MRP systems and MRP software options compared on finite capacity scheduling
Most MRP systems plan materials against fixed lead times and assume every machine has unlimited capacity, so they tell you what to buy but not which orders will ship late. If you are comparing MRP software options with finite capacity scheduling, check one thing first: does the tool load each machine against its real shifts and setups, or does it only sort jobs by due date? The table below compares the MRP and ERP options small US plants shortlist on exactly that, with the pricing model each vendor publishes. ProductionPlanning.ai is the finite capacity scheduler that runs next to the MRP you already have, from 149 USD per plant a month with unlimited users.
Free for 14 days on your own orders and machines. No card.
Machine shop, Material shortages and late orders, this week
Open it in the demoMaterial shortages
| Material | Order | Needed by | Short |
|---|---|---|---|
Late orders
| Order | Product | Due | Days late |
|---|---|---|---|
| Every order fits its due date. | |||
On time
0%
Bottleneck
0%
Shortages
0
What a manufacturing resource planning system does
An MRP system keeps the product structure and the inventory in one place and calculates requirements from it.
- Bills of materials for every product, often several levels deep
- Inventory on hand, allocated and on order
- Purchase and work order suggestions with dates
- Costing, lot tracking and purchasing in the fuller suites
For purchasing and inventory control, this is exactly the right tool.
Where MRP systems for manufacturing stop
Most MRP systems plan with fixed lead times and infinite capacity. A work order gets a start date calculated backwards from its due date, as if the machine it needs were waiting for it. When five work orders need the same machine on the same day, the system shows five start dates on that day and no conflict.
- Lead times are fixed numbers, not a result of what is queued
- No sequence per machine, so no view of which job runs first
- Setup and changeover time rarely counted
- A breakdown does not move anything until someone edits dates by hand
That is why plants with a working MRP system still keep a scheduling spreadsheet next to it.
MRP system, finite capacity scheduling, or both
| Question | MRP system | Finite capacity scheduling |
|---|---|---|
| What do we need to buy? | Yes, its core job | Shortages per order and date |
| When does each job run, on which machine? | Rarely, lead times are fixed | Yes, operation by operation |
| Which orders will be late? | Only against fixed lead times | Yes, from the real queue on each machine |
| Where is the bottleneck? | Not shown | Named, with utilisation |
| What happens after a breakdown? | Dates edited by hand | Rest of the week rescheduled in one click |
Many plants need both halves. ProductionPlanning.ai covers the scheduling half, adds the shortage check on the Plant plan and above, and sits next to the MRP system or ERP you already have. Read more on MRP software and advanced planning and scheduling.
Compare MRP software options with finite capacity scheduling
This is what each vendor says about its own scheduling, taken from its website and price page. We make one of the products in the table, so we name where each rival is the better buy.
| MRP or ERP | How it schedules | Pricing model |
|---|---|---|
| MRPeasy | Production planning with drag and drop rescheduling on every tier, backward scheduling and a master production schedule on Enterprise and above | 49 to 149 USD per user a month, published |
| Katana | Plans by material availability and order priority, routings are a 199 USD add-on | From 299 USD a month plus add-ons, unlimited users |
| Fishbowl | Manufacturing only in Advanced Manufacturing, the Inventory plans exclude it | From 675 USD a month, quote, implementation required |
| Cetec ERP | Visual job board, automated nightly planning is a 1,000 USD a month upgrade | 50 USD per user a month, five user minimum |
| JobBOSS2 | Finite capacity scheduling, but only in the Gold and Platinum packages | Per user, quote only |
| Fulcrum | Finite capacity Autoschedule with what if | Revenue band, unlimited users, launch fee |
| Global Shop Solutions | APS with finite and infinite, forward and backward scheduling | Concurrent users, upfront plus quarterly, quote |
| ECI M1 | MRP from the master schedule and BOMs, scheduling by machine capacity, labor skills and shifts, advanced scheduling sold as a module per VendorBenchmark | Per named user or perpetual license, quote only |
| Genius ERP | Smart Scheduling built on Drum Buffer Rope, with what if scenarios and available to promise dates | Per user, quote only, estimates of 80 to 250 USD per user a month |
| Acumatica Manufacturing Edition | MRP from BOMs and routings, finite capacity and capable to promise dates through the optional Advanced Planning and Scheduling module | Resource based, unlimited users, APEX bundle from under 2,185 USD a month with implementation |
| ProductionPlanning.ai | Finite capacity on every machine and shift, setups counted, late orders named, one click reschedule | 149 or 429 USD per plant a month, unlimited users, published |
If you need purchasing, stock and BOMs in one light system, MRPeasy is usually the better buy. If you need a whole job shop ERP with finite scheduling built in, Fulcrum and Global Shop are the ones that ship it in the core product. If your MRP already handles materials and the problem is the schedule, a dedicated scheduler next to it costs less than swapping the MRP. Prices and details per vendor are on our MRPeasy alternative, Katana alternative, ECI M1 ERP alternative, Acumatica alternative and best production scheduling software pages.
An MRP system for small business, or a schedule first
For a plant of twenty or forty people, a full MRP suite can be more than it needs on day one. If the daily pain is late orders and a spreadsheet that falls apart after every breakdown, a finite capacity schedule with shortage checks solves that first. See production scheduling software for small business.
Questions buyers ask when comparing MRP systems
Does MRP do finite capacity scheduling?
Usually not. Classic MRP calculates material requirements against fixed lead times and treats capacity as infinite, so five orders can be planned on the same machine on the same day without a warning. Some suites add a finite scheduling module or a higher tier that does it. Ask the vendor to load an overloaded week and show which order goes late.
What is the difference between MRP and finite capacity scheduling?
MRP answers what to buy and when, from bills of materials, stock and due dates. Finite capacity scheduling answers when each operation runs and on which machine, given real shifts, setups and what is already queued. Most plants need both, and the scheduling half is where spreadsheets usually survive.
Can I add finite capacity scheduling to my existing MRP system?
Yes. A dedicated scheduler imports open orders and routings from the MRP export or a spreadsheet, builds the machine by machine sequence and hands back the dates. The MRP keeps purchasing and stock. ProductionPlanning.ai works this way, from 149 USD per plant a month with unlimited users.
How much does MRP software cost for a small manufacturer?
Published prices start around 49 USD per user a month for MRPeasy and 299 USD a month for Katana before add-ons, while job shop ERPs such as JobBOSS2, ProShop and Global Shop are quote only and often five figures a year once implementation is counted. See the MRPeasy pricing breakdown for the per user arithmetic.
See what the schedule adds to your MRP system
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