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Manufacturing · head to head

Materialise Magics vs SYSPRO

Materialise Magics logo

Materialise Magics

Manufacturing

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

From
On request
Rated
-
SYSPRO logo

SYSPRO

ERP

Long-established mid-market manufacturing ERP, sold through a partner channel

From
$1200/month
Rated
-

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.; SYSPRO sYSPRO is sold and implemented mainly through partners, so implementation quality varies more than the software does, and the reference you need is the partner's on a project like yours rather than the vendor's customer list.
  • They diverge on capability: Materialise Magics covers Mesh repair, SYSPRO covers Inventory management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Materialise Magics and SYSPRO differ
AttributeMaterialise MagicsSYSPRO
Starting priceOn request$1200/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWindowsCloud, On-premise, Web
CategoryManufacturingERP
FoundedUnknown1978

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 Materialise Magics

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

Only in SYSPRO

  • Inventory management
  • Manufacturing
  • Requirements planning
  • Financials
  • Purchasing
  • Quality and traceability
  • Deployment choice
  • Partner channel

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 SYSPRO
  • Repairing badly formed STL or scan-derived meshes that a machine slicer will not acceptnot SYSPRO
  • Automating support generation on metal parts where manual support editing is the bottleneck in the processnot SYSPRO
  • Simulating and compensating for build distortion before committing an expensive metal buildnot SYSPRO

SYSPRO

  • A mid-sized manufacturer that cannot accurately state inventory value or job cost from its current systemsnot Materialise Magics
  • A distributor needing lot traceability for regulated or perishable goods without a tier one budgetnot Materialise Magics
  • A make to order engineering business tracking work in progress across several concurrent jobsnot Materialise Magics
  • A company that wants an established ERP with a long support history rather than a recently launched productnot 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.

SYSPRO

  • SYSPRO is sold and implemented mainly through partners, so implementation quality varies more than the software does, and the reference you need is the partner's on a project like yours rather than the vendor's customer list.
  • The cloud offering is hosted single-tenant infrastructure rather than multi-tenant SaaS, so you continue to own the upgrade project and the testing it requires, and buyers expecting the vendor to handle version changes for them are mistaken.
  • Payroll and human resources coverage varies substantially by region and is absent or partial in several markets, so a buyer assuming a complete back office in one licence will be adding a separate vendor and an integration.
  • Adjacent capability such as customer relationship management, advanced planning and business intelligence is thinner than in the larger suites, so most installations end up with third party products alongside and the integration cost belongs in the business case.
  • The user interface and reporting reflect a long product history rather than current design conventions, which raises training effort and makes the product a harder sell internally to staff who use consumer-grade software elsewhere.

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

SYSPRO

$1200/month
  • Standard$1200/month
    • Financial management
    • Manufacturing
    • Supply chain
  • Premium$2500/month
    • Advanced modules
    • Analytics
    • Priority support

Which should you pick?

Choose Materialise Magics if

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

Choose SYSPRO if

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

Questions people ask

Is Materialise Magics or SYSPRO better?
Neither clearly leads. Materialise Magics starts at On request and SYSPRO at $1200/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Materialise Magics or SYSPRO?
Materialise Magics starts at On request and SYSPRO at $1200/month.
Does Materialise Magics or SYSPRO run on more platforms?
Materialise Magics runs on Windows. SYSPRO runs on Cloud, On-premise, Web.
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 SYSPRO is typically brought in for.
What can Materialise Magics do that SYSPRO cannot?
Materialise Magics covers Mesh repair, Part orientation and nesting, Support generation, Build Processors. SYSPRO covers Inventory management, Manufacturing, Requirements planning, Financials.

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.

SYSPRO: Is SYSPRO a cloud ERP?

It is available hosted on Azure, but as your own instance rather than as shared multi-tenant software. That gives you control over when you upgrade and leaves the upgrade work with you and your partner.

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.

SYSPRO: Who implements it?

Regional partners in most markets, with the vendor's own offices involved to differing degrees by country. Establish which entity holds your contract and who provides first-line support before you sign.

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.

SYSPRO: What size of company is it for?

Small and mid-sized manufacturers and distributors, roughly in the tens to low hundreds of millions in revenue. Below that it is more system than most businesses need. Well above it, the multi-country and consolidation demands usually push buyers to a larger suite.

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.

SYSPRO: Does the licence tell me the project cost?

No. As with most mid-market ERP, the partner services and data migration bill commonly matches or exceeds the first year of software, and the subscription usually begins before go live, so plan for both from the start.

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