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ERP · head to head

bexio vs Protean ERP

bexio logo

bexio

ERP

Simple business software for Swiss SMEs, the self-employed and startups

From
35/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
P

Protean ERP

ERP

Process and batch manufacturing ERP from a small independent vendor

From
$800/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: bexio pricing in Swiss francs only; prices exclude VAT; Protean ERP independent verification of this product is scarce, with little analyst coverage and few public customer references, so the vendor's own reference list is effectively the entire evidence base and you cannot triangulate a claim you are unsure about.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which bexio and Protean ERP actually diverge.

Attributes where bexio and Protean ERP differ
AttributebexioProtean ERP
Starting price35/month$800/month
PlatformsWebOn-premise, Hybrid, Web
FoundedUnknown1992

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (ERP).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in bexio

Nothing recorded that Protean ERP does not also cover.

Only in Protean ERP

  • Formulation and recipe management
  • Lot and batch traceability
  • Production planning
  • Inventory and warehouse control
  • Procurement
  • Order management
  • Financials
  • Quality control

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

bexio

  • SMB accountingnot Protean ERP
  • Invoice managementnot Protean ERP

Protean ERP

  • A batch manufacturer whose recipes scale by potency or assay and cannot be modelled as a fixed bill of materialnot bexio
  • A food or beverage producer that must trace every finished lot back to supplier lots for a recall exercisenot bexio
  • A distributor holding date sensitive stock that must be allocated by expiry rather than by quantitynot bexio
  • A company outgrowing spreadsheets and an accounting package but priced out of a tier one ERP implementationnot bexio

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

bexio

  • Pricing in Swiss francs only; prices exclude VAT
  • Add-on costs: Payroll CHF 7-25/month, bexio Pay CHF 14/month, QR scanning limited on lower tiers

Protean ERP

  • Independent verification of this product is scarce, with little analyst coverage and few public customer references, so the vendor's own reference list is effectively the entire evidence base and you cannot triangulate a claim you are unsure about.
  • Small ERP vendors run thin implementation benches, so the consultant who knows your industry is often the only one who does, and if that person leaves during the project the timeline restarts rather than continuing with a replacement.
  • Niche ERP products are frequent acquisition targets, and an acquired product is normally placed into maintenance while investment moves to the buyer's own line, which shows up years later as an unpatched version you cannot leave.
  • Payroll, warehouse management, EDI and advanced quality are commonly either separately licensed or resold third party components in products of this class, so the quoted licence figure understates what a working installation costs unless you get the full module list in writing.
  • ERP data is the hardest thing in a business to move, and a small vendor's schema is proprietary and usually undocumented, so leaving means paying somebody to reverse engineer it and the practical decision horizon is closer to a decade than to a contract term.

Pricing, plan by plan

bexio

35/month
  • Basic$35/month annual
    • 1 user
  • Advanced$25.2/month annual
    • 2 users
  • Optima$41.4/month annual
    • 5 users
  • Ultimate$71.4/month annual
    • 25 users

Protean ERP

$800/month
  • Standard$800/month
    • Core ERP
    • Production management
    • Inventory
  • Premium$1800/month
    • Advanced features
    • Quality management
    • Advanced analytics

Which should you pick?

Choose bexio if

Nothing in the data separates bexio from Protean ERP on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

bexio review

Choose Protean ERP if

  • You need formulation and recipe management.
  • You work on On-premise, Hybrid, Web.
  • You also want lot and batch traceability.
Protean ERP review

Questions people ask

Is bexio or Protean ERP better?
Neither clearly leads. bexio starts at 35/month and Protean ERP at $800/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, bexio or Protean ERP?
bexio starts at 35/month and Protean ERP at $800/month.
Does bexio or Protean ERP run on more platforms?
bexio runs on Web. Protean ERP runs on On-premise, Hybrid, Web.
What is bexio best used for?
bexio is most often used for smb accounting, invoice management. Of those, smb accounting and invoice management are not what Protean ERP is typically brought in for.
What can bexio do that Protean ERP cannot?
Protean ERP covers Formulation and recipe management, Lot and batch traceability, Production planning, Inventory and warehouse control.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

bexio: How much does Bexio's Basic plan cost?

Bexio's Basic plan costs CHF 35 per month with annual billing or CHF 45 per month with monthly billing, including 1 user.

Source
Protean ERP: Is a specialist process ERP worth it over a mainstream product with a process add-on?

It depends on how central formulation is to you. If recipes, potency and lot genealogy drive daily operations, a core capability beats an add-on because there is one vendor, one release cycle and one support call. If process needs are marginal, a mainstream product with a wider partner network is usually the safer institutional bet.

bexio: What discount do new Bexio customers receive?

New customers receive a 40% discount on Advanced and higher tiers during their first year when using code bx40 by August 28, 2026.

Source
Protean ERP: What should I ask for in a demonstration?

Bring your own data. Ask them to build one of your real formulas, run a batch that produces a by-product, adjust for potency on receipt, then trace a finished lot back to supplier lots. Scripted vendor demonstrations avoid exactly these steps.

bexio: Does Bexio offer a free trial?

Bexio provides a 30-day free trial with Ultimate plan features included, allowing users to test all functionality before committing.

Source
Protean ERP: What contractual protection matters with a small vendor?

A documented and tested data extraction path, source code escrow with a release trigger you can actually invoke, named implementation staff, and clarity on what happens to your support terms if the company is acquired.

bexio: How many users can each Bexio plan support?

Bexio plans support 1 user (Basic), 2 users (Advanced), 5 users (Optima), and 25 users (Ultimate).

Source
Protean ERP: How long does an implementation like this take?

For a single site batch manufacturer, plan on months rather than weeks, and assume the services and data migration bill is at least as large as the first year of software. Ask for a fixed scope statement rather than an estimate of days.

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