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Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central vs SAP S/4HANA Cloud comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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
6.2
Users of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central see varying ROI; efficiency benefits reported, though timelines and outcomes differ.
Sentiment score
4.5
SAP S/4HANA Cloud users saw long-term ROI and efficiency, despite high initial costs and varied experiences.
The transcript suggests SAP S4HANA Cloud may offer cost and time savings.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
4.1
Microsoft Dynamics 365 has good support, but slow responses and complex issue resolution remain areas needing improvement.
Sentiment score
6.9
SAP S/4HANA Cloud's service is praised for professionalism but criticized for long response times and support channel navigation challenges.
The lack of senior technical consultants means Tier 1 support sometimes has limited experience, which could be better.
Some support personnel seem to stick to a checklist, which can be frustrating for experienced users.
The technical team is skilled, but the process of reaching the correct team is cumbersome from an end-user perspective.
My experience shows that it often requires another level or two to reach someone who can effectively address the problems.
For support of this product, I would rate it nine points.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.1
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is scalable for SMBs with customization, but scalability varies by version and deployment type.
Sentiment score
7.7
SAP S/4HANA Cloud is praised for scalability, adaptability, and integration, suiting both large and small enterprises effectively.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.8
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central offers high stability, consistent performance, and few issues, making it reliable for organizational needs.
Sentiment score
7.4
SAP S/4HANA Cloud is praised for stability and performance, though updates and customizations can occasionally affect reliability.
For the cloud, we have not faced any downtimes or stability issues.
It is very flexible and can cater to every industry.
SAP S_4HANA Cloud is very stable, especially for bigger corporates that are geographically spread out.
 

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central lacks in cost management, customization, security, reporting, automation, integration, and compatibility features.
SAP S/4HANA Cloud needs interface, mobile, and user improvements, with cost, integration, and complexity posing challenges for businesses.
There's a gap in advanced features that other platforms like NetSuite handle better.
There is a need for improvement in consolidation and multi-country master data management.
It should have features or facilities so customers can get audit-related queries resolved independently without requiring ticket-based service.
The challenge is that if a customer has already deployed the entire solution on-premises, it becomes difficult to immediately convert to the new product and manage new license costs.
This reliance on ETL experts or data engineers is necessary to ensure clean quality data, which is critical for the effective operation of the SAP S_4HANA system.
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central offers cost-effective, flexible subscription pricing, though implementation and partner support may incur additional costs.
SAP S/4HANA Cloud pricing is modular and expensive, typically more suitable for larger enterprises than smaller businesses.
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central offers seamless integration, customization, and robust features, appealing to SMBs with real-time data and global compliance.
SAP S/4HANA Cloud enhances business efficiency with integration, real-time analytics, scalability, and global access, supporting diverse platforms.
The value for money is very high as it fits the business well.
It provides localized compliance for every country, covering VAT compliances, taxing policies, and corporate taxes.
Real-time analytics is valuable when data is visible to all segments.
The integration between SAP EWM and S4HANA Cloud is seamless.
SAP S/4HANA Cloud provides integration, controls, efficiency, visibility into business operations, and collaboration, especially for geographically spread operations.
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Busi...
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
65
Ranking in other categories
ERP (3rd), Activity Based Costing Software (1st)
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
55
Ranking in other categories
Cloud ERP (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Enterprise Resource Planning solutions, they serve different purposes. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is designed for ERP and holds a mindshare of 6.7%, up 6.4% compared to last year.
SAP S/4HANA Cloud, on the other hand, focuses on Cloud ERP, holds 16.9% mindshare, up 12.2% since last year.
ERP
Cloud ERP
 

Featured Reviews

StefaanVandesompele - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides end-to-end accounting and finance module at reasonable pricing
365 Business Central integrates with Office 365 to streamline the invoice approval process. This allows businesses to manage and approve invoices efficiently within a unified system. Our organization plans to transition to the Dynamics 365 environment, where various functions will be centralized. We will consolidate everything into one system instead of maintaining multiple databases for each country with local data. Dynamics 365 is fully integrated, which should address many of our challenges when we migrate to this new environment. We look forward to seeing how it performs in practice. The project is progressing well overall, though integrating it with other tools and ensuring Dynamics 365 operates smoothly can be challenging. Dynamics 365 is user-friendly and effective. However, a deeper understanding of its technical capabilities and architecture might be necessary to optimize its use fully. The software landscape is evolving, and achieving the best reporting and functionality with just a click can be complex. A clear vision of what you want to achieve with Dynamics 365 is essential. Proper preparation and configuration are crucial to achieving the desired outcomes. This principle applies not only to Dynamics 365 but to all software packages. Understanding the system's flexibility and adaptability based on your specific business needs is key to its successful implementation. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Ramesh Pampana - PeerSpot reviewer
Extensive real-time analytics and superior support enhance decision making but continued product evolution impacts existing investments
Improvement is needed, and they need to slow down. When I say slow down, they need to do more validation. Things are going rapidly and changing fast. For example, they moved from SAP SRM product to SAP CLM. They bought IBM CLM and marketed it as SAP CLM. Shortly after, they bought SAP Ariba and discontinued the SAP CLM product. Now they state that SAP SRM is outdated and has reached sunset. The challenge is that if a customer has already deployed the entire solution on-premises, it becomes difficult to immediately convert to the new product and manage new license costs. From a consulting perspective, it appears that SAP's biggest competitor is itself, as they sometimes discontinue their own products to promote new ones.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Retailer
6%
Computer Software Company
16%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Retailer
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft Dynamics NAV?
The platform offers a robust and comprehensive cycle for supply chain and inventory management, with features like minimum and maximum settings, dynamic monitoring of inventory levels, and integrat...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Dynamics NAV?
The pricing for Dynamics 365 Business Central is reasonable. The value for money is very high.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Dynamics NAV?
The advanced warehouse functionalities are not available and should be improved. The purchase requisition process is also lacking, and more advanced functionalities for intercompany consolidations ...
What do you like most about SAP S/4HANA Cloud?
The manufacturing area is a good feature.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SAP S/4HANA Cloud?
SAP S/4HANA Cloud is very expensive, both to purchase and maintain. It's important to evaluate the costs of recruiting and maintaining trained personnel as it's not just a one-time payment yet requ...
What needs improvement with SAP S/4HANA Cloud?
While SAP S/4HANA Cloud offers numerous functional benefits and powerful integration capabilities, there remain certain usability and operational challenges—particularly within the Fiori applicatio...
 

Also Known As

Dynamics NAV, MS Dynamics NAV
SAP S4HANA Cloud
 

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
La Trobe University, Carrefour Comércio e Indústria Ltda, Delaware Consulting and Corning Inc.
Find out what your peers are saying about SAP, Microsoft, Infor and others in ERP. Updated: June 2025.
860,592 professionals have used our research since 2012.