QuoteClerk AIQUOTECLERK AI / COMPARISON
Mercura alternative: a different fit for merchants and wholesalers
Mercura describes itself as AI quote and order automation for technical distributors and manufacturers, turning emails, bills of quantities, tenders and orders into ERP ready quotes and orders. QuoteClerk AI is a narrower service: itemised quote drafts for merchants and wholesalers from their own catalogue and prices, including photographed trade counter lists, with published prices and a paid pilot as the first step. Which one fits depends on the size of your operation and the kind of documents you quote from.
What Mercura offers, in its own words
According to mercura.ai, Mercura is based in Munich and operated by Mercura Technologies Inc. It describes its product as AI quote and order automation for technical distributors and manufacturers. The site says it turns emails, bills of quantities, tenders and orders into ERP ready quotes and orders, and that more than 80 distributors and manufacturers use it.
Among its industries, Mercura lists plumbing and HVAC, electrical and lighting, and building materials. It states ISO/IEC 27001 certification and hosting in Europe. On the systems side, it names SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce, proALPHA and UniTrade, and it lists the product data formats BMEcat, DATANORM, ETIM, GAEB and Open Masterdata, which are common in the German speaking market. The pages I reviewed on 10 November 2026 did not publish a price; the pricing address returned a page not found, and the call to action is to book a demo.
What QuoteClerk AI does
QuoteClerk AI turns an incoming material list into an itemised quote draft. The list can arrive as a spreadsheet (XLSX, CSV or TSV), a PDF of up to 10 pages including scanned pages, the text of an email, or a PNG or JPG photo. Uncertain lines are flagged for a person to check, never guessed, and that matters most on handwritten lists photographed at the counter.
Each line is matched to your own catalogue and priced from your own price data: the customer's price, then the group price, then the list price, with quantity breaks and price dates. Your data comes in as XLSX, CSV or TSV exports, and the catalogue can also be loaded from BMEcat XML. The approved quote comes out as an A4 PDF with your logo plus a UTF-8 CSV. There is no native connection to merchant systems; whether your system can import that CSV is checked during the pilot. A person on your team approves every draft before anything reaches a customer.
Side by side
| Mercura | QuoteClerk AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Technical distributors and manufacturers | Merchants and wholesalers: electrical, plumbing, heating, timber, roofing and building supplies |
| Main job | Quote and order automation | Quote drafts from everyday material lists |
| Typical input | Emails, bills of quantities, tenders and orders | Spreadsheets, PDFs, email text and photos of handwritten lists |
| Output | ERP ready quotes and orders | A4 PDF quote plus a UTF-8 CSV, after a person approves |
| Product data formats named | BMEcat, DATANORM, ETIM, GAEB, Open Masterdata | XLSX, CSV, TSV; catalogue also as BMEcat XML |
| Systems named | SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce, proALPHA, UniTrade | No native connection; works from your exports, and your system's CSV import is checked in the pilot |
| Security and hosting | ISO/IEC 27001; hosted in Europe | Hosted by Hetzner in Germany |
| Pricing | Not published on the pages reviewed | Published: from £390 a month |
| How to start | Book a demo | Starter, or the paid pilot at £1,490 |
The Mercura home page I reviewed does not mention handwritten lists or photos taken at a trade counter. If that matters to you, ask Mercura directly.
Which one fits you
- Consider Mercura if you are a larger technical distributor or manufacturer, you quote from tenders and bills of quantities, you want quotes and orders prepared for one of the systems it names, and certified security and European hosting are part of your buying checklist.
- Consider QuoteClerk AI if most of your quoting time goes on contractors' material lists, including photographed and handwritten ones, priced from your own catalogue, and you want published prices, a paid pilot with agreed success criteria, and a start that does not depend on a project with your system supplier.
Both choices can be right. The honest test is your own lists: how many arrive each month, in which format, and how long each one takes to quote by hand today.
Pricing
Starter is £390 a month for up to 20 requests, and Team is £790 a month for 3 users and up to 200 requests, both with no setup fee. The full rollout is £1,290 a month for up to 500 requests and 10,000 line items, or £3,900 a month for up to 1,500 requests and 30,000 line items, plus £5,950 onboarding including the £1,490 paid pilot. Before the pilot starts, the success criteria are agreed in writing. If the pilot misses them, you pay nothing for it.
Frequently asked questions
Is QuoteClerk AI a replacement for Mercura?
Not in every case. Mercura covers quote and order automation for technical distributors and manufacturers. QuoteClerk AI focuses on quote drafts from material lists for merchants and wholesalers.
Does QuoteClerk AI read BMEcat?
Yes, a catalogue can be loaded from BMEcat XML, as well as from XLSX, CSV or TSV. Prices still come from your own price file.
Does QuoteClerk AI connect to SAP or Microsoft Dynamics?
No. It works from CSV or Excel exports and returns a PDF plus a CSV. Whether your system can import the CSV is checked during the pilot.
Can it read handwritten lists?
It reads PNG and JPG photos and scanned PDFs with text recognition. Uncertain lines are flagged for a person to check.
How much does QuoteClerk AI cost?
In short: Starter £390 a month or Team £790 a month, with no setup fee. For the full rollout, £5,950 onboarding including the £1,490 paid pilot, then £1,290 a month for 500 requests or £3,900 a month for 1,500 requests.
