Infor LX vs Infor M3 comparison

Infor LX and Infor M3 are both solutions in the ERP category. Infor LX is ranked #18 with an average rating of 7.5, while Infor M3 is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.2. Infor LX holds a 1.5% mindshare in ERP, compared to Infor M3’s 4.6% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Infor LX users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of Infor M3 users who would recommend it.

Infor LX

Read 5 Infor LX reviews

1,133 Views
942 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Infor M3

Read 13 Infor M3 reviews

3,896 Views
3,009 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Infor LX

Infor M3

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

Infor LX and Infor M3 are both ERP solutions competing in the realm of enterprise resource planning. Infor M3 seems to hold the upper hand due to its comprehensive feature set, enhanced scalability, and industry-specific capabilities, even if it comes with higher initial costs.

Features: Infor LX includes robust tools for manufacturing and supply chain management, ideal for process manufacturers, highly interactive system architecture, and strong planning capabilities. Infor M3 offers extensive functionality across manufacturing, distribution, and equipment, industry-specific features for fashion, food and beverage, and chemicals, and detailed customization and integration options.

Room for Improvement: Infor LX could enhance cloud deployment options, reduce setup time, and expand its industry-specific capabilities. Infor M3 may benefit from reducing its setup costs, simplifying usability for non-technical users, and optimizing its pricing structure to improve accessibility for mid-sized enterprises.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Infor LX uses a traditional on-premise deployment model, offering control but with longer setup times, backed by consistent and reliable customer support. Infor M3 supports cloud-based and hybrid deployments, enabling quicker scalability and improved global accessibility, with customer service tailored for complex environments.

Pricing and ROI: Infor LX presents a lower upfront cost, attractive for tighter budgets, with quick ROI due to its straightforward implementation. Infor M3 entails higher initial costs, justified by its advanced functionalities and integration capabilities, promising substantial long-term ROI for businesses that utilize its broad feature set.

To learn more, read our detailed Infor LX vs. Infor M3 Report (Updated: December 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Infor LX vs. Infor M3

December 2024

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Categories and Ranking

Infor LX

Ranking in ERP

18th

Average Rating

7.2

Reviews Sentiment

5.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Infor M3

Ranking in ERP

12th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Activity Based Costing Software (8th)

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the ERP category, the mindshare of Infor LX is 1.5%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Infor M3 is 4.6%, up from 3.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

ERP

Featured Reviews

Enrique Hernandez

CEO & Founder at Genesys Infosec LLC

A robust solution with excellent support that needs to modernize its server technology

Infor LX has a great strength but a great weakness too. Its strength is that it's based on AS/400 or Power i, a robust technology and platform. However, it is harder to manage admin most of the time. For example, you must have a skilled network admin who knows AS/400. If you want to make any customizations or satellite apps in LX, you must have somebody who knows AS/400 programming. That's RLPG programming. Infor LX has a robust infrastructure, but it has room for improvement. It should have a more modern framework. I know that the last version, 8.3.5 has some improvements in Java, but I will be looking into some platforms other than AS/400. They run a cloud version, but that wasn't our case because we didn't migrate it. But the on-premise version has room for improvement. I would incorporate more modern technology and not base it on AS/400.

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Pravinkumar Bhandare

Principal Consultant - Infor M3 at Merino Consulting Services

The solution is a reliable, stable, and cost-saving ERP

Different countries have different finance practices, but I believe they need to fine-tune their practices to match industry standards. Practices vary from country to country, for example, in India, it is different than in the US. Sometimes, clients require alternate processes that are not standard, but they claim that these are the standard practices in their industry. At those times, we feel that the option required is not available with the solution. This is not the case only for Infor M3. Other ERPs also have the same problem. We can't mold the ERP to fit the customer's requirements. There are some standards in place because many screens and programs are integrated into the finance process. We can't make modifications to fit the client's requirements. The customer needs specific screens for different users, so if that program is in place, we have one planning tool in Infor M3. Planners need to know all things related to manufacturing, purchase, and sales in order to make decisions about planning. In one of my clients, I came across the requirement that they were asking for user authority in the planning tool. This is not the case though, because all planners need to know all things. However, on the manufacturing side, we can say that the person who is working with machine operations only needs to know machine-related information and doesn't need knowledge of products or sales. That standard industry is available, so we can give access to the user as per their needs. If the maintenance people are there, we can give them limited access, but if the planner is there, we need to give them all access according to industry standards. However, this requirement from the client side is not possible with the standard Infor software, but Infor can consider implementing it if the need is larger for many customers.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I've been using it since December 2009, and it has been absolutely stable till now."

"The most valuable features are the exit points that enable integration with external software."

"Infor LX's most valuable feature is that it's very interactive."

"Infor LX is effective for planning, manufacturing, and distribution processes."

"One of the things I love about Infor LX is that everything is integrated."

"Infor LX is effective for planning, manufacturing, and distribution processes."

"One of the things I love about Infor LX is that everything is integrated."

"Infor M3 has tailor-made packages for each and every industry."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is highly customizable."

"The user interface and user experience were good."

"The most valuable feature of Infor M3 is the level of detail it has about the different manufacturing processes compared to other ERP solutions. Other ERP solutions provide the same level of integration as Infor M3, but Infor M3 specializes in several functions, such as planning and manufacturing."

"Its ease of use is most valuable. Inquiries are transparent, and it shows good information on each screen. We don't have to go to 14 different screens to find out about one item, which is a big advantage."

"It's very stable, and it handles all types of industrial and manufacturing businesses in very good ways. I've found it to be easy."

"provides all modules, supply chain, HR - it's good for management."

"It's simple to use. You don't need any complex training to use it."

More Infor M3 pros

Cons

"Infor's support side is not that good, and they seem to be focusing on other products above LX."

"The user interface of Infor LX needs significant enhancement to be more user-friendly."

"It's based on AS/400 or Power i, a robust technology and platform. However, it is harder to manage admin most of the time."

"The user interface of Infor LX needs significant enhancement to be more user-friendly."

"The connectors, performance, and knowledgebase availability can be improved."

"It lacks in finance and administration, especially related to Italian accounting."

"It would be great if Infor added some new workflows in the finance module. I'd also like to see better integration with third-party applications."

"Its initial setup was probably complex, but it is a very good system."

"An area for improvement in Infor M3 is training. There should be more training resources available for clients. Clients also find it challenging to get consultants or integrators for Infor M3. The product doesn't have enough resources in the market to help clients."

"The solution is stable but not agile."

"I would like to have some kind of dashboard to show an overview of different data on the same dashboard or on the same screen instead of moving to BI."

"The solution's technical support is an area with shortcomings that need improvement, especially the support for the product named M3 rather than the support offered by Infor as an organization."

"Infor should create one product to handle the whole business. At present, they make ERP systems for each type of business, and then sell additional features. I would like to have one system handing all organizations or all the business in deep ways and not have to buy additional features."

"We can't make modifications to fit the client's requirements."

More Infor M3 cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Our last maintenance fee was around $15,000 a year for 33 current users."

"Pricing is variable due to different deals and discounts, typically starting at around $2000 US dollars for one license."

"Infor LX is not cheap but much cheaper compared to SAP HANA."

"The cost is between $50 and $100 per user annually."

"If you compare Infor M3 to SAP, Infor M3 is less expensive than SAP, but if you compare Infor M3 to Dynamics 365, Infor M3 is more expensive. It also depends on the model that you buy. It depends on whether you have the complete package or whether you have separate models."

"There is a yearly licensing cost. The price is based on the modules you need. There are several modules, such as HR module, accounting module, sales module, scheduling module, etc., and the price will vary depending on the number of modules you choose. The customers always say that it's very expensive. It can cost a lot of money if your organization is huge. It's not implemented in a lot of organizations in my country because it's too expensive."

"I'm not part of the team that manages Infor M3 pricing, but it depends on the client, integration, ship-out, and training levels. You get the price from the solution provider, but it would be best to discuss it because nothing is set in stone regarding pricing."

"The tool’s licensing is yearly."

"Infor M3 is a tier-two product and is cheaper than tier-one products such as SAP and Oracle. However, it is more expensive than some other tier-two products. The licensing cost is dependent on the number of users. Also, if you purchase other tools from Infor as a package, then there may be other discounts offered."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

20%

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

14%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Wholesaler/Distributor

Retailer

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Infor LX?

One of the things I love about Infor LX is that everything is integrated.

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What needs improvement with Infor LX?

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What is your primary use case for Infor LX?

We run the solution on-premises but on a private cloud belonging to an IaC company. We have a remote connection to the private cloud. The organization Infor LX is installed for is a cable manufactu...

See all answers

What do you like most about Infor M3?

The product's initial setup phase is easy.

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What needs improvement with Infor M3?

I haven't received any complaints from the customers' end related to the product. The product's technical support has certain shortcomings. Sometimes, my company doesn't get a proper response from ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Infor M3?

In my company, I use the tool for back-end data or to control the entries in the back-end database. My company also extracts data, after which it gets pushed to the data lake and data fabric, and t...

See all answers

Comparisons

Infor LN vs Infor LX

Compared 55% of the time

SAP ERP vs Infor LX

Compared 29% of the time

SAP S/4HANA vs Infor LX

Compared 4% of the time

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SAP ERP vs Infor M3

Compared 49% of the time

Infor LN vs Infor M3

Compared 20% of the time

SAP S/4HANA vs Infor M3

Compared 5% of the time

Infor CloudSuite vs Infor M3

Compared 5% of the time

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central vs Infor M3

Compared 3% of the time

More Infor M3 Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

ERP

November 2024

Download Infor LX product report

Buyer's Guide

Infor M3

December 2024

Download Infor M3 product report

Also Known As

Infor ERP LX, ERP LX

Infor Lawson M3, Lawson M3

Learn More

Infor

Overview

Infor LX is a comprehensive process manufacturing system that covers various manufacturing methods, including made to stock, made to order, configure to order, assemble to order, batch, repetitive, flow, and Lean manufacturing. A wide range of industries—including consumer packaged goods, food and beverage, life sciences, medical devices, chemicals, automotive, and general manufacturing—trust Infor LX to improve performance and profit margins at a lower total cost than comparable solutions.

Infor M3 offers ultimate flexibility in operations, technology, and scale. As a multi-site, multi-country, and multi-company solution, M3 empowers your organization to adapt to changing business needs. It provides flexibility in managing mixed-mode and complex environments, with the agility to make quick adjustments at any time. Written in Java, M3 also gives you platform independence and choice.

Sample Customers

Shaklee Corporation, Clover Dairy, Cremer, Group Dekko

Grosfillex, High Five Sportswear, L_derach, OTK Group, PHS Group, Propper International, Red Wing Shoe Company, Reynolds Catering Supplies, Saudi Diesel, Sheetz, Zeppelin, Zodiac Aerospace

Buyer's Guide

Infor LX vs. Infor M3

December 2024

Free Report: Infor LX vs. Infor M3

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