Softwr

Manufacturing · head to head

JobBOSS² vs Prodsmart

JobBOSS² logo

JobBOSS²

Manufacturing

ECI shop control system formed by merging JobBOSS and E2 Shop System into one product line

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Prodsmart logo

Prodsmart

Manufacturing

Mobile manufacturing execution for small plants, acquired by Autodesk and folded into Fusion Operations

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: JobBOSS² the product is a merger of two legacy systems, so existing JobBOSS and E2 customers face a migration and retraining project whose cost is negotiated case by case and is easy to underestimate.; Prodsmart the product has been absorbed into the Autodesk Fusion family, so the standalone brand, pricing page and channel that earlier reviews describe no longer reflect how it is bought, and buyers must evaluate the current Autodesk packaging instead.
  • They diverge on capability: JobBOSS² covers Estimating and quoting, Prodsmart covers Mobile shop floor declarations.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which JobBOSS² and Prodsmart actually diverge.

Attributes where JobBOSS² and Prodsmart differ
AttributeJobBOSS²Prodsmart
PlatformsWindows, WebWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Manufacturing).

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 JobBOSS²

  • Estimating and quoting
  • Order and job management
  • Shop floor data collection
  • Scheduling
  • Job costing
  • Integrated accounting

Only in Prodsmart

  • Mobile shop floor declarations
  • No controller integration required
  • Traceability
  • Live production status
  • Basic OEE
  • Maintenance records

What people use each for

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

JobBOSS²

  • A job shop quoting from spreadsheets that wants estimating, routing and costing in one systemnot Prodsmart
  • An existing JobBOSS or E2 Shop System customer evaluating whether to migrate or replacenot Prodsmart
  • A make to order fabricator that needs accounting inside the manufacturing system rather than alongside itnot Prodsmart
  • A shop that wants operator time capture at work centres to make job costing reflect what actually happenednot Prodsmart

Prodsmart

  • A small manufacturer with older machines that cannot be connected to any network without a costly retrofitnot JobBOSS²
  • A plant that needs lot traceability for a customer or regulatory audit and currently keeps it on papernot JobBOSS²
  • A shop wanting live work order status without installing terminals and cabling on the floornot JobBOSS²
  • An Autodesk Fusion user looking for an operations layer from the same vendor as its CAD and CAMnot JobBOSS²

Where each one falls short

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

JobBOSS²

  • The product is a merger of two legacy systems, so existing JobBOSS and E2 customers face a migration and retraining project whose cost is negotiated case by case and is easy to underestimate.
  • ECI is a private equity owned portfolio company with many vertical products, and buyers should read renewal, uplift and support tier terms carefully because the commercial model is built around long term contracted revenue.
  • Machine connectivity is limited, so shop floor data comes from operators clocking in and out rather than from controllers, and any automatic utilisation measurement needs a separate monitoring product.
  • Reporting is rigid compared with a modern system and most shops end up exporting to Excel for anything beyond the supplied reports, which reintroduces the spreadsheets the system was bought to eliminate.
  • The user interface carries its lineage and takes longer to learn than a current generation web application, which matters most for occasional users such as estimators and purchasing staff.

Prodsmart

  • The product has been absorbed into the Autodesk Fusion family, so the standalone brand, pricing page and channel that earlier reviews describe no longer reflect how it is bought, and buyers must evaluate the current Autodesk packaging instead.
  • All data originates from operator declarations, so accuracy depends entirely on shop floor discipline, and a plant that cannot enforce scanning gets confident charts built on incomplete input.
  • Because it reads nothing from machines, it cannot detect a stoppage the operator does not report, which means downtime analysis captures what people admit to rather than what happened.
  • Scheduling and planning are shallow compared with a full MES or ERP, so most customers still plan elsewhere and use Prodsmart for execution only.
  • Support and account management now run through a very large software vendor, and small manufacturers frequently report longer response paths than they had with the original company.

Pricing, plan by plan

JobBOSS²

On request
  • JobBOSS²$undefined/year
    • Quoting through invoicing for job shops
    • Shop floor data collection and scheduling
    • Hosted or on premises deployment

Prodsmart

On request
  • Prodsmart (Autodesk Fusion Operations)$undefined/year
    • Mobile shop floor execution
    • Traceability and production reporting
    • Sold within the Autodesk Fusion product family

Which should you pick?

Choose JobBOSS² if

  • You need estimating and quoting.
  • You work on Windows, Web.
  • You also want order and job management.
JobBOSS² review

Choose Prodsmart if

  • You need mobile shop floor declarations.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want no controller integration required.
Prodsmart review

Questions people ask

Is JobBOSS² or Prodsmart better?
Neither clearly leads. JobBOSS² starts at On request and Prodsmart at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, JobBOSS² or Prodsmart?
JobBOSS² starts at On request and Prodsmart at On request.
Does JobBOSS² or Prodsmart run on more platforms?
JobBOSS² runs on Windows, Web. Prodsmart runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is JobBOSS² best used for?
JobBOSS² is most often used for a job shop quoting from spreadsheets that wants estimating, routing and costing in one system, an existing jobboss or e2 shop system customer evaluating whether to migrate or replace, a make to order fabricator that needs accounting inside the manufacturing system rather than alongside it, a shop that wants operator time capture at work centres to make job costing reflect what actually happened. Of those, a job shop quoting from spreadsheets that wants estimating, routing and costing in one system and an existing jobboss or e2 shop system customer evaluating whether to migrate or replace are not what Prodsmart is typically brought in for.
What can JobBOSS² do that Prodsmart cannot?
JobBOSS² covers Estimating and quoting, Order and job management, Shop floor data collection, Scheduling. Prodsmart covers Mobile shop floor declarations, No controller integration required, Traceability, Live production status.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

JobBOSS²: What happened to E2 Shop System?

ECI acquired it and merged it with JobBOSS into the combined JobBOSS² line. Legacy customers are directed towards migration.

Prodsmart: Who owns Prodsmart?

Autodesk acquired it in 2022 and has integrated it into the Fusion product family as its operations offering.

JobBOSS²: Is it cloud based?

It is offered hosted and on premises. Hosted is not the same as a cloud native architecture, and performance expectations should be set accordingly.

Prodsmart: Does it need my machines to be connected?

No. That is the central design decision. Operators declare production on mobile devices.

JobBOSS²: Does it include accounting?

Yes, accounting is part of the product, which is one of the main reasons small shops choose it over an ERP plus separate finance package.

Prodsmart: Is it a full MES?

It covers execution, traceability and basic OEE. Detailed scheduling, quality workflows and controller level data are not its scope.

JobBOSS²: Can it read data from my CNC machines?

Not natively in any meaningful way. Data collection is operator driven, so shops wanting spindle level data buy a monitoring platform alongside it.

Prodsmart: Can I still buy it as a standalone product?

It is sold through Autodesk. Confirm the current packaging and pricing with Autodesk rather than relying on pre acquisition material.

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