Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

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
5th
Ranking in Activity Based Costing Software
3rd
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
55
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the ERP category, the mindshare of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is 6.3%, down from 6.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Dynamics AX is 6.4%, up from 6.3% 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 solution has good dashboard functionalities and export functionalities."
"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."
"Has good integration with Power BI."
"The audit trails, which include any IP system, are very useful."
"The solution can scale."
"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."
"NAV covers everything from purchasing and selling items to invoicing. Everything is within NAV, so it's all very neat."
"The most valuable feature I've found is the UI functionality."
"Almost all of the features that we use are efficient. Live master planning successfully handles all of our company's requirements."
"In terms of features, GP offers a wide range of strong capabilities, particularly in the financial module."
"AX is nearly a Tier One product, so implementations are long, but there's a lot of flexibility. Also, the ability to handle different issues found in larger organizations."
"The tool makes it easier to manage things."
"One of the valuable features of the solution is how easy it is to use."
"It's scalable."
"It has the same UI and is very similar to any other Microsoft product."
 

Cons

"We need to customize more often than we would like."
"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."
"There is a book for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central explaining how to use it. But it is not easy to use, and it is not easy to learn."
"I would like to have more frequent updates."
"Microsoft Dynamics NAV could improve the reporting."
"The solution can improve by having better integration with Microsoft PowerBI and reporting."
"The solution is stable, but it could improve."
"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."
"If I had to add something in the next release, it would probably be a mobile application for a sister application of Dynamics 365; not the ERP but the Dynamics 365 HR solution. It would definitely help if we could have Microsoft or a Microsoft partner introduce a mobile application for it."
"The 2012 version is obsolete, and we don't have any support for it."
"The product needs better admin control. There is room for improvement in flexibility, reporting, and dashboards. Artificial intelligence should be incorporated. I have concerns regarding partners, specifically in the implementation and deployment of Microsoft Dynamics."
"Our version has performance issues so it gets stuck and is slow."
"The solution in general just needs a few quality improvements."
"The UI has room for improvement and can be more user-friendly."
"The on-premises and desktop versions are not user-friendly."
"There is room for improvement in the licensing model and associated costs of this solution."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is reasonable. We pay monthly for the use of the solution."
"The solution's license is costly compared to other CRM tools."
"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."
"Business Central charges a monthly fee of $70 to $100 per user."
"The price of the solution is reasonable."
"Microsoft Dynamics NAV has a pay-as-you-use payment model."
"The price of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central could improve. It is costly. We are paying for the solution on a monthly basis."
"The solution's cost is reasonable."
"It's too expensive for customers to take this on themselves. As partners, we will buy this on behalf of the customers and then charge this value for each project."
"We pay for licensing yearly to use Microsoft Dynamics AX."
"In relation to the cloud, it might be expensive for a longer duration. However, it's essential to consider the demands of enterprise users. While it's cost-effective in the short run, it becomes relatively costly in the long run."
"The platform's price offering is good."
"I purchased the license once, and there is a license with a partner that I pay for annually."
"It is $180 to $200 per user per month with a minimum of 20 users, which makes selling the product a bit difficult."
"The tool is cheap."
"It has a pay-as-you-go subscription."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which ERP solutions are best for your needs.
838,640 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Government
6%
Computer Software Company
15%
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?
It is no longer supported from a security perspective, so it is not getting updated. Other than that, before it became obsolete, it did its job, and there were not any major complaints. However, it...
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: January 2025.
838,640 professionals have used our research since 2012.