License & Deployment Mix: 15 tools – 4 OSS, 4 SaaS. (OSS and SaaS counts can overlap when an open-source tool also offers a vendor-hosted edition.)
What Is a Manufacturing Execution System?
A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) is the software layer that manages, monitors, and controls manufacturing operations on the shop floor in real time. Defined by the ISA-95 (IEC 62264) standard, MES occupies Level 3 in the manufacturing automation hierarchy – sitting between ERP systems at Level 4 and PLC/SCADA process control at Level 2.
MES solutions span three manufacturing taxonomies:
- Discrete manufacturing – assembly of distinct, countable items (automotive parts, electronics, machinery)
- Process manufacturing – production of goods via formulas, recipes, or continuous flow (pharmaceuticals, chemicals, food & beverage)
- Hybrid manufacturing – combinations of discrete and process steps within a single production environment
This directory evaluates MES tools – both open-source and commercial solutions. For enterprise resource planning (financials, procurement, HR), see ERP & Accounting. For product lifecycle management (CAD, BOM, change management), see Product Lifecycle Management (PLM).
MES vs ERP
| Concern | MES (Level 3) | ERP (Level 4) |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Shop floor execution | Enterprise planning |
| Time horizon | Real-time / shift | Days / weeks |
| Data | Machine signals, WIP | Orders, finance |
| Users | Operators, supervisors | Planners, managers |
| Scheduling | Detailed dispatching | Master planning |
| Quality | SPC, in-process checks | QMS overview |
| Inventory | WIP, material flow | Warehousing, procurement |
| Traceability | Lot/serial genealogy | Order history |
Core Capabilities
- Production scheduling / dispatching – finite-capacity scheduling and sequencing of work orders across machines and work centres
- Work order management – creation, release, tracking, and closure of manufacturing orders with routing and BOM consumption
- Shop floor data collection – real-time capture of production counts, machine states, operator inputs, and process parameters
- Quality management (SPC, NCR) – statistical process control, in-process inspections, non-conformance reports, and corrective actions
- Inventory / WIP tracking – real-time visibility into work-in-process inventory, material consumption, and inter-operation buffers
- Labour tracking – operator time and attendance, skill-based assignment, and labour-cost allocation per work order
- Equipment / maintenance management – machine status monitoring, downtime tracking, and integration with CMMS for preventive and predictive maintenance
- Traceability / genealogy – full lot and serial number genealogy linking raw materials to finished goods across all production steps
- Performance analysis (OEE) – Overall Equipment Effectiveness calculation (Availability x Performance x Quality) with drill-down by line, machine, shift, and product
- Electronic batch records – paperless batch execution records for process industries with electronic signatures and audit trails
- Recipe / BOM management – versioned recipes, formulas, and bills of materials with parameter set-points for process control
- Regulatory compliance (FDA 21 CFR Part 11, GxP) – electronic signatures, audit trails, access controls, and data integrity for regulated industries (pharma, medical devices, food)
The information on these pages was researched by a combination of human review and large language models. To suggest an addition or correction, please contact us. Prepared by Rhodium Systems Inc., author of the ResorsIT platform — a unified IT operations management platform for IT teams and MSPs that integrates a curated suite of open-source, commercial, and SaaS applications into a single system with shared identity, single sign-on, access control, and a common audit trail. Use this catalogue only as a starting point for your own research, and review any tool carefully against your own requirements before relying on it. Catalogue data version 2026.197.
Comparison
Deployment Model
| Tool | On-Prem | Cloud | Docker | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qcadoo | Yes | No | Yes | Linux/Win |
| Carbon | Yes | No | Yes | Linux |
| iPlus | Yes | No | No | Windows |
| Odoo Mfg | Yes | Yes | Yes | Linux/Win |
| Opcenter | Yes | Cloud | No | Windows |
| AVEVA MES | Yes | No | No | Windows |
| PharmaSuite | Yes | No | No | Windows |
| GE Proficy | Yes | Yes | No | Win/Linux |
| Plex | No | Yes | No | Web |
| Tulip | No | Yes | No | Web |
| MachineMetrics | No | Yes | No | Web |
| TrakSYS | Yes | Yes | No | Windows |
| 42Q | No | Yes | No | Web |
| DELMIA Apriso | Yes | Yes | No | Windows |
| Epicor MES | Yes | Yes | No | Windows |
Core MES Features
| Tool | Sched. | WO Mgmt | Quality | Trace | OEE | E-Batch | FDA 21 CFR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qcadoo | Yes | Yes | Basic | Basic | No | No | No |
| Carbon | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Basic | No | No |
| iPlus | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Odoo Mfg | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Basic | No | No |
| Opcenter | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AVEVA MES | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PharmaSuite | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| GE Proficy | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Plex | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Partial |
| Tulip | Basic | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Partial |
| MachineMetrics | No | No | Basic | No | Yes | No | No |
| TrakSYS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 42Q | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Partial |
| DELMIA Apriso | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Epicor MES | Yes | Yes | Basic | Basic | Yes | No | No |
Best full-feature: Opcenter, AVEVA MES, PharmaSuite, GE Proficy (all MES capabilities including FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance)
Best OSS: Qcadoo (discrete manufacturing), Odoo Manufacturing (ERP-integrated MES)
SSO / Authentik Integration
| Tool | OIDC | SAML | LDAP/AD | Local |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qcadoo | No | No | No | Yes |
| Carbon | No | No | No | Yes |
| iPlus | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Odoo Mfg | OIDC | SAML | LDAP | Yes |
| Opcenter | No | SAML | Yes | Yes |
| AVEVA MES | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| PharmaSuite | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| GE Proficy | No | SAML | Yes | Yes |
| Plex | OIDC | SAML | Yes | Yes |
| Tulip | OIDC | SAML | No | Yes |
| MachineMetrics | OIDC | SAML | No | Yes |
| TrakSYS | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| 42Q | OIDC | SAML | Yes | Yes |
| DELMIA Apriso | No | SAML | Yes | Yes |
| Epicor MES | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Best Authentik integration: Odoo Manufacturing (OIDC + SAML + LDAP), Plex (OIDC + SAML + AD), Tulip (OIDC + SAML)
API Capabilities
| Tool | REST API | Webhooks | SDK | CLI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qcadoo | Yes | No | No | No |
| Carbon | Yes | No | Python | No |
| iPlus | Yes | No | .NET | No |
| Odoo Mfg | Yes | Yes | Python | Yes |
| Opcenter | Yes | Yes | .NET | Yes |
| AVEVA MES | Yes | No | .NET | No |
| PharmaSuite | Yes | No | .NET | No |
| GE Proficy | Yes | Yes | Java/.NET | No |
| Plex | Yes | Yes | REST | No |
| Tulip | Yes | Yes | REST | No |
| MachineMetrics | Yes | Yes | REST | No |
| TrakSYS | Yes | Yes | .NET | No |
| 42Q | Yes | Yes | REST | No |
| DELMIA Apriso | Yes | Yes | .NET | No |
| Epicor MES | Yes | Yes | REST | No |
Best API: Odoo Manufacturing (REST + webhooks
- Python SDK + CLI), Plex (REST + webhooks), Opcenter (REST + webhooks + .NET SDK)
Monitoring Integration
| Tool | Health EP | Logs | SNMP | Metrics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qcadoo | Yes | Files | No | JMX |
| Carbon | Yes | Files | No | No |
| iPlus | No | Files | No | WMI |
| Odoo Mfg | Yes | Files | No | Prometheus |
| Opcenter | Yes | Files | No | WMI |
| AVEVA MES | Yes | Files | No | WMI |
| PharmaSuite | Yes | Files | No | WMI |
| GE Proficy | Yes | Files | No | WMI |
| Plex | Cloud | Cloud | No | Cloud |
| Tulip | Cloud | Cloud | No | Cloud |
| MachineMetrics | Cloud | Cloud | No | Cloud |
| TrakSYS | Yes | Files | No | WMI |
| 42Q | Cloud | Cloud | No | Cloud |
| DELMIA Apriso | Yes | Files | No | WMI |
| Epicor MES | Yes | Files | No | WMI |
Best monitoring integration: Odoo Manufacturing (health endpoint + log files + Prometheus metrics), Qcadoo (health endpoint + log files
- JMX metrics)
Pricing
Open Source / Open-Core
| Tool | License | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Qcadoo | AGPL-3.0 | Free core |
| Carbon | AGPL-3.0 | Free |
| iPlus | GPL-3.0 | Free |
| Odoo Mfg | LGPL-3.0 / Prop. | Free (CE) / subscription (EE) |
Commercial – Self-Hosted
| Tool | Licensing | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Opcenter | Per-site | Quote-based (enterprise) |
| AVEVA MES | Per-site | Quote-based (enterprise) |
| PharmaSuite | Per-site | Quote-based (enterprise) |
| GE Proficy | Per-site | Quote-based (enterprise) |
Commercial – SaaS / Cloud
| Tool | Licensing | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Plex | Subscription | Quote-based |
| Tulip | Per-user/mo | From ~$395/mo |
| MachineMetrics | Per-machine | Quote-based |
| TrakSYS | Per-site | Quote-based |
| 42Q | Subscription | Quote-based |
| DELMIA Apriso | Per-site | Quote-based |
| Epicor MES | Per-site | Quote-based |
Tools
16 tools.
42Q
42Q is a cloud-based manufacturing execution system developed by Sanmina Corporation, one of the world’s largest electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: OIDC, SAML
AVEVA MES
AVEVA MES (formerly Wonderware MES / Schneider Electric MES) is an enterprise manufacturing execution system designed for both process and discrete manufacturing environments.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: none
Carbon MES
Carbon MES is an open-source manufacturing execution system built on Python and the Django web framework. It focuses on production tracking, product genealogy, and quality management for small to mid-size manufacturing operations.
License: AGPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: none
DELMIA Apriso
DELMIA Apriso is an enterprise manufacturing execution system from Dassault Systemes designed for global manufacturing operations management.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: none
Epicor Advanced MES
Epicor Advanced MES (formerly Mattec MES) is a machine monitoring and production execution platform from Epicor Software.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: none
FactoryTalk PharmaSuite
FactoryTalk PharmaSuite is a purpose-built MES platform from Rockwell Automation designed for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and life sciences manufacturing.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: none
GE Proficy
GE Proficy Smart Factory MES (formerly GE Digital Proficy) is an enterprise manufacturing execution system from GE Vernova covering both process and discrete manufacturing operations.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: none
iPlus MES
iPlus is an open-source MES and SCADA framework built on C#/.NET for Windows, combining manufacturing execution with process visualization, material tracking, recipe management, and native OPC-UA connectivity.
License: GPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: none
MachineMetrics
MachineMetrics is a cloud-based machine monitoring and analytics platform focused on real-time OEE, downtime tracking, and predictive analytics for discrete manufacturing.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: OIDC, SAML
Odoo CRM
CRM module of the Odoo ERP suite (Community Edition); Python + PostgreSQL; integrates tightly with the rest of Odoo.
License: LGPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: docker, native, saas · SSO: OIDC, SAML
Evaluated under CRM / SFA.
Odoo Manufacturing
Odoo Manufacturing is the MES module within the Odoo ERP suite, providing shop floor execution capabilities tightly integrated with inventory, purchasing, sales, quality, and maintenance modules.
License: LGPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: OIDC, SAML
Plex MES
Plex is a cloud-native manufacturing execution system and ERP platform from Rockwell Automation (acquired from Plex Systems).
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: OIDC, SAML
Qcadoo MES
Qcadoo MES is an open-source manufacturing execution system designed primarily for small and medium discrete manufacturing operations.
License: AGPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: none
Siemens Opcenter
Siemens Opcenter Execution (formerly SIMATIC IT) is an enterprise-grade MES platform for both discrete and process manufacturing.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: none
TrakSYS
TrakSYS is a configurable MES platform from Parsec Automation (now part of Rockwell Automation) designed for both process and discrete manufacturing.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: none
Tulip
Tulip is a no-code manufacturing platform that enables frontline operations teams to build and deploy shop floor applications without traditional software development.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: OIDC, SAML
