Step Ahead STEPS
STEPS is the ERP suite of Step Ahead GmbH, a Bavarian software vendor that positions itself as a focused Mid-Market product for the trade, services and IT verticals. Founded in 1995 in Germering near Munich, Step Ahead has built a customer base of several thousand DACH businesses over almost three decades, with a vertical sweet spot in IT systems houses, technical wholesalers and service-driven mid-sized businesses. The product combines the standard ERP perimeter with vertical packs for IT distribution, service businesses and project-led trade, and ships native DATEV integration and GoBD-aligned bookkeeping for the German market. STEPS is positioned in the Tier-2 segment of the DACH Mid-Market ERP market alongside vendors such as Sage 100 and godesys.
Functional scope
STEPS covers the full Mid-Market ERP perimeter: financials with GoBD-aligned bookkeeping, AR/AP, multi-currency handling, sales and purchasing with frame contracts, multi-warehouse inventory, integrated CRM, project management with time-and-materials tracking, service-call management with field-service support, contract management with recurring billing for IT and service businesses, and document management. Vertical packs cover IT distribution (with deep handling of serial numbers, warranty and licence management), service businesses (with field-service workflows) and project-led trade (with project-controlling depth). The product handles the typical trade-with-service hybrid model of an IT systems house better than most horizontal ERPs and is a frequent choice for that vertical in DACH.
Target segment
STEPS targets German Mid-Market businesses between roughly 20 and 250 users in three primary verticals: IT systems houses and IT distribution, technical wholesale with significant service content, and project-led services such as engineering services or technical consultancies. The product is less well aligned with discrete manufacturing — for those use cases, abas ERP, proALPHA or SIVAS.ERP fit better — and is not the natural choice for e-commerce-first SMBs where Xentral, weclapp or JTL-Wawi typically deliver a better fit. At the upper end above 250 users with international multi-entity consolidation, Business Central or NetSuite usually provide more scale.
Architecture and deployment
STEPS is delivered both as an on-premises product and as a hosted managed service through Step Ahead or qualified partners. The technology stack is conservative and stable: a thick-client / web-hybrid front-end on Microsoft SQL Server, which is the standard combination for established Mid-Market ERPs in DACH. The product is not multi-tenant SaaS in the strict cloud-native sense; the hosting model is closer to dedicated cloud deployment with vendor-managed infrastructure. Open interfaces cover DATEV, banking, shipping carriers, common DMS platforms and the most relevant CRM and e-commerce systems for the target verticals.
Pricing and TCO
STEPS is sold under classical perpetual or rental licensing with annual maintenance, plus implementation services charged on a project basis. The vendor does not publish a public per-user price list. As a directional benchmark for a 50-user deployment in an IT systems house or technical wholesaler, software licences typically land between 40,000 and 120,000 euro, implementation services between 80,000 and 250,000 euro, and five-year total cost of ownership between 200,000 and 500,000 euro depending on vertical-pack depth and customisation. This places STEPS in the mid price segment of the DACH Mid-Market ERP market.
Selection considerations
STEPS is a strong choice for German Mid-Market IT systems houses, technical wholesalers and project-led service businesses between 20 and 250 users that value vertical depth, native DATEV integration and a focused vendor with decades of experience in the target verticals. It is less compelling for pure discrete manufacturers, e-commerce-first SMBs or upper-Mid-Market groups with international consolidation needs. For organisations where the trade-with-service hybrid model is core — an IT systems house being the archetype — STEPS is one of the most appropriate DACH Mid-Market options alongside Sage 100 and godesys.
Related Topics
Vendor homepage of STEPS (Step Ahead)
Current view of the website https://www.stepahead.de/
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is STEPS designed for?
STEPS is designed for German Mittelstand businesses between 20 and 250 users in three primary verticals: IT systems houses and IT distribution, technical wholesale with significant service content, and project-led services. The IT systems house is arguably the archetype customer because of the trade-with-service hybrid workflow that STEPS handles particularly well.
Is STEPS a cloud product?
STEPS is delivered both as an on-premises product and as a hosted managed service through Step Ahead or qualified partners. It is not multi-tenant SaaS in the strict cloud-native sense; the hosting model is closer to dedicated cloud deployment with vendor-managed infrastructure.
How does STEPS compare with Sage 100?
STEPS and Sage 100 both target the German Mittelstand and overlap on the trade and services verticals. STEPS has stronger vertical packs for IT systems houses and technical wholesale with service content; Sage 100 has a broader horizontal footprint and a larger partner network. The choice usually comes down to vertical fit and partner availability in the buyer's region.