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Cleo vs Tediware

Last updated Refreshed quarterly 11 cited sources

With Tediware, you build your EDI integration with AI. Cleo delivers EDI through Cleo Integration Cloud, where your team or Cleo staff configure partner maps from its Trading Partner Library1.

With Tediware, you upload your partner's PDF spec, and we transform it into a machine-readable implementation guide. The mapping assistant writes the complete mapping, and Tediware accepts it only after it passes validation against that implementation guide. Your coding agent then works in your Tediware account through the MCP server while it builds the integration in your own codebase.

Tediware is focused EDI software you sign up for yourself, while Cleo is a broad suite sold through its sales team2. Cleo Integration Cloud3 combines EDI, API, managed file transfer and application integration. Outside the WebEDI Startup plan, Cleo's plans are priced by quote2 or by phone.

With Tediware, you can run production traffic on the free Developer plan. Tediware's monthly plans have no contract. Cleo is an active portfolio company of H.I.G. Capital4, which invested through its US private equity fund in 2021. Tediware is independently owned and founder-controlled. Tediware answers to its customers, not investors.

How do Cleo and Tediware compare?

Every Cleo cell links to its source. Sources checked .

Capability Tediware Cleo
Only in Tediware 8 capabilities
Official MCP server for general-purpose EDI Yes On every plan, including free. No5
One JSON shape for every trading partner Yes No1
Free plan that carries production traffic, no credit card Yes 800 transactions a month. No Lowest published plan is $99 per month.2
Sign up and go to production without a sales call Yes No2
Partner specs stored as machine-readable data Yes Drives validation and your JSON schema. No1
Step-by-step trace of every document, via API Yes Segment-level, on every plan. No3
Send and receive JSON, never handle raw X12 Yes Both directions, on every plan. No6
Not owned by private equity Yes No H.I.G. Capital portfolio company since 2021.4
In both 2 capabilities
SFTP and AS2 connectivity Yes AS2 is an add-on on the Developer plan. Yes Also AS3, AS4 and VAN.7
Official X12 licensing Yes X12 Commercial Use Partner. Yes8
Only in Cleo 2 capabilities
Fully managed EDI service No Yes9
Healthcare HIPAA transactions (837, 835, 270/271) No Yes10

When is Tediware the better choice than Cleo?

Tediware is the better choice when you are a developer, technical team or hands-on business operator who wants to build and own your EDI integrations. Tediware serves any industry except healthcare, including logistics, retail, manufacturing and food and beverage.

Your coding agent uses the Tediware MCP server to read your partner setup, transactions and traces while it builds the integration in your codebase. Through the same server, the agent can send or resend documents on your Tediware account. Cleo describes Cleo AI5 as 18 in-product agents and a natural-language assistant, with no official MCP server.

Your application sends and receives only JSON, and Tediware translates to and from X12 in both directions. Cleo offers REST and JSON6 API connectivity, and its published flows are X12, flat files, managed file transfer and ERP connectors with maps built by you or Cleo.

Your code sends one JSON shape per transaction set, and each trading partner's differences live in that partner's mapping. Cleo's Trading Partner Library1 holds per-partner maps and profiles, roughly equivalent to Tediware's mappings, with no single normalized JSON shape per document type.

In Tediware, a partner's usage rules, code lists, HL hierarchies and conditions are stored as implementation data. That data drives validation, the generated JSON schema and a readable guide. Cleo onboards partners with known maps1 and transaction assets, with no published per-partner guide that you view and that drives validation.

In Tediware, one trace ID follows each document through translation, mapping, validation and delivery. Your code or agent reads that trace from the traces API. Cleo describes transaction visibility, dashboards and status tracking in its product3, with no published API for step-by-step document history.

With Tediware, you sign up online. You can then carry production traffic on the free Developer plan with no credit card. Cleo's lowest published plan2 is $99 a month, and its other plans are priced through a form or by phone.

When is Cleo the better choice?

Cleo is the better choice for suppliers with no developer who want to key orders into a browser to meet retailer mandates. Cleo WebEDI2 provides pre-built forms for each trading partner and starts at $99 a month. Retail suppliers who need retailer connections on day one get 2,200+ prebuilt connections2, with Amazon, Walmart and Target among the featured partners.

Cleo also suits enterprises that want EDI and managed file transfer6 in one suite. For companies that want a vendor team to own their EDI program, Cleo Managed Services9 offers self-service, fully managed or blended models with 24/7/365 support. Teams that want a packaged ERP plug-in get pre-built connectors7 for NetSuite, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Oracle and others.

Healthcare providers and payers can use Cleo's healthcare EDI offering10, which covers HIPAA-compliant claims submission. Companies whose partners are mostly outside North America can use CIC Studio, which supports X12, EDIFACT11 and TRADACOMS.

How do I try Tediware?

You can try Tediware by creating an account on the sign-up page. The free Developer plan includes 800 transactions a month and requires no credit card. Setup guides are in the Tediware docs, and endpoints are described in the API docs. Your coding agent can start from Tediware's agent instructions.

Start free See pricing

Frequently asked questions

Is Cleo a focused, self-serve EDI platform like Tediware?

No. Cleo Integration Cloud3 is a broad suite combining EDI, API, managed file transfer and application integration. Tediware is EDI software you sign up for and can run in production on a free plan.

Is Tediware an alternative to Cleo?

Yes, if you want EDI as its own product rather than part of a broad integration suite. With Tediware, you build your integration with AI on the free Developer plan, with unlimited trading partners and no sales call.

Can my coding agent work with Cleo?

Not through an official MCP server. An MCP server lets a coding agent connect to a platform directly, reading your partner setup, transactions and errors and acting on them while it builds your integration. Cleo describes Cleo AI5 as 18 in-product agents and a natural-language assistant, with no official MCP server. The Tediware MCP server is available on every plan, including the free Developer plan.

How much does Cleo cost compared with Tediware?

The Cleo WebEDI Startup plan is $99 a month2 with tiered per-transaction fees. Cleo's other plans, including the Cleo Integration Cloud packages, are priced by quote or by phone. Tediware's Developer plan is free for 800 transactions a month, and the Growth plan is $100 a month for 6,000 transactions, then $0.0150 each.

Who owns Cleo?

H.I.G. Capital4 lists Cleo as an active portfolio company of its US private equity fund, with the investment made in 2021. Tediware is independently owned and founder-controlled.

Do I need a contract to use Tediware?

None of Tediware's monthly plans require a contract. You can export your data and cancel any time without a support ticket.

References

  1. 1.
    www.cleo.com/solutions/use-case/trading-partner-onboarding

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  2. 2.
    www.cleo.com/web-edi-pricing

    Retrieved Cited in text: a b c d e f g h

  3. 3.
    www.cleo.com/solutions/edi-api-integration

    Retrieved Cited in text: a b c d

  4. 4.
    hig.com/portfolio/cleo/

    Retrieved Cited in text: a b c

  5. 5.
    www.cleo.com/cleo-ai

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  6. 6.
    www.cleo.com/solutions/integration/api-based-integration

    Retrieved Cited in text: a b c

  7. 7.
    www.cleo.com/edi-pricing

    Retrieved Cited in text: a b

  8. 8.
    x12.org/products/licensing-program/partners

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  9. 9.
    www.cleo.com/solutions/use-case/edi-managed-services

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  10. 10.
    www.cleo.com/solutions/industry/healthcare-edi

    Retrieved Cited in text: a b

  11. 11.
    www.cleo.com/blog/edi-platforms-x12-edifact-support

    Retrieved Cited in text: ↑

Last updated . Tediware reviews this comparison every quarter.