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ERP · head to head

Epicor vs Manhattan Associates

Epicor logo

Epicor

ERP

A portfolio of separately acquired ERP products, not one system

From
$750/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Manhattan Associates logo

Manhattan Associates

Logistics

Tier-one warehouse, order and transportation management, now cloud subscription only

From
On request
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.; Manhattan Associates manhattan Active is cloud subscription only with no perpetual licence and no on-premises deployment, so organisations with a capital purchasing model or air-gapped requirements are excluded outright.
  • They diverge on capability: Epicor covers Kinetic, Manhattan Associates covers Warehouse management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Epicor and Manhattan Associates actually diverge.

Attributes where Epicor and Manhattan Associates differ
AttributeEpicorManhattan Associates
Starting price$750/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsCloud, On-premise, HybridWeb, Cloud, iOS, Android
CategoryERPLogistics
Founded1972Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Manhattan Associates

  • Warehouse management
  • Order management
  • Transportation management
  • Labour management
  • Yard management
  • Versionless updates
  • Store and point of sale

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 Manhattan Associates
  • A wholesale distributor whose pricing, rebate and purchasing rules exceed what a general ERP handles without customisationnot Manhattan Associates
  • An electrical or plumbing distributor needing counter sales and trade-specific workflow out of the boxnot Manhattan Associates
  • A building materials dealer needing yard operations, delivery scheduling and configured product ordering in one systemnot Manhattan Associates

Manhattan Associates

  • A retailer fulfilling store, ecommerce and wholesale orders from one inventory pool without separate systems per channelnot Epicor
  • A distribution centre introducing goods-to-person robotics that needs the WMS to orchestrate the automationnot Epicor
  • A third-party logistics provider running multiple clients with different processes in one facilitynot Epicor
  • An operation where labour is the largest cost and engineered standards would pay for the softwarenot 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.

Manhattan Associates

  • Manhattan Active is cloud subscription only with no perpetual licence and no on-premises deployment, so organisations with a capital purchasing model or air-gapped requirements are excluded outright.
  • Legacy WMOS and SCALE customers pay annual maintenance of roughly 18 to 22 per cent of licence value while the vendor steers investment towards Active, so staying put has a rising opportunity cost as well as a cash cost.
  • Implementation is a tier-one project measured in quarters, and system integrator fees routinely match or exceed several years of subscription, which is the part that breaks budgets rather than the licence.
  • Functional depth assumes complexity; operations with simple distribution end up configuring around capability they do not need and paying for it every year.
  • Modules are priced individually, so warehouse, order, transportation and labour management each carry their own line, and a business case built on the WMS alone understates the eventual footprint.

Pricing, plan by plan

Epicor

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

Manhattan Associates

On request
  • Manhattan Active Warehouse Management$undefined/year
    • Cloud subscription only, no perpetual licence
    • Versionless with continuous updates
    • Priced per module and by volume or site
  • Manhattan Active Omni and Transportation$undefined/year
    • Order management, point of sale and store fulfilment
    • Multimodal transportation management
    • Each module priced separately
  • Legacy WMOS and SCALE$undefined/year
    • Perpetual licence held by existing customers
    • Annual maintenance typically 18 to 22 per cent of licence value
    • Still sold to existing customers with extended support

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 Manhattan Associates if

  • You need warehouse management.
  • You work on Web, Cloud, iOS, Android.
  • You also want order management.
Manhattan Associates review

Questions people ask

Is Epicor or Manhattan Associates better?
Neither clearly leads. Epicor starts at $750/month and Manhattan Associates at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Epicor or Manhattan Associates?
Epicor starts at $750/month and Manhattan Associates at On request.
Does Epicor or Manhattan Associates run on more platforms?
Epicor runs on Cloud, On-premise, Hybrid. Manhattan Associates runs on Web, Cloud, iOS, Android.
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 Manhattan Associates is typically brought in for.
What can Epicor do that Manhattan Associates cannot?
Epicor covers Kinetic, Prophet 21, Eclipse, BisTrack. Manhattan Associates covers Warehouse management, Order management, Transportation management, Labour management.

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.

Manhattan Associates: Can I buy Manhattan Active on-premises or perpetually?

No. Manhattan Active is cloud-native SaaS priced per module by subscription, with no perpetual licence option.

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.

Manhattan Associates: What happens to my WMOS or SCALE licence?

Existing perpetual licences continue, with maintenance typically 18 to 22 per cent of licence value each year. Manhattan offers discounted transition pricing to move to Active.

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.

Manhattan Associates: What does versionless actually mean?

Updates are applied continuously while the subscription is active, so there is no separate upgrade project, but you also do not control when changes arrive.

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.

Manhattan Associates: How much does implementation cost relative to the software?

Expect a system integrator engagement comparable to or larger than several years of subscription. Budget for it as the main line, not a footnote.

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