Perfion vs Struct: which PIM fits your situation

The core difference

Perfion gives a choice of owning or subscribing, and Struct sells one multi-tenant SaaS with public prices. Perfion, founded in 2002 in Aalborg and part of Boyum IT since 2023, can be bought as a licence for self-hosting or as SaaS on Microsoft Azure. Struct, headquartered in Odense, moved to a multi-tenant Azure architecture with Struct PIM 4 in November 2024 and publishes monthly prices.

Both target mid-sized manufacturers and distributors with B2B product data. Perfion leans on ERP depth: it documents connectors for Dynamics 365 Business Central, Dynamics 365 Finance, SAP Business One and SAP S/4HANA, plus print catalogue output. Struct leans on transparent packaging: unlimited SKUs and attributes on every tier, with users, languages and add-ons driving price.

Upgrade control follows the hosting model. Perfion states that self-hosted customers choose when and how to upgrade to newer versions. Struct states that multi-tenant updates roll out to all users, so every customer runs the same release. Buyers with heavy customisation or validated processes should weigh which rhythm suits their change management.

PIMvendors has no hands-on implementation experience with either vendor, so this comparison draws on public documentation and selection work. Both appear with sourced records in the PIM vendor directory. Treat every Not publicly documented cell below as an RFI question.

Perfion vs Struct at a glance

The table uses vendor pages and press sources checked on 14 October 2026. Cells marked as a PIMvendors assessment are editorial judgement.

Scenario by scenario

These five tests from the demo scenario library target points where Perfion and Struct are likely to behave differently. Run them on your own sample data, and reject any demo built on a prepared catalogue.

1. SC-25, create items from ERP with a clear master split. Perfion documents standard connectors for four ERP systems. For Struct, confirm the connector route for your ERP before the demo. Test attribute-level ownership and how failed records are logged and retried.
2. SC-15, deliver a BMEcat catalogue with ETIM features. Struct sells an ETIM Connector App. ETIM and BMEcat for Perfion are not documented on the pages reviewed. Ask both vendors to produce a BMEcat file that validates without manual edits.
3. SC-02, supplier self-service onboarding with validation. Perfion's Supplier Portal shares its data model with the PIM, and Struct's portal is a paid add-on. Check that approved records land in the catalogue without a manual transfer.
4. SC-19, generate channel descriptions with AI and approval. Both vendors document AI generation with an approval step. Struct offers pay-as-you-go or bring-your-own AI licensing, so ask how AI cost scales with volume. Confirm that no AI text publishes without recorded approval.
5. SC-18, assemble a Digital Product Passport data set. Perfion markets a Digital Product Passport offering, and Struct does not document one on the pages reviewed. Ask both to show source and owner per passport attribute on governed data.

Pricing model contrast

Struct publishes its price list, and Perfion quotes. Struct Basic starts at EUR 2,200 per month, which is EUR 26,400 per year before add-ons. Basic includes 5 users, 3 languages and 500 GB of storage. Extra users cost EUR 70 and extra languages EUR 200 per month on Basic and Professional. Professional services are listed at EUR 250 per hour.

Struct's add-ons change the total quickly. A buyer adding the Supplier Onboarding Portal (EUR 350), ETIM Connector App (EUR 230) and Publications (EUR 350) adds EUR 930 per month to the tier price. Contract length and cancellation terms are not on the pricing page, so request them.

Perfion publishes no prices on the pages reviewed. Its SaaS page contrasts a fixed, predictable SaaS price with owning the software, where hardware and internal IT staff add cost. Ask Perfion for both models priced over five years, including upgrades and Azure sizing. The TCO calculator helps compare an owned licence with a subscription on the same basis.

Migrating between Perfion and Struct

Migration between Perfion and Struct is a mid-sized project, because both use configurable B2B data models and neither runs a data pool. Three workstreams carry the risk.

1. Data model mapping. Export features, value lists, variants, hierarchies and relations. Perfion's variant definitions must be mapped to Struct product models, or the reverse. Reconcile units and multilingual values per attribute.
2. Assets and output. Move assets with metadata and product links intact. Print catalogue templates and publication layouts rarely migrate, so rebuild them and compare output page by page.
3. Contract and hosting. Leaving an owned Perfion licence ends maintenance, while leaving Struct ends a subscription. Check notice periods, export formats and exit assistance before signing either.

Run both platforms in parallel until the target passes reconciliation on record counts and channel output. The data migration guide covers cut-over steps.

How to decide

Perfion and Struct overlap on target customer, so the choice turns on a few practical criteria.

• Hosting rules. If IT policy requires owning or self-hosting the software, Perfion is the only option of the two. If multi-tenant SaaS is acceptable, both qualify.
• ERP. Dynamics 365 and SAP S/4HANA users should weigh Perfion's documented connectors. SAP Business One users can test both.
• Budget visibility. Struct's public prices let finance build a business case before the RFP. Perfion needs a quote, so request it early.
• Standards. Wholesale suppliers needing ETIM and BMEcat should run SC-15 before shortlisting.
• AI cost. Struct includes AI features with pay-as-you-go or bring-your-own licensing. Ask Perfion how its built-in AI is licensed, then model AI cost at your real description volume.
• Ownership. Both vendors are private equity backed, so negotiate renewal caps and roadmap commitments with either.

Read the Perfion vendor profile and the Struct vendor profile, then test your profile in the PIM Fit Finder. Script both demos from the demo scenarios library.