Comparing the top 10 ERP solutions in 2025
In 2025, the ERP landscape is shifting fast. Cloud-based ERPs are dominating due to their flexibility and lower upfront costs, while AI-driven features are enhancing the analytic and automation capabilities. Meanwhile, industry-specific ERPs are tailoring solutions to sectors like manufacturing, retail, and finance.
Thus, selecting the right Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is a challenging decision that can help transform your business’s efficiency, scalability, and profitability. The ERP landscape is more dynamic than ever, and if you’re looking for more than just a quick list of options, you’re in the right place. Thus, before we dive into our top ERP software comparison, let’s first explore what an ERP solution is and how to choose an ERP solution that best fits your business requirements.
What is an ERP solution?
An Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is a software platform that helps integrate and automate business processes such as finance, human resources, supply chain, manufacturing, and more into a unified system. This integration not only streamlines operations but also provides real-time data across departments, allowing businesses to make informed decisions quickly. The result is a highly automated, efficient, and centralized workflow that scales as your business grows. Unlike fragmented tools, ERP solutions create a unified data hub to optimize workflows and scale operations seamlessly.
Key benefits of ERP systems
- Automation: Reduces manual tasks, minimizing errors, and saving time.
- Efficiency: Breaks down silos, enhancing collaboration across departments.
- Centralization: Creates a single source of truth for all business data.
- Scalability: Adapts to your business as it grows in size and complexity.
How to choose the right ERP for your business
Selecting an ERP system requires careful consideration of several factors to ensure it aligns with your business needs. Here’s what you should evaluate:
- Business size and industry fit: Small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) require simpler, cost-effective solutions, while large enterprises require robust, feature-rich platforms. For example, while SAP is recognized globally for delivering ERPs for large enterprises, it also provides SAP Business One, which is considered one of the best ERP for small business and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
- Features and customization: Core ERP features (finance, HR, inventory) are standard, but look for specialized add-ons (e.g., manufacturing tools or e-commerce integrations) that match your needs. AI-driven features are now fast becoming the norm in modern solutions.
- Deployment type: Choose between cloud-based, on-premises, or hybrid ERP systems based on your IT infrastructure and scalability goals. As businesses shift toward agility and remote accessibility, cloud ERPs are increasingly being favored for faster deployment, seamless updates, and user-friendliness.
- Ease of integration: You need to ensure the ERP integrates seamlessly with existing systems like CRM, e-commerce platforms, and supply chain tools. For example, Odoo provides an integrated and modular suite of business apps that combine ERP, CRM, POS features, and more.
- Scalability and future-proofing: Choose an EPR solution that can evolve with your business and adapt to future market trends, one that grows alongside your business without requiring frequent upgrades or replacements.
- Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): Factor in licensing fees, implementation costs, customization, and ongoing maintenance to avoid budget overruns. Hidden expenses like customization, user training, system upgrades, and long-term support can significantly impact the overall ROI of your ERP system.
- User-friendliness and training: How quickly your organization can adopt the use of the ERP determines its success. A user-friendly interface coupled with robust training programs is essential to ensure high adoption across your organization.
- Customer support & community: Vendor reliability and frequent updates are essential. An ecosystem of third-party support can deliver valuable resources, peer support, and extended functionality.
Now that you know some of the essentials to keep in mind when choosing your ERP solutions, let’s now jump into actually exploring and understanding the most popular ERP vendors of 2025.
Top 10 ERP solutions in 2025 compared
We’ve compiled our list of top 2025 ERP solutions to include a good mix of ERP solutions based on different industry-specific and business size requirements. We’ve evaluated them based on
1. SAP S/4HANA
SAP’s flagship cloud ERP solution, SAP S/4HANA, is designed for enterprises seeking real-time analytics, intelligent automation, and seamless integration across business processes. Built on in-memory computing, it delivers great speed and agility for modern businesses.
- Best for: Large enterprises and global organizations with complex, cross-functional processes.
- Pros: AI-driven analytics, real-time data processing, and seamless SAP ecosystem integration. Available in both cloud and on-premise models.
- Cons: High costs for licensing and migration, steep learning curve, limited customization options. It requires skilled personnel and consultants, which makes it expensive for SMBs.
- Pricing: Premium pricing driven by modular licenses, user count, and deployment options. There’s an Advanced User License for features such as AI-driven insights, or predictive maintenance.
2. Oracle NetSuite
A pioneer in cloud ERP, Oracle NetSuite offers a unified platform that integrates finance, supply chain, HR, and e-commerce. Its SaaS model ensures scalability and eliminates infrastructure maintenance burdens.
- Best for: Fast-growing mid-market companies and enterprises needing a scalable cloud solution.
- Pros: Cloud-based, comprehensive functionality, modular flexibility, and strong financial tools. Designed for ease of use and quick adoption, it caters to a wide range of industries, but is particularly beneficial for mid-sized manufacturers looking to scale up.
- Cons: Complex pricing structure. Advanced features and add-ons may drive up the costs. Some users find reporting complex and in-depth customization can be challenging beyond standard configurations.
- Pricing: Subscription-based, generally mid-range, with tiered options to match business growth.
3. Microsoft Dynamics 365
Building on the trusted legacy of Dynamics NAV, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a cloud-based, all-in-one ERP solution tailored for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It offers end-to-end business management by combining financial management, supply chain, project tracking, and sales functionalities in one platform.
- Best for: SMEs looking to upgrade from entry-level accounting software or legacy ERP systems to a unified business management solution.
- Pros: An intuitive user-interface design that reduces the learning curve. Flexible deployment options (cloud or on-premises) and mobile accessibility. Integration with Microsoft cloud services (Office 365, Power BI) for seamless workflows.
- Cons: Limited scalability for large enterprises compared to SAP or Oracle solutions. Advanced customization may require technical expertise. Industry-specific modules can increase overall pricing.
- Pricing: Available through a subscription model that scales with the number of users and modules required, as a cost-effective alternative to full-scale enterprise ERPs.
4. Infor Cloudsuite
Infor Cloudsuite is a comprehensive ERP tailored for manufacturers and distributors. It leverages advanced analytics and industry-specific functionalities to streamline operations and adapt to market changes.
- Best for: Manufacturing companies needing industry-specific solutions.
- Pros: Strong planning tools, multi-site support, built-in intelligence. Rich user experience with embedded analytics for timely insights. Supports both cloud and hybrid models.
- Cons: Steep learning curve that may require significant consulting to tailor the solution perfectly. It comes at a higher starting price and can be less expansive than offerings from larger ERP vendors.
- Pricing: Generally moderate to premium, depending on customization and industry-specific requirements.
5. Workday ERP
Focused on HR and financial management, Workday ERP is a cloud-native system that excels in automation and scalability. It’s particularly suited for organizations prioritizing workforce optimization alongside financial operations.
- Best for: Large enterprises prioritizing HR and finance automation.
- Pros: Blends HCM and financial planning into one intuitive system. Benefits from continuous updates and agile performance. Focus on planning, reporting, and forecasting capabilities.
- Cons: Expensive for smaller firms, complex implementation, and lacks specialized features for complex manufacturing and supply chain processes.
- Pricing: Premium, subscription-based pricing tailored to mid-to-large organizations with comprehensive needs.