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Infor M3 vs SAP S/4HANA comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

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
12th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
13
Ranking in other categories
Activity Based Costing Software (8th)
SAP S/4HANA
Ranking in ERP
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
111
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the ERP category, the mindshare of Infor M3 is 4.8%, up from 3.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP S/4HANA is 15.3%, up from 15.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
ERP
 

Featured Reviews

Pravinkumar Bhandare - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Cirvesh-Daga - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers an indispensable Order-to-Cash feature along with easy integrations, but the analytics features need improvement
SAP S/4HANA provides a standard setup process. Several third-party tools are available to integrate with the SAP ecosystem. Some customers of our organization find SAP S/4HANA very easy to use, and some are adopting the solution due to prior familiarity with the SAP ecosystem. The licensing changes implemented in Oracle JD Edwards have also made a few customers of our organization adopt SAP S/4HANA. The Order-to-Cash feature is indispensable and irreplaceable in SAP S/4HANA. Almost every customer I have worked with in my organization finds the Order-to-Cash feature extremely valuable. For Order-to-Cash using SAP S/4HANA, a company needs to consider the local regulations at one point. SAP can help with all such local regulations. I wouldn't recommend SAP S/4HANA for a small or medium-sized company. The integration capabilities of SAP S/4HANA are as good as those of its competitor products. A reliable middleware product will be needed in SAP S/4HANA especially if discrete ERP, MES and CRM are present in the project. The integration of SAP S/4HANA will also be dependent on the strategies and vision laid out by the enterprise architect. Integrations for the solution can be done in both ELT and ETL, and both has its pros and cons.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The user interface and user experience were good."
"It's simple to use. You don't need any complex training to use it."
"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 product's initial setup phase is easy."
"Infor M3 has tailor-made packages for each and every industry."
"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."
"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."
"The most valuable feature is the ability to cover different types of activities, and the requirement for maintenance and data is very low."
"It is exclusive to have SAP in your company. It is the best system in the world."
"I like the user experience and usability of SAP Fiori, which is one of the main features that we are using."
"In terms of its most valuable feature, I would say the finance module."
"S/4HANA offers a lot of additional capability with respect to performance due to its in-built architecture for many functions including finance, production, quality, manufacturing, inventory or sales distribution and logistics."
"SAP has many functionalities and a high level of detail so that you can manage all processes in detail without any issues."
"The scalability has been good."
"I can verify and provide the overall financial aid report and also the management report."
"We can do a lot with S/4HANA, like HR, sales, distribution, production planning, quality management, transport management, and more."
 

Cons

"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'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."
"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."
"Its initial setup was probably complex, but it is a very good system."
"The implementation could be simplified, it's complex."
"The solution must provide more learning documents."
"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 product's technical support has certain shortcomings. Sometimes, my company doesn't get a proper response from their end."
"The tool's high cost is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"The resource usage could be improved - it's memory-hungry, so mid-range servers struggle to run it."
"SAP S/4HANA offers two deployment options: the private cloud and the public cloud. The private cloud is a comprehensive solution. While it does require numerous approvals, it is a highly reliable product."
"It requires a lot of planning to implement the product correctly."
"SAP S4HANA could improve by having a more seamless easier integration, faster integration. The overall implementation timelines should be reduced."
"So, there is room for improvement in pricing. HANA is not a simple product; it's quite complex by design."
"SAP S/4HANA could improve by making the interface easier to use."
"The initial setup was difficult."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."
"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."
"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."
"The cost is between $50 and $100 per user annually."
"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."
"The price of this product is an issue for some customers."
"It is an expensive solution. On a scale from one to five, with five being the most expensive, I would rate the price at four."
"The price of the solution is on the higher side compared to others."
"The implementation costs of SAP is substantial."
"It's quite an expensive solution"
"It's quite expensive. However, it can be expensive to maintain the solution."
"We're not sure yet. I think it was six figures a year, over 100,000. It has straight-up licensing fees."
"It is never a cheap product since it is a prime tool in the worldwide market."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Wholesaler/Distributor
7%
Retailer
7%
Educational Organization
39%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
University
4%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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?
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 ...
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...
Are there any advantages of SAP S4 HANA over SAP Business One (SAP B1) apart from the cost?
SaP Business One is a complete solution for business management. The software applications are broad, ranging from accounting to project management and human resources. It is very versatile and com...
What needs improvement with SAP S4HANA?
The cost of their support services could be more affordable. It's currently an expensive proposition.
What is your primary use case for SAP S4HANA?
We have several different application scenarios that we are implementing, including procurement, sales, and finance.
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

Infor Lawson M3, Lawson M3
SAP S4HANA
 

Learn More

 

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
Nestle, O.C. Tanner, Sabre, New York Life Insurance Co., MEMEBOX, Siemens AG.
Find out what your peers are saying about Infor M3 vs. SAP S/4HANA and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
831,158 professionals have used our research since 2012.