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Microsoft Dynamics AX vs SAP S/4HANA Cloud comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
6.4
Microsoft Dynamics AX enhances work practices and management, achieving significant ROI and efficiency across diverse business operations.
Sentiment score
2.2
SAP S/4HANA Cloud offers positive ROI, with efficiency gains and cost savings, though full ROI clarity may take years.
The transcript suggests SAP S4HANA Cloud may offer cost and time savings.
Ho Finance Methods and Tools at Airbus Atlantic
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
4.2
Microsoft Dynamics AX support quality varies, with premium being costly; users often depend on partners or in-house teams.
Sentiment score
6.8
SAP S/4HANA Cloud support is praised for professionalism but criticized for inconsistent response times and communication effectiveness.
Microsoft has really good documentation, and they are known for that.
Senior System Analyst at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
My experience shows that it often requires another level or two to reach someone who can effectively address the problems.
Managing Director at Global Information Technology Corporation
If tickets are raised to the wrong team, it takes considerable time to be routed to the appropriate team.
DGM (IT) at IndianOil Adani Ventures Limited
SAP is continuously improving the functionalities towards the current versions.
SAP Project Manager at Doha Petroleum Construction Co. Ltd. (DOPET)
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.1
Microsoft Dynamics AX offers scalability for various business sizes, though older versions may struggle with customizations and performance issues.
Sentiment score
6.8
SAP S/4HANA Cloud is scalable for large enterprises, offering modular integration and flexibility for growth, needing some competitive improvements.
There are these things called AOS nodes where if you have more users and performance decreases, you can add more servers to the cluster.
Senior System Analyst at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
It struggles with scalability when you need to manage financial reporting or setup for multiple companies.
Business Analyst at Kpmhealth.com
Microsoft Dynamics AX already has multiple functions for sales, inventory, HR, finance, and supply chain.
Senior Sales Support Supervisor at a manufacturing company with 501-1,000 employees
We are evaluating how scalable SAP S_4HANA Cloud has been; moving to the latest version poses not much of a challenge compared to on-prem upgrades, as SAP handles the technical areas.
SAP Project Manager at Doha Petroleum Construction Co. Ltd. (DOPET)
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.2
Microsoft Dynamics AX is generally stable, with user ratings high, but issues arise with customizations and inadequate infrastructure.
Sentiment score
7.2
SAP S/4HANA Cloud is praised for stability and reliability, with high availability and minimal issues, although updates may delay.
I have not had any major issues with stability.
Senior System Analyst at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
If you do the maintenance and have your own people, it could be stable, but it means a lot of work.
Head of Controlling and IT at Melinda
For stability, I would rate Microsoft Dynamics AX a ten, as I have not faced any problems at all.
Chief Executive Officer at Easy Touch
Usually SAP S/4HANA Cloud is really stable.
Partner at Deloitte
SAP S_4HANA Cloud is very stable, especially for bigger corporates that are geographically spread out.
Chief Operating Officer at Digital365
It is very flexible and can cater to every industry.
DGM (IT) at IndianOil Adani Ventures Limited
 

Room For Improvement

The platform requires improvements in APIs, support, UI, data migration, analytics, features, pricing, scalability, security, and compatibility.
SAP S/4HANA Cloud requires enhancements in user-friendliness, integration, customization, and support, alongside addressing pricing and scalability concerns.
It is no longer supported from a security perspective, so it is not getting updated.
Senior System Analyst at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Microsoft Dynamics AX lacks the concept of month-end closing, which is essential for tight control over financial periods.
Business Analyst at Kpmhealth.com
Most companies working with AX currently transforming to D365, upgrading their ERP systems, which are more enhanced and have additional features such as dashboards.
Senior Sales Support Supervisor at a manufacturing company with 501-1,000 employees
The challenge is that if a customer has already deployed the entire solution on-premises, it becomes difficult to immediately convert to the new product and manage new license costs.
Manager, SAP Practice at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
This reliance on ETL experts or data engineers is necessary to ensure clean quality data, which is critical for the effective operation of the SAP S_4HANA system.
Managing Director at Global Information Technology Corporation
It should have features or facilities so customers can get audit-related queries resolved independently without requiring ticket-based service.
DGM (IT) at IndianOil Adani Ventures Limited
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Dynamics AX is expensive with high setup costs; flexible pricing is needed for economic and regional challenges.
SAP S/4HANA Cloud pricing is complex and expensive, with high costs that may challenge smaller businesses despite competitive ERP market positioning.
Acquiring a developer license for customization is expensive, costing over one hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars.
Business Analyst at Kpmhealth.com
I think it would be great if Microsoft made the price model flexible per company and per country, considering that some countries face different economic situations which makes Microsoft pricing seem very high.
Chief Executive Officer at Easy Touch
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Dynamics AX offers flexible dimensions, module integration, seamless Excel compatibility, cloud scalability, and strong data management and security.
SAP S/4HANA Cloud enhances operational efficiency with real-time analytics, seamless integration, scalability, and robust customization capabilities.
There are many levels of security and permissions for each user to monitor and access specific data relative to their functions.
Senior Sales Support Supervisor at a manufacturing company with 501-1,000 employees
I have not had any major issue with stability.
Senior System Analyst at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The most valuable feature of Microsoft Dynamics AX is its full integration with Excel, allowing for cut and paste functionality between Excel and the system.
Business Analyst at Kpmhealth.com
Some of the most important features include data analytics and real-time data analysis capabilities.
Ho Finance Methods and Tools at Airbus Atlantic
The integration between SAP EWM and S4HANA Cloud is seamless.
SAP Business Analyst at Jante
SAP S/4HANA Cloud provides integration, controls, efficiency, visibility into business operations, and collaboration, especially for geographically spread operations.
Chief Operating Officer at Digital365
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Dynamics AX
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
59
Ranking in other categories
ERP (6th), Activity Based Costing Software (4th)
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
57
Ranking in other categories
Cloud ERP (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Enterprise Resource Planning solutions, they serve different purposes. Microsoft Dynamics AX is designed for ERP and holds a mindshare of 3.1%, down 6.1% compared to last year.
SAP S/4HANA Cloud, on the other hand, focuses on Cloud ERP, holds 10.5% mindshare, down 19.2% since last year.
ERP Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Dynamics AX3.1%
SAP ERP10.4%
SAP S/4HANA6.3%
Other80.2%
ERP
Cloud ERP Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
SAP S/4HANA Cloud10.5%
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP18.8%
NetSuite ERP17.6%
Other53.099999999999994%
Cloud ERP
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2765214 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Sales Support Supervisor at a manufacturing company with 501-1,000 employees
Has required ongoing support and modernization but effectively manages core operations and complex workflows
Microsoft Dynamics AX is a very strong ERP system, applicable for customizations to help companies and organizations streamline their processes. The specific feature I find most valuable about Microsoft Dynamics AX is the applicable permissions. There are many levels of security and permissions for each user to monitor and access specific data relative to their functions. Additionally, the linkage and transition between exploring and moving from window to window, from function to function is valuable. The impact of Microsoft Dynamics AX on managing financial processes is significant. It's a very important element for financial departments as it represents all transactions, references, and records. The adjustments and availability to create more than one virtual company allow large companies, which combined represent one group of companies, to connect and streamline their financials and operations.
Ramesh Pampana - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager, SAP Practice at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Extensive real-time analytics and superior support enhance decision making but continued product evolution impacts existing investments
Improvement is needed, and they need to slow down. When I say slow down, they need to do more validation. Things are going rapidly and changing fast. For example, they moved from SAP SRM product to SAP CLM. They bought IBM CLM and marketed it as SAP CLM. Shortly after, they bought SAP Ariba and discontinued the SAP CLM product. Now they state that SAP SRM is outdated and has reached sunset. The challenge is that if a customer has already deployed the entire solution on-premises, it becomes difficult to immediately convert to the new product and manage new license costs. From a consulting perspective, it appears that SAP's biggest competitor is itself, as they sometimes discontinue their own products to promote new ones.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Computer Software Company
7%
Educational Organization
6%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Marketing Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business30
Midsize Enterprise13
Large Enterprise17
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business24
Midsize Enterprise9
Large Enterprise30
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Microsoft Dynamics AX?
I think the integration capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics AX need to be enhanced. There are many features for integration, such as APIs and connectors, but I need more ready APIs that link directl...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Dynamics AX?
For industrial companies, I mainly use Microsoft Dynamics AX for those processes. Most of my clients are manufacturing clients, so I work with food industries, steel industries, plastic industries,...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SAP S/4HANA Cloud?
SAP S/4HANA Cloud is very expensive, both to purchase and maintain. It's important to evaluate the costs of recruiting and maintaining trained personnel as it's not just a one-time payment yet requ...
What needs improvement with SAP S/4HANA Cloud?
A lot of my clients are complaining about the SAP license policy. I think that is quite intransparent and obviously quite expensive. I think that is a usual complaint. And also the flexibility to s...
What is your primary use case for SAP S/4HANA Cloud?
SAP S_4HANA Cloud is still used for ERP, so enterprise resource planning, and I would say the true core of SAP S_4HANA Cloud is truly the financial planning, the financial transactional accounting....
 

Also Known As

Dynamics AX, Axapta, MS Dynamics AX
SAP S4HANA Cloud
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

ConQuaestor, D & H Distributing, Sunny Queen, Mesa Associates, Britax Childcare, Ibema, Arafa, Sabo S.p.A.
La Trobe University, Carrefour Comércio e Indústria Ltda, Delaware Consulting and Corning Inc.
Find out what your peers are saying about SAP, Oracle, Microsoft and others in ERP. Updated: March 2026.
884,076 professionals have used our research since 2012.