Is Epicor or QAD better?

Neither clearly leads. Epicor starts at $750/month and QAD at $2000/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Epicor or QAD?

Epicor starts at $750/month and QAD at $2000/month.

Does Epicor or QAD run on more platforms?

Epicor runs on Cloud, On-premise, Hybrid. QAD runs on Cloud, On-premise, Web.

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 QAD is typically brought in for.

What can Epicor do that QAD cannot?

Epicor covers Kinetic, Prophet 21, Eclipse, BisTrack. QAD covers Financial management, Manufacturing, Supply chain, Inventory management.

ERP · head to head

Epicor vs QAD

Epicor

ERP

A portfolio of separately acquired ERP products, not one system

From: $750/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

QAD

ERP

Cloud and on-premise ERP for manufacturers

From: $2000/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

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.; QAD no price, per user rate, minimum or contract term is published on the site; the only routes are a demo request and a Contact Sales link
They diverge on capability: Epicor covers Kinetic, QAD covers Financial management.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Epicor and QAD actually diverge.

Attributes where Epicor and QAD differ
Attribute	Epicor	QAD
Starting price	$750/month	$2000/month
Platforms	Cloud, On-premise, Hybrid	Cloud, On-premise, Web
Founded	1972	1979

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 QAD

Financial management
Manufacturing
Supply chain
Inventory management
Quality management
REST APIs
EDI
IoT integration

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

QAD

ERP for manufacturers covering production execution and schedulingnot Epicor
Supply chain planning, purchasing and inventory controlnot Epicor
Quality management, traceability and supplier management for regulated manufacturingnot Epicor
Field service and enterprise asset managementnot 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.

QAD

No price, per user rate, minimum or contract term is published on the site; the only routes are a demo request and a Contact Sales link
Field service management, enterprise asset management and quality management are presented as separate functional areas rather than a single priced bundle

Pricing, plan by plan

Epicor

$750/month

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

QAD

$2000/month

Standard$2000/month
- Financial management
- Manufacturing
- Supply chain
Premium$4000/month
- Advanced modules
- Analytics
- Priority 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 QAD if

You need financial management.
You work on Cloud, On-premise, Web.
You also want manufacturing.

QAD review

Questions people ask

Is Epicor or QAD better?: Neither clearly leads. Epicor starts at $750/month and QAD at $2000/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Epicor or QAD?: Epicor starts at $750/month and QAD at $2000/month.
Does Epicor or QAD run on more platforms?: Epicor runs on Cloud, On-premise, Hybrid. QAD runs on Cloud, On-premise, Web.
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 QAD is typically brought in for.
What can Epicor do that QAD cannot?: Epicor covers Kinetic, Prophet 21, Eclipse, BisTrack. QAD covers Financial management, Manufacturing, Supply chain, Inventory 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.

QAD: How can I get pricing information for QAD manufacturing software?

QAD does not publish standard pricing on their homepage. Pricing discussions occur during personalized consultations. Interested parties can request a demo, contact the sales team, or download brochures to discuss pricing based on specific organizational needs.

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.

QAD: What deployment options does QAD offer?

QAD provides adaptive ERP solutions for various industries including Automotive, Food & Beverage, and Life Sciences. Their offerings include connected workforce solutions and supply chain management, with implementation and advisory services available.

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.

QAD: Is there a trial available for QAD software without contacting sales?

The QAD homepage does not mention a free trial or self-serve trial option. The primary engagement path is through "Request a Demo" or "Contact Sales" buttons, suggesting trial access requires sales team interaction.

Source

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.

Epicor vs QAD

Epicor

QAD

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Epicor

Only in QAD

What people use each for

Epicor

QAD

Where each one falls short

Epicor

QAD

Pricing, plan by plan

Epicor

QAD

Which should you pick?

Choose Epicor if

Choose QAD if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Epicor

More on QAD

Keep looking

Other head to heads