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Infor M3 vs Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 29, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Infor M3
Ranking in ERP
10th
Ranking in Activity Based Costing Software
8th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Busi...
Ranking in ERP
5th
Ranking in Activity Based Costing Software
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
67
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the ERP category, the mindshare of Infor M3 is 2.9%, down from 4.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is 4.0%, down from 6.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
ERP Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central4.0%
Infor M32.9%
Other93.1%
ERP
 

Featured Reviews

UD
Vice President, Delivery at Independent Computer Consulting Group, Incorporated
Maximized industry-specific process efficiency with rapid implementation
The best features of Infor M3 are the micro-vertical and industry ready-made solutions rather than generic solutions. They have ready-made solutions ready, so the implementation of the process discovery happens very fast. It won't take more than two months, and if the process is very simple and they adopt the standard, it may happen within five weeks, covering the implementation cycle which will finish within seven to eight months. Most of the time, it helps streamline business processes; maybe some processes such as unique subcontracting vary by continent or job work, which could be different due to legal compliance. Other than that, everything helps because the processes are very much streamlined. Everywhere you have a check and maker concept, there is a workflow, and all those things are there; document management is also very simple. You can drag and drop the reports. The workflow feature is very good and flexible, working with multi-level authorization and all those capabilities. Apart from that, the GUI interface screens are really good. Users can design their own workspace based on the roles, and there are roles-based security options, with many roles available that you need not define—you can just tweak them.
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"M3 has several useful features for managing supply chains, production, and customer orders. It's an excellent system that helps me meet all my requirements for fixed costs."
"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."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the Infor GL tool that allows us to do our application support and development."
"Infor M3 has several valuable features, including customer order management and integration capabilities with third-party applications like ION."
"The product's initial setup phase is easy."
"Infor comes up with different tools every year, and they are all compatible with Infor M3, which makes it a more reliable and trustworthy tool. The integration is very smooth."
"It's simple to use. You don't need any complex training to use it."
"Infor M3 has ready-made processes, which provide the best workflows."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is the Teams application. I use Teams to share documents amongst my team members, have meetings, and talk to them."
"The solution's integrations and interface are very good."
"Dynamics 365 Business Central is mostly used for financial management."
"Microsoft Dynamics NAV's most valuable feature is the integration with other Microsoft solutions."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is using the Excel sheets on Chrome and other applications."
"The audit trails, which include any IP system, are very useful."
"The initial setup is easy."
"Reporting is very good in NAV."
 

Cons

"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."
"Here in Infor M3, you have certain limitations where the main components cannot be modified—you must work around or use bolt-ons."
"Sometimes, M3 alone cannot handle all the planning functionalities required by a customer. It has to be used along with industry-specific planning tools because M3 doesn't have all the features. However, no product can handle all the requirements of all the industries. There will be some shortcomings in all the products. Though this is an area for improvement, it is not a very serious shortfall or limitation. It can be covered by using third-party planning applications that integrate with Infor M3."
"The implementation could be simplified, it's complex."
"We can't make modifications to fit the client's requirements."
"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."
"It should be improved in terms of procurement of the supply chain and business intelligence analysis. We have the Infor BI tool, but it's more complex to use than, for example, Power Pivot or QlikView in the market."
"Its initial setup was probably complex, but it is a very good system."
"I would like a more modular and user-friendly interface."
"I work in Pakistan, and many people want desktop solutions. They don't want to work on the cloud. They want a strictly on-premises solution."
"The initial setup of the solution was quite complex and the troubleshooting involved with that needs to be improved."
"In Thailand, the support here could be better. The process to get an answer is too long."
"It would be nice if the integration process was easier."
"Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central has been buggy in my experience and they should improve in this area. Additionally, there are too many updates. The updates involve a whole bunch of applications as part of the package, such as the Edge browser. The updates are too broad across the whole package of applications."
"If Microsoft made some of the security setups a little easier to work with, that would be a significant improvement. The warehouse management features could also use some work. We had to buy third-party software to make NAV's warehouse management and security more usable and functional."
"The initial setup of the solution was quite complex and the troubleshooting involved with that needs to be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost is between $50 and $100 per user annually."
"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."
"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."
"NAV might be a little pricey for a small or medium-sized company, but all the solutions out there are."
"The solution is a little bit expensive."
"The price of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central could improve. It is costly. We are paying for the solution on a monthly basis."
"There is an annual cost of using Microsoft Dynamics NAV. The cost is approximately 140,000 INR."
"The price of the solution is reasonable."
"I give the solution a seven out of ten for pricing."
"$80-$100 per license, per month."
"The license changes every year. Sometimes it's for fixed users, and sometimes it's for concurrent users."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
15%
Computer Software Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Retailer
7%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Computer Software Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
University
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise3
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business40
Midsize Enterprise12
Large Enterprise19
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Infor M3?
The product's initial setup phase is easy.
What needs improvement with Infor M3?
Some customers expect more out-of-box reports, and in some areas, they should provide more reports. However, Infor has introduced a report tool so that key users or global champions can generate re...
What is your primary use case for Infor M3?
Infor M3 is specifically dominant in fashion, food and beverages, and chemicals manufacturing; it works into micro-verticals. In food and beverage, it specializes in meat processing, confectionery,...
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

Infor Lawson M3, Lawson M3
Dynamics NAV, MS Dynamics NAV
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

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
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 Infor M3 vs. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
884,933 professionals have used our research since 2012.