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Infor M3 vs SAP ERP comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 27, 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

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 ERP
Ranking in ERP
2nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
107
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 ERP is 17.0%, down from 21.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
ERP Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
SAP ERP17.0%
Infor M34.8%
Other78.2%
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.
Achmad Dimyati - PeerSpot reviewer
Long-term adaptation and evolution meets changing technology trends
SAP ERP is not really real-time. We use the HANA database which is supposed to be memory data in memory, but we are still not very happy. It is supposed to be real-time and come very quickly, but in reality, it still takes time to run. That is why we use BW of SAP, Business Objects, and now we have moved to the Analytic Cloud where we start using predictive AI. SAP recently implemented Databricks, and they started investing significantly in the analytic environment. SAP ERP has been left behind as they moved to S/4HANA with the HANA database. They restructured the whole table structure of SAP ERP, introduced simple finance, simple logistics, and moved HR to SuccessFactors. They have the BTP layer where they manage everything from integration to master data management. The challenge with SAP is that they move very fast to different products and buy different products. It requires significant investment and many skills to catch up because all of these have different sets of technology. The fundamental has changed differently. It is not monolithic anymore but different products under one name, SAP. You have to buy it model by model for additional models. Products such as SuccessFactors, Ariba for procure to pay, Concur for travel, and Facility Management use totally different technology. They try to integrate with each other, but it remains a challenge for SAP to make them have the same management, technology, and operational approach.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The product's initial setup phase is easy."
"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."
"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."
"Infor M3 has ready-made processes, which provide the best workflows."
"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."
"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."
"Infor M3 has several valuable features, including customer order management and integration capabilities with third-party applications like ION."
"SAP is more reliable in terms of data quality than other systems."
"It's a good ERP system."
"The solution has far more features, processes, and functionalities than we previously had."
"The best feature of SAP ERP is the full integration."
"This product is very scalable and easy to expand."
"Its integration is most valuable."
"The stability is SAP ERP is not good only because the version is old. They could work on improving the versions."
"From a long-term perspective, I can say that the solution can offer a return on investment, but it may take around three to four years for our company to experience it."
 

Cons

"The solution must provide more learning documents."
"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."
"Sometimes, M3 alone cannot handle all the planning functionalities required by a customer. It has to be used along with industry-specific planning tools because M3 doesn't have all the features. However, no product can handle all the requirements of all the industries. There will be some shortcomings in all the products. Though this is an area for improvement, it is not a very serious shortfall or limitation. It can be covered by using third-party planning applications that integrate with Infor M3."
"Here in Infor M3, you have certain limitations where the main components cannot be modified—you must work around or use bolt-ons."
"We can't make modifications to fit the client's requirements."
"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."
"Customer support from Infor is responsive and addresses issues, but the response time can be delayed, which sometimes leads me to explore private vendors."
"The solution is stable but not agile."
"The UI could use improvement."
"ERP could use better integration with other systems."
"I do not have any notes for improvements."
"The flexibility in using the software could improve. I am from a product background and I've been testing a lot of applications, for example, Informatics. The UI, features, and cloud version could improve."
"SAP ERP could improve by integrating additional components such as digital signatures and barcoding."
"It needs a more complete guidance with complete processes. Right now, it only has single transactions."
"Customizations are a bit expensive."
"The challenge with SAP is that they move very fast to different products and buy different products. It requires significant investment and many skills to catch up because all of these have different sets of technology."
 

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."
"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 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."
"The cost is between $50 and $100 per user annually."
"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."
"We pay annually for the use of this solution."
"When you have a solution that is stable, reliable, and has a high performance as this solution, the price is going to be expensive. However, when you evaluate the service you are paying for the cost is quite reasonable for this solution."
"SAP is a bit on the costly side, but they also provide support and other things. We are paying for licenses and the use of the cloud."
"The product has high pricing."
"The licensing costs are slightly on the higher side. They need to make it more competitive."
"I rate SAP ERP's pricing a six or seven out of ten."
"The solution is expensive and is best-suited for large enterprises."
"It is less expensive than its competitors."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
14%
Computer Software Company
12%
Retailer
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Manufacturing Company
15%
Computer Software Company
11%
Retailer
7%
University
6%
 

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 Business31
Midsize Enterprise30
Large Enterprise76
 

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,...
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?
SAP ERP is fine as it is at the moment. It is difficult to comment on improvements for this version. I know HANA has improved regarding user interface and other functions, but we don't use that par...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

Infor Lawson M3, Lawson M3
No data available
 

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
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.
Find out what your peers are saying about Infor M3 vs. SAP ERP and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
868,759 professionals have used our research since 2012.