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3 Top-Rated EDI Software

Shephalii Kapoor profile picture
By Shephalii Kapoor

Published
8 min read
Implementing and managing electronic data interchange (EDI) can be complex due to the involvement of various standards, document types, and trading partner requirements. If you are a retail or manufacturing manager, EDI software can help you handle all the key functions of EDI, including document exchange, data mapping, and error handling. 

Given the complexity of EDI coupled with dynamic industry standards, selecting the right tool can be challenging. To help you make the right choice, we've compiled a list of the three best EDI software tools based on two parameters: user ratings and popularity score. Each parameter is weighed and scaled to a value between 1 and 50.

User ratings: This parameter considers the overall user ratings of products based on reviews in the last 24 months. Users rate products on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest). 

Popularity: This parameter considers the average monthly search volume for a standardized set of keywords for each product, as derived by a proprietary search methodology, as well as the position of the vendor's domain on the search engine results page (SERP) for each keyword. It's a measure of user interest and relevance used as a proxy for popularity.

Note: Products are listed in descending order of their total scores—a summation of user ratings and popularity scores. If two or more products have the same score, they are listed alphabetically. (Read how we selected these products.)

The products listed in this article are either dedicated EDI platforms or tools with built-in EDI capabilities, offering common features, such as data mapping and EDI compliance.

Graphic showing app chart of 3 Top-Rated EDI Software

1. SPS Commerce

  • User rating: 43/50 

  • Popularity score: 50/50

SPS Commerce is an online EDI solution for retailers, distributors, and suppliers. The tool offers over 200 pre-built EDI integration solutions that can connect with any other solutions in your technology stack, such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), order management systems (OMS), accounting, and warehouse management systems (WMS). This helps businesses manage all their orders in one place by seamlessly pulling in and sharing data between these platforms.

Product features of interest:

  • EDI compliance: Streamline communication and transactions between trading partners by ensuring that the data formats, protocols, and information exchange follow the guidelines set by various industries. This feature also helps businesses avoid errors in multiple tasks, such as data formatting and EDI mapping.

  • EDI testing: Verify your EDI transactions and documents exchanged between trading partners using the SPS Commerce platform. With this feature, businesses can ensure that the EDI data is accurately formatted, transmitted, and received per industry standards. 

  • EDI mapping: Create and update EDI maps while avoiding mapping errors related to data transformation into EDI format. These can lead to discrepancies between the data in your internal systems and the resulting EDI documents.  

Customer support options: Phone calls, chat, and emails.

Who should consider SPS Commerce?

Retail and manufacturing managers looking for a tool to connect with various systems to provide real-time access to critical data can use SPS Commerce. The tool can integrate with almost any retail supply chain software available in their organization. With over 200 pre-built integrations, the software can ensure smooth functioning across all its EDI processes, including order management, inventory tracking, and fulfillment operations. It also eases collaborative working and facilitates data exchange between systems. The tool’s integration capabilities will help avoid the need for manual transfer from one system to another.

Analysis accurate as of August 2023

/ Pro tip

Consider an EDI platform that offers robust data mapping capabilities to efficiently translate data between your internal formats and EDI standards, such as Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce, and Transport (EDIFACT) and Extensible Markup Language (XML). The tool, including validation checks, will help ensure it complies with the selected EDI standards and any additional requirements placed by the trading partners.

2. JD Edwards EnterpriseOne

  • User rating: 47/50 

  • Popularity score: 28/50

JD Edwards EnterpriseOne (JDE) is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software suite that offers ERP tools for finance, human resources, manufacturing, distribution, and consumer goods sectors. Unlike other EDI software, JDE uses a system of codes to integrate with different file formats of third-party software. For example, the tool’s Code 47 (an application interface containing files, tables, and programs) integrates with third-party software to translate EDI standard data into a text file format.

Product features of interest:

  • Integrated EDI for suppliers: Enable suppliers to eliminate manual data entry by integrating EDI with order and billing processes. With any integration project, the vendor offers a dedicated project manager to monitor the initiative—from start to finish.

  • Cloud-based data mapping: Eliminate the need for in-house software and maintenance while improving the overall EDI functionality. The software can integrate with various cloud-based services, including cloud-based EDI providers and solutions, to ensure the data is correctly transferred between systems.

  • Multiple EDI standard formats: Convert data to and from multiple EDI standard formats, such as ANSI (cross-industry standard format), EDIFACT (commercial export and transactions), and WINS (for warehousing industry).  

Customer support options: Phone calls, chat, and knowledge base.

Who should consider JD Edwards EnterpriseOne?

Supply chain managers working with diverse trading partners, each using different EDI standards and formats, can use JD Edwards EnterpriseOne to ensure compatibility with their partners. The software offers multiple EDI standard formats, such as ANSI X12, EDIFACT, and XML, making it easier for businesses to establish and maintain electronic communication with trading partners.

Analysis accurate as of August 2023

3. Cin7 Omni

  • User rating: 45/50 

  • Popularity score: 18/50

Cin7 Omni is an inventory management and order management solution with built-in EDI  capabilities that help businesses manage processes, such as order processing and order confirmation, directly within the platform. The platform supports multiple fulfillment models that help manage order processing and shipments. These include direct-to-customer, ship-to-store, and third-party logistics models.

Product features of interest:

  • EDI dashboard: Get a centralized overview of your EDI activities, including incoming and outgoing EDI transactions, failed transactions, and errors in a single place. The dashboard also offers historical data on EDI transactions, enabling businesses to identify trends and analyze patterns. 

  • Workflow automation: Automate order download, shipping, and invoicing processes with rule-based automation to reduce manual data entry. 

  • Error monitoring: Identify and report errors that occur during the exchange of electronic documents and data between trading partners. The system monitors the flow of EDI transactions, such as purchase orders and shipment notices, and checks for compliance with EDI standards. 

Customer support options: Chat, online FAQs, and knowledge base.

Who should consider Cin7 Omni?

Retail and manufacturing managers looking to gain operational flexibility and improve customer satisfaction can benefit from Cin7 Omni EDI platform. With various fulfillment models, the platform allows customers to choose their preferred delivery method, such as store pick-up and ship-from-store. These EDI models are designed to cater to different business strategies, allowing businesses to select the approach that best aligns with their goals and customer expectations.

Analysis accurate as of August 2023

/ Pro tip

Shortlist a tool that helps you identify, manage, and resolve issues that may occur while exchanging electronic documents and data between trading partners. The software should notify you via email or other communication channels when an error is detected.

How much does EDI software cost?

Most EDI system solutions are available as custom quotes upon request from the vendor. However, the price of these tools depends on various factors, such as user licenses, contract length, functionality, number of transactions you process, and whether you decide to manage EDI in-house or partner with a third-party EDI service provider. Based on these, the vendors typically offer the following subscription plans: 

  • Transaction-based pricing: Some EDI system providers charge users on the basis of number of transactions they process each month. This can be beneficial for businesses with fluctuating transaction volumes.

  • Subscription-based pricing: Many EDI tools are available at a recurring monthly or annual price. The cost often depends on the number of trading partners or features in your plan. 

  • Open source: Some vendors also offer open source EDI platforms, which are free to use. However, businesses still need to pay for customization, integration, and training support. 

  • One-time license fee: In some cases, you can also purchase a one-time license for your EDI solution by paying an upfront fee. However, you might still have to pay for updates and support separately. 

  • Pay-as-you-go: Some EDI vendors also allow you to pay only for the resources you use. These may include data mapping, integration, transaction processing, EDI compliance, and other services offered by the tool.

Hidden costs associated with EDI software

Besides the software license price, additional costs associated with top EDI software may include 

  • Support and maintenance: Depending on the software provider, businesses might have to pay additional costs for ongoing assistance, updates, and troubleshooting. The costs of these may either be included in the pay-as-you-go services or charged additionally by the vendor in the name of add-on services.

  • Set up and integration: While evaluating potential EDI tools, businesses should also consider additional costs related to setup, onboarding, and EDI integration with your existing systems. 

  • Testing and validation: Before going live with EDI transactions, businesses need to undergo thorough testing and validation. This process can take significant time and resources, adding up to the original cost of the software.

Frequently asked questions when selecting EDI software

Here are some questions to ask EDI software vendors before making a final purchase:

What are the EDI standards and formats supported by the tool?

The best EDI software typically supports various EDI standards and formats to facilitate the exchange of electronic information. Some of the most common EDI standards and formats that you can look out for include—ANSI X12, Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce, and Transport (EDIFACT), Health Level (HL7), Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), and Extensible Markup Language (XML).

Does the system integrate with existing platforms?

Before finalizing the top EDI software solution for your business needs, ask the EDI provider about the integrations offered by the tool. Your shortlisted platform should integrate with all your existing systems, such as ERP, customer relationship management (CRM), and accounting tools to automate data exchange.

Does the software offer validation and compliance checking?

Validation and compliance checking are important features of an EDI software solution. These ensure that EDI documents conform to industry standards, business rules, and trading partner requirements. Before you invest in the best EDI software, make sure to ask the EDI service provider whether the software supports syntax, structure, and data type validation, along with compliance with the selected EDI standard, custom business rules, duplicate checking, and mandatory element checking.


Methodology

To be considered for this list, products must meet the following criteria:

  • Have at least 20 unique product reviews published on Capterra within the past two years, with an average rating of 3.0 or higher (as of August 29, 2023).

  • Show evidence of offering intranet functionality as demonstrated by publicly available sources, such as the vendor’s website.

  • Serve North American users, as demonstrated by the product reviews submitted from that region.

  • Be relevant to software buyers across industries or sectors—in other words, no “niche” solutions that cater exclusively to one specific type of user—as determined by our analysis of user reviews and/or market research.

  • Achieve a minimum normalized overall user rating after normalizing and weighing review recency (see description under the “scoring” section).

  • Achieve a minimum popularity score.

Scoring

To arrive at a final score for each product:

  • Scores are calculated for the user ratings dimension based on the overall average user ratings. Average product ratings are normalized for recency and volume of reviews.

  • The popularity score is calculated by analyzing the search volume for each product and scaling the findings to a score between 0 to 50. 

  • Scores for each dimension are scaled to a maximum of 50.

  • The final score is a combination of popularity and user ratings scores.

Read more about our editorial independence

Products evaluated for the pricing calculation were taken from Capterra’s EDI software directory. The pricing ranges exclude freemium versions of the products. The features highlighted were identified based on their relevance and the percentage of products in the Capterra directory that offer them. Only products with publicly available pricing information as of August 29, 2023, were considered for pricing calculation.


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About the Author

Shephalii Kapoor profile picture

Shephalii Kapoor is a writer at Capterra. She helps small businesses identify the right software for their needs by analyzing user reviews for top-rated software products. Prior to Capterra, she worked as an assistant content manager at InfoEdge India Ltd. She has also worked in company law, aviation, and real estate. She is a published author and has contributed to various magazines and websites. During her free time, she enjoys reading.

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