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Microsoft Dynamics AX 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

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 S/4HANA
Ranking in ERP
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
119
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the ERP category, the mindshare of Microsoft Dynamics AX is 6.4%, up from 6.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP S/4HANA is 14.4%, down from 15.6% 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.
Deepak Madhavan - PeerSpot reviewer
Implementation simplifies ERP management with comprehensive data integration and visibility
A lot of people would say the pricing. SAP is seen as quite expensive even now. It doesn't work for smaller or medium optimizations. The licensing and pricing could be looked at. In Brownfield migration, the trade-off between greenfield and brownfield means you either keep it clean or match the business requirements. Sometimes, it's not possible to do both. While ValixAPI provides significant support in making those decisions and the SAP consultant is very useful, we are still dependent on past history and how it was originally set up. I wouldn't call that a real disadvantage, yet more accessible consulting would be beneficial. Incorporating all other cloud products, like APO or IPP, into the S/4 house might also help.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Dynamics AX is very simple to use."
"It has the same UI and is very similar to any other Microsoft product."
"It was an okay solution when we delivered hardware and we had to do maintenance."
"It is stable, suitable for businesses, and covers all business needs."
"The most valuable feature for us is the manufacturing module. It addresses our product costing for tuna canning."
"Dynamics AX is very simple to use."
"Microsoft Dynamics is very stable."
"Dynamics AX provides a lot of functionality."
"It is a stable solution."
"The solution's new UI called Fiori is user friendly."
"Provides multiple tools for easy integrations"
"We have access to all types of reports in a single solution."
"We use the solution for a retail customer. As an administrator, my activities involve system installation, troubleshooting, and performance management."
"The core accounting model is robust, so we don't have any issues with it. It has industry-specialized modules like retail, hospitality, and manufacturing. Many industrial-specific modules are very helpful. It's a very robust, reliable, and simple-to-use product. In my experience, it's straightforward."
"The tool's most valuable features are ease of use, high availability, and connectivity."
"SAP S/4HANA is the preferred database because of its scalability, faster accessibility, compatibility, and other well-suited features for large data sets."
 

Cons

"There might be some features to support localizations that could be helpful to add."
"It needs better financials and reporting from the system, not through Excel."
"The UI has room for improvement and can be more user-friendly."
"The implementation was completed within one month."
"The support here in Turkey could be better. However, the international support is good."
"The product needs improvement in procurement planning. It also needs to include a production scheduling feature."
"There is room for improvement in the licensing model and associated costs of this solution."
"Our version has performance issues so it gets stuck and is slow."
"There could be a bit more competitiveness in their licensing and pricing."
"The cost is quite expensive."
"We found that the implementing partners themselves are struggling with S4HANA's features. It's not an exact translation of the older ECC, so SAP has taken a new route to do things with S4HANA. Maybe it's a good product, but the implementing partners also like to have an in-depth understanding of the full feature set the product offers."
"The tool's high cost is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"The initial setup could be better. They can make the process a little easier. The functions that we require will be available in the next release. We specifically need a new model, and I think we have some versions to implement. I already read on the SAP website that some functionalities we are waiting for are available in this new version."
"S/4HANA could be improved with better integration. At the moment, a main issue I see is that there's so much growth in the functionality, complementary modules, and cloud solutions which were acquired by SAP and which extend the functionality of the SAP ERP suite. It looks to me that they tend to acquire more and more functionality from acquisitions, but they don't invest enough effort into making them integrated with S/4HANA or ERP. I would say that the functionality is great, but integration is something which still needs more attention. Instead of focusing on acquisitions, they should invest, integrate, and better the existing portfolio of products in SAP. It would help us, as implementors, to have a more complex or compact solution."
"SAP S4HANA is not suitable for all-size companies. If you have a small company there are better fit solutions for your needs."
"SAP is seen as quite expensive even now. It doesn't work for smaller or medium optimizations."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It has a pay-as-you-go subscription."
"The yearly licenses are priced okay."
"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 product's license renewal cost could be better."
"The tool's licensing model is based on user subscription. The pricing needs to be reduced for the Indian and South Asian markets."
"We pay for licensing yearly to use Microsoft Dynamics AX."
"Licensing is stable, and overall, the users are satisfied with it."
"The price of the solution could benefit from being less expensive."
"The tool's licensing is very expensive. They've changed their licensing model from the old ERP system to a new model using FUEs, which is somewhat better but still expensive."
"I have found the price of the solution is on the medium to the expensive side of the scale. There is a license for this solution and there are additional maintenance fees."
"Regarding pricing, I don't regularly deal with the financial aspects, but it is not a cheap solution."
"The solution might be expensive."
"The price of the solution is reasonable but some modules can be expensive. When comparing SAP S4HANA to other solutions, such as Oracle, it is not expensive."
"The solution is expensive."
"The product is expensive. On a scale of one to ten, one being the lowest price and ten being the highest, I rate the product price as seven or eight."
"The price could be lower."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Retailer
6%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Educational Organization
40%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
University
4%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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...
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?
With the public cloud, now everything is being pushed into BTP. This has created challenges, as it requires us to redo our coding and development. This presents a significant learning curve for our...
What is your primary use case for SAP S4HANA?
We work in a very niche area within the livestock industry. We have a SAP-certified solution for the poultry industry, and as part of our livestock solution, we cover poultry, dairy, and fishery. W...
 

Also Known As

Dynamics AX, Axapta, MS Dynamics AX
SAP S4HANA
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

ConQuaestor, D & H Distributing, Sunny Queen, Mesa Associates, Britax Childcare, Ibema, Arafa, Sabo S.p.A.
Nestle, O.C. Tanner, Sabre, New York Life Insurance Co., MEMEBOX, Siemens AG.
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Dynamics AX vs. SAP S/4HANA and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
837,501 professionals have used our research since 2012.