01
Sized for your shop
Real ERP depth for small and mid-size manufacturers, without paying for breadth you will never use.
Tangle vs Epicor Kinetic
An Epicor Kinetic alternative sized for your shop
Kinetic is a broad ERP that reaches from mid-market manufacturers up to large groups. Tangle is built for small and mid-size job shops, with the ERP depth they need and a system their own team can change.
02
Change it yourself
Describe a new field, report or workflow to Milo, Tangle's built-in AI engineer. It builds the change in a sandbox, you preview it, and it is applied once someone on your team approves it. No ticket and no change order for everyday changes.
03
No servers to run
Tangle is cloud-hosted, so there are no servers to run, and your own team makes day-to-day changes with Milo.
04
AI in the core product
Milo and the built-in AI assistant are part of Tangle, not separate applications.
05
Move at your pace
Move in stages with Off Ramp, which syncs your current system's data into Tangle while the old system keeps running in parallel.
If you run Kinetic on-premise, a decision is coming anyway
Epicor has announced that its final on-premise Kinetic release, 2028.1, is tentatively scheduled for January 2028, with Active Support running to 31 December 2029 and Sustaining Support after that (source: Epicor, 6 January 2026).
Support does not stop on that date. But if your shop runs Kinetic on-premise, the direction is clear, and you will be choosing your next system at some point either way. It is worth choosing one sized for your business, rather than taking the next step up by default.
Off Ramp is built for that kind of move. It maps your existing data and live-syncs it into Tangle, so you go live in stages while the old system keeps running. And if you want to stay on-premise, say so. Tangle is primarily cloud-hosted, but we can provide an on-premise version and have done so before.
Why the size of the system matters
A broad ERP is designed to cover a lot of ground, and a lot of it may not apply to your shop. For a smaller manufacturer, that often means paying for breadth you will never use, and changes in Kinetic are made through configuration in Application Studio.
Tangle carries the depth a job shop needs, from quotes and work orders to scheduling, inventory, purchasing and lot, serial and location tracking, and it syncs invoices and purchase orders to QuickBooks Online. When you need something different, you describe it to Milo, Tangle's built-in AI engineer, and the change is built, previewed and approved inside your Tangle. The control stays with the people who run the shop.
"Tangle is able to bend every which way and that's been the best aspect of working with this software."
Tangle and Epicor Kinetic at a glance
| Epicor Kinetic | Tangle | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | A broad ERP reaching from mid-market manufacturers up to large groups | Small and mid-size job shops |
| Changing the system | Configuration in Application Studio | Describe it to Milo, preview it in a sandbox, apply it once approved |
| AI | Delivered as named products, such as Prism, alongside Kinetic | Milo and the built-in AI assistant, part of the core product |
| Deployment | Cloud, plus on-premise to the final 2028.1 release | Cloud-hosted; an on-premise version is available |
| Moving off your current system | Staged with Off Ramp, with the old system running in parallel |
What it costs, and what is included
Our prices are on our website, by user type, so you can work out what Tangle would cost your shop before you talk to anyone. The core migration and setup work needed to get live is normally included in that price, with no separate services bill for the basics, and we support running your old system in parallel until you are ready to switch.
Epicor Kinetic alternative FAQs
What is a good Epicor Kinetic alternative for a small manufacturer?
Tangle is built for small and mid-size job shops. It gives you real ERP depth, lets your own team change the system with Milo, Tangle's built-in AI engineer, and runs in the cloud, so there are no servers to look after.
What happens to Kinetic on-premise after 2028?
Epicor has announced that its final on-premise Kinetic release, 2028.1, is tentatively scheduled for January 2028. Active Support runs to 31 December 2029, with Sustaining Support after that (source: Epicor, 6 January 2026). On-premise customers will be choosing a next system at some point, and Tangle offers a staged move with Off Ramp.
Can Tangle run on-premise?
Yes, if you need it. Tangle is primarily cloud-hosted, but we can provide an on-premise version and have done so before. Tell us at the demo and we will talk through what it involves for your shop.
Can I try Tangle before leaving Epicor?
Yes. You can start a free trial. If you want to keep Kinetic running for now, Tangle Xray is a limited release for shops selected on fit, and we can check whether it fits your situation. Join the Xray waiting list.
Is Tangle as broad as Kinetic?
No, and it is not trying to be. Kinetic reaches up to large groups. Tangle covers what a job shop runs on and leaves accounting in QuickBooks Online, which is deliberate.
Get started
See Tangle set up for a shop your size
Bring the workflow that costs you the most in Kinetic today. In 30 minutes we will show you how Tangle handles it, and what changes when the ERP fits the business.
Not ready for a demo? Start a guided trial instead. We set it up around your own workflows rather than handing you an empty system, and we will be in touch within 24 hours.
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Epicor and Kinetic are trademarks of Epicor Software Corporation. Tangle is not affiliated with Epicor.