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Microsoft Dynamics AX vs SAP ERP comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Dynamics AX
Ranking in ERP
5th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
55
Ranking in other categories
Activity Based Costing Software (3rd)
SAP ERP
Ranking in ERP
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
104
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the ERP category, the mindshare of Microsoft Dynamics AX is 6.7%, up from 6.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP ERP is 21.5%, down from 22.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
ERP
 

Featured Reviews

Benjamin Mpolokoso - PeerSpot reviewer
A stable product that offers excellent ROI and reliable technical support
It is a good solution but quite complex, especially when integrating with other systems. Some simpler products like Sage are much easier to integrate with. I think it is because of the product’s proprietary database, MSSQL. Other databases are more open source. They use MySQL in the background, so it is easier to integrate with other products. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Srinivasan Kuppuswamy - PeerSpot reviewer
The amazing, robust framework with unlimited scalability earns its #1 status
The solution is not ready for the current e-commerce environment. Its was built for large enterprises who need to predictably optimize their human, material, and financial resources. ERP has evolved and businesses are changing. There are not many large corporations. Most are small enterprises with the capabilities of large enterprises through networking and platform integration. Some companies promote products but get things done with other enterprises as a network. Companies do not want to create new capacity but want to leverage existing capacity with innovative products. They do not want to spend resources on duplicating capacity or facilities. I do not think any ERP product is ready to support this environment so ERPs as a whole might end up being used for back-office functions only. It is not easy to evolve an ERP product because its intent is to integrate functions and processes within an organization. Whereas, in the new business model, processes are not limited to one's own enterprise but cut across different enterprises. There is no enterprise solution as this point in time for the current e-commerce environment so companies must integrate with many solutions.

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 feature of Microsoft Dynamics AX is customization."
"Dynamics AX provides a lot of functionality."
"Technical support is very good."
"The relation between CRM and Sales, that's the main strength of this ERP."
"The most valuable feature is the workflow of the modules."
"I am impressed with the tool's vendor collaboration. It is also easy to connect with third-party applications."
"It is easy to use, and it has a great UI. It has very well-structured modules. In terms of setup and configuration, they're logically placed, which makes it easy for any user to pick up information and learn more about the system, rather than just be plain key users of that business operating system."
"The tool's most valuable feature is reporting."
"The payroll solution and the localization for advances are valuable."
"This is a robust and feature-rich solution."
"The most valuable features of SAP ERP are that its robust, user-friendly, and secure."
"It provides great visibility into the details of enterprise resource planning."
"ERP is very stable."
"It gives us full control over each change, to the level of the individual field in a master record, including certificates."
"The most significant elements of this solution are the ability to create a virtual product, a service product, and delivery."
"There are many interfaces, so you really can build satellites around it like with other SAP stuff or even third-party stuff."
 

Cons

"The database requires a huge CPU and memory resources."
"The initial setup can be complex at times and has room for improvement."
"The implementation was completed within one month."
"The UI has room for improvement and can be more user-friendly."
"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."
"It is being decommissioned."
"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."
"We do not have access to daily projections."
"They need to improve a few processes, including transformation, intelligence, governance, modeling, etc."
"SAP ERP was not very user-friendly."
"The system is over-customized."
"One thing that is lacking in ERP is a good user interface. It is currently very clumsy and complex. Another thing is that reporting capability of SAP ERP is customizable, but it is not very good. Its development time is also very high if you require specialized technical services. If you want to do any changes to the report or develop a new report, you need people with specialized skills. Business processes are very straightforward and standardized as per the industry standards. However, the way it works is a bit complex, and you need to know a lot of things. There are different things that can be complex for a general user. A lot of information is being provided in ERP. A general user doesn't require all this information, and it creates a lot of confusion. Its learning curve is very high."
"Improvements to the UI. The UI is pretty old, but this will change with the upcoming release of S.4.​"
"There should be better support provided to be able to migrate to S/4HANA easier."
"It could be more flexible, and the company should be able to adapt the system. Not the other way around. It's very rigid and difficult to change. Reporting could also be better."
"SAP needs to be more intuitive."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is expensive."
"One license costs $1,000."
"It is $180 to $200 per user per month with a minimum of 20 users, which makes selling the product a bit difficult."
"We pay for licensing yearly to use Microsoft Dynamics AX."
"One client was looking at a $5M SAP proposal and we got AX in just under $2M, and they were very happy with it as they have several sister companies that face $500K SAP upgrades/maintenance seemingly annually."
"The product's pricing is expensive. The tool costs 210 USD per user for one month."
"I purchased the license once, and there is a license with a partner that I pay for annually."
"Go for cloud implementation, if cost is critical."
"I rate SAP ERP's pricing a six or seven out of ten."
"There is a license needed to use this solution."
"The solution can cost approximately $1 million a year for maintenance for a small-size company and can grow from there. Approximately $1 million is needed for a good-size company."
"It is less expensive than its competitors."
"SAP ECC is not cheap but I consider it the best system for managing an organization's data and processes."
"When you have a solution that is stable, reliable, and has a high performance as this solution, the price is going to be expensive. However, when you evaluate the service you are paying for the cost is quite reasonable for this solution."
"I don't know the price, but I know its licensing is on a yearly basis."
"The price of SAP ERP is high, but it is worth the money. The maintenance and support can be expensive. There should be a different price model for businesses that are not as large to be able to afford it."
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Comparison Review

it_user110085 - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 1, 2015
SAP All in One vs. Oracle E-Business Suite vs. Microsoft Axapta
We put together an ERP evaluation for 3 proposed solutions. The top 3 packages considered for detailed evaluation – SAP All in One, Oracle E-Business Suite, Microsoft Axapta. The Key Criteria used for Evaluation are as follows: A. Functional Fit to meet current Business Requirements B…
 

Answers from the Community

VC
Mar 15, 2021
Mar 15, 2021
For starters, I would stop comparing tools, and start looking at my business and what I want to achieve. So identify objectives and what's blocking achievement, define quality outcomes for the obejctives you want to achieve and build your businesscase on efficiency improvement. What earnings, savings, benefits are achieved when meeting your obectives.Based on the blocking issues you identified...
2 out of 5 answers
GH
Jan 25, 2021
I think Panorama Consulting Group publishes some of their ERP shootouts comparing SAP/Oracle/Microsoft with Infor thrown in as a bonus.  Our firm is more of a boutique operation that compares internal company requirements then picks software known for its propensity to work well in those industries/environments. But if you get to the stage where you need some guidance on who some of the top partners and resources are for those software packages, hit us up. 
DR
Mar 11, 2021
Do you want to do it for a specific purpose or to tick a box?  Lets assume you are looking for system deployment. I would focus on the key areas of your business rather than what Gene has listed below, which is looking at point for point comparisons. (The Panorama report is SUPERB for getting up to speed....) Then look at weighting for specific key business differentiation opportunities - such as single global instance for multiple companies, integrated CRM into Finance and Operations, off-line capabilities for customer facing processes, seamless transfer of customer conversations from one channel to another. Then ask for client references to answer 5 key questions: - Are they live? - how was the deployment support from the OEM/partner and what was the % work split required to go live (as in your input vs partner vs OEM) - how many customisations were requried to achieve xxx (your key areas) - would they use the OEM again and what would they change going forward Then look at demonstration from the OEM and costing for the solution I would not go on a tender for each and every feature and function because we assume world class solutions have these typical areas covered. Happy to discuss how to do this practically if required. Daniel@liferocksconsulting.co.za
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Retailer
6%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Computer Software Company
12%
Retailer
6%
University
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Microsoft Dynamics AX?
The 2012 version is obsolete, and we don't have any support for it.
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Dynamics AX?
My clients' use cases for the product cover domains like retail, manufacturing, IT communications, and HR.
Is Anaplan better than SAP ERP?
There are different aspects of both Anaplan and SAP ERP that I like and dislike. Anaplan improves forecast accuracy and drives up the quality of analytics. Rather than spending all of their time co...
What do you like most about SAP ERP?
The solution has made the most significant impact on our human resources function, specifically in HR operations and HR analytics. One feature of SAP ERP that I found most valuable is its use of co...
What needs improvement with SAP ERP?
There is a need for improvement in the business analytics aspect in financial reporting and also in sales and marketing analytics.
 

Also Known As

Dynamics AX, Axapta, MS Dynamics AX
No data available
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

ConQuaestor, D & H Distributing, Sunny Queen, Mesa Associates, Britax Childcare, Ibema, Arafa, Sabo S.p.A.
B&G Manufacturing, Unilever, Life is good Inc., Joy Global Inc., City of Cape Town, Bhopal Municipal, Corporation (BMC), adidas Group, Butcher & Packer Supply Company, Franklin Valve L.P., Evoshield, Prime Meats, a Norsan Group company, EMC Corporation, Varian Medical Systems Inc., FC Bayern Mªnchen AG, AkzoNobel Chemicals B.V., T¾V Rheinland, Pacific Drilling S.A., Fire & Rescue New South Wales, University of Amsterdam, Pa_alon S.A.
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Dynamics AX vs. SAP ERP and other solutions. Updated: December 2024.
824,145 professionals have used our research since 2012.