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Microsoft Dynamics AX vs NetSuite ERP 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Dynamics AX
Ranking in Activity Based Costing Software
3rd
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
ERP (5th)
NetSuite ERP
Ranking in Activity Based Costing Software
6th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
35
Ranking in other categories
Billing Software (2nd), Cloud ERP (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Activity Based Costing Software category, the mindshare of Microsoft Dynamics AX is 17.4%, up from 14.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetSuite ERP is 6.8%, down from 11.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Activity Based Costing Software
 

Featured Reviews

Benjamin Mpolokoso - PeerSpot reviewer
A stable product that offers excellent ROI and reliable technical support
It is a good solution but quite complex, especially when integrating with other systems. Some simpler products like Sage are much easier to integrate with. I think it is because of the product’s proprietary database, MSSQL. Other databases are more open source. They use MySQL in the background, so it is easier to integrate with other products. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Venkat Sudni - PeerSpot reviewer
It's a user-friendly cloud-based solution that startups and small businesses can afford
Setting up NetSuite ERP is pretty straightforward. It's a plug-and-play solution that comes with the default bundle. We uploaded our GLs and charter accounts and added our company code to the architecture. It can be up and running in under a month. It takes at least five people to deploy NetSuite.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"In terms of features, GP offers a wide range of strong capabilities, particularly in the financial module."
"The most valuable feature I've found is the UI functionality."
"The performance is good."
"From a developer's perspective, the architecture of Dynamics has a well-designed security layer, which prevents coding issues between different layers. This is a significant advantage."
"The most valuable features of Microsoft Dynamics AX are field services and the vendor collaboration portal. Both of the features are very good."
"The production is a valuable feature."
"All its features are valuable."
"The tool's most important capabilities are for retail and finance. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 doesn't have many integration capabilities, but Microsoft 365 has the most capabilities to integrate with any type of standalone software and has many more features."
"The features that have been most effective in improving the financial management perspective include the budgeting, revenue recognition, and accounting perspectives."
"The user interface is very good."
"It offers reporting flexibilities that were previously unavailable to us."
"The most valuable aspect of NetSuite ERP is the multi-subsidiary portion, it is the strongest across all the other ERPs. If you want to do consolidations, it works a lot better than other tools."
"It's integrated into everything well so you can navigate and use it in a very simple way."
"I like the ease of setup and customization of forms."
"I have found there to be many features, such as manufacturing, accounting, financials, inventory, and purchasing."
"NetSuite is significantly more affordable than Oracle EBS and offers a wider range of features than other OEMs."
 

Cons

"The product is standardised across industries so it is not a good fit for all types of sectors."
"The 2012 version is obsolete, and we don't have any support for it."
"At times there are issues related to reporting, sometimes with the integration between two or three modules, and sometimes to the logic itself."
"There is no Arabic interface in Microsoft Business Central, which is a big weak point."
"The solution in general just needs a few quality improvements."
"There are so many errors."
"Microsoft Dynamics AX has several areas that need improvement, particularly when compared to larger systems. It lacks the concept of month-end closing, which is essential for tight control over financial periods."
"This solution could be improved with more expert resources and an easier implementation process."
"If they could provide more integration options to connect with different products, that would be ideal."
"Additionally, adding advanced modules such as AI components or customer service modules could help the system become more scalable."
"There is a lot of room for improvement. Multiple manufacturing features need to be updated on NetSuite. More functionalities need to be added. I think there are a lot of functionalities coming out for warehouse management systems and manufacturing automation via advanced manufacturing functionalities. I think they need to improve a little more on those aspects and make it easier on the scheduling aspect."
"The product should improve its warehouse management solution."
"In terms of the main improvement to NetSuite is the talent itself. It's grown so fast and there are about 25,000 companies running on it, and it's a relatively newer system compared to other competitors. It's growing so fast that the talent base in the partner organization (there's about 200 of them), is pretty thin."
"The manufacturing and planning side could be improved. That part isn't up to date. NetSuite could be easier to integrate in general."
"The communication has been peculiar, and the overall commercial process has been less than satisfactory."
"The solution could be more stable."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of the solution is high."
"We pay for licensing yearly to use Microsoft Dynamics AX."
"I don't know how much this solution costs off the top of my head, but I know that the cloud and SaaS solutions are cheaper."
"One license costs $1,000."
"Comparatively, Business Central appears to be more cost-effective. Microsoft offers Business Central at only $70 per user per month in the US. In contrast, GP requires an initial investment, including around $9,000 for the GP license for three users and additional expenses for hardware. Therefore, the initial investment for GP is quite substantial. On the other hand, cloud-based ERP products like Business Central do not entail the same upfront investment and operate on an ongoing, subscription-based model."
"The solution is expensive."
"It's too expensive for customers to take this on themselves. As partners, we will buy this on behalf of the customers and then charge this value for each project."
"Licensing is stable, and overall, the users are satisfied with it."
"The price is less than the cost of daily hours."
"The price of the solution is quite high."
"Pricing for NetSuite ERP is okay, but it could be better. The licensing model for NetSuite ERP is based on the number of modules and users. The standard license covers up to twenty-five users. If you have more than twenty-five users, you'll have to buy the premium license, which would double the price. For one module with five user licenses, the cost is between $40,000 to $50,000."
"It is expensive."
"NetSuite ERP has a cost per module you want to use, and then you have the license per user."
"When people buy ERP, it's a competitive situation and the pricing is paramount."
"I would advise that you first meet with and scope out your project with a NetSuite VAR (Value Added Reseller)."
"There is an annual license required to use this solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Educational Organization
39%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Microsoft Dynamics AX?
Microsoft Dynamics AX has several areas that need improvement, particularly when compared to larger systems. It lacks the concept of month-end closing, which is essential for tight control over fin...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Dynamics AX?
I primarily use Microsoft Dynamics AX ( /products/microsoft-dynamics-ax-reviews ) for the financial module, which includes the general ledger, account payable, account receivable, inventory, and pu...
What do you like most about NetSuite ERP?
The inventory feature in NetSuite ERP is very valuable to me because it provides clear estimates about the depreciation of details and includes useful mobile modules.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NetSuite ERP?
If you buy it through Europe or North America, it is quite expensive. However, if you can buy it from developing markets according to NetSuite, you can get significant discounts, up to 70%.
What needs improvement with NetSuite ERP?
Reports are good but not perfect. The custom reports could be improved. The initial setup process for reports can be a bit complicated and may require more user-friendly options. My previous compan...
 

Also Known As

Dynamics AX, Axapta, MS Dynamics AX
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

ConQuaestor, D & H Distributing, Sunny Queen, Mesa Associates, Britax Childcare, Ibema, Arafa, Sabo S.p.A.
2Pure, Accuvant, Actian, Adtegrity, Advantage Sign Supply, All-Safe Pool Safety Products, Alton Lane, AMC Liquidators
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Dynamics AX vs. NetSuite ERP and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.