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Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central vs Microsoft Dynamics AX comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 29, 2025

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
5.3
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central boosts ROI, productivity, and efficiency, often achieving returns within six months through automation.
Sentiment score
6.4
Microsoft Dynamics AX enhances work practices and management, achieving significant ROI and efficiency across diverse business operations.
Automation makes it very easy for us, as that is a time-saving task for us.
VP Sales at Zelite Solution
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
4.1
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central offers good support; however, some users report slow responses and lack of experienced consultants.
Sentiment score
4.2
Microsoft Dynamics AX support quality varies, with premium being costly; users often depend on partners or in-house teams.
The response time before getting someone who can provide a relevant answer is crucial.
Owner at Numex BV
The lack of senior technical consultants means Tier 1 support sometimes has limited experience, which could be better.
Regional Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Microsoft provides real-time support, which makes a big difference compared to SAP.
Automation Engineer
Microsoft has really good documentation, and they are known for that.
Senior System Analyst at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.8
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is scalable for SMEs but faces challenges scaling for larger organizations and extensive users.
Sentiment score
7.1
Microsoft Dynamics AX offers scalability for various business sizes, though older versions may struggle with customizations and performance issues.
There are these things called AOS nodes where if you have more users and performance decreases, you can add more servers to the cluster.
Senior System Analyst at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
It struggles with scalability when you need to manage financial reporting or setup for multiple companies.
Business Analyst at Kpmhealth.com
Microsoft Dynamics AX already has multiple functions for sales, inventory, HR, finance, and supply chain.
Senior Sales Support Supervisor at a manufacturing company with 501-1,000 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.7
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central offers high stability, improved from NAV, with occasional update issues swiftly resolved.
Sentiment score
7.2
Microsoft Dynamics AX is generally stable, with user ratings high, but issues arise with customizations and inadequate infrastructure.
For the cloud, we have not faced any downtimes or stability issues.
Regional Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
I have not had any major issues with stability.
Senior System Analyst at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
If you do the maintenance and have your own people, it could be stable, but it means a lot of work.
Head of Controlling and IT at Melinda
For stability, I would rate Microsoft Dynamics AX a ten, as I have not faced any problems at all.
Chief Executive Officer at Easy Touch
 

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central needs improvements in pricing, integration, automation, reporting, training resources, and system stability for better functionality.
The platform requires improvements in APIs, support, UI, data migration, analytics, features, pricing, scalability, security, and compatibility.
There's a gap in advanced features that other platforms like NetSuite handle better.
Regional Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
A basic point of sale would help a great deal because there are certain requirements where Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central could fit in small retail operations, and it is quite expensive, so that addition would be beneficial.
Regional Sales Manager at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
There is a need for improvement in consolidation and multi-country master data management.
Owner at Numex BV
It is no longer supported from a security perspective, so it is not getting updated.
Senior System Analyst at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Microsoft Dynamics AX lacks the concept of month-end closing, which is essential for tight control over financial periods.
Business Analyst at Kpmhealth.com
Most companies working with AX currently transforming to D365, upgrading their ERP systems, which are more enhanced and have additional features such as dashboards.
Senior Sales Support Supervisor at a manufacturing company with 501-1,000 employees
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central's pricing is complex, with variable costs and added expenses for implementation and customization.
Microsoft Dynamics AX is expensive with high setup costs; flexible pricing is needed for economic and regional challenges.
However, it was very costly due to the numerous integrations we had.
Automation Engineer
The pricing and setup cost via partner for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central are very attractive, as you get the best discounts and offers.
VP Sales at Zelite Solution
The pricing for Dynamics 365 Business Central is reasonable.
Owner at Numex BV
Acquiring a developer license for customization is expensive, costing over one hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars.
Business Analyst at Kpmhealth.com
I think it would be great if Microsoft made the price model flexible per company and per country, considering that some countries face different economic situations which makes Microsoft pricing seem very high.
Chief Executive Officer at Easy Touch
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central provides integration, customization, and affordability, enhancing collaboration and financial management for diverse industries.
Microsoft Dynamics AX offers flexible dimensions, module integration, seamless Excel compatibility, cloud scalability, and strong data management and security.
The value for money is very high as it fits the business well.
Owner at Numex BV
It provides localized compliance for every country, covering VAT compliances, taxing policies, and corporate taxes.
Regional Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is scalable, as it was able to grow with increasing business demands.
Automation Engineer
There are many levels of security and permissions for each user to monitor and access specific data relative to their functions.
Senior Sales Support Supervisor at a manufacturing company with 501-1,000 employees
I have not had any major issue with stability.
Senior System Analyst at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The most valuable feature of Microsoft Dynamics AX is its full integration with Excel, allowing for cut and paste functionality between Excel and the system.
Business Analyst at Kpmhealth.com
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Busi...
Ranking in ERP
5th
Ranking in Activity Based Costing Software
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
68
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Dynamics AX
Ranking in ERP
6th
Ranking in Activity Based Costing Software
5th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
59
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the ERP category, the mindshare of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is 3.4%, down from 6.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Dynamics AX is 2.7%, down from 6.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
ERP Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central3.4%
Microsoft Dynamics AX2.7%
Other93.9%
ERP
 

Featured Reviews

BN
VP Sales at Zelite Solution
Streamlined sales pipeline has improved daily task tracking and clarified client follow-ups
The best features Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central offers for me is that this software makes my life very easy, as I have a complete snapshot of my pipeline and a complete snapshot of my daily activities, where I can see what the status of my leads is, where I am standing in terms of closure, and the aging of my opportunities, which tells me how much time there is in the opportunity. Out of all those things I mentioned, the pipeline view and day-to-day activities feel the most valuable to me in my day-to-day work. There are AI-driven insights through Copilot, which is worth mentioning. Email communication and everything I receive is tracked with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, and the best feature is that I can access everything on my mobile, so I do not have to open my laptop and the application every time. It helps me with my sales forecasting also, and predictive analysis is one of the best features for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. We have more insights and more clarity about our sales, our pipeline, where we are standing, and we have more clarity on our leads. Becoming a process-centric organization helps us a lot to keep us accountable, so Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central has made our life easy in terms of sales.
reviewer2765214 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Sales Support Supervisor at a manufacturing company with 501-1,000 employees
Has required ongoing support and modernization but effectively manages core operations and complex workflows
Microsoft Dynamics AX is a very strong ERP system, applicable for customizations to help companies and organizations streamline their processes. The specific feature I find most valuable about Microsoft Dynamics AX is the applicable permissions. There are many levels of security and permissions for each user to monitor and access specific data relative to their functions. Additionally, the linkage and transition between exploring and moving from window to window, from function to function is valuable. The impact of Microsoft Dynamics AX on managing financial processes is significant. It's a very important element for financial departments as it represents all transactions, references, and records. The adjustments and availability to create more than one virtual company allow large companies, which combined represent one group of companies, to connect and streamline their financials and operations.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
12%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Construction Company
8%
University
6%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Retailer
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business41
Midsize Enterprise12
Large Enterprise19
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business30
Midsize Enterprise13
Large Enterprise17
 

Questions from the Community

Is it advisable to purchase Dynamics CRM in addition to NAV 2016?
Short answer: depends on your sales needs. NAV 2016’s built-in CRM is very basic. It’s fine for simple contact management and basic sales tracking, but it lacks: Proper pipeline management Adva...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Dynamics NAV?
The pricing and setup cost via partner for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central are very attractive, as you get the best discounts and offers. Implementation, which depends on partner to partner...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Dynamics NAV?
The only thing that could be improved is integration with WhatsApp, which I can see for Microsoft that it has to be available, and that becomes a challenge sometimes. Everything else is perfect.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Dynamics AX?
I think the integration capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics AX need to be enhanced. There are many features for integration, such as APIs and connectors, but I need more ready APIs that link directl...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Dynamics AX?
For industrial companies, I mainly use Microsoft Dynamics AX for those processes. Most of my clients are manufacturing clients, so I work with food industries, steel industries, plastic industries,...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Dynamics AX?
Microsoft Dynamics AX provides benefits like saving time because it is very easy to use and it offers strong processes to implement full business processes, mapping them with customer business for ...
 

Also Known As

Dynamics NAV, MS Dynamics NAV
Dynamics AX, Axapta, MS Dynamics AX
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Harris Farm Markets, Mister Spex GmbH, Bounce Foods, Eurofin Services SA, Medica Medizintechnik, Associated Gaskets, Onduline, Sitka Surfboard Corporation, World Animal Protection
ConQuaestor, D & H Distributing, Sunny Queen, Mesa Associates, Britax Childcare, Ibema, Arafa, Sabo S.p.A.
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central vs. Microsoft Dynamics AX and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,244 professionals have used our research since 2012.