ERP · head to head
Sage X3 vs Striven
Sage X3
ERP
Mid-market ERP sold and implemented almost entirely through Sage partners
- From
- $1500/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Sage X3 sage sells X3 through partners rather than direct, so implementation quality varies more than the software does, and a weak partner produces a failed project on a product that works fine elsewhere.; Striven occasional performance issues with slow load times in some modules
- They diverge on capability: Sage X3 covers Multi-company and multi-legislation finance, Striven covers CRM.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Sage X3 and Striven actually diverge.
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 Sage X3
- Multi-company and multi-legislation finance
- Manufacturing
- Inventory and warehouse
- Purchasing
- Sales and pricing
- Project accounting
- Quality control
- Development framework
Only in Striven
- CRM
- Project management
- Accounting
- HR management
- Inventory
- QuickBooks
- Outlook
- Google Workspace
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Sage X3
- A group with subsidiaries in several countries consolidating from separate accounting systems into one ledgernot Striven
- A food or chemical manufacturer needing lot traceability and formulation alongside standard financialsnot Striven
- A distributor with multiple warehouses and complex customer specific pricing that spreadsheets no longer containnot Striven
- A business that has outgrown a small business accounting package but cannot justify a tier one ERP programmenot Striven
Striven
- Software consolidationnot Sage X3
- Business operationsnot Sage X3
- Project-based businessesnot Sage X3
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Sage X3
- Sage sells X3 through partners rather than direct, so implementation quality varies more than the software does, and a weak partner produces a failed project on a product that works fine elsewhere.
- Payroll is not part of X3 in most markets and is bought as a separate product or a third party service, so an organisation assuming a complete back office in one licence finds an extra vendor, an extra integration and an extra bill.
- The product uses its own development language and toolset rather than a mainstream stack, so the pool of people who can maintain a customised installation is small, expensive and largely employed by partners.
- Heavy customisation is possible and consequently common, and customised installations are harder to upgrade, which surfaces years later as a business running an old version because taking the current one means retesting and reworking every modification.
- The North American partner ecosystem and third party add-on market are thinner than for the products X3 competes with, so niche requirements are more often met by custom development than by buying something already built.
Striven
- Occasional performance issues with slow load times in some modules
- Dated UI in places with clunky mobile app experience
- Very limited customization options compared to enterprise ERP solutions
- No Zapier or third-party app marketplace integration
Pricing, plan by plan
Sage X3
$1500/month- Standard$1500/month
- Core ERP functionality
- Financial management
- Inventory management
- Enterprise$3000/month
- Multi-company support
- Advanced manufacturing
- Business intelligence
Striven
$35/month- Standard$35/month
- Accounting
- CRM and sales
- Project management
- Enterprise$70/month
- All Standard features
- Advanced customization
- Priority support
Which should you pick?
Choose Sage X3 if
- You need multi-company and multi-legislation finance.
- You work on Cloud, Windows, Web.
- You also want manufacturing.
Choose Striven if
- You need crm.
- You work on Web, Mobile, API.
- You also want project management.
Questions people ask
- Is Sage X3 or Striven better?
- Neither clearly leads. Sage X3 starts at $1500/month and Striven at $35/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Sage X3 or Striven?
- Sage X3 starts at $1500/month and Striven at $35/month.
- Does Sage X3 or Striven run on more platforms?
- Sage X3 runs on Cloud, Windows, Web. Striven runs on Web, Mobile, API.
- What is Sage X3 best used for?
- Sage X3 is most often used for a group with subsidiaries in several countries consolidating from separate accounting systems into one ledger, a food or chemical manufacturer needing lot traceability and formulation alongside standard financials, a distributor with multiple warehouses and complex customer specific pricing that spreadsheets no longer contain, a business that has outgrown a small business accounting package but cannot justify a tier one erp programme. Of those, a group with subsidiaries in several countries consolidating from separate accounting systems into one ledger and a food or chemical manufacturer needing lot traceability and formulation alongside standard financials are not what Striven is typically brought in for.
- What can Sage X3 do that Striven cannot?
- Sage X3 covers Multi-company and multi-legislation finance, Manufacturing, Inventory and warehouse, Purchasing. Striven covers CRM, Project management, Accounting, HR management.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Sage X3: Is Sage X3 a cloud product?
It is offered as a hosted subscription, commonly on AWS, but it is not a multi-tenant SaaS product in the way Plex or NetSuite are. You still have your own instance and you still own the upgrade decision, which is both more control and more work.
Striven: What is Striven's pricing model?
Striven uses user-based pricing: Standard plan at $35/user/month and Enterprise plan at $70/user/month. For accounts with fewer than 5 users, an additional $25 per user applies.
SourceSage X3: How do I choose a partner?
Ask for two references at your revenue, in your industry, on the version you are buying, and speak to them without the partner present. Ask who specifically will be on your project, how long they have worked on X3, and what happens if they leave mid engagement.
Striven: Does Striven offer a free trial or free tier?
Yes, Striven offers a 7-day free test drive with no credit card required. However, there is no permanent free version or free tier for production use.
SourceSage X3: Does the licence cost tell me what the project costs?
No. For mid-market ERP the services bill commonly matches or exceeds the first year of software, and the subscription clock usually starts before go live, so the first year of licence buys considerably less usable time than it appears to.
Striven: What modules does Striven include?
Striven includes accounting, CRM and sales management, project management, task management, inventory, HR, OKRs, and workflow automation across all plans.
SourceSage X3: Who should not buy X3?
A single entity operating in one country, because the multi-company and multi-legislation depth is the main reason to pay for this rather than something simpler, and a business paying for it without using it has overbought.
Striven: Does Striven offer optional add-ons like customer portals?
Yes, Striven offers optional monthly portal plans: free tier for up to 100 customers/vendors/applications per month, $99/month for 500, and $499/month for unlimited access.
SourceRelated pages
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