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ERP · head to head

Metasfresh vs Zip

Metasfresh logo

Metasfresh

ERP

Open-source ERP for mid-sized wholesale and manufacturing

From
€99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zip logo

Zip

ERP

Procurement intake and orchestration that sits on top of the systems you already run

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Metasfresh cloud hosting is charged separately from user licences at EUR 299 per month on monthly billing or EUR 249 per month on annual billing; Zip it is a layer on top of systems you already pay for, so the business case rests on adoption and cycle time rather than replacing a licence, and that is harder to defend to a finance director cutting software spend.
  • They diverge on capability: Metasfresh covers Supply chain, Zip covers Unified intake.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Metasfresh and Zip actually diverge.

Attributes where Metasfresh and Zip differ
AttributeMetasfreshZip
Starting price€99/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsSelf-hosted, Cloud, WebWeb, iOS
Founded2015Unknown

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 Metasfresh

  • Supply chain
  • Inventory
  • Manufacturing
  • Purchasing
  • Accounting
  • Wholesale management
  • Custom modules
  • EDI systems

Only in Zip

  • Unified intake
  • Approval orchestration
  • Vendor onboarding
  • Contract repository
  • ERP write-back
  • Renewal management
  • Spend visibility
  • AI request handling

What people use each for

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

Metasfresh

  • Open source ERP for procurement, sales, warehouse and accountingnot Zip
  • Hosting an ERP in a German data centre on a dedicated servernot Zip
  • Self hosting an ERP where the source code must be inspectablenot Zip

Zip

  • A company that owns a source-to-pay suite nobody uses because employees cannot navigate itnot Metasfresh
  • An organisation where every software purchase needs security, legal, privacy and finance sign-off and currently does it in email threadsnot Metasfresh
  • A finance team that keeps discovering contracts that auto-renewed because nobody owned the renewal datenot Metasfresh
  • A business needing an auditable record of who approved a third-party engagement and on what evidencenot Metasfresh

Where each one falls short

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

Metasfresh

  • Cloud hosting is charged separately from user licences at EUR 299 per month on monthly billing or EUR 249 per month on annual billing
  • The EUR 79 per user per month annual rate requires minimum user quantities that depend on company size; monthly billing costs EUR 99 per user per month
  • The mandatory starter package covering setup, customisation, project management and training is priced individually on request
  • Standard support is email only during business hours; a 24/7 SLA is a separate contract on request
  • All published prices exclude VAT
  • Projects larger than the L size starter package require an individual quote

Zip

  • It is a layer on top of systems you already pay for, so the business case rests on adoption and cycle time rather than replacing a licence, and that is harder to defend to a finance director cutting software spend.
  • Value depends entirely on integration depth into your specific ERP and ticketing tools, and a shallow connector reduces it to a workflow tool that someone rekeys out of.
  • Pricing is not published and is structured around company size and integration scope, so buyers cannot benchmark without peer references.
  • If procurement policy itself is unclear, Zip encodes the confusion: the tool routes requests according to rules someone must first write, and organisations without that clarity see slow implementations.
  • It does not do sourcing, auctions or spend analysis, so organisations expecting a full procurement capability will still need a suite or specialist tools alongside it.

Pricing, plan by plan

Metasfresh

€99/month
  • Starter Package$null/custom
    • Initial system setup
    • Customization of windows and documents
    • Project management
  • User Fee$99/month
    • Monthly billing
    • Access to all developments
    • Support and integration
  • User Fee (annual)$79/month
    • Annual billing minimum
    • Access to all developments
    • Support and integration
  • Cloud Hosting$299/month
    • Monthly billing
    • Secure data transfer
    • Real-time backup

Zip

On request
  • Zip$undefined/year
    • Intake and approval orchestration
    • Vendor onboarding and diligence workflows
    • Integrations with ERP, contract and ticketing systems

Which should you pick?

Choose Metasfresh if

  • You need supply chain.
  • You work on Self-hosted, Cloud, Web.
  • You also want inventory.
Metasfresh review

Choose Zip if

  • You need unified intake.
  • You work on Web, iOS.
  • You also want approval orchestration.
Zip review

Questions people ask

Is Metasfresh or Zip better?
Neither clearly leads. Metasfresh starts at €99/month and Zip at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Metasfresh or Zip?
Metasfresh starts at €99/month and Zip at On request.
Does Metasfresh or Zip run on more platforms?
Metasfresh runs on Self-hosted, Cloud, Web. Zip runs on Web, iOS.
What is Metasfresh best used for?
Metasfresh is most often used for open source erp for procurement, sales, warehouse and accounting, hosting an erp in a german data centre on a dedicated server, self hosting an erp where the source code must be inspectable. Of those, open source erp for procurement, sales, warehouse and accounting and hosting an erp in a german data centre on a dedicated server are not what Zip is typically brought in for.
What can Metasfresh do that Zip cannot?
Metasfresh covers Supply chain, Inventory, Manufacturing, Purchasing. Zip covers Unified intake, Approval orchestration, Vendor onboarding, Contract repository.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Metasfresh: What is metasfresh's monthly user fee?

metasfresh charges per-user monthly fees starting at 99 euros per user with monthly billing or 79 euros per user with annual billing (minimum user quantity required based on company size). This includes access to all ERP developments, support, integration, and custom configuration.

Source
Zip: Is this the buy now pay later company?

No. This is Zip at ziphq.com, a procurement orchestration platform, unrelated to the payments company of the same name.

Metasfresh: How much does metasfresh cloud hosting cost?

metasfresh Cloud Hosting costs 299 euros per month with monthly billing or 249 euros per month with annual billing. This includes secure data transfer, real-time backup, dedicated German server infrastructure, and comprehensive support.

Source
Zip: Does it replace Coupa or Ariba?

No, and that is the point. It sits in front of them, providing the intake and approval experience employees actually use, and writes back into the suite.

Metasfresh: Is there a one-time setup fee for metasfresh?

Yes, metasfresh includes a Starter Package with one-time costs for initial system setup, customization, project management, and multiplier training with online meeting room access. Exact pricing is available upon request based on company size and requirements.

Source
Zip: What does it cost?

Not published. Quoted by company size, modules and the integrations you need. Get peer benchmarks before negotiating.

Zip: What is the prerequisite for success?

A written procurement policy. Zip automates the routing rules you give it; if nobody can say who approves what, implementation stalls.

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