IFS pricing and IFS Cloud ERP cost per user, with the three year math for a 150 person plant

No dollar figure. G2's pricing page for IFS Cloud says the vendor has not provided pricing information, and ERP Research's IFS page is a quote request form. The number comes from IFS or one of its partners after discovery. What you can learn in advance is how the contract is built.

• IFS Cloud is one platform that covers ERP, enterprise asset management (EAM) and field service management (FSM). You license the parts you deploy, which is why two quotes for the same headcount can be far apart
• Users come in two main types. A Full User works across the system, and a Task User is limited to specific processes, such as entering time or reporting work on the shop floor, and costs much less
• It is sold as a subscription. Reviewers on PeerSpot describe user based licensing billed yearly, with some reporting a separate yearly charge for support
• IFS Ultimo, the EAM product IFS bought in 2022, is a separate product with its own quotes, so check which asset management product is on the proposal
• IT Europa has reported IFS moving the pricing of some of its AI software to a per asset basis instead of per user, so ask how any AI features in the quote are counted

ERP Pilot describes the typical IFS Cloud buyer as a company with 200 to 5,000 or more employees and calls it overkill for most small companies. Aerospace and defense, energy, construction, service and manufacturing are the industries IFS sells to. That context explains most of the numbers below.

Every figure comes from a directory, an advisory site or a reviewer. They do not measure the same thing, so read each one as a clue, not a rate card.

Why they disagree: the per user rates describe a seat, while the total cost figures describe a whole contract with training, data migration, integrations and support. ERP Pilot's own pages are not fully consistent either. One FAQ says licenses are 30 to 40 percent of total cost, while its worked breakdowns put them at 60 to 72 percent. Treat the seat rate as the floor and the three year totals as the more honest guide.

Seven things decide the number. Have an answer to each before the first call.

• The split between Full and Task users. Count everyone who logs in during a month, then decide who only books time, reports production or approves. Every person you can move to a Task seat costs a third to a half as much
• The parts of IFS Cloud you license. ERP alone is one price. Adding EAM, FSM, planning and scheduling optimization or industry functionality changes it
• Data migration and integrations. ERP Pilot puts migration at 20,000 to 80,000 USD and integrations at 25,000 to 120,000 USD, separate from the core project
• The partner. Implementation is usually run by IFS or a partner and billed on its own, and it is often the biggest number in year one
• Hypercare after go live. ERP Pilot lists 5,000 to 20,000 USD a month for post launch support while the system settles
• Negotiation. ERP Pilot sees 15 to 25 percent discounts, and several PeerSpot reviewers say IFS is flexible on price when there are many users or a competing bid
• A contingency. ERP Pilot advises adding 30 to 50 percent to the implementation budget, and one PeerSpot reviewer reports landing about 10 percent over the original budget

If your IFS evaluation started because service technicians and maintenance requests are hard to route, a task assignment tool is a much smaller purchase than an FSM module, and it can fix the routing while the ERP decision waits.

Take a 150 person discrete manufacturer where 40 people in the office need full access and 30 people on the floor only report work. This is arithmetic on the published estimates, not an IFS quote.

Implementation is held at the bottom of the 100,000 to 400,000 USD mid market range in every row. Move it to the top and each total rises by 300,000 USD. Training, data migration and support are not in these rows.

For the same plant, our Plant plan costs 2,574 USD a year paid yearly, which is 7,722 USD over three years, with all 150 people included and no implementation fee. Group covers up to five plants for 7,740 USD a year, or 23,220 USD over three years. That is not a like for like comparison. IFS runs finance, maintenance and service as well, and we only schedule, which the next section spells out.

IFS money buys one platform for a company that runs plants, assets and service crews, and for that buyer the price can be fair. A 150 person plant that runs an older ERP well enough and keeps missing ship dates is pricing a whole new system to answer one question. If you are still deciding whether to buy an ERP at all, our manufacturing ERP alternative hub walks through that choice.

Write these down first. They are the questions that change the number.

• What is the price per month for a Full User and a Task User, in writing, and which roles qualify as Task
• Which parts of IFS Cloud are in the proposal, and is production scheduling included or a separate line
• Is there a minimum user count, a minimum annual commitment or a platform fee
• How long is the term, what is the yearly increase on renewal, and will you cap it
• How are AI features priced, per user or per asset
• Who runs the implementation, is it fixed price, and what do data migration and integrations cost on their own
• What does hypercare after go live cost, and for how many months
• How long until planners publish a schedule the floor follows, not just a go live date

Put the answers next to the same questions asked of every other vendor. Our QAD ERP pricing, Infor SyteLine pricing and Epicor Kinetic pricing articles give you the same facts for the systems most often on an IFS shortlist.

IFS does not publish pricing. Third party estimates put IFS Cloud at 110 to 200 USD per Full User a month and 50 to 80 USD per Task User, with a mid market implementation of 100,000 to 400,000 USD. A plant with 40 full and 30 task users should budget roughly 312,000 to 474,000 USD over three years, project included.

Estimates range from 50 to 250 USD per user a month. ERP Pilot lists 110 to 200 USD for a Full User and 50 to 80 USD for a Task User, and ERP Research gives 110 to 250 USD. One PeerSpot reviewer estimated about 1,000 to 1,200 GBP per user a year. The mix of Full and Task users decides where you land.

A Task User is a lower cost license for people who only use specific processes, such as booking time, reporting production on the shop floor or field work. A Full User works across the system. ERP Pilot puts Task Users at 50 to 80 USD a month against 110 to 200 USD for a Full User.

ERP Pilot and ERP Research both give 100,000 to 400,000 USD for a mid market IFS Cloud implementation, taking 6 to 12 months. Data migration adds 20,000 to 80,000 USD and integrations 25,000 to 120,000 USD. A scheduler that imports a spreadsheet publishes its first finite schedule the same afternoon.

Usually, yes. ERP Pilot puts the typical IFS Cloud buyer at 200 to 5,000 or more employees and calls it overkill for most small companies, and several PeerSpot reviewers say it may be too expensive for companies with only tens of users. A 40 person plant is buying far more system than it needs if the schedule is the real problem.

For a whole ERP, mid market manufacturers usually compare IFS with QAD, Epicor Kinetic, Infor CloudSuite Industrial and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. For a plant that needs finite capacity and a late order list without an ERP project, ProductionPlanning.ai costs 149 USD per plant a month on Line or 429 USD on Plant, with unlimited users. Our best production scheduling software roundup compares the scheduling tools with real prices.