Drag and Drop Production Planning Software for Small Manufacturers
For small manufacturers, the strongest drag and drop production planning tools are EDGEBIC (finite-capacity Gantt with rule-checked drag and drop, one-time license), Just Plan It and Netronic (Gantt-first schedulers from Germany), and the visual planners inside MRPeasy and Katana for cloud-ERP shops. PlanetTogether, Siemens Opcenter APS and Epicor also offer drag and drop boards but are sized for larger plants. This page compares all eight for shops in North America, the UK and Europe.
By User Solutions, Inc. Updated 28 August 2026. Reviewed against vendor documentation and our own scheduling implementation experience since 1991.
Drag and drop is the feature small manufacturers ask for first, because it matches how a planner already thinks: pick the job up, move it to Tuesday, put it on the other machine. The question that separates the tools is what happens after the drop. A pure visual board lets you move anything anywhere and silently breaks material, shift and routing constraints. A finite-capacity scheduler checks the move, shows the ripple on downstream operations and due dates, and tells you if the new slot is outside the work centre's shift.
This shortlist covers both kinds honestly. Gantt-first tools (Just Plan It, Netronic) are quick to adopt and inexpensive. Finite-capacity tools with drag and drop on top (EDGEBIC, PlanetTogether, Opcenter APS, Epicor) cost more but protect the schedule as it is edited. Cloud MRP suites (MRPeasy, Katana) include a visual planner as one module among many.
We build EDGEBIC, so read our entry with that in mind. Competitor descriptions are kept general and no prices are stated unless the vendor publishes them.
How we built this shortlist
- Drag and drop editing of a Gantt or planning board is a core feature, not a plug-in
- Sized and priced for shops with roughly 5 to 200 employees
- Moves are either constraint-checked or the tool is clear that they are not
- Works with the ERP or accounting system a small shop already has
- Available to manufacturers in the US, Canada, the UK and the EU
The shortlist
1. User Solutions, Inc. (USA)
EDGEBIC
Finite-capacity planner with a drag and drop Gantt. Every drop is checked against shifts, holidays, machine instances, operator skills and setup sequences, with a choice of rescheduling modes (move one operation, ripple the job, or repack the work centre). Multi-shift calendars and what-if scenarios are built in.
- Best for
- 10 to 500+ employees; job shops, machine shops, fabricators
- Pricing
- One-time perpetual license, published: $25,000 APS edition, $35,000 Complete edition
2. NETRONIC Software (Germany)
Just Plan It
Lightweight cloud Gantt scheduler aimed squarely at small job shops. Fast to set up, drag and drop first, with basic capacity and resource views. Best for shops moving off a whiteboard or spreadsheet who do not yet need deep ERP integration.
- Best for
- 5 to 50 employees; job shops
- Pricing
- Published monthly subscription
3. NETRONIC Software (Germany)
Netronic Visual Advanced Production Scheduler
Drag and drop Gantt scheduling delivered as an extension inside Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, with finite-capacity checking against Business Central work centres. The obvious pick for small Business Central manufacturers.
- Best for
- Small to mid-market Business Central customers
- Pricing
- Subscription; listed on Microsoft AppSource
4. MRPeasy (Estonia)
MRPeasy
Cloud MRP for small manufacturers with a drag and drop production calendar and Gantt. Scheduling is one module of a full MRP (inventory, purchasing, CRM), so the trade-off is simpler capacity logic in exchange for one integrated system.
- Best for
- 10 to 200 employees
- Pricing
- Published per-user monthly subscription
5. Katana (Estonia)
Katana Cloud Inventory
Visual, drag-to-reprioritise production planner inside an inventory-first cloud platform. Popular with small product companies selling through Shopify and similar channels. Priority-order planning rather than true finite-capacity scheduling.
- Best for
- 5 to 100 employees; D2C and light assembly
- Pricing
- Published tiered subscription
6. PlanetTogether (USA)
PlanetTogether APS
Full APS with a mature drag and drop planning board and constraint checking. Excellent product, but sized and priced for mid-market and enterprise plants; small shops usually find the implementation heavier than they need.
- Best for
- Mid-market to enterprise
- Pricing
- Subscription; quote-based
7. Siemens Digital Industries Software
Siemens Opcenter APS (Preactor)
Enterprise APS with an interactive Gantt that has been a reference point for drag and drop scheduling since the Preactor days. Very capable, partner-implemented, and generally more than a small manufacturer needs.
- Best for
- Mid-market to enterprise
- Pricing
- Quote-based through Siemens and partners
8. Epicor Software (USA)
Epicor Kinetic Scheduling / Advanced MES
Epicor Kinetic includes a drag and drop scheduling board, and Advanced MES adds shop-floor execution. Relevant only if you already run Epicor; small shops often report the scheduling rules are less granular than a dedicated finite-capacity tool.
- Best for
- Mid-market Epicor customers
- Pricing
- Subscription modules; quote-based
Side-by-side comparison
Company-size fit, ERP integration, deployment, pricing model and region for every tool on the shortlist. Competitor details are kept general where vendors do not publish specifics.
| Tool | Fit for company size | ERP integration | Deployment | Pricing model | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EDGEBICUser Solutions, Inc. (USA) | 10 to 500+ employees; job shops, machine shops, fabricators | Excel, CSV or database exchange with JobBOSS, Epicor, Sage, Dynamics 365 Business Central, QuickBooks-based MRPs, Katana, MRPeasy and others | Windows desktop on .NET 8; SQLite single-user or SQL Server multi-user; on-premise or customer-hosted | One-time perpetual license, published: $25,000 APS edition, $35,000 Complete edition | North America, UK and Europe (Germany, Netherlands, Ireland); remote implementation |
| Just Plan ItNETRONIC Software (Germany) | 5 to 50 employees; job shops | CSV import and API; no packaged ERP connectors | Cloud SaaS | Published monthly subscription | Global; German vendor, English-language product |
| Netronic Visual Advanced Production SchedulerNETRONIC Software (Germany) | Small to mid-market Business Central customers | Native to Dynamics 365 Business Central only | Business Central cloud (AppSource) | Subscription; listed on Microsoft AppSource | Global via AppSource; strong in Germany, the UK and the Netherlands |
| MRPeasyMRPeasy (Estonia) | 10 to 200 employees | Scheduler is internal; built-in integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, Shopify and similar | Cloud SaaS | Published per-user monthly subscription | Global; EU-based vendor |
| Katana Cloud InventoryKatana (Estonia) | 5 to 100 employees; D2C and light assembly | Built-in integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, QuickBooks Online and Xero; open API | Cloud SaaS | Published tiered subscription | Global; EU-based vendor |
| PlanetTogether APSPlanetTogether (USA) | Mid-market to enterprise | Packaged connectors for SAP, Dynamics, Oracle, Epicor and others | Cloud or on-premise | Subscription; quote-based | Global |
| Siemens Opcenter APS (Preactor)Siemens Digital Industries Software | Mid-market to enterprise | Siemens Opcenter native; SAP and others via partners | On-premise or cloud | Quote-based through Siemens and partners | Global; UK origin, strong European partner base |
| Epicor Kinetic Scheduling / Advanced MESEpicor Software (USA) | Mid-market Epicor customers | Native to Epicor Kinetic only | Epicor cloud or on-premise | Subscription modules; quote-based | Global; UK and European operations |
User Solutions serves manufacturers in North America, the UK and Europe (including Germany, the Netherlands and Ireland). EDGEBIC is a one-time perpetual license with published USD pricing; UK and EU buyers can request GBP or EUR equivalents when quoting.
How to choose
Decide if the drop must be checked
If planners will move jobs across shifts and machines every day, choose a tool that validates the move against capacity, shifts and materials (EDGEBIC, Netronic VAPS, PlanetTogether, Opcenter). If you mainly need a shared visual board, a Gantt-first tool such as Just Plan It is enough.
Count the shifts
Single-shift shops can use almost anything. Two- and three-shift shops, or jobs that span day and night, need per-work-centre shift calendars and a scheduler that knows a booking outside shift hours is invalid.
Start from your ERP or accounting system
Business Central shops should look at Netronic first. Shops on QuickBooks, Xero or Shopify may find MRPeasy or Katana cover both inventory and planning. Shops on JobBOSS, Sage, Epicor or a legacy ERP usually add an ERP-agnostic scheduler such as EDGEBIC.
Compare five-year cost, not month one
Per-user subscriptions look cheap at three seats and grow with the team. A one-time perpetual license costs more up front and nothing per seat afterwards. Put both on a five-year sheet before deciding.
Check deployment against IT reality
Cloud SaaS (Just Plan It, MRPeasy, Katana, Netronic) needs no server. EDGEBIC runs on a Windows PC with SQLite for one planner or SQL Server for a team, which suits shops that prefer to keep production data on site.
Confirm regional support
UK and EU buyers: check invoicing currency, VAT handling and support hours. German and Estonian vendors on this list are in CET; User Solutions supports UK and European customers remotely from the US and can quote GBP or EUR equivalents.
Frequently Asked Questions
Go deeper
Drag-and-Drop Scheduling: Pros, Cons and Best Tools
When a visual board helps, when it hurts, and what to look for.
Drag-and-Drop Rescheduling in EDGEBIC
Modes, rules and ripples when you move an operation.
Scheduling software for job shops
High-mix, low-volume scheduling for small shops.
EDGEBIC
Finite-capacity planning and scheduling for small and mid-size manufacturers.
Compare products hub
Head-to-head comparisons with other schedulers and ERPs.
Free trial downloads
Try RMX, the Excel-based scheduler, before committing.
See a constraint-checked drag and drop schedule with your jobs
Send us an export of your open jobs and work centres. We will load them into EDGEBIC and show what happens when you move a job across shifts. Free for US, UK and European manufacturers.