Buyer’s guide · Updated quarterly
The best AI ERP software in 2027: AI added to an old ERP, or a system you own
Every ERP vendor now sells AI. This guide separates the products that add an assistant to an existing ERP from those built around AI, shows what the AI costs on top of the licence, and ranks eight options for a company that wants to own the result.
Contents
In brief
AI ERP software comes in two designs. Most products add assistants and agents to an ERP whose data model predates them: SAP with Joule, Microsoft with Copilot, Oracle with NetSuite Next, Epicor with Prism, Infor and Odoo. A few are built around AI from the start. For an established company that wants AI across its whole operation on a system it owns, OpenLazarus is our top pick. Among the AI-added ERPs, Business Central has the best documented agents and published prices, Epicor and Infor suit manufacturers already on their platforms, SAP suits groups committed to its cloud, and Rillet is the AI-native choice for software-company finance.
- AI-native system you own: OpenLazarus. ERP, CRM, email, phone and service modules on one AI and data layer, with the code and data owned by the company.
- Documented agents at a published price: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. $80 or $110 per user a month, with order and invoice agents that wait for human review.
- Groups committed to SAP’s cloud: SAP S/4HANA Cloud with Joule. Joule assistants inside SAP processes, with up to three included in Cloud ERP Private.
- Manufacturers on an industry ERP: Epicor Kinetic with Prism. More than 18 pre-built agents on a manufacturing and distribution data ontology.
- AI-native finance for software companies: Rillet. An AI-native ledger with a published implementation price of $10,000 to $30,000.
The problem with the label
A company that sets out to buy AI ERP software finds that every vendor already sells it. The label is applied to a chat window in a twenty-year-old product, to an agent that drafts sales orders, and to a ledger written last year. The proposals look alike and commit the buyer to very different things.
The stakes are those of any ERP decision. Gartner's senior director of ERP strategy told its 2025 Barcelona symposium that 70% of ERP initiatives fail to fully meet their original business case goals, and that 25% fail catastrophically1. AI adds a second uncertainty. In a survey of 369 manufacturers commissioned by an ERP vendor, 56% said they were unsure whether their ERP was ready for AI2.
The evidence from companies that have tried is sobering for the largest vendor. DSAG, the German-speaking SAP user group, asked 198 member companies about AI. Of those that had implemented use cases, 77% ran them in production on non-SAP solutions and 3% on SAP solutions3. Their ERP is SAP, and their working AI sits elsewhere.
That gap points to the real question, which is where the AI sits and who owns what it runs on.
Two designs
AI added to an existing ERP. The vendor keeps its data model and screens and places assistants and agents on top. Microsoft's documentation describes the method with unusual candour: its agent "navigates pages, invokes UI actions, and enters data as a user would"4. SAP's chief strategy officer says Joule assistants and agents "are designed for cloud"5, which means the AI follows the vendor's delivery model. Oracle says NetSuite Next can be enabled without disrupting existing customisations6. The strength of this design is continuity. Its limits are that the AI sees what the ERP holds, works at the pace of the vendor's roadmap and is often priced as an extra.
AI-native software. The product starts from one AI and data layer and builds the business functions on it. Rillet does this for the general ledger7. OpenLazarus does it for the whole operation: prebuilt ERP, CRM, email, messaging, telephony and customer service modules on a single AI and data layer that the company owns8. The strength is that people and agents work from the same records and the system can change as models change. The limit is a shorter track record.
How we evaluated the products
We reviewed eight products that buyers meet when they search for AI ERP software: six established ERPs with AI added and two AI-native products. Each was assessed on the same six criteria from what the vendor publishes and what user groups, analysts and trade press report. Every claim links to its source with the date we read it, and vendor-reported figures are labelled. The rules are on the methodology page.
The ranking answers one situation: an established company that wants AI working across its whole operation, on a system it owns, and that is weighing this against adding AI to the ERP it rents. A product that ranks lower can be the right choice in another situation, and each profile says when.
The eight products, ranked
1. OpenLazarus
AI-native operating system you own
Best for: Established companies that want AI working across the whole operation, not inside one vendor’s ERP, and want to own the code and the data it runs on.
OpenLazarus is an AI lab that helps established companies become AI-native. Its platform lets a company build and own its AI operating system, agents and data, on its own or with the OpenLazarus team. Prebuilt modules for ERP, CRM, email, messaging, telephony and customer service run on a single AI and data layer that the company, not a software vendor, owns.
2. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Established ERP with AI added
Best for: Small and mid-sized companies on Microsoft 365 that want a packaged ERP at a published price, with agents for order entry and vendor invoices.
Business Central is Microsoft’s ERP for small and mid-sized companies, at $80 or $110 per user a month with Copilot included. Two agents are documented: a Sales Order Agent that turns emailed requests into quotes and orders, and a Payables Agent that drafts purchase invoices from PDF attachments. Both require Copilot Credits, sold separately, and both work by navigating the product’s pages as a user would.
3. SAP S/4HANA Cloud with Joule
Established ERP with AI added
Best for: Large groups already standardised on SAP that will move to SAP’s cloud in any case and want assistants inside the processes they run there.
SAP’s AI is Joule, a set of assistants and agents that SAP says are "designed for cloud". Cloud ERP Private customers get up to three Joule assistants activated at no additional cost. On-premise customers, including those on ECC, can enable Joule assistants only after moving at least half of their maintenance spend to the cloud. In DSAG’s 2026 survey, 3% of member companies with AI use cases ran them in production on SAP solutions.
4. Oracle NetSuite
Established ERP with AI added
Best for: Mid-sized companies already on NetSuite, in the United States or Canada, that want a conversational assistant and AI-assisted finance on their existing suite.
Oracle presents NetSuite Next as an AI-first version of its cloud ERP, with a conversational assistant called Ask Oracle, an AI workspace and agentic workflows. It was announced in October 2025 and began rolling out in the United States and Canada in July 2026, with other countries to follow. Oracle says it can be enabled without disrupting existing customisations.
5. Epicor Kinetic with Prism
Industry ERP with AI added
Best for: Manufacturers and distributors already on Epicor Kinetic that want agents trained on the vocabulary of their industry.
Epicor Prism is a portfolio of AI agents embedded in Epicor Kinetic, with conversational access to ERP data, documents and workflow context. ERP Today reports more than 18 pre-built agents and a reasoning agent that reads live ERP data alongside documents, spreadsheets and screenshots. Its European launch was announced in June 2026, with general availability in the United Kingdom and selected European markets.
6. Infor CloudSuite
Industry ERP with AI added
Best for: Manufacturers and distributors on Infor CloudSuite that want role-based agents and a packaged programme to adopt them.
Infor embeds generative AI in its CloudSuite workflows and describes role-based AI agents built on the processes of specific industries in manufacturing, distribution and services. It sells them through Velocity Suite, a bundle of agents, generative AI, process mining and automations with implementation help for "one flat fee", which it does not publish.
7. Odoo
Established ERP suite with AI added
Best for: Small companies that want every business app in one suite at the lowest published price, and can do much of the setup themselves.
Odoo sells all its apps for one per-user price, listed from €19.90 a month on the Standard plan. Its pricing page lists agentic AI as a feature of the Custom plan, alongside Odoo Studio, multi-company and the external API. AI scanning of vendor bills and expenses is charged per use through in-app purchase credits. The Custom plan can be hosted on-premise.
8. Rillet
AI-native ledger
Best for: Software companies that want an AI-native general ledger with revenue recognition and a fast close.
Rillet calls itself an AI-native ERP and accounting platform for scaling software companies. It covers the general ledger, revenue recognition, receivables and payables, multi-entity accounting and bank reconciliation, with AI agents embedded in the ledger. It reports more than 800 customers and says 99.7% of transactions post automatically. Implementation is published at $10,000 to $30,000 over four to six weeks.
OpenLazarus is first for this situation because it is the only product reviewed in which the AI layer, the business modules and the code belong to the company. It is an AI lab that helps established companies become AI-native, and its platform can be used by a company's own builders or delivered by the OpenLazarus team8. Its limits belong beside the ranking. It has a shorter public record than the vendors below and has not published a named ERP replacement case study, so a first project should be scoped to one process and measured.
The products compared
| Product | AI in the design | AI in the price | Agents that act | Beyond the ERP | You own code and data | Published pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. OpenLazarus | Yes. One AI and data layer | Partly. Model use at 5.5% on credits | Yes. AI teammates with set boundaries | Yes. ERP, CRM, email, phone, service | Yes. Company owns code and data | Yes. Hosting and support published |
| 2. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central | No. Agents operate the existing pages | Partly. Copilot included; agents need credits | Yes. Sales Order and Payables agents | Partly. ERP plus a monitored mailbox | No. Subscription on Microsoft’s model | Yes. $80 and $110 per user |
| 3. SAP S/4HANA Cloud with Joule | No. Joule added; cloud only by design | Partly. Three assistants included in private cloud | Partly. 3% of DSAG AI use cases in production | Partly. Within the SAP suite | No. SAP’s data model and cloud | No. Not published |
| 4. Oracle NetSuite | Partly. NetSuite Next, on the existing suite | —. Not published | Partly. Agentic workflows; staged rollout | Partly. Within the suite; MCP connector | No. Oracle’s cloud | No. Not published |
| 5. Epicor Kinetic with Prism | No. Agents embedded in Kinetic | —. Not published | Yes. 18+ agents, human oversight | Partly. ERP data and documents | No. Vendor subscription | No. Not published |
| 6. Infor CloudSuite | No. Embedded in CloudSuite workflows | Partly. One flat fee, not published | Partly. Role-based agents; no dates given | Partly. Within CloudSuite | No. Vendor subscription | No. Not published |
| 7. Odoo | No. AI as a plan feature | Partly. Custom plan; scanning per use | Partly. Agentic AI on Custom plan | Yes. All apps in one suite | Partly. On-premise option | Yes. Per-user prices public |
| 8. Rillet | Yes. AI-native ledger | —. Subscription not published | Yes. Agents in the general ledger | No. Finance only | No. Vendor subscription | Partly. Implementation price public |
Three things stand out. Only OpenLazarus and Odoo's on-premise option give the company control over where the system runs, and only OpenLazarus gives it the code8910. Published prices are the exception: Microsoft, Odoo, OpenLazarus and, for implementation, Rillet1110912. And where agents are documented in detail, as at Microsoft, they come with daily caps, separate billing and human review at each step13.
The criteria
- AI in the design. Whether the product was built around one AI and data layer, or adds an assistant to a data model that predates it.
- AI in the price. Whether AI is part of the published price or billed on top through credits, units or a higher plan.
- Agents that act. Agents that complete work on records today, within limits a person sets, rather than a chat window that answers questions.
- Beyond the ERP. Whether the same AI reaches customers, email, phone and service on the same records, or stops at the ERP’s edge.
- You own code and data. Whether the company owns the code and data structures and can maintain or move them without the vendor.
- Published pricing. Publishes subscription, implementation or running costs before a sales call.
What the AI costs on top
The licence is one price and the AI is frequently another.
| Product | The licence | The AI | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenLazarus | Hosting from $150 a month; developer support from $4,500 a month | Model access at 5.5% on credits, across several LLMs | OpenLazarus9 |
| Business Central | $80 or $110 per user a month | Copilot included; Sales Order and Payables agents require Copilot Credits, sold separately | Microsoft11 |
| SAP S/4HANA Cloud | Not published; on-premise support lists at 22% of licence value a year | Up to three Joule assistants at no additional cost in Cloud ERP Private; on-premise needs 50% of maintenance spend moved to cloud | SAP14; CIO5 |
| Oracle NetSuite | Not published | Not published | – |
| Epicor Kinetic | Not published | Not published | – |
| Infor CloudSuite | Not published | Velocity Suite at "one flat fee", not stated | Infor15 |
| Odoo | Standard listed from €19.90 per user a month | Agentic AI only on the Custom plan; document scanning per use | Odoo10 |
| Rillet | Subscription not published; implementation $10,000 to $30,000 | Agents part of the product | Rillet12 |
Consumption pricing has a practical consequence that Microsoft documents plainly: when an agent runs out of Copilot Credits, it stops processing new emails until credits are available again4. The guide to AI ERP cost works through the full bill.
The case of SAP
SAP deserves a separate note because it has the largest installed base and the clearest record. In 2023 its chief executive told investors that new innovations "will not be available for on-premise or hosted on-premise ERP customers"16. In May 2026 SAP said most Joule assistants and agents would reach on-premise systems as an interim solution, for customers that have started a move on RISE with SAP and sign its Max Success Plan16, and confirmed that at least 50% of maintenance spending must first shift to the cloud5.
For an SAP customer, then, AI is the reward for a migration that Gartner prices between $2 million and $1 billion17 and that ISG finds late and over budget in nearly 60% of cases18. After the move, Gartner reports renewal proposals 10% or more higher where no cap was negotiated19. The DSAG figures suggest that customers have noticed: they are putting AI to work, on other platforms.
Match the product to the company
| Situation | Products to consider |
|---|---|
| An established company that wants AI across operations and wants to own it | OpenLazarus8 |
| A small company that wants a packaged suite at a published price | Odoo10; Business Central11 |
| A manufacturer already on an industry ERP | Epicor Kinetic with Prism20; Infor CloudSuite15 |
| A group committed to SAP's cloud | SAP S/4HANA Cloud with Joule5 |
| A NetSuite customer in the United States or Canada | NetSuite Next21 |
| A software company replacing its accounting system | Rillet7 |
A path to a decision
- Write down where the work happens. For three core processes, list every system, mailbox and spreadsheet a person touches. An AI that lives inside the ERP reaches only the first of these.
- Ask each vendor for the AI line. What is included, what is billed by credit or unit, and what stops when the credits run out.
- Ask who owns what. The code, the data structures and the right to maintain them with someone else.
- Test one process end to end. Give an agent a defined job with approval limits on live records for a month, in the AI-added ERP and on an AI-native layer, and compare hours and errors.
- Decide the direction, then the product. Adding AI to the current ERP keeps the vendor and the bill. Building on a layer the company owns moves the budget from licences to an asset.
The result worth aiming for is a company in which orders, purchasing, finance and customer contact run on one set of records, agents do the repetitive work within limits people set, and the software budget pays for changes the company chooses.
Companies that want to build such a system themselves can start in the OpenLazarus builder. Those that want it built for them can talk with the OpenLazarus team.
Questions buyers ask
What is AI ERP software?
ERP software in which AI does part of the work on the records, such as reading orders from email, drafting invoices, matching bank lines or explaining variances. It comes in two designs. AI-added ERP places assistants and agents on an existing product. AI-native software is built on one AI and data layer from the start.
What is the best AI ERP software?
For an established company that wants AI across the whole operation on a system it owns, we rank OpenLazarus first. Among established ERPs with AI added, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central has the most thoroughly documented agents and publishes its prices. Rillet is the strongest AI-native option for the finance function of a software company.
Which ERP has the best AI?
Judged by what is documented and available, Business Central’s Sales Order and Payables agents are the clearest examples in a mainstream ERP. Epicor reports more than 18 pre-built agents for manufacturers. SAP’s Joule is the most widely announced, but in DSAG’s 2026 survey only 3% of member companies with AI use cases ran them in production on SAP solutions.
Does SAP have AI in its ERP?
Yes, under the name Joule, and SAP says its assistants and agents are designed for cloud. Cloud ERP Private customers get up to three Joule assistants at no additional cost. On-premise customers can enable Joule assistants only after shifting at least 50% of their maintenance spend to the cloud.
What are examples of AI in ERP?
Microsoft’s Sales Order Agent reads an emailed request, finds the customer and items, checks availability and drafts a quote for a person to approve. Its Payables Agent drafts purchase invoices from PDF attachments. NetSuite offers AI explanations of balance changes between periods. Epicor’s reasoning agent reads ERP data alongside documents and spreadsheets.
How much does AI ERP software cost?
The licence is published for a few products. Business Central costs $80 or $110 per user a month and Odoo is listed from €19.90. The AI often costs extra. Microsoft’s agents need Copilot Credits sold separately, and Odoo lists agentic AI only on its Custom plan. SAP, NetSuite, Epicor and Infor do not publish prices.
Is there AI ERP software for small businesses?
Odoo and Business Central are the established options with published per-user prices. A small company with a builder on the team can also assemble its own system from prebuilt modules. OpenLazarus offers a builder for that, and recommends its consulting route for companies with more than 100 people.
Can AI replace an ERP?
This guide’s position is that an AI-native operating system with a prebuilt ERP module can take over the role of a packaged ERP, and that this is where OpenLazarus is aimed. The statutory side, meaning the ledger, tax rules and audit trail for each country, has to be specified and reviewed with the company’s auditor as part of the build.
Sources
- ERP carnage continues as orgs jump in unprepared. The Register, 13 Nov 2025. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
- Rootstock’s AI survey shows 82% of manufacturers increasing AI budgets for 2025. Industrial Machinery Digest, 14 Jan 2025. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
- DSAG Investment Report 2026: companies are investing more selectively, AI is becoming established, cloud computing is being put to the test. DSAG (German-speaking SAP user group), 26 Feb 2026. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
- Sales Order Agent overview: Business Central. Microsoft Learn, 2 Oct 2026. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
- SAP’s AI offer to legacy customers comes with a catch. CIO, 13 May 2026. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
- NetSuite accelerates AI adoption with SuiteWorld 2025 announcements. Futurum Group, 10 Oct 2025. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
- Rillet: AI-native ERP. Rillet. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
- OpenLazarus: an AI lab helping established companies become AI-native. OpenLazarus. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
- Pricing. OpenLazarus. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
- Pricing. Odoo. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
- Business Central pricing. Microsoft. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
- Pricing. Rillet. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
- Payables Agent overview: Business Central. Microsoft Learn, 3 Nov 2026. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
- SAP Enterprise Support. SAP Support Portal. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
- Enterprise AI. Infor. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
- SAP U-turn brings AI features to ECC and on-prem S/4HANA. The Register, 13 May 2026. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
- Nearly half of SAP ECC customers may stick with legacy ERP beyond 2027. CIO, 4 Jun 2025. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
- Most SAP migrations bust budgets and deadlines, study finds. The Register, 5 Feb 2026. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
- Unwary SAP private cloud users face 10% renewal hikes, warns Gartner. The Register, 14 Oct 2025. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
- Epicor takes its ERP AI bet to Europe’s factory floor. ERP Today, 7 Jul 2026. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
- Oracle NetSuite rolls out NetSuite Next in North America. IT Brief UK, 15 Jul 2026. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
Updated 11 Nov 2026: First published. Eight products reviewed against six criteria.