuite ranks fourth. It is a general cloud ERP and not a factory system, and its strength for a manufacturer is that accounting, inventory, order management and tax management are part of the core platform. Anything past that is a module licensed separately with its own fee. It suits a growing manufacturer that wants one vendor-managed system and can budget for a quoted subscription plus an implementation.
Watch for. NetSuite publishes no price list, and its own pricing guide lists data migration, implementation, training and support as costs beyond the license.
- Price
- Not published, quoted per customer NetSuite points buyers to a free consultation for a quote. Its own guides describe an annual license built from the core platform, optional modules and the number of users.
- Main limit
- Quote only, and each module is licensed separately
5 Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Best for manufacturers on Microsoft tools that want a published price
Business Central ranks fifth and is the easiest product here to budget, because Microsoft publishes the price. Essentials is $80 a user a month and Premium is $110, both paid yearly, and manufacturing is included only in Premium. A manufacturer already on Microsoft tools gets an ERP from the same vendor. It ranks in the middle because it is a general ERP with manufacturing added, and a plant with deep manufacturing needs will want a system built for factories.
Watch for. Microsoft sends buyers to a partner to purchase. The $8 Team Members license only reads data, approves workflows and updates select information.
- Price
- From $80 a user a month (Essentials), paid yearly Microsoft lists Essentials at $80 a user a month and Premium at $110, both paid yearly. Premium adds service management and manufacturing. A Team Members license is $8 a user a month and is limited to reading data, approving workflows and updating select information. Microsoft says the prices are informational and the actual price appears at checkout.
- Main limit
- Manufacturing needs the Premium plan, and Microsoft sends buyers to a partner
6 Infor CloudSuite
Best for manufacturers in a sector Infor builds a suite for
Infor CloudSuite ranks sixth. Infor sells one suite per industry, including aerospace and defense, automotive, food and beverage and industrial manufacturing. A manufacturer in one of those sectors starts with a system already set up for its industry. A manufacturer outside them has less to choose from. Infor runs CloudSuite on its AWS cloud platform and describes the industrial manufacturing suite as multi-tenant.
Watch for. No price is published, and the Infor Velocity Suite AI package is an add-on. Confirm which industry suite the quote is for.
- Price
- Not published, quoted per customer Infor lists no price. The CloudSuite page offers a demo and a contact route, and Infor sells one industry suite per sector.
- Main limit
- Quote only, sold as industry suites, so the choice depends on your sector
7 Acumatica Cloud ERP
Best for manufacturers with many occasional users
Acumatica ranks seventh. Its pricing follows the applications you deploy and the resources you use instead of the number of user seats. That helps a manufacturer where dozens of people need to look something up a few times a day. It ranks low on this list because Acumatica sells only through resellers and publishes no dollar prices, so both the quote and the implementation depend on the reseller you choose.
Watch for. Pricing by resources still has to be sized. Ask the reseller how they estimate usage for your user count, and compare the SaaS and private cloud options.
- Price
- Not published, quoted per customer Acumatica prices by the applications you deploy, your expected usage and resource needs, and your deployment option, not by user seats. Its pricing page offers a custom pricing review.
- Main limit
- Quote only, sold through resellers, priced by resources and not by users
8 Fishbowl inventory and manufacturing
Best for manufacturers keeping their accounting and adding stock control
Fishbowl ranks eighth on the overall list because it is not an ERP. It is inventory, warehouse and manufacturing control that connects to accounting tools such as QuickBooks Online. For a manufacturer that likes its accounting and needs control of stock and work orders, that is a strength. Published plans include 2 to 10 users, so a company of 50 or more needs the quoted Advanced plans.
Watch for. Advanced Warehouse starts at $595 a month and Advanced Manufacturing at $675, and Fishbowl says final pricing is quoted to your users and deployment.
- Price
- From $229 a month (Essentials), billed annually Fishbowl lists Essentials at $229 a month with 2 users, Growth at $429 with 5 users and Scale at $729 with 10 users, all billed annually. Advanced Warehouse starts at $595 a month and Advanced Manufacturing at $675, priced by users and deployment. Fishbowl calls these published starting prices and says final pricing is quoted to your users and deployment.
- Main limit
- Plans include 2 to 10 users, and the Advanced plans need a quote
How this list was ranked
This list ranks across tool types for a manufacturer of 50 or more employees. It holds ERPs built for factories, general cloud ERPs, an inventory and manufacturing tool and a custom build, because those are the choices in front of a plant. We weighed how closely each option matches the way a manufacturer works, what it costs where a price is published, and how much of the business has to move to adopt it.
Most vendors here publish no price. Where that is so, the entry says it and gives no estimate. Black Badger publishes this guide and builds custom software, which is why the custom route is on the list and why it is not ranked first here.
Questions buyers ask
Is there one best software for every manufacturer?
No, there is no one best software for every manufacturer. A make-to-order machine shop, a food plant and an assembler of standard products need different things. That is why the other lists on this site are divided by job, such as inventory, planning, quoting and shop floor tracking. The overall list is the place to start when you are not yet sure which job is the problem.
Why do so few manufacturing ERP vendors publish a price?
Few manufacturing ERP vendors publish a price because the price depends on modules, users, deployment and services, and the vendors prefer to quote it. On the dates we checked, Epicor, Infor, Plex, NetSuite and Acumatica published no dollar price. Microsoft, SAP, Odoo and Fishbowl did. We report what each vendor shows and do not fill the gaps with estimates.
Why is a custom build on a list of manufacturing software?
A custom build is on a list of manufacturing software because it is an option open to a manufacturer of this size, and Black Badger, which publishes this guide, builds it. We would rather say that plainly and rank the route where it fits. On most lists here it is second or third. It is first on the quoting list and on the list about production run on spreadsheets.
Does a manufacturer have to replace its ERP to fix one problem?
A manufacturer usually does not have to replace its ERP to fix one problem. Many problems sit in one area, such as estimating or the schedule, while the ledger works. A dedicated tool or a custom system connected to the existing ERP often fixes the problem without a full replacement.