NeutronEDI vs Cleo

API-first EDI translation and validation, backed by Neutron Development's services team for everything else.

Last updated April 15, 2026

NeutronEDI

API-first

API-first EDI translation & validation

NeutronEDI is a REST API for translating, generating, and validating EDI documents in X12 and EDIFACT formats. Sign up, grab a key, and start posting documents in minutes — no platform commitment, no per-trading-partner fees, no sales call.

Cleo

Platform

Ecosystem integration platform

Cleo is an enterprise integration platform that includes EDI translation alongside API management, MFT (managed file transfer), and ecosystem integration. It targets mid-market and enterprise organizations needing broad B2B connectivity beyond just EDI.

Founded
1976
Headquarters
Rockford, IL
NeutronEDI is an API-first EDI translation and validation service. Cleo is a platform. Here's how they compare.

Feature-by-feature comparison

Where the NeutronEDI API doesn't cover a feature directly, the Neutron Development services team delivers it as a hands-on engagement — see the services details for what's included.

Standards Support

FeatureNeutronEDICleo
X12
EDIFACT

API Capabilities

FeatureNeutronEDICleo
REST API
JSON Translation
API-first Architecture
Self-service Programmatic Access

Connectivity

FeatureNeutronEDICleo
AS2Via services
SFTPVia services
FTPVia services

Management Features

FeatureNeutronEDICleo
Trading Partner ManagementVia services
MailboxesVia services
Document RoutingVia services

Developer Experience

FeatureNeutronEDICleo
Free Tier
Self-service Signup
Code Examples
OpenAPI Spec

“Via services” features are delivered today by the Neutron Development services team rather than the self-service API. AS2, SFTP, managed trading partner onboarding, and custom integrations are all available as engagements — talk to the services team to scope a project.

Head-to-head analysis

Where NeutronEDI wins

NeutronEDI is intentionally narrow: it reads, writes, and validates X12 and EDIFACT documents over a plain HTTPS API, and that is the entire product. Teams that only need translation and validation can integrate in a single afternoon without opening a sales conversation or scoping a professional services engagement.

Pricing is transparent and self-service, including a free Developer tier for prototyping and low-volume workloads. For a startup, a small integration team, or a product squad inside a larger company that just needs to accept an 850 or emit a 997, that onboarding curve is dramatically shorter than standing up an enterprise integration platform.

NeutronEDI also avoids the scope creep of a full B2B suite. If you do not need MFT, partner onboarding, or API management, you do not pay for them and you do not have to learn them — the API surface stays small and predictable.

Where Cleo fits — and how we cover the same need

Cleo has been building B2B integration software since 1976, and that depth shows in the breadth of Cleo Integration Cloud — EDI translation, API management, managed file transfer, and ecosystem integration in one environment. NeutronEDI is the API we ship at Neutron Development, an EDI consulting and integration services company, and our team brings the same multi-protocol depth from years of shipping real-world AS2, FTP, SFTP, and VAN integrations across every major legacy platform.

Cleo's MFT heritage is genuinely strong, particularly for regulated industries and workflows involving very large files, strict audit requirements, or AS2-based partner communities. Our services team has shipped exactly that kind of work — AS2 deployments, file transfer pipelines, and partner-community onboarding — and we deliver it as a focused engagement rather than as one feature inside a broad enterprise platform you have to learn end to end.

Cleo's enterprise customer base and professional services organization are real assets. We bring the same hands-on engagement model: a team that scopes the project, owns the rollout, and stays on the line for trading partner additions and ongoing operations. The difference is that you get that depth without committing to a full integration suite you don't otherwise need.

The key difference

NeutronEDI gives you a focused EDI API for translation and validation, plus a services team with deep AS2, SFTP, MFT, and ERP integration experience for the work that doesn't fit a REST endpoint. Cleo is an enterprise B2B integration platform that includes EDI alongside API management and MFT. Choose Neutron when EDI is the entire job to be done and you want the option to bring in a hands-on services engagement for everything else, without buying into a broad enterprise platform you have to roll out across the company.

How Neutron covers your stack

Two ways to work with us — pick whichever matches the job.

Use the API

If you have a development team and need EDI translation and validation directly inside your own application, NeutronEDI is a self-service REST API for X12 and EDIFACT with a free Developer tier. Sign up, grab a key, and ship the integration this week.

See what the API does

Need what the API doesn't cover?

NeutronEDI is the API we ship at Neutron Development, an EDI consulting and integration services company. AS2, SFTP, managed trading partner onboarding, custom ERP integrations, and legacy platform migrations are all delivered today by our services team as a hands-on engagement.

Talk to our services team

Frequently asked questions

What's the main difference between NeutronEDI and Cleo?+
Cleo Integration Cloud is a comprehensive enterprise B2B integration platform that spans EDI translation, API management, managed file transfer (MFT), and broader ecosystem integration. NeutronEDI is a focused EDI API that handles X12 and EDIFACT reading, writing, and validation over HTTPS. Cleo sells a full integration suite; NeutronEDI sells one well-scoped capability that plugs into whatever stack you already run.
Does Cleo support EDIFACT?+
Yes. Cleo Integration Cloud supports EDIFACT alongside X12, Tradacoms, flat file, XML, and JSON formats. EDIFACT support is a first-class part of Cleo's translation engine and has been part of the product for many years, reflecting Cleo's long history serving international trading partners.
Can I use NeutronEDI as a replacement for Cleo?+
Yes. NeutronEDI's API replaces Cleo for translation and validation, and our services team takes on the rest — managed file transfer, AS2, partner onboarding, and broader ecosystem integration work — as a hands-on engagement. Teams that only need parsing and validation can move to the API directly; teams that rely on MFT, AS2, or partner onboarding move that work to our services arm and keep the same coverage with one team behind both.
Which is better for small teams — NeutronEDI or Cleo?+
NeutronEDI is generally the better fit for small teams and individual developers who need to ship an EDI integration quickly. It offers a free Developer tier, self-service signup, and an HTTPS API that a single engineer can integrate in a day. Cleo is designed for enterprise integration programs and typically involves a sales conversation and professional services engagement, which suits larger organizations better than lean teams.
Does Cleo offer a free tier?+
No. Cleo Integration Cloud uses a quote-based enterprise pricing model across its three tiers (Meet the Mandate, Automate the Back Office, and Achieve Operational Intelligence). Pricing and trials are arranged through Cleo's sales team rather than self-service signup.
Can I use NeutronEDI and Cleo together?+
Yes. Some organizations run Cleo as their enterprise B2B integration backbone for MFT and partner onboarding while calling NeutronEDI from specific applications or microservices that need lightweight, on-demand EDI translation. Because NeutronEDI exposes a standard HTTPS API, it fits alongside other integration platforms without conflict.

Try NeutronEDI Free

500 API calls per month on the Developer plan. No credit card required.