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SAP ERP vs SAP S/4HANA comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

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
7.8
SAP ERP enhances ROI with inventory reduction, automation, and data analysis, though ROI timelines can take up to three years.
Sentiment score
8.2
SAP S/4HANA users see long-term ROI through cost reduction and efficiency, benefiting large entities more than smaller ones.
We have observed a good return on investment, with calculations based on a five-year ROI plan.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.4
SAP ERP customer service is highly rated; technical support is satisfactory but could be faster, with cost considerations noted.
Sentiment score
6.9
SAP S/4HANA support receives mixed reviews, with strengths in expertise but areas needing improvement in response time and process efficiency.
The quality of technical support from SAP can be rated as eight out of ten.
The quality of customer service is excellent, and the speed is commendable.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
SAP ERP is highly scalable, supporting large organizations with flexibility, though cloud solutions may enhance scalability further.
Sentiment score
7.9
SAP S/4HANA is highly scalable for medium to large enterprises, adapting well to cloud environments with customization flexibility.
SAP S/4HANA scales exceptionally well.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
SAP ERP is stable and reliable, with high ratings despite occasional issues mainly due to manual configurations.
Sentiment score
8.0
SAP S/4HANA is generally stable and reliable, with skilled teams enhancing performance, though customizations can affect stability.
 

Room For Improvement

SAP ERP needs interface, integration, and cost improvements alongside better training, support, customization, mobility, and international financial management.
Feedback on SAP S/4HANA highlights UI simplification, better app integration, more custom options, and improved AI, documentation, and support.
It could be improved by focusing on user-related challenges, as end users might face certain difficulties.
The cost of their support services could be more affordable.
 

Setup Cost

SAP ERP has high costs but offers comprehensive features, making it valuable for enterprise data management despite expenses.
SAP S/4HANA is expensive with complex licensing, varying by deployment, user count, and modules, challenging affordability for smaller firms.
It's higher compared to similar peer solutions.
The cost of support services could be made more affordable.
 

Valuable Features

SAP ERP offers integration, customization, robust financial management, automation, scalability, real-time reporting, and support for industry-specific operations.
SAP S/4HANA offers a user-friendly interface, real-time analytics, and robust integration, enhancing adaptability and efficiency for businesses.
It enables the posting of transactions and allows us to see the impact across various application scenarios, providing significant benefits for business.
Its analytics capabilities are valuable as they enhance data analysis and insights.
 

Categories and Ranking

SAP ERP
Ranking in ERP
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
104
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SAP S/4HANA
Ranking in ERP
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
106
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the ERP category, the mindshare of SAP ERP is 21.1%, down from 22.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP S/4HANA is 15.3%, up from 15.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
ERP
 

Featured Reviews

Srinivasan Kuppuswamy - PeerSpot reviewer
The amazing, robust framework with unlimited scalability earns its #1 status
The solution is not ready for the current e-commerce environment. Its was built for large enterprises who need to predictably optimize their human, material, and financial resources. ERP has evolved and businesses are changing. There are not many large corporations. Most are small enterprises with the capabilities of large enterprises through networking and platform integration. Some companies promote products but get things done with other enterprises as a network. Companies do not want to create new capacity but want to leverage existing capacity with innovative products. They do not want to spend resources on duplicating capacity or facilities. I do not think any ERP product is ready to support this environment so ERPs as a whole might end up being used for back-office functions only. It is not easy to evolve an ERP product because its intent is to integrate functions and processes within an organization. Whereas, in the new business model, processes are not limited to one's own enterprise but cut across different enterprises. There is no enterprise solution as this point in time for the current e-commerce environment so companies must integrate with many solutions.
VARUN-JAIN - PeerSpot reviewer
The solution is highly scalable, with solid performance and integration
S/4HANA implementation is always complex because you need to configure it to work with your infrastructure. SAP only provides the license, not hardware, but they will connect you with a partner like HPE or IBM. It's extremely costly if you ask for SAP to implement it, but you can deploy through some vendor like HCL, TC, Infosys, or Capgemini, and then you need to enlist a hardware partner. The complexity also varies by industry. If it's a small industry with $40 million of revenue annually, the business processes will be simple. However, deployment is tricky for heavy manufacturing, energy, etc.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
14%
Computer Software Company
12%
Retailer
6%
University
6%
Educational Organization
38%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
University
4%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Is Anaplan better than SAP ERP?
There are different aspects of both Anaplan and SAP ERP that I like and dislike. Anaplan improves forecast accuracy and drives up the quality of analytics. Rather than spending all of their time co...
What do you like most about SAP ERP?
The solution has made the most significant impact on our human resources function, specifically in HR operations and HR analytics. One feature of SAP ERP that I found most valuable is its use of co...
What needs improvement with SAP ERP?
There is a need for improvement in the business analytics aspect in financial reporting and also in sales and marketing analytics.
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?
The cost of their support services could be more affordable. It's currently an expensive proposition.
What is your primary use case for SAP S4HANA?
We have several different application scenarios that we are implementing, including procurement, sales, and finance.
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

No data available
SAP S4HANA
 

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Overview

 

Sample Customers

B&G Manufacturing, Unilever, Life is good Inc., Joy Global Inc., City of Cape Town, Bhopal Municipal, Corporation (BMC), adidas Group, Butcher & Packer Supply Company, Franklin Valve L.P., Evoshield, Prime Meats, a Norsan Group company, EMC Corporation, Varian Medical Systems Inc., FC Bayern Mªnchen AG, AkzoNobel Chemicals B.V., T¾V Rheinland, Pacific Drilling S.A., Fire & Rescue New South Wales, University of Amsterdam, Pa_alon S.A.
Nestle, O.C. Tanner, Sabre, New York Life Insurance Co., MEMEBOX, Siemens AG.
Find out what your peers are saying about SAP ERP vs. SAP S/4HANA and other solutions. Updated: December 2024.
824,154 professionals have used our research since 2012.