# 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.

## Scope & fit

| | Carbon | First Resonance |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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

| | Carbon | First Resonance |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Work instructions / travelers | Yes | Yes |
| As-built / serial traceability | Yes | Yes |
| Quality (QMS) | Yes | Yes |
| Accounting, GL & job costing | Yes | No |
| MRP & live capacity planning | Built in; updates as the floor reports | Autoplan scheduling (Pro tier) |
| Product configurator (CPQ) | Yes | No |
| 3D CAD / STEP viewer | Yes | No |

## Platform & ownership

| | Carbon | First Resonance |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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

| | Carbon | First Resonance |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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.

Start a 30-day free trial at https://app.carbon.ms, see pricing at https://carbon.ms/pricing, or read the source at https://github.com/crbnos/carbon.