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Business Intelligence · head to head

Phocas vs Preset

Phocas logo

Phocas

Business Intelligence

Pre-built BI and FP&A for wholesale distributors and manufacturers running mid-market ERPs

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Preset logo

Preset

Business Intelligence

Managed Apache Superset

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Preset has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Phocas the value is the pre-built vertical content, so a company outside distribution, manufacturing or retail pays premium prices for dashboards it must build itself anyway.; Preset limited SQL IDE advanced features compared to specialized query tools
  • They diverge on capability: Phocas covers ERP connectors, Preset covers Managed Superset.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Phocas and Preset actually diverge.

Attributes where Phocas and Preset differ
AttributePhocasPreset
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Cloud
FoundedUnknown2019

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Business Intelligence).

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 Phocas

  • ERP connectors
  • Pre-built distribution content
  • Grid-first analysis
  • Financial statements
  • Budgets and forecasts
  • Rebates module
  • Alerts and subscriptions
  • Mobile apps

Only in Preset

  • Managed Superset
  • Auto-scaling
  • Enterprise Security
  • Custom Branding
  • API Access
  • Snowflake
  • BigQuery
  • Redshift

What people use each for

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

Phocas

  • A wholesale distributor on Prophet 21 whose sales reps need per-customer margin and stock availability without waiting on a report writernot Preset
  • A manufacturer that wants budgeting on the same data as its sales analysis rather than in a separate spreadsheetnot Preset
  • A multi-branch retailer comparing branch and product performance daily without an internal BI teamnot Preset
  • A private equity owner standardising reporting across several acquired distributors on different ERPsnot Preset

Preset

  • Self-service analyticsnot Phocas
  • Data explorationnot Phocas
  • Ad-hoc reportingnot Phocas
  • Collaborative analysisnot Phocas
  • Embedded analyticsnot Phocas

Where each one falls short

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

Phocas

  • The value is the pre-built vertical content, so a company outside distribution, manufacturing or retail pays premium prices for dashboards it must build itself anyway.
  • If your ERP is not on the maintained connector list you fall back to generic database extraction and lose the fast time to value that justifies the price.
  • The visualisation library is thin next to Power BI or Tableau, and analysts who want fine control over chart design will find it constraining.
  • Pricing is quoted per user and never published, and buyers routinely report large gaps between initial and renewal quotes with limited comparison leverage.
  • Modules are licensed separately, so a customer who bought Analytics and later wants Financial Statements or Rebates faces a new negotiation rather than an upgrade.

Preset

  • Limited SQL IDE advanced features compared to specialized query tools
  • Viewer licenses add substantial cost for embedded analytics deployments
  • Dataset-centric approach requires preprocessing by data teams for some use cases

Pricing, plan by plan

Phocas

On request
  • Phocas$undefined/year
    • Annual subscription quoted by user count and modules
    • Analytics, Financial Statements, Budgets and Rebates licensed separately
    • One-off implementation and ERP connector setup fee

Preset

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Preset review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Phocas if

  • You need erp connectors.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want pre-built distribution content.
Phocas review

Choose Preset if

  • You need managed superset.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want auto-scaling.
Preset review

Questions people ask

Is Phocas or Preset better?
Neither clearly leads. Phocas starts at On request and Preset at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Phocas or Preset?
Preset has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Phocas and Free for Preset.
Does Phocas or Preset run on more platforms?
Phocas runs on Web, iOS, Android. Preset runs on Web, Cloud.
Can I use Preset for free?
Yes. Preset has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Phocas starts at On request.
What is Phocas best used for?
Phocas is most often used for a wholesale distributor on prophet 21 whose sales reps need per-customer margin and stock availability without waiting on a report writer, a manufacturer that wants budgeting on the same data as its sales analysis rather than in a separate spreadsheet, a multi-branch retailer comparing branch and product performance daily without an internal bi team, a private equity owner standardising reporting across several acquired distributors on different erps. Of those, a wholesale distributor on prophet 21 whose sales reps need per-customer margin and stock availability without waiting on a report writer and a manufacturer that wants budgeting on the same data as its sales analysis rather than in a separate spreadsheet are not what Preset is typically brought in for.
What can Phocas do that Preset cannot?
Phocas covers ERP connectors, Pre-built distribution content, Grid-first analysis, Financial statements. Preset covers Managed Superset, Auto-scaling, Enterprise Security, Custom Branding.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Phocas: What does Phocas cost?

Nothing is published. It is quoted annually by user count and module, with a separate implementation fee, and varies by region.

Preset: Is Preset free?

Preset offers a free tier for small teams called Starter with 5 users and no credit card required. Paid plans start at $25 per user per month.

Source
Phocas: Is it worth it over Power BI?

Only if you are in its target verticals on a supported ERP. Power BI is far cheaper per seat but you supply the data model.

Preset: Can I export my data from Preset?

Yes. Preset uses Apache Superset and the founders contribute over 75% of commits to the open-source project, enabling migration to Superset without vendor lock-in.

Source
Phocas: Does it replace my ERP reporting?

It replaces day-to-day analysis and sales reporting. Transactional and statutory reporting stays in the ERP.

Preset: Does Preset include embedded analytics?

Yes. Embedded dashboards are available on Professional and Enterprise plans, with viewer licenses starting at $500 per month for 50 licenses.

Source
Phocas: Can it do budgeting?

Yes, through a separately licensed Financial Statements and Budgets module on the same warehouse.

Preset: What is the enterprise pricing for Preset?

Enterprise plans are custom quoted. The median buyer pays $35,495 per year.

Source
Preset: Does Preset support AI-powered analytics?

Yes. As of 2026, Preset includes an AI Chatbot and MCP (Model Context Protocol) integration for building charts and dashboards via natural language.

Source
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