Choosing the right EDI services provider is one of the most important technology decisions a supplier, distributor, or manufacturer can make.
An incompatible provider can slow down onboarding for new trading partners, create endless manual data corrections, and fragment order processing across systems.
The right EDI partner, however, integrates seamlessly with your ERP and gives you complete visibility into every EDI transaction.
Most companies continue to regard EDI as a retailer requirement, not a necessity to actually improve their operations. EDI is much more than a technical requirement; it is a cornerstone to digital efficiency, accuracy, and scalability.
This guide addresses the issue of identifying the most appropriate EDI providers in your business, what features matter, and why a single platform like OrderEase is the future of automating B2B orders.
EDI began decades ago as a standardized way to exchange business documents such as purchase orders, invoices, and shipping notices. It enabled retailers, distributors, and suppliers to share information electronically instead of relying on paper or fax. It replaced paper and fax with structured digital formats like ANSI X12 and EDIFACT.
But as supply chains globalized and digital commerce exploded, businesses began demanding more. They needed systems that could:
Traditional EDI providers remain siloed, limited to simply converting order or invoice data into readable formats without enabling true process integration.
In 2025, the best EDI providers aren’t just those who can connect you to your trading partners; they’re those who can connect your entire business ecosystem.
When evaluating EDI services, it’s tempting to focus on technical specs or cost. But the real differentiators lie in how the solution fits into your operational workflow and scales with your growth.
Below are the five criteria that matter most:
Your EDI system should connect directly with your ERP; whether that’s NetSuite, Sage 300, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Spire, or Infor. Integration ensures data flows automatically between your systems and trading partners, eliminating duplicate entry and reducing costly mistakes.
Gone are the days of relying on IT every time you onboard a new trading partner. Look for platforms that offer no-code configuration, pre-built templates, and visual data fields, like customer names, product codes, or prices.
You can’t improve what you can’t see. The best systems provide live dashboards and alerts for order status, errors, and partner performance, giving your team full visibility into every stage of an order.
Your provider should handle any format or standard your partners require. Different secure methods for sending and receiving electronic data, like email for computers. and support fast onboarding as your network expands.
EDI vendors promise automation and compliance, but only a few deliver meaningful operational transformation. Here’s a breakdown of the top five best EDI providers shaping the industry, with OrderEase leading the way.
Best For: B2B suppliers, distributors, and manufacturers seeking complete automation across EDI, eCommerce, and ERP systems.
OrderEase doesn’t just process EDI documents; it unifies your entire order ecosystem. It’s a B2B Order Management System (OMS) that brings together EDI, online portals, marketplaces, and even manually entered orders into one seamless workflow.
By combining automation, visibility, and integration, OrderEase eliminates the traditional disconnect between EDI and business operations.
Traditional EDI solutions focus on data transmission. OrderEase focuses on business transformation. It acts as a digital backbone, ensuring every system, ERP, EDI, and eCommerce, speaks the same language.
Learn more at OrderEase.com
Best For: Large-scale retail suppliers and enterprises with complex compliance needs.
SPS Commerce offers one of the world’s largest trading networks, handling EDI for thousands of retailers. Its service model, where the provider handles setup, maintenance, and updates for you. Takes care of mapping, onboarding, and partner management.
SPS is powerful but often too rigid for growing suppliers that need visibility and speed.
Best For: Mid-sized manufacturers and distributors focused on ERP-centric workflows.
TrueCommerce focuses on process automation between trading partners.
Best For: Enterprises managing complex EDI and API integrations.
Cleo Integration Cloud stands out as a hybrid platform that bridges the gap between traditional EDI and modern API-driven data exchange. It’s purpose-built for enterprises that manage high transaction volumes and require deep configurability to connect multiple systems, partners, and cloud applications within a single ecosystem.
Cleo is powerful but often over-engineered for mid-market or non-technical teams.
Best For: Small to medium-sized suppliers starting their EDI journey.
B2BGateway offers a cloud-based EDI solution designed for simplicity, affordability, and ease of onboarding. It’s particularly suited for companies taking their first steps into digital trading, providing managed EDI services without requiring in-house technical expertise. By managing compliance, mapping, and partner setup, B2BGateway enables small suppliers to exchange documents with major retailers quickly and reliably.
While B2BGateway is a reliable entry-level choice, it lacks the scalability and integration capabilities needed for digital-first operations.
After decades of legacy systems dominating the market, OrderEase redefines what businesses can expect from their EDI partner. It’s not just about automation, it’s about connection.
From order capture to invoicing, every workflow is automated. The system handles acknowledgments, fulfillment updates, and payment confirmations without human intervention.
OrderEase unifies EDI with other digital order sources like B2B portals, dropship requests, and marketplace orders. It’s designed for the real world, where not all partners are EDI-ready.
Live integration with ERP systems keeps product data, pricing, and stock levels accurate across every sales channel.
Instead of reacting to issues, businesses can anticipate them. Real-time dashboards provide insights into order volume, status, and fulfillment bottlenecks.
Visual mapping and no-code setup empower operations teams to manage connections confidently, with no need for ongoing IT involvement or third-party consultants.
Most EDI projects take months to go live. With OrderEase’s ready-made setups and partner templates, you can connect with new trading partners and go live in days, not weeks.
When narrowing down providers, use this evaluation framework to guide your decision:
| Criteria | What to Ask | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Integration Depth | Does it integrate natively with your ERP or require middleware? | Reduces manual data entry and sync errors |
| Visibility | Can you see all order data across channels in one dashboard? | Enables faster, data-driven decisions |
| Automation | Are manual touchpoints still required in order fulfillment or invoicing? | True automation lowers operational costs |
| Scalability | Can it handle new partners or standards quickly? | Future-proofs your operations |
| Ease of Use | Can non-technical users manage connections confidently? | Ensures faster adoption and autonomy |
By applying this framework, it becomes clear that only one platform, OrderEase, satisfies all five dimensions of modern EDI.
The next generation of EDI isn’t about replacing file formats; it’s about redefining the way businesses communicate. As digital transformation accelerates, EDI must evolve beyond document transfer into end-to-end order management that connects every participant in the supply chain.
OrderEase embodies that future:
In essence, it turns EDI into what it was always meant to be, a foundation for digital collaboration.
Choosing the right EDI service provider can make the difference between operational chaos and complete digital control. While established players like SPS Commerce, TrueCommerce, and Cleo remain powerful in specific niches, they were built for an older, fragmented era of B2B communication.
OrderEase leads the new era, one defined by connectivity, automation, and visibility. It doesn’t just handle EDI; it unites every order channel into a single, intelligent ecosystem that helps your business run smarter, faster, and more profitably.
If your goal is to future-proof your operations, reduce manual work, and transform EDI into a growth advantage, the choice is clear:
Deployment times vary widely depending on your provider’s onboarding process, your ERP integration complexity, and the partner’s requirements. Many modern providers now offer pre-configured mappings and automated testing to bring a trading partner live in days rather than weeks.
The provider must at least comply with standard standards such as ANSI X12 (widely used in North America) and EDIFACT (widely used internationally), and communication protocols such as AS2, SFTP, or VAN. In the case of global or multi-channel operations, API-based flow support, email/PDF order capture, and multi-format translation are also becoming an important requirement.
Some of the common underlying problems are: long-term lock-in contracts, additional charges to add to new trading partners, or map updates, unsupportive non-EDI order channels (such as email or portal orders), and a lack of visibility dashboards that need to be manually reconciled. It is important to analyze the openness of the provider in the pricing, contract of service levels (SLA), and the ability of the provider to address the changes in partners continuously.