Canals is the hardest distributor AI to replace: it claims over 100 distributors, raised $35 million in May 2026 and says it is the preferred AI provider for AD members. The right alternative depends on which part you need. Proton.ai and Distro compete on quoting and order entry, Conexiom on high-volume capture across the 40+ ERPs it lists, Prokeep on customer texting, Didero and Leverage AI on PO follow-up, and Augment on order entry plus supplier chasing.
Morsa publishes this guide and appears in it. Every vendor fact was read on the vendor’s own site, or in the trade press where noted, on 12 October 2026.
Quick answer
Quoting and order entry with CRM and ecommerce: Proton.ai.
Quoting for HVAC, plumbing and industrial counters: Distro.
Order capture into almost any ERP: Conexiom.
Customer texting and orders at the counter: Prokeep.
Chasing suppliers on open POs: Didero or Leverage AI, or Augment if you also want order entry.
What does Canals do, and why is it hard to replace?
Canals started as an AI sales order entry tool and, in its own words, “expanded from an AI sales order entry tool to an end-to-end AI workflow suite” across sales, customer service, accounting, purchasing and receiving. Today it sells order entry, inquiry handling, takeoffs, accounts payable, accounts receivable, statement reconciliation, and PO and receipt tracking.
The proof is strong. Its 28 May 2026 release claims “over 100 distributors,” including DSG, The Kendall Group and Locke Supply, and “over 8 million sales orders and $5 billion in payables,” alongside a $35 million round led by Base10 Partners. Its AD page reads “Preferred AI Provider for AD Members” and “Trusted by 50+ AD Members.” In that release Paul Kennedy, CEO of DSG and then chair of the board of the National Association of Electrical Distributors, said: “Canals is now our gold standard for how technology can continue driving the business forward.”
It lists 14 ERP entries, from Eclipse and Prophet 21 to AS400 and custom systems, and its homepage shows “2 weeks from kickoff to go-live.”
Why look for a Canals alternative?
Because Canals is broad and strong, the reasons to look elsewhere are about fit, not failure.
Vertical. Canals says it is built “for the construction and industrial supply chain,” and lists electrical, plumbing, HVAC, mechanical, industrial, lumber and building materials. A food or consumer goods wholesaler fits less well.
Platform. Canals integrates with Salesforce and Zoho rather than selling a CRM. If you want CRM, product data and ecommerce from your order entry vendor, Proton.ai is built that way.
Channel. If your customers text the counter, Prokeep is built around that conversation.
Depth on purchasing. Canals’ PO tracking “reads” each acknowledgment, updates the PO and flags discrepancies. Didero publishes an outreach cadence for suppliers who do not reply: “Initial outreach at 48 hours, then every 24 hours,” with buyer escalation last. If silent suppliers are your problem, compare the two on that point.
Price. Canals publishes no price; canals.ai/pricing returned a 404 on 12 October 2026. Neither do most alternatives.
What are the 8 best Canals alternatives in 2026?
Ordered by how much of Canals’ work each replaces and how much proof it publishes. Morsa is last: no distribution customers yet.
1. Proton.ai
Quick overview: CRM, PIM, eCommerce AI and Order & Quote Entry AI on one data layer. Its order agents, generally available since 21 July 2026, “draft the quote, send the email, follow up when the customer goes quiet, and source substitutes when the branch can’t fill the order.”
Best for: Distributors that want CRM and ecommerce from the same vendor as order entry.
Pros: “15 minutes to under 60 seconds per quote.” Connectors for Prophet 21, Eclipse, Infor SX.e, SAP, NetSuite, AS/400 and “20+ others.” Named customers include MSC, Vallen, ORS Nasco and R.S. Hughes. Raised a $20 million Series A led by Felicis Ventures (January 2022, per Modern Distribution Management).
Cons: No AP or PO tracking in its product list; Inventory AI and Pricing AI “Coming soon”; no published go-live time.
Pricing: Quote only. Source: proton.ai
2. Conexiom
Quick overview: Conexiom Relay turns RFQs, orders, vendor acknowledgements and invoices into “ERP-ready data,” with rules and checks the team controls.
Best for: Large, high-volume distributors, or groups running several ERPs.
Pros: “Trusted on 1.5B+ line items a year.” “Pre-built, native integrations with 40+ ERPs.” A “30-day average” implementation. Expanded its Epicor partnership for Eclipse and Prophet 21 on 14 July 2026, citing “hundreds of joint customers.” SOC 2 Type II.
Cons: Document capture and validation; no quoting with contract pricing, CRM or supplier chasing described.
Pricing: Quote only. Source: conexiom.com
3. Distro
Quick overview: “The Agentic Sales Operating System for Industrial Distributors”: RFQ, bid list and PO processing, CPQ for commercial HVAC, a website agent and AP invoicing.
Best for: HVAC, plumbing and industrial distributors whose counters live in quotes.
Pros: “90%+ Faster Quoting,” “92%+ Item Match Accuracy.” Lists Prophet 21, Eclipse, Infor CSD, SX.e, FACTS, NetSuite, Acumatica and DDI. Total time to go live “3 to 5 weeks.”
Cons: Supplier follow-up is not in its product list.
Pricing: Quote only. Source: distro.app
4. Augment
Quick overview: Augie “quotes, chases suppliers”: it drafts quotes and orders for a rep to confirm and “chases suppliers on every late PO automatically.”
Best for: Larger, multi-ERP distributors that want order entry and supplier follow-up from one agent.
Pros: “Augie is integrated in production with Oracle, SAP, Epicor Eclipse, Epicor Prophet 21, and Infor.” Supplier follow-up runs from inboxes, portals and “a recurring file of open POs.” Homepage claims “$110M Total funding raised.” Logos include Johnstone Supply, Reece and Watsco.
Cons: Much of the product serves freight; no published go-live time.
Pricing: “Per completed unit”; no list price. Source: goaugment.com
5. Prokeep
Quick overview: A shared inbox and “AI-Powered Order Engine” for the counter and inside sales: texts, phone, web chat and email in one place, with AI that turns “any text, email, PDF, Excel or images” into a quote priced from the ERP.
Best for: Branch-heavy distributors whose customers text orders.
Pros: “Helping 8,500+ distributors win over 20 million orders.” Integrates with Eclipse, Prophet 21, DDI and NetSuite. Priced per branch location, not per user or per message, with unlimited users.
Cons: Front-of-house only: no AP or PO tracking; no published go-live time.
Pricing: Custom quote, per branch. Source: prokeep.com
6. Didero
Quick overview: AI procurement agents that “manage supplier communication, documents, approvals, system updates, and exception handling,” from PO management to AP.
Best for: Purchasing teams whose pain is open POs and silent suppliers.
Pros: “100+ mid-market and enterprise deployments”; “go live in under 3 weeks.” At Echelon Supply & Service, an industrial distributor on Epicor, it reports “1,100+ POs on Autopilot Per Month.” Shows ERP logos from SAP and Oracle to Epicor, Infor, Acumatica and Syspro. Raised $30 million, with Microsoft named as a backer.
Cons: Buy side only; no order entry or quoting for your customers.
Pricing: Quote only. Source: didero.ai
7. Leverage AI
Quick overview: PO visibility that automates “supplier follow-ups for buyers,” parses acknowledgments, scores suppliers and writes updates back to the ERP.
Best for: Buyers at manufacturers and distributors who chase acknowledgments and lead times.
Pros: Steve Andrews, Director at Systems Control: “Leverage saves each of our buyers at least 50% of their time every week.” Integrations for Dynamics 365, Epicor Kinetic and P21, Infor SyteLine, NetSuite, Oracle, SAP and Sage Intacct.
Cons: Buy side only; no published price or go-live time.
Pricing: Quote only. Source: tryleverage.ai
8. Morsa
Quick overview: An AI COO for operations, working in email, Teams, WhatsApp, phone or whatever the team runs on. It handles order entry and quoting; its strength is after the order: supplier and PO chasing, delivery-date commitments, customer updates and shortages.
Best for: Distributors that want the buy side and the customer side of a late order handled together.
Pros: Connects to SAP Business One, Dynamics 365, NetSuite, Odoo, Zoho, QuickBooks and any system with an API, a database, an export or an email trail. Cloud, private cloud or fully on-premise.
Cons: Distribution customers: none yet (manufacturing live). Prophet 21 and Eclipse are not on its published integration list (it connects them by API, database, export or email trail); starts with a pilot.
Pricing: Pilot first; then a share of measured value; no public price. Source: morsa.ai/pricing
How do the Canals alternatives compare?
Vendor wording or our summary of it, read 12 October 2026. Canals is the baseline.
Canals (baseline)
Best for: Orders, AP and POs in one
What it automates: Quotes, orders, AP, AR, PO and receipt tracking
ERPs it lists: 14, incl. Eclipse, P21, AS400
Pricing: Quote only
Published proof: 8M+ sales orders
Go-live time it states: 2 weeks
Distribution customers: DSG, Locke Supply; 100+ claimed
Proton.ai
Best for: Orders with CRM
What it automates: Quotes, orders, CRM, PIM, ecommerce
ERPs it lists: P21, Eclipse, SX.e, SAP, NetSuite, 20+ others
Pricing: Quote only
Published proof: Under 60 sec per quote
Go-live time it states: Not published
Distribution customers: MSC, Vallen, R.S. Hughes
Conexiom
Best for: High-volume capture
What it automates: RFQs, orders, VOAs, invoices
ERPs it lists: 40+
Pricing: Quote only
Published proof: 1.5B+ line items a year
Go-live time it states: 30-day average
Distribution customers: Proax, Field Fasteners
Distro
Best for: Quote-heavy counters
What it automates: Quotes, orders, CPQ, AP
ERPs it lists: P21, Eclipse, Infor CSD, NetSuite, DDI
Pricing: Quote only
Published proof: 90%+ faster quoting
Go-live time it states: 3 to 5 weeks
Distribution customers: Weathertech, Century HVAC
Augment
Best for: Orders plus late POs
What it automates: Quotes, orders, supplier follow-up
ERPs it lists: Oracle, SAP, Eclipse, P21, Infor
Pricing: Per completed unit
Published proof: $110M raised
Go-live time it states: Not published
Distribution customers: Johnstone Supply, Reece (logos)
Prokeep
Best for: Customer texting
What it automates: Messaging, quotes, campaigns
ERPs it lists: Eclipse, P21, DDI, NetSuite
Pricing: Custom, per branch
Published proof: 8,500+ distributors
Go-live time it states: Not published
Distribution customers: Johnstone
Didero
Best for: Open POs
What it automates: Supplier follow-up, PO updates, AP
ERPs it lists: SAP, Oracle, Epicor, Infor and more (logos)
Pricing: Quote only
Published proof: 1,100+ POs a month at Echelon
Go-live time it states: Under 3 weeks
Distribution customers: Echelon Supply & Service
Leverage AI
Best for: Buyer follow-up
What it automates: Supplier follow-up, acknowledgments, scorecards
ERPs it lists: Dynamics 365, Epicor, Infor, NetSuite, SAP
Pricing: Quote only
Published proof: 50% buyer time saved (one customer)
Go-live time it states: Not published
Distribution customers: Bunzl (logo)
Morsa
Best for: Work after the order
What it automates: Orders, quotes, supplier chasing, customer updates, shortages
ERPs it lists: SAP B1, Dynamics 365, NetSuite, Odoo; others by API, database, export or email
Pricing: Pilot first; then a share of measured value; no public price
Published proof: J4S: 30% to 75% on time (manufacturing)
Go-live time it states: 2 days at J4S
Distribution customers: None yet (manufacturing live)
Which alternative replaces which part of Canals?
Most distributors do not replace all of Canals at once; they compare one module at a time. Here is the map from each Canals product to the vendors that compete with it, based on each vendor’s own product list.
Order entry: Proton.ai, Conexiom, Distro, Augment.
Quoting and takeoffs: Proton.ai, Distro, Prokeep (quotes from texts).
Accounts payable: Conexiom (invoice capture), Distro, Didero.
PO and receipt tracking: Didero, Leverage AI, Augment.
Customer inquiries and chat: Prokeep, Distro’s website agent.
CRM: Proton.ai.
Then ask each finalist three things in writing: your ERP and version, the go-live date they will commit to, and how they price a month when volume doubles. Published go-live times here range from 2 weeks (Canals) to 5 weeks (Distro), and none is independently measured.
Where does Morsa fit, and when is it the wrong choice?
Canals, Didero and Leverage AI keep the PO current when a supplier changes a date. Morsa starts there and follows the change through. It reads the signal, such as a supplier email, a message or a moved date in the ERP, finds every order and customer it touches, chases the supplier, tells the customer, escalates before the due date and closes on proof, such as a goods receipt in the ERP. The team sees it in the email, Teams or WhatsApp threads it already uses.
Built and proven in manufacturing, now onboarding our first distributors. At J4S, a 120-person glass plant, on-time completion of about 900 commitments went from about 30% to about 75% in four weeks. At JRG Automotive, Morsa identified 5 of 8 production-stopping material shortages early enough to act, and saved the plant $2 million (pricing).
Choose Canals, or an alternative above, if you want a distribution reference you can call this week. Morsa is the wrong pick for that today.
Book a demo: https://cal.com/morsa
Sources
Canals, homepage, integrations, PO tracking page, AD page and Canals Raises $35M (28 May 2026), read 12 October 2026, canals.ai
Proton.ai, homepage, order and quote entry page and 21 July 2026 launch post, read 12 October 2026, proton.ai
Modern Distribution Management, Proton.ai Closes $20M in Funding, 18 January 2022, read 12 October 2026, mdm.com
Conexiom, homepage and Epicor partnership release (14 July 2026), read 12 October 2026, conexiom.com
Distro, homepage and Implementation & Pricing, read 12 October 2026, distro.app
Augment, homepage, B2B distribution and pricing pages, read 12 October 2026, goaugment.com
Prokeep, homepage, integrations and pricing, read 12 October 2026, prokeep.com
Didero, homepage and Echelon Supply & Service case study, read 12 October 2026, didero.ai
Leverage AI, homepage and integrations, read 12 October 2026, tryleverage.ai
Morsa, J4S customer story and pricing, read 12 October 2026, morsa.ai/customers/j4s
Changelog
12 October 2026: first published. Eight alternatives and Canals checked on each vendor’s own site, with a module-by-module map.
