Carbon vs. First Resonance
First Resonance's ION is a modern MES for hardware teams — strong on travelers and as-built traceability, but not a financial ERP, so it leans on NetSuite for the books. Carbon is ERP, MRP, MES and QMS on one open model, self-hostable, with the whole backend on an API and MCP.
- 4-in-1
- ERP, MRP, MES & QMS on one data model
- 1 month
- implementations
- 30 days
- free trial, no sales call
- Yours
- full source-code ownership
Carbon vs. First Resonance, feature by feature
| Carbon | First Resonance | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope & fit | ||
| What it is | ERP + MRP + MES + QMS in one platform | Cloud MES / 'Factory OS' |
| Built for | Aerospace, defense and complex hardware, at any volume | Hardtech scale-ups (space, eVTOL, robotics) |
| Back office / ERP included | Financials, purchasing, inventory, sales — built in | No — integrates a separate ERP (e.g. NetSuite) |
| Capabilities | ||
| Work instructions / travelers | Built in | Built in |
| As-built / serial traceability | Built in | Built in |
| Quality (QMS) | Built in | Built in |
| Accounting, GL & job costing | Built in | Not offered |
| MRP & live capacity planning | Built in; updates as the floor reports | Autoplan scheduling (Pro tier) |
| Product configurator (CPQ) | Built in | Not offered |
| 3D CAD / STEP viewer | Built in | Not offered |
| Platform & ownership | ||
| Deployment | Cloud or self-host | Cloud SaaS only (AWS/GovCloud) |
| Full ownership of the code | Yes — the entire codebase is yours | No — proprietary |
| API coverage | Full backend over REST — every table | GraphQL API (Pro-tier gated) |
| AI / agent-ready (MCP) | Hosted MCP over the full backend | ION Intelligence agents; no public MCP |
| ITAR / GovCloud / CMMC | ITAR, GovCloud & CMMC / NIST 800-171 ready | ITAR, GovCloud, SOC 2; FedRAMP in progress |
| Getting started | ||
| Implementation | Self-serve; live in days | Enterprise sales; no self-serve |
| Pricing | $40–$100 / user / mo, published | Quote-based; no free trial |
Where First Resonance still fits
First Resonance is a strong, modern MES for engineering-driven hardware teams that want great travelers and as-built traceability and already run — or plan to run — NetSuite for finance. Carbon puts the MES and the ERP on one model, open and self-hostable, so there's no second system to integrate.
You may be outgrowing First Resonance if…
You're running it next to NetSuite
ION handles execution; NetSuite handles the books; you pay for and integrate both. Carbon is one model with the ERP inside.
You want the whole backend, openly
ION's API is Pro-tier and its AI is in-product. Carbon is open-source, with the full backend over REST and a hosted MCP server.
You need to own your enclave
ION is cloud-only. Carbon can self-host, including CMMC / NIST 800-171 and GovCloud environments you control.
Why manufacturers choose Carbon
ERP and MES on one model
ION runs travelers and as-built traceability, then leans on NetSuite for the books. Carbon is ERP, MRP, MES and QMS on one data model, so cost and the ledger roll up from the operation automatically — no second system to reconcile.
Open and API-first
Where ION gates its API behind a Pro tier and keeps its AI in-product, Carbon is open-source, with the whole backend over REST and a hosted MCP server, self-hostable and pointed at the best agents.
Live capacity planning
Beyond travelers and traceability, Carbon plans finite capacity and demand on the same record, updating the moment the floor reports progress.
Own your enclave
ION is cloud-only. Carbon can self-host — including CMMC / NIST 800-171 and GovCloud environments you control — and starts free for 30 days on published, per-user pricing.
See Carbon on your own parts.
Start free for 30 days, or read the source and run it in your own environment. No sales call required.
