Decide whether you're buying a scheduler or an ERP first
Some of these are standalone advanced planning and scheduling (APS) tools that sit on top of an ERP you already run: PlanetTogether, Asprova, Siemens Opcenter APS, SkyPlanner APS. Others are ERPs with scheduling built in: Epicor Kinetic, Infor CloudSuite Industrial, Global Shop Solutions, JobBOSS², ProShop ERP. If you already run SAP, NetSuite or an ERP you're not replacing, a bolt-on APS is the smaller project. If you're scheduling in spreadsheets with no ERP at all, an ERP-with-scheduling tool avoids running two systems.
Decide what you're willing to pay before you call
Two of the fifteen vendors here publish a number: MRPeasy at $49/user/mo and Katana at $299/mo with a free plan. The other thirteen, including PlanetTogether, Siemens Opcenter APS, Asprova, Fulcrum, ProShop ERP, JobBOSS², Global Shop Solutions, Epicor Kinetic, Infor CloudSuite Industrial, SAP PP/DS, Eyelit, SkyPlanner APS and Autodesk Fusion Operations, quote only. If your procurement process needs a budget number before a vendor call, start with the two that publish one and treat the rest as a longer sales cycle.
Decide who administers the system day to day
A scheduler that a production planner can run from a browser is a different commitment than one that needs an IT admin managing an on-prem install and periodic ERP syncs. Global Shop Solutions and JobBOSS² document multiple deployment options (cloud, on-prem, hosted) without saying which is the default, which matters if you don't have a systems administrator on staff. Asprova documents an on-prem deployment. TODO(editor): verify which of these 15 vendors still ship an on-premises build versus cloud-only, before publishing a claim about deployment mix.
Decide what it has to talk to
If you run SAP, NetSuite, Kinaxis Maestro or AVEVA, PlanetTogether names integrations to all four; check whether your specific module is covered before assuming it works out of the box. JobBOSS² documents QuickBooks Desktop and Online integration, which matters if your accounting stack is QuickBooks rather than a full ERP. MRPeasy lists a documented API and EDI through integration partners. TODO(editor): verify whether Epicor Kinetic's IoT integration for sensors requires a separate paid module.
Decide whether compliance traceability is a requirement or a nice-to-have
ProShop ERP documents AS9100, ITAR and FDA-oriented traceability capture specifically; if you supply aerospace, defense or medical parts, this is the only listing here that names all three domains. Fulcrum positions itself as a migration path from ProShop, JobBOSS²/E2 and Global Shop Solutions specifically for sheet metal and precision machining shops. TODO(editor): verify whether any other vendor on this page documents AS9100 or ITAR support beyond ProShop before writing a comparative claim.
Decide what implementation costs beyond the licence
JobBOSS² states an implementation time of three to six months, one of the few concrete numbers on this page for anything beyond monthly pricing. MRPeasy bills Advanced Support and training hours separately from its subscription. Neither figure tells you what PlanetTogether, Asprova or the enterprise-tier vendors here will cost to implement, because none of them publish an implementation estimate.
