Home > ERP Software > Skyward ERP > Skyward ERP vs Epicor Kinetic

Skyward ERP vs Epicor Kinetic

Last Updated: November 18th, 2024

Our analysts compared Skyward ERP vs Epicor Kinetic based on data from our 400+ point analysis of ERP Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

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Product Basics

Skyward ERP is a comprehensive software solution designed to streamline and manage various administrative and operational tasks within educational institutions. It is particularly well-suited for K-12 schools and districts, offering tools for financial management, human resources, payroll, and student information systems. This software helps schools enhance efficiency, reduce manual errors, and improve data accuracy.

Key benefits include centralized data management, real-time reporting, and user-friendly interfaces that facilitate easy navigation and task completion. Popular features encompass budget tracking, employee records management, and automated payroll processing. Users often appreciate its integration capabilities and the ability to customize modules to fit specific needs.

Compared to similar products, Skyward ERP is praised for its intuitive design and robust support services. Pricing typically varies based on the size of the institution and the specific modules required, with options for annual or multi-year payment plans. This flexibility makes it accessible for a range of educational organizations.

Kinetic (formerly Epicor ERP) is a cloud-based ERP that supports on-premise and hybrid deployment. It connects diverse production workflows and departments into one focused hub for medium and enterprise-level companies. Top modules include project management, project contracts, data analytics, accounts management, core financials and IoT.

Its flexibility and connectivity reduce communication issues and human mistakes while automating processes. The cloud-based deployment option allows employees to leverage its capabilities regardless of physical location. It contains advanced reporting and analysis tools that enable users to develop actionable insights to improve day-to-day operations with real-time information.

Positive user feedback highlights its manufacturing-focused configuration and functionality, with support for financial accounting. There are some negative reviews about poor tech support and limited learning materials, however, overall user sentiment is positive.

In terms of pricing, Kinetic offers a flexible subscription model based on the modules and features required by each business. Specific pricing details may vary depending on customization and implementation needs.

To explore other popular solutions that Epicor offers, visit our Epicor company page.

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Product Insights

Improved Efficiency: Skyward ERP streamlines administrative tasks, reducing the time spent on manual data entry and allowing staff to focus on more strategic activities.
Enhanced Data Accuracy: By centralizing data entry, Skyward ERP minimizes errors and inconsistencies, ensuring that all departments work with the same accurate information.
Real-Time Reporting: The software provides up-to-date reports and analytics, enabling informed decision-making based on the latest data.
Cost Savings: Automating routine processes reduces the need for additional staff and lowers operational costs, leading to significant financial savings over time.
Scalability: Skyward ERP can grow with your organization, easily accommodating new users, departments, and functionalities as needed.
Improved Compliance: The system helps ensure that your organization adheres to regulatory requirements by maintaining accurate records and providing audit trails.
Enhanced Collaboration: By providing a single source of truth, Skyward ERP fosters better communication and collaboration across departments.
Customizable Workflows: The software allows for the customization of workflows to match your organization's specific processes, improving overall efficiency.
Better Resource Management: Skyward ERP helps in tracking and managing resources effectively, ensuring optimal utilization and reducing waste.
Increased Transparency: With centralized data and comprehensive reporting, stakeholders have greater visibility into operations, enhancing accountability.
Enhanced Security: The system includes robust security features to protect sensitive data, ensuring that only authorized personnel have access.
Improved Customer Service: By providing quick access to accurate information, Skyward ERP enables staff to respond to customer inquiries more efficiently.
Streamlined Financial Management: The software integrates financial data across departments, simplifying budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting.
Reduced Redundancy: By eliminating duplicate data entry and redundant processes, Skyward ERP ensures that efforts are not wasted on repetitive tasks.
Enhanced Decision-Making: With comprehensive data analytics and reporting tools, leaders can make more informed decisions that drive organizational success.

Chronicle Cash Flow: Save project fees and allocate on-time invoices to manage costs and ensure clients receive their bills. Boost cash flow forecasting via effective financial management.
Access In-Depth Business Analytics: Make wiser business decisions based on company-specific profit margins, sales information and workflow performance data. Access dashboards and custom reports that analyze real-time data and present actionable insights.
Simplify Demand and Order Management: Capture customer orders, manage product configurations and automate order fulfillment with a tightly integrated CPQ and eCommerce platform.
Use Simple MES Data Exchanges: Reduce double-data entries, leverage accurate data between interfaces consistently, and import and export information for advanced MES practices for easier data collecting and transfers.
Deliver Centralized Client Management: Govern contacts, leads, patrons and more from any mobile device, making it easy to maintain and manage relationships and data anywhere. Supervise region, team and proposal insights in one centralized location instead of traveling to all worksites.
Exhibit Supply Chain Visibility: Use advanced electronic data interchange (EDI), material requirements planning (MRP), and advanced planning and scheduling (APS) to review inventory levels, manage demand fluctuations and ensure on-time deliveries.
Access Resources From Anywhere: Review operations, dashboards and vendors on the go with mobile access. Monitor processes on your preferred iOS or Android device via the CRM mobile app.

Human Resource Management: Make the hiring process smarter with a data-driven applicant tracking system. Manage job openings and position requests with ease.
- Position Management: Leverage the position management module to track employees’ professional growth, degrees and certifications and credits. Identify useful development milestones to trigger updates in payroll. Review hire dates and staff vacancies to fill up open positions.
- Position Budgeting: Categorize employees into batches to automate salary calculations and boost transparency with what-if scenarios. View hourly rate, FTE counts and assignment details and more from a single interface.
- Substitute Tracking: Use custom rate tables to formulate robust pay rates. Automate pay hikes based on sub frequency, and auto calculate half-day, full-day or hourly pay rates.
Financial Management: Eliminate budgeting guesswork and implement robust financial controls to eliminate fraud and deception. Automate manual workflows to save time and effort.
- Accounts Receivable: Receive and process payments faster with the accounts receivable module. Clone and import invoices and apply discounts to them with ease. Make use of graphical indicators to assimilate complicated information within seconds.
- Accounts Payable: Clone invoices for monthly bill payments, generate fixed asset records from invoices and automate encumbrance adjustments with the accounts payable module. Auto-populate invoices with the purchase order information.
- Budgeting: Access real-time information and printable budget worksheets to create budget forecasts. Use built-in state reports or e-files to create or customize reports based on local requirements.
Employee Portal: Empower employees to access and manage personal information, including work experience, educational qualifications, skills, payslips and more to boost transparency and accountability.
- Employee Access: Provide real-time access to payroll history, time-off balances, time-off days, expense reimbursements and more to employees to boost communication with team members. Employees can access W2s and other important forms electronically via a dedicated customer portal.
- Expense Reimbursement: Set up default accounts based on expense reimbursement types. Attach notes, receipts and screenshots and empower managers to review details and approve requests from any device. It facilitates transparency in the review and approval process.
- Custom Forms: Personalize forms, roll out surveys or event sign-ups and set up virtual signatures for acknowledgment to boost the onboarding experience.
Asset Management: Manage supplies and track the value of assets in real time.
- Fixed Assets: Evaluate existing assets and gauge their status to reduce the possibility of shortages and overstocks. Simulate depreciation, log additions and disposals for review by auditors.
- Warehouse Management: Get real-time stock updates to see if items are below a certain level. Set alerts and notifications to inform the users if items are under certain thresholds. Leverage built-in reporting capabilities to make informed decisions

Project Management
- Planning and Analysis: Leverage user-established cost analytics throughout work breakdown structures (WBS), defining all project components and creating WBS templates for quick reference. Record all general ledger and project transactions in one centralized ledger for base reconciliations and reporting.
- Contract Management: Meet contractual obligations while protecting profitability. Rely on the system to define source cost rates across levels, monitor resource ceilings, link planning contracts with projects and seamlessly develop claims for any or all contract lines on one screen.
- Billing Types: Obtain several billing types, such as progress, fixed price, milestone and quantity. Use bill plans, recurring payment, subscriptions, time and expenses, part price lists, and markups.
Manufacturing
- Lean Manufacturing: Optimize production processes, reduce waste and manage manufacturing operations by incorporating lean principles. Apply Kanban systems, enable manufacturing without work orders and automatically process material flow.
- Job Management: Access detailed job tracking and reduce overproduction with drag-and-drop planning and material availability checks. Ensure quality and production with job manager assistance and production planners.
- Manufacturing Execution System (MES): Monitor production activities and automatic data collection from equipment via touchscreen interfaces. Support operators in making smart decisions regarding productivity, waste reduction and risk mitigation.
- Quality Assurance: Enhances quality control by providing tools for managing quality processes, inspections, supplier returns and automated debit processing within the manufacturing environment.
Analytics and Reporting
- Sales and CRM: Uncover more detailed business patterns and obtain deeper awareness of accounts, regions, orders and more. Review net sales, shipped and ordered quantities, material costs, fixed and variable burdens and labor fees.
- Materials Management: Optimize purchase spending and evaluate vendor performances. Track shipment progress and review costs, on-hand amounts, in-transit, bill of lading information and shipped on time, amongst others.
- Financials: Govern cash flows for more trends with a holistic filter for payables, receivables, customer payment cycles and vendor payment conditions. Drill down into organized accounts and payments on income statements and balance sheets.
- Production: Verify high-quality, manufactured products for the ideal client at the right time. Monitor tool quantities, good values, actual setup hours, defined labor rates, production run standards and more.
- Preventive Maintenance: Employ the EDA equipment maintenance data and dashboard to inspect maintenance data for suppliers, tasks, plants and open and closed requests. Boost preventive maintenance services and average response times for obstacles so managers can catch production bottlenecks.
- Field Service: Use EDA data to oversee consumers, parts, service call types and warranty eligibility linked with service requests. Summarize totals, call counts for each service representative and other relevant indications.
Data Exchange
- Integrations: Import and export data quickly to avoid manual data entry mistakes while maintaining data integrity. Manage specific information, data amounts and file formats for easy storage and sharing. Allocate data expeditiously and handle detailed tasks for IT teams and administrators.
- In and Outbound Data: Import master information from ERP systems and send production details between MRP and ERP solutions. Regulate where data goes and how to handle it with ease.
Financials Core
- General Ledger: Process and post all purchases made across this and other solutions. Manage manual entries, meet economic compliances, boost productivity and push enterprise efficiency.
- Accounts Payable: Implement petty cash to manage in and outbound cash activities, employee fees and advances, vendor expenditures and customer receipts. Track promissory notes, post-dated checks and other credit tools.
- Accounts Receivable: Establish coherent tools to monitor invoicing, credit, cash and client requirements. Create automatic invoices via order releases to reduce more work and typos.
- Business Architecture: Use the data discovery function to access pre-made financial management, accounts receivable and payable content. The human capital management link transfers information to payroll providers, benefit vendors and more.
- Global Engines: Support financial management across locations, vendors and global boundaries with country-specific implementation packs. Support multi-currency transactions, automate conversions and accurate financial reporting.
Epicor Automation Studio: Let users connect data and automate workflows across various apps with Epicor Automation Studio, a built-in low-code iPaaS solution. Access an integration marketplace, pre-built workflow automation templates and other native tools.
Virtual Agents: Rely on chatbots to pinpoint supply chain disruptions and recommend sourcing options based on predictive events.

Product Ranking

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#11

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Analyst Rating Summary

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User Sentiment Summary

88%

of users recommend this product

Skyward ERP has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 88% when considering 283 user reviews from 3 recognized software review sites.

78%

of users recommend this product

Epicor Kinetic has a 'good' User Satisfaction Rating of 78% when considering 935 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

4.7 (9)

4.3 (11)

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3.7 (409)

4.4 (137)

3.9 (175)

4.4 (137)

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4.2 (229)

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3.9 (111)

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

User-Friendly Interface: Users praise Skyward for its intuitive design and ease of navigation, making it simple to find the information they need without extensive training.

Streamlined Communication: Skyward facilitates seamless communication between teachers, administrators, and parents through features like messaging and notifications, keeping everyone informed and connected.

Comprehensive Reporting: The platform offers robust reporting capabilities, allowing administrators to generate detailed reports on student performance, attendance, and other key metrics, enabling data-driven decision-making.

Modern Interface: Approximately 52% of users say this solution has a flexible, user-friendly UI.

Flexibility and Customization: Approximately 87% of the users said Kinetic is easy to configure and has great customization options for multi-mode manufacturers.

Modules: Of the users who discussed features, 60% said this system offers a wide range of practical tools (i.e., KPI dashboards, accounting and financial management, part tracking and more).

Clunky Interface: Users frequently express frustration with the user interface, finding it cumbersome and outdated compared to modern software.

Limited Customization: Adjusting the system to fit specific workflows or unique business needs can be challenging due to limited customization options.

Reporting Complexities: Generating reports and extracting meaningful data from the system is often perceived as a difficult and time-consuming process.

Overall Performance: Roughly 40% of users indicated that the system is buggy, cumbersome and has a clunky UI.

Customer Support: About 55% of users agree that the support team is ineffective and has poor quality.

Training: Approximately 77% of users mentioned a steep learning curve and limited training resources.

Skyward ERP is a cloud-based ERP solution that has received positive reviews from users. They praise its user-friendly interface, which makes it easy to learn and use, even for employees who are not familiar with ERP software. Users also appreciate the wide range of functionality that Skyward ERP offers, which allows businesses to manage all of their core operations in one place. However, Skyward ERP is not without its drawbacks. Some users have reported that the software can be slow and buggy at times. Others have complained that the customer support is not as responsive as they would like. Despite these weaknesses, Skyward ERP is a solid ERP solution that is well-suited for small and medium-sized businesses. Its user-friendly interface and wide range of functionality make it a good choice for businesses that are looking for an ERP solution that is easy to use and can grow with their business.

Kinetic offers a comprehensive ERP solution designed for multimodal manufacturers. It offers a robust combination of core financials, extensive integrations and country-specific implementation support. The advanced overlaid manufacturing module addresses future scalability needs. Its modern interface supports various business models through manufacturing processes.The user-based subscription model lets businesses adjust costs based on their specific needs. The solution is available in both perpetual and subscription licensing models, providing businesses with the flexibility to choose the most suitable option.Features like MES data exchange and Kanban systems manage production processes and reduce waste. Additionally, in-depth business analytics provide valuable insights into sales, profit margins and workflow performance for informed decision-making.Users praise this vendor’s configurable options and range of functions that cater to their unique business needs. Positive feedback also includes mentions of a unified platform for customer interactions. Despite its robust customization and integration options, many users report a steep learning curve and limited training resources.Overall, Kinetic is a comprehensive ERP solution that offers significant benefits to manufacturers looking to improve their operational efficiency, decision-making and profitability.

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