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Microsoft Dynamics AX vs SAP Business ByDesign 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
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
55
Ranking in other categories
ERP (4th), Activity Based Costing Software (3rd)
SAP Business ByDesign
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
Cloud ERP (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Enterprise Resource Planning solutions, they serve different purposes. Microsoft Dynamics AX is designed for ERP and holds a mindshare of 6.3%, down 6.4% compared to last year.
SAP Business ByDesign, on the other hand, focuses on Cloud ERP, holds 10.9% mindshare, up 10.0% since last year.
ERP
Cloud ERP
 

Featured Reviews

SherifAnter - PeerSpot reviewer
The sales and distribution modules are robust, and reliable, and seldom encounter issues
In GP, there are certain features like financial reporting that aren't part of the core GP package. Users might need to install additional components for these features. For example, there's a reseller product called Management Reporter, but many users would prefer to have the reporting capabilities integrated within GP itself, rather than relying on external tools. The manufacturing module in GP is quite basic, and those who require more advanced manufacturing capabilities often turn to third-party modules or tools. Additionally, you might be aware that in 2028, GP is expected to reach its end of life. Microsoft has already ceased selling GP to new customers. It's essentially the same product, but this marks the final year for GP's availability.
Majid-Mustafa - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides custom versions of reports personalized for users
For AI initiatives, you need to purchase a separate AI license to integrate with SAP Business ByDesign. I'd recommend SAP Business ByDesign for large companies that want to check data graphically, especially for monthly income, expenses, and taxes in the millions or trillions. Overall, for large-scale companies, I'd rate it ten out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The installation is extremely simple, and I have had no problems with it."
"The most valuable features of Microsoft Dynamics AX are ease of use and performance."
"It has the same UI and is very similar to any other Microsoft product."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Dynamics AX is material planning."
"One of the valuable features of the solution is how easy it is to use."
"AX is nearly a Tier One product, so implementations are long, but there's a lot of flexibility. Also, the ability to handle different issues found in larger organizations."
"It is a scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"The product is easier to use and has more efficient workflow management features than other vendors."
"It has a quick implementation and onboarding of users. It is flexible with reports and powerful."
"I like its modern approach. It is very modern and new technology."
"When we were using it, we did see an immediate benefit, especially in the inventory on consignment issue. We were a biotech pre-revenue company and most of our manufacturing was outsourced. So being able to track inventory within the system without creating a financial impact was very key for us."
"The most valuable feature is the feature called Financial Closing Cockpit. This feature allows us to monitor our accounting and processing closely."
"The most helpful feature is the integrations. Integrating the tool with SAP S/4HANA Cloud is easy, facilitating implementation and deployment. The runtime analysis checks for real-time analytics to see if the software works properly. This is a powerful feature."
"When comparing SAP Business ByDesign to much larger ERP solutions, such as SAP ECC 6.0 or SAP S/4HANA, SAP Business ByDesign is more user-friendly and easier to implement."
"The standard system is stable."
"The most valuable feature of SAP Business ByDesign is it has a streamlined design."
 

Cons

"From a consultant's point of view, I recommend an enhancement in terms of detailed documentation for the products on the website."
"There should be the capability for users to enhance the application by using a low-code or no-code product from the Microsoft family."
"The product takes some training to get up to speed on all functionality and modules in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 ERP system."
"The solution in general just needs a few quality improvements."
"Microsoft Dynamics AX should include more connectors for third-party integrations. It should also include more features that AI models can govern."
"We experienced some challenges with the mobile apps due to the insufficient processing capacity to handle the workload effectively."
"The 2012 version is obsolete, and we don't have any support for it."
"The product needs improvement in procurement planning. It also needs to include a production scheduling feature."
"SAP Business ByDesign can improve the flexibility and user-friendliness of the reporting during the implementations. Customizing the reports inside the device requires a lot of knowledge and most of the time a developer level is needed. For example, if you want to have a more specific reporting layout."
"The database needs to be more customizable."
"The payroll module of the solution could improve."
"ByDesign could be improved by making screen modifications easier."
"With SAP S/4HANA, you can design your release strategy and modify it to include as many people as possible, which is missing in SAP Business ByDesign."
"There might be some hurdles when integrating with SAP ECC, but integration with SAP S/4HANA Cloud is smooth."
"There is room for improvement in the reporting capability. To use it properly, you need intensive IT support. You cannot write your own reports."
"Scalability is difficult."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is not the cheapest solution, but it is also not the most expensive one. It's in between and is cheaper than SAP but more expensive than other local vendors. It is worth the cost."
"Microsoft Dynamics AX is expensive."
"We pay for licensing yearly to use Microsoft Dynamics AX."
"In relation to the cloud, it might be expensive for a longer duration. However, it's essential to consider the demands of enterprise users. While it's cost-effective in the short run, it becomes relatively costly in the long run."
"The pricing is expensive."
"It is $180 to $200 per user per month with a minimum of 20 users, which makes selling the product a bit difficult."
"One license costs $1,000."
"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."
"The tool’s pricing is expensive."
"Everything is included in the licensing cost of the solution. However, they use a per-user model for additional charges."
"The pricing depends on company size. It's cheaper for small companies and more expensive for large ones."
"The price of the solution could be better. They have to come up with a new strategy."
"The cost starts anywhere between fifty thousand dollars and up depending on the number of licenses."
"The tool’s subscription is yearly. There is no flat pricing involved and everything has a range. Pricing depends on the functionality that you would use. You need to also pay for the additional hosting and maintenance costs."
"The price of SAP Business ByDesign is less expensive than SAP S/4HANA. However, the price is on par with other similar competitors, such as Microsoft."
"I rate the price of SAP Business ByDesign a seven out of ten."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Retailer
6%
Computer Software Company
24%
Real Estate/Law Firm
9%
Healthcare Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Microsoft Dynamics AX?
DAX is actually well supported by its development. Given that even in this old version of AX and taking into account that its predecessor D365 has been around since 2017, the DAX ERP is still worki...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Dynamics AX?
Right now, we are moving to a new ERP platform. It is in the cloud, and because of that, the cloud pushes updates every quarter, which could technically break our products. We are looking into an a...
What do you like most about SAP Business ByDesign?
The most valuable features of SAP Business ByDesign are customer invoicing and cost and revenue, from which I get the data for my project reports.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SAP Business ByDesign?
The pricing depends on company size. It's cheaper for small companies and more expensive for large ones.
What needs improvement with SAP Business ByDesign?
There might be some hurdles when integrating with SAP ECC, but integration with SAP S/4HANA Cloud is smooth.
 

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.
Standard Bank of South Africa, AOK Bundesverband, PT XL Axiata Tbk, Tvoy Dom, Schaidt Innovations GmbH & Co. KG, DeLaval International AB, EMC Corporation, Lenovo, Castle Importing Inc., Unilever, Rifle Paper Co., RAK Ceramics, Rough Country, B&G Manufacturing, Life is good Inc., Joy Global Inc., City of Cape Town
Find out what your peers are saying about SAP, Microsoft, Oracle and others in ERP. Updated: March 2025.
845,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.