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Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central vs Microsoft Dynamics AX 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

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Busi...
Ranking in ERP
3rd
Ranking in Activity Based Costing Software
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
64
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Dynamics AX
Ranking in ERP
4th
Ranking in Activity Based Costing Software
3rd
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the ERP category, the mindshare of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is 6.4%, down from 6.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Dynamics AX is 6.3%, down from 6.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
ERP
 

Featured Reviews

StefaanVandesompele - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides end-to-end accounting and finance module at reasonable pricing
365 Business Central integrates with Office 365 to streamline the invoice approval process. This allows businesses to manage and approve invoices efficiently within a unified system. Our organization plans to transition to the Dynamics 365 environment, where various functions will be centralized. We will consolidate everything into one system instead of maintaining multiple databases for each country with local data. Dynamics 365 is fully integrated, which should address many of our challenges when we migrate to this new environment. We look forward to seeing how it performs in practice. The project is progressing well overall, though integrating it with other tools and ensuring Dynamics 365 operates smoothly can be challenging. Dynamics 365 is user-friendly and effective. However, a deeper understanding of its technical capabilities and architecture might be necessary to optimize its use fully. The software landscape is evolving, and achieving the best reporting and functionality with just a click can be complex. A clear vision of what you want to achieve with Dynamics 365 is essential. Proper preparation and configuration are crucial to achieving the desired outcomes. This principle applies not only to Dynamics 365 but to all software packages. Understanding the system's flexibility and adaptability based on your specific business needs is key to its successful implementation. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
SherifAnter - PeerSpot reviewer
The sales and distribution modules are robust, and reliable, and seldom encounter issues
In GP, there are certain features like financial reporting that aren't part of the core GP package. Users might need to install additional components for these features. For example, there's a reseller product called Management Reporter, but many users would prefer to have the reporting capabilities integrated within GP itself, rather than relying on external tools. The manufacturing module in GP is quite basic, and those who require more advanced manufacturing capabilities often turn to third-party modules or tools. Additionally, you might be aware that in 2028, GP is expected to reach its end of life. Microsoft has already ceased selling GP to new customers. It's essentially the same product, but this marks the final year for GP's availability.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable features of Business Central for me are its seamless integration with Power BI and the ability to create customized reports."
"The solution can scale."
"I like Microsoft Dynamics' simplicity. The interface is excellent, and it's a highly mature product. You can hardly find any bugs in the product."
"The tool covers most of the business requirements that most companies have, especially financial institutions."
"All of the features are valuable, depending on where you implement them. I've done implementations in 60 countries, across 86 different companies and groups, and each company has a different reason for why they want to use it. Every single feature that I've implemented has been successful, and for some companies, where they didn't use the functionality, they have moved to external products or they've integrated into other applications."
"The most important feature of Microsoft Dynamics NAV is that it lets us centralize all our information so that we don't need to rely on any other software outside of Microsoft."
"The initial setup is easy."
"The initial setup is pretty straightforward."
"There's a moderate amount of scalability available."
"The response time of the solution is very good."
"The most valuable feature for us is the manufacturing module. It addresses our product costing for tuna canning."
"From a developer's perspective, the architecture of Dynamics has a well-designed security layer, which prevents coding issues between different layers. This is a significant advantage."
"In terms of features, GP offers a wide range of strong capabilities, particularly in the financial module."
"Almost all of the features that we use are efficient. Live master planning successfully handles all of our company's requirements."
"One of the valuable features of the solution is how easy it is to use."
"Supply Chain Management is an excellent feature."
 

Cons

"In the next release, I would like to see a quality check module - Navision doesn't have one, and the industry very much requires it."
"It would be nice, in Microsoft Teams, if we were able to type more information into the chat."
"The stability could always be improved."
"There is some network issue."
"They need to improve their processes."
"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 solution must provide more AI features."
"Microsoft Dynamics NAV could improve the reporting."
"The 2012 version is obsolete, and we don't have any support for it."
"Microsoft Dynamics AX could be improved by having more features available. We are going to 365 now, to use all the modules, because we found that there weren't many new things we were able to develop with AX. There were a lot of things that weren't available, so we are moving and integrating other things. The customization of upgrades should also be faster. We would also like to see more security features."
"There should be the capability for users to enhance the application by using a low-code or no-code product from the Microsoft family."
"The solution in general just needs a few quality improvements."
"They should include some modules related to solving customer problems or resolving support tickets from our customers — like a help desk for ERPs."
"It is being decommissioned."
"Microsoft Dynamics AX has several areas that need improvement, particularly when compared to larger systems. It lacks the concept of month-end closing, which is essential for tight control over financial periods."
"It is no longer supported from a security perspective, so it is not getting updated."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The license changes every year. Sometimes it's for fixed users, and sometimes it's for concurrent users."
"The on-premises model of Dynamics NAV is very expensive, hence our plan to migrate to Dynamics 365 Business Central, which appears to fit our needs better in terms of pricing. Compared to competitors, the cloud version of Dynamics is in the middle; not too high and not too low."
"The per user price of $100 a month is better than competitors."
"The price of the solution is reasonable."
"Microsoft Dynamics NAV has a pay-as-you-use payment model."
"The solution's license is costly compared to other CRM tools."
"The first time we tried to buy the newest version, it was expensive."
"I have some subscription-based customer and a few customers who have perpetual licenses that hosted the application on the cloud."
"The solution is on-premises and we do not pay for a license."
"The product's license renewal cost could be better."
"The price of the solution is high."
"There is an annual licensing cost for Microsoft Dynamics AX."
"The solution is expensive."
"It has a pay-as-you-go subscription."
"The platform's price offering is good."
"Microsoft Dynamics AX is not expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Retailer
7%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Retailer
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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?
The pricing for Dynamics 365 Business Central is reasonable. The value for money is very high.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Dynamics NAV?
There is a need for improvement in consolidation and multi-country master data management.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Dynamics AX?
DAX is actually well supported by its development. Given that even in this old version of AX and taking into account that its predecessor D365 has been around since 2017, the DAX ERP is still worki...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Dynamics AX?
Right now, we are moving to a new ERP platform. It is in the cloud, and because of that, the cloud pushes updates every quarter, which could technically break our products. We are looking into an a...
 

Also Known As

Dynamics NAV, MS Dynamics NAV
Dynamics AX, Axapta, MS Dynamics AX
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Harris Farm Markets, Mister Spex GmbH, Bounce Foods, Eurofin Services SA, Medica Medizintechnik, Associated Gaskets, Onduline, Sitka Surfboard Corporation, World Animal Protection
ConQuaestor, D & H Distributing, Sunny Queen, Mesa Associates, Britax Childcare, Ibema, Arafa, Sabo S.p.A.
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central vs. Microsoft Dynamics AX and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
847,772 professionals have used our research since 2012.