iPaaS vs Pipe17: Choose the Solution Built for Ecommerce
Pipe17 is the fast and reliable way to make omnichannel order flows touchless and cost-efficient, scaling effortlessly as your business grows.
Trusted by leading brands and fulfillment providers
Set up in days, see results immediately
89% of new Pipe17 customers are fully operational in 2 weeks or less—10x faster than an iPaaS.
An iPaaS has no commerce domain knowledge and no understanding of order operations. This is why iPaaS implementation projects regularly take longer and cost more than expected.
Pipe17 delivers 10-100x better time-to-value by combining superb selling, fulfillment and back-office commerce connectivity with best practice order operations workflows that get you live faster.
Helping you succeed with order operations
Unlike iPaaSes, Pipe17 is more than just ecommerce connectivity. From day one, Pipe17 handles order routing, real-time inventory sync, exception notifications, and financial reconciliation seamlessly.
Pipe17 is purpose built for ecommerce, understanding key concepts like orders, fulfillments, inventory, products, returns, and more. Pipe17 automatically maps these commerce data objects (and many more) across connected applications, and comes ready-made with preconfigured best practice flows and point-and-click rule builders for dynamic order operations customization.
Giving you total control and flexibility
iPaaSes require technical specialists and third-party integrators, leading to high costs, complexity, and loss of control. If any aspect of your business changes, an iPaaS will require time-consuming and costly updates.
Pipe17’s merchant-friendly Order Hub eliminates these issues, giving you control without needing technical expertise. Easily add, swap, or remove channels as your business grows and adjust your workflows as priorities evolve. Pipe17 enables you to be responsive and agile, without compromising on performance or efficiency.
Great Tool and Team
Pipe17 is super user friendly and easy to use for non-technical people, making it possible for us to know the status of all our ecommerce and retail store orders at a glance. We also use Pipe17 to monitor the status of orders with our 3PL, and determine if they are hitting SLAs or falling behind.
Leslie S. | G2 review
See why
brands
merchants
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ecommerce businesses
choose Pipe17 over an iPaaS
See why ecommerce businesses choose Pipe17 over an iPaaS
Integrate selling and fulfillment channels to an ERP
Pipe17
Get up and running fast with full commerce ERP integrations in less than 2 weeks.
Pre-built connectors for 100s of selling channels—from Shopify Plus and TikTok Shop to Faire and Mirakl—and 1,000s of fulfillment providers—from 3PLs like ShipBob and UNIS to WMSs like Peoplevox and Deposco—with popular ERPs like Acumatica and NetSuite.
No integration mappings required.
iPaaS
Go live in 3-9 months depending on your development and configuration expertise.
1000s of pre-built integrations for IT service management & support systems, human resources platforms, and a handful of commerce integrations to the largest ecommerce platforms like Shopify and marketplaces like Amazon and maybe a few 3PLs and WMSs if you’re lucky.
Every integration requires mapping.
Automate processing orders to the optimal location(s) for fulfillment
Pipe17
Native order routing with all the functionality modern merchants need including:
- centralized order routing logic with point-and-click rule builders
- 100s of pre-built routing filters/criteria (e.g., by SKU, selling channel, location, tags, on-hand inventory, total price, etc.)
- customizable selling channel-specific order holds
- omnichannel shipping method maps
- order, bundle, and kit line-item splitting
iPaaS
Offer low-code workflow automation builders which are just fine for linking a singular selling channel to a singular fulfillment location/provider—but you’ll still have to define what orders and related entities are. When you introduce multiple order sources and/or multiple fulfillment locations/providers, you’ll need to either 1) maintain a sprawling web of point-to-point workflow automations 2) build and maintain your own order data model so you can map every channel to a common data format for centralized order routing.
Fix order errors before they impact customer service and satisfaction
Pipe17
Monitors connector endpoints and alerts you if a channel gets disconnected.
20+ tunable alerts that notify you when, where, and why a problem occurs that requires manual intervention anywhere along the end-to-end order lifecycle.
iPaaS
Monitors integration endpoints and alerts you if an integration gets disconnected.
No out-of-the-box order related exception management functionality. Need to custom code any exception logic, notification system, and resolution frameworks.
What's the difference between Pipe17 and an iPaaS?
The main difference between Pipe17 and an iPaaS is that Pipe17’s Order Hub is much better for ecommerce, while an iPaaS is better for other industries.
Pipe17’s Order Hub is exclusively for ecommerce businesses—from sellers and brands to 3PLs and SaaS applications—and integrates with selling channels, fulfillment channels, and back-office applications like ERPs.
The Order Hub is built for the needs of omnichannel commerce businesses with features for order management and routing, inventory management, product and SKU synchronization, exception management, returns and exchanges automation, and much more.
With Pipe17, every feature helps omnichannel commerce businesses grow more profitably by eliminating costs, order processing errors, manual work, and customer complaints.
iPaaSes are used by companies across all types of industries—from healthcare and financial services to hospitality and transportation—and integrates with health record systems, IT management suites, and human resources applications.
iPaaSes are built for the needs of large non-commerce enterprises with features for automated appointment reminders, employee onboarding, digital marketing management, IT support ticket triaging, and deprovisioning software licenses.
With an IpaaS, you pay for all these departmental enterprise features, while features for omnichannel commerce businesses like yours are deprioritized.
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Fully onboard in less than 2 weeks. Our merchant friendly UI, productized order operations best practices, and commerce domain expertise—from solution architecting to onboarding and support—gets you live in days. |
Months or years to implement. iPaaS implementation projects are notoriously slow (and costly), the software's hard to use especially for non-technical teams, and support is technical focused not use case focused. |
Built for ecommerce operators. Pipe17 enables ecommerce operations teams to quickly automate, manage hands-off, and continuously optimize their omnichannel order operations. |
Built for IT and developers. iPaaSes enable information technology and development teams to build custom integrations between their various enterprise application suites faster. |
Superior commerce connectivity. Pipe17 integrates only with the applications that omnichannel commerce businesses rely on—selling channels, 1000s of fulfillment providers, and ERPs. |
Superior integrations for more industries. iPaaSes prioritizes integrations with non-commerce applications like Workday, Zoom, Jira, and ServiceNow which aren't supported on Pipe17. |
Architected for flows. Aware of what commerce data objects are and how they relate to each other at every stage of the order lifecycle. |
Architected for jobs. Data entities are singular events which customers can build their own custom relational awareness and flows on-top of. |
Runs on the unified commerce data model. A single data schema—developed over 500+ implementations and 10,000+ hours—that defines interoperability between order lifecycle applications and eliminates 98% of mappings. |
Must build and maintain custom data model. Infinite data modeling and mapping possibilities, but must construct own custom models and map all integrations to custom models or map all integrations point-to-point. |
Supported by in-house customer success and support experts. Pipe17 sells and services in-house, and works hand-in-hand with any SIT a customer wishes to use one, so you always have access to the right expertise. |
Supported by a network of system integrators and consultants. iPaaSes sell and service through SIs, consultants, and partners so you don't have direct access to the team building the product that your business relies on. |
Easy to adapt and change. Vendor changes (SPLs and other logistic partners especially), channel expansion, and process changes happen in commerce. Pipe17 makes it quick and easy to support them. |
Changes require extensive dev rework. Custom integrations and data models mean that any change or addition to channels or processes require prior setup knowledge and development resources to rework. |
Great for ERPs in commerce. Pipe17 turns ERPs into an order operations powerhouse with bi-directional selling and fulfillment channels syncs and advanced orchestration capabilities at any order volume. |
Good for ERPs outside of commerce. With integrations for 1000s of enterprise apps, iPaaS is a good choice for ERP connectivity for industries that don't need real-time syncs with multiple selling and fulfillment channels. |
A partner committed to commerce. Commerce is not a side business for us. We stay current with changes and are first to market with Amazon and TikTok Shop. |
A partner to enterprise IT teams. Partners are IT and direct to enterprise sales, commerce is a small slice of their focus and receives little to no investment. |
Frequently Asked Questions About Pipe17 and iPaaS
How much does an iPaaS for ecommerce cost compared to Pipe17?
iPaaS total cost of ownership typically ranges from $500K to over $1M for mid-market and enterprise ecommerce operations when you factor in licensing, system integrator fees, custom development, ongoing maintenance, and internal IT resources. iPaaS implementation projects regularly take 3-9+ months with extensive developer involvement.
Pipe17 delivers up to 85% lower total cost of ownership than an iPaaS. Implementations costs 50% less than an iPaaS and takes an average of 30 days to go live. Because Pipe17 combines pre-built commerce connectivity with native order orchestration, you avoid the expensive custom development and ongoing maintenance costs that iPaaS solutions require for ecommerce operations.
For high-volume brands that sell on multiple channels and/or fulfill from multiple warehouses, this cost difference translates to hundreds of thousands in annual savings; all while delivering faster time-to-value, more control, total visibility, and greater agility.
Can an iPaaS handle multi-warehouse order routing for omnichannel brands?
iPaaS tools require significant custom development to build multi-warehouse order routing logic. You’ll need to either maintain a sprawling web of point-to-point workflow automations, or build and maintain your own custom commerce data model to centralize routing decisions across multiple fulfillment locations.
Pipe17’s Order Operations Platform includes native order routing with centralized business logic and point-and-click rule builders. Route orders across any number of warehouses or 3PL partners with 100+ pre-built criteria filters including SKU availability, location proximity, on-hand inventory, shipping method, order source, and more. Brands with 2+ warehouses can be fully operational with optimal order-to-fulfillment routing in less than 21 days with Pipe17.
How long does iPaaS implementation take for 3PLs managing multiple brand clients?
iPaaS implementations for 3PLs typically take 3-9+ months, with additional weeks or months required each time you onboard a new brand client. Every selling channel, marketplace, and back-office system requires custom mapping and configuration work, creating a significant technical bottleneck that limits how fast you can scale.
Pipe17 enables 3PLs to onboard brand clients in days, not months. With pre-configured connectors to hundreds of selling channels (Shopify Plus, Amazon, Temu, eBay, Faire, Mirakl) and popular ERPs like NetSuite and Acumatica, you can say yes to more deals without adding technical headcount. 3PLs processing millions of orders annually report 10x faster client onboarding with Pipe17 versus iPaaS solutions.
What's the difference between iPaaS and Pipe17 for brands and 3PLs?
iPaaS platforms are built for IT departments and developers. They connect enterprise applications across all industries: healthcare, finance, HR, and IT management. When applied to ecommerce fulfillment, iPaaS tools requires extensive custom development because they don’t understand core commerce concepts like orders, fulfillments, inventory, returns, and shipping methods.
Pipe17 is a purpose-built ecommerce iPaaS alternative for brands, 3PLs and fulfillment operations. It combines commerce-specific connectivity with native order management capabilities including client-specific routing rules, real-time inventory synchronization across all brand clients channels, automated exception handling, and financial reconciliation. For 3PLs managing many brand clients, this eliminates the need to build and maintain custom order orchestration logic on top of an iPaaS.
Does iPaaS require developers to manage ecommerce integrations?
Yes, iPaaS platforms are built for IT and development teams. Adding new selling channels, changing order-to-fulfillment routing logic, updating inventory sync rules, or modifying exception handling workflows typically requires developer involvement. This creates dependency on technical resources for routine operational changes.
Pipe17’s merchant-friendly interface enables operations teams to manage order flows without developer support. Business users can add channels, adjust order processing rules, configure inventory sync settings, and customize exception alerts using point-and-click configuration. Customers report eliminating 95%+ of manual work, while reducing IT dependency by requiring zero to one developer to maintain their entire order operations infrastructure.
Can iPaaS integrate NetSuite with multiple 3PL warehouses and selling channels?
iPaaS tools can connect NetSuite to other systems, but it requires extensive custom development to orchestrate order, inventory and product flows across multiple selling channels, 3PLs and NetSuite. You’ll need to build custom order routing logic, inventory allocation rules, and exception handling workflows from scratch. Then maintain this custom code as your business evolves and re-architect if/when you add, swap, or remove a selling channel or 3PL partner.
Pipe17 includes pre-configured NetSuite integrations optimized for ecommerce and 3PL operations. Connect NetSuite to hundreds of selling channels and thousands of fulfillment providers with automated order routing, real-time inventory synchronization, and intelligent exception management included. Brands using NetSuite automate their entire omnichannel order and inventory operations in 2-8 weeks with Pipe17 versus 3-9+ months with an iPaaS.
What happens when a selling channel or 3PL changes their APIs with an iPaaS compared to Pipe17?
With an iPaaS, you’re responsible for monitoring API changes and updating custom integration code and mappings. When Amazon, Shopify, TikTok Shop, or your 3PL partners release API updates, your internal development team or system integrator must modify and test your custom integrations to prevent failures. This creates ongoing maintenance costs and operational risk.
Pipe17’s Managed Connector Network maintains and updates hundreds of pre-built connectors as partner APIs change. When selling channels or fulfillment providers release new API versions, Pipe17 updates the connectors proactively. Customers never experience integration failures or broken data flows due to API changes. This eliminates ongoing developer maintenance costs while ensuring 100% accuracy and uptime for your order operations.
Is iPaaS better than Pipe17 for high-order-volume operations?
iPaaS platforms can handle high transaction volumes, but scaling ecommerce order operations requires significant custom development investment. You’ll need to build custom order orchestration logic, exception handling frameworks, and inventory management systems on top of basic iPaaS connectivity; then optimize this custom code for performance at scale. An iPaaS does make building this custom code easier, but it still requires building the custom code.
Pipe17 is architected specifically for high-volume multi-channel commerce operations. Pipe17’s AI-Native Order Operations Platform powers both 3PLs processing millions of orders annually, and brands doing millions of annual sales across multiple channels. Pipe17 reduces order and fulfillment errors by up to 99% while enabling real-time order routing, inventory synchronization, and exception management at any volume. Grow more profitably and scale with confidence, with the platform loved by both operators and technical teams.
Can iPaaS handle Amazon, Shopify, TikTok Shop, and Walmart integration simultaneously?
iPaaS platforms offer basic connectors to major marketplaces like Amazon and Shopify, but each integration requires extensive custom mapping and configuration. Coordinating order routing, inventory sync, and exception handling across multiple high-volume selling channels requires custom development to build centralized data models, orchestration logic, updating engines, line item splitting and order modifications.
Pipe17 includes pre-configured connectors for Amazon, Shopify Plus, TikTok Shop, Walmart, and hundreds of other ecommerce platforms and marketplaces. Our managed network and canonical commerce data model eliminates 98% of mapping work. Orders from all channels flow through your centralized automation and routing logic where you control order modifications, fulfillment decisions, inventory allocation, and exception handling without maintaining point-to-point integrations. Brands selling and/or fulfilling on 2+ channels achieve touchless order operations in under 30 days.
What's the ROI difference between iPaaS and Pipe17 for ecommerce brands and 3PLs?
iPaaS implementations require 3-9+ months to go live with high upfront costs ($500K+) and ongoing maintenance that reduces margins. For brands, this delayed time-to-value means missed revenue from new channel expansion, extended IT resource drain, more manual work, and slower agility to respond to new market opportunities. For 3PLs, each new brand client requires weeks or months of integration work, creating technical bottlenecks that limit sales velocity and prevent scaling.
Pipe17 delivers measurably better ROI for both brands and 3PLs. Brands achieve connected and automated omnichannel operations in under 30 days, accelerating channel expansion revenue, improving operational efficiency, and reducing total cost of ownership by up to 85%. This faster time-to-value means capturing growth opportunities months sooner while maintaining lean operations without expanding IT headcount.
With Pipe17, 3PLs achieve 10x faster client onboarding and can say yes to more deals without adding technical resources. By reducing client onboarding from months to days, 3PLs accelerate revenue growth while maintaining healthy margins. Customers have seen up to a 70% reduction in support tickets once implementing Pipe17. The ability to serve hundreds of brand clients with minimal technical resources directly improves both top-line growth and bottom-line profitability for 3PLs.
Do I need an iPaaS and an OMS, or is Pipe17 enough?
Legacy ecommerce technology stacks have required separate solutions: an iPaaS for connectivity between channels and systems, plus an OMS for order orchestration and inventory management. This iPaaS and OMS approach creates complexity from: managing two vendors, two implementations, duplicate data flows, and ongoing integration maintenance between the two platforms. Not to mention the cost of having to buy 2 separate solutions.
Pipe17’s Order Operations Platform combines both connectivity and order management in one AI-native solution. You get iPaaS-level integration capabilities for connecting selling channels, fulfillment providers, and back-office systems (NetSuite, Acumatica, SAP, Snowflake), plus native order management functionality for order routing, inventory synchronization, exception management, and fulfillment orchestration. For multi-channel, high-volume brands and 3PLs, Pipe17’s unified approach delivers faster implementation, lower total cost of ownership, greater visibility and control, and simpler ongoing operations versus maintaining separate iPaaS and OMS platforms.
Let's Unify Your Order Operations
Pipe17 connects your commerce channels, automates order operations, and ensures seamless execution across your entire order ecosystem.