7 Best Manufacturing ERP Software 2024 (50 Systems Ranked)

Today, there are 765 different manufacturing ERP software available to help manufacturers manage their operations and processes. We spent 72 hours comparing the top 50 to find the seven best you can use to manage and automate all your company’s operations effectively. 

What is the Best Manufacturing ERP Software? 

1. Netsuite ERP — best of the best
2. Acumatica — best for mid-sized businesses
3. SAP Business One — best for small manufacturers
4. Syspro — best for manufacturing business operations 
5. Odoo — best for beginners
6. Microsoft Dynamics 365 — best for supply chain optimization
7. UpKeep — best tailor-made manufacturing ERP

1. Netsuite ERP

Best For

NetSuite ERP is best for pre-revenue startups to small and mid-size manufacturers. The scalability options help you adjust plans as your company grows. 

Top Features

• Real-time and analytic interface. After setting up your processes, criteria, and checklists, you can instantly monitor and analyze the performances and processes on the dashboard. This covers procurement processes, fulfilments, and your quality control system.
• Supply chain management. Eases the process of transferring goods or materials through your supply chain after you’ve set it up. With this in place, you can combine it with the automated order management process to guarantee predictable delivery timelines.
• Optimize processes from a single source. Workflow management tools help you automate core business processes and save time. The inventory control feature gives you active control, accurate inventory maintenance, and proper asset management. The accounting software provides detailed real-time visibility of your financial performance and cash flow.
• Netsuite Oneworld. Manage the global operations of your business in real-time. Among the things you can manage with this feature are currencies and tax provisions.
• Planning and scheduling features. Intricately plan the production process. NetSuite also helps companies to detect upcoming challenges or difficulties easily. 

Pricing 

NetSuite ERP employs a custom annual pricing model. Factors that will influence your price are:

• Core platform
• Optional modules
• Users per month

Try NetSuite today with a free product tour.

2. Acumatica

Best For

Acumatica is best for small and mid-sized businesses.

Top Features

• Track your stock to the tee. The inventory management module allows you to track every detail associated with your stock items, such as default pricing and quantity counts.
• Maintain consistent records. With the bills of material (BOM) features, you’ll be able to track each material attached to a specific stock item ID. Acumatica’s system allows you to record either transactions or labor directly or backflush to each bill.
• Material requirements planning tools. Centralize your entire production process, from planning to scheduling and purchasing. Acumatica also has advanced planning and scheduling tools that help to schedule production cost-effectively.
• Customer order configuration module. Create custom work orders based on customer demands. The estimating module helps you estimate the cost of attending to a customer’s custom order request. It also allows you to get estimates for items that you may not have listed in your inventory.
• Get your financial management straight. Acumatica’s financial tools are designed on generally accepted accounting principles and provide insights on a real-time basis.

Pricing

Acumatica employs a custom pricing model. Factors that will influence your price are:

• The applications you want to start using now
• The type of license you are considering
• Your projected resource consumption

Try Acumatica by getting a free demo to start.

3. SAP Business One

Best For

SAP Business One is best for small and mid-sized manufacturers looking to automate their processes and gain greater control of their business.

Top Features

• Detailed reporting and analysis of the sales process. Forecast customers' demands in different scenarios based on this data.
• Track goods’ receipts with inventory data. Avoid loss and theft and save on the management costs for running multiple warehouses.
• Monitor transactions and operations in multiple currencies. The multi-currency feature makes SAP a good solution for global businesses
• Analytics and reporting dashboards. Easily track cash flow and financial performance. You can also create timely and accurate reports and analyses with Business Intelligence tools.
• Production and project management tools. You and process owners in your team can track operations on multiple projects simultaneously on mobile.

Pricing

SAP Business One employs a custom pricing model. Factors that will influence your price are:

• Users per month
• Multi or single-country setup 
• The degree of customization that you will need 
• Is there a single or multi-site setup?
• Are you deploying via the cloud or on-premise?
• What additional modules or functional areas will you need?
• Single or multi-warehouse?
• Is there a need for an additional SAP Business One mobile app for users?

Try SAP Business One with a free demo.

Our Top Three Picks

Here’s a quick summary of our top three picks:

1. NetSuite ERP — best of the best
2. Acumatica — best for mid-sized businesses
3. SAP Business One — best for small manufactures

Here’s a quick comparison of our top seven picks:

Here are the top 50 manufacturing ERP software we considered in this review:

1. NetSuite ERP
2. Acumatica
3. SAP Business One
4. Syspro
5. Odoo ERP
6. Microsoft Dynamic 365 
7. Upkeep
8. Epicor Industry Cloud ERP 
9. Oracle Cloud ERP 
10. IFS 
11. Syteline ERP 
12. Genius ERP 
13. Plex 
14. Delima 
15. xTuple 
16. Masterplan ERP 
17. Datacor ERP 
18.  QAD Cloud ERP
19. MRP Easy 
20. Fishbowl 
21. Katana Manufacturing ERP 
22. DELMIAworks 
23. ProntoForms 
24. Prodsmart 
25. QT9 ERP 
26. Infor Visual 
27. ETQ Reliance 
28. ProShop 
29. MRPeasy 
30. Shiftwork 
31. Poka 
32. Profitkey 
33. Expandable ERP 
34. Profitkey 
35. Pronto Xi 
36. Cetec ERP 
37. Arena PLM 
38. SAP Business Bydesign 
39. abas ERP 
40. LogicBox 
41. Aptean Industrial Manufacturing ERP WorkWise Edition 
42. Infor M3 
43. ERP-ONE 
44. FORM oPX 
45. collectiveFleet 
46. Excalibur WMS 
47. 3PL Warehouse Manager 
48. Magaya Supply Chain 
49. Courierscripts 
50. Sage Business Cloud Enterprise Management

What is the full form of ERP?

ERP refers to Enterprise Resource Planning

What ERP software is best for a manufacturing company?

Netsuite ERP is the best ERP software for a manufacturing company. It offers a manufacturing module, alongside other business applications, that will ease operations and processes.

What is ERP for manufacturing?

ERP for manufacturing refers to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software used to manage, plan, and deliver specific business supporting manufacturers. Manufacturing ERP is designed explicitly for manufacturing businesses, or it can refer to an ERP with additional modules designed for the manufacturing industry. 

There are several advantages to using ERPs in a manufacturing business. They include

• Automation of complex processes, which improves efficiency 
• Optimization of complex manufacturing processes that helps to increase productivity.
• Centralization of operating and financial information that creates seamless communication 
• Improvement in managing supply chain, inventory, warehouse, and transportation.
• Improved customer service

Is SAP an ERP or MRP? 

SAP (Systems, Applications & Products) is a software brand specializing in ERP software solutions. Therefore, you may say that SAP is an ERP. However, like most ERP software, SAP is usually module based. There are industry (including material requirement planning) specific tools and solutions in SAP’s ERP.

For instance, SAP Business One has a manufacturing and production module that helps small and mid-sized manufacturing businesses with their operations and processes. 

Is NetSuite good for manufacturing?

Netsuite is the best ERP software for manufacturing due to many reasons. These reasons include:

• Inventory management is a top priority for manufacturers since it ensures timely purchases, insufficient stock shortages or excess stock, and optimal accounting.
• Its ability to optimize production management via demand forecasting, workflow scheduling, and material requirement planning.
• It ensures better decision-making due to faster and easier access to accurate and real-time information. 
• Automating critical processes such as billing, team member management, production, vendor management, etc. This helps to save time and improves accuracy. 
• NetSuite has very robust costing methods that help manufacturers cost accurately.

What is the difference between ERP and MRP?

MRP (Materials Requirement Planning Software System) refers to software systems tailor-made to serve the manufacturing industry in the area of production materials. They help identify and measure production materials so that manufacturers can forecast and order the adequate materials they will need for a project, thereby saving time and cost.

On the other hand, ERP systems help to plan and automate many aspects of a business operation, including staff management, risk management, sales management,  supply chain, financial planning, etc. ERP systems, therefore, have multiple applications that communicate with each other to manage and coordinate all the different parts of a business. 

We can conclude that while MRP is specific to production materials, ERP deals with a wide range of business aspects. Therefore while MRP may be limited to just the manufacturing industry, ERP is useful in other industries like the aerospace industry, beverage industry, etc.

The Bottom Line

Here are our top picks for the best manufacturing ERP software to try this year:

1. Netsuite ERP — best of the best
2. Acumatica — best for mid-sized businesses
3. SAP Business One — best for small manufacturers
4. Syspro — best for manufacturing business operations
5. Odoo — best for beginners
6. Microsoft Dynamics 365 — best for supply chain optimization
7. UpKeep — best tailor-made manufacturing ERP