Compare 7 ways to start production planning for free
Separate permanent free plans from open-source software, time-limited trials, and downloadable workbooks—then test whether the planning method can survive real users, exceptions, and change.
“Free” describes the entry price, not the operating cost. Model hosting, setup, administration, integration, data, support, migration, limits, and the paid transition before committing production records.
Free for up to five users. No credit card required.
Adapt fields, workflows, and dashboards without code. Explore 1,000+ app templates and use cases
- Seven options labeled by the kind of free access
- Current free-plan and trial claims linked to official sources
- An exit-cost test before real production data is imported
Know what you are evaluating before you sign up
Each entry path transfers cost and responsibility differently.
- Permanent free plan
A vendor-hosted tier with limits
Test how users, records, apps, features, storage, automation, integrations, and support change when limits are reached.
- Open source
Software access without a license fee
Budget hosting, security, backup, upgrades, implementation, customization, support, and internal ownership.
- Free trial
A time-limited product evaluation
Plan the test data, roles, scenarios, success criteria, and paid transition before the clock starts.
- Workbook
A file you can own and edit
Useful for a focused, single-owner process; test version control, concurrent updates, history, permissions, and migration.
Compare access model, planning capability, and exit path
Free-plan and trial details can change. These official sources were reviewed on September 3, 2026; confirm current terms before adoption.
Jodoo
Up to five users who want to prototype a configurable production-planning workflow on Jodoo’s permanent free plan.
The free plan can support forms, related records, workflows, permissions, dashboards, and unlimited apps within current usage limits.
Check current limits, integration requirements, data volume, administration, and which specialist planning or manufacturing functions remain external.
Odoo One App Free
Teams able to run the required workflow inside one Odoo app under the current One App Free terms.
Odoo advertises access to one app with unlimited users on Odoo Online under its free-plan terms.
Confirm which dependent apps the manufacturing workflow activates, hosting choice, localization, customization, implementation, and when paid scope begins.
ERPNext
Teams with technical capacity that want open-source manufacturing connected to inventory, buying, selling, and accounting.
ERPNext documents manufacturing records such as BOMs, work orders, job cards, production plans, stock entries, and related modules.
Budget for hosting, upgrades, security, backup, implementation, support, customization ownership, and operational administration.
Dolibarr
Smaller organizations exploring an open-source modular ERP/CRM foundation with manufacturing-related modules.
Dolibarr presents a modular open-source ERP and CRM platform that can be enabled according to organizational needs.
Confirm the exact manufacturing and planning depth, module maturity, localization, hosting, maintenance, extensions, and support responsibility.
MRPeasy
Small manufacturers that want to evaluate an integrated MRP system during MRPeasy’s current free-trial period.
MRPeasy currently advertises a 15-day trial and a possible 15-day extension rather than a permanent free production tier.
Confirm the trial terms and model paid-plan cost, users, modules, data migration, integrations, and implementation before committing.
Katana
Very small operations whose needs fit Katana’s current permanent free-plan limits.
Katana currently documents a free plan with defined product, location, order, and capability limits.
Check the current limits—including SKU and location scope—and model the paid transition before importing operational data.
Autodesk Fusion Operations
Manufacturers that want a time-limited test of digital production and shop-floor workflows.
Autodesk currently offers a 14-day Fusion Operations free trial.
Treat this as a pilot window, not a permanent free plan; confirm licensing, rollout, integration, device, data, and support requirements.
Choose the free start that tests the way your team will really work
Jodoo is the stronger free starting point when the pilot must include related records, approvals, role views, reminders, and dashboard drill-down—not only a private planning file.
Several people update the plan
Use shared forms, role views, workflow states, permissions, and one current record set for up to five users.
A workbook fits a single disciplined owner; another hosted tool may fit when its native manufacturing model matches exactly.
Planning rules will change during the pilot
A trained business administrator can change fields, choices, routes, reminders, views, and dashboards without waiting for a coded release.
Choose a fixed product when its built-in method is already the process you intend to standardize.
The plan must connect to existing systems
Prototype the human review and exception workflow, then define authoritative IDs, direction, frequency, and error ownership for integrations.
Choose ERP, MRP, MES, or APS when the pilot depends on native material planning, finite scheduling, genealogy, or machine execution.
The team needs a permanent free path
Jodoo currently offers a permanent free plan for up to five users, subject to current usage limits.
Use open source when your team can own hosting, security, upgrades, backup, implementation, and support.
Test the same difficult planning week in every option
Do not spend the free period only configuring empty screens.
Load representative demand
Include normal, urgent, blocked, rescheduled, completed, and cancelled or deferred states.
Invite real roles
Have a planner, supervisor, support owner, manager, and administrator complete their actual tasks.
Create one disruption
Block material or equipment, insert urgent demand, revise the schedule, and retain the decision.
Open the source behind the signal
Check that the dashboard or summary leads to the exact order, exception, owner, and next action.
Make one safe change
Add a field, state, route, reminder, role view, and measure before deciding the system is flexible.
Export the result
Confirm records, attachments, relationships, history, identifiers, and readable data can leave the system.
Protect the decision from a misleading price label
Choose the operating model you can sustain after the first week.
Is there permanently free production planning software?
Some vendors offer permanent free tiers with limits, and open-source projects can be used without a traditional license fee. Terms, hosting, implementation, and operational costs still matter.
Is open-source production planning software really free?
The code may be available without license cost, but hosting, security, upgrades, backup, configuration, support, integration, and ownership require time or money.
Can Excel be used for production planning?
Yes for a focused, lower-complexity process with disciplined ownership. Move to a connected app when concurrent updates, permissions, reminders, decisions, history, and dashboard drill-down matter.
Why choose Jodoo’s free plan?
It is a useful fit when a team of up to five users wants to test a configurable planning workflow with related records, forms, rules, role views, and dashboards rather than a fixed manufacturing suite.
Test a complete production loop before live data is committed
Use the workflow map to load representative demand, constraints, changes, execution feedback, and review tasks into every free option.
Test a complete planning decision before importing live production data
Use Jodoo’s free plan to model representative demand, readiness, sequence, change, ownership, and dashboard drill-down—then evaluate limits and the long-term product fit.