Custom ERP or off-the-shelf ERP: which one and when, with prices from 98 quotes
A ready-made ERP when your process is standard; a custom ERP when the rules are yours or integrations are needed. Custom development costs 3 000-29 300 € based on 98 of our quotes, most often around 8 600 €. Microinvest, ERP.net and Odoo compared across five criteria.
For businesses whose inventory, sales or manufacturing operations no longer fit in Excel or a ready-made programme.
Ивелин КириловChief Technology Officer (CTO) ·Managing editor:
Владислав БарковManaging Director· Updated A custom ERP from Saitami works around your process: the rules are yours, your online store, courier, phone and other software are connected, and the code and data belong to you. Such a system costs €3,000-€29,300, typically around €8,600, across 98 of our quotes as of 14 August 2026, plus €100-€350 per month for support after launch. With a ready-made ERP, you work according to the software's rules and pay per user every month.
That is the answer. The rest is how to check it for your business: the six criteria, the ready-made products our clients weigh against us, what remains in off-the-shelf software, and the systems you can open.
A ready-made ERP is a product sold to many companies under a licence or subscription: Microinvest Sklad Pro, ERP.net, Odoo. You configure it; you do not change it. A custom ERP is a system written for one company around its process: you pay once, the code and database become yours, and every subsequent change is separate work.
Custom ERP
It makes sense when your rules are specific, you need many integrations or you want to own the code. Start with one module and add more when the first one is in use.
Off-the-Shelf ERP
A sensible choice when your processes are standard, you have one location and can work within the product’s rules. You can get started in days and it is cheaper at the outset.
Comparison by criteria
| Criterion | Custom ERP | Off-the-Shelf ERP | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | One-off €3,000-€29,300, most often around €8,600; support €100-€350 per month separately | A licence per computer or a per-user subscription, every month for as long as you use the software | Compare the total cost over three years |
| Processes | Built around your roles, documents, locations and prices | The company works within the product’s processes; it can be configured only up to the product’s limits | Custom-built when you have specific rules |
| Integrations | Every required integration is built: online store, courier, phone, payments, accounting software | The integrations built by the developer | Custom-built for non-standard integrations |
| Ownership | The code, database and access credentials belong to you | The manufacturer owns the code; data export depends on the product | Custom-built |
| Starter | After the first module is built: weeks, not months | After configuration: days, if the process is standard | Off-the-shelf for standard processes |
| Changes | Described, estimated in writing and built | You wait for the developer to add the feature, if they add it at all | Custom-built when the process changes |
Ready-made products our clients weigh up
The facts come from each product's public page, read on the date next to the link. A figure we could not read there is not included on the page.
| Product | What it is and how you pay | Who it is for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microinvest Sklad Pro | Inventory and sales software from Bulgarian developer Microinvest. A perpetual licence for one computer, or a SUB subscription for 19,90 € per month excluding VAT, with new versions included, only on the computer where it is activated. | One location, standard documents, a barcode-enabled till. The software we most often find at our clients’ businesses. | microinvest.net, subscription plans as of 14 October 2026 |
| ERP.net | A cloud ERP platform for distribution, field service and manufacturing. Express starts at 6,90 € and Small Business at 29,00 € per user per month with annual billing; Enterprise is available on request. | A distributor or service business with a standard process and a team that will work with the platform’s modules. | erp.net, pricing as of 14 October 2026 |
| Odoo | An open-source platform with dozens of apps. One app is free; Standard is €11.90 and Custom €22.90 per user per month with annual billing for the first 12 months, then €14.90 and €27.90. Your own server and Studio are available only in Custom. | A company with ready-made modules and a partner to implement them; every change to the modules is a separate development project. | odoo.com, plans as of 14 October 2026 |
What remains in off-the-shelf software and what we connect to
Some software is regulated or required by law and stays in place, while an ERP from Saitami connects to it. Pharmacy: certified pharmacy software connected to the NHIF and electronic prescriptions stays at the checkout, while we build the chain, online store and reports around it. Accounting: the accountant's software stays in place, while our system sends it organised data without re-entering anything. On-site checkout: software approved by the NRA under Ordinance N-18, connected to the warehouse and website.
Everything else, from the quotation to the warehouse, production, delivery and invoice, is in one system that works your way.
When custom ERP wins
Pelikan DTM in Gabrovo runs a central warehouse, a bookshop and an online store. Each of its 2 564 products has four prices depending on where it is sold, supplier orders are processed line by line and automatically load the warehouse, and an inventory count of 2 500 products is saved as a draft, distinguishing a counted zero from an item that has not been counted. None of this was “standard” for the software they used before, and the stock level for one product differed in three places.
A company that rents out containers described the same signal: it wants to know how many containers are available, how many are at each address and how many days each one has been there, with an alert when a deadline is approaching. Ready-made inventory software does not count days at an address. In LiftexPro, technicians record their work from their phones, with a report and a photo.
The most common signal is Excel: a spreadsheet where someone retypes data from the software to get the report they need. The process is already “custom”; a person just does it every month.
How to compare the three-year cost
The most common mistake is comparing a quote for a custom system with the monthly fee for ready-made software. These are not the same number.
Ready-made software: the subscription or licence over 36 months, plus paid modules, plus setup and training, plus manual work for integrations the software does not have. Someone retyping orders is a cost every month. Custom: the quoted price, €3,000-€29,300 from us, plus support for 36 months, €100-€350 per month, plus the changes you request.
If the first number is lower and your process is standard, ready-made software is the right choice. If the second is lower or close, and you also get ownership and integrations, the custom system is the better deal.
The third way: keep the ready-made system and build only what is missing
A wholesaler asked us for an online store connected to Microinvest Pro: products and stock levels come from the software, the order is returned to it as a sale, and the invoice is issued there. The software stays, while the store is built to order, at around €1,950. For a window manufacturer, the Microinvest integration is a separate line in the quote, not a replacement.
The reverse case also comes up. A grocery store planning to open more locations preferred an off-the-shelf ERP, such as Odoo, with custom development only for the specific requirements: batches, expiry dates, self-service checkouts and payments to suppliers. We recommended a fully custom system and explained why: when the “specific” part is larger than the standard part, the ready-made platform becomes scaffolding that you pay for per user, while every change still requires development. The answer is not always “ours”; the answer is the numbers.
Real systems and solutions you can open
Two locations, 2 564 products with four prices, draft stocktakes and an online store integration.
Buildings, inspections, a technician app with reports and signatures, automatic invoicing.
Clients, quotes, invoices, tasks and your phone in the browser, all in one place.
Contacts, projects, tasks, invoices, calendar and reports. Opens without registration.
Prices synced both ways between the website and the system, a warehouse with shipments, and serial-number service tracking.
Prices synced both ways between the website and the system, orders, a warehouse with shipments, and serial-number service tracking.
Custom ERP if:
- your warehouse, sales, production or service operations have their own rules
- need an integration with an online store, courier, phone, payments or accounting software
- have two or more locations with their own prices and transfers
- need a field team to report their work from their phones
- want the code and data to belong to you and to start with one module
Off-the-shelf ERP if:
- your processes are standard and you have one location
- can describe everything you need using the words from the software’s advertising
- you do not need specific modules or integrations
- need to start working next Monday
Next step
Considering “Custom ERP system”? Describe what you need.
You describe the project, we come back with questions and a price range, then a demo and a written proposal.
Frequently asked questions
Is a custom ERP more expensive than an off-the-shelf one?
At the start, almost always: €3,000-€29,300 as a one-off cost versus a monthly subscription. Over three years, often not, if you count paid modules, new users, manual work for missing integrations, and the fact that the code is yours at the end. The calculation above gives you the answer for your case.
Can we take Odoo and add only what is specific to us?
It can be, and for some companies it is. We ask how much of your list is “our way of doing things”. One report and one integration: an off-the-shelf platform with a partner is cheaper. Batches, expiry dates, tills and supplier payments: the changes cost as much as the system, while the subscription remains. That is when we say “custom” and show you why.
Can a custom system work with Microinvest?
Yes. Most often, Microinvest remains in place for accounting or the till, while the custom system takes products and stock levels from it or sends sales and invoices to it. We clarify the integration with the person who maintains your software and list it as a separate line in the quote.
Can we start with one module?
Yes. We most often start with inventory, sales or invoicing and add modules once the first one is in use. Our quotes start at €3,000; every subsequent module is quoted in writing before work begins.
Who owns the code, and what happens if we stop working with you?
The code, database and access credentials are handed over with the project and are yours. You can continue with another team or host the system yourself. Support from us is optional, €100-€350 per month, and can be stopped with notice without stopping the system.
Can I see such a system before I pay?
Yes, twice. The industry solutions at demo.mmm.software open without registration, and before preparing the proposal we demo the main screens with your products and roles, so you can compare a real system, not a description.
