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ERPNext vs. Netsuite
Comparison
What makes ERPNext a great Netsuite alternative
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If you’re in the market for a cloud-based ERP system, you’ve probably already heard of Oracle NetSuite. It tops most lists for cloud ERPs, but in our humble opinion, ERPNext is just as deserving of your attention. Read on to find out why.
Know what you’re getting yourself into
NetSuite does a lot of things right, but transparency is not one of them. Their website somehow manages to say a lot without giving away any of the information you actually need to make an informed decision about which ERP system you should choose. Like what modules does the base version come with? What do you need to pay extra for? What editions do they have? Do they charge per user? Why does their website not even have a pricing page? There’s far too much that’s cloaked in mystery to make such an important decision for your business. In contrast, ERPNext tells you exactly what you’re signing up for, right from the get-go.
100% honest, 100% open source
When we say we’re committed to transparency, we mean it. ERPNext is 100% open source, which means that our website isn’t the only thing we’re transparent about, it’s also our codebase. Anyone can view, modify and distribute the code used to build ERPNext, which means you can inspect the code to see exactly what it’s doing, change the parts you don’t like, add any features you want, host it wherever you like, you get the gist. You get full control, all the time.
It only costs a fraction as much
We assume. We don’t know for sure because, like we said, NetSuite won’t tell you how much it costs without getting in touch with them, but we’re guessing it costs a pretty penny. What we do know is that their pricing is anything but straightforward—it depends on company size, number of user licenses, type of user licenses, add-on modules, customizations required, ongoing training and support, your mother’s sun sign etc. Subscription costs also usually increase significantly at the time of renewal, with some users reporting even 100% hikes after the initial contract period. On the other hand, ERPNext charges only for hosting, which starts at as little as $5.
Host it wherever you like, however you like
NetSuite is fully hosted and maintained by Oracle, which is fine if you don’t want to deal with the hassle of self-hosting, but if you require more control over your data and infrastructure, you should go with ERPNext. It offers more deployment options—you can host it on Frappe Cloud, on third-party servers, or even on your own servers, which means you can control your security protocols, create backups and configure firewalls as per your requirements.
You can even use it for free
If you’d like to take your time and vet your options thoroughly before you decide what to go with, NetSuite’s 14 day free trial might not be enough for you. ERPNext only charges for hosting—which means that if you host it on your own servers, you wouldn’t have to pay us a dime. You can take all the time you need and use it for free for as long as you like.
Process payroll without paying extra
While we’re on the topic, you don’t have to pay extra for any module on ERPNext. You get all the features you need, right out of the box. Unlike ERPNext, NetSuite doesn’t come with a fully integrated payroll module. You could pay extra and get SuitePeople, but it’s built for users in the United States. If you’re not from the US, you’ll need to rely on third-party integrations to handle payroll management.
Get a POS system that works, even offline
Don’t let your flakey internet prevent you from making a sale. ERPNext allows you to use its POS system even without internet access. It’ll sync once you’re back online. NetSuite doesn’t even come with a POS system out of the box. You’ll have to use third-party integrations, or shell out extra for SuiteCommerce, but it won’t support offline transactions.
On ERPNext, scaling is a good thing
Just because your team grew bigger doesn’t mean your bills should too. NetSuite might have been affordable when you started using it (or more probably, not), but it can grow prohibitively expensive very quickly as you add users, modules and customizations. With ERPNext, you get access to the full product right from day one, and you can add as many users as you like without getting charged extra. You only have to pay for what you use, not for every extra addition to your team.
Don’t trust us? Check out this article by a former NetSuite Partner or these reviews to find out what users think.
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