If you run a factory, it’s important to manage things like supplies, work schedules, and making sure everything is good quality, all while saving money. For example, if you don’t manage your supplies properly, you might run out of materials and slow down production.The right tool can help by automating tasks like reordering supplies when they run low, improving work schedules, organizing materials, and working with other businesses to make sure everything runs smoothly. If you’re new to this type of software, it’s a good idea to start with an affordable tool.It can help you do things easily and give you an edge without spending too much money.
In this article, we’ve listed six affordable manufacturing software options that are top-rated based on real user reviews and prices from vendor websites. For our research, we chose software with base plans costing less than 8.67 per month, which we consider affordable. We’ve organized them by price, from lowest to highest.
The tools are divided into two groups: dedicated manufacturing systems and other software (like ERP, business management, and inventory management tools) that also work for manufacturing. All the products in this article include features like inventory and order management.
6 Best Affordable Manufacturing Software Tools
SR | Software | Overall Rating | Money Rating | Pricing | Key Features |
1 | Striven | 4.5/5 | 4.42/5 | $35/user/month | Comprehensive project management, CRM, and financial tools |
2 | ERPAG | 4.3/5 | 4.45/5 | $49/month | Integrated ERP, inventory management, and CRM |
3 | inFlow Inventory | 4.3/5 | 4.44/5 | $89/month | Inventory management, order processing, and reporting |
4 | Katana Cloud Inventory | 4.3/5 | 3.18/5 | $179/month | Cloud-based inventory, production management, and real-time tracking |
5 | Megaventory | 4.2/5 | 4.43/5 | $135/month | Multi-channel inventory, order management, and reporting |
6 | Odoo | 3.9/5 | 3.72/5 | $24.90/user/month | Modular ERP with a wide range of business applications |
1.Striven
Striven is a great tool that helps businesses run smoothly for both sellers and buyers.. It has easy-to-use online portals where people can manage their details like contact info, order history, and payment methods. For customers, it’s super handy. They can send work requests, look at their past orders, and pay bills online. For businesses, the vendor portal is very helpful. It lets them send purchase requests, pay bills, assign tasks, and talk to their vendors easily.
Interesting Features:
- Invoicing: Easily create invoices using real-time sales data. You can even change the templates to show your company’s logo and colors. For recurring payments, you can set it to automatically send daily, weekly, or monthly invoices.
- Customizable Dashboards: Get a live overview of key metrics like production schedules, inventory levels, and quality control. You can change the dashboard to show the information that is most important to you.
- Production Reports: Make reports that give you details about your production process. You can check how much you use your machines and materialss. This helps you make smart choices based on the information.
Pros & Cons
It is compatible with: macOS,Windows,Linux
Billing cycle: Monthly
Pricing: starts at $35 for a single user/device
Customer support options: Chat,Email ,phone support
Who Should Use Striven?
Manufacturers who work with a large number of vendors and customers will find Striven especially useful. Its simple portals make it easy to talk, manage orders quickly, and ensure everyone understands what’s happening. Vendors can manage purchase orders, invoices, and payments, while customers can track their orders and talk directly with manufacturers. This makes things clearer and reduces paperwork, so everything workss better.
2.ERPAG
ERPAG is an online Manufacturing Software designed to help you manage your production processes smoothly. It has a feature to help you manage outside workers . You can make work orders for them, track materials, and see how the outsourced work is going. You can also create and print your own labels for your products.
Interesting Features:
- Bills of Material (BoM): Organize and manage the parts and assemblies needed to make your products. You can make detailed lists showing how much of each part you need, what it is, and its details.
- Expiry Date Management: Keep track of product shelf life. Set expiry dates, and get notifications when products are about to expire to ensure you only use or sell fresh items.
- Material Planning: Improve how you manage inventory and plan production. system shows you how much stuff you need and when to get it, so you can finish your work on time .
Pros & Cons
It is compatible with: ERPAG works well with various web browsers and devices, making it accessible from different platforms.
Billing cycle: Paid Monthly.
Pricing: $49 per month
Customer support options: Chat,Email ,Online Ticket
Who Should Consider ERPAG?
ERPAG helps you manage contracts and keep an eye on work done by others. It helps you keep track of parts and materials, find problems with outside work, and see how well your partners are doing If you need simple tools to manage work and work with outside helpers, ERPAG is a good choice.
3.inFlow Inventory
inFlow Inventory is a handy online tool for managing inventory. It makes dealing with different currencies simple, which is great for businesses with clients in other countries. The software updates exchange rates on your sales orders automatically, so you can see how these rates affect your costs and profits.
Interesting Features:
- Multi-level Categories: You can organize your products into various categories and sub-categories. This helps keep your inventory neat and easy to find .
- Barcoding: Each product gets a unique barcode. This helps you track and manage your inventory quickly and accurately. You can scan items when you receive, pick, pack, and ship them, which reduces the need for typing in information by hand.
- Assembly Cost Tracking: You can calculate how much it costs to make a product from its parts. Set up your parts, add their costs, and make reports to see how much you’re spending and where you can save money.
Pros & Cons
It is compatible with:inFlow Inventory works well with various operating systems and devices. It’s made to be used online, so you can reach it from any computer with internet.
Billing cycle: Annual
Pricing: starts at $89 for a single user/device
Customer support options: Chat,Email ,phone support
Who Should Consider inFlow Inventory?
inFlow Inventory is great for manufacturers who work internationally and need to handle different currencies.Its features help businesses track their money, manage inventory in different currencies, and make smart money decisions.
4.Katana Cloud Inventory
Katana Cloud Inventory is a smart tool for managing your inventory. It shows you what you have in stock right now, like how much paint and brushes you have if you’re running a craft store. You can see what’s available and get alerts if you’re running low, like if your paint is almost gone. Exactly! It helps you keep track of all your items, so you don’t run out of anything. For example, if you have a toy store, it makes sure you don’t run out of toys and always have enough for your customers..
Interesting Features:
- Sales and Purchase Orders: Easily handle all your sales and purchase orders from one place. You can create sales orders, check their status, and manage purchase orders and incoming shipments.
- Items Management: Keep track of item details,, including categories, variants, and codes. This helps you keep an eye on stock levels and reorder points, so your production runs smoothly .
- Contact Management: Store and manage customer and supplier details, including contact info, shipping addresses, and payment information. This helps you stay organized and avoid errors..
Pros & Cons
It is compatible with: Katana Cloud Inventory is a cloud-based tool, so it works on any device with an internet connection. It works with most latest web browsers.
Billing cycle: Monthly,Annual
Pricing: starts at $179 per Month
Customer support options: Chat,Email ,Access articles and guides for self-help
Who Should Consider Katana Cloud Inventory?
Katana Cloud Inventory is great for manufacturers who want better control over their stock levels. With its up-to-date inventory information and ability to handle different product choices, it’s great for planning production based on what you need and what you have.
5.Megaventory
Megaventory is a versatile inventory management and manufacturing software designed to streamline order fulfillment and inventory handling. It helps you keep track of sales, organize your stock, and create shipping labels all in one place . For example, if you sell toys, you can see what’s sold, how many are left in stock, and quickly print labels to send them out. The system also supports dropshipping, so you can manage orders for items that aren’t available by ordering from suppliers and keeping track of both sales and purchases
Interesting Features:
- Landed Cost Calculations: This feature helps you track the total cost of a product once it arrives at your warehouse, including the purchase price, shipping fees, customs duties, and other related expenses.
- Sales Quotes: You can create detailed proposals for potential customers that include product information, pricing, and terms. Sales quotes can be saved as drafts or approved documents.
- Reporting: Megaventory allows you to create custom reports on purchases, sales, production, stock levels, and inventory. You can save these reports and sort them by things like product type, where the inventory is stored, and the date.
Pros & Cons
It is compatible with: Megaventory is compatible with various integrations, supporting up to five different ones in the base plan. It is suitable for businesses looking for robust inventory management and order fulfillment capabilities .
Billing cycle: Monthly,Annual
Pricing: starts at $179 per Month
Customer support options: Chat,Email ,Access articles and guides for self-help
Who Should Consider Megaventory?
Megaventory is perfect for factories that have lots of orders and need to handle them quickly. The software helps with tasks like organizing orders and packing, making everything faster. It also has a feature that adds up the total cost of products, including shipping and taxes, which helps businesses choose the right prices
6.Odoo
Odoo is an online tool that helps businesses with important tasks, especially making different things.. It helps you plan what needs to be done, keep track of your stock, and make sure your products are always high quality . For example, with Odoo, you can use barcodes to scan items. This helps you easily track what you have in stock and keep everything organized.You can assign barcodes to each product and track inventory easily by scanning them. This helps with adjusting stock, receiving shipments, and moving items around .
Odoo’s basic plan gives you access to all online apps, like tools for Manufacturing Software, inventory, and accounting, all for one fee. If you upgrade to the premium plan, you get extra features. These include tools you can use on your own computer and Odoo Studio, which lets you change the software without needing to know how to code .
Interesting Features:
Multi-level Bills of Material (BoM): This feature lets you make a list of everything you need to create a product, from the raw materials to the final item .It’s really useful for businesses that want to plan every step of making somethingQuality Alerts: Odoo lets you create alerts for quality problems, like defective products. The alerts show up on a Kanban board, where you can see their progress at different stages of review .
Cost Analysis: This tool helps you calculate how much it costs to make each product by including material costs, labor, and other expenses. It helps you figure out the total production cost so you can set prices wisely ..
Pros & Cons
It is compatible with: Odoo is web-based, so you can use it on any device with an internet connection. It works great on computers, tablets, and phones
Billing cycle: Paid yearly.
Pricing: $24.90 per user, per month (for the base plan).
Customer support options: Chat,Email ,Phone support,Helpdesk
Who Should Consider Megaventory?
Odoo is a great option for businesses that handle a lot of stock and have complicated products . For example, if you’re in the electronics or automotive industries, Odoo’s multi-level BoM feature will help you plan and track all the parts of your products. Its barcode scanning is also very useful for keeping track of your inventory in real-time.
Frequently Asked Questions About Choosing Affordable Manufacturing Software
What security features should I look for in the software?
Look for Manufacturing Software with strong security to keep your data safe. For example, software like Zoho Inventory offers encryption to protect your data and access control so only authorized users can view sensitive information. Backup options are also important—some software, like NetSuite, includes automatic backups to prevent data loss.
Does the software come with a mobile app?
A mobile app can be very useful. For instance, Odoo Manufacturing Software has a mobile app that lets you check on production schedules, manage inventory, and get alerts about important issues right from your phone. This means you can keep track of everything no matter where you are .
What kinds of reports can the software generate?
Reports are key for managing your business. ERPAG , for example, provides detailed reports on inventory levels, sales performance, and financials . This helps you track what’s going on, identify any issues,& make informed decisions to improve your business .
Is the software easy to use?
You’ll want software that’s user-friendly. QuickBooks Commerce, for instance, has a simple dashboard that’s easy to navigate, making it straightforward for you and your team to learn how to use it quickly without a lot of training.
Can the software grow with my business?
Check if the software can scale as your business grows. SAP Business One is a good example—it can handle increasing amounts of data and users as your business expands, so you won’t need to switch to a new system as you grow.
What kind of customer support does the software offer?
Good customer support is crucial. Fishbowl Inventory, for example, offers help via phone, email, and chat. They also give you training materials and tutorials to help you start and fix any problems you might have
What is the cost of the software?
Consider the cost and any extra fees. For example, InFlow Inventory Manufacturing Software offers a basic plan that is budget-friendly, with clear pricing and no hidden fees. Make sure the software you choose fits within your budget and provides good value for the features you need .
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