Carbon vs. Tulip
Tulip is a no-code app builder for the shop floor — powerful for digitizing work instructions, but not a system of record. You still bring an ERP and wire it in. Carbon is the system of record: ERP, MRP, MES and QMS on one model, with the whole backend on an open API.
- 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. Tulip, feature by feature
| Carbon | Tulip | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope & fit | ||
| What it is | Unified ERP + MRP + MES + QMS | No-code frontline app builder |
| System of record | Yes — Carbon is the system of record | No — requires a separate ERP |
| Accounting, costing & purchasing | Built in | Not offered |
| MRP & live capacity planning | Built in; updates as the floor reports | Not included (build or integrate) |
| Capabilities | ||
| Work instructions / operator apps | Built in | Built in |
| Quality (QMS) | Native QMS | Build quality apps; GxP on regulated tier |
| Serial & batch traceability | Full genealogy, built in | Weak natively |
| Product configurator (CPQ) | Built in | Not offered |
| 3D CAD / STEP viewer | Built in | Not offered |
| Platform & ownership | ||
| Data model | One unified Postgres schema | App-scoped Tables + connectors to your systems |
| Full ownership of the code | Yes — the entire codebase is yours | No — proprietary |
| API coverage | Full backend over REST — every table | HTTP API over app-layer objects |
| AI / agent-ready (MCP) | Hosted MCP over the full backend | Frontline Copilot + MCP over Tulip objects |
| Deployment | Cloud or self-host (open source) | Cloud SaaS; on-prem/edge (proprietary) |
| Getting started | ||
| Pricing | $40–$100 / user / mo, published | $100–$250 / mo per interface (per station) |
| Free trial | 30 days | 30 days |
Where Tulip still fits
Tulip is excellent at what it's for: standing up flexible operator apps and connecting machines fast, especially in regulated frontline work. But it's a layer, not a system of record — you still run an ERP behind it. Carbon is the whole system on one model, so there's nothing behind it to buy.
You may be outgrowing Tulip if…
You still need an ERP behind it
Tulip builds the app; your orders, inventory and ledger live somewhere else. Carbon is that somewhere else — on the same model as the floor.
You're maintaining apps, not running a factory
Composable means you build and maintain it. Carbon ships the manufacturing model finished, and you extend it by API when you want to.
Per-station pricing adds up
Tulip bills per interface. Carbon is per user, published, with the ERP included.
Why manufacturers choose Carbon
A complete system, not a layer
Carbon is the system of record — ERP, MRP, MES and QMS on one model — so the floor, inventory, orders, costing and ledger are the same data, not apps wired to someone else's ERP.
Open and API-first
Tulip builds frontline apps and connects out to your systems. Carbon is the system of record itself, with the whole backend — every table — on an open REST API and MCP, self-hostable and pointed at the best agents.
Live capacity planning
Tulip digitizes work instructions but doesn't run MRP or capacity. Carbon plans capacity and demand on the same model, updating the moment the floor reports progress.
Published pricing, ERP included
With Tulip you still buy and wire in an ERP. Carbon includes ERP, MRP, MES and QMS — start 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.
