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Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central vs Microsoft Dynamics SL comparison

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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

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Busi...
Ranking in ERP
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
69
Ranking in other categories
Activity Based Costing Software (2nd)
Microsoft Dynamics SL
Ranking in ERP
30th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the ERP category, the mindshare of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is 2.8%, down from 6.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Dynamics SL is 1.1%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
ERP Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central2.8%
Microsoft Dynamics SL1.1%
Other96.1%
ERP
 

Featured Reviews

Jacinta Chanda - PeerSpot reviewer
Examinations Manager at Northrise University
Integrated academic workflows have transformed how our institution manages courses and results
For Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, every time we need to make an adjustment, we must make a payment, which is slightly expensive for us as an organization. There are certain modifications we'd like to make, and those come with a cost. The licensing is also very expensive, so if the prices could be revisited, especially for educational institutions, that would be really helpful. Otherwise, it has proven to be a very good tool for us as an organization. I chose a rating of nine for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central because it has been very useful for us as an organization, but there are still a few improvements that need to be made. Sometimes we experience glitches when generating certain reports, and every time we need to make a modification, we have to pay for that. Thus, I will not give it a ten because there are a few areas needing improvement.
Cirvesh-Daga - PeerSpot reviewer
Director at T-Systems International GmbH
Simplify and streamline complex business processes, and good integration capabilities but lacks predictive capabilities
An area of improvement could be around automation and predictability. However, I'm sure Microsoft is already thinking about incorporating AI co-pilot features, which should be coming soon. The end person who will be looking at the report is the CFO, and CFO isn't just interested in static reports but in predictive information. Ideally, SL could use data from ERP, and CRM to provide some level of prediction. CoPilot is plugged into Dynamics, it'll be a plus and even a huge selling point over other solutions that are there in the market because now we have a component of AI. We can also give you some level of prediction. Even if it starts with a 15% confidence level, a CFO will take that because it still allows them to increase their bets to a certain extent. So, that's something that I I will look forward to whenever Microsoft introduces it.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It's quite useful for our production line, and it's easy to configure to our requirements."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is the Teams application. I use Teams to share documents amongst my team members, have meetings, and talk to them."
"The initial setup is easy."
"For me, the main strengths of Microsoft Dynamics NAV are that it's user-friendly and light. These are its major wins. I have used other ERPs and their architecture were a little more complex when compared to the Microsoft Dynamics NAV architecture."
"We have everything recorded in the database, so our data is much more manageable than before, and that's one of the greatest advantages."
"The appeal of NAV was that it's all-inclusive, so we didn't need 15 different programs to keep the business running."
"Microsoft offers a complete end-to-end solution for organizations of all statuses and sizes."
"The ease of the initial setup, data conversion, and rapid start are the strengths of this solution."
"The solution has provided a good return on investment by ensuring our financial and operational information is accurate and timely."
"It's pretty easy to set up."
"If I put myself in the customer's shoes, it's easier to use. Reporting would be a very valuable feature."
"The solution has many helpful features, the stability is very good, its performance is reliable, the solution is extremely useful for e-commerce companies, the compliance has been very useful, the solution is quite stable, the scalability is good, and it is pretty easy to set up."
 

Cons

"Implementing localizations when we use the system for multiple countries can be quite complex."
"There were also scalability issues experienced. When doing multiple data transfer into one table with different users at the same time, the system locked and went into the “Not Responding” mode."
"There is a need for improvement in consolidation and multi-country master data management."
"Planning a budget for initial implementation can be underestimated due to unforeseen issues."
"Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central has been buggy in my experience and they should improve in this area. Additionally, there are too many updates. The updates involve a whole bunch of applications as part of the package, such as the Edge browser. The updates are too broad across the whole package of applications."
"The solution can improve by having better integration with Microsoft PowerBI and reporting."
"As our company grew we had to switch from Microsoft Dynamics NAV to a solution that was suited for larger-sized companies."
"There is a book for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central explaining how to use it. But it is not easy to use, and it is not easy to learn."
"The product's primary improvement area would be its batch processing system."
"An area of improvement could be around automation and predictability."
"The licensing of the solution should be adjusted; the policies aren't ideal and they should make it easier to understand because right now it's too confusing."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution's cost is reasonable."
"$80-$100 per license, per month."
"Microsoft Dynamics NAV has a pay-as-you-use payment model."
"Currently, the product offers a starting price of $70 per user per month, which provides access to the complete ERP engine. It is highly reasonable."
"I give the solution a seven out of ten for pricing."
"The deployment cost us $70,000 and we pay around $18,000 annually for support, which we find to be expensive."
"We have an agreement with Microsoft and pricing is okay for us."
"There is an annual cost of using Microsoft Dynamics NAV. The cost is approximately 140,000 INR."
"The licensing costs were reasonable."
"If the value proposition is clear for the customer, they won't see it as an expensive solution. A solution becomes expensive when it doesn't do what it promises."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
11%
Outsourcing Company
10%
Construction Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
7%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business43
Midsize Enterprise12
Large Enterprise19
No data available
 

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?
Microsoft Dynamics NAV pricing can vary significantly depending on the number of users, deployment model, customizations, and implementation scope. In my experience, the software license is only pa...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Dynamics NAV?
For Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, every time we need to make an adjustment, we must make a payment, which is slightly expensive for us as an organization. There are certain modifications...
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Also Known As

Dynamics NAV, MS Dynamics NAV
Dynamics SL, MS Dynamics SL
 

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
ASAP, Espartec, S.A de C.V., TGLT, Calder‹n Autopartes El_ctricas, GGS Systems, CLEAResult, Shared Spectrum Company, Scope Global Pty Ltd
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central vs. Microsoft Dynamics SL and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
913,806 professionals have used our research since 2012.