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Infor M3 vs SAP Business One comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

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

Infor M3
Ranking in ERP
12th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
Activity Based Costing Software (8th)
SAP Business One
Ranking in ERP
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
71
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the ERP category, the mindshare of Infor M3 is 4.8%, up from 4.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP Business One is 3.2%, down from 4.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
ERP Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
SAP Business One3.2%
Infor M34.8%
Other92.0%
ERP
 

Featured Reviews

Pravinkumar Bhandare - PeerSpot reviewer
The solution is a reliable, stable, and cost-saving ERP
Different countries have different finance practices, but I believe they need to fine-tune their practices to match industry standards. Practices vary from country to country, for example, in India, it is different than in the US. Sometimes, clients require alternate processes that are not standard, but they claim that these are the standard practices in their industry. At those times, we feel that the option required is not available with the solution. This is not the case only for Infor M3. Other ERPs also have the same problem. We can't mold the ERP to fit the customer's requirements. There are some standards in place because many screens and programs are integrated into the finance process. We can't make modifications to fit the client's requirements. The customer needs specific screens for different users, so if that program is in place, we have one planning tool in Infor M3. Planners need to know all things related to manufacturing, purchase, and sales in order to make decisions about planning. In one of my clients, I came across the requirement that they were asking for user authority in the planning tool. This is not the case though, because all planners need to know all things. However, on the manufacturing side, we can say that the person who is working with machine operations only needs to know machine-related information and doesn't need knowledge of products or sales. That standard industry is available, so we can give access to the user as per their needs. If the maintenance people are there, we can give them limited access, but if the planner is there, we need to give them all access according to industry standards. However, this requirement from the client side is not possible with the standard Infor software, but Infor can consider implementing it if the need is larger for many customers.
Hatem Mohamed Nageeb Salama - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides efficiency for small businesses, but requires costly add-ons for broader capabilities
I am currently using SAP products but not primarily selling SAP. Regarding real-time data processing capabilities, it is partially helpful for decision-making. It has built-in capability for real-time data, but it's not interactive data analytics. People need another solution such as Power BI to be integrated to get real-time data with interactive analytics. When it comes to customizing reporting in SAP Business One, it has the capability to customize reports via SAP Crystal Reports. It has a good amount of reports, but for each business, you need to understand exactly what the customer needs to customize their reports. The solution includes a mobile app to access key business information, though it is a very weak mobile app. The main benefit SAP Business One provides to users is ease of access. It's very good to present to customers, both from the interface and capabilities perspective. It's suitable for small to medium companies, making the buy-in for the solution very good. The pricing for SAP Business One is very competitive. Overall, SAP Business One is a very good solution for small to medium businesses. If your company is looking for an ERP to run end-to-end business, this is the solution. You need specific add-ons to run in specific industries, but it's approximately 70% good for most small to medium companies. My overall rating for SAP Business One is 7 out of 10.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"M3 has several useful features for managing supply chains, production, and customer orders. It's an excellent system that helps me meet all my requirements for fixed costs."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the Infor GL tool that allows us to do our application support and development."
"Overall, I rate Infor M3 nine out of ten for a positive experience."
"Infor M3 has several valuable features, including customer order management and integration capabilities with third-party applications like ION."
"Infor M3 has ready-made processes, which provide the best workflows."
"Infor comes up with different tools every year, and they are all compatible with Infor M3, which makes it a more reliable and trustworthy tool. The integration is very smooth."
"It's simple to use. You don't need any complex training to use it."
"The product's initial setup phase is easy."
"So there are a lot of features included with the ERP system."
"The efficient Intercompany sales to purchase order conversion is great."
"I like the monthly order management features."
"We have found the entire functionality of SAP Business One most valuable, including the sales module, purchase, inventory module, finance module, and asset module."
"The solution is scalable."
"It's useful for users and it's simple to work with."
"Ease of access is a valuable feature."
"It's fully integrated with great dashboard and interface."
 

Cons

"The solution is stable but not agile."
"It should be improved in terms of procurement of the supply chain and business intelligence analysis. We have the Infor BI tool, but it's more complex to use than, for example, Power Pivot or QlikView in the market."
"I would like to have some kind of dashboard to show an overview of different data on the same dashboard or on the same screen instead of moving to BI."
"The solution's technical support is an area with shortcomings that need improvement, especially the support for the product named M3 rather than the support offered by Infor as an organization."
"The solution must provide more learning documents."
"It would be great if Infor added some new workflows in the finance module. I'd also like to see better integration with third-party applications."
"The product's technical support has certain shortcomings. Sometimes, my company doesn't get a proper response from their end."
"We can't make modifications to fit the client's requirements."
"The installation process could be easier. They should have better tools to improve the effectiveness of the installation."
"I'd like to see the solution become more user-friendly."
"SAP could improve the performance of the business alignment with other products."
"The solution's CRM module can be made better."
"Lacks ability to integrate with other tools."
"The solution needs to have comprehensive visibility into the entire sales-to-purchase cycle, enabling businesses to monitor SO-PO relationships, track order progress, and generate insightful reports."
"There is room for improvement in stability."
"In SAP Business One, customization can be made easier...I would tell those planning to use the solution that though it is a good solution, it might not be a complete solution since there are some missing features in it."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I'm not part of the team that manages Infor M3 pricing, but it depends on the client, integration, ship-out, and training levels. You get the price from the solution provider, but it would be best to discuss it because nothing is set in stone regarding pricing."
"The tool’s licensing is yearly."
"If you compare Infor M3 to SAP, Infor M3 is less expensive than SAP, but if you compare Infor M3 to Dynamics 365, Infor M3 is more expensive. It also depends on the model that you buy. It depends on whether you have the complete package or whether you have separate models."
"There is a yearly licensing cost. The price is based on the modules you need. There are several modules, such as HR module, accounting module, sales module, scheduling module, etc., and the price will vary depending on the number of modules you choose. The customers always say that it's very expensive. It can cost a lot of money if your organization is huge. It's not implemented in a lot of organizations in my country because it's too expensive."
"The cost is between $50 and $100 per user annually."
"Infor M3 is a tier-two product and is cheaper than tier-one products such as SAP and Oracle. However, it is more expensive than some other tier-two products. The licensing cost is dependent on the number of users. Also, if you purchase other tools from Infor as a package, then there may be other discounts offered."
"The price of SAP Business One is high for smaller businesses to afford. The currency plays a large part in the fluctuation of the solution's price when we convert the USD to our local currency. $1,400 is for a limited license and $3,700 is for a professional license."
"Its licensing model is good. There is a one-off payment for the software license, and after that, you only need to pay the annual maintenance fee. Compared to other cloud-based systems, this cost model is quite reasonable for SMEs."
"The price of SAP Business One is not comparable to other solutions. SAP is a well-known brand, and its price is on the higher side. However, if the solution offers the right fit for an organization the price is not a major concern for those who choose to use it."
"SAP Business One is not cheap."
"We feel that the licensing fees are a bit on the higher side."
"We compared the Microsoft solution with Oracle NetSuite, as they have a price decrease. It is, however, not that much cheaper, and the price is comparable to SAP."
"Business One's prices are really high."
"The price of SAP Business One is expensive and there is only a standard license."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
14%
Computer Software Company
12%
Retailer
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Computer Software Company
18%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Retailer
5%
Healthcare Company
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise3
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business35
Midsize Enterprise18
Large Enterprise20
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Infor M3?
The product's initial setup phase is easy.
What needs improvement with Infor M3?
Some customers expect more out-of-box reports, and in some areas, they should provide more reports. However, Infor has introduced a report tool so that key users or global champions can generate re...
What is your primary use case for Infor M3?
Infor M3 is specifically dominant in fashion, food and beverages, and chemicals manufacturing; it works into micro-verticals. In food and beverage, it specializes in meat processing, confectionery,...
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 do you like most about SAP Business One?
It's user-friendly and comes with comprehensive manuals. So, it is easy to learn to use SAP Business One
 

Also Known As

Infor Lawson M3, Lawson M3
Business One
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Grosfillex, High Five Sportswear, L_derach, OTK Group, PHS Group, Propper International, Red Wing Shoe Company, Reynolds Catering Supplies, Saudi Diesel, Sheetz, Zeppelin, Zodiac Aerospace
Ego Pharmaceuticals Pty. Ltd
Find out what your peers are saying about Infor M3 vs. SAP Business One and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
868,787 professionals have used our research since 2012.