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NetSuite ERP vs SAP Business ByDesign comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 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

NetSuite ERP
Ranking in Cloud ERP
3rd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
38
Ranking in other categories
ERP (12th), Activity Based Costing Software (7th), Billing Software (5th)
SAP Business ByDesign
Ranking in Cloud ERP
6th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
16
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Cloud ERP category, the mindshare of NetSuite ERP is 20.7%, up from 16.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP Business ByDesign is 3.7%, down from 6.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Cloud ERP Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
NetSuite ERP20.7%
SAP Business ByDesign3.7%
Other75.6%
Cloud ERP
 

Featured Reviews

Hubert Wentzel - PeerSpot reviewer
Principle Consultant at iOCO
Accounting processes have become transparent and time tracking supports our consulting projects
The built-in analytics tools of NetSuite ERP are not good enough for my needs. I did not create the accounting reports; my accounting team developed all of those. I know that all the data we need to analyze in CRM and from projects must be exported, and we run reports on those. The built-in analytics tools in NetSuite ERP do not help me identify opportunities or risks at all. I export all the data and use Power BI to analyze it. I do not utilize the customizable dashboards and just use a normal home page. The inventory management feature does not help us because we do not have any inventory or stock. The advanced financial management features are basic, as general ledger functionality is fundamental to accounting. I would not call it advanced. The principles are as old as accounting itself. NetSuite ERP is a cloud-based accounting platform with nothing exceptional to note. Their pricing is a package deal, so the deeper the investment, the more features are available and the more difficult it becomes to leave. I would like to see additional features in the next release to make it more competitive. I only use a fraction of the functionality because we do not have logistics, merchandising, warehousing, or inventory. We are a consultancy that sells software, implements software products, and provides advisory services, so our accounting needs are actually quite basic. I would rate this product an eight overall.
MS
Divisional Manager IT at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Valuable features enhance sales and service capabilities while performance improvements are needed
We received a few complaints about the slowness in SAP Business ByDesign last year, so I think SAP can focus on improving performance, particularly when it becomes slow during data saving and handling. My feedback about the modular architecture and customized features of SAP Business ByDesign is that it is only good, but we have not explored much on this one. The initial setup for SAP Business ByDesign was complex. One disadvantage was that we had the legacy system, SAP Business One, and we could not migrate our data to SAP Business ByDesign. They should have provided a migration path.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We use it for the projects we do in the telecom industry."
"You should go for it. You won't regret it! This is the best solution."
"The features that have been most effective in improving the financial management perspective include the budgeting, revenue recognition, and accounting perspectives."
"A huge plus point for me is that you're always on the latest version, with upgrades included in the subscription, and as it's a genuine cloud-based product, you don't need servers, server managers, server rooms, backups, or an IT team to organize access for you."
"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."
"The most beneficial feature in Workato is its accessibility; the interface is easily understandable even for a common user, unlike the NetSuite ERP direct website which requires more technical knowledge."
"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."
"I like its modern approach. It is very modern and new technology."
"The most valuable feature of SAP Business ByDesign is it has a streamlined design."
"SAP Business ByDesign is connected to our S/4 HANA system, and we have developed some APIs which help us integrate the system with S/4 HANA."
"The stability has been great, and compared to other products that I have used before, they have been doing really well with stability."
"It could be used for any financial use case; production companies can use it, wholesale distributors can use it, and any professional services company can use it."
"The most valuable features of Business ByDesign are the integration of its modules, analytics, and dashboards."
"I like the tool’s customization."
"The standard system is stable."
 

Cons

"Additionally, adding advanced modules such as AI components or customer service modules could help the system become more scalable."
"Technical support is very weak. That's because, once again, they've hired a bunch of kids."
"The areas that this product needs to improve on is the implementation and inventory processes."
"The pricing is high. For small companies, it is not very competitive."
"If they could provide more integration options to connect with different products, that would be ideal."
"An area for improvement in NetSuite ERP is its accounting functionality because it has certain limitations."
"The product should improve its warehouse management solution."
"The NetSuite fixed asset module needs to be worked on."
"There might be some hurdles when integrating with SAP ECC, but integration with SAP S/4HANA Cloud is smooth."
"I would say budget controlling needs improvement. I mention this because it does not have all the functionalities that we need in terms of managing the budget."
"Scalability can be an issue. That is why SAP Business ByDesign needs to be more customizable and more flexible."
"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."
"Scalability is difficult."
"The database needs to be more customizable."
"There is room for improvement in the reporting capability. To use it properly, you need intensive IT support. You cannot write your own reports."
"I would like the tool’s interface to be better. Currently, we use a client application to access the product. I want that to be replaced with a web version. I would like to improve the tool’s internet availability. I also want the product’s setup to be easier."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is completely on a subscription basis. We pay yearly and, and you do not have to do anything on a monthly basis. Prices depend on the organization's scale and all those things, but they are doing a good job with the pricing."
"There is an annual license required to use this solution."
"It is expensive."
"It's very competitively priced due to it being a subscription model. So, clients are quite happy with the pricing. I would rate it an eight out of ten in terms of pricing."
"Regarding costs, it's not just about licensing. Customization recurring costs can become expensive over five to eight years, especially with new releases. However, NetSuite ERP integrates well with third-party applications, so it can still be used for finance while another ERP is used for localized production."
"NetSuite ERP has a cost per module you want to use, and then you have the license per user."
"I would advise that you first meet with and scope out your project with a NetSuite VAR (Value Added Reseller)."
"The price is less than the cost of daily hours."
"The tool’s pricing is expensive."
"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."
"I rate the price of SAP Business ByDesign a seven out of ten."
"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."
"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 cost starts anywhere between fifty thousand dollars and up depending on the number of licenses."
"Everything is included in the licensing cost of the solution. However, they use a per-user model for additional charges."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Outsourcing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
8%
Outsourcing Company
13%
Construction Company
11%
Healthcare Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business26
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise5
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise5
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NetSuite ERP?
The initial cost for NetSuite ERP depends on the business size. My IT managers say that some of their features are quite expensive.
What needs improvement with NetSuite ERP?
Regarding room for improvement, I would single out the user interface. The company needs to spend fifty percent of research and development on improving the user interface. The user interface is qu...
What is your primary use case for NetSuite ERP?
The primary use cases are general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, project management, project accounting, and timesheets. I use NetSuite ERP. I have been working with NetSuite ERP, C...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SAP Business ByDesign?
The price is high, as every year SAP increases the price by 3.5%.
What needs improvement with SAP Business ByDesign?
We received a few complaints about the slowness in SAP Business ByDesign last year, so I think SAP can focus on improving performance, particularly when it becomes slow during data saving and handl...
What is your primary use case for SAP Business ByDesign?
Our use case for SAP Business ByDesign is our dealer team accessing their system to perform sales and service; these two functionalities are done through SAP Business ByDesign. SAP Business ByDesig...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

2Pure, Accuvant, Actian, Adtegrity, Advantage Sign Supply, All-Safe Pool Safety Products, Alton Lane, AMC Liquidators
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 NetSuite ERP vs. SAP Business ByDesign and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
913,924 professionals have used our research since 2012.