Looking for a Trimergo alternative?
Trimergo (T2) is a solid Dutch project-driven ERP for ETO/MTO machine building: planning, capacity and post-calculation are well handled. Whoever looks for an alternative is rarely unhappy with the project planning itself - the pinch is around it. In the leads we saw, a machine shop ran Trimergo alongside AccountView for the books, with CRM and aftercare in yet other tools. Here are the options honestly side by side, with Odoo as the answer that brings the project control and the business onto one platform.
Odoo Gold Partner · Amsterdam · experienced with project-driven manufacturing
What is the best alternative to Trimergo?
It depends on where the pain is. If you want purely deeper project planning, Isah or Ridder iQ are strong Dutch specialists to compare. But if your pain is the separate packages around Trimergo - a separate bookkeeping system, CRM and aftercare that do not connect - you are not looking for another project tool but for one platform. Then Odoo is usually the strongest alternative: the same project control, native with accounting, CRM, purchasing and eCommerce on one system.
The best Trimergo alternatives, honestly scored
We are an Odoo partner, so we are not neutral. And honestly: Trimergo is strong at ETO/MTO project planning. The question is whether you want a specialist with your bookkeeping separate alongside, or one platform where project, finance and the commercial side come together.
| Alternative | Breadth (beyond projects) | Project planning & post-calculation | Native accounting | CRM & eCommerce | Open & extensible | Short verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OdooTop pick | Broad platform: finance, CRM, purchasing, eCommerce | Strong: Project + MRP, pre-/post-calculation | Yes, native with analytics per project | Native CRM, webshop and portal | Open source | Best if you want project control and the whole business on one platform |
| Trimergo (stay) | Narrow: project-driven ERP | Strong - the core | No, separate package alongside | Limited | Closed specialist | Fine if deep project planning is your only real need |
| Isah | Manufacturing-wide | Strong for discrete/ETO production | Partly | Limited | Closed | Strong Dutch manufacturing specialist; compare on your specific shop floor |
| Ridder iQ | Manufacturing-wide | Strong in project-based production | Partly | Limited | Closed | Solid choice for SMB manufacturers; industry specialist |
| MKG | Metal/SMB-focused | Strong for metal and supply | Partly | Limited | Closed | Strong in metal; narrow beyond it |
Which alternative fits which situation?
Briefly per option, so you can shorten the shortlist faster:
Odoo
Strongest if Trimergo plans your projects well but your bookkeeping lives in a separate package and CRM and aftercare in loose tools. Odoo brings the same project control - Project, MRP, pre-/post-calculation - native on one platform with the books, CRM, purchasing and a parts webshop. One system instead of a project core with satellites.
Trimergo (stay)
A fine choice if deep ETO/MTO project planning is your only real need and your accounting is well handled elsewhere. It is a focused specialist. The boundary is that it stays a project core: finance and the commercial side run separately alongside.
Isah
Strong Dutch manufacturing specialist, broader on the shop floor than pure project planning. Worth comparing if your production process is complex; a closed specialist like Trimergo though.
Ridder iQ
Solid choice for project-based SMB manufacturers, with strong production control. Industry specialist; compare on your specific flows.
MKG
Strong in metal and supply. Logical if that is your core; narrower than a broad platform beyond metal.
What Trimergo does (and what runs next to it), and where it lives in Odoo
The project cycle sits in Trimergo; the accounting and the commercial side often sit separately alongside. This is how both translate to Odoo:
| In or next to Trimergo | In Odoo |
|---|---|
| Quotation & calculation | Sales with calculation, quote to order |
| Work preparation & BOMs | Manufacturing: multi-level BOMs and work orders |
| Capacity and project planning | Project + MRP with Gantt and capacity planning |
| Pre- and post-calculation | Native on project and manufacturing orders |
| Time tracking | Hours on projects, billed and post-calculated |
| Purchasing | Purchasing with reordering rules and project links |
| Accounting (now a separate package) | Native Accounting with analytics per project |
| CRM (now a loose tool) | Native CRM: leads, pipeline, customer pricing |
| Aftercare & parts (now separate) | Helpdesk, Field Service, Repair and parts webshop |
| Customer portal (now none) | Native customer/B2B portal on the same data |
Why project manufacturers look for a Trimergo alternative
Trimergo is strong at what it does: the project cycle for ETO/MTO machine building, with planning, capacity and post-calculation. But it is a focused project solution. In the leads we analysed we saw the pattern: a machine shop ran Trimergo for projects, AccountView for the books, and CRM and aftercare in yet other tools. The project planning was right - but a second system grew around it, with re-typing and reconciling between project and books.
The real problem: the project and the books sit apart
For project manufacturers, post-calculation is the heart of profitability: does what you calculated up front match what the project actually cost? That is only sharp if your project administration and your bookkeeping use the same numbers. When the accounting runs in a separate package next to Trimergo, the financial result lives one step away from the project, with a connector or manual work in between. In Odoo every hour, purchase and manufacturing order posts to one ledger, with analytics per project - so post-calculation and result are the same numbers.
Odoo: the same project control, on one platform
Odoo Project and Manufacturing cover the ETO/MTO cycle: quotation, work preparation, multi-level BOMs, work orders, subcontracting, capacity planning, hours and pre-/post-calculation. The difference with Trimergo is not in the project core but around it: accounting, CRM, purchasing, a parts webshop and a service portal sit native on the same platform. For machine builders that is extra valuable, because aftercare and parts are recurring revenue - on the same system as the project that built the machine.
How do you choose?
Three rules of thumb. One: if deep project planning is your only real need and your accounting is well handled elsewhere, staying with Trimergo or a specialist like Isah or Ridder iQ can be logical. Two: if you run Trimergo plus a separate bookkeeping package and the reconciliation grates, consolidating on one platform is the real answer. Three: if the commercial side and aftercare count, Odoo wins because CRM, webshop and service sit on the same data as the project. Start from your biggest pain: for most Trimergo users that is the gap between project and books.
Curious about realistic hours, cost and timelines? See the Odoo implementation benchmark →
Frequently asked questions about Trimergo alternatives
Can I take my Trimergo data to Odoo?
Yes. We migrate items, BOMs, projects, relations and open items; historic financial years are archived as exports. Because Trimergo users often run a separate bookkeeping package, the fit-gap also maps that administration, so your project and financial data connect in Odoo.
Is Odoo strong enough for ETO/MTO project manufacturing?
Yes. Odoo Project and Manufacturing cover engineer-to-order and make-to-order: quotation, work preparation, multi-level BOMs, work orders, subcontracting, capacity planning, hours and pre-/post-calculation. For deep specialist planning we compare honestly against Trimergo, Isah and Ridder iQ - the deciding factor is usually the whole business around the project.
Does Odoo include accounting, unlike Trimergo?
Yes, and that is the difference. Trimergo usually runs alongside a separate bookkeeping package (such as AccountView). In Odoo the accounting is native, with analytic accounting per project, so post-calculation and financial result are the same numbers - no second system to reconcile.
What does switching from Trimergo to Odoo cost?
Odoo costs about €20 per user per month for all modules; the implementation is the real investment. A well-scoped project-driven implementation takes weeks to a few months. Because you often consolidate two systems (project ERP + bookkeeping) into one, part of the business case is losing that connector and the double administration.
Is Trimergo bad software?
No. Trimergo is a focused, solid solution for project-driven ETO/MTO manufacturers. The reason to compare is rarely the project planning itself, but that it stays a project core: accounting, CRM, eCommerce and aftercare run separately alongside. If you only need that project core, we would not advise switching lightly.
Project control and the whole business on one platform?
We are happy to think along about which alternative fits your manufacturing business - even if that is staying with Trimergo or another specialist. Honest about where a project specialist suffices, and where one platform wins.