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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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Dynamics AX
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
55
Ranking in other categories
ERP (5th), Activity Based Costing Software (3rd)
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
52
Ranking in other categories
Cloud ERP (3rd)
 

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 6.4%, up 6.3% compared to last year.
SAP S/4HANA Cloud, on the other hand, focuses on Cloud ERP, holds 15.3% mindshare, up 12.5% since last year.
ERP
Cloud 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.
Sajid Farooq - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides seamless integration of different modules in one place
Certain add-ons like quality control, payroll, and HRMS are not part of the SAP S/4HANA Cloud. SAP S/4HANA Cloud doesn't provide a quality control module. SAP S/4HANA Cloud does not have its own payroll and HRMS system. The partners develop their own cloud and integrate with the solution. There are certain modules specific to some industries, and SAP S/4HANA Cloud doesn't deal with those modules. Every partner of SAP S/4HANA Cloud has to develop its own and then integrate and certify with that solution. We can't say that these modules are part of SAP S/4HANA Cloud. There is a little area of improvement that SAP has to opt for particular types of solutions like QC, payroll, and HRMS. The graphics of SAP S/4HANA Cloud are not user-friendly. They don't look like they belong to a branded solution that costs too much. The solution's user interface is not appealing or user-friendly. On a scale from one to ten, where one is bad and ten is good, I rate the solution's user interface a five out of ten. SAP S/4HANA Cloud has built-in reports that are hard-coated. We have to alter or modify built-in reports in different marking segments, but there are no options for that. We have to build complete reports from scratch, and SAP-developed reports are not used in the market. SAP should provide a tool for customizing its developed reports so that there should not be a process of reengineering or reinventing the process.

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."
"The most valuable feature I've found is the UI functionality."
"The most valuable feature for us is the manufacturing module. It addresses our product costing for tuna canning."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Dynamics AX is that it fulfills our requirements. We haven't had any issues with performance."
"Microsoft Dynamics is very stable."
"It's scalable."
"The most valuable feature is the workflow of the modules."
"The product is easier to use and has more efficient workflow management features than other vendors."
"The most valuable feature of SAP S/4HANA Cloud is the new UX design."
"I have found the financial and production modules to be the most valuable features."
"SAP S/4HANA Cloud provides easy database access."
"Performs well and can be used with a wide range of devices."
"The reporting that we are doing from SAP S/4HANA Cloud is a valuable feature."
"What I like the most about SAP S4HANA is how reliable and powerful it is."
"It is a stable solution...It is a scalable solution."
"The product's most valuable features include its real-time data storage and integration capabilities through SAP connectors."
 

Cons

"The on-premises and desktop versions are not user-friendly."
"From a consultant's point of view, I recommend an enhancement in terms of detailed documentation for the products on the website."
"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."
"At times there are issues related to reporting, sometimes with the integration between two or three modules, and sometimes to the logic itself."
"The product takes some training to get up to speed on all functionality and modules in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 ERP system."
"The manufacturing module in GP is quite basic, and those who require more advanced manufacturing capabilities often turn to third-party modules or tools."
"There might be some features to support localizations that could be helpful to add."
"We do not have access to daily projections."
"One thing that could be better in SAP S/4HANA Cloud, especially in the public cloud, is how easily you can make changes."
"The initial setup can be complex, depending on the environment."
"It's not easy to facilitate the solution between us and SAP, so we have had to leave those issues open."
"The user interface of SAP S/4HANA Cloud needs to be improved because it is not as good as other applications."
"Customer service and support's response time is really long."
"The scalability of SAP S/4HANNA is an area that could be improved."
"The product could be improved by enhancing its user interface to make it more intuitive and by increasing the customization options for tracking and reporting, which would better align with our specific needs."
"The reporting aspect needs improvement, specifically in integrating the EWM and MM modules into a single report."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The platform's price offering is good."
"Microsoft Dynamics AX is not expensive."
"We pay for licensing yearly to use Microsoft Dynamics AX."
"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."
"It is $180 to $200 per user per month with a minimum of 20 users, which makes selling the product a bit difficult."
"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."
"Microsoft Dynamics AX is expensive."
"The solution’s pricing is very high."
"The pricing of SAP S/4HANA Cloud is on the higher side."
"It's very expensive."
"The licensing process for SAP S/4HANA Cloud has worked well."
"The pricing model can be complicated in certain scenarios."
"The solution is affordable."
"Pricing wise, SAP S4HANA Cloud is very expensive. The licensing cost can be 100,000 euros per year, depending on the number of users in your company."
"The license for S/4HANA is expensive, and the licensing structure is hard to understand. The admin license is something like 500 euros per user. Other ERP solutions allowed you to pick only the modules you need. The SAP ECC version requires you to take all the modules even if you are not using them."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Retailer
6%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Computer Software Company
16%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Educational Organization
6%
Construction Company
6%
 

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...
What do you like most about SAP S/4HANA Cloud?
The manufacturing area is a good feature.
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?
The system is very heavy and requires a lot of resources and a dedicated team. It is costly to maintain, demanding trained professionals, which adds to the expenses. This makes the overall cost ver...
 

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, Microsoft, Oracle and others in ERP. Updated: February 2025.
837,501 professionals have used our research since 2012.