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Microsoft Dynamics AX vs SAP Business One comparison

 

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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
7.9
Microsoft Dynamics AX enhances ROI by streamlining financial processes, improving efficiency, and benefiting large-scale operations with centralized management.
Sentiment score
2.3
SAP Business One offers quick ROI through operational efficiency, resource savings, and cost-effectiveness, reducing costs by 20%-30%.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
4.3
Customer service for Microsoft Dynamics AX varies, with partner support rated from 3 to 9, highlighting inconsistency and mixed experiences.
Sentiment score
5.7
SAP Business One support quality varies by partner, with users praising technical help but reliant on partner effectiveness.
Microsoft has really good documentation, and they are known for that.
The previous user left the company without sharing their password, so at that time I need to log those particular issues or reset the password; the facility is not available in the current system, and I have to raise tickets, waiting for updated passwords, which is very critical.
When the system or solution has a failure unrelated to the database, they become lost.
Through the SAP portal, we can access direct support, which includes notes and a massive community for resources.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.2
Microsoft Dynamics AX is scalable for medium to large businesses, but older versions face hardware challenges despite Azure integration.
Sentiment score
7.6
SAP Business One is scalable and flexible, suitable for SMEs, but has integration and complexity limitations.
There are these things called AOS nodes where if you have more users and performance decreases, you can add more servers to the cluster.
It struggles with scalability when you need to manage financial reporting or setup for multiple companies.
SAP Business One is not very scalable, as it is aimed at medium to small-scale industries.
If your company is looking for an ERP to run end-to-end business, this is the solution.
The scalability of SAP Business One is very high.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
Microsoft Dynamics AX is stable with proper setup, but customization and updates can affect performance, requiring manual issue resolution.
Sentiment score
7.6
SAP Business One is a stable, reliable platform with minimal bugs, consistently updated despite occasional regional and version-related issues.
I have not had any major issues with stability.
I rate the stability of SAP Business One an eight out of ten.
 

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Dynamics AX faces challenges with usability, infrastructure, and integrations, alongside limited resource capacity and costly customization.
SAP Business One faces challenges with outdated design, limited scalability, complex integration, insufficient features, and cost efficiency issues.
It is no longer supported from a security perspective, so it is not getting updated.
Microsoft Dynamics AX lacks the concept of month-end closing, which is essential for tight control over financial periods.
The solution lacks scalability as it targets medium to small-scale industries.
They also need to plan for integrating a small HR or payroll module.
Costing audits are required, but this is not available in SAP Business One.
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Dynamics AX is costly with high setup fees and subscriptions, while Business Central offers a budget-friendly alternative.
SAP Business One offers moderate pricing with reasonable license costs, but high maintenance fees may impact smaller businesses.
Acquiring a developer license for customization is expensive, costing over one hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars.
It is expensive compared to other modules or ERPs.
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Dynamics AX offers flexible, user-friendly features with seamless Excel integration, enhancing scalability, customization, and cloud-based project management.
SAP Business One excels in financial management, customization, and integration, offering flexibility, automation, and comprehensive module handling for SMEs.
I have not had any major issue with stability.
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.
The general ledger, balance sheet, trial balance, cash flow statement, and all other reports are updated simultaneously.
Regarding reporting capabilities, SAP Business One provides in-built reports and allows us to use crystal reports, which we can customize and develop our own reports alongside running SQL queries with the query generator to create SQL reports.
One of the biggest advantages of SAP Business One, especially in the public cloud, is that many features are standardized, which reduces the need for customization.
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Dynamics AX
Ranking in ERP
6th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
Activity Based Costing Software (3rd)
SAP Business One
Ranking in ERP
4th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
70
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the ERP category, the mindshare of Microsoft Dynamics AX is 6.0%, down from 6.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP Business One is 3.4%, down from 6.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
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.
Hatem Mohamed Nageeb Salama - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides efficiency for small businesses, but requires costly add-ons for broader capabilities
I am currently using SAP products but not primarily selling SAP. Regarding real-time data processing capabilities, it is partially helpful for decision-making. It has built-in capability for real-time data, but it's not interactive data analytics. People need another solution such as Power BI to be integrated to get real-time data with interactive analytics. When it comes to customizing reporting in SAP Business One, it has the capability to customize reports via SAP Crystal Reports. It has a good amount of reports, but for each business, you need to understand exactly what the customer needs to customize their reports. The solution includes a mobile app to access key business information, though it is a very weak mobile app. The main benefit SAP Business One provides to users is ease of access. It's very good to present to customers, both from the interface and capabilities perspective. It's suitable for small to medium companies, making the buy-in for the solution very good. The pricing for SAP Business One is very competitive. Overall, SAP Business One is a very good solution for small to medium businesses. If your company is looking for an ERP to run end-to-end business, this is the solution. You need specific add-ons to run in specific industries, but it's approximately 70% good for most small to medium companies. My overall rating for SAP Business One is 7 out of 10.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Computer Software Company
16%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Healthcare Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

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...
Are there any advantages of SAP S4 HANA over SAP Business One (SAP B1) apart from the cost?
SaP Business One is a complete solution for business management. The software applications are broad, ranging from accounting to project management and human resources. It is very versatile and com...
What do you like most about SAP Business One?
It's user-friendly and comes with comprehensive manuals. So, it is easy to learn to use SAP Business One
 

Also Known As

Dynamics AX, Axapta, MS Dynamics AX
Business One
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

ConQuaestor, D & H Distributing, Sunny Queen, Mesa Associates, Britax Childcare, Ibema, Arafa, Sabo S.p.A.
Ego Pharmaceuticals Pty. Ltd
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Dynamics AX vs. SAP Business One and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
860,168 professionals have used our research since 2012.