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ERP · head to head

Cin7 vs QAD Adaptive ERP

Cin7 logo

Cin7

ERP

Connected inventory management for product sellers

From
$349/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
QAD Adaptive ERP logo

QAD Adaptive ERP

ERP

ERP for regulated and supply-chain-heavy manufacturers, strongest in automotive and life sciences

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Cin7 no free trial mentioned; QAD Adaptive ERP no pricing is published and licensing splits across user types and separately sold modules, so first quotes routinely come in well above the number buyers had in their heads.
  • They diverge on capability: Cin7 covers Inventory management, QAD Adaptive ERP covers Automotive EDI.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cin7 and QAD Adaptive ERP actually diverge.

Attributes where Cin7 and QAD Adaptive ERP differ
AttributeCin7QAD Adaptive ERP
Starting price$349/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsCloud, Web, MobileWeb, Windows, iOS, Android
Founded2012Unknown

Identical on both: 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 Cin7

  • Inventory management
  • Order management
  • Warehouse management
  • EDI integration
  • B2B commerce
  • Shopify
  • Amazon
  • eBay

Only in QAD Adaptive ERP

  • Automotive EDI
  • Manufacturing execution
  • Supply chain planning
  • Quality management
  • Global financials
  • Traceability and recall
  • Connected workforce
  • Adaptive UX

What people use each for

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

Cin7

  • Inventory management and ERPnot QAD Adaptive ERP
  • Multi-location inventory controlnot QAD Adaptive ERP
  • Order and contact managementnot QAD Adaptive ERP
  • Accounting integrationnot QAD Adaptive ERP

QAD Adaptive ERP

  • An automotive tier supplier that must accept OEM EDI releases and ship to AIAG or Odette labelling without building it themselvesnot Cin7
  • A multi-plant manufacturer consolidating several plant-level ERPs onto one ledger with local statutory reporting per countrynot Cin7
  • A food or pharmaceutical maker that needs lot genealogy fast enough to scope a recall in hoursnot Cin7
  • A manufacturer replacing an ageing QAD MFG/PRO installation and wanting continuity of process rather than a rewritenot Cin7

Where each one falls short

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

Cin7

  • No free trial mentioned
  • Standard plan includes only 6,000 orders annually, average 500/month
  • User counts are fixed per tier: 5 users on Standard, 10 on Pro, 15 on Advanced
  • Advanced warehouse management only on Advanced plan (minimum $1,199/month)
  • Pricing excludes taxes

QAD Adaptive ERP

  • No pricing is published and licensing splits across user types and separately sold modules, so first quotes routinely come in well above the number buyers had in their heads.
  • QAD has been owned by Thoma Bravo since the 2021 take-private, so roadmap and pricing decisions answer to an investment thesis rather than to public product commitments, and buyers should ask about contract terms at renewal.
  • The implementation partner network is small next to SAP, Oracle or Microsoft, which limits competitive tendering on services and makes regional coverage patchy.
  • Outside its target industries the vertical depth is dead weight, and a general distributor or services firm pays for automotive and life sciences function it will never switch on.
  • Long-standing QAD customers still run heavily customised MFG/PRO estates, and migrating those customisations to Adaptive ERP is a re-implementation, not an upgrade, which is why some sites have stayed on old versions for years.

Pricing, plan by plan

Cin7

$349/month
  • Standard$349/month
    • 5 users
    • 6,000 sales orders per year
    • 2 integrations
  • Pro$599/month
    • 10 users
    • 24,000 sales orders per year
    • 4 integrations
  • Advanced$1199/month
    • 15 users
    • 120,000 sales orders per year
    • 6 integrations
  • Cin7 Omni$null/month
    • Custom pricing
    • 8 users
    • Flexible order volume

QAD Adaptive ERP

On request
  • QAD Adaptive ERP$undefined/year
    • Subscription priced by user type, modules and deployment
    • Cloud or on-premise deployment
    • Implementation delivered by QAD or a partner and billed separately

Which should you pick?

Choose Cin7 if

  • You need inventory management.
  • You work on Cloud, Web, Mobile.
  • You also want order management.
Cin7 review

Choose QAD Adaptive ERP if

  • You need automotive edi.
  • You work on Web, Windows, iOS, Android.
  • You also want manufacturing execution.
QAD Adaptive ERP review

Questions people ask

Is Cin7 or QAD Adaptive ERP better?
Neither clearly leads. Cin7 starts at $349/month and QAD Adaptive ERP at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cin7 or QAD Adaptive ERP?
Cin7 starts at $349/month and QAD Adaptive ERP at On request.
Does Cin7 or QAD Adaptive ERP run on more platforms?
Cin7 runs on Cloud, Web, Mobile. QAD Adaptive ERP runs on Web, Windows, iOS, Android.
What is Cin7 best used for?
Cin7 is most often used for inventory management and erp, multi-location inventory control, order and contact management, accounting integration. Of those, inventory management and erp and multi-location inventory control are not what QAD Adaptive ERP is typically brought in for.
What can Cin7 do that QAD Adaptive ERP cannot?
Cin7 covers Inventory management, Order management, Warehouse management, EDI integration. QAD Adaptive ERP covers Automotive EDI, Manufacturing execution, Supply chain planning, Quality management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cin7: What is the minimum cost to start using Cin7?

Cin7 Core Standard plan costs $349/month (USD), including 5 users, 6,000 annual sales orders, and 2 integrations. Pricing excludes taxes.

Source
QAD Adaptive ERP: Who owns QAD?

Thoma Bravo, which took the company private in 2021. It is no longer publicly listed, so financials and roadmap commitments are not disclosed the way they once were.

Cin7: How many users are included on each Cin7 plan?

Standard includes 5 users, Pro includes 10 users, and Advanced includes 15 users. Cin7 Omni is customizable with 8 base users.

Source
QAD Adaptive ERP: Is QAD only for automotive?

No, but automotive supplier compliance is its deepest area, alongside life sciences, food and beverage and industrial manufacturing. Non-manufacturers are not the target.

Cin7: What sales order limits apply to each plan?

Standard supports 6,000 orders annually, Pro supports 24,000 orders annually, and Advanced supports 120,000 orders annually. Cin7 Omni has flexible order volumes.

Source
QAD Adaptive ERP: Can it run on-premise?

Yes, both cloud and on-premise deployments are supported, which matters to manufacturers with plant-floor systems that cannot tolerate a WAN dependency.

Cin7: Does Cin7 offer material requirements planning on all plans?

No, material requirements planning is only available on Pro ($599/month) and Advanced ($1,199/month) plans. The Standard plan does not include this feature.

Source
QAD Adaptive ERP: Is Adaptive ERP an upgrade from MFG/PRO?

Not in practice for a customised site. Moving heavily modified MFG/PRO installations is a re-implementation project, and that cost should be in the business case from the start.

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