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Microsoft Dynamics AX vs SAP Business One 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 AX
Ranking in ERP
4th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
55
Ranking in other categories
Activity Based Costing Software (3rd)
SAP Business One
Ranking in ERP
5th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
65
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the ERP category, the mindshare of Microsoft Dynamics AX is 6.3%, down from 6.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP Business One is 3.7%, down from 6.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
ERP
 

Featured Reviews

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.
Ijlal Naqvi - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to deploy but needs to improve in the area of BI
If I speak about a feature in the tool that helps with financial management, I would say that of all the products I have ever worked on, used, or implemented, the finance part is pretty much the same in all ERPs and bookkeeping software tools. Finance is a regulated thing. It has to generate financial statements related to all the accounts. All financial management systems will look into the ledger, accounts payable, and accounts receivable. Generally the tool has two models. If the tool's in-house model is opted, then just one person is needed to maintain the product as an ERP administrator. If it is through a partner, then we usually have managed services, so you get access to a whole bunch of resources, technical, functional, finance, manufacturing, supply chain, or resources that you can have as part of the managed services contract. My company does not use much of AI with SAP Business One since it is pretty much manual now. It's still pretty much manual for business process enhancements and it still requires more of a consultative approach with more of a human touch. With SAP S4/HANA, there is a process navigator, process data mining tool that does help users since with the use of AI it provides answers to their questions. Recommendations are subjective to the requirements of the users. I would not recommend SAP Business One to a financial services institution or a bank. I would most definitely recommend it to a small family-owned business with about 20,000,000 of revenue, and that too in the area of discrete manufacturing. I rate the tool a seven out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The performance is good."
"Dynamics AX is very simple to use."
"The stability is very good."
"It is stable, suitable for businesses, and covers all business needs."
"According to user feedback, the product's most valuable features are modern web-based accessibility and user-friendly interface."
"The most valuable features of Microsoft Dynamics AX are ease of use and performance."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Dynamics AX is material planning."
"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."
"I have been happy with the intern purchases, and finance, such as banking."
"Business One's best feature is that all the modules are integrated."
"For us, the most useful feature of Business One is Material Requirements Planning (MRP)."
"SAP Business One consolidates various functions, including production, sales, inventory, and purchase management."
"The document search feature is very good."
"It's user-friendly and comes with comprehensive manuals. So, it is easy to learn to use SAP Business One"
"We like it as it's easy to use, cost-effective, easy to deploy, and easy to get support for."
"The graphical view of connections between different transactions is a valuable feature of the solution."
 

Cons

"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."
"The product must be made accessible online."
"The product is standardised across industries so it is not a good fit for all types of sectors."
"Microsoft Dynamics AX needs to improve its support and the developer experience. Developing and programming are more complex. Automation and integration with other apps should be simplified."
"The tool's setup phase and pricing are areas with certain concerns where improvements are required."
"There is also slowness in database backup."
"The on-premises and desktop versions are not user-friendly."
"The UI has room for improvement and can be more user-friendly."
"Overall, the integration and the reports can be better."
"I'd like to see the solution become more user-friendly."
"The solution could improve by adding HR and payroll, and consolidation should be included by default."
"I am not sure if it has an HR and Payroll functionality, but it would be helpful and make it a more complete ERP if they could put the HR and Payroll functionality in it."
"Business One doesn't have a proper master data management function."
"SAP Business One lacks solutions for some specific use cases, particularly in HR functions and production planning, which require a lot of customization."
"There should be a portal so that our providers can give us their invoices. This is something that it is missing currently. SAP provides such a portal with SAP ERP, but it is not available with SAP Business One."
"In the next release, I would like to see the inclusion of cloud features."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We pay for licensing yearly to use Microsoft Dynamics AX."
"It is not the cheapest solution, but it is also not the most expensive one. It's in between and is cheaper than SAP but more expensive than other local vendors. It is worth the cost."
"The solution is expensive."
"The tool is cheap."
"Microsoft Dynamics AX is expensive."
"Comparatively, Business Central appears to be more cost-effective. Microsoft offers Business Central at only $70 per user per month in the US. In contrast, GP requires an initial investment, including around $9,000 for the GP license for three users and additional expenses for hardware. Therefore, the initial investment for GP is quite substantial. On the other hand, cloud-based ERP products like Business Central do not entail the same upfront investment and operate on an ongoing, subscription-based model."
"The platform's price offering is good."
"The price of the solution is high."
"The price of SAP Business One is expensive and there is only a standard license."
"The price is a bit expensive."
"This solution can work with a very small company, but the price may not be the right, it may not be the right fit for them. We can't help with this because we have to really understand the market, the target audience, and we have to position the product accordingly. The price is not a very big concern because if the customer is finding value or the dealer, distributor, or implementation partner can show real value in the solution, then the price will not be a question at all."
"The price of SAP Business One is not expensive for the features and the benefits it provides."
"Its licensing model is good. There is a one-off payment for the software license, and after that, you only need to pay the annual maintenance fee. Compared to other cloud-based systems, this cost model is quite reasonable for SMEs."
"The price of the solution is reasonable."
"Business One's prices are really high."
"We compared the Microsoft solution with Oracle NetSuite, as they have a price decrease. It is, however, not that much cheaper, and the price is comparable to SAP."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Retailer
6%
Computer Software Company
16%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Healthcare Company
6%
Educational Organization
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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...
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 do you like most about SAP Business One?
It's user-friendly and comes with comprehensive manuals. So, it is easy to learn to use SAP Business One
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SAP Business One?
The pricing model of SAP Business One is average. It is neither too good nor too bad, and there is room for more flexibility in pricing.
 

Also Known As

Dynamics AX, Axapta, MS Dynamics AX
Business One
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

ConQuaestor, D & H Distributing, Sunny Queen, Mesa Associates, Britax Childcare, Ibema, Arafa, Sabo S.p.A.
Ego Pharmaceuticals Pty. Ltd
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Dynamics AX vs. SAP Business One and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
842,767 professionals have used our research since 2012.