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Manufacturing · head to head

ProShop ERP vs PTC Windchill

ProShop ERP logo

ProShop ERP

Manufacturing

Web based ERP, MES and quality system written inside a working CNC machine shop

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PTC Windchill logo

PTC Windchill

Manufacturing

Enterprise PLM for regulated hardware, priced entirely by negotiation

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: ProShop ERP it runs on a Microsoft stack with Internet Information Services and SQL Server, so a shop choosing on premises deployment needs a Windows server and someone to maintain it, which is not what buyers expect when they hear browser based.; PTC Windchill no pricing is published at any tier, and per-user rates are heavily negotiable on multi-year commitments, so the first quote a buyer receives is rarely the achievable price and small buyers without volume have little leverage.
  • They diverge on capability: ProShop ERP covers Integrated quality management, PTC Windchill covers Part and BOM management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ProShop ERP and PTC Windchill actually diverge.

Attributes where ProShop ERP and PTC Windchill differ
AttributeProShop ERPPTC Windchill
PlatformsWeb, WindowsWeb, Windows, On-premise, Cloud, API

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Manufacturing).

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 ProShop ERP

  • Integrated quality management
  • Digital travellers
  • Job costing
  • Capacity scheduling
  • Tool crib and gauge control
  • Purchasing and inventory

Only in PTC Windchill

  • Part and BOM management
  • Change and configuration management
  • CAD data management
  • Variant and options management
  • Quality management
  • Windchill Navigate
  • Service information

What people use each for

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

ProShop ERP

  • A machine shop pursuing or holding AS9100 registration that currently maintains quality records separately from its ERPnot PTC Windchill
  • A high mix low volume shop where every job has different routings and paper travellers keep going missingnot PTC Windchill
  • A contract manufacturer needing material certification and lot traceability from receipt through to shipped partnot PTC Windchill
  • A shop with 1990s machines that wants shop floor data capture through operator kiosks because the controllers cannot be readnot PTC Windchill

PTC Windchill

  • A medical device manufacturer needing a design history file and audit-ready change control for FDA and MDR submissionsnot ProShop ERP
  • An aerospace supplier reconciling engineering and plant-specific manufacturing BOMs across multiple factoriesnot ProShop ERP
  • An industrial equipment firm managing configurable product families where every unit shipped has a different option setnot ProShop ERP
  • A company standardising on Creo that wants CAD data management and PLM from one vendor rather than twonot ProShop ERP

Where each one falls short

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

ProShop ERP

  • It runs on a Microsoft stack with Internet Information Services and SQL Server, so a shop choosing on premises deployment needs a Windows server and someone to maintain it, which is not what buyers expect when they hear browser based.
  • The software is opinionated and expects the shop to adopt its processes, so a shop determined to keep its existing habits gets a poor result and blames the tool.
  • Everything depends on operators entering time and status at each operation, and a shop that cannot enforce that discipline ends up with costing and scheduling data that nobody trusts.
  • It is not a machine monitoring product and does not read controllers, so spindle utilisation and automatic cycle counting require a separate product such as a monitoring platform.
  • The partner ecosystem is very small, so implementation, training and any customisation come from the vendor, and there is no market of independent consultants to fall back on or to price against.

PTC Windchill

  • No pricing is published at any tier, and per-user rates are heavily negotiable on multi-year commitments, so the first quote a buyer receives is rarely the achievable price and small buyers without volume have little leverage.
  • Implementation dominates cost: data migration, configuration and training routinely account for the majority of three-year total cost of ownership, and large programmes run into seven figures of services.
  • Annual support and maintenance is charged as a percentage of licence value in the low-to-mid teens, so the bill continues indefinitely even in years when nothing is upgraded.
  • Upgrades between major releases are projects rather than updates, particularly where the deployment has been customised, and heavily customised sites often sit several versions behind.
  • The role-based licence tiers mean occasional participants such as purchasing or quality still consume paid seats unless you deploy Windchill Navigate, which is a further product to buy and configure.

Pricing, plan by plan

ProShop ERP

On request
  • ProShop ERP$undefined/year
    • ERP, MES and quality management
    • On premises or vendor hosted deployment
    • Implementation and training services

PTC Windchill

On request
  • Windchill$undefined/year
    • Role-based seat tiers: Viewer, Contributor, Editor, Administrator
    • Modules for quality, variants, service and supplier collaboration priced separately
    • On-premise, customer cloud or PTC-hosted SaaS

Which should you pick?

Choose ProShop ERP if

  • You need integrated quality management.
  • You work on Web, Windows.
  • You also want digital travellers.
ProShop ERP review

Choose PTC Windchill if

  • You need part and bom management.
  • You work on Web, Windows, On-premise, Cloud, API.
  • You also want change and configuration management.
PTC Windchill review

Questions people ask

Is ProShop ERP or PTC Windchill better?
Neither clearly leads. ProShop ERP starts at On request and PTC Windchill at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ProShop ERP or PTC Windchill?
ProShop ERP starts at On request and PTC Windchill at On request.
Does ProShop ERP or PTC Windchill run on more platforms?
ProShop ERP runs on Web, Windows. PTC Windchill runs on Web, Windows, On-premise, Cloud, API.
What is ProShop ERP best used for?
ProShop ERP is most often used for a machine shop pursuing or holding as9100 registration that currently maintains quality records separately from its erp, a high mix low volume shop where every job has different routings and paper travellers keep going missing, a contract manufacturer needing material certification and lot traceability from receipt through to shipped part, a shop with 1990s machines that wants shop floor data capture through operator kiosks because the controllers cannot be read. Of those, a machine shop pursuing or holding as9100 registration that currently maintains quality records separately from its erp and a high mix low volume shop where every job has different routings and paper travellers keep going missing are not what PTC Windchill is typically brought in for.
What can ProShop ERP do that PTC Windchill cannot?
ProShop ERP covers Integrated quality management, Digital travellers, Job costing, Capacity scheduling. PTC Windchill covers Part and BOM management, Change and configuration management, CAD data management, Variant and options management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ProShop ERP: Is it cloud software?

It is browser based and can be vendor hosted, but many customers run it on their own Windows server, which carries the usual infrastructure obligations.

PTC Windchill: Is a perpetual licence still available?

PTC has moved decisively to subscription and now positions Windchill as a subscription product. Existing perpetual estates are supported but new perpetual sales are not the default route and should not be assumed.

ProShop ERP: Does it replace my accounting system?

No. It handles costing and purchasing and integrates with QuickBooks or similar for the general ledger.

PTC Windchill: How much does Windchill cost?

PTC publishes nothing. Expect role-tiered per-user subscription plus modules, plus support at a percentage of licence value, plus implementation services that usually exceed the software.

ProShop ERP: Will it work with old CNC machines?

Yes, because it takes operator input at kiosks rather than reading machine controllers. That is a strength for shops with older equipment.

PTC Windchill: Does it require Creo?

No. Creo integration is deepest, but connectors exist for SolidWorks, NX, CATIA and Inventor. Mixed-CAD sites are common.

ProShop ERP: Is it suitable for process or batch manufacturing?

No. It is built for discrete machining and fabrication with routings and travellers.

PTC Windchill: Is it overkill for a hundred-person hardware company?

Usually yes, unless you are in a regulated sector. Below that scale a cloud-native PLM will reach useful state in weeks rather than quarters.

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