Epicor Kinetic’s last on-premises release (2028): Epicor Cloud vs self-hosted ERPNext for job shops
Short answer
Epicor announced on January 6, 2026 that the final on-premises release of Kinetic is 2028.1, tentatively scheduled for January 2028, with Active Support for 2028.1 through December 31, 2029 and Sustaining Support from January 1, 2030; future innovation goes “exclusively to the Epicor Cloud” (checked Nov 15, 2026). On-premises Kinetic is not switched off, but after 2028.1 there are no new features, and Epicor’s release does not define what Sustaining Support includes. For most Kinetic job shops, moving to Epicor Cloud is the low-risk path: same product, your data, Epicor’s scheduling depth. Self-hosted ERPNext (open source, GPL-3.0, no licence fee) is worth pricing if you must keep the system on your own servers or in a region and provider you choose, your routings and scheduling are moderate, and you are willing to reimplement. Epicor Cloud is quote-only, so we give no estimate.
Contents
- Who this guide is for
- What Epicor actually announced
- What the timeline means for a job shop
- Your options
- What Epicor Cloud includes, per Epicor’s bundles page
- Can ERPNext run a job shop? What to test
- Self-hosting ERPNext: what it actually means
- What a Kinetic to ERPNext migration involves
- Where Epicor Cloud is the better fit
- What it costs
- A plan for on-premises Kinetic shops
- Decision table
- Best for, and wrong choice when
- Frequently asked questions
Who this guide is for
This guide is for owners, operations directors and IT leads at job shops and make-to-order manufacturers of roughly 50 to 500 people running Epicor Kinetic (or Epicor ERP 10 heading to Kinetic) on their own servers. Typical reasons for staying on-premises: customer or defence contracts that dictate where data lives, a policy against multi-tenant SaaS, unreliable connectivity at a plant, or heavy integrations with shop-floor systems.
We implement ERPNext, so read our view with that in mind. For many Kinetic customers, Epicor Cloud is the right answer and we say so. This guide is for the ones who have decided, or been told, that their ERP will not run in Epicor’s cloud.
It is part of our series on legacy ERP deadlines; see the legacy ERP end-of-support hub for every vendor date we have confirmed. The same Epicor release covers Prophet 21 and BisTrack; our BisTrack guide covers the builders merchant side.
Sources, checked on Nov 15, 2026: the Epicor press release, Jan 6, 2026, the Epicor Kinetic product page, the Epicor Kinetic bundles page, the Frappe Cloud pricing page and Frappe Cloud server plans page, Frappe Framework installation documentation, the ERPNext repository on GitHub and the ERPNext documentation linked below.
What we do not estimate
Epicor does not publish Kinetic or Epicor Cloud prices; its bundles page asks you to choose a platform core, cloud package and number of concurrent users, then talk to sales. We give no Epicor estimate, and no implementation estimate for either path.
What Epicor actually announced
| Milestone | What Epicor states | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Final on-premises Kinetic release | 2028.1, tentatively scheduled January 2028 | Epicor press release, Jan 6, 2026 |
| Active Support for 2028.1 | Through December 31, 2029 | Epicor press release, Jan 6, 2026 |
| Sustaining Support | Begins January 1, 2030 | Epicor press release, Jan 6, 2026 |
| Future innovation | Transitions “exclusively to the Epicor Cloud” for Kinetic, Prophet 21 and BisTrack | Epicor press release, Jan 6, 2026 |
| Migration help | Ascend with Epicor programme: methodology, business planning support, AI tooling, consulting, readiness assessment | Epicor press release, Jan 6, 2026 |
Three practical readings. First, “tentatively” means the 2028.1 date can move; plan from the support dates, which are firmer. Second, Epicor describes Active Support followed by Sustaining Support “to ensure ongoing security and operational continuity”, but the release does not say what Sustaining Support includes or excludes. Ask your Epicor account manager for the Sustaining Support terms in writing, including security fixes, regulatory updates and response times. Third, Epicor’s Kinetic product page still describes a “cloud-focused solution with flexibility for on-premises and hybrid deployments”, which is true today; the announcement is about where new features go after 2028.1.
What the timeline means for a job shop
| Period | Your on-premises Kinetic | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Now to January 2028 | Feature releases continue up to 2028.1 | Decide your destination; run a fit test if ERPNext is a candidate |
| 2028 to December 31, 2029 | On 2028.1 with Active Support, no new features | Migrate in this window if you are leaving Kinetic or moving to Epicor Cloud |
| From January 1, 2030 | Sustaining Support, scope per Epicor’s terms | Avoid running production here without written terms you accept |
For a 50 to 500 person shop, an ERP change takes months, and you will want to go live at a quiet period or year end. Working back from December 31, 2029, a decision during 2027 leaves room for a proper project. Leave it until late 2029 and you will be choosing under time pressure, likely competing with other on-premises Kinetic customers for the same partner time.
Your options
| Option | What it involves | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| Epicor Cloud | Move the same Kinetic product to Epicor’s SaaS on Microsoft Azure | You can accept Epicor-hosted SaaS and want Kinetic’s depth |
| Stay on-premises on 2028.1 | Run on Active Support to end of 2029, then Sustaining | Short-term bridge while you decide |
| Self-hosted ERPNext | Reimplement on open source on your own servers or a cloud account you control | Hard data-residency or self-hosting requirement and moderate scheduling needs |
| ERPNext on Frappe Cloud | Reimplement on managed ERPNext hosting | You want to leave Epicor but do not need to run servers yourself |
What Epicor Cloud includes, per Epicor’s bundles page
Epicor’s Kinetic bundles page lists three cloud packages (no prices shown):
- Epicor Cloud Select: Kinetic SaaS on Microsoft Azure; production, pilot and education environments; high availability “with a historic 99.98% SLA”; in-region disaster recovery; daily backups retained for 30 days; automatic monthly updates and maintenance; bi-annual upgrades with a 30-day testing window; Essential Support Plan.
- Epicor Cloud Signature: Select plus two more environments, a read-only copy of the live database, and the option to defer bi-annual upgrades for up to 90 days.
- Epicor Cloud Enterprise: Signature plus isolated Azure architecture, up to 10 environments within storage limits, deferral of annual upgrades for up to 18 months, automatic network routing, and the Pro Support Plan.
Licensing is by concurrent user, with separate licence types for data collection, mobile CRM, time and expense, web and Office users. For data-residency buyers the questions to put to Epicor are concrete: which Azure region your tenant runs in, where backups and disaster-recovery copies go, who at Epicor can access production data and from where, and whether the Enterprise package’s isolated architecture meets your contract terms. If the answers work, Epicor Cloud is usually the simplest way forward.
Can ERPNext run a job shop? What to test
Kinetic’s Operations Core lists estimate and quote management, job management, scheduling, MRP, production management, quality assurance, engineering and supplier relationship management. ERPNext covers the same ground with a different, simpler model:
| Job shop need | In ERPNext | What to test |
|---|---|---|
| Estimates and quotes | Quotations (ERPNext Quotation documentation) from item, BOM and pricing data | Quoting from a draft routing for a one-off part |
| Jobs | Work orders created from sales orders or a Production Plan (ERPNext Work Order documentation, ERPNext Production Plan documentation) | One work order per customer line, partial deliveries |
| Routings and operations | Routings with sequence IDs that force operations in order (ERPNext Routing documentation, ERPNext Operation documentation) | Routing changes mid-job |
| Work centres and rates | Workstations with operating cost components and working hours (ERPNext Workstation documentation) | Machine vs labour rates |
| Shop-floor reporting | Job cards with start/complete, time logs, employees, completed qty and scrap (ERPNext Job Card documentation); ERPNext Plant Floor documentation; ERPNext Downtime Entry documentation | Tablet use at each machine |
| Job costing | Planned vs actual operating cost and time on the work order, updated from job cards; raw-material cost from consumption entries (ERPNext Manufacturing Settings documentation) | Your job cost report against Kinetic for the same job |
| Scheduling | Capacity planning against workstation working hours (ERPNext capacity planning documentation) | This is the main gap; see below |
| Outside processing | Subcontracting orders (ERPNext subcontracting documentation) | Plating, heat treatment, machining sent out |
| Quality | Quality Inspection: incoming, in-process, outgoing (ERPNext Quality Inspection documentation) | Inspection plans, certificates of conformance |
| Engineering changes | BOM versions and the ERPNext BOM Update Tool documentation | Revision control expectations |
Be honest about scheduling
ERPNext’s capacity planning allocates work-order operations against workstation working hours, and its documentation notes that each operation should start and end on the same day for scheduling to work. That is fine for many shops. If your business depends on finite-capacity scheduling across many constrained machines, multi-day operations and frequent re-sequencing, Kinetic (or a dedicated scheduling tool alongside ERPNext) is stronger. Test this first.
Self-hosting ERPNext: what it actually means
- You choose where it runs. ERPNext and the Frappe framework install on your own Linux servers (Frappe Framework installation documentation) in your building, a colocation site or a cloud account you control. Data, backups and access stay under your policies.
- Or a managed host in a region you choose. Frappe Cloud’s server plans page lists regions including London, Frankfurt, Zurich and Virginia. Confirm where backups are stored for your plan.
- You own operations. Patching, backups, monitoring, upgrades and security are your team’s or your partner’s job. Budget for it honestly; it is the price of control.
- No licence fee. ERPNext is GPL-3.0, so adding users does not change licence cost, which matters for shop-floor users who log time on job cards.
Integrations with machines, CAD/PDM, quality or shipping systems go through the Frappe REST API (Frappe Framework REST API documentation). Data from Kinetic comes in through ERPNext Data Import documentation, the ERPNext Chart of Accounts documentation importer, ERPNext opening balance documentation and ERPNext Stock Reconciliation documentation.
What a Kinetic to ERPNext migration involves
Moving from Kinetic to ERPNext is a reimplementation. Getting data out is rarely the hard part; deciding what to bring, and cleaning it, is the real work. In our projects it breaks down like this:
| Kinetic data | Bring to ERPNext as | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Customers, suppliers, contacts | Customers, suppliers, contacts | Clean duplicates and inactive records first |
| Parts and part revisions | Items, with variants where it helps (ERPNext Item Variants documentation) | Decide how revisions map: item per revision or BOM versions |
| Methods of manufacture (BOMs and operations) | BOMs, routings, operations and workstations | Rebuild workstation rates and check operation times |
| Open jobs | Work orders at their current stage, or finish in Kinetic | Most shops finish open jobs in Kinetic and start new ones in ERPNext |
| Open sales and purchase orders | Sales orders and purchase orders | Include outside-processing purchase orders |
| Stock, lots and serials | Stock reconciliation by warehouse, batch and serial | Count before cutover |
| Open AR/AP and GL balances | Opening invoices and journal entries | Cut over at a period end |
| History (closed jobs, invoices) | Archive | Keep Kinetic read-only or extract to a reporting database |
BPMs, custom dashboards, BAQs and reports in Kinetic are rebuilt, not migrated. List them early with an owner and a “still needed?” answer, as you would on any ERP move. On the Epicor Cloud path, check with Epicor which of your on-premises customisations carry over to the cloud tenant; that answer can change the comparison.
Where Epicor Cloud is the better fit
- You can accept Epicor-hosted SaaS once your data-residency questions are answered. Staying on the same product is lower risk than any reimplementation.
- You rely on advanced planning and scheduling, the Advanced Manufacturing bundle (planning by revision, advanced production, advanced unit of measure) or other Kinetic modules your processes are built around.
- You use Kinetic’s project management for complex multilevel projects, its CRM, service management or Epicor IoT, and do not want to replace them piece by piece.
- You want Epicor’s migration help under Ascend with Epicor and a single vendor for software and hosting.
ERPNext is the better fit when the self-hosting requirement is firm, routings and scheduling are moderate, Kinetic customisations are limited, and per-user licensing for a growing shop floor is a real cost.
What it costs
| Item | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Epicor Cloud (Select, Signature, Enterprise) | Quote-only; no published price | Epicor bundles page |
| Kinetic on-premises support to 2029 | Per your Epicor maintenance agreement | Epicor |
| ERPNext | No licence fee (GPL-3.0) | ERPNext repository on GitHub |
| ERPNext on Frappe Cloud | Sites from $5/month; servers from $40/month (indicative £3.78 / £30.22) | Frappe Cloud pricing page |
| Self-hosted ERPNext | Your servers or cloud account, plus operations effort | Your provider |
Frappe Cloud publishes USD prices: site plans from $5 a month (about £3.78) and servers from $40 a month (about £30.22), checked on Nov 15, 2026. The GBP figures are indicative conversions, not Frappe prices.
Indicative GBP conversions use the Bank of England daily spot rate (series XUDLUSS) of US$1.3238 per £1 for 12 Nov 2026, the latest published figure when we checked on Nov 15, 2026. They are not official UK prices: the vendor does not publish a GBP list price for these items, and your invoice currency, rate and VAT treatment may differ.
Compare five-year totals on the same scope: Epicor Cloud subscription and migration, versus ERPNext implementation, hosting, operations and support. Include the cost of running on-premises Kinetic until you switch.
A plan for on-premises Kinetic shops
2026 to mid-2027: decide where your data must live
Write down the actual data-residency and hosting requirements from contracts, customers and insurers. Put the concrete questions above to Epicor. If Epicor Cloud meets them, it is probably your path.
If not: a six-week ERPNext fit test
Rebuild a product family: items, BOMs, routings, workstations, a set of quotes, ten real jobs from order to invoice, job cards on the floor for one week, and the job cost report. Compare with Kinetic for the same jobs.
2027 to 2028: implement
Migrate customers, suppliers, parts, BOMs and routings, open jobs, open orders, stock and balances. Run at least one month-end in parallel. Keep Kinetic read-only for history.
By December 31, 2029
Be live on your new platform before Sustaining Support begins, unless you have written Sustaining Support terms you are content to run on.
Decision table
| If this is true for you | Lean towards | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Epicor-hosted SaaS is acceptable after due diligence | Epicor Cloud | Same product, lowest change |
| Finite scheduling across many constrained machines is core | Epicor Cloud, or ERPNext plus a scheduling tool | ERPNext capacity planning is basic |
| Data must stay on your servers or with a provider you choose | Self-hosted ERPNext (price it) | Open source, deploy anywhere |
| Growing shop-floor headcount needs system access | ERPNext | No per-user licence |
| Undecided and on 2028.1 | Stay on Active Support while you decide | Firm support to Dec 31, 2029 |
Best for, and wrong choice when
Self-hosted ERPNext is best for
50 to 500 person job shops and make-to-order manufacturers with a firm requirement to self-host or choose their own region and provider, moderate routing and scheduling complexity, and the in-house or partner capacity to run servers.
Epicor Cloud is best for
Kinetic shops that can accept Epicor-hosted SaaS, rely on advanced scheduling or other Kinetic modules, and want to avoid a reimplementation.
ERPNext is the wrong choice when
Finite-capacity scheduling is the heart of your operation, Kinetic modules you depend on have no ERPNext equivalent you can prove in a fit test, or nobody will own running the servers.
Frequently asked questions
When is Epicor Kinetic’s last on-premises release?
Epicor says the final on-premises Kinetic release is 2028.1, tentatively scheduled for January 2028 (news release of January 6, 2026, checked Nov 15, 2026).
How long is on-premises Kinetic supported?
Epicor says Active Support for release 2028.1 runs through December 31, 2029, and Sustaining Support begins January 1, 2030.
What does Epicor Sustaining Support include?
Epicor’s announcement does not define it. Ask your Epicor account manager for the Sustaining Support terms in writing, including security fixes, regulatory updates and response times.
Where does Epicor Cloud run?
Epicor’s bundles page says Epicor Cloud packages run Kinetic SaaS on Microsoft Azure, with in-region disaster recovery; the Enterprise package adds isolated Azure architecture. Confirm the region and data access terms for your tenant with Epicor.
How much does Epicor Cloud cost?
Epicor does not publish prices; packages are quoted on platform core, cloud package and concurrent users. We give no estimate.
Can ERPNext handle job shop manufacturing?
For many shops, yes: quotations, work orders, routings with enforced sequence, workstations with cost rates, job cards with time and scrap, planned vs actual operating cost, subcontracting and quality inspection. Its capacity planning is basic, so test scheduling first.
Can ERPNext be fully self-hosted?
Yes. ERPNext is open source (GPL-3.0) and installs on your own Linux servers or a cloud account you control; Frappe Cloud is an optional managed host.