Paladin and ECI: Comparing POS Systems

Quick answer

Paladin and ECI both offer business management software with analytics for independent hardware stores, lumberyards and other retailers. Despite relatively significant differences, many retailers can conceivably implement either Paladin or ECI.  
 
The following guide can help you get your head around which POS system might be best for your particular business. The main differences between the companies include the industries in which we operate, the mixture of products and services we offer, and the general nature of each provider’s contracts and fees. 

What are the main differences between Paladin and ECI?

	Paladin	ECI
Founded	1980 (for hardware & LBM)	1999 (as OfficeSupplies.com) [1]
Ownership	Employee-owned, no outside investors	Owned by private equity investors [2, 3]
Locations	Tempe, Arizona and Bend, Oregon	Westlake, Texas (plus several other domestic and overseas offices and additional headquarters in Australia and Europe)
Deployment	Hybrid (In-store Windows client/server, plus cloud and local backup)	Cloud (Windows client application with online servers)
Works during an internet outage	Yes	Yes with add-on POS Assured tool; without POS Assured, no [4, 5, 6]
Industries served	Hardware, LBM, feed and seed, pharmacy, general retail	Manufacturing, residential construction, distribution (including retail), building supply, office technology, and field service
Support	US-based phone, e-mail and chat support on weekdays plus 24/7 live emergency support. Included for all POS subscribers (no tiered plans).	Phone and web-based support on weekdays; 24/7 live emergency support; costs for out-of-hours support can vary based on contract [7]
Mobile	PaladinGo™ for iOS and Android: sell, receive, scan, build supplier POs	Spruce Mobile, AnyWare (for POs, customer orders, and delivery tracking with RockSolid MAX)
Beyond POS	PaladinShop e-commerce, delivery management, Paladin Pilot™ remote PC access, managed IT and cybersecurity, Microsoft 365 licensing	ERP, B2B e-commerce, payment processing, delivery management
Agreement	Month to month, no long-term contract, no cancellation fees	Quote-based monthly subscriptions with mandatory support; customers report significant switching costs [8, 9]

 

When and where were Paladin and ECI founded, and who owns them?

Paladin Data Corporation started in 1980 in Bend, Oregon, building software for lumberyards and hardware stores. Paladin is employee owned with no outside investors, so the people building and supporting the product are the same people who own the company. Each employee’s ownership stake grows over time, which encourages long careers and keeps accountability close to the customer. There’s no investor exit clock running behind your renewal. 

ECI started in Wilmington, Delaware in 1999 as OfficeSupplies.com. ECI is owned by private equity investing firms Apax Partners, Leonard Green & Partners, and GIC. 

What happens to Paladin and ECI systems when the internet goes down?

Paladin runs a hybrid model. Your server and terminals live in your store on your local network, with online backup plus a local backup server. Properly equipped with UPS backup power, your registers can keep ringing through internet outages and even power outages. 

ECI Spruce and RockSolid MAX are cloud-based systems. They use client applications on Windows PCs, with offsite servers. The add-on POS Assured tool can store offline transactions and upload them after outages end, but only if the store pays extra to add that feature. 

A cloud-based ECI system can mean less hardware to manage but extra costs or more dependency on your internet connection. Hybrid means a server in the building and a store that keeps selling when the connection drops. If you’re rural, or you’ve ever lost thousands of dollars in revenue on a Saturday to an ISP outage, weigh that carefully. 

What are support and subscription fees like at Paladin and ECI?

Paladin support is 100% U.S.-based, running 12.5 hours on weekdays plus 24/7 coverage for store-down emergencies. We work by phone, email or chat, and can connect to your PCs remotely to maximize our efficiency for hands-on support tasks. Our support team sits alongside our development department, so the people who answer your call can reach the people who wrote the code. Paladin does not offer a la carte support or tiered options – all Paladin clients get full access to support and all contracts are month to month, with no cancellation fees. 

ECI also offers support during typical weekday business hours and live, 24/7 emergency coverage. After-hours support may incur extra charges depending on contract terms [10, 11]. ECI also charges for add-on modules, so some features they develop for their POS system are only available if purchased separately.

Paladin and ECI’s respective online knowledge bases are also worth evaluating before you buy. Paladin’s knowledge base is packed with concise, human-written technical documents, so plenty of tasks may never require a call at all.

Are reviews from Paladin and ECI users positive or negative?

Paladin users most commonly express satisfaction with our 100% US-based customer support, which is included with every Paladin subscription [16, 17]. They also frequently praise the system’s simplicity and speed, at checkout and in training [18]. One hardware store we recently spoke with (Evans Ace in Hamilton, MT) says new cashiers are normally fully trained with minimal guidance by lunchtime on their first day. Users appreciate our month-to-month subscription terms and cost savings over other systems [16]. They also tend to appreciate the automated PaladinNsight™ inventory analytics and Suggested Order Reports built into PaladinPOS that help improve profit margins and automate time-consuming counting, ordering, and pricing tasks [18].

ECI users in the hardware and LBM industries essentially have two choices of ECI business management systems. The RockSolid MAX POS system focuses on fast checkout, inventory tracking and purchasing, while Spruce is an ERP system intended as a comprehensive business management platform (including accounting features like accounts payable and general ledger) for building materials suppliers. Complexity (including in reporting and accounting) is a common complaint from online reviewers of both ECI product lines, along with contract- and cost-related issues [12, 13]. Support is another part of ECI where users voice dissatisfaction. They say the availability of quick help can vary, and when they need help it can be too expensive [12, 15].

As for user ratings, this table compares current average scores for Paladin and ECI from a few different places around the web. The current average user rating for Paladin across these platforms is 4.64 out of 5. ECI’s current average is considerably lower at 3.04 out of 5.

Platform	Paladin	ECI
Capterra	4.6/5	Spruce 3.2/5; RockSolid MAX 3.9/5
G2	no rating	Spruce 2.5/5
Customer service sub-scores (Capterra):	4.5/5	Spruce 2.8/5; RockSolid MAX 3.9/5
GetApp, Software Advice	4.6/5	Spruce 3.2/5; RockSolid MAX 3.9/5
SourceForge	4.8/5	Spruce 2/5; RockSolid MAX not rated
Slashdot	4.7/5	Spruce 2/5; RockSolid MAX not rated

Live product demos make great opportunities to try out various workflows and modules for speed, functionality, complexity and so on. They also provide a peek at future workdays for your store’s POS users. If the system is complex or slow, you’re going to need more tech support, and that support must be exceptional. If the system is simple, fast, and sufficient for your day-to-day needs, you’re not likely to need a lot of tech support (but when you need it, it still needs to be great). 

What do you get from Paladin and ECI beyond checkout?

ECI’s offerings beyond the checkstand include ERP, payment processing services, B2B and consumer-oriented e-commerce systems, and tools for wholesale distribution, field service, manufacturing and construction. Various mobile apps support different aspects of those lines of business, including a Spruce AnyWare app that mobilizes POS functions like customer order management, delivery tracking, and signature capture. 

Paladin offers straightforward retail e-commerce solutions with PaladinShop, PaladinPilot remote PC access, Microsoft 365 licensing, and managed IT services including cybersecurity, backup and update management, and whole network management. PaladinGo handles mobile checkout, receiving, inventory and supplier PO building on iOS and Android. We also sell the hardware and supplies stores need to either implement or maintain their Paladin systems, from barcode scanners and receipt paper to network firewalls and pole displays. 

While ECI is a larger company with a longer list of software products and target industries, Paladin’s retail-focused approach means a small team can work with just one technology partner instead of a POS vendor plus a separate IT company. 

Questions worth asking both companies:
Bring the same list to every demo and write down the answers:

• Can I talk to three stores my size that finished implementation in the last year?
• Which of the capabilities you just showed me are live today, and which are on the roadmap?
• What exactly does my supplier integration cover, and what does it leave out?
• What happens to my registers when the internet goes down?
• When and how is technical support available, and at what cost?
• What is the total first-year cost in writing, including card processing rates?
• How long is the agreement, and what does it cost to leave?
• Who owns this company, and what happens to me if that changes?

Is Paladin or ECI the best POS solution for lumber/LBM retailers?

When considering POS systems, carefully evaluating prospective vendors’ experience and feature depth in terms of your specific industry is vital. The following is a list of tools and features built specifically for lumber dealers over the course of Paladin’s nearly 50-year history.

LBM Specific Sales, Quoting & Invoicing Tools, Lumber Industry Calculators

• Thousand Board Foot (MBF) Calculator: converts mill unit pricing to customer each pricing
• Thousand Square Foot (MSF) Calculator: same logic for sheet goods
• Ton Pricing Calculator: bulk materials priced by ton
• Lineal Foot Tally/Footage Calculator: tally mixed length pieces (feet/inches); accessible via CTRL K or right click; works on POs too
• Square Footage Calculator: width times length times pieces, accessed via right click or Ctrl+S

Buy/Sell Unit of Measure Conversions

• Buy by MBF, sell by the stick: auto calculated stick cost with retail auto update to target margin on PO receipt
• Show MBF/MSF/Ton prices on quotes and invoices via inventory checkbox
• Extended precision on numbers: up to 6 decimals on price, 4 on quantity, real time extension updates

Quote & Invoice Power Tools

• Profit Analyst: real time cost/profit/margin visibility (average and market cost) while building quotes; tune pricing up or down by item
• Weight Analyst: complex weight based SKUs on invoices/quotes
• Discount Analyst: displays which pricing/discount plan applies to any line
• Dynamic subtotals anywhere in a quote, auto recalculating
• Insert items/notes/preexisting quotes anywhere in an invoice or quote
• Detailed notes, descriptions, and special-order instructions as permanent record
• Auto update stale pricing on recalled quotes (blue highlight, one click update single or all)
• Search for any part or value within an invoice or quote
• Sophisticated item family search (e.g., pull entire gutter product family at once)
• View images on anything in the invoice/quote/advanced lookup
• Hide itemized pricing (“Print Unpriced Quote”)
• Stored quotes/orders/on holds recall window
• Stock visibility (on hand, on order, on hold) on every quoted line
• Auto Quote Numbers with sequential IDs
• Integration with Saberis Software (middleware platform that connects supplier ordering systems directly to Point-of-Sale)

Lumber Order Manager (Staged/Partial Fulfillment)

• Convert quotes into orders (F5/Order Manager)
• Order Manager: deliver partial quantities while protecting quoted pricing
• Sell partial orders over time with auto fill quantity and item history
• Auto close on completion
• Auto put items ON HOLD in Order Manager
• On Hold feature: commit inventory without billing to a job yet
• Buy Down Quote Pick List Report (Excel export)

Special Orders

• Built in margin/price calculator for special orders
• Force to large sheet, set percent deposit, add freight, exclude from rewards by class
• Numerous deposit options presented to salesperson
• Automatic PO generation from special order event
• Optional setting to allow special order modifications

Yard Order Forms & Delivery Order Forms

• Yard Order Forms: 4 sizes/types, optional second printer tray, item only or full invoice print
• Confidential pricing at the yard (all sale details except price/payment)
• Delivery Order Forms with “Received by” and “Delivered by” fields
• Yard only Oversold Warning filter
• Yard Order filtering by location
• Yard Order Printing to unique printer

Construction Bundles & Kits

• Construction bundles to boost productivity and simplify checkout
• Full kit: simple, complex, dynamic; line item priced or trigger only priced

Return Wizard

• One scan recall via receipt barcode, customer, or product lookup; supports serial numbers for warranty claims

Contractor & Job Account Management

• Job/project management with on request historical invoices
• Every quote/invoice can be tied to a specific project
• Duplicate – Child (project) accounts under a parent contractor account
• Per project credit limits
• Contractor reports by project/job/address (Excel/PDF export)
• Assign project to invoice for all payment types (not just AR)
• Authorized signers recorded, verified at checkout, printed on receipt
• Custom trade discounts and specialized pricing plans, auto applied by customer
• Project payment management: Open Item AR, applied payment history per project
• Contractor discounts at sale or as prompt payment discount on statement
• AR statement generation (print/email) with transaction reports by project
• Past due balance alerts/limits
• Enhanced Month End Statement (automatic, reversible, Account Summary Report)
• Right click AR access

The bottom line

ECI offers cloud-based retail technology systems for independent stores and larger multi-store enterprises both within and beyond the hardware and LBM industries. Their focus is relatively broad, with global reach, outside funding, and separate products developed for industries outside of Paladin’s areas of expertise (manufacturing, wholesale distribution, etc.). This broad focus arguably reflects in some negative reviews of ECI, which most commonly call out high relative cost and complexity in the products and support options. 

Paladin offers nearly five decades of experience with POS software in hardware and lumber, employee ownership with no exit clock running, renowned US-based support, and a full set of services to support your store beyond the register. Our hybrid POS solution keeps your cash registers ringing during internet outages (no extra service charges required). Our focus remains in the retail world, where the products and services we offer will continue to grow and improve based on the needs of our users in hardware, LBM, and other retail stores. Our contracts run month to month with no hidden costs or cancellation fees. For many retail operators, Paladin’s focused industry experience, straightforward contracts and relatively low cost make it a simpler, more right-sized option. 

Whichever direction you go, focus on establishing the clearest possible vision of your store’s future before signing a contract. Always make industry-specific experience, support, efficiency, and long-term value part of the conversation.

Ready to compare for yourself? Reach Paladin’s Sales team at 800-725-2346 (option 1) or sales@paladinpos.com.

Sources

1: https://www.ecisolutions.com/company/; 2: https://www.apax.com/news-views/apax-funds-increase-their-investment-in-eci-software-solutions/ 3: https://www.ecisolutions.com/news/apax-funds-increase-their-investment-in-eci-software-solutions/ 4: https://www.ecisolutions.com/news/eci-releases-pos-assured-offline-solution-for-spruce-and-rocksolid-max-business-systems/; 5: https://customerportal.ecisolutions.com/s/article/Spruce-POS-Assured?language=en_US 6: https://resource.ecisolutions.com/c/4x82mrzw3u?x=7lRoKH; 7: https://www.ecisolutions.com/products/rocksolid-max/pricing/ 8: https://www.selecthub.com/p/retail-pos-systems/rocksolid-max/ 9: https://www.capterra.com/p/218534/Spruce/reviews/; 10: https://help.service.ecihosting.com/swn/Content/Spruce/productsupport.htm; 11: https://help.service.ecihosting.com/RSM/Content/Spruce/contactingsupport.htm 12: https://www.capterra.com/p/218534/Spruce/reviews/ 13: https://www.g2.com/products/eci-software-solutions-inc-spruce/reviews?qs=pros-and-cons; 14: https://softwareconnect.com/reviews/eci-spruce/; 15: https://www.capterra.com/p/218533/RockSolid-MAX/reviews/ 16: https://www.softwareadvice.com/scm/paladin-pos-profile/reviews/ 17: https://checkthat.ai/brands/paladin-point-of-sale/reviews; 18: https://www.capterra.com/p/155794/Paladin-POS/reviews/