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ERP · head to head

OpenBravo vs Plex Manufacturing Cloud

OpenBravo logo

OpenBravo

ERP

Open-source-derived ERP that has narrowed its focus to retail commerce

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
P

Plex Manufacturing Cloud

ERP

Multi-tenant manufacturing ERP with MES built in, owned by Rockwell Automation

From
$500/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only OpenBravo has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: OpenBravo the commercial product is a paid subscription despite the open source lineage, so buyers who assume open source means low cost find the licence conversation no different from any other vendor's.; Plex Manufacturing Cloud there is no on premise option, so a plant whose line-side terminals must keep working through a network outage needs a mitigation plan, and connectivity becomes a production dependency rather than an IT concern.
  • They diverge on capability: OpenBravo covers Retail point of sale, Plex Manufacturing Cloud covers Built-in MES.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which OpenBravo and Plex Manufacturing Cloud actually diverge.

Attributes where OpenBravo and Plex Manufacturing Cloud differ
AttributeOpenBravoPlex Manufacturing Cloud
Starting priceFree$500/month
Pricing modelopen-sourcesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsSelf-hosted, WebCloud, Mobile, Web
Founded20001995

Identical on both: 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 OpenBravo

  • Retail point of sale
  • Omnichannel order management
  • Procurement
  • Modular architecture
  • Web-based interface
  • Open source lineage

Only in Plex Manufacturing Cloud

  • Built-in MES
  • Quality management
  • Lot and serial traceability
  • Production scheduling
  • Supply chain and EDI
  • Single version delivery

Both cover

  • Inventory and warehouse
  • Financials

What people use each for

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

OpenBravo

  • A retail chain replacing separate point of sale and back office systems with one platform across storesnot Plex Manufacturing Cloud
  • A retailer needing a single view of stock across shops, warehouse and online fulfilmentnot Plex Manufacturing Cloud
  • An organisation that requires source code access for auditability or long term control of its own extensionsnot Plex Manufacturing Cloud
  • A business in Europe or Latin America where Openbravo's partner presence is establishednot Plex Manufacturing Cloud

Plex Manufacturing Cloud

  • An automotive component supplier that must hold complete traceability and pass customer quality auditsnot OpenBravo
  • A manufacturer replacing a separate ERP and MES pair that never reconcile with each othernot OpenBravo
  • A multi-plant discrete manufacturer that wants one system of record across sites rather than one per plantnot OpenBravo
  • An organisation that has repeatedly deferred an ERP upgrade and wants the upgrade problem removed from its futurenot OpenBravo

Where each one falls short

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

OpenBravo

  • The commercial product is a paid subscription despite the open source lineage, so buyers who assume open source means low cost find the licence conversation no different from any other vendor's.
  • Development focus has narrowed towards retail commerce, so a buyer wanting a general purpose ERP for manufacturing or services is choosing a product whose investment is going somewhere else.
  • The community around the horizontal ERP is much quieter than it once was, so independent documentation, forum answers and third party modules are sparse and you are dependent on the vendor and its partners in practice.
  • The partner network is small and concentrated in particular regions, which limits your choice of implementer and leaves you exposed if the one available partner in your country is unavailable or underperforms.
  • Extending the platform requires Java and SQL skills specific to its framework, so customisation means hiring or contracting developers for a niche stack, and a heavily modified installation becomes yours to maintain across upgrades.

Plex Manufacturing Cloud

  • There is no on premise option, so a plant whose line-side terminals must keep working through a network outage needs a mitigation plan, and connectivity becomes a production dependency rather than an IT concern.
  • Every customer runs the same version on the vendor's schedule, so you cannot defer a release to fit around a plant shutdown or a customer audit and must absorb regression testing on the vendor's cadence.
  • Customisation is limited to the platform's own configuration and extension tools, which is what makes the single version model possible but means a process you cannot express within those tools has to change rather than be accommodated.
  • The financial modules are less developed than the operational ones, so groups with complex multi-entity consolidation, statutory reporting in several countries or sophisticated planning requirements often keep a separate finance system alongside it.
  • Country localisations and language coverage are narrower than the tier one vendors offer, which limits the product for a manufacturer expanding into markets with demanding local tax and reporting rules.

Pricing, plan by plan

OpenBravo

Free
  • Community EditionFree
    • Open-source
    • Core functionality
    • Community support
  • Enterprise Support$200/month
    • Professional support
    • Updates
    • Consulting

Plex Manufacturing Cloud

$500/month
  • Standard$500/month
    • Core manufacturing
    • Financials
    • Inventory
  • Enterprise$1500/month
    • Advanced modules
    • IoT integration
    • Advanced analytics

Which should you pick?

Choose OpenBravo if

  • You need retail point of sale.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Self-hosted, Web.
  • You also want omnichannel order management.
OpenBravo review

Choose Plex Manufacturing Cloud if

  • You need built-in mes.
  • You work on Cloud, Mobile, Web.
  • You also want quality management.
Plex Manufacturing Cloud review

Questions people ask

Is OpenBravo or Plex Manufacturing Cloud better?
Neither clearly leads. OpenBravo starts at Free and Plex Manufacturing Cloud at $500/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, OpenBravo or Plex Manufacturing Cloud?
OpenBravo has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for OpenBravo and $500/month for Plex Manufacturing Cloud.
Does OpenBravo or Plex Manufacturing Cloud run on more platforms?
OpenBravo runs on Self-hosted, Web. Plex Manufacturing Cloud runs on Cloud, Mobile, Web.
Can I use OpenBravo for free?
Yes. OpenBravo has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Plex Manufacturing Cloud starts at $500/month.
What is OpenBravo best used for?
OpenBravo is most often used for a retail chain replacing separate point of sale and back office systems with one platform across stores, a retailer needing a single view of stock across shops, warehouse and online fulfilment, an organisation that requires source code access for auditability or long term control of its own extensions, a business in europe or latin america where openbravo's partner presence is established. Of those, a retail chain replacing separate point of sale and back office systems with one platform across stores and a retailer needing a single view of stock across shops, warehouse and online fulfilment are not what Plex Manufacturing Cloud is typically brought in for.
What can OpenBravo do that Plex Manufacturing Cloud cannot?
OpenBravo covers Retail point of sale, Omnichannel order management, Procurement, Modular architecture. Plex Manufacturing Cloud covers Built-in MES, Quality management, Lot and serial traceability, Production scheduling. Both handle Inventory and warehouse, Financials.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

OpenBravo: Is Openbravo free?

The lineage is open source and source code is available, but the commercial retail product is sold as a subscription. Treat it as commercial software with an open codebase rather than as free software with paid support.

Plex Manufacturing Cloud: Can I run Plex on my own servers?

No. It is delivered as multi-tenant cloud software only. If you need an on premise deployment, this product cannot meet that requirement at any price.

OpenBravo: Can I still use it as a general ERP?

The horizontal capability exists in the architecture, but the commercial attention is on retail. If you are not a retailer, you would be relying on parts of the product that are not where investment is going.

Plex Manufacturing Cloud: What happens to my customisations at upgrade time?

There are no customisations in the traditional sense. Extensions are built with the platform's own tooling and are carried forward by the vendor. That is the trade you are making: less freedom to modify, no upgrade project.

OpenBravo: What skills do I need in-house?

Java and SQL for anything beyond configuration, plus familiarity with the module framework. If you have no development capacity and no intention to acquire any, the open codebase gives you nothing you will use.

Plex Manufacturing Cloud: Has Rockwell's ownership changed the product?

It has placed Plex inside a portfolio with Rockwell's automation, maintenance and analytics products, which pulls the roadmap towards integration with that estate. Whether that helps depends on whether your plant runs Rockwell equipment. Ask about the specific roadmap items you care about.

OpenBravo: How do I judge the implementation risk?

By the partner, and specifically by whether there is more than one credible partner in your country. A single available implementer is a concentration risk that should be reflected in your contract terms.

Plex Manufacturing Cloud: Is the finance module enough on its own?

For a single country manufacturer, usually yes. For a group consolidating several entities across countries with statutory reporting obligations, ask specifically about your requirements, because this is the part of the product most likely to fall short.

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