Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

NetSuite ERP vs SAP S/4HANA comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 20, 2025

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

NetSuite ERP
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
35
Ranking in other categories
Activity Based Costing Software (6th), Billing Software (1st), Cloud ERP (2nd)
SAP S/4HANA
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
119
Ranking in other categories
ERP (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Enterprise Resource Planning solutions, they serve different purposes. NetSuite ERP is designed for Cloud ERP and holds a mindshare of 20.8%, down 34.4% compared to last year.
SAP S/4HANA, on the other hand, focuses on ERP, holds 12.9% mindshare, down 16.1% since last year.
Cloud ERP
ERP
 

Featured Reviews

Venkat Sudni - PeerSpot reviewer
It's a user-friendly cloud-based solution that startups and small businesses can afford
Setting up NetSuite ERP is pretty straightforward. It's a plug-and-play solution that comes with the default bundle. We uploaded our GLs and charter accounts and added our company code to the architecture. It can be up and running in under a month. It takes at least five people to deploy NetSuite.
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

"As NetSuite ERP is a cloud product, a valuable feature I found in it is the very friendly user interface. You can set up shortcuts within the applications for frequently used reports or navigation. You can also customize dashboards in NetSuite ERP. Another feature I found valuable in the solution is good reporting. It has many industry-standard reports focused on finance and inventory. I also like the seamless switching between production and test environments and that you can customize the environments within NetSuite ERP. For example, you can put banners on your test and production environments to differentiate or segregate the logins to prevent mistakes. The solution is pretty easy to use and navigate, and it's more of a lightweight software. I like that it's a cloud product, so work is done on the front end rather than the back end. There's also a community for NetSuite ERP where you can raise your queries and issues. You'll find other people sharing experiences about common issues so you can get quick fixes from the community."
"Every year, they release a new version."
"I have found there to be many features, such as manufacturing, accounting, financials, inventory, and purchasing."
"NetSuite is a better value than some competing solutions. The fee structure is simpler, and other ERP solutions don't offer as many options for configuration."
"The most valuable aspect of NetSuite ERP is the multi-subsidiary portion, it is the strongest across all the other ERPs. If you want to do consolidations, it works a lot better than other tools."
"It is a very solid product for finance and procure-to-pay processes."
"The most valuable feature in NetSuite ERP is the user interface."
"I would say that the solution is highly configurable."
"SAP offers specific functions related to my data use case."
"It is really fast. It is also very stable."
"I find the easy transformation and the good app to be very valuable."
"The solution's new UI called Fiori is user friendly."
"The solution's most valuable feature is integration."
"S/4HANA offers a lot of additional capability with respect to performance due to its in-built architecture for many functions including finance, production, quality, manufacturing, inventory or sales distribution and logistics."
"We use the solution for a retail customer. As an administrator, my activities involve system installation, troubleshooting, and performance management."
"S/4HANA falls under a single terminal. We can easily access the data, and the performance is good."
 

Cons

"In NetSuite ERP, they should focus on offering better customization options."
"The product should improve its warehouse management solution."
"In terms of the main improvement to NetSuite is the talent itself. It's grown so fast and there are about 25,000 companies running on it, and it's a relatively newer system compared to other competitors. It's growing so fast that the talent base in the partner organization (there's about 200 of them), is pretty thin."
"There is a lot of room for improvement. Multiple manufacturing features need to be updated on NetSuite. More functionalities need to be added. I think there are a lot of functionalities coming out for warehouse management systems and manufacturing automation via advanced manufacturing functionalities. I think they need to improve a little more on those aspects and make it easier on the scheduling aspect."
"The custom reports could be improved."
"If you do go through an implementor, you need to be careful that they are actual implementors and not just resellers."
"If they could provide more integration options to connect with different products, that would be ideal."
"I would like to see improved customization options in NetSuite ERP, possibly through generative modules, to enhance flexibility and efficiency."
"The integration could be made a little simpler in terms of design and implementation."
"The solution’s pricing could be reduced."
"There are areas for improvement. SAP needs to consider both global and regional requirements."
"The initial setup was kind of complicated."
"This solution works with the configuration, if the prerequisites are very clear and can be configured it works perfectly. If you need to simulate something, as a predictive tool this kind of simulation is not very accurate and it has limitations. This is something that could improve."
"It would be very good to merge the SuccessFactors or other solutions with S/4HANA to make it one suite. They could have a single dashboard for all types of products. I have many embedded solutions."
"I'm not a big fan of SAP S/4HANA because it needs a lot of hardware. It is really fast, but it needs a lot of hardware. The hardware for S/4HANA is too expensive."
"In future releases, I would like to see more availability zones and VPCs so customers have more freedom to choose"
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"When people buy ERP, it's a competitive situation and the pricing is paramount."
"The price of the solution is quite high."
"There is an annual license required to use this solution."
"NetSuite ERP has a cost per module you want to use, and then you have the license per user."
"I would advise that you first meet with and scope out your project with a NetSuite VAR (Value Added Reseller)."
"It is completely on a subscription basis. We pay yearly and, and you do not have to do anything on a monthly basis. Prices depend on the organization's scale and all those things, but they are doing a good job with the pricing."
"Regarding costs, it's not just about licensing. Customization recurring costs can become expensive over five to eight years, especially with new releases. However, NetSuite ERP integrates well with third-party applications, so it can still be used for finance while another ERP is used for localized production."
"The price is less than the cost of daily hours."
"It is costly in computing because these VMs have a huge CPU and utilization."
"It is on a quarterly basis. There are no additional costs. There is just the standard fee."
"The price of SAP S4HANA could be cheaper."
"It's quite expensive. However, it can be expensive to maintain the solution."
"Regarding pricing, I don't regularly deal with the financial aspects, but it is not a cheap solution."
"There is a license required for the use of this solution and we are on a monthly subscription. The cost of the solution is expensive compared to other solutions."
"I would rate the pricing at around six to nine out of ten depending on the edition and deployment type."
"We pay for an annual license."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Cloud ERP solutions are best for your needs.
849,190 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
42%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
5%
Educational Organization
36%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
4%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about NetSuite ERP?
The inventory feature in NetSuite ERP is very valuable to me because it provides clear estimates about the depreciation of details and includes useful mobile modules.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NetSuite ERP?
If you buy it through Europe or North America, it is quite expensive. However, if you can buy it from developing markets according to NetSuite, you can get significant discounts, up to 70%.
What needs improvement with NetSuite ERP?
Reports are good but not perfect. The custom reports could be improved. The initial setup process for reports can be a bit complicated and may require more user-friendly options. My previous compan...
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?
There could be a bit more competitiveness in their licensing and pricing.
What is your primary use case for SAP S4HANA?
It is a great product to be implemented for different industries for my customers. Can it be used globally?
 

Also Known As

No data available
SAP S4HANA
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

2Pure, Accuvant, Actian, Adtegrity, Advantage Sign Supply, All-Safe Pool Safety Products, Alton Lane, AMC Liquidators
Nestle, O.C. Tanner, Sabre, New York Life Insurance Co., MEMEBOX, Siemens AG.
Find out what your peers are saying about Oracle, NetSuite, SAP and others in Cloud ERP. Updated: April 2025.
849,190 professionals have used our research since 2012.