Web EDI vs traditional EDI — complete technical and financial comparison
In short: Web EDI and traditional EDI (AS2/OFTP2 on-premise) solve the same problem — structured data exchange with trading partners — but with radically different costs, implementation time and IT requirements. In-depth comparison, so you choose right for your case.
Key capabilities
- Cost: Web EDI: €24-500/month. Traditional EDI: €15,000-100,000 upfront + €3,000-15,000/year to run.
- Implementation time: Web EDI: 5-10 days. Traditional EDI: 2-6 months for the first retailer.
- IT required: Web EDI: zero. Traditional EDI: 0.5-1 FTE with EDI experience.
- Scalability: Web EDI: automatic. Traditional EDI: server sizing + hardware upgrade at growth.
- Spec upgrades: Web EDI: automatic, included. Traditional EDI: internal project per change.
- When traditional wins: Volumes >50,000 docs/month, strict data-sovereignty, existing in-house EDI IT.
What actually matters when choosing
Don't ask which is better in the absolute — ask which is better for your specific case. The three decisive factors are: (1) monthly document volume, (2) number of trading partners (retailers, distributors), (3) existence of an in-house EDI IT team. Under 5,000 documents/month and no in-house EDI team = Web EDI, almost always.
Over 50,000 documents/month, with a dedicated EDI IT team and CAPEX budget = traditional EDI. Between these extremes (most companies), Web EDI wins clearly on the cost-time-flexibility axis.
Frequently asked questions
What is the fundamental difference between Web EDI and traditional EDI?
Web EDI is a SaaS service accessed through a browser — the provider hosts everything. Traditional EDI is software installed on your servers — you own hardware, licenses and IT. Web EDI = OpEx, traditional EDI = CAPEX.
When is traditional (on-premise) EDI justified vs Web EDI?
Traditional EDI is justified in only 3 scenarios: (1) very high volumes (over 50,000 documents/month), (2) strict regulations that prohibit data in the cloud, (3) large company with an established in-house EDI IT team and matching budget.
Is Web EDI less secure than traditional EDI?
No. A serious Web EDI provider invests heavily in security (TLS 1.3, AES-256, ISO 27001, GDPR, 2FA, audit trail) — far beyond what most companies can afford on their own servers. Web EDI is usually more secure than on-premise EDI run by an average company.
Can I migrate later from Web EDI to traditional EDI?
Yes. Your EDI data (documents, mappings, configurations) is exportable in standard format. If volumes grow enough in the future to justify on-premise EDI, migration is possible with EDIconnect's help.
What's the comparative 3-year ROI?
For a company with 5 retailers and 500 documents/month: Web EDI = ~€7,200 over 3 years. Traditional EDI = ~€45,000 (investment + 3 years of ops). Web EDI is 6× cheaper at the same volumes, for most SMBs.