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SAP Business One vs SAP S/4HANA comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 20, 2025

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
5.0
SAP Business One boosts cost efficiency, operational performance, and ROI in four to six months, reducing costs by 20-30%.
Sentiment score
6.6
Organizations see varied ROI timelines with SAP S/4HANA, benefiting from cost efficiencies, long-term value, and competitive advantages.
We have observed a good return on investment, with calculations based on a five-year ROI plan.
There is an ROI, otherwise I would not buy it.
It's not the best, primarily since the significant investments and the timeline it takes to recover those investments, but it's better than many alternatives.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.9
SAP Business One support quality varies, influenced by service partners, with ratings typically between six and nine out of ten.
Sentiment score
6.6
SAP S/4HANA support is praised for expertise and responsiveness but needs improvement in response speed and ticket escalation.
Getting support is not easy and requires more personnel and documentation to improve the support ecosystem.
We received support within a couple of days maximum.
A traditional challenge with SAP support is that SAP teams only support the standard functions, which are part of the product.
Establishing the right channels was a challenge, as BTP was new to everyone, including our SAP contacts.
The quality of technical support from SAP can be rated as eight out of ten.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
SAP Business One scales well for various company sizes, though customizations and advanced scalability may sometimes be limited.
Sentiment score
7.8
SAP S/4HANA is ideal for medium to large enterprises, offering scalability and flexibility, especially with cloud-based deployments.
SAP Business One is not very scalable, as it is aimed at medium to small-scale industries.
SAP S/4HANA scales exceptionally well.
It is very easy to scale within businesses, especially when a new business falls within the range.
Scalability is a key strength of SAP, especially for HANA, compared to all the other ERPs.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.2
SAP Business One is stable and reliable, scoring high in performance, though customization challenges exist in some regions.
Sentiment score
7.7
SAP S/4HANA is stable and reliable, with issues often due to implementation, not inherent flaws, thanks to continuous updates.
The SAP HANA system is not very easy to unlock, and it's something strange as, compared to other databases, when transaction logs are full, you stop the system, run the transaction log backups, and then restart.
We relied on a private cloud, and accessibility became literally impossible whenever the cloud service provider experienced downtime.
In comparison to ECC, definitely, because of some of the simplification and eliminating some moving parts, it is better.
 

Room For Improvement

SAP Business One needs improved UI, integration, scalability, customization, and better functionalities in analytics, production, and mobile use.
SAP S/4HANA users seek improved UI, integration, customization, lower pricing, better AI, streamlined implementation, and comprehensive support documentation.
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.
Organizations face challenges like adapting to new technologies rapidly, and whether customers are early or late adopters influences their experience.
I can perform a lot of data manipulation directly on SAP using S-One, without having to resort to Excel, unlike with View ID.
The performance of the SAP interface could be improved.
 

Setup Cost

SAP Business One is considered cost-effective, appealing to SMEs with lower pricing than competitors and a flexible licensing model.
SAP S/4HANA is costly with complex licensing, often challenging small businesses compared to Oracle and Microsoft pricing.
It is expensive compared to other modules or ERPs.
It's higher compared to similar peer solutions.
It's not easy to have a clear understanding of the price and the value, especially if I talk about the business transaction platform.
There is always a push from clients saying that the total cost of ownership is quite high compared to other products.
 

Valuable Features

SAP Business One offers strong financial management, real-time data, seamless integration, and customization, enhancing SME decision-making and operations.
SAP S/4HANA features robust finance and integration, user-friendly interface, real-time analytics, scalability, and extensive customization for enhanced ERP capabilities.
The general ledger, balance sheet, trial balance, cash flow statement, and all other reports are updated simultaneously.
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.
It enables the posting of transactions and allows us to see the impact across various application scenarios, providing significant benefits for business.
The way SAP has helped our customers is by establishing a discipline where industry-specific operations and SAP's standard processes work hand in hand, improving resource utilization, material movement control, and cost control.
The insights given help us make strategic decisions.
 

Categories and Ranking

SAP Business One
Ranking in ERP
9th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
66
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SAP S/4HANA
Ranking in ERP
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
119
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the ERP category, the mindshare of SAP Business One is 3.6%, down from 6.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP S/4HANA is 11.9%, down from 16.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
ERP
 

Featured Reviews

Muhammad Shehzad - PeerSpot reviewer
Fully integrated modules enhance seamless data interaction and real-time decision-making
SAP Business One is easy to use and fully integrated from top to bottom, from vertical to horizontal. Any transaction we are doing in any module is directly integrated with finance. Each and every transaction and report is updated at the same time. This is one of the main benefits of SAP Business One. During a transaction in the sales module, it doesn't have to wait for finance to do posting before it gets updated. Financial transactions are posted at the same time. The general ledger, balance sheet, trial balance, cash flow statement, and all other reports are updated simultaneously. There is no need to wait for any posting or report preparations. Each transaction impacts every report and relevant module at the same time. SAP Business One is one of the best solutions for real-time access to all data. Whenever any transaction is posted, it's immediately available in other modules and relevant reports. This provides real-time access in any module and any report.
Deepak Madhavan - PeerSpot reviewer
Implementation simplifies ERP management with comprehensive data integration and visibility
A lot of people would say the pricing. SAP is seen as quite expensive even now. It doesn't work for smaller or medium optimizations. The licensing and pricing could be looked at. In Brownfield migration, the trade-off between greenfield and brownfield means you either keep it clean or match the business requirements. Sometimes, it's not possible to do both. While ValixAPI provides significant support in making those decisions and the SAP consultant is very useful, we are still dependent on past history and how it was originally set up. I wouldn't call that a real disadvantage, yet more accessible consulting would be beneficial. Incorporating all other cloud products, like APO or IPP, into the S/4 house might also help.
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Answers from the Community

Shibu  Ms - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 6, 2023
Sep 6, 2023
Hi Shibu, Here is a brief comparison between SAPB1 and SAP S/4 Hana. SAP B1 was not originally a SAP product it was a product developed by an Israel founder in 195 built only for MAC OS SAP bought it over in 2003, Whereas SAP S/4 Hana is natively built by SAP. Scope and Complexity: SAP B1: SAP Business One is designed for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and covers a broad range of b...
See 2 answers
Avigayil Henderson - PeerSpot reviewer
Jul 10, 2023
Hello Shibu, I am writing this answer on behalf of a Director at a small tech services company: The key difference is about 2 and a half million dollars - jokingly - we’ve had some clients go with B1 and the projects were smallish - $70k - $120k. We’ve also had clients spending nearly $3m on S/4HANA projects. I’d say B1 is more for mid-market, and S/4HANA is a tier one large company, Fortune 1000 size project. Now of course that’s super generalized from a small sample size - for what it’s worth.
Mohammed Shakir Ibrahim - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 6, 2023
Hi Shibu, Here is a brief comparison between SAPB1 and SAP S/4 Hana. SAP B1 was not originally a SAP product it was a product developed by an Israel founder in 195 built only for MAC OS SAP bought it over in 2003, Whereas SAP S/4 Hana is natively built by SAP. Scope and Complexity: SAP B1: SAP Business One is designed for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and covers a broad range of business processes, including accounting, inventory management, and sales. SAP S/4HANA: SAP S/4HANA is an enterprise-level solution designed for larger organizations, offering a more comprehensive suite of applications that include advanced analytics, industry-specific features, and support for complex business processes. It's strong in manufacturing, Service industry, government, and Oil & Gas industries. Database Technology: SAP B1: SAP B1 typically uses Microsoft SQL Server as its underlying database management system, but there is a new variant where you can use the HANA database with Business One. SAP S/4HANA: SAP S/4HANA uses in-memory computing and the SAP HANA database, which enables real-time data processing, faster reporting, and advanced analytics capabilities. This technology shift is a major differentiator and provides significant performance advantages. Scalability: SAP B1: SAP B1 is not scalable for large organizations due to the complexity of the processes. SAP S/4HANA: SAP S/4HANA is made for larger organizations which can cater to any complicated business processes. If you need further information you can reach me at shakir52268@gmail.com
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Healthcare Company
6%
Educational Organization
33%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
4%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SAP Business One?
The pricing model of SAP Business One is average. It is neither too good nor too bad, and there is room for more flexibility in pricing.
What needs improvement with SAP S4HANA?
There could be a bit more competitiveness in their licensing and pricing.
What is your primary use case for SAP S4HANA?
It is a great product to be implemented for different industries for my customers. Can it be used globally?
What do you like most about SAP S4HANA?
It's helped with business aspects and improved material planning and RMA processes.
 

Also Known As

Business One
SAP S4HANA
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Ego Pharmaceuticals Pty. Ltd
Nestle, O.C. Tanner, Sabre, New York Life Insurance Co., MEMEBOX, Siemens AG.
Find out what your peers are saying about SAP Business One vs. SAP S/4HANA and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
851,491 professionals have used our research since 2012.