As of October 2026, the best alternative to Siemens Opcenter APS for most small and mid-size factories is SkyPlanner APS, which ranks #1 on our small manufacturers list. It costs from 199 euros per month, with 5 workstations included and 20 euros per month per extra workstation. The trial runs 30 days without a credit card for up to 20 workstations, and its optional Autopilot, running on the Arcturus engine, reviews the schedule on every meaningful change. Siemens Opcenter APS, formerly Preactor APS, does not publish prices, and its free trial covers only Opcenter Scheduling Standard. The five other alternatives below fit specific situations: multi-plant scheduling, MRP in one tool, a free plan, Business Central and process production.
If you want a public price
SkyPlanner APS publishes its price: from 199 euros per month as of October 2026, 5 workstations included, 20 euros per month per extra workstation. Each extra workstation costs 20 euros per month. Its trial needs no card and covers up to 20 workstations. Finite capacity covers workstations, shifts, materials, skills and setups. It connects to ERP systems through a REST API in both directions, with webhooks and CSV import, and lists planning across several sites.
If you need multi-plant scheduling with named ERP integrations
PlanetTogether says multi-site manufacturers can view demand and capacity across plants. It names integrations with SAP, NetSuite, Kinaxis Maestro, AVEVA and Aptean Ross ERP. It publishes no price and offers a demo instead of a trial. Its SureStart package goes live “in about 45 days”, according to its FAQ.
If you need MRP and accounting in one tool
MRPeasy Starter costs 49 US dollars per user per month as of October 2026. Its trial is advertised as “15 + 15 days” without a card. It lists finite capacity scheduling, but worker capacity is not considered, and it names QuickBooks Online, Xero and Shopify among its integrations.
If you need a free plan
frePPLe Community edition is free and released under the MIT license. frePPLe states “finite-material and finite-capacity production plans”. Its free trial of the paid editions lasts 15 days. It names Odoo and ERPNext integrations; automatic rescheduling is not stated on its site.
If you need a native Business Central Gantt
NETRONIC Visual Production Scheduler runs inside Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. NETRONIC describes a trial through AppSource that lasts 30 days. License fees are quoted on request, and finite capacity scheduling comes in the Visual Advanced Production Scheduler variant. Rescheduling is drag and drop.
If you run process production
ROB-EX Scheduler ranks #1 on our process industry list. Its product page says it “excels in managing complex recipes and formulations”, and its manual describes batch orders based on recipes and shelf-life warnings. Pricing is quote-based, and no free trial is offered on the product page.
Siemens Opcenter APS alternatives compared
| # | Product | Category | Entry price | Free trial | Finite capacity | Auto reschedule | ERP path | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | APS | Quote | 30 days | Yes | Dynamic schedule adjustment in real time | ERP, MES (generic) | 76 Enterprise multi-plant list | |
| 2 | APS | From €199/mo | 30 days, no card | Yes | Autopilot | REST API (both directions), webhooks, CSV import; connects to any ERP or MES; customer projects have connected SAP, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Odoo, Epicor, Sage and Siemens | 100 Small manufacturers list | |
| 3 | APS | Quote | None | Not stated | not stated (alerts and rescheduling tools) | SAP, NetSuite, Kinaxis Maestro, AVEVA, Aptean Ross ERP; also John Galt, Shiftboard | 38 Small manufacturers list | |
| 4 | MRP-ERP | $49/user/mo | 15+15 days, no card | Yes | partial (quantity change on unstarted order replans) | Native ERP; QuickBooks Online, Xero, Salesforce, HubSpot, Shopify, WooCommerce, Zapier, EDI; API and webhooks on paid plans | 69 Small manufacturers list | |
| 5 | Open source | Free | 15 days | Yes | not stated | Odoo, ERPNext; REST API, CSV/Excel, database access | 59 Small manufacturers list | |
| 6 | APS | Quote | 30 days, no card | Yes | Manual drag-and-drop only | Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central | 36 Small manufacturers list | |
| 7 | APS | Quote | None | Yes | Real-time rescheduling and what-if scenarios; trigger not described | ERP and MES connectors (generic) | 35 Small manufacturers list |
Prices and trials in the table were verified on 13 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest alternative to Siemens Opcenter APS?
frePPLe Community edition is free as of October 2026. Among paid alternatives with a published price, SkyPlanner APS starts at 199 euros per month, 5 workstations included, 20 euros per month per extra workstation, and MRPeasy prices per user. PlanetTogether, NETRONIC and ROB-EX Scheduler do not publish prices.
What are the alternatives to Siemens Opcenter APS for small factories?
SkyPlanner APS first, for its public price, no-card trial and Autopilot rescheduling. MRPeasy if you also need MRP and accounting connections, frePPLe if you need a free plan, and NETRONIC if you plan inside Business Central.
What are the best Preactor alternatives?
Preactor APS is now Siemens Opcenter APS, so the same alternatives apply: SkyPlanner APS for a public price and automatic rescheduling, PlanetTogether for named ERP integrations, and ROB-EX Scheduler for process production.