A custom quoting system built by Black Badger is the best quoting and estimating software for a custom or engineer-to-order manufacturer, because the estimate depends on your own costing rules and those are what a product handles least well. Epicor Kinetic is the best product for the job, since Epicor describes it as specialized for discrete, make-to-order manufacturing.
The ranking, entry by entry
1 Custom build by Black Badger
Best for shops where every quote is priced from an estimator workbook
Custom is first on this list, and quoting is one of the most common reasons manufacturers come to Black Badger, which publishes this guide. In engineer-to-order work the estimate is the difficult part. It combines material, machine time, outside processing, margin by customer and the estimator's own rules, usually held in a workbook one estimator maintains. We build that logic into a quoting system every estimator shares, and it passes the won job to your ERP.
Watch for. If your quotes come from a price list with few options, a product will do. This route is for estimating that takes judgment and calculation.
- How it charges
- One-time build scoped in writing, then running costs such as hosting
- Main limit
- Needs a scoping call first, and suits companies of 50 or more employees
What a custom build involves, and how to ask about one
2 Epicor Kinetic
Best for make-to-order manufacturers that want quoting inside the ERP
Epicor Kinetic is the best product for this question. Quoting custom work only makes sense when the quote can become a job without retyping, and Kinetic is the ERP on this list whose maker names discrete, make-to-order manufacturing as its specialty. That is the closest any product here comes to engineer-to-order work. It ranks second because your estimating rules still have to fit the way the product models a quote.
Watch for. Take your three hardest recent quotes to the demo and ask to see them built. Epicor publishes no price, so the cost follows from that conversation.
- How it charges
- Quoted by sales, no published price
- Main limit
- Quote only, built for discrete make-to-order manufacturers
3 Infor CloudSuite
Best for engineer-to-order work in aerospace, automotive or industrial
Infor CloudSuite ranks third. Engineer-to-order quoting looks different in aerospace and defense than it does in industrial manufacturing, and Infor sells a separate suite for each of the sectors it serves. A manufacturer in one of those sectors gets quoting that sits inside a system shaped for its industry. It is behind Epicor because the fit depends on whether your sector has a suite.
Watch for. Infor lists no price and sells one suite per sector. If your work spans two sectors, ask which suite you would be quoted.
- How it charges
- Quoted by sales, no published price
- Main limit
- Quote only, sold as industry suites, so the choice depends on your sector
4 Odoo
Best for manufacturers willing to shape quoting with Studio and a partner
Odoo ranks fourth because it is the one product here that invites you to change it. The Custom plan, charged per user and billed yearly, adds Studio and allows hosting on Odoo.sh or on premise, which is where custom developments run. That puts it between buying and building. Maintenance of custom code and the partner who writes it sit outside the plan price.
Watch for. Odoo says companies of more than 50 employees usually work with a partner. Price the partner and the upkeep of custom code alongside the seats.
- How it charges
- Per user, billed yearly or monthly, one app free
- Main limit
- Mid-size firms usually need a partner, and Custom adds multi-company and Studio
5 Oracle NetSuite
Best for manufacturers that quote from standard items and options
NetSuite ranks fifth for quoting. Order management is part of its core platform, so a quote built from defined items flows into an order and on to the ledger. That works for a manufacturer whose custom work is a variation on a catalog. For engineer-to-order estimating it is a general ERP, and added capability arrives as modules that are each licensed separately with their own fee.
Watch for. Ask for the module list and fees in the quote. NetSuite publishes none of them, and modules can be added at any time during the contract.
- How it charges
- Quoted annual license by modules and users
- Main limit
- Quote only, and each module is licensed separately
6 Acumatica Cloud ERP
Best for shops where many people need to see and approve quotes
Acumatica ranks sixth. Quotes in a custom shop pass through estimating, engineering, purchasing and a manager before they go out. Acumatica does not charge by user seat, so every reviewer can be in the system. Price follows applications and resource use. It ranks low for this question because nothing on the pages we read speaks to engineer-to-order estimating, and the answer depends on your reseller.
Watch for. Acumatica has no direct sales team. The reseller you choose does the quote, the implementation and any changes to the quoting process.
- How it charges
- Quoted by applications and usage, not by user seats
- Main limit
- Quote only, sold through resellers, priced by resources and not by users
7 Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Best for microsoft-based manufacturers with repeatable quotes
Business Central ranks seventh on the quoting list. It has a published price and manufacturing in the Premium plan, and a manufacturer on Microsoft tools can have quotes, orders and production from one vendor. It is last here because a plant that needs a deep manufacturing feature set is outside what it is aimed at, and engineer-to-order estimating needs that depth.
Watch for. Microsoft sends buyers to a partner for an assessment and additional pricing. Ask that partner how estimates with one-off routings are handled.
- How it charges
- Per user, paid yearly, bought through a Microsoft partner
- Main limit
- Manufacturing needs the Premium plan, and Microsoft sends buyers to a partner
How this list was ranked
This list is for manufacturers whose product is designed or configured per order, so each quote is an estimate and not a lookup. We ranked by how much of an estimate an option can hold, including material, labor, outside services and margin rules, and whether a won quote becomes a job without being retyped.
Custom is first on this list because estimating logic is specific to each shop and it is the work manufacturers most often bring to Black Badger. It is not first on our overall list.
Questions buyers ask
Why is quoting software for engineer-to-order work so hard to buy as a packaged product?
Quoting for engineer-to-order work is hard to buy as a packaged product because the item being quoted does not exist until the quote is written. The estimator works from drawings, past jobs and judgment, and the costing rules differ from shop to shop. A packaged quoting module expects defined items and options, which is the one thing engineer-to-order work does not have.
What does a custom quoting system connect to?
A custom quoting system usually connects to the ERP for material costs, routings and customers, and sometimes to the CRM for the opportunity. When a quote is won, the system passes the job to the ERP so nobody enters it twice. Black Badger names each connection in the written scope.
What is the risk of leaving quoting in one estimator's spreadsheet?
The risk of leaving quoting in one estimator's spreadsheet is that every quote depends on that person. Quotes wait when that person is out, nobody else can check the math, and the reasoning behind a price leaves with them. A shared system, bought or built, puts the rules where the whole team can use and audit them.
How do we find out what a custom quoting system would cost?
You find out what a custom quoting system would cost through discovery and a written scope. Black Badger does not publish a price, because the figure depends on how your estimates are built and which systems the quote has to reach. The scope gives you a firm number and a schedule to compare with a product quote.