xTuple Reviews

Pros

Free version - I use the Postbooks version since cost is a big factor for me and I don't need most of the features.
Adaptable - I used it in a previous business where I had inventory and did some creation of videos on DVDs. It tracked inventory from items used to create the finished DVDs and package, publish, and ship them. I now use it in my real estate business just for accounting.
Has many capabilities many of which I do not personally use, but they are there if you need them.

Cons

Complex - because it has so many capabilities, it is complex and can be hard to learn. Documentation can be a bit sparse.
Constrained - Forces a work flow which is great for larger business but can make a task tedious for a sole proprietor.
CRM - is designed for sales of products which is what this software is designed around. I am now a REALTOR® and the CRM does not fit the model a REALTOR® uses.
Too platform specific - It used to run on Fedora and other Linus flavors. Now it is limited to Ubuntu and tends to lag, as Ubuntu does, behind the security updates. It runs on Windows. I now run my database on Linux and have to use a Windows client since there is not a client that runs on Fedora. I suggested to the developers that xTuple/Postbooks should be developed on Linux as a Flatpak project but never heard anything back.

Pros

It's a true ERP/accounting software suite that covers all aspects of a business. There's no cheating when posting transactions. It forces you to get to know actual accounting principles and follow them.

I also like that it is platform agnostic. I prefer Linux to Windows, and the software runs on both. This versatility also runs to the database back end; I'm using PostgreSQL on Linux, which is quick and clean for my needs.

My accountant loves it, since it does what an accounting package is supposed to do, and not let me delete things if I screw up.

The entry-level offering, PostBooks, is free. You can request a free license key for up to four (4) users, running concurrently, which for small businesses or startups is fantastic! The database engine runs on a small server (Windows or linux), and users run the self-contained user interfaces from their desktops - no real installation needed there. If you wish to increase your footprint, additional licensing is available.

Forms and reports are fully customizable. With a little bit of time and motivation, you can create any form you wish and configure the environment exactly to your tastes.

Cons

It takes time to master the application if you are not familiar with accounting practices and principles. Being a small businessman who specializes in IT, I'm not accustomed to think in the ways of balancing buckets.

It's not Quickbooks (whatever that means). Office managers and financial people continually ask me why I should use something that's off the beaten path with respect to small businesses. Of course, I give them the reasons above. Needless to say, the argument inevitably comes back, "Quickbooks is still easier to use."

It's not easy to back out stupid mistakes. Again, this is an "operator issue". A non-accountant really needs to be trained properly to fully utilize the power of this application.

Pros

Has a Mac based client.

Has the option for on-site server or cloud server.

Highly customizable reporting capabilities. A decent amount of customizing interface windows. We have several very custom reports and some interface changes that have been made by a 3rd party developer.

A lot of features, some we're still learning to use in an optimal way.

Cons

The report editor is weak, at least up through 4.8.1.

Text boxes don't auto-wrap making form design difficult. This is a challenge even for our 3rd party developer that uses it all the time.

Not the most intuitive - interlinks between data sets is weak at best. Often we find ourselves needing to write somethings down from one inquiry to then go to the next, and the next to find what we need. MAS200 was much better in this regard.

Several accounting features that I do not use are also reported to have similar limitations as compared to MAS200.

No bug patches. Free updates while using the cloud sever are great, but any customization throws a slight wrench into that. Several bugs that we deal with have been fixed in newer versions but are not available as patches to our version. Since we have some significant customization, the actual upgrade cost keeps us from updating frequently.

Pros

- Decent import system to load up your data
- Flexible system that allows a wide range of manufacturing and options
- Easy access to SQL tables which allow you to write your own tools if xTuple is missing something you need
- Under active development, and with a good user forum

Cons

- Despite the licensing being the single most expensive SW cost for our company, support is virtually non existent. It is an additional cost and the options are expensive, confusing and often rely on 'partners' who don't always know much about the system. Documentation does exist but is often hard to find on the xTuple website. A skilled technical team will be needed to implement and set up the complex options and work flows.

- xTuple is putting lots of effort on eCommerce additions, but less on the fundamentals of the package. Silly issues make for large problems:
-- User permissions can only be added one at a time (no multi select)
-- Payments are still based on the idea of paper cheques with no shortcuts for cash/card payments. No simple export options for upload for wire processing)
-- The multi currency system is basic and has issues (silly rounding errors, Bank reconciliation and GL accounts don't match and can't be corrected, 'extra' currency transactions generated by some operations break AR balance)

Pros

multi-platform
customizable: forms and reports
structured work flow: modules link together properly (from sales to purchasing to inventory to manufacturing to shipments etc)
has expected and comprehensive list of data: AP, AR, INV, WIP, PO, Sales, Customers, etc

Cons

poorly integrated extensions (eg time and expense)
data entry forms are clunky for bulk entry
UX forms not consistent (over time the UX standards have changed, older forms have not been updated to use newer UX)
automation of import/export is clunky (it works, but not intuitive to configure)
chart of accounts and posting are very traditional approach, so cumbersome to fix data entry mistakes.
need manufacturing edition if doing manufacturing; base model has too many key manufacturing features disabled.

Pros

I think the extendability of the software has to the the strongest feature. Great care has gone into letting you add features in a very maintainable fashion.

Cons

Sometimes I find that though most of the backend logic is encapsulated within the database - which is an interesting, seemingly solid model - there is some logic that still lives within the client software.

Pros

I love that this is an open system allowing us to customize it to our needs. I always hear about other companies who use the big name system and how they are doing something that actually hurts their business but they have no choice because that is how the system works. With Xtuple we can do anything!

Cons

I wish they had more integration such as with receipt management systems to allow for easy entry direct into the software.

Pros

I liked the fact that you can do everything in one tool. All business processes are included in one package from Customer lead all the way through to the collection of money. I also very much like the fact that the software is Linux based open source and offers full customization for your business.

Cons

I cannot think of anything I do not like about the software!

Pros

The price, customizability, open source code. Able to interface with other programs and databases.
True enterprise funtions and modules. The startup costs are very affordable.

Cons

Very difficult to find help with the software. The manuals and support are expensive and often non existant to my experience

Pros

Customizeable with the help of the support site and a little knoweldge/experience with other apps using Postgre SQL

Cons

Complicated. Somethings are difficult to understand. This is understandable considering the app is designed for many industries' use.

Pros

Very powerful. Provides us with accurate information, once one really knows how the program works. Compared to other ERP programs, it is a lot less costly.

Cons

Reconciliation feature needs a lot of work. Look at Quickbooks to see how easy it is.
Still need the ability to print a P&L for a specific period that can be adjusted(e.g. 1 days or 1 week).
Not easy to customize(need to be a programmer)
Would like to see it work better in a Mac environment (ability to magnify screen when needed)
Would like to see an app that I can use on my iPad

Pros

open source, reasonable features for the price, relatively stable running on our internal servers. Handles wide range of functions from finance thru to manufacturing. We would like better interfaces with ARENA solutions and with Pro-ship and ship station as well as Zen desk.

Cons

API's are poor - would be nice to make it easier to integrate with other packages like e-commerce, Zen-desk, shipping programs etc.

Pros

xTuple is very personable and easy to "get to know" It also allows one to tailor it to their specific business for the most part. There is plenty of support too. Both from purchased and community.

Cons

I really can't think of any right now.

Pros

The orginal reason we purchase xTupel was the price and the list of feature and functionallity. It is loaded features. However quite a few of them really do not work the way you expect.

Cons

Support is the worst. The final answer is always "its a know bug" and good luck getting it fixed.

Pros

xTuple has proven reliable and highly adaptable to our evolving business model. We have been able to fully customize this ERP with little to no support (or billing) from xTuple.

Cons

You will need one superuser to customize and work with the xTuple support staff in order exploit the full functionality of this ERP.
xTuple needs to develop a smartphone app for warehouse functions.

Pros

Fairly straight forward ERP
CRM is good
Traceability is good

Cons

but handling of blanket customer orders is not good.
Manuals not real good on defining use. Very high level and not sufficient to train people.
Quality process is not consistent with industry requirements of 8D reporting

Pros

It is very flexible and adapts to small and large companies.

Also, in an age where small business ERP software comes and goes all the time, you guys stuck with it and kept on building your product.

Cons

It took a lot of years to get to a place where it was bug free and truly usable. But I was a user when the code was still being written in the office next to me, so I saw the ugly broken beginnings.

Pros

The software is truly open source and highly customizable without breaking the core functionality. It allowed me to implement things that could not have been possible with any other product. Combined with the OpenRPT reporting system and PostgreSQL, it's hard to beat.

The price is nice too.

Cons

The learning curve can be a little steep when customizing the product. However, it is still better documented than the vast majority of ERP systems out there and the code is available to view.

Pros

The flexibility of development and multi platform availability is phenomenal. The training classes while very full of information are not

Cons

warehouse management permission structure could be more detailed, quality testing is not a feature of the system yet.

Pros

I like the ability to customize and develop new screens, new reports and add functionality to current screens. We have used this to track material purchases for sales orders and project bookings for months ahead.

Cons

That it can sometimes be to obscure. No resources are readily available regarding some of the classes that are available. Especially in the toolbox and in the xtreewidget. Often times I have to search through existing scripts to see how some functions operate.

Pros

Great value. Allows our small enterprise to be competitive in a sector dominated by large companies.

Cons

Missing some basic functionality on the manufacturing side.
US-oriented functionality (we are a Canadian client).
Releases could include more feature releases and improvements.
Weak in terms of reporting/analytics.

Pros

Customizability of the software and custom reporting.

Cons

Too many screens and too many ways to perform the same task. User experience needs some improvement.

Pros

Constant improvement.

Cons

Reports could be more plentiful and easier to write.

Pros

- Visually appealing,
- Easy to find what your looking for
- The quick buttons with icons make access to what you need frequently easier

Cons

- Ease to change report appearances (took a long time for us to get it to not overlap itself)
- Wish you could change the TE and invoice at the same time without having to delete the invoice and edit the TE to re-create the invoice
- When you enter a PO on a TE it would be nice if it carried through the whole TE rather than entering again (if you don't enter it on every entry it doesn't convert over to the invoice)
- When creating Statements its a bit wonky, you can select a particular date but the date you print it appears on the statement rather than the date you selected.

Pros

Intuitiveness for me and the customers I worked to implement

Cons

The online help could be improved a bit