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ERP · head to head

GEP SMART vs Unit4

GEP SMART logo

GEP SMART

ERP

Enterprise source-to-pay from a vendor that also sells the consulting and the outsourced procurement team

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Unit4 logo

Unit4

ERP

ERP for people-based organisations where the cost centre structure keeps changing

From
$800/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: GEP SMART gEP sells the software, the consulting and the outsourced procurement team, so the vendor measuring the savings is often the vendor delivering them, which makes independent verification difficult.; Unit4 manufacturing, warehouse management and supply chain planning are not the point of this product, so a business with significant inventory will find capability gaps that no amount of configuration closes.
  • They diverge on capability: GEP SMART covers Unified source-to-pay, Unit4 covers Flexible organisational model.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which GEP SMART and Unit4 actually diverge.

Attributes where GEP SMART and Unit4 differ
AttributeGEP SMARTUnit4
Starting priceOn request$800/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidCloud, Web, Mobile
FoundedUnknown1987

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 GEP SMART

  • Unified source-to-pay
  • Spend and category analytics
  • Savings tracking
  • Supplier risk management
  • GEP QUANTUM
  • Managed services attachment

Only in Unit4

  • Flexible organisational model
  • Project and time accounting
  • Financial management
  • Procurement
  • Human resources
  • Planning and forecasting
  • Reporting
  • Grant and fund accounting

What people use each for

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

GEP SMART

  • An enterprise that needs category expertise as well as software and would otherwise run two procurement processesnot Unit4
  • A company outsourcing tactical sourcing while retaining strategic categories, using one platform across bothnot Unit4
  • A multinational consolidating regional procurement systems onto one spend taxonomynot Unit4
  • An organisation that needs savings tracked and reconciled against realised spend rather than claimed in a spreadsheetnot Unit4

Unit4

  • A university or public body whose funding structure and reporting hierarchy change more often than its accounting system can keep up withnot GEP SMART
  • A professional services firm that needs time, project profitability and financials in one ledger rather than in three systemsnot GEP SMART
  • A nonprofit or NGO accounting for restricted funds and reporting to donors on how each was spentnot GEP SMART
  • An organisation going through a merger or restructure that needs comparative reporting across both the old and new structuresnot GEP SMART

Where each one falls short

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

GEP SMART

  • GEP sells the software, the consulting and the outsourced procurement team, so the vendor measuring the savings is often the vendor delivering them, which makes independent verification difficult.
  • Nothing is published and reported entry points around half a million US dollars a year exclude implementation, which GEP typically delivers itself rather than through a competing integrator.
  • Implementation being delivered by the vendor limits the pool of independent consultants who can advise you during the project or take over afterwards.
  • Combined software and services engagements are difficult to unwind, because replacing the platform also means rebuilding procurement capability the outsourcer was providing.
  • The platform is scoped for very large enterprises, so mid-market organisations face both a price and a complexity floor that no module selection brings down.

Unit4

  • Manufacturing, warehouse management and supply chain planning are not the point of this product, so a business with significant inventory will find capability gaps that no amount of configuration closes.
  • Payroll is generally handled by a separate product or a regional third party rather than being included, so multi-country organisations end up managing several payroll vendors alongside the ERP.
  • Moving from an established on premise Agresso installation to the current cloud product is closer to a re-implementation than an upgrade, with data migration, process redesign and retraining to pay for on a system that already worked.
  • The consulting and partner ecosystem is considerably smaller than for SAP, Oracle or Microsoft, so specialist skills are harder to hire, cost more, and are concentrated in a small number of firms with limited availability.
  • The flexibility that makes reorganisation cheap also makes it easy to build a model nobody understands, and an organisation that has reconfigured its hierarchy repeatedly without documentation ends up unable to explain its own reporting.

Pricing, plan by plan

GEP SMART

On request
  • GEP SMART$undefined/year
    • Scaled by managed spend volume, modules and user count
    • Third parties report deployments starting around 500,000 USD per year
    • Frequently bundled with GEP consulting or managed services

Unit4

$800/month
  • Professional Services$800/month
    • Project accounting
    • Resource management
    • Time tracking
  • Enterprise$2000/month
    • Advanced features
    • Multi-entity
    • Analytics

Which should you pick?

Choose GEP SMART if

  • You need unified source-to-pay.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want spend and category analytics.
GEP SMART review

Choose Unit4 if

  • You need flexible organisational model.
  • You work on Cloud, Web, Mobile.
  • You also want project and time accounting.
Unit4 review

Questions people ask

Is GEP SMART or Unit4 better?
Neither clearly leads. GEP SMART starts at On request and Unit4 at $800/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, GEP SMART or Unit4?
GEP SMART starts at On request and Unit4 at $800/month.
Does GEP SMART or Unit4 run on more platforms?
GEP SMART runs on Web, iOS, Android. Unit4 runs on Cloud, Web, Mobile.
What is GEP SMART best used for?
GEP SMART is most often used for an enterprise that needs category expertise as well as software and would otherwise run two procurement processes, a company outsourcing tactical sourcing while retaining strategic categories, using one platform across both, a multinational consolidating regional procurement systems onto one spend taxonomy, an organisation that needs savings tracked and reconciled against realised spend rather than claimed in a spreadsheet. Of those, an enterprise that needs category expertise as well as software and would otherwise run two procurement processes and a company outsourcing tactical sourcing while retaining strategic categories, using one platform across both are not what Unit4 is typically brought in for.
What can GEP SMART do that Unit4 cannot?
GEP SMART covers Unified source-to-pay, Spend and category analytics, Savings tracking, Supplier risk management. Unit4 covers Flexible organisational model, Project and time accounting, Financial management, Procurement.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

GEP SMART: Is GEP just a software company?

No. It sells procurement software, procurement consulting and outsourced procurement operations, and deals often combine all three.

Unit4: Is Unit4 ERP the same thing as Agresso?

Yes, in lineage. Agresso is the earlier name for the same product line and long-standing customers still use it. Current marketing uses Unit4 ERP, and the cloud product is a substantially different deployment from the on premise Agresso installations still in service.

GEP SMART: What does GEP SMART cost?

Not published. Third parties report deployments from around 500,000 USD a year, scaled by managed spend, modules and users.

Unit4: Can it run a manufacturing business?

Not well. This product is built for organisations whose cost base is people and projects. If your planning problem is materials and production capacity, look at a manufacturing ERP instead.

GEP SMART: Who implements it?

GEP typically does, which shortens the project but reduces independent advice during and after it.

Unit4: What actually justifies the price against a mainstream ERP?

The cost of change. If your structure is stable, the flexibility is worth little and a mainstream product is cheaper. If you reorganise regularly and each reorganisation currently means a consultancy engagement, that recurring cost is where the business case sits.

GEP SMART: How does it compare with Ivalua?

Both are single-platform enterprise source-to-pay. GEP adds consulting and managed services; Ivalua is software only and stronger on direct materials.

Unit4: Is it sold direct or through partners?

Both. Unit4 sells and implements direct in its main markets and also works with partners. Ask which model applies to your region and country, because it determines who is accountable when the implementation slips.

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