The European Alternative: the ERP champions ready for prime time
SAP, Unit4, Odoo, AFAS, and Exact offer a credible, competitive counterweight to the U.S. giants that dominate the global ERP market.
Published on January 3, 2026
Bart, co-founder of Media52 and Professor of Journalism oversees IO+, events, and Laio. A journalist at heart, he keeps writing as many stories as possible.
Walk into any boardroom discussing digital transformation, and two names tend to dominate the ERP short-list: Oracle and Microsoft. Both are powerful, proven, and both are American. Yet beneath that default choice lies an increasingly compelling set of European alternatives: homegrown ERP platforms built around European business culture, regulations, and sovereignty requirements.
As part of our series The European Alternative, we looked at the continent’s strongest ERP suppliers. The conclusion is clear: Europe is not only capable of producing world-class ERP vendors, it already has them.
ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software is a type of business management system that integrates and streamlines an organization's core processes by using a central database. It connects functions such as finance, human resources, manufacturing, supply chain, and sales, providing a single source of truth, automating tasks, and improving overall efficiency. By centralizing data, ERP systems reduce errors, eliminate duplication, and enable better real-time decision-making insights.
The European Alternative
Read all our stories with European alternatives to the most popular non-European digital tools and services.
Europe’s heavyweight: SAP
No discussion of European ERP begins with anything other than SAP. Founded in 1972 in Germany, SAP is not just Europe’s biggest software company; it is one of the world’s ERP superpowers. From large industrial players to logistics, retail, utilities, and government institutions, SAP’s footprint is unmatched.
Its flagship system, S/4HANA, remains the standard for large, complex organisations with global reach. SAP also offers Business One and Business ByDesign for the mid-market, creating a full ladder from SME to multinational. European CIOs often cite two reasons for choosing SAP: its global credibility and the assurance of dealing with a vendor that understands European regulatory frameworks, data governance needs, and cross-border complexities.
The service-sector specialist: Unit4
If SAP is the heavy industrial machine of European ERP, Unit4 is the finely tuned service engine. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Unit4 focuses on organisations where people, instead of products, are the core asset:
- public institutions
- professional services
- education
- NGOs
Unit4 built its reputation on flexibility, user-friendly workflows, and industry-specific logic. Many public-sector organisations across Europe view it as the best cultural and regulatory fit, which matters when navigating procurement rules, local tax requirements, or complex HR frameworks.
The open-source disruptor: Odoo
While SAP and Unit4 serve the top and middle of the market, Belgium’s Odoo has become Europe’s breakout success among SMEs. Its formula:
- modular design
- open-source foundation
- low implementation costs
- broad app ecosystem
Odoo appeals to companies that want modern ERP without the traditional ERP heaviness. Whether you run a bakery chain, an engineering firm, a webshop, or a growing services company, Odoo lets you start small and scale fast.
Its success story has become a symbol of European digital entrepreneurship; proof that Europe can innovate not only at the top of the market but also in fast-moving, flexible business software. Odoo was recently featured on IO+ for its collaboration with BIC-based Macroscoop.
The pragmatic Dutch duo: AFAS and Exact
Two Dutch vendors, AFAS (Leusden) and Exact (Delft), round out Europe’s strongest SME-focused ERP ecosystem. They are especially dominant in the Netherlands and Belgium but increasingly relevant across Europe.
- AFAS is known for integrated HR, payroll, finance, and administrative simplicity. Its strength lies in organisations that want everything in one place, with minimal fuss and minimal external configuration.
- Exact has long been a favourite of accountants, wholesalers, manufacturing SMEs, and service companies. Its ERP and finance suites are known for reliability, local compliance, and strong support networks.
Both companies reflect a distinctively European approach: practical, stable, compliance-driven, and built for the daily realities of smaller firms. In a market where many SMEs still rely on spreadsheets, AFAS and Exact offer a leap forward without the heaviness of big-tier ERP.
Why European ERP matters
The increasing interest in European-headquartered ERP systems isn’t just about product features. It’s about strategy.
Data sovereignty: European firms, especially in the public sector, healthcare, and high-tech manufacturing, are increasingly cautious about storing sensitive operational data with non-EU providers. European vendors often provide clearer guarantees on data location and governance.
Regulatory alignment: Whether it’s GDPR, CSRD, tax frameworks, or sector-specific rules, European vendors build their systems with European compliance at the centre, not as an afterthought.
Innovation close to home: SAP, Unit4, Odoo, AFAS, and Exact all contribute to a European business-software ecosystem that supports local talent, local investment, and local digital capabilities.
There is a European alternative
Oracle and Microsoft will remain default choices for many large organisations; they are strong products with global reach. But Europe has quietly built its own suite of powerful ERP contenders, each shaped by European business reality, cultural expectations, and regulatory needs.
From SAP’s global dominance to Odoo’s open-source dynamism, from Unit4’s service-sector expertise to the operational pragmatism of AFAS and Exact, the continent is far from dependent on imported enterprise software. Europe has its own options; strong ones.