ERP Comparison · Salesforce-Native ERP
Axolt vs Certinia: products or projects - what does your business actually run on?
Axolt and Certinia are frequently shortlisted together because both are genuine Salesforce-native platforms with real heritage. Both remove the CRM-to-ERP integration layer entirely. But they are built for different operating models. The deciding question is simple: does your revenue come mainly from billable projects and people, or from products that are made, stocked, shipped and serviced?
Certinia · services-first
Built around professional services automation, project delivery, resource utilisation, services finance and customer success for organisations whose product is their people.
Axolt · one platform, full flow
Physical product operations sit together on one Salesforce data model: inventory, manufacturing, procurement, warehouse execution, shipping, field service, CPQ and finance.
The quick verdict
Which one fits your business
Both run natively on Salesforce. The fit comes down to whether your business is powered primarily by people and projects or by products and physical operations.
Your product is your people
- You sell expertise through projects, consulting, software services or professional services
- Utilisation, resource scheduling, project delivery and project profitability are board-level metrics
- You want PSA, services finance and customer success in one established Salesforce-native platform
Physical operations drive your P&L
- Stock accuracy, production schedules, supplier lead times, fulfilment speed and landed cost determine your margin
- Your service operation involves technicians, appointments, vans and spare parts rather than consultants and timesheets
- You need inventory, manufacturing, warehousing, shipping, field service and finance connected to live operations on one data model
Two philosophies
What each platform is built around
Certinia: services-as-a-business
Certinia is built for services-as-a-business. Its flagship capabilities centre on professional services automation: resource management, project delivery, time and expense, utilisation, project billing and services profitability, supported by financial management and customer success. It is a strong fit for organisations whose product is expertise delivered through people and projects. It does not centre its operating model on manufacturing, inventory, warehousing or shipping, because that is not the problem it was designed to solve.
Axolt: product operations, end to end
Axolt is built for businesses whose operating reality is physical: stock that must be accurate, production that must be scheduled, purchase orders that must arrive on time, shipments that must go out, and finance that must reflect all of it in real time. Inventory management, manufacturing ERP, MRP, MES, quality control, warehouse management, procurement, native multi-carrier shipping, CPQ, subscription billing, finance, and field service all share one Salesforce data model, with Axo AI built on Agentforce operating across live operational data.
The contested zone is service. Certinia manages billable project delivery: consultants, milestones, utilisation and project P&L. Axolt manages physical service execution: technician scheduling, appointments, van stock, parts availability and installations tied directly to inventory. A consulting firm needs the former. A manufacturer, distributor or equipment business with install-and-maintain operations usually needs the latter. Axolt also publishes indicative pricing and implementation cost guidance.
Side by side
Detailed capability comparison
A direct comparison across platform architecture, professional services, product operations, finance, field service, AI and commercial model.
| Capability | Certinia | Axolt |
|---|---|---|
| Platform & architecture | ||
| Salesforce-native (no middleware)Runs on the Salesforce data model, security and UI | Full | Full |
| Heritage on the Salesforce Platform | Founded 2009 as FinancialForce | Founded 2009; rebuilt on 2GP |
| AppExchange security-reviewed listing | Listed | Listed |
| Deployable for first-time Salesforce adopters | Verify with vendor | ISV and OEM partner |
| Services delivery | ||
| Professional Services AutomationProjects, resources, time & expense, utilisation | Flagship product | Not a focus |
| Project billing & revenue recognition for services | Full | Revenue management for product and subscription flows |
| Customer Success management | Dedicated product | Via Salesforce Service Cloud alignment |
| Field service execution tied to inventoryTechnicians, appointments, van stock, parts | Not a stated focus | Native suite |
| Booking & scheduling suiteAppointments, events, rooms, kiosks, queuing | Not a stated focus | Full suite |
| Product operations | ||
| Multi-warehouse inventoryBarcode, lot/serial, FEFO traceability | Not a focus | Core platform |
| ManufacturingMRP, production planning, BOM & routing, MES, quality | Not a focus | Full modules |
| Procurement & purchase orders | Adjacent to services finance | Demand-triggered POs, approvals, supplier management |
| Warehouse executionReceiving, put-away, pick, pack and transfers | Not a focus | Dedicated WMS |
| Native multi-carrier shippingUPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL | Not a focus | Native |
| CPQ & product configurator | Not a stated focus | Configurator, CPQ, quote-to-order, subscriptions |
| Finance | ||
| Financial management core | Established, services-oriented | Finance ERP connected to operations |
| Finance connected to inventory, WIP & landed cost | Not the operating model | Continuous operational costing |
| AP / AR, bank reconciliation & budgeting | Full | Dedicated modules |
| Multi-entity & multi-currency | Full | Multiple entities, currencies and units |
| AI & commercial model | ||
| AI across the platform | Veda: services lifecycle agents | Axo AI built on Agentforce: operational data agents |
| Published indicative pricing | Sales-led | Pricing & implementation costs published |
| Typical buyer | Consultancy, software services or professional services firm | Manufacturer, distributor, MedTech or field service organisation |
| Primary operating model | People, projects and utilisation | Products, stock and physical execution |
Capability levels reflect each vendor's public positioning as at July 2026. "Partial / adjacent" means the outcome is achievable but isn't that vendor's stated centre of gravity, or scope should be verified in a demo. Always validate hard requirements with both vendors.
Questions buyers ask
Axolt vs Certinia: FAQ
Are Axolt and Certinia direct competitors?
Only partially. Both are Salesforce-native, so they may appear on the same shortlist. Certinia is centred on services businesses; Axolt is centred on product businesses and physical operations.
We are a manufacturer with a services division. Which fits?
If the services division installs, maintains or repairs your products, Axolt connects that work directly to inventory and production. If it is a standalone consulting arm billing by the hour at scale, Certinia's PSA model is designed for that pattern.
Do both remove the need for CRM–ERP integration?
Yes. Both run natively on the Salesforce Platform, so CRM and ERP or PSA data can share one security model and one underlying platform without a separate middleware layer.
Does Axolt publish pricing?
Yes, indicative pricing and implementation cost guidance are on axolt.com/pricing. Certinia follows a sales-led pricing model.
See the whole flow, live in Salesforce
Run product operations where your customers already live
See inventory, production, shipping, field service and finance working as one Salesforce-native system on data that looks like yours.
30-minute session, on your own processes, no obligation to buy.
Comparison last reviewed July 2026. Certinia is a trademark of Certinia Inc.; Salesforce and Agentforce are trademarks of Salesforce, Inc. Details are drawn from public sources and may change, verify current capabilities with each vendor. Related: Manufacturing ERP · Salesforce MES · Field Service Scheduling