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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
11th
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
6th
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 August 2025, in the ERP category, the mindshare of Infor M3 is 5.2%, up from 3.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP Business One is 3.3%, down from 5.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
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

"Its ease of use is most valuable. Inquiries are transparent, and it shows good information on each screen. We don't have to go to 14 different screens to find out about one item, which is a big advantage."
"Overall, I rate Infor M3 nine out of ten for a positive experience."
"It's very stable, and it handles all types of industrial and manufacturing businesses in very good ways. I've found it to be easy."
"The product's initial setup phase is easy."
"The most valuable feature is the ability to cover different types of activities, and the requirement for maintenance and data is very low."
"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 the solution is that it is highly customizable."
"The most valuable feature of Infor M3 is the level of detail it has about the different manufacturing processes compared to other ERP solutions. Other ERP solutions provide the same level of integration as Infor M3, but Infor M3 specializes in several functions, such as planning and manufacturing."
"The most valuable feature of SAP Business One is the ability to manage your entire business with one software package."
"It's useful for users and it's simple to work with."
"Sales CRM and Financials are most valuable."
"We have been satisfied with the technical support."
"The solution has all the basic features that are required for us."
"SAP Business One consolidates various functions, including production, sales, inventory, and purchase management."
"I have been happy with the intern purchases, and finance, such as banking."
"All parts for inventory control, project budget, accounting, and business information are valuable. It is very friendly to obtain information. It is also very easy to make the changes that we need. We have a developer with us, and he can make the required changes or rules."
 

Cons

"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."
"Its initial setup was probably complex, but it is a very good system."
"An area for improvement in Infor M3 is training. There should be more training resources available for clients. Clients also find it challenging to get consultants or integrators for Infor M3. The product doesn't have enough resources in the market to help clients."
"Infor should create one product to handle the whole business. At present, they make ERP systems for each type of business, and then sell additional features. I would like to have one system handing all organizations or all the business in deep ways and not have to buy additional features."
"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."
"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."
"Customer support from Infor is responsive and addresses issues, but the response time can be delayed, which sometimes leads me to explore private vendors."
"Here in Infor M3, you have certain limitations where the main components cannot be modified—you must work around or use bolt-ons."
"We find the analytical tools available, such as Qlik, Power BI, and others, to be more powerful than the HANA analytics provided within the product."
"SAP Business One would be a great product if more customization is available."
"Our company is expanding to different countries, and business is growing. We feel that it is not good enough for the huge volume of the business. On-premises setup is not good enough for the overseas office. We have our onsite premises in Hong Kong, but we have a major sales office in the US. We are looking for a more efficient setup to fulfill our requirements and needs. It can have portals for vendors, suppliers, and customers. I know that they have this feature in version 10, but it still has space to improve."
"I'd like to see the solution become more user-friendly."
"Improvements are required in the support for partner-delivery add-ons, functional graphs, user development, and BI since certain shortcomings exist in these areas."
"Overall, the integration and the reports can be better."
"SAP Business One could improve asset management, inventory management, banking system, and production. Additionally, SAP Business One did not deduct TDS, withholding tax on payments."
"There are possibilities to extend its functionality. Things such as Quality Management System (QMS) and Payroll are currently not a part of the product. These things are needed."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost is between $50 and $100 per user annually."
"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."
"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 tool’s licensing is yearly."
"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."
"There is a license to use this solution and the price is good."
"We are on a perpetual license for SAP Business One and the price it should be less expensive when comparing it to other solutions."
"If you are in the US or Canadian the costs of SAP Business One could vary per license, it can be anywhere between $2,000 tor $5,000."
"The licensing cost for SAP Business One is affordable, and I'd rate it as four out of five. The license covers the software, the configuration, and the services, but if you want technical support, you'd need to pay for that separately."
"SAP Business One is not cheap."
"I rate the product pricing structure at around six out of ten due to currency fluctuations posing challenges."
"The price of SAP Business One is reasonable."
"On a scale from one to ten, where one is expensive and ten is cheap, I rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Wholesaler/Distributor
7%
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Healthcare Company
6%
Retailer
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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: July 2025.
865,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.