Top 10 ERP System Examples (2025) and How To Choose Yours?

Business need ERP systems because they are the single source of truth for all operations. Without a centralized way to manage data, teams end up siloed, processes slow down, and costly mistakes slip through the cracks.

That’s where ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems step in to de-clutter the chaos.

An ERP system ties everything together — finance, HR, sales, operational efficiency, inventory management — into one clean, real-time platform. Instead of juggling dozens of disconnected spreadsheets and apps, businesses get a single source of truth.

The best ERP software has a wide range of features for making manual processes more efficient, delivering real-time operational visibility, and streamlining cash flow.

These include financial management, customer relationship management (CRM), Human Resource Management (HRM), and industry specific capabilities.

Below we’ll dig in the key ERP system features and what they should include:

ERP systems can provide valuable support for business financial management. By providing a central database for critical data, they can help business leaders make informed decisions backed up by reliable metrics.

Key features include: real-time reporting, project budgeting, financial forecasting, billing, and expense management. 

ERPs can help manage relationships with current and potential customers. Additionally, they can support alignment between your sales team and other business departments, such as management or marketing.

Key features include: customizable sales pipeline, centralized communications, sales performance management, sales revenue forecasting.

Check out our list of the best CRM for agencies to learn more.

Resource management is important for ensuring that businesses have a skilled and qualified workforce to stay competitive, resilient, and sustainable. ERP systems help evaluate performance, manage workloads, and guide hiring decisions.

Key features include: utilization rate forecasting, resource management plans, time off management, scenario planning

ERPs are known for offering functionalities tailored to various industries, such as retail, manufacturing, healthcare, and more. These may include supply chain management, inventory tracking, quality control, and service requests.

The benefits of ERP systems span from improved productivity and efficiency, reduced costs of labor and operations, access to real-time data, process standardization and reduced organizational siloing.

According to the Panorama Consulting Group 2023 ERP Report, (page 27)

Additional quantified ERP benefits from the same report:

It’s a no brainer that implementing an ERP is a good call. In case you’re still unsure about investing, you should check out our detailed article about how businesses benefit from ERP systems.

Productive is an all-in-one ERP solution built specifically for professional services teams that want to unify their complex business operations.

Many businesses struggle with tool fragmentation, jumping between disconnected platforms for financials, resourcing, time tracking, and reporting.

Productive replaces this patchwork of fragmented tools with a single source of truth. If you’re wondering what is ERP software, this is it in action: a centralized hub that connects core business functions like budgeting, resource planning, sales, and reporting.

Find out how Productive helped a creative technology agency get more project management autonomy.

Its key features include project budgeting and financial management, human resource planning, and customer relationship management.

Productive’s interface is intuitive, and the real-time sync between modules means your financials always reflect actual work happening on the ground — without jumping between spreadsheets or waiting on manual updates.

Additional features include automations, custom permissions, collaborative documentation with AI, and more.

One of the biggest benefits of using a consolidated platform is the seamless interaction between different features. This improves the efficiency of your business management processes and supports richer data. 

Productive simplifies manual financial tracking with built-in tools for financial management like project budgeting, revenue forecasting, expense management, and billing.

Whether you work on hourly, fixed, or retainer-based contracts, you can track actual vs. planned revenue in real time.

Unlike traditional ERP software, Productive also integrates time tracking directly into budget burn reports. That’s the meaning of ERP systems – letting project managers monitor profitability without exporting a single spreadsheet.

When it comes to the integration of budgeting with other platform features, the most notable examples include resource management and time tracking:

One of the biggest issues in ERP implementation is the lack of visibility into who’s working on what. Productive’s resource planning features solve that problem.

Managers can view team capacity, spot overallocation risks, schedule placeholders for upcoming projects, and even analyze utilization.

These features are made for efficient workload balancing with indicators of current capacity, time off requests, placeholders for potential and external staff, and tentative scheduling for projects in the pipeline.

Additionally, you can link your bookings with your time tracking, so that entries are created based on scheduled hours.

Through analysis of billable hours and workforce scheduling, Productive delivers valuable insights into workload distribution, identifying overutilized teams and available employees.

If this is something you’re struggling with, you should definitely check out our article on creating a resource management plan.

Productive provides a streamlined CRM to foster collaboration among sales, marketing, and production teams. Customize the stages in your sales pipeline, monitor deals, and use the sales feed for better communication.

Additional features include managing reasons for lost deals, revenue forecasting, performance analysis by sales reps, and other key insights.

The sales feature is integrated with the budgeting feature — this means that you can access data on your service rates, build estimates and export quotes as PDF files.

Productive’s reporting capabilities solve a major pain point for growing businesses: reporting limitations. Managers that use Productive have different options to get insights into key metrics: they can use one of the 50+ templates or build their own report from scratch.

The reporting feature sources data from various platform activities and features, including Budgeting, Time Tracking, Resourcing, Billing, Sales, and more.

Instead of static reports that require hours of cleanup, you get live dashboards tied to actual project and financial performance.

Whether it’s measuring project profitability, tracking billable vs. non-billable time, or comparing team performance — Productive pulls it all together in one place.

Group and filter your data and use custom fields for specific parameters.

To share this data with other members of your teams, you can sync your reports with Slack or email. You can also create customized dashboards with the platform, insert specific reports, and share it with key employees.

In short: If you’re looking for real-world examples of ERP, Productive stands out for its clean UX, fast onboarding, and features tailored for service-based teams.

For managing your high-level project planning, Productive offers various layouts. Organize your workspace with the Gantt, Kanban, List, Calendar view, and more.

For task management, Productive has simple hierarchies with milestones, dependencies, subtasks, and to-dos. You can customize task statuses, automate updates with notifications, upload and share files, track time from tasks, and more.

Productive also provides free client access. With specific permissions, clients can open, view, and comment on tasks, as well as view certain budgeting information.

Accurate time tracking is critical — and notoriously hard to get right. Productive automates time entry suggestions based on bookings and tasks.

No more chasing people for timesheets. You’re welcome.

For our users, this replaces clunky spreadsheet-based processes and delivers the kind of reliable data most ERP examples promise but don’t actually deliver. This is what ERP systems should be doing: syncing people, tasks, and budgets in real time.

Additional features include: Docs, Productive AI, Automations, Permission Builder

Integrations include: Xero, QuickBooks, HubSpot, BambooHR, Zapier, Slack, Jira, Google Calendar, and more.

Productive offers a 14-day free trial to check what the software can do for your business.

SAP is one of the leading providers of ERP solutions. The vendor offers a suite of enterprise resource planning software modules, including absence management, analytics, invoicing, supply chain management, digital manufacturing, and more.

Key features:

SAP’s cloud-based software, SAP S/4HANA Cloud offers a customizable platform with a variety of modules for business requirements. The biggest downside noted by users on Capterra is that the tool is “not very intuitive”.

This can make the implementation and adoption a lengthy process, especially for businesses with employees of varying expertise levels.

The Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP is an ERP suite that supports teams with artificial intelligence, process optimization, and real-time analytics.

Key features:

Users on Capterra state that:

On the other hand, the Oracle ERP Cloud has some of the typical downsides of ERP solutions: it can be difficult to implement, the UI is not as polished as some similar agency project management solutions, and the customizable nature of the platform can impact usability.

The Dynamics 365 suite offers solutions for marketing and sales, enterprise resource planning (ERP),  finances, customer service, and more.

Key features:

Certain Capterra users praise the Dynamics 365 suite for having a low cost to entry for CRM tools. On the flipside, users report that interactions with customer service can be less than ideal. Similarly to other ERP solutions, the customer interface and implementation time tend to be a drawback.

Learn more on how Microsoft Project performs as an Avaza alternative.

The Infor CloudSuite offers a cloud platform for industries including distribution, manufacturing, and service industries.

Key features:

Capterra users note that while Infor M3 offers extensive customization options, this flexibility can lead to complexity in configuration and implementation. Reviews also mention the potential need for numerous workarounds and repeated adjustments to adapt the system to specific business functions.

With its financial tools and industry-specific features, Infor can be a good choice for business growth.

EPICOR ERP offers a variety of ERP software, including Epicor BisTrack, Epicor Eclipse, Epicor Indago, Epicor Kinetic, Epicor Vision.

Key features:

Similarly to other ERP solutions on this list, Epicor ERP provides solutions for a range of industries and business processes. One of the downside of Epicor offering various modules is that research on pricing and features, and finding the best version of the tool for you, requires getting in touch with the vendor.

Odoo is an open-source ERP solution that cover all your company needs: CRM, eCommerce, accounting, inventory, point of sale, and project management.

Though Odoo is considerably cheaper than the other enterprise resource planning systems from the list, it’s users need to buy additional apps on their marketplace.

Key feaItures:

Users on G2 praise Odoo as a good solution especially for SME businesses that cannot afford the first-tier expensive solutions. However, other users mention that integrating complex features can get tricky.

Odoo also lacks core functionalities of industry-specific ERP platforms.

Acumantica is one of the best cloud-based enterprise resource planning systems, mostly used by large companies. Their pricing is based on the number of applications you implement, resource levels and data storage and licensing.

This ERP software can be deployed either on the public cloud with a SaaS subscription or Private cloud instead of on-premises.

Key features:

As some users on G2 point out – Acumantica is built for very large enterprises (huge international companies), so if you’re running a small or medium sized business (less than 100 employees) this probably isn’t the best ERP tool for you.

Another user stated that the biggest downside is that it doesn’t have an “erase” or “correct” option without reversing the entry.

In case you’re looking for the best project accounting software in 2025, we got you covered.

Netsuite is one of the most popular enterprise resource planning systems for huge companies. It consists of customizable enterprise applications that help streamline manual processes and support sustainable growth.

Key features:

NetSuite earns solid ratings on G2 (4.0) and Capterra (4.1), but users often point out a steep learning curve, complex reporting, high costs for smaller teams, and spotty customer support. If this ERP example caught your eye, you should definitely check out our detailed Netsuite comparison.

Sage Intacct is a financial management ERP software. This tool is designed to provide enterprises with a platform for finances, accounting, business intelligence,budgeting, forecasting, compliance, etc.

Key features:

The downsides of this ERP software example are that it can be overly complex, its implementation may take longer, and that it costs more than other solutions discussed in this ERP systems list. It also isn’t the best pick for companies looking for other key ERP features we talked about earlier.

In order to successfully implement an ERP system you need to prepare your team, processes, and expectations for long-term change.

According to Deloitte’s ERP Report, the top barriers to a successful rollout of ERP systems are:

These numbers highlight exactly what you need to avoid, and where to focus your planning efforts. In the section below we’ll give you a step-by-step plan for an ERP implementation:

You need support from leadership to get budget, internal momentum, and long-term success. Make sure your C-suite understands what ERP is, and how it aligns with your strategic goals — not just your day-to-day operations.

Tip: Involve stakeholders early by showing how ERP systems reduce operational silos, improve real-time visibility, and cut redundant tools.

Every ERP rollout needs someone to own the process. This internal “champion” ensures goals stay aligned, deadlines are hit, and communication stays consistent across departments.

Who this should be: Someone who understands your business workflows, communicates well across teams, and can keep your ERP project moving forward.

One of the biggest reasons ERP implementations fail is because businesses underestimate how much time and effort it takes.

What to do:

Pro Tip: Communicate that return on investment takes time — ERP systems start showing real value after they’ve been fully adopted and optimized.

Even the best ERP software won’t work if your team doesn’t know how to use it. Plan for proper onboarding and regular check-ins to help your team adapt to new workflows.

Make it stick by:

Before going live, you need to simulate real workflows and gather feedback from users. This reduces bugs, confusion, and pushback post-launch.

Do this by:

If you’re researching what ERP system to implement, focus on how well the tool will actually support your daily operations. Don’t just compare features — assess whether the ERP solution will be reliable, intuitive, and flexible enough for your team’s evolving needs:

Even the most powerful ERP examples can fail without strong support and usability. Keep these priorities in mind as you evaluate ERP software options.

Consider Productive if you’re looking for an enterprise project management system that offers all three and has a range of features for professional services. Created by industry veterans, this comprehensive tool can help you manage every aspect of your daily operations and strategic planning with real-time data.

Book a demo today to find out what Productive can do for your business.

Some examples of ERP systems include Productive for professional services businesses, Oracle NetSuite, SAP Business One, and Microsoft Dynamics 365. These tools streamline operations, improve efficiency, and support decision-making.

The 3 common types of ERP include cloud-based, on-premise, and hybrid. Cloud-based ERP systems are more straightforward to implement and are usually more affordable. On-premise systems require a higher investment in time and money but provide more data protection. Hybrid systems combine features of the two types.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are business solutions that combine various operations into a single platform. This can include financial management, HR, customer relationship management, and industry-specific features. They aim to improve efficiency and support informed decision-making.

An example of ERP with real-time data is Productive, the all-in-one software for agencies. An example is the resource planning module, which lets businesses forecast critical metrics such as budget burn, revenue, and profit margins. Reallocating resources impacts these metrics in real time, letting project managers make decisions based on reliable data.