Best project-based ERP software in 2025
Contemporary businesses face multiple challenges that demand modern solutions. Large project-based enterprises must ensure timely project delivery, optimized resource allocation, and project supervision. Additionally, they must adhere to compliance and data safety regulations.
Implementing an ERP project management tool is an efficient solution. ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning and includes data centralization, task automation, single point of control, and supervision, among other benefits I'll discuss shortly.
Software reviews are my specialty, so with the help of the Cybernews research crew, I compiled a list of the best project-based ERP software. Below, you will find their essential features, pricing, and selection tips.
Best project-based ERP software – shortlist
- NetSuite ERP – best financial management ERP software
- Epicor – ERP for tech-savvy manufacturing businesses
- Odoo – highly customizable open-source ERP tool
- SAP ERP – all-encompassing ERP for large enterprises
- IFS – best ERP for asset-intensive industries
- SYSPRO – ERP for manufacturing and distribution growth
The best project-based ERP software compared
ERP projects are very different, and construction enterprises require ERP management software that would be incompatible with retail or healthcare companies. Below, I have compared ERP management systems for various industries, but I also recommend not to treat it as a better-or-worse ranking.
| Provider | Pricing start from | Ease of use | Top features |
| NetSuite ERP | Undisclosed (expensive ERP management system) | Hard | Multiple module support, 27 languages and 190 currencies support, all-in-one scalable service |
| Epicor | Undisclosed (relatively pricey ERP management system) | Hard, requires training | Focus on manufacturing and distribution, CRM integration, supply chain management |
| Odoo | $24.90 | Medium | A variety of apps, data compliance tools, open source platform with active community |
| SAP ERP | Undisclosed | Hard | Financial management, data representation, budgeting and forecasting |
| IFS | Undisclosed | Medium, requires training | Enterprise asset management, core business process integration, advanced business intelligence |
| SYSPRO ERP | Undisclosed | Medium | Scalable ERP for growth, inventory and warehouse management optimization, production planning |
6 best project-based ERP software – our detailed list
With the help of the Cybernews research crew, I have compiled a list of the 6 best project-based ERP software. As you will shortly notice, this is not a ranking but a list of professional solutions tailored for various businesses.
1. NetSuite ERP – cloud-based ERP for mid-to-large enterprises
| Best for: | Medium-to-large enterprises with global reach |
| Free trial: | No |
| Starting price: | Undisclosed |
| Top features: | All-in-one ERP solution, financial management, multi-language and currency support |
Oracle's NetSuite ERP is one of the most powerful cloud-based all-in-one ERP management software that excels in financial management.
This tool is fully capable of handling project-based demands. It automates financial processes and offers supply chain optimization, procurement, and order management. Additionally, it supports 190 currencies and 27 languages, so I recommend NetSuite ERP for project-based companies with global reach.
One of its key benefits is multiple-module support, like budgeting and forecasting, compliance, inventory control, payroll automation, and many more valuable tools. However, this ERP management system has a steep learning curve, so it can take quite some time to deploy without a specifically trained professional.
You will have to contact Oracle directly to get pricing details, which typically involves a one-time implementation cost and subscription-based fee based on a number of optional models, users, and the core platform. However, users report steep prices, which often start in 4 digits.
2. Epicor – affordable ERP for distribution and manufacturing
| Best for: | Retail, manufacturing, distribution |
| Free trial: | No |
| Starting price: | Undisclosed |
| Top features: | Cloud or on-premise architecture, industry-tailored ERP, CRM integration |
Epicor offers on-premise, cloud, or hybrid ERP software best for manufacturing, distribution, and retail sectors. Epicor is better suited for businesses seeking pre-built, industry-specific functionality. It is also cheaper than NetSuite ERP but still above the price range for small companies.
Its primary advantage is a focus on specific industries with a deep understanding of their core processes. Although this service requires industry-specific knowledge, its Epicor Kinetic cloud-focused software is updated with a more intuitive interface and is fully compatible with the Epicor CRM platform.
Epicor claims to have 23.000 worldwide customers and 2.3 million daily users, which may affect customer support responsiveness due to its massive user base. I recommend this service for medium-to-large businesses with in-house IT professionals who can ensure efficient Epicor implementation.
Similar to NetSuite ERP, you must also contact Epicor directly for a price estimate. It also does not offer a free trial.
3. Odoo – scalable EPR for expanding businesses
| Best for: | Small to medium businesses |
| Free trial: | Yes |
| Starting price: | $24.90/month |
| Top features: | Open-source, a variety of apps, data compliance |
Odoo is a great open-source ERP for SMB growth and an excellent tool for various needs, including ERP for project management. Odoo offers a variety of apps that enterprises can adapt to their needs but may require professional assistance for set up and maintenance.
Odoo offers a wide selection of apps, from financial management to compliance, recruitment, and inventory control tools. This ERP management software assists with VAT compliance and adherence to GDPR, HIPAA, and other data protection standards.
One of Odoo's benefits is a 'one app free' policy, which offers a single application (CRM, inventory management, etc.) for free with unlimited users. A 30-day free trial is often available through its partners, during which businesses should evaluate their needs and request a quote to avoid unexpected costs.
Odoo starts from $24.90 for Standard or $37.40 for the Custom plan that expands hosting capabilities. Keep in mind that these are first-year prices, which slightly increase afterward.
4. SAP ERP – industry-focused ERP for large companies
| Best for: | Large, worldwide enterprises |
| Free trial: | Yes |
| Starting price: | Undisclosed |
| Top features: | Financial accounting, data analytics and representation, industry-specific process optimization |
SAP ERP is popular among large, worldwide enterprises that seek elaborate project-based ERP software. Its focus on industry-specific processes, financial accounting, and data representation is beneficial for businesses that want to optimize, connect, and control their processes.
The SAP Analytics Cloud for Planning uses AI and machine learning for budgeting and forecasting. It simulates potential financial outcomes in a volatile global economy so that shareholders remain aligned with business goals, making data-driven decisions.
The SAP ERP is not for the faint of heart and requires a professional setup. Simultaneously, ERP project managers should prepare to implement company-wide process changes outlined by in-depth SAP ERP financial predictions, task automation, and optimization.
Due to industry-specific tools and numerous available modules for almost every business function, companies should contact SAP ERP directly to get an estimated quote. However, its public cloud edition offers a 14-day basic trial to get a taste of its capabilities.
5. IFS – industry-focused and primarily cloud-based ERP
| Best for: | Mid to large asset-intensive industries |
| Free trial: | No |
| Starting price: | Undisclosed |
| Top features: | Enterprise asset management, business and financial analytics, core business process integration |
IFS is an industry-focused and primarily cloud-based ERP solution used by the aerospace, construction, engineering, and energy industries. It offers advanced business intelligence and analytics, financial and supply chain management tools, and excellent enterprise asset management (EAM) tools.
In other words, it is primarily used by asset-intensive industries that have a lot of assets to control. This makes IFS unsuitable for small companies and less suitable for enterprises without significant physical assets. Simultaneously, implementing IFS requires professional assistance with in-depth industry-focused knowledge.
IFS integrates the core business processes into a unified platform, including supply chain, manufacturing, finance, human resources, and project management ERP. While this ERP program has an intuitive interface, the depth of its functionality is demanding, especially for new users.
Businesses can schedule a demo to get familiar with IFS before buying and have to get a price with their sales team. Otherwise, IFS also does not offer a free trial.
6. SYSPRO – feature-rich ERP for SMBs
| Best for: | Small to medium manufacturing and distribution businesses |
| Free trial: | No |
| Starting price: | On request |
| Top features: | Scalable platform for growth, great customer support, tailored for distribution and manufacturing |
SYSPRO ERP focuses on expanding manufacturing and distribution companies to streamline their core processes. Its broad selection of modules integrates business functionalities in a single point of control, including supply chain and inventory management, production planning, and shop floor control.
Compared to ERP giants like SAP ERP or Epicor, SYSPRO is considered more user-friendly and easier to use by employees. Responsive customer support is beneficial during the implementation period, which, as in most ERP software, can be potentially lengthy and challenging for new users.
Although SYSPRO is suitable for smaller manufacturing and distribution businesses, its depth of functionality is best for companies that want to scale and expand their operations. Before committing, SYSPRO allows clients to take a virtual tour to get familiarized with its structure.
Like many ERP software providers, SYSPRO does not offer a free trial, and businesses have to contact them directly to get a quote estimate.
How did we select the best project-based ERP software?
To provide our readers with a genuine hands-on software evaluation, we aim to test the reviewed software whenever possible. However, due to the complexity and industry-focused nature of ERP management systems, it is not possible for a single person or our research team to personally test their features.
In this case, we rely on a research-based approach. Firstly, Cybernews researchers map out existing ERP software providers and check their reviews on independent and trustworthy rating sites, like G2, Capterra, Gartner Peer Insights, and alike. We then proceed with comparing reviews with sentiments on social networks that reflect genuine user opinions.
To verify each ERP software's capabilities, we gather information from official sources such as vendor websites, industry reports, whitepapers, and product datasheets. This way, we can highlight available features, industry focus, scalability options, pricing and free trial policies, and customer support quality.
Although most ERP solutions are tailored for specific industry needs, they generally share some business-oriented features, which we separate into five branches: financial management, supply chain, and inventory management, human resources and workforce management, analytics and business intelligence, and scalability and compliance.
Each branch is then checked for available features, like multi-currency support, adherence to data safety laws, inventory management, performance tracking tools, data visualization, etc. Overall, we analyze over 20 information points before going into each ERP's unique benefits, like broad NetSuite ERP module availability.
What is project-based ERP software?
Project-based ERP software is a type of ERP that is developed to streamline project-specific business processes. Contemporary businesses typically manage multiple teams and departments, and unified management software helps avoid miscommunication, provides a single source of truth, optimizes cross-team collaboration, and lets shareholders align with business goals.
Compared to traditional ERP solutions, a project-based approach is generally easier to deploy. Simultaneously, some ERP management systems are already developed for a specific industry, like healthcare or the energy sector, so that businesses do not have to customize a more generally-purposed standard ERP to meet their specific requirements.
The project-based ERP is centered around projects and all business processes linked to them. For example, manufacturing and distribution enterprises can align production volumes with data from financial forecasting, which is also immediately available for the distribution team to calculate possible shipment volumes.
Some project-based ERPs are focused on a specific industry, while others remain more general-purpose. For example, aerospace industries would likely prioritize IFS ERP because this provider has the experience in the field and the technical know-how to structure its software accordingly and foresee potential issues.
Project-based ERP plays an essential role in centralizing workflow, like providing a single source of truth, automating manual processes, and outlining future predictions and costs. A cloud-based solution is beneficial to worldwide companies that want to make their ERP system accessible and scalable. Meanwhile, on-premise deployment offers more control and potentially more customization.
What are the key features of project ERP software?
A project-based ERP software reduces the complexities of contemporary business projects, which often involve multi-team collaboration. Here are the key features of a worthwhile project ERP tool:
- Resource planning. Project-based ERP software streamlines resource planning. It uses resource forecasting to identify future costs and compare them to planned resources. It also outlines how efficiently resources are distributed across multiple projects to avoid bottlenecks. A single platform clearly visualizes what human workforce, equipment, or funds are currently available.
- Task and milestone tracking. With a project-based ERP, business managers can define project goals and milestones and track them in real-time. An intuitive dashboard provides timely updates on project status, upcoming updates, and existing delays. This allows managers to prepare for possible issues if they notice too many late deliveries and intervene before it causes significant disruptions.
- Project financials. ERP software centralizes financial management and automates its manual processes, including budgeting, forecasting, and accounting. Project managers can track cash flows in real time across multiple projects and distribute resources from a single dashboard. Functioning as a single source of truth it lets all departments rely on the same data while making financial decisions.
- Collaboration tools.ERP collaboration tools improve communication within businesses by sharing data and making business processes visible to all relevant parties. Features include real-time notifications, document sharing, and project task management, and keep all information up to date.
- Integration with CRM/Accounting.Customer relationship management (CRM) tools go hand-in-hand with ERP software but optimize processes related to customer management. Many ERP tools, like Epicor and Odoo, offer CRM integration to provide an all-in-one solution for enterprises that seek to improve their whole project management with one service provider. At the same time, accounting integration ensures both client and business side financial performance is transparent.
What are the benefits of project-based ERP software?
Project-based ERP software improves business decision-making and cross-team communication and makes project development visible to all relevant parties. Here are its essential benefits in more detail:
- Enhanced visibility. Project-based ERP tools offer a single platform that integrates all project processes within a single dashboard with real-time updates. This way, project managers, team members, and shareholders have the latest news on its developments and can make timely updates.
- Better resource management. These ERPs allow businesses to distribute resources based on availability, employee skills, and priorities. It helps to avoid downtime and relocate resources quickly and efficiently to projects that need them most. Simultaneously, ERP software helps to predict future project demands to enhance planning with more data.
- Improved budget control.Similarly to resource management, better visibility of project costs lets project managers spot potential issues and compare actual project expenses to a planned budget. Identifying such discrepancies helps to allocate funds more efficiently and calculate future costs.
- Streamlined communication. Software that connects all core business processes in one unified platform eliminates communication silos. Simultaneously, it streamlines cross-team communication and collaboration, including stakeholders who are continuously updated on project objectives. A cloud-based ERP deployment ensures all parties have access to project development data whenever they have an internet connection.
- Scalability. Managing multiple projects at the same time can cause communication issues and resource conflicts, which can interfere with development. A project-based ERP system ensures that different project goals do not overlap and each new project is integrated into the development cycle efficiently.
How to choose the right project-based ERP software for my needs?
Choosing the right ERP software is a crucial business decision that affects many core processes. Project-based ERP systems are often tailored to specific project needs, so it's essential to pick a provider that specializes in your industry. Here are several tips to make an informed decision.
Firstly, clearly evaluate your project's needs, including funding, complexity, industry-specific demands, duration, and potential scalability. Make sure that the selected ERP software supports expected user growth and production volumes.
The best ERP tools provide dozens of apps and should offer modules beneficial to your enterprise. Simultaneously, CRM and accounting integration ensure you can choose one provider to optimize business processes outside of resource planning.
Generally, ERP tools are sophisticated and require good technical knowledge. However, not all businesses have dedicated IT staff to manage complex software, so double-check selected ERP user-friendliness and customer support. An ERP free trial or a virtual demo is advantageous to get familiar with selected software before making a long-term commitment.
I also recommend spending some time researching vendor reputation. After implementing an ERP system, you will likely stick with it for quite some time and even adapt some processes to it, so changing ERP providers often is generally not recommended. Check user reviews on independent third-party software ranking websites to get a first-hand opinion on selected ERP strengths and possible shortcomings.
Lastly, calculate how much you can spend on ERP software. Industry leaders like Oracle's NetSuite ERP offer a wide range of features that can sustain even the most challenging business demands, but it comes at an extra charge. You will be overpaying if your enterprise does not require advanced features, so consider tools like Odoo that are more suitable for small enterprises.
Final word on best project-based ERP software
Although implementing and maintaining ERP software is quite challenging, its purpose is to streamline business processes in the long run. Manual process task automation and industry-focused features speed up the project's development, while a unified dashboard makes it visible to all relevant parties and shareholders.
With the help of the Cybernews research team, I have reviewed multiple renowned ERP vendors to check their strengths and possible shortcomings. The project-based ERP tools are tailored to specific industry needs, so this comparison is not a better-or-worse ranking but an overview of how well each tool performs in its specific fields.
However, tools like Oracle's NetSuite ERP are more general-purpose, so they can fit most business demands but are also expensive. On the other hand, IFS ERP is more specific, which narrows down its use cases to selected industries that will benefit the most. I recommend taking a look at Odoo for smaller enterprises looking for affordable prices and customization.
FAQ
What is project-based ERP software?
Project-based ERP software is a tool that optimizes business processes related to a specific project. It includes financial accounting, human resource planning, resource distribution, real-time progress tracking, and cross-team communication within a single dashboard. Some ERP software, like IFS ERP, is more industry-focused, while tools like NetSuite ERP are more generally-purposed.
How does project ERP differ from general ERP?
General ERP tools are focused on task automation, like inventory and supply chain management, financial accounting, and project management. Meanwhile, project-based ERP software is typically tailored to specific industry needs, like streamlining healthcare or energy enterprise processes.
Can small businesses benefit from project ERP software?
Yes, businesses of all sizes can benefit from project-based ERP software to improve project management. Small businesses can choose providers like Odoo that are much more affordable and offer good customization options instead of opting for industry-focused leaders that offer a wide range of features more suited to large enterprise demands.
What are the average costs of project ERP software?
Project-based software prices range from $24.90/month to $199/month for more high-end solutions. However, most vendors offer prices tailored to specific industry demands based on the number of users, modules and features, deployment type (cloud, on-premise, or hybrid), and a one-time initial installment fee.
How long does it take to implement project ERP software?
That depends on the complexity of a specific project. However, medium to large enterprises should prepare for a lengthy deployment, especially if project-based ERP software offers a wide range of features. Generally, small businesses implement ERP software in 3 to 6 months, but large enterprises may take over a year.
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