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Anaplan vs Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
4.9
Anaplan's ROI varies by application; sales sees faster results, while finance benefits primarily from cost and efficiency savings.
Sentiment score
4.9
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central often achieves ROI in six months, with automation enhancing financial benefits, though experiences vary.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
5.3
Anaplan provides responsive, skilled customer support, appreciated for quick, detailed assistance and effective resources, with generally minimal issues.
Sentiment score
4.0
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central: praised for responsiveness but some users report slow service, relying on local partners for support.
The technical support from Anaplan is amazing, with a dedicated team to assist in case of any issues.
Lead Analyst at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
We are getting the kind of support that we need from Anaplan.
Anaplan Solution Architect at a media company with 10,001+ employees
The response time before getting someone who can provide a relevant answer is crucial.
Owner at Numex BV
The lack of senior technical consultants means Tier 1 support sometimes has limited experience, which could be better.
Regional Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Microsoft provides real-time support, which makes a big difference compared to SAP.
Automation Engineer
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.5
Anaplan offers scalable solutions for large companies, though scalability can be affected by server sizing, costs, and storage limits.
Sentiment score
6.9
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is scalable for SMEs, with flexibility, though larger setups may require customization and integration.
Anaplan had issues before, but the new Polaris engine solves them.
Lead Analyst at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.7
Anaplan is highly reliable with rare downtime and robust performance, earning strong user ratings for stability and efficiency.
Sentiment score
7.7
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is reliable with stable performance, though minor issues occur during updates or heavy data loads.
For the cloud, we have not faced any downtimes or stability issues.
Regional Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Anaplan users seek improved dashboards, AI integration, better pricing, enhanced automation, easier collaboration, and a more comprehensive interface.
Enhancements needed in cost efficiency, integration, automation, user interface, customization, AI features, and technical documentation for improved flexibility.
If any kind of history can be captured on the front-end UX page, that would be really appreciated and helpful.
Anaplan Solution Architect at a media company with 10,001+ employees
Anaplan cannot perform some tasks handled by Planning Analytics due to their different foundations, Anaplan on Hyperblock technology and TM1 on OLAP.
IBM Planning Analytics SME and Developer at a insurance company with 10,001+ employees
One improvement that could be added to Anaplan is to stabilize the models when data complexity increases, allowing us to manage our time and space well.
Anaplan Model Builder at Xenlytics
There's a gap in advanced features that other platforms like NetSuite handle better.
Regional Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
A basic point of sale would help a great deal because there are certain requirements where Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central could fit in small retail operations, and it is quite expensive, so that addition would be beneficial.
Regional Sales Manager at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
There is a need for improvement in consolidation and multi-country master data management.
Owner at Numex BV
 

Setup Cost

Anaplan offers premium pricing with high functionality, competitive against market leaders despite limited licensing transparency and potential additional costs.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central offers flexible, scalable ERP pricing, appealing to startups and enterprises, with moderate to high cost.
Currently, Anaplan is more expensive compared to other tools.
Product Support Engineer at JSW
The pricing is slightly on the premium side, but I do not have detailed knowledge about the exact licensing structure.
Lead Analyst at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
However, it was very costly due to the numerous integrations we had.
Automation Engineer
The pricing for Dynamics 365 Business Central is reasonable.
Owner at Numex BV
 

Valuable Features

Anaplan excels with real-time integration, user-friendly interface, scalability, collaboration, and cloud-based efficiency, enhancing planning and adaptability.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central provides customizable, cloud-based management, benefiting SMEs with seamless integration, real-time insights, and enhanced workflows.
Anaplan's connected planning feature is its most valuable aspect, allowing for seamless financial planning, HR planning, and updates.
Lead Analyst at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
The integration is very seamless compared to any other tools in the market, making Anaplan quite easy to integrate with different tools.
Anaplan Model Builder at Xenlytics
I like about Anaplan the simplicity and the way it makes reporting easier and planning is broken down well.
Associate Manager, Accounting at BIC
The value for money is very high as it fits the business well.
Owner at Numex BV
It provides localized compliance for every country, covering VAT compliances, taxing policies, and corporate taxes.
Regional Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is scalable, as it was able to grow with increasing business demands.
Automation Engineer
 

Categories and Ranking

Anaplan
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
35
Ranking in other categories
Business Performance Management (1st), Production Planning (3rd), Predictive Analytics (2nd)
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Busi...
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
67
Ranking in other categories
ERP (5th), Activity Based Costing Software (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

Anaplan and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. Anaplan is designed for Business Performance Management and holds a mindshare of 6.9%, down 13.4% compared to last year.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, on the other hand, focuses on ERP, holds 4.1% mindshare, down 6.3% since last year.
Business Performance Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Anaplan6.9%
CCH Tagetik5.1%
Oracle Hyperion4.9%
Other83.1%
Business Performance Management
ERP Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central4.1%
SAP ERP11.2%
SAP S/4HANA6.3%
Other78.4%
ERP
 

Featured Reviews

Segun Oladele - PeerSpot reviewer
Associate Manager, Accounting at BIC
Reporting and forecasting have become more automated through intuitive data organization and flexible number calendarization
I do not have any improvements from my own end at this time.There are some specific features or functionality that I would like to see included in Anaplan in the future. From what we have been using, I do not think there is any specific one because we import and export numbers. Importing and exporting with CSV files is already available in Anaplan. I do not have any special requests from Anaplan. I still decided to give Anaplan an eight because I have not seen a specific dashboard on Anaplan. Anaplan could have a dashboard where you can see the flow of your numbers displayed on pictorials rather than just saying this is the number. Simple dashboards should be implemented.
reviewer2746122 - PeerSpot reviewer
Automation Engineer
Integrations Help Bring Efficiency while Documentation Needs Improvement
When I started working with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, I was new and didn't know what ERP was or its purpose, but I was eager to learn more each day. The system can become overwhelmed because you cannot control the number of integrations, and our team struggled to manage the numerous integrations we had. More documentation is needed on how to use Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and its capabilities. From a technical perspective, it was challenging because understanding the system requires familiarity with financial sectors. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central could benefit from more AI integration. Learning the application was challenging as there was much to understand about accounts payable, receivable, accounting, and general ledger.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
Retailer
6%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Computer Software Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
University
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business10
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise17
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business40
Midsize Enterprise12
Large Enterprise19
 

Questions from the Community

What are your main use cases for Anaplan?
Anaplan is an industry-leading cloud-based corporate performance management (CPM) platform that combines business planning and analytics in a single solution. It is designed to assist organizations...
Is Board better than Anaplan as a Business Intelligence (BI) solution?
We've had several FP&A departments include Anaplan in their analytics discussions, and while BI information IS generated, the focus is generally on compiling input from various sources and simu...
Is Anaplan better than SAP ERP?
There are different aspects of both Anaplan and SAP ERP that I like and dislike. Anaplan improves forecast accuracy and drives up the quality of analytics. Rather than spending all of their time co...
What do you like most about Microsoft Dynamics NAV?
The platform offers a robust and comprehensive cycle for supply chain and inventory management, with features like minimum and maximum settings, dynamic monitoring of inventory levels, and integrat...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Dynamics NAV?
I don't have specific information about the pricing of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. However, it was very costly due to the numerous integrations we had.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Dynamics NAV?
A point of sale solution is still lacking in the retail industry. A basic point of sale would help a great deal because there are certain requirements where Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central ...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Dynamics NAV, MS Dynamics NAV
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

HP, ForeScout, DocuSign, EAT, Pandora, Aviva, Intel Security, Zalora
Harris Farm Markets, Mister Spex GmbH, Bounce Foods, Eurofin Services SA, Medica Medizintechnik, Associated Gaskets, Onduline, Sitka Surfboard Corporation, World Animal Protection
Find out what your peers are saying about Anaplan, Oracle, IBM and others in Business Performance Management. Updated: January 2026.
881,565 professionals have used our research since 2012.