Top ERP for Consulting Firms: 5+ Tools Reviewed (2025)

Productive is an all-in-one ERP &  consulting firm management software that helps businesses deal with their most pressing operational challenges.

It’s designed specifically to support the workflows of professional services firms, and helps consultancies address issues with:

Productive unifies your business operations – from human capital management to full professional services automation – eliminating the need to juggle 4-5 disconnected tools.

And, unlike many ERP systems that require extensive customization, Productive offers a streamlined implementation process that helps you get started with the platform without costly consulting services.

If you’re struggling with understanding what your consultants are doing, when they’ll be available, and how busy they actually are, Productive has the answers.

The resource planner provides your consulting business with real-time visibility into employee capacity and availability—all in one customizable view.

Project managers can immediately see when someone is scheduled at 150% capacity across multiple projects, preventing the scenario of discovering conflicts when they’ve already caused delays.

Time-off management is fully integrated, so vacation and leave automatically appear in your resource plan. You’ll no longer have to worry about whether this data was synced between different tools, and if everyone’s aware of it.

Utilization can be visualized and even forecasted, so you can understand how busy each department or employee will be in the future. If you like to get ahead of your planning, you can even create tentative bookings or schedule placeholders for to-be-hired staff.

Stay on top of your human resource demand with our capacity planning template.

Productive connects every tracked hour directly to your project budgets, providing an immediate overview of budget burn and profit margins.

It’s also linked to the resource management feature, so you can forecast key consulting firm metrics based on your scheduling. This gives project managers much-needed flexibility to make effective decisions based on their project progress.

For retainer-based consulting, Productive can automatically generate your budgets at specified intervals, so you don’t have to manually re-enter your data.

Alongside all of this, Productive features overhead and expense management, helping you understand true profit across clients.

Productive also has built-in billing capabilities, so you can pull your billable hours data to create brand-friendly invoices. The process can also be finalized through Xero or QuickBooks thanks to an integration with Productive.

Productive solves the issue of gaps between consulting firm sales and delivery processes.

By managing your sales process in one platform, you adjust your demand with your capacity, create more accurate proposals, and keep client information in one place.

Your sales pipeline includes customizable stages that match your consulting firm’s unique sales process, from initial contact to proposal and closing.

CRM also connects to budgeting, so you can build accurate proposals and even create multiple scenarios with the Scenario Builder. This means that you can test out different scheduling and budgeting configurations to build the most accurate and profitable proposal for your business.

Productive provides over 50+ templates targeting the exact metrics consulting leaders need: utilization rates, worked vs billable time, client profitability, budget usage, projected sales revenue, etc.

Reports can also be customized with different filters, grouping, and custom fields and formulas, helping you get the exact insights you need to make informed decisions.

Create custom dashboards showing precisely what you need. Reports can be automatically delivered to stakeholders via Slack or email, so you can set this up once and stop worrying about whether everyone was updated on time.

Epicor is one of the leading providers in the ERP space, but it might not be the best pick for professional services firms.

It provides modules for processes such as:

Pros: Users find that Epicor can be a great database for businesses from a range of industries, with extensive customizability options.

Cons: While Epicor is often listed as one of the top ERP solutions for consulting service providers, its website lists the software’s focus as the building supply, distribution, and manufacturing industry.

Users also mention some other issues with the ERP software, such as upkeep, user friendliness, and the overall implementation process.

Source: Reddit

We also covered Epicor in our article of the top ERP software examples.

Netsuite offers robust financial managementfeatures, but smaller businesses in the professional services industry might want to consider some streamlined alternatives to Netsuite.

Key features:

Pros: Customer reviews often praise Netsuite as a great solution for accounting teams especially: “We are able to speed up our billing and revenue recognition processes. We are able to customize the experience to our entity’s need” (G2).

Cons: Netsuite is a complex solution, and many users recommend hiring consultants to help with the implementation process. When you factor in the cost of licensing to this, Netsuite can get quite pricey.

We also have a more in-depth exploration of Netsuite that you can check out: Netsuite vs QuickBooks.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 can be a good customizable option for businesses with unique needs, but it can be difficult to implement and work in UI/UX-wise.

It includes modules for:

Pros: Microsoft Dynamics 365 allows users to combine multiple product modules to create a flexible ERP solution for their business requirements.

Cons: However, some users state that these modules “don’t necessarily talk to each other the way you would expect” (Capterra). Additionally, as with other enterprise resource planning tools, there are difficulties in implementation, usability, and pricing tiers.

Kantata, previously known as Mavenlink, is a good professional services ERP, but isn’t ideal for complex reporting needs.

Key features:

Pros: Kantata is a good ERP option for professional services providers, as it offers all of the key features necessary to manage professional services workflows.

Cons: Kantata isn’t the best option for business intelligence, as users state that it takes the software as many as “30-40min to refresh data” (Capterra). In comparison, Mavenlink alternatives such as Productive let you customize your reports in real time.

Bitrix24 is a Russian-based CRM project management software with a solid range of tools for sales teams, but it misses the mark in usability and customer support.

Key features:

Pros: In comparison to Productive, Bitrix24 is more focused on its CRM features, which might benefit companies with gaps in their sales process.

Cons: On the other hand, Bitrix24 is not the best reviewed software. Users frequently report issues with the ERP’s performance, general usability, and customer support.

Source: Capterra

You can also check out some of the top competitors to Bitrix24.

Scoro is a good work management software for professional services companies, but lacks some advanced features for comprehensive financial management.

Key features:

Pros: Like Mavenlink or Productive, Scoro offers a useful range of features for managing professional services firms.

Cons: In comparison to some Scoro alternatives, Scoro doesn’t offer advanced financial management features such as calculating overhead per hour or revenue recognition. This impacts the complexity of insights you can get with this tool.

You can also check out some time tracking software for consultants — many of these solutions come integrated with more advanced capabilities.

Sage Intacct is an accounting platform with advanced financial management and reporting options, but the pricing models can opaque and inaccessible to businesses on a budget.

Key features:

Pros: Sage Intacct provides advanced financial management and accounting capabilities that can support mid-sized to larger consulting companies.

Cons: If you’re looking for an ERP tool that can manage your resource planning, projects, and accounting, it might be best to invest in a PSA solution that integrates with project accounting software.

Source: Reddit

ERP consulting software refers to a type of software solution that integrates core business processes into a single platform. These usually include: client relationships, human resources, project management, and a consulting revenue management system.

ERP tools should also include collaboration features, a team workspace for viewing project progress, and a way for clients to access key data for easier feedback, monitoring, and improved customer satisfaction.

You can also check out our list of the best CRMs for consultants or general consulting software across a variety of categories.

All ERP tools were not made equal. Here’s a brief description on how your enterprise resource planning software may vary according to industry, specific business, or features covered:

Service-based companies, including consulting companies, need ERP solutions that prioritize a specific set of features. Unlike product-based businesses, professional services teams put a larger focus on people, which includes internal teams and clients.

So, the necessary features usually include human capital and client management, tracking billable hours, and project planning.

Cloud-based ERP solutions are often the top choice because they allow distributed teams to collaborate easily. They’re also less costly and easier to implement, which is a benefit for smaller consulting teams.

Consulting companies that offer tech services have unique needs, often requiring ERP solutions with advanced project tracking, resource management, and compliance capabilities.

Leading ERP options provide customizable workflows, real-time analytics, and support complex project lifecycles from proposal to delivery and billing.

Integration with development tools, cloud infrastructure, and cybersecurity protocols is also a major consideration for tech consultants.

Some ERP solutions are focused mainly on financial operations. These tools go beyond basic accounting, and provide features for multi-entity consolidation, revenue recognition, tax compliance, and intricate billing models.

These solutions are usually suitable for consultancies with complex projects and large international clients, that need multi-currency support and regulatory compliance.

While inventory management is more commonly associated with product-based businesses, some consultancies—especially those in technology or engineering—may also require inventory management features.

Inventory management ERP tools help track hardware assets, manage client equipment, and monitor internal resource usage.

Effective inventory management minimizes loss, optimizes supply chains, and ensures project timelines aren’t delayed due to missing or misplaced assets. For firms blending services with product delivery, selecting an ERP that seamlessly integrates inventory and project management functions is essential.

Another way to think about ERP solutions is to categorize them into complex vs simple options.

While no ERP is technically “simple” to use, some options are easier to implement and learn to use. These are usually cloud-based ERPs for service delivery. These types of tools offer a single solution for project management, financial management tools, and resource planning, making them ideal for consultancies looking for fast deployment and lower upfront costs.

On the other hand, complex ERP systems are designed for larger firms with intricate needs, such as multi-entity financial consolidation, advanced compliance requirements, or international operations.

These systems often require significant customization, longer implementation times, and dedicated IT support but offer deeper control and scalability for firms managing large portfolios of projects and clients.

Some of the main benefits of ERP include:

During the ERP selection process, the most important factors to consider are:

You’ll also need to consider additional factors such as usability, customer service, and scalability.

Usability and customer service are important for driving adoption to your new ERP software for consulting, and ensuring that you can get the most out of your investment. Scalability means that the software is being upgraded with quality of life features and new capabilities.

Once you take all of these factors, you’ll be able to rank your software and find the best solution for your needs.

We’ve reviewed some great enterprise resource planning solutions for professional services firms. To summarize:

In comparison to other software solutions on this list, Productive is a user-friendly option that’s available at different price ranges.

It has a range of ERP features for financial and human resources management, including real-time reports, utilization forecasting, revenue and overhead management, and much more.

Book a demo with Productive today to learn more.

To learn more, check out our article on what is business consulting.

1. How long does it typically take to implement an ERP system for a consulting firm?

Implementation time can vary greatly depending on the system’s complexity, firm size, and customization needs. On average, cloud-based ERPs like Productive can be up and running in a few weeks, while more complex systems like Epicor or Microsoft Dynamics 365 may take several months.

2. Can ERP systems for consulting firms integrate with third-party apps like Slack, HubSpot, or QuickBooks?

Yes, many modern ERP solutions offer integrations with popular tools for communication, CRM, and accounting. For example, Productive integrates with Slack, Google Calendar, HubSpot, and QuickBooks to streamline your workflows.

3. What security features should a consulting firm look for in an ERP platform?

Key security features include data encryption, regular backups, role-based access controls, and compliance certifications (like GDPR or SOC 2). Cloud-based ERPs often offer enterprise-grade security to protect sensitive client and financial data.

4. How does an ERP system help consulting firms with compliance and regulatory requirements?

ERP systems centralize and document critical operations, helping firms track audit trails, manage contracts, and meet industry-specific compliance standards. Financial modules also support tax reporting, revenue recognition, and data retention policies.

5. Is it possible to customize an ERP system specifically for the needs of a niche consulting firm?

Yes, many ERP providers allow for customization through modular features, APIs, and custom fields. However, some platforms offer deeper customization options than others, so it’s important to choose based on your firm’s technical requirements.