7 Best Small Business ERP Systems 2024 (#1 Cloud ERP)

by Chris Von Wilpert, BBusMan • Last updated November 23, 2023

Expert Verified by Leandro Langeani, BBA

First-Person Perspective: We buy, test and review software products based on a 3-step rating methodology and first-hand experienceIf you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Read our rating methodology and how we make money.

Today there are 89 different ERPs for small businesses. We spent 134 hours comparing the top 50 to find the seven best you can use to streamline your small business operations.

What is the Best Small Business ERP?

  1. Sage 50cloud — best of the best
  2. QuickBooks Enterprise — best for wholesale
  3. WP ERP — best for WordPress users
  4. SAP Business One — best for startups
  5. Odoo Community — best for free
  6. Acumatica — best for manufacturing
  7. Striven — best for construction

Our Verdict — Best Of The Best

Price: Starts at $34.30/month

Sage 50cloud is an outstanding ERP tool for small businesses. We think it’s the best because of its straightforward job management tools, advanced inventory management features, and invoice tracking tools.

The Best Part:

  • 24/7 product support. Sage 50cloud offers around-the-clock technical assistance to help you work without interruption.

The Worst Part:

  • It’s not cloud-based. Sage 50cloud is primarily a desktop application to run on your PC or server; the “cloud” in the name refers to online add-ons you can have.

Get it if you want a reliable desktop ERP to efficiently manage your small business.

I recommend you start with a 30-day free trial, then sign up for the Quantum Accounting subscription starting at $91.45/mo.

(30-day free trial)

Best For

Sage 50cloud is best for small businesses seeking an all-in-one system to streamline their business management tasks and save valuable time.

Top Features

  • Hassle-free paydays. 50cloud makes it a breeze to process payroll and stay compliant with regulations — vacations, sick time, unpaid leave, etc.
  • Automated bank reconciliation. Skip the hassle of manual data checking and get notified about any inconsistencies between your bank transactions and accounting records.
  • Streamlined inventory handling. Get automatic alerts when stock is low and keep track of your inventory levels as you invoice for new orders. 
  • One-click reporting. Make savvy business decisions with the help of unlimited financial reports on your balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements, etc.
  • Track costs per project. Monitor expenses, labor, and project-related costs to know the full picture of each and every project, on a whim.

Pricing

Sage 50cloud offers three pricing plans:

  • Pro Accounting: $57.17/month for small business owners who want to get a complete ERP to manage invoicing, payroll, inventory, accounting, and more.
  • Premium Accounting: $92/month for small businesses that want an advanced ERP to run multiple companies’ accounting, inventory, payroll, etc. and monitor serialized inventory, for up to 5 users.
  • Quantum Accounting: $152.42/month for small businesses that want a fast and automation-capable ERP to process order workflows and manage business operations, for up to 40 users.

Annual subscriptions provide a 16% discount.

Try Sage 50cloud today with a free 30-day trial.

Our Verdict — Best For Wholesale

Price: Starts at $135/month

QuickBooks Enterprise is an inventory and wholesale ERP solution for small businesses. We think it’s the best for wholesale because of its efficient inventory management tools, order fulfillment features, and customizable wholesale reporting.

The Best Part:

  • Phone setup assistance. QuickBooks Enterprise has a dedicated onboarding & setup team to help you implement and use the software.

The Worst Part:

  • Extra fee for cloud access. QuickBooks Enterprise charges extra if you want to store your ERP on the cloud to have access to it from any device.

Get it if you want a reliable distribution and wholesale ERP to manage your small business efficiently.

I recommend you start with the 30-day free trial, then sign up for the Platinum subscription at $2,250/year to take control of your business.

(30-day free trial)

Best For

QuickBooks Enterprise is best for small distribution and wholesale businesses that want a cloud-based or desktop ERP to streamline processes.

Top Features

  • Protect your margins. Set up smart pricing rules to automatically adjust your prices based on changes on duties, taxes, shipping, etc.
  • Streamlined inventory tracking. Assign expiration dates for product batches, and track your products effortlessly using serial and lot numbers.
  • E-commerce integration. Fulfill orders on platforms such as Shopify, Magento, and Amazon and sync inventory, pricing, and customer details automatically, in real-time.
  • Customized reporting. Forecast future demand and track your profitability with QuickBooks Enterprise’s advanced reporting.
  • Multiple source fulfillment. Complete a single order from various warehouses or lots — and watch your inventory across all sites update automatically, within seconds.

Pricing

QuickBooks Enterprise offers three pricing plans:

  • Enterprise Silver: $135/month for small wholesale businesses that want a reliable ERP with cost, pricing, and inventory management features.
  • Enterprise Gold: $185/month for small wholesale businesses that want a complete ERP solution with all Enterprise Silver features, plus payroll.
  • Enterprise Platinum: $220/month for small wholesale businesses that want a reliable ERP to efficiently and accurately manage inventory, pricing, and payroll, with advanced reporting and automation workflows.
  • Enterprise Diamond: $370/month for small wholesale businesses looking for the best ERP for wholesale — with access to optional add-ons for assisted payroll, employee time tracking, and Salesforce integration.

Annual subscriptions provide up to a 17.5% discount.

Try QuickBooks Enterprise today with a free 30-day trial.

Our Verdict — Best For WordPress users

Price: Starts at $12.99/month

WP ERP is the ultimate ERP for small businesses with a WordPress website. We think it’s the best for WordPress users because of its user-friendly interface, WooCommerce integration, and powerful ERP features.

The Best Part:

  • Value-based pricing. WP ERP enables you to select only the tools you want to use — and only pay for what you get.

The Worst Part:

  • Laborious set up. WP ERP can be very difficult to set up, as quite a few users report instructions are hard to follow.

Get it if you want a WordPress-based ERP for your small business with seamless integrations and powerful HR, CRM, and accounting capabilities.

I recommend you start with the 7-day free trial, then sign up for the WP ERP Pro subscription at $12.99/mo.

(7-day free trial)

Best For

WP ERP is best for WordPress-based small businesses looking for a reasonably priced and effective ERP.

Top Features

  • Full-scale HR management. Manage employee recruitment, attendance, and payroll, create training programs for newcomers… all without ever leaving your WordPress dashboard.
  • Accounting and finance. Keep track of inventory levels, automate payroll, and create a customized pipeline that reflects your unique sales process.
  • Company asset management. Manage company assets such as electronic devices, chairs, and cars, and easily assign them to employees.
  • Two-way CRM sync. Integrate WP ERP with your current CRM systems, such as Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zendesk to seamlessly sync your orders, track sales, and manage customer interactions.
  • WordPress document manager. Store your work documents on WordPress and easily manage access permissions across various departments and employees.

Pricing

WP ERP offers one flexible pricing plan:

  • WP ERP Pro: $12.99/month for small businesses that run a WordPress website and want a comprehensive ERP to easily manage employees, accounting, and orders.

Annual subscriptions provide a 16% discount.

Try WP ERP today with a free 7-day trial.

Our Top Three Picks

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

  1. Sage 50cloud — best of the best
  2. QuickBooks Enterprise — best for wholesale
  3. WP ERP — best for WordPress users

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

Tool

Entry Offer

Pricing

Sage 50cloud

30-day free trial

Starts at $34.30/mo

QuickBooks Enterprise

30-day free trial

Starts at $135/mo

WP ERP

7-day free trial

Starts at $12.99/mo

SAP Business One

30-day free trial

Custom

Odoo Community

None

Free forever

Acumatica

Free demo

Custom

Striven

7-day free trial

Starts at $119/mo

Here are the top 50 small business ERPs we considered in this review:

  1. Sage 50cloud
  2. QuickBooks Enterprise
  3. WP ERP
  4. SAP Business One
  5. Odoo Community
  6. Acumatica
  7. Striven
  8. TallyPrime
  9. NetSuite
  10. SAP S/4HANA Cloud
  11. Brightpearl
  12. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
  13. SAP ERP
  14. SAP Business ByDesign
  15. XoroERP
  16. Deltek Costpoint
  17. Extensiv Order Manager
  18. Unanet GovCon
  19. Sage 100cloud
  20. SYSPRO
  21. Oracle E-Business Suite
  22. MIE Trak Pro
  23. Deskera ERP
  24. FinancialForce Financial Management ERP
  25. Sage Intacct
  26. Genius ERP
  27. BizAutomation Cloud ERP
  28. Epicor Prophet 21
  29. ERPNext
  30. Flectra
  31. Dolibarr ERP CRM
  32. Kinetic
  33. Epicor BisTrack
  34. OfficeBooks
  35. Adaptive
  36. Oracle Manufacturing Cloud
  37. ePromisERP
  38. FinancialForce PSA
  39. Multiview ERP
  40. Infor LN
  41. Oracle PeopleSoft
  42. Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform
  43. Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne
  44. Infor M3
  45. Epicor Eclipse
  46. Infor XA
  47. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management
  48. Total ETO
  49. Unanet AE ERP
  50. Prono Xi

Is ERP good for small businesses?

Yes, ERP software can be very beneficial for small businesses for many reasons. Most small businesses resort to an ERP when things start growing in different directions, creating challenges when it comes to managing human resources, customer service, and analyzing data to make informed decisions for growth.

An ERP comes in handy to solve these issues and streamline business processes, improve financial management, provide real-time visibility into inventory control, and enable better decision-making through business intelligence.

Cloud-based ERP solutions such as Sage 50cloud, QuickBooks Enterprise, and WP ERP open up growth opportunities for small businesses as they offer scalability and a 360-degree view of pretty much everything that's going on in the background of a company.

This brings cost savings as you, and your staff will be able to focus more on delivering better and more services to clients while relying on your cloud-based solution to do the heavy lifting for administrative tasks and enterprise resource planning  

Cloud-based ERP solutions can be particularly advantageous for small businesses as they offer scalability, cost savings, and a wide range of software solutions to meet various business requirements.

How much does ERP cost for a small business?

The cost of ERP software for small businesses can vary widely depending on factors such as the size of the business, the scope of software implementation, and the specific features and functionality required. Generally, cloud-based ERP solutions can be more cost-effective for small businesses, with some providers offering pricing models based on the number of users per month.

You can expect a decent ERP to set you back around $150/mo, or you can use a customized implementation to build your own CRM. The latter option is more expensive at first but might come in handy if you want to save on recurring costs in the long term.

What is the easiest ERP system to use?

The answer to this question would probably be the ERP that's most suitable for your industry. Consider QuickBooks enterprise if you're working in distribution or retail, and WP ERP if you're managing your business using WordPress.

If you find most ERPs complicated, you might want to get started with a simpler CRM such as HubSpot, then integrate or transfer it to an ERP in the future as you get more familiar with the tech.

What is an example of small business ERP?

There are many ERP software solutions designed specifically for small businesses. Our top seven picks are:

  1. Sage 50cloud
  2. QuickBooks Enterprise
  3. WP ERP
  4. SAP Business One
  5. Odoo Community
  6. Acumatica
  7. Striven

These ERP systems offer a range of features and functionality, including financial management, inventory control, and customer relationship management, all in a single source of truth.

How much does an ERP system cost?

The cost of an ERP system can vary widely depending on factors such as the size of the business, the scope of software implementation, and the specific features and functionality you require.

Generally, cloud-based ERP solutions can be more cost-effective than traditional on-premise solutions, with pricing models based on factors such as the number of users per month and the specific modules and features required.

Upfront costs for implementing an ERP system can also vary depending on factors such as the need for professional services or custom reports. Small and medium businesses often work with cloud-based ERP systems to save on maintenance costs and risks associated with hosting their own ERP. At a larger scale, it's sometimes less costly to run an ERP inside the company's systems and maintain them all along.

Small businesses can expect an average monthly cost of $150/mo per user for cloud-based ERPs.

The Bottom Line

To recap, here are the best small business ERPs to try this year:

  1. Sage 50cloud — best of the best
  2. QuickBooks Enterprise — best for wholesale
  3. WP ERP — best for WordPress users
  4. SAP Business One — best for startups
  5. Odoo Community — best for free
  6. Acumatica — best for manufacturing
  7. Striven — best for construction

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