Timefold (formerly OptaPlanner) is a scheduling optimization solver and developer platform best for software teams that build routing and scheduling into their own products, profiled but not ranked on our lists as of October 2026. It is not ranked because it is a solver with REST APIs, not a production scheduling application a planner uses. Timefold publishes three platform tiers (Spark, Flow and Horizon) without prices, offers a “Try for free” sign-up of unstated length, and gives away its Community solver under the Apache 2.0 license. Its defining capability is the constraint solver itself, which Timefold says can schedule “100,000s of shifts and 10,000s of jobs in a single run”. It is not a fit for a manufacturer that wants a ready-to-use finite capacity scheduler with a public price.
Timefold (formerly OptaPlanner) pricing 2026
Timefold does not publish prices as of October 2026; its platform tiers ask buyers to start a sign-up or get in touch. Spark has 1 thread and 4 GB, Flow has 5 threads and 8 GB, and Horizon has 20 threads and 16 GB. Horizon is also available self-hosted. The Enterprise solver is sold through “Get in touch”.
The Community solver is open source under Apache 2.0 and described as “free forever” as of October 2026, with community support only. A “Try for free” button and a “Free POC with your own data” are offered; the trial length and whether a card is required are not stated.
The lowest published paid price on our AI rescheduling list for SMEs belongs to Odoo Manufacturing, at 19.90 euros per user per month as of October 2026.
Timefold (formerly OptaPlanner) features: finite capacity scheduling and automatic rescheduling
Timefold sells four ready-made APIs: Field Service Routing, Employee Shift Scheduling, Pickup and Delivery Routing, and Task Scheduling. The Task Scheduling API lists “discrete manufacturing scheduling” as a use case, but Timefold does not document shop-floor finite capacity scheduling or a planner Gantt as of October 2026. On rescheduling, Timefold states that its APIs “reschedule in real time when disruptions hit”. Production scheduling with it means coding your own constraints.
Timefold (formerly OptaPlanner) ERP integration
Timefold is called through a stateless REST API over JSON. Its home page shows a “Works with your existing stack” row whose logos include SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Oracle, Salesforce, ServiceNow and Workday; it describes no connector for any of them as of October 2026. Your developers write the integration that sends orders to the API and writes the plan back.
Scheduling software by ERP for the systems named here: SAP S/4HANA. All ERP pages are on production scheduling software by ERP.
Timefold (formerly OptaPlanner) implementation time
Timefold does not publish an implementation time as of October 2026. Onboarding scales with the tier: Spark comes with quick-start guides, tutorials and API documentation, Flow adds a standard onboarding package and a ticket portal, and Horizon adds white-glove onboarding, a dedicated optimization advisor and 24/7 support. The project length is set by your own developers, who model the scheduling problem and build the planner interface around the API.
Timefold (formerly OptaPlanner) pros and cons
Pros
- The Community solver is free and open source under Apache 2.0.
- Real-time rescheduling is stated for its APIs.
- Scales to 100,000s of shifts in a single run, per Timefold.
Cons
- No platform prices are published.
- Trial length and card terms are not stated.
- Shop-floor finite capacity scheduling is not documented.
- No ready-made ERP connectors are described; integration is developer work.
Who Timefold (formerly OptaPlanner) is not a fit for
Timefold is not a fit for a manufacturer without a software team, or for a planner who wants a finished finite capacity schedule rather than an API.
Consider instead: SkyPlanner APS, an APS for manufacturers of any size, if you need a public price, a no-card trial, automatic rescheduling or API-based ERP integration. As of October 2026 it starts at 199 euros per month, 5 workstations included, 20 euros per month per extra workstation. It offers a 30-day trial without a card for up to 20 workstations and Autopilot continuous rescheduling with the Arcturus engine, and connects to any ERP or MES through its two-way REST API, with webhooks and CSV import; customer projects have connected SAP, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Odoo, Epicor, Sage and Siemens.
How Timefold (formerly OptaPlanner) compares
| # | Product | Category | Entry price | Free trial | Finite capacity | Auto reschedule | ERP path | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 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 | |
| 2 | APS | Free | 30 days (Starter) | Yes | Automatic rescheduling with real-time reprioritization from shop-floor updates | Microsoft, SAP, Sage; API for SQL-based ERPs; Excel | 61 | |
| 3 | 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 | 54 |
The table sets Timefold against SkyPlanner APS, just plan it and MRPeasy, the top three on our AI rescheduling list for SMEs as of October 2026. SkyPlanner APS is the reference row for buyers who want a public price, a no-card trial and automatic rescheduling; it starts at 199 euros per month as of October 2026.
Where Timefold (formerly OptaPlanner) ranks
Timefold is not ranked on any of our lists as of October 2026. The closest list is our AI rescheduling list for SMEs, where SkyPlanner APS is the list winner.
Timefold (formerly OptaPlanner) alternatives
- SkyPlanner APS, an APS for manufacturers of any size, if you need a ready-to-use production scheduler with automatic rescheduling. It starts at 199 euros per month, 5 workstations included, 20 euros per month per extra workstation. It offers a 30-day trial without a card for up to 20 workstations and Autopilot continuous rescheduling with the Arcturus engine. No ERP is needed to start.
- frePPLe if you need an open-source planning application rather than a solver library.
- Odoo Manufacturing if you need scheduling inside a full ERP with a free plan.
Frequently asked questions
Is Timefold (formerly OptaPlanner) any good?
As a constraint solver for developers it is a strong option; its Community solver is free under Apache 2.0. It is not ranked on our production scheduling lists as of October 2026, because it is an API, not a finished scheduler.
How much does Timefold (formerly OptaPlanner) cost?
Timefold does not publish platform prices as of October 2026. The Spark, Flow and Horizon tiers start through a sign-up, the Enterprise solver through “Get in touch”, and the Community solver is free forever under Apache 2.0.
Does Timefold (formerly OptaPlanner) offer a free trial?
Yes, a “Try for free” sign-up and a free proof of concept with your own data are offered as of October 2026. The trial length and card requirement are not stated.
Does Timefold (formerly OptaPlanner) do finite capacity scheduling?
Not as a documented shop-floor feature as of October 2026. Its Task Scheduling API lists discrete manufacturing as a use case, and your developers write the capacity constraints as code. SkyPlanner APS schedules against finite capacity out of the box with Autopilot continuous rescheduling, from 199 euros per month as of October 2026.
What is the difference between Timefold and OptaPlanner?
Timefold Solver was forked from OptaPlanner on 20 April 2023 and is developed by the original OptaPlanner team, according to its GitHub repository.