Webstore or app platform?
Both connect to your ERP. They solve different problems. Here is how they compare, including where a webstore is the better pick.
How they compare.
| Topic | ERP-connected webstore | Portal by Webisoft |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Sell online: a branded storefront with catalog, cart and checkout. | Run the work around your ERP: customer self-service and internal tools on live ERP data. |
| Who uses it | Mostly buyers, sometimes sales reps. | Buyers, partners and your own team, inside and out. |
| B2B ordering | Yes: catalog, cart, customer pricing. | Yes: contract pricing, live stock, quick reorder, quotes to orders, credit holds. |
| Invoices and payment | Often included, sometimes as a separate portal. | Included: invoices, statements and online payment applied in the ERP. |
| Returns and service requests | Rarely. | Included: RMAs and service visits written to the ERP. |
| Internal tools for your team | No. | Yes: order exceptions, approvals, inventory lookup, pricing, fulfillment, dashboards. |
| Storefront themes, merchandising, consumer checkout | Strong. This is where a webstore fits best. | Not the focus. Pick a webstore if this is what you mainly need. |
| ERPs | Usually a short list, often one or two ERP families. | 12 today: SAP, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Oracle NetSuite, Odoo, Sage, Acumatica, Epicor, QuickBooks, Xero, Zoho, Microsoft Dynamics GP, Dynamics 365 Business Central. |
| ERP licenses for users | Varies by product. | Apps work through the ERP API, not named ERP seats (check your vendor's API terms). |
| Time to go live | Varies by vendor and project. | 5 days for the standard modules. |
| Uptime | Varies by vendor. | 99.99%. |
| Try it before a call | Usually a booked demo. | A live demo you can click through now, no form. |
Choosing between them.
When is a webstore the better choice?
When your main goal is selling to new buyers online: a branded storefront, merchandising, promotions and consumer checkout. A webstore is built for that.
When is an ERP app platform the better choice?
When most of your orders come from repeat B2B customers, and the pain is calls and emails about orders, invoices, stock and returns, plus staff working around the ERP. Then the portal and the internal tools matter more than the storefront.
Can I have both?
Yes. Some companies keep a webstore for new buyers and run customer self-service and internal tools on Portal by Webisoft. Both read the same ERP.
Weighing other options?
- Portal or ERP logins?Hand out ERP seats, or give customers a portal built for them?
- Built-in portal or Portal by Webisoft?Your ERP ships a portal. When is it enough, and when is it not?
- Build it or start from a platform?Build it with your own team, or start from a platform?
- EDI or a customer portal?EDI for your big trading partners, a portal for everyone else?
- Email and phone, or a portal?Keep keying in emailed orders, or let customers order themselves?
See the difference in two minutes
Place an order as a customer, then approve and ship it as your team. Same data, same ERP.