Buyer’s guide
MRP software for small manufacturers
MRP software works out what to buy and make, and when, from your production plan and bills of materials. This guide covers what it does, the data you need first, and how to choose one without a long project.
What MRP software does
Material requirements planning software takes what you plan to build, explodes it through your bills of materials, nets off stock and open orders, and offsets each requirement by its lead time. The result is a list of what to buy and make, and when. Our worked MRP example shows the calculation week by week.
MRP, ERP and planning add-ons
| What it covers | Best when | |
|---|---|---|
| MRP system | Materials, purchasing, work orders and stock | You build from components and have no real system today |
| ERP | MRP plus sales, finance and more in one system | You need one system of record across the business |
| Planning add-on | Forecasts, stock targets and shortages on top of your ERP | Your ERP holds the data, but its plan is not usable |
For a closer comparison, read ERP, MRP or a planning add-on?
What you need before you buy
- Accurate bills of materials, including scrap and substitutes.
- Stock counts you trust. MRP nets off whatever the system says you have.
- Real lead times for purchased and made items.
- A production plan or forecast far enough ahead to cover your longest lead time.
- Lot sizing rules, such as minimums and order multiples.
MRP will calculate the wrong answer very quickly if these are wrong. If your current MRP is producing messages nobody believes, the fix is usually in this list. See MRP implementation and clean-up.
Features that matter for a small plant
- Shortage reports that show which products each shortage blocks.
- A clear-to-build view, so you know what you can start today.
- Multi-level bills of materials.
- Pegging, so you can see which order is driving a requirement.
- Purchase requisitions and work orders you can review before release.
- Exports or a connection to your accounting system or ERP.
- Shop-floor tracking, if you need it. Not every plant does.
What MRP software costs
MRPeasy publishes prices of $49 to $149 per user per month, so the bill grows with your headcount. Full ERP systems are usually sold by quote. Budget for data cleanup and training too. See what supply chain software costs, where we work through a first-year budget.
MRPeasy prices are from its pricing page on November 8, 2026.
How to test MRP software
- Load one product family, with its real bills of materials and stock.
- Run the plan for a recent month.
- Compare the shortages it predicts with the shortages you really had.
- Ask who will review the messages each day, and how long that will take.
Where the Statadventure Optimization Lab fits
The Optimization Lab is a planning layer, not a shop-floor system. Its MRP module takes your production plan through your bills of materials, week by week, and gives you purchase requisitions, work orders, material shortages, clear-to-build, and which products each shortage blocks. You can load Excel or CSV files, or connect your ERP.
Materials planning is on the Planner and Growth plans. If you need work-order tracking, labor reporting or full accounting, you still need an MRP or ERP system as your system of record.
See your shortages before they stop a build
The live demo needs no account. Use the sample company or load your own files, which stay in your browser tab.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best MRP software for a small manufacturer?
The one your team will keep accurate. Compare products on your own bills of materials, and check whether you need a full system of record or only better planning on top of what you have.
What is the difference between MRP and ERP?
MRP plans materials. ERP includes MRP and adds finance, sales and other functions in one system.
Can a small manufacturer run MRP in Excel?
For a few products and a shallow bill of materials, yes. It gets hard with multi-level bills, shared components and frequent schedule changes.
Why does our MRP suggest things nobody trusts?
It is usually the inputs: lead times that are out of date, bills of materials that do not match the floor, or stock counts that are wrong. Fix those before replacing the software.