QuotedPartComparisons · Updated 2026-10-30
JobBOSS² vs E2: what's the difference now?
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They are no longer two competing products. ECI bought Shoptech, the maker of E2 SHOP, in late 2020. In May 2021 it launched JobBOSS² as its go-forward cloud ERP for job shops, combining E2 SHOP's cloud platform with JobBOSS's depth of function. ECI's own FAQ now calls JobBOSS² "formerly E2 Shop". E2 MFG is still on ECI's site, on a page titled "for existing customers", described as an ERP for manufacturers doing repetitive production. A new job shop buying from ECI today is offered JobBOSS². An E2 shop decides whether and when to move.
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Timeline from ECI's own pages
The dates and wording below come from ECI's press release and product pages, read on October 30, 2026.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Q4 2020 | ECI acquires Shoptech, maker of E2 SHOP |
| May 2021 | ECI launches JobBOSS², combining JobBOSS and E2 SHOP, as its go-forward cloud ERP for job shops |
| Today | ECI's JobBOSS² FAQ: "JobBOSS², formerly E2 Shop" |
| Today | E2 MFG page: "The E2 MFG page is titled for existing customers", an ERP for manufacturers doing repetitive production, with accounting, job costing, quality, purchasing, estimating, scheduling and shipping |
What each is for today
JobBOSS² is the job-shop product. ECI describes it as an ERP for make-to-order and custom metal manufacturers, with quoting, job costing, scheduling, inventory, purchasing, shipping and quality. It runs as multi-tenant cloud, private hosted cloud or on-premise, and ECI quotes a 3–6 month implementation. E2 MFG is positioned for repetitive production, with advanced scheduling, data analysis and support for complex, multi-level boms. In plain terms: high-mix, low-volume shops are pointed to JobBOSS², and shops that run the same parts on releases may find E2 MFG still fits.
Owners who lived through the change don't all agree it was an upgrade. In a 2023 Practical Machinist thread, one wrote that their company had used "E2 (then JobBoss then JobBoss^2) for many years. It's clunky and hard to use for new employees." Another, who ran E2 for 16 years, wrote they "would not recommend it to my worst enemy". A third switched from E2 to ProShop and "would never look back". Forum threads lean toward people with problems, so weigh them as questions to ask, not as a verdict.
If you run E2 today
Moving within ECI is still a migration. Treat it like a switch to any new ERP and get the answers before you sign.
- Ask ECI in writing how long E2 MFG will be supported for your version, and what a move to JobBOSS² costs: license, migration, training.
- Export your item master, routings, open orders and quote history from E2 before anything changes, and keep a copy you control.
- Check that your reports, custom fields and integrations exist in JobBOSS², and rebuild the ones that don't before go-live.
- Price at least one other ERP so ECI's offer has a comparison.
- If quoting is the main pain, a quoting tool can come first. QuotedPart works with JobBOSS² (Send to JobBOSS² through ECI's API) and exports CSV or Excel for E2.
Sources and limits
Claims are dated where they can change. Product calculations are examples from the stated inputs, not a promise about a customer's quote. Competitor wording is attributed to the source shown.
- JobBOSS²: Launched in May 2021 as ECI's go-forward cloud ERP for job shops, combining JobBOSS and E2 SHOP (acquired with Shoptech in Q4 2020) (their words: “combining the strengths of existing ERP products, JobBOSS and E2 SHOP”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- JobBOSS²: ECI's own FAQ calls JobBOSS² the former E2 Shop (their words: “JobBOSS², formerly E2 Shop, has extensive experience in helping job shops”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- JobBOSS²: ECI's job-shop ERP for make-to-order and custom metal manufacturers: quoting, job costing, scheduling, inventory, purchasing, shipping and quality (their words: “JOB‑SHOP ERP FOR MAKE‑TO‑ORDER & CUSTOM METAL MANUFACTURERS”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- JobBOSS²: Three deployment options in the US: multi-tenant SaaS cloud, private hosted cloud, or on-premise (their words: “a multi-tenant SaaS cloud, a private hosted cloud for enhanced security, and traditional on-premise installation”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- JobBOSS²: Implementation takes around 3–6 months (their words: “Our implementation takes around 3-6 months to complete.”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- E2 MFG (E2 Shop System): ECI lists E2 MFG for existing customers: an ERP for manufacturers doing repetitive production, with accounting, job costing, quality, purchasing, estimating, scheduling and shipping (their words: “E2 MFG is an ERP for manufacturers that perform repetitive production work.”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- E2 MFG (E2 Shop System): The E2 MFG page is titled for existing customers (their words: “E2 MFG for Existing Customers”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- E2 MFG (E2 Shop System): Advanced scheduling, data analysis and support for complex, multi-level BOMs (their words: “support for customers with complex, multi-level bills of materials (BOMs)”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Practical Machinist thread "ERP - JobBoss^2 vs. ProShop vs. Something Actually Good?" (2023): owner comments on E2 and JobBOSS² quoted as written. — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- QuotedPart: Send to JobBOSS² (estimates, routing and quote via ECI's API); CSV and Excel export for E2 and other systems. — source (checked 2026-10-30)
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