Acumatica vs Plex Systems

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Our analysts compared Acumatica vs Plex Systems based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Manufacturing Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

Acumatica is cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. It handles core business processes like financials, manufacturing, payroll, service management, order management and customer relationship management (CRM) for medium-sized companies and large enterprises.

A standout feature is its open architecture, making it easy to customize and connect to existing apps. Data security functions include multi-factor authorization (MFA) and IP access restrictions.

Recent reviews are positive about its user-friendly interface, scalability and functionality. While costing more than some basic ERP software, Acumatica offers robust features like project management, advanced reporting and inventory control, making it a good choice for growing businesses seeking to centralize and automate operations.

Compared to its competitors, users appreciate its flexibility and accessibility. However, its extensive customization options is a double-edged sword, requiring developer knowledge for complex modifications and integrations. While Acumatica's breadth of functionality is impressive, it can present a steeper learning curve for users new to the platform.

Acumatica offers a subscription-based model based on depth of functionality. This pricing structure allows unlimited user access to the system. The final price depends on added modules, consumption levels (including storage and transaction volumes) and licensing costs.
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Plex Manufacturing Cloud uses real-time data to connect and facilitate operations among various business aspects such as finance, distribution and production. It has built-in compliance and approval monitoring tools to ensure that your products are created accurately and with regulations in mind.

With Plex software, you also have the ability to develop customized reports and dashboards to make visualization easier and more streamlined. These reporting tools can make developing insights faster and easier, especially when considering the program’s use of actual minute-by-minute data.
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$4,000 Monthly
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$500/User, Monthly
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Product Assistance

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Product Insights

  • Focus on User Experience: Acumatica contains a range of automated capabilities for creating tax filing reports, billing and invoicing, calculating realized gains and losses, and managing taxes. The user-friendly experience coupled with fewer manual processes foster quick user adoption.
  • Access Everything in One Place: Review all business functions, databases and workflows in one place. Personalized dashboards fix the generalized view problem and let users see vital information.
  • Get Real-Time Visibility: Real-time visibility into business processes helps reduce inconsistencies and communication errors.
  • Support Global Operations: Set up shop in various locations and support transactions across multiple currencies.
  • Maintain Financial Health: Gain better control over your company’s financials by either segmenting or centralizing accounting among various locations and entities.
  • Comply With Complex Tax Regulations: Reduce tax headaches by accounting for use, sales, withholding and other considerations. Avoid penalties and fines with built-in tax management capabilities that ensure adherence to tax guidelines.
  • Choose From a Strong Partner Ecosystem: Acumatica has a vast network of partners offering industry-specific solutions and implementation services. Get the right options to align the system with your specific business needs.
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  • Increased Efficiency: Plex Manufacturing Cloud uses real-time data and set parameters to maximize production capabilities. Its Advanced Planning and Scheduling tool uses information such as inventory levels, amount of production floor space and maximum productivity levels to generate a best-fit manufacturing schedule. 
  • Accessibility: As a cloud-based manufacturing software, Plex is available anytime and anywhere as long as a user has internet access. This is especially beneficial in the manufacturing center considering manufacturing managers and production line employees can access real-time data from internet-enabled devices while they’re actually on the floor working. 
  • Improved Customer Experience: Customers are the backbone of your business, and Plex software capitalizes on this fact through its customer portal, which provides visualization as a product moves throughout the supply chain. Shipping notifications are also included so that clients have an accurate expectation as to when an item should be delivered. 
  • Heightened Visibility: With increased visibility, you can develop insights more quickly. Plex Manufacturing Cloud contains the ability to use customizable dashboards to reflect minute-by-minute information such as inventory levels and labor allocation, which enables you to make informed decisions based on current processes. 
  • Collaboration: Plex allows for collaboration with clients through the customer portal. It also contains internal collaboration tools that are emphasized through its multi-site functionality for supply chain and financial processes. 
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  • Financial Management: Manage accounting, budgeting, financial reporting and cash management on one platform. In addition to core functions like general ledgers, accounts receivables and payables, it offers automated bank reconciliations and multi-currency to support efficiency and global operations.
  • Distribution Management: Manage sales, inventory, and purchasing processes with one module. Top features include order management, inventory control and warehouse management. Its ability to handle complex inventory valuation methods and real-time inventory visibility sets it apart.
  • Order Management: Get better control over the entire order-to-cash process. From order entry and tracking to fulfillment and invoicing, it provides complete visibility and control.
  • Built-In CRM: Build and maintain strong customer relationships. Use sales force automation, marketing automation and customer service management tools to make every interaction meaningful. Integrated sales forecasting, lead scoring and customer lifecycle management drive sales growth and improve customer satisfaction.
  • Manufacturing: Get real-time visibility into shop floor activities. Create and manage multiple work centers. Manage everything from bills of materials (BOM) creation to work order management based on job dispatch lists.
  • Service Management: Use an extensive service management toolkit that includes service request creation, service contract management and installation management features. Enhance service delivery and improve technician productivity by offering a technical portal to start and end appointments.
  • Inventory Management: Capture key inventory details like class ID and item types. These support cycle routing with better visibility into stock levels. Build kits to stock with the option to disassemble kits into smaller components.
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  • Inventory Management: Plex Manufacturing Cloud allows you to track the quantity and location of your inventory, whether you want to look at raw materials, WIP or finished goods. It also supports barcode scanning and label printing in an effort to improve the accuracy of reported inventory levels. Controls are also in place to ensure that products are always developed using the right materials, therefore improving inventory viability. 
  • PLM Functionality: Built-in revision control workflows allow for approved changes to be reflected across the entirety of the product lifecycle. Product specifications can also be developed to expedite processes. 
  • Quality Management: Plex software helps to ensure that you are retaining compliance with standards such as ISO, TS and QS. You can also use supplier scorecards to look at your entire supply chain. For example, your suppliers can use checksheets to validate the quality of their materials before the goods reach your facility, therefore hastening the quality analysis process on your end. 
  • Management of Shipments: The shipping management system ensures that only products that meet acceptable quality specifications are sent to customers and that they are sent to the intended recipient. Plex software's manufacturing system also contains a labeling feature that automatically prints labels using customer information in order to avoid shipping errors. ASNs are automatically sent and formatted as products leave the production facility. 
  • Real-Time Financial Management: Plex software contains continuously updated information on components such as labor hour utilization and point-in-time inventory. The financial management system is designed for order-to-cash and procure-to-pay processes and includes multi-site functionality. Financial reports are also easily accessible with this tool. 
  • Customer Relationship Management: This program includes a customer portal that provides visibility of a product as it moves throughout the supply chain and allows for enhanced collaboration ability. Important components such as quotes, estimates, issue resolution and order management are built into the tool along with an integrated EDI. 
  • Advanced Planning and Scheduling: The Plex Advanced Planning & Scheduling (APS) solution allows you to account for constraints in your workplace such as amount of resources and maximum production capacity to develop optimized production runs. Finite Scheduling includes the ability to plan your development schedule based on factors such as resources, tools and space. The program also allows you to level-load production across different manufacturing centers. 
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Product Ranking

#2

among all
Manufacturing Software

#14

among all
Manufacturing Software

Find out who the leaders are

Analyst Rating Summary

67
57
91
43
17
0
76
56
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Platform Capabilities
Inventory Management
Bill of Materials (BOM) and Routing
Integrations and Extensibility
Reports and Dashboards

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Acumatica
Plex Systems
+ Add Product + Add Product
Bill Of Materials (BOM) And Routing Computer-aided Design And Computer-aided Manufacturing (CAD And CAM) Management Engineering Change Control Inventory Management Manufacturing Execution System (MES) Mobile Capabilities Platform Capabilities Product Configuration Production Planning Production Scheduling Quality Management Recipe And Formula Management Reports And Dashboards Shop Floor Control Warehouse Management Work In Process (WIP) Work Order Management 91 17 76 93 46 83 100 62 70 78 43 49 82 50 82 17 33 43 0 56 71 80 67 79 36 67 70 80 47 100 70 44 0 44 0 25 50 75 100
88%
6%
6%
44%
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56%
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100%
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100%
78%
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22%
56%
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44%
86%
14%
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71%
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29%
36%
9%
55%
82%
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18%
80%
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20%
67%
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33%
100%
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71%
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29%
58%
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42%
33%
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67%
67%
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75%
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69%
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80%
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15%
54%
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46%
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54%
82%
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18%
100%
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76%
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65%
17%
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83%
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67%
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56%

Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

83%
0%
17%
50%
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User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 2062 reviews
Good User Sentiment 32 reviews
89%
of users recommend this product

Acumatica has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 89% when considering 2062 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

74%
of users recommend this product

Plex Systems has a 'good' User Satisfaction Rating of 74% when considering 32 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

5.0 (13)
n/a
4.5 (1217)
3.3 (17)
n/a
4.2 (11)
4.5 (126)
n/a
4.3 (110)
4.3 (3)
4.4 (596)
3.0 (1)

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Acumatica and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Mobile Capabilities and Platform Capabilities.

Mobile Capabilities Award
Platform Capabilities Award

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Plex Systems and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Reports and Dashboards.

Reports and Dashboards Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

User-Friendly: While there were some mixed reviews concerning disjointed navigation and the need for in-depth end-user training, 75% of reviewers said that Acumatica is easy to use.
Reporting: Over 50% of users were in favor of Acumatica’s reporting. Those who were not in favor said that the reporting feature required IT assistance to generate specialized reports, as the custom report tool isn’t friendly for those without developer knowledge.
Customization: Nearly three-fourths of reviews that mentioned customization applauded the vast amount of opportunities for customization, while one-fourth of reviewers complained that users need IT assistance to complete customizations.
Functionality: Acumatica provides robust functionality — almost 82% of reviewers said the system came with every tool they needed and more. Reviewers also mentioned that yearly updates are rolled out, so functionality is always improving.
Integration: Of the users that mentioned integration in their review, 100% were satisfied with the connectivity to other systems.
Cloud-Based Scalability: Easily adapt to business growth by adding modules or users without data disruption or complex upgrades.
Seamless Integrations: Connect with various third-party tools and platforms through open APIs and connectors, streamlining data flow and operations.
Centralized Data: Consolidate all business information in one system, improving data accuracy, accessibility and reporting capabilities.
Mobile App Access: Manage key tasks and access data on the go with the mobile app, boosting productivity and flexibility.
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Improved Shop Floor Visibility: Users praise Plex for providing real-time insights into production processes, enabling better decision-making and quicker responses to issues.
Streamlined Inventory Management: Plex helps manufacturers optimize inventory levels, reducing waste and ensuring materials are available when needed.
Enhanced Quality Control: The system's quality management features help track defects, identify root causes, and improve overall product quality.
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Support: Almost 70% of reviews concerning support were negative, given that Acumatica requires users to partner with a third party for support. In addition, there were some grievances surrounding the “Help” documentation.
Implementation: Between long implementation cycles and a requirement for a VAR to implement the system, 75% of reviewers said that they weren’t happy with the process.
Higher Cost Than Basic Options: Initial investment and per-application pricing can be steeper than some basic accounting software, especially for smaller businesses.
Steeper Learning Curve for Complex Needs: Extensive customization and advanced features may require dedicated IT resources or consultant support, increasing implementation costs.
Limited Industry-Specific Features: May lack specialized modules or functionalities for highly regulated or niche industries.
Reporting Customization Restrictions: While customizable, financial reporting options might not offer the depth and drill-down capabilities of dedicated reporting tools.
Occasional System Bugs & Glitches: 80% of users who mentioned platform speed report occasional bugs and glitches, requiring troubleshooting and potential downtime.
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Reporting Limitations: Users express frustration with the inflexibility and limitations of Plex's built-in reporting features, making it difficult to extract and analyze data in ways that suit their specific needs.
User Interface Complexity: The system is often described as being difficult to navigate and non-intuitive, especially for new users who require extensive training to become proficient.
System Rigidity: Plex is often criticized for its lack of flexibility in adapting to unique or evolving business processes, requiring workarounds or customizations that can be time-consuming and costly.
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User reviews, coupled with our extensive research, confirm Acumatica’s reputation for flexibility and scalability. Still, certain features and overall performance have drawn mixed reviews.First, the positives. A majority of user reviews highlight Acumatica’s functionality and its ease of use. Popular mentions include the quoting and billing, accounts location, and inventory management features. Other honorable mentions are the accounts payable and invoice routing tools.Reviewers specifically mention that managing administrative functions is a breeze and accessible from anywhere. One user even mentioned that their business is retiring other legacy systems because Acumatica fulfills those needs by offering tools to manage various business functions on one platform with complete access to past data.For those who swear by Excel, Acumatica offers a comforting bridge with its robust Excel integration. The export to Excel feature is available on every grid. No more tedious manual transfers.However, drawbacks like the less-than-ideal calendar feature and tricky project management tools have been noted. Users say that project management, while capable of managing multiple projects at once, could have fewer steps.The platform’s performance can be a hiccup. Multiple users experienced glitches, especially when dealing with large datasets or navigating through generic inquiries. The system also logs out after 60 minutes of idle time. Defining user inactivity timeout is only available for Acumatica 2023 R1 and beyond.Beyond user reviews, our research team delved into the strengths and weaknesses of Acumatica. According to our research, it’s the best in the game for order and service management.Acumatica's biggest differentiator lies in its open architecture and customization options. Unlike some competitors with limited customization or reliance on pre-built modules, Acumatica lets you tailor the platform to their specific workflows and processes.The caveat is that molding the platform will take time and a great deal of expertise (either through internal IT or external support). Implementation will get drawn out, and expediting this process without proper alignment with your business needs will deter you from getting complete value for the amount you pay.The timeline and pricing might not be suitable for smaller firms or startups. Some users also wished the private cloud perpetual (PCP) licensing model wasn't discontinued. We suggest looking for other options if you don’t want to pay a monthly recurring fee.So, is Acumatica right for you?Acumatica is a strong contender if your business demands a highly adaptable system and you're prepared to invest time and resources in customization. However, if you prioritize rapid implementation and lightning-fast performance, you might want to explore other options.

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Want to know if Plex Systems is truly complex or simply complexly awesome? Recent user reviews suggest the former might be closer to the truth. While Plex Systems is praised for its comprehensive suite of features covering everything from planning and scheduling to supply chain management, users often highlight a steep learning curve and a sometimes clunky interface as drawbacks. This complexity can make it challenging for smaller businesses or those with less tech-savvy teams to implement and utilize effectively. However, Plex Systems shines in its ability to connect different aspects of a manufacturing operation, providing real-time visibility into production processes, inventory levels, and quality control data. This end-to-end integration is a key differentiator, allowing businesses to streamline operations and make data-driven decisions. For example, users cite the ability to track production in real-time and identify bottlenecks as a major advantage, leading to improved efficiency and reduced downtime. Ultimately, Plex Systems is best suited for larger, established manufacturing businesses with the technical resources and expertise to navigate its complexities and leverage its powerful features for maximum impact.

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