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SAP Business ByDesign vs SAP S/4HANA Cloud comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

SAP Business ByDesign
Ranking in Cloud ERP
4th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
Ranking in Cloud ERP
3rd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
52
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Cloud ERP category, the mindshare of SAP Business ByDesign is 8.1%, down from 12.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP S/4HANA Cloud is 11.7%, down from 15.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Cloud ERP
 

Featured Reviews

Majid-Mustafa - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides custom versions of reports personalized for users
For AI initiatives, you need to purchase a separate AI license to integrate with SAP Business ByDesign. I'd recommend SAP Business ByDesign for large companies that want to check data graphically, especially for monthly income, expenses, and taxes in the millions or trillions. Overall, for large-scale companies, I'd rate it ten out of ten.
Majid-Mustafa - PeerSpot reviewer
Good Fiori interface and business processes and uses its own database, not relying on third-party applications
ECC is almost finished. SAP will support it until 2027, and S/4HANA is the long-term solution, supported until 2040. S/4HANA provides more features using the Fiori interface and business processes. We can use the GUI, SAP Fiori apps, and web browsers. It is accessible online from anywhere in the world. It is a more user-friendly environment and faster than ECC. The major feature is that it uses its own database, not relying on third-party applications. The cloud aspect of SAP S/4HANA: It uses its own database, HANA 2.0, and because it is its own database, it works very smoothly and quickly. S/4HANA is stable, and there is no chance of data redundancy, making it fast and responsive for the client.

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 is the feature called Financial Closing Cockpit. This feature allows us to monitor our accounting and processing closely."
"When we were using it, we did see an immediate benefit, especially in the inventory on consignment issue. We were a biotech pre-revenue company and most of our manufacturing was outsourced. So being able to track inventory within the system without creating a financial impact was very key for us."
"The most valuable feature of SAP Business ByDesign is it has a streamlined design."
"I like the tool’s customization."
"I find the tool’s every feature valuable."
"ByDesign's best features are its speed, real-time data, and reporting."
"The standard system is stable."
"The most valuable features of SAP Business ByDesign are customer invoicing and cost and revenue, from which I get the data for my project reports."
"Since SAP S/4HANA Cloud is a SaaS application, it is already providing a lot of standard out-of-the-box features."
"It is a straightforward solution."
"The most valuable feature of SAP S/4HANA Cloud is the new UX design."
"The guidance SAP offers for implementing the product is clear and the online resources are great."
"The ability to access and analyze data in real-time has significantly improved our reporting efficiency."
"I like that it saves every transaction, so anything is traceable."
"The solution links everything and allows us to integrate into our entire supply chain."
"Makes it easier to reach and read data."
 

Cons

"Scalability is difficult."
"There might be some hurdles when integrating with SAP ECC, but integration with SAP S/4HANA Cloud is smooth."
"The Purchase to Pay process could benefit from further sophistication and additional functionality. It would be helpful for the user community to receive clearer information about the future roadmap of the business. Unfortunately, there were some confusing articles in the German press towards the end of last year about the future of SAP Business ByDesign. Therefore, more clarity is needed in the support function to address this."
"I would say budget controlling needs improvement. I mention this because it does not have all the functionalities that we need in terms of managing the budget."
"The payroll module of the solution could improve."
"I would like the tool’s interface to be better. Currently, we use a client application to access the product. I want that to be replaced with a web version. I would like to improve the tool’s internet availability. I also want the product’s setup to be easier."
"ByDesign could be improved by making screen modifications easier."
"There is room for improvement in the reporting capability. To use it properly, you need intensive IT support. You cannot write your own reports."
"They can improve the interface. It has a client-server kind of interface, which is kind of old."
"The user experience has some room for improvement. S/4HANA covers various scenarios based on the best business practices, but users complain about its user experience. It is not a user-friendly ERP solution. I rate the current UX seven out of 10."
"There is room for improvement in SAP S/4HANA Cloud, particularly in enhancing the application's response time."
"The scalability of the solution could improve."
"Public cloud is single-tenant so there are limitations on what can be customized."
"The reporting aspect needs improvement, specifically in integrating the EWM and MM modules into a single report."
"The reporting aspect needs improvement, specifically in integrating the EWM and MM modules into a single report."
"The proposition by SAP does not match the value realization."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool’s pricing is expensive."
"The pricing depends on company size. It's cheaper for small companies and more expensive for large ones."
"We have to pay yearly."
"I rate the price of SAP Business ByDesign a seven out of ten."
"The price of the solution could be better. They have to come up with a new strategy."
"Everything is included in the licensing cost of the solution. However, they use a per-user model for additional charges."
"The tool’s subscription is yearly. There is no flat pricing involved and everything has a range. Pricing depends on the functionality that you would use. You need to also pay for the additional hosting and maintenance costs."
"The price of SAP Business ByDesign is less expensive than SAP S/4HANA. However, the price is on par with other similar competitors, such as Microsoft."
"I feel the solution is expensive when it comes to what can be obtained with open source software."
"The pricing of SAP S/4HANA Cloud is on the higher side."
"The tool's pricing is reasonable."
"It's very expensive."
"The solution's costs have significantly increased, and we have not seen any anticipated cost savings."
"S/4HANA is an enterprise solution that many can't afford. You must invest a lot to get the most out of it. It isn't cheap. I rate the price seven out of 10."
"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 licensing process for SAP S/4HANA Cloud has worked well."
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Answers from the Community

RB
Jun 30, 2021
Jun 30, 2021
The main difference is RISE is associated with S/4 Product Range on Cloud while By Design is modeled after SAP Business One also on Cloud. So both are SaaS but the difference is in enterprise size and also application complexities. Also, RISE offers a bundle of pre-configured modules while By Design is similar to B1 with a lot more flexibility and high scalability. License wise both are per us...
See 2 answers
EB
Jun 28, 2021
Hello @Terry Jones ​, @Sanath Premachandra ​, @Ben Melchionno ​and @ASalman. Can you please assist in answering this question?
PB
Jun 30, 2021
The main difference is RISE is associated with S/4 Product Range on Cloud while By Design is modeled after SAP Business One also on Cloud.  So both are SaaS but the difference is in enterprise size and also application complexities. Also, RISE offers a bundle of pre-configured modules while By Design is similar to B1 with a lot more flexibility and high scalability. License wise both are per user on the cloud.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
20%
University
12%
Real Estate/Law Firm
9%
Healthcare Company
6%
Computer Software Company
16%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Government
6%
Construction Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about SAP Business ByDesign?
The most valuable features of SAP Business ByDesign are customer invoicing and cost and revenue, from which I get the data for my project reports.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SAP Business ByDesign?
The pricing depends on company size. It's cheaper for small companies and more expensive for large ones.
What needs improvement with SAP Business ByDesign?
There might be some hurdles when integrating with SAP ECC, but integration with SAP S/4HANA Cloud is smooth.
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

No data available
SAP S4HANA Cloud
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Standard Bank of South Africa, AOK Bundesverband, PT XL Axiata Tbk, Tvoy Dom, Schaidt Innovations GmbH & Co. KG, DeLaval International AB, EMC Corporation, Lenovo, Castle Importing Inc., Unilever, Rifle Paper Co., RAK Ceramics, Rough Country, B&G Manufacturing, Life is good Inc., Joy Global Inc., City of Cape Town
La Trobe University, Carrefour Comércio e Indústria Ltda, Delaware Consulting and Corning Inc.
Find out what your peers are saying about SAP Business ByDesign vs. SAP S/4HANA Cloud and other solutions. Updated: December 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.