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ERP · head to head

Epicor vs IFS

Epicor logo

Epicor

ERP

A portfolio of separately acquired ERP products, not one system

From
$750/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
IFS logo

IFS

ERP

ERP for project-centric and asset-centric businesses

From
$1000/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Epicor epicor is a portfolio of separately acquired products rather than one system, so reviews, references and analyst coverage about Epicor as a brand can be misleading about the specific product you are being sold.; IFS no price, per user rate, minimum commitment or contract term is published on the site; the only route to a figure is a demo booking
  • They diverge on capability: Epicor covers Kinetic, IFS covers Project management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Epicor and IFS actually diverge.

Attributes where Epicor and IFS differ
AttributeEpicorIFS
Starting price$750/month$1000/month
PlatformsCloud, On-premise, HybridCloud, Hybrid
Founded19721983

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 Epicor

  • Kinetic
  • Prophet 21
  • Eclipse
  • BisTrack
  • Cloud deployment
  • Extensibility tooling
  • Manufacturing execution
  • Industry compliance

Only in IFS

  • Project management
  • Field service
  • Asset management
  • Supply chain
  • Manufacturing
  • IoT sensors
  • Mobile workforce
  • Analytics

What people use each for

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

Epicor

  • A discrete manufacturer moving off spreadsheets and an accounting package onto a system that models routings and job costsnot IFS
  • A wholesale distributor whose pricing, rebate and purchasing rules exceed what a general ERP handles without customisationnot IFS
  • An electrical or plumbing distributor needing counter sales and trade-specific workflow out of the boxnot IFS
  • A building materials dealer needing yard operations, delivery scheduling and configured product ordering in one systemnot IFS

IFS

  • Enterprise resource planning for asset intensive industries such as aerospace, energy and manufacturingnot Epicor
  • Enterprise asset management and predictive maintenancenot Epicor
  • Field service management and workforce schedulingnot Epicor

Where each one falls short

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

Epicor

  • Epicor is a portfolio of separately acquired products rather than one system, so reviews, references and analyst coverage about Epicor as a brand can be misleading about the specific product you are being sold.
  • The products are highly customisable and are routinely customised, and heavily customised installations become expensive to upgrade, which is why long-standing customers frequently run versions several releases behind current.
  • Cloud delivery is single-tenant hosting rather than multi-tenant SaaS, so you still own an upgrade decision and the regression testing that comes with it, and buyers who expected the SaaS model of no upgrades are surprised.
  • Sales and delivery run through a mix of direct staff and partners depending on product and region, so accountability for a failed implementation can be genuinely ambiguous unless it is fixed in the contract before signature.
  • The strongest coverage is in North American manufacturing and distribution, so an international group needing statutory compliance and local support across many countries has to test that coverage carefully rather than assume it.

IFS

  • No price, per user rate, minimum commitment or contract term is published on the site; the only route to a figure is a demo booking
  • IFS Cloud is sold as an industry specific composable suite rather than as a priced product with published editions

Pricing, plan by plan

Epicor

$750/month
  • Starter$750/month
    • Core ERP
    • Manufacturing
    • Financial management
  • Professional$1500/month
    • Advanced ERP
    • Advanced CRM
    • Analytics

IFS

$1000/month
  • Standard$1000/month
    • Core ERP
    • Project management
    • Field service
  • Premium$3000/month
    • Advanced features
    • Extensive integrations
    • AI capabilities

Which should you pick?

Choose Epicor if

  • You need kinetic.
  • You work on Cloud, On-premise, Hybrid.
  • You also want prophet 21.
Epicor review

Choose IFS if

  • You need project management.
  • You work on Cloud, Hybrid.
  • You also want field service.
IFS review

Questions people ask

Is Epicor or IFS better?
Neither clearly leads. Epicor starts at $750/month and IFS at $1000/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Epicor or IFS?
Epicor starts at $750/month and IFS at $1000/month.
Does Epicor or IFS run on more platforms?
Epicor runs on Cloud, On-premise, Hybrid. IFS runs on Cloud, Hybrid.
What is Epicor best used for?
Epicor is most often used for a discrete manufacturer moving off spreadsheets and an accounting package onto a system that models routings and job costs, a wholesale distributor whose pricing, rebate and purchasing rules exceed what a general erp handles without customisation, an electrical or plumbing distributor needing counter sales and trade-specific workflow out of the box, a building materials dealer needing yard operations, delivery scheduling and configured product ordering in one system. Of those, a discrete manufacturer moving off spreadsheets and an accounting package onto a system that models routings and job costs and a wholesale distributor whose pricing, rebate and purchasing rules exceed what a general erp handles without customisation are not what IFS is typically brought in for.
What can Epicor do that IFS cannot?
Epicor covers Kinetic, Prophet 21, Eclipse, BisTrack. IFS covers Project management, Field service, Asset management, Supply chain.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Epicor: Which Epicor product am I actually being sold?

Ask explicitly, by name. Kinetic, Prophet 21, Eclipse and BisTrack are different systems with different roadmaps. Then ask for references on that specific product, in your industry, at your size.

IFS: Why is IFS P2 Energy Solutions pricing not published?

IFS provides custom pricing based on organization size and specific needs. The website directs interested buyers to book a demo or contact the sales team rather than publishing standard rates.

Source
Epicor: Is Epicor Kinetic a true SaaS product?

It is delivered as a hosted single-tenant service on Azure. You get vendor-managed infrastructure, but you do not get the multi-tenant model where the vendor upgrades everyone at once and no upgrade project exists.

IFS: What is the process to get pricing information from IFS?

The website includes calls-to-action for 'Book a demo' and 'Contact us' as the primary pathways to discuss pricing and contract terms with the sales team.

Source
Epicor: How much should I customise?

Less than you will want to. Every modification is something to retest and potentially rework at each upgrade, and the accumulation of them is the main reason customers get stranded on old versions. Push hard on whether a requirement is genuinely a differentiator before building for it.

Epicor: Direct or partner implementation?

Both exist. The partner's track record on your product and industry matters more than the vendor's, so ask who will staff the project, request their references, and put named staff into the statement of work.

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