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Manufacturing · head to head

Materialise Magics vs Rootstock

Materialise Magics logo

Materialise Magics

Manufacturing

Industrial build preparation and data repair for metal and polymer additive manufacturing

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Rootstock logo

Rootstock

ERP

Manufacturing ERP built natively on the Salesforce platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Materialise Magics new seats and modules have been subscription only since 15 May 2024, so the perpetual purchase route is closed and existing perpetual holders are on a shrinking island.; Rootstock every Rootstock user also needs a paid Salesforce platform licence, so the true cost is two subscriptions stacked; third-party estimates put a fully loaded seat around 200 to 500 US dollars per user per month, which is far above the Rootstock line item alone.
  • They diverge on capability: Materialise Magics covers Mesh repair, Rootstock covers Native Salesforce architecture.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Materialise Magics and Rootstock actually diverge.

Attributes where Materialise Magics and Rootstock differ
AttributeMaterialise MagicsRootstock
PlatformsWindowsWeb, Salesforce Platform, iOS, Android
CategoryManufacturingERP

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), 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 Materialise Magics

  • Mesh repair
  • Part orientation and nesting
  • Support generation
  • Build Processors
  • Simulation module
  • Structures module
  • Reporting and traceability

Only in Rootstock

  • Native Salesforce architecture
  • Production and work orders
  • Materials and MRP
  • Inventory management
  • Order to cash
  • Project accounting
  • Financials
  • Quality and compliance

What people use each for

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

Materialise Magics

  • A service bureau running several brands of metal printer that wants one preparation environment instead of five vendor slicersnot Rootstock
  • Repairing badly formed STL or scan-derived meshes that a machine slicer will not acceptnot Rootstock
  • Automating support generation on metal parts where manual support editing is the bottleneck in the processnot Rootstock
  • Simulating and compensating for build distortion before committing an expensive metal buildnot Rootstock

Rootstock

  • A discrete manufacturer already running Salesforce Sales Cloud that wants configured quotes to become works orders without an integration layer between two systemsnot Materialise Magics
  • An engineer-to-order equipment maker that needs project cost tracking and CRM opportunity data in one database for margin reportingnot Materialise Magics
  • A medical device supplier that needs lot and serial traceability under the same security and audit model as its customer recordsnot Materialise Magics
  • A manufacturer replacing an on-premise ERP whose IT team wants to stop maintaining servers and standardise administration on a platform it already supportsnot Materialise Magics

Where each one falls short

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

Materialise Magics

  • New seats and modules have been subscription only since 15 May 2024, so the perpetual purchase route is closed and existing perpetual holders are on a shrinking island.
  • Build Processors are licensed separately per machine family, so adding a new printer brand adds a licence line as well as capital cost, and a mixed fleet multiplies the software bill.
  • The modules that deliver the biggest labour saving, notably e-Stage automated support generation, are paid extras, so the base seat alone leaves you doing manual support work.
  • Materialise publishes no prices anywhere, and quotes vary by region and reseller, so two similar bureaus can pay materially different amounts for the same configuration.
  • It is Windows only and remains a desktop application, which sits awkwardly with the cloud direction of Materialise CO-AM and means preparation capacity is tied to specific workstations and licence seats.

Rootstock

  • Every Rootstock user also needs a paid Salesforce platform licence, so the true cost is two subscriptions stacked; third-party estimates put a fully loaded seat around 200 to 500 US dollars per user per month, which is far above the Rootstock line item alone.
  • Rootstock publishes no pricing whatsoever, so budget-setting depends on reseller and analyst figures rather than vendor rates, and there is no public benchmark to test a quote against.
  • Building on Salesforce means inheriting Salesforce governor limits and API constraints, which surface as batch size and data volume ceilings in high-transaction manufacturing that a purpose-built ERP would not hit.
  • Your ERP is now hostage to another vendors commercial decisions: Salesforce list price rises, edition changes or licence policy shifts flow straight into your ERP running cost with no alternative supplier.
  • Implementation is a serious project, commonly quoted in the tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars and measured in months, and the partner pool that genuinely knows both manufacturing and Salesforce-native ERP is small, which lengthens timelines and raises day rates.

Pricing, plan by plan

Materialise Magics

On request
  • Magics Essentials$undefined/year
    • Mesh repair and editing
    • Part orientation and platform placement
    • Basic support generation
  • Magics with modules$undefined/year
    • Everything in Essentials
    • e-Stage automated supports, Simulation, Structures priced individually
    • Build Processors licensed per machine family

Rootstock

On request
  • Rootstock Cloud ERP$undefined/year
    • Manufacturing, inventory and supply chain modules
    • Runs as a managed package on the Salesforce Platform
    • Salesforce platform licences purchased separately for every user

Which should you pick?

Choose Materialise Magics if

  • You need mesh repair.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want part orientation and nesting.
Materialise Magics review

Choose Rootstock if

  • You need native salesforce architecture.
  • You work on Web, Salesforce Platform, iOS, Android.
  • You also want production and work orders.
Rootstock review

Questions people ask

Is Materialise Magics or Rootstock better?
Neither clearly leads. Materialise Magics starts at On request and Rootstock at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Materialise Magics or Rootstock?
Materialise Magics starts at On request and Rootstock at On request.
Does Materialise Magics or Rootstock run on more platforms?
Materialise Magics runs on Windows. Rootstock runs on Web, Salesforce Platform, iOS, Android.
What is Materialise Magics best used for?
Materialise Magics is most often used for a service bureau running several brands of metal printer that wants one preparation environment instead of five vendor slicers, repairing badly formed stl or scan-derived meshes that a machine slicer will not accept, automating support generation on metal parts where manual support editing is the bottleneck in the process, simulating and compensating for build distortion before committing an expensive metal build. Of those, a service bureau running several brands of metal printer that wants one preparation environment instead of five vendor slicers and repairing badly formed stl or scan-derived meshes that a machine slicer will not accept are not what Rootstock is typically brought in for.
What can Materialise Magics do that Rootstock cannot?
Materialise Magics covers Mesh repair, Part orientation and nesting, Support generation, Build Processors. Rootstock covers Native Salesforce architecture, Production and work orders, Materials and MRP, Inventory management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Materialise Magics: Can I still buy a perpetual Magics licence?

No. Since 15 May 2024 Materialise sells new seats and new modules on subscription only. Existing perpetual licences continue to work but new capacity is subscription.

Rootstock: Do I need Salesforce to run Rootstock?

Yes, and it is not optional. Rootstock is a managed package on the Salesforce Platform and every user requires a Salesforce licence in addition to the Rootstock subscription.

Materialise Magics: Do I need a separate Build Processor for each printer?

You need one per machine family, licensed separately from the Magics seat. Budget for it before you buy the printer.

Rootstock: What does Rootstock actually cost?

Rootstock does not publish rates. Third-party estimates put the ERP subscription at roughly 150 to 300 US dollars per user per month before Salesforce licences, with implementation quoted separately.

Materialise Magics: Is Magics the same as CO-AM?

No. Magics is desktop build preparation. CO-AM is the Materialise cloud platform for AM workflow and production management, which absorbed the former Link3D product.

Rootstock: Is it suitable for process manufacturing?

It is built for discrete manufacturing. Recipe and batch-driven process manufacturers are a poor fit and should look elsewhere.

Materialise Magics: Does Magics slice?

It prepares and supports the build and hands off through a Build Processor, which produces the machine-ready file. The machine-specific processing lives in the Build Processor.

Rootstock: Has Rootstock been acquired?

No. Rootstock remains independent and was itself the acquirer, buying Salesforce-native applications firm Ascent Solutions in March 2026.

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