Aligni
by Aligni
BOM & inventoryProprietary SaaS✓ Verified
Hardware-focused part management with hierarchical BOMs, builds, RFQs, purchasing and safety-stock shortage reporting, sold as MRP plans that are priced by how many builds you run at once.
Why it is classified this way
We call this a BOM & inventory product. Tracks product structure, parts, costs, and purchasing without a complete plan-and-execute production loop.
It is not labeled Full MRP because we have not verified that it nets that demand against stock on hand and orders already incoming; and explodes requirements through at least one level of the bill of materials. That is a statement about the evidence we found, not a claim that the product is weak, see the capability table and the sources below.
The six Full MRP tests, and how Aligni does on each (4 of 6)
- YesIt represents a bill of materials, recipe, or formula.Evidence: aligni.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab)
- YesIt accepts dated demand, sales orders, a forecast, or a master production schedule.Evidence: docs.aligni.com › Demand estimator(opens in a new tab); docs.aligni.com › Shortage report(opens in a new tab)
- PartialIt nets that demand against stock on hand and orders already incoming.Not established. Only partly shown: the evidence covers some of this but not all of it, so the test is not established.
- UnknownIt explodes requirements through at least one level of the bill of materials.Not established. No evidence found yet.
- YesIt uses lead times or required dates.Evidence: docs.aligni.com › Shortage report(opens in a new tab)
- YesIt produces dated buy, make, transfer, release, or reschedule recommendations.Evidence: docs.aligni.com › Shortage report(opens in a new tab)
These rules are applied identically to every product and enforced at build time, a record cannot be published as Full MRP unless all six pass with a source attached. Read the methodology.
Best for
- Hardware companies running a small number of larger builds
- Teams needing warehouses, transfers and safety stock alongside engineering BOMs
- Shops that want a thirty-day trial to test with real data before committing
Not a fit when
- Shops running many concurrent small builds, where the build cap bites
- Anyone under $187 a month of budget
- Batch and recipe producers
Pricing facts
What it costs to do manufacturing in this product.
Advertised from
$187/month
Useful entry price
$187/month
Billing basis
Mixed
Free trial: 30 days.
Plans
| Plan | Price | Add-ons and setup |
|---|---|---|
| MRP BasicBilling term not stated | from $187/mo · up to 3 users | — |
| Up to 3 collaborators and 10 viewers, 3,000 items, 10 active builds, 3 open quotes. "Starting at $187/month". The comparison table lists a collaborator cost of $63 and viewers at $63 per 10, but not how many collaborators the starting price includes. | ||
| MRP ProBilling term not stated | from $240/mo | — |
| No limit on collaborators or viewers; 5,000 items ($70 per extra 5,000); 50 active builds ($70 a month per extra 50). "Starting at $240/month". Collaborators cost $76 each and viewers $76 per 10; the page does not say how many the starting price includes. | ||
Cheapest paid plan that manufactures, by paid users
- 1 user: MRP Basic, at least $187 a month (billing term not stated); first year at least $2,244.
- 5 users: MRP Pro, at least $240 a month (billing term not stated); first year at least $2,880.
- 10 users: MRP Pro, at least $240 a month (billing term not stated); first year at least $2,880.
Pricing detail
MRP Basic "Starting at $187/month", MRP Pro "Starting at $240/month". The metering is unusual: Basic supports up to 3,000 items and 10 active builds with up to 3 collaborators and 10 viewers, where Pro supports 5,000+ items and 50+ active builds, with more builds in blocks of 50 at $70 a month and more items at $70 per 5,000. Basic caps open RFQs at three, which Pro makes unlimited; open purchase orders are unlimited on both. The comparison table lists collaborators at $63 on Basic and $76 on Pro, and viewers at the same price per 10; it does not say how many collaborators the starting price includes. If you run many small builds concurrently, the cheaper plan can become the more expensive one. Thirty-day trial on any plan.
Price history
- MRP Basic started at $148 a month and MRP Pro at $191 a month, the last archived capture at those prices. Archived page, May 12, 2026(opens in a new tab)
From copies of the vendor's pricing page kept by the Internet Archive.
Checked on October 9, 2026. Source: aligni.com(opens in a new tab). Prices change. Check before you buy.
Manufacturing capability
19 of 25 fields resolved. "Unknown" means we have not found first-party evidence. It is not a No.
Planning
Working out what to buy or make, and when.
| Capability | Finding | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Accepts dated demandYou can tell it what is due and when, sales orders with dates, a forecast, or a production schedule. | Yes | The Demand Estimator lets you "Create dated demand estimates for each relevant product and customer (or channel) pair." Builds also carry an expected reservation date. The Material Shortage Report only takes allocated builds as demand, so estimates show on the forecast chart but do not drive the shortage calculation.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: docs.aligni.com › Demand estimator(opens in a new tab); docs.aligni.com › Shortage report(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Nets against stock on handIt subtracts what you already have before telling you to buy more. | Partial | The Material Shortage Report runs allocated builds in date order against stock on hand and open purchases, so it nets requirements against what you hold. Builds that are planned but not yet allocated do not feed it.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: docs.aligni.com › Shortage report(opens in a new tab); aligni.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Counts incoming ordersIt knows about purchase orders and production orders already placed, so it does not tell you to order twice. | Yes | In the Material Shortage Report, "Incoming inventory that is due to arrive before the build reservation date is indicated in blue on the left side of the cell." Open purchases count as supply on their promise dates.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: docs.aligni.com › Shortage report(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Uses lead timesIt works backwards from when you need something to when you must order or start it, using supplier and production lead times. | Yes | The shortage report's Calendar Timeline mode sets an order-by date ahead of each build's requirement date: "Because lead time is factored into the sort order as well as the requirement date, this is a good way to understand the urgency of procurement activities to assure that you will have the ordered material by the requirement date." It only works for items with a standard lead time entered, and only in that mode.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: docs.aligni.com › Shortage report(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Produces dated buy/make suggestionsThe output is an actionable list with dates, order this much by this date, start this batch on this date. | Yes | The help center says "The order-by date is depicted for items that have standard lead time set. Note that this is only shown in "Calendar Timeline" mode." This is a report you buy from, not planned orders: it works out a shortage per item against dated builds and shows when to order, but it does not create purchase or build suggestions as records.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: docs.aligni.com › Shortage report(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Capacity planningChecks whether your people and machines can do the work in the time available. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: documentation of work-center or resource capacity being compared against load.Know the answer? |
Production
Recipes, bills of materials, and running the work.
| Capability | Finding | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Bill of materialsA list of the parts and quantities needed to make one of something. | Yes | BOMs are a core object on both MRP plans.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: aligni.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Multi-level BOMSub-assemblies inside assemblies, a part that is itself made from other parts, nested as deep as you need. | Yes | "Multi-level (hierarchical) BOMs capture the makeup and cost of the entire product."Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: aligni.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Recipes & formulasBatch-style production by weight, volume, or percentage, including scaling a batch up or down. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: documentation of recipe or formula records, ideally with batch scaling.Know the answer? |
| Work / manufacturing ordersA record authorising and tracking the making of a specific quantity. | Yes | Builds are "assembly jobs (a.k.a. batches) that are either planned or in progress". And the number you can run at once is what your plan buys.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: aligni.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Routings & operationsThe ordered steps a product goes through, and which machine or station does each one. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: documentation of operation sequences or routings attached to production.Know the answer? |
| Shop-floor trackingOperators report progress, time, and completions as the work happens. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: documentation of a shop-floor, operator, or terminal interface for reporting production.Know the answer? |
| Quality controlsChecks, tests, holds, and non-conformance records tied to production or receiving. | Yes | "Aligni's quality control record (QCR) manages the workflow and documents the results of the evaluation, assessment, decisions, and disposition of material that undergoes a quality control process." Quality records are billed by use: three a month are free, then $1 each per the pricing page.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: docs.aligni.com › Quality control(opens in a new tab); aligni.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab)Question this |
Inventory & traceability
Knowing what you hold and being able to trace it.
| Capability | Finding | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Batch & lot traceabilityWhich incoming material lots went into which finished batch, and where those finished goods went. | Yes | Each inventory unit has an optional lot code, and builds reserve specific units. When a build is finalized, "A permanent record of the inventory consumption is maintained for record-keeping purposes." That gives a unit-level record of what each build used, read from the help center's build and inventory pages. No lot genealogy report is described.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: docs.aligni.com › Finalize(opens in a new tab); docs.aligni.com › Inventory(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Expiry & shelf lifeBest-before dates on materials and finished goods, with warnings before they lapse. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: documentation of expiry, best-before, or shelf-life date fields.Know the answer? |
| Serial numbersUnique identifiers on individual units, for warranty or field service. | Yes | "Serial Number – An optional serial number can be provided as long as the quantity is exactly 1." Serials sit on single-quantity inventory units.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: docs.aligni.com › Inventory(opens in a new tab)Question this |
Commerce & accounting
Costs, purchasing, storefronts, and the books.
| Capability | Finding | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Product costing & COGSWhat it costs you to make one, and the cost of the goods you sold. | Yes | Hierarchical BOMs capture "the makeup and cost of the entire product", so cost rolls up through the structure.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: aligni.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| PurchasingRaising and tracking purchase orders to suppliers from inside the system. | Yes | RFQs and purchase orders on both plans; Basic caps open RFQs at three and Pro makes them unlimited. Open purchase orders are unlimited on both.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: aligni.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Accounting connectionSends financial data to bookkeeping software, or includes its own general ledger. | Partial | "Aligni's native Xero integration currently supports inventory balance updates from Aligni's warehouse management to your accounting system." That is Xero only, marked beta, and limited to inventory balance journal entries. Invoices and bills do not sync.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: docs.aligni.com › Xero(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Ecommerce connectionPulls orders and pushes stock levels to a storefront or marketplace. | Yes | A native WooCommerce integration, marked beta: "This integration enables Aligni to synchronize changes to your item master (e.g. new items, item changes, and item removal) with your WooCommerce item master. You may also synchronize item inventory updates between systems." The help center also describes a native UltraCart integration where shipments reduce Aligni stock. This is from the integration docs, not a tested connection.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: docs.aligni.com › Woocommerce(opens in a new tab)Question this |
Openness & your data
Getting data in, out, and away if you leave.
| Capability | Finding | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| APIA documented programming interface so other software can read and write your data. | Yes | The vendor states: "The Aligni API provides secure access to data within your site without having to actually use the Aligni interface. API access means you can develop custom applications that take advantage of your Aligni database. One common use of the Aligni API is to create a custom migration of part data from an existing part database." The API reference covers a v3 GraphQL API and the older v2 API, and the vendor gives data migration as a common use, so it writes as well as reads. Checked 2026-09-14.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: docs.aligni.com › Api(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| WebhooksThe system can notify other software the moment something changes. | Yes | "Webhooks are an advanced tool that allow your software to be notified when certain events in Aligni are triggered." The feature is marked beta in the API docs.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: docs.aligni.com › Webhooks(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| MCP supportA Model Context Protocol server, letting an AI assistant read or act on this data. Useful, but it has nothing to do with whether the product plans materials. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: a first-party mcp server, or documentation of one.Know the answer? |
| CSV exportYou can get your lists out as spreadsheet files. | Yes | The pricing page says "In addition to configurable routine reports delivered straight to your inbox related to inventory , purchasing , and consumption , extensive in-app reports provide filter, sort, and export capabilities for off-line reporting in tools such as spreadsheets or Tableau." That is feature-list text rather than a help article. Inventory report emails also come with CSV attachments.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: aligni.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab); docs.aligni.com › Inventory(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Full data exportYou can take everything, including history and relationships, not just a few screens' worth of rows. | Partial | "Aligni can periodically make a backup of most of the information in your database so you can download locally for safe keeping." The backup is a monthly XML file. It leaves out builds, inventory history, change history and attachments, and it cannot be restored into Aligni.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: docs.aligni.com › Site backups(opens in a new tab)Question this |
Deployment, licensing and your data
- Deployment
- Cloud (hosted for you)
- Licensing
- Proprietary SaaS
- Team sizes
- 2–5 people, 6–20 people, 21–50 people
- Manufacturing styles
- Countable assembled products, Kits & bundles
Jobs this product qualifies for
Derived from the capability table above, not hand-assigned.
Editorial notes and cautions
Things we would want a friend to know before buying.
- Aligni markets these as MRP plans, and its Material Shortage Report is time-phased: it runs allocated builds in date order against stock and purchases due by their promise dates, and in Calendar Timeline mode shows an order-by date from each item's standard lead time. We still class it BOM & inventory. The report is something you buy from rather than a set of planned orders, and builds that are only planned do not feed it.
- The active-build cap is the pricing dimension to model. Count how many builds you genuinely have open at once before assuming Basic is enough.
Alternatives to Aligni
An alternative is always an alternative for a reason. There is no universal replacement.
- PartsBoxLower cost
Both serve electronics teams. PartsBox documents lot traceability forward into built devices, where Aligni records lot codes on inventory units and what each build consumed. Aligni publishes hierarchical BOM cost roll-up that PartsBox does not.
Evidence and verification
✓ VerifiedLast checked October 9, 2026 · 76% of capability fields resolved · 100% of those carry a source
Pricing and the build-capacity metering come from the pricing page, which doubles as the clearest feature list. Planning, lot, serial, quality, webhook, integration and export detail comes from Aligni's help center at docs.aligni.com, chiefly the Material Shortage Report page, which is where the time-phasing lives.
Sources we checked (11)
aligni.com
docs.aligni.com
- Api(opens in a new tab)
- Demand estimator(opens in a new tab)
- Shortage report(opens in a new tab)
- Finalize(opens in a new tab)
- Inventory(opens in a new tab)
- Quality control(opens in a new tab)
- Webhooks(opens in a new tab)
- Woocommerce(opens in a new tab)
- Xero(opens in a new tab)
- Site backups(opens in a new tab)
What we still want to confirm
We publish our gaps rather than hiding them. If you can point us at a first-party page for any of these, we will update the record and credit the correction.
- Confirm how many collaborator seats the $240 MRP Pro fee includes. The pricing page lists no collaborator limit on Pro but still prices extra seats at $76 a month.
Still unknown: capacity planning, recipes & formulas, routings & operations, shop-floor tracking, expiry & shelf life, mcp support.