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Ellucian vs Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Ellucian
Ranking in ERP
32nd
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
Student Information System (SIS) (1st)
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Busi...
Ranking in ERP
3rd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
66
Ranking in other categories
Activity Based Costing Software (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the ERP category, the mindshare of Ellucian is 0.6%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is 6.7%, up from 6.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
ERP
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer1308615 - PeerSpot reviewer
Presents all information in one place and automates some of our manual processes
This product is used by more than 50 colleges in our state and it is purchased by the government. The system office does the testing and pushes out the patches to us, so everything has been testing. Even if there is any customization that needs to be done, it happens before it comes to us. As such, I haven't had to contact technical support myself.
StefaanVandesompele - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides end-to-end accounting and finance module at reasonable pricing
365 Business Central integrates with Office 365 to streamline the invoice approval process. This allows businesses to manage and approve invoices efficiently within a unified system. Our organization plans to transition to the Dynamics 365 environment, where various functions will be centralized. We will consolidate everything into one system instead of maintaining multiple databases for each country with local data. Dynamics 365 is fully integrated, which should address many of our challenges when we migrate to this new environment. We look forward to seeing how it performs in practice. The project is progressing well overall, though integrating it with other tools and ensuring Dynamics 365 operates smoothly can be challenging. Dynamics 365 is user-friendly and effective. However, a deeper understanding of its technical capabilities and architecture might be necessary to optimize its use fully. The software landscape is evolving, and achieving the best reporting and functionality with just a click can be complex. A clear vision of what you want to achieve with Dynamics 365 is essential. Proper preparation and configuration are crucial to achieving the desired outcomes. This principle applies not only to Dynamics 365 but to all software packages. Understanding the system's flexibility and adaptability based on your specific business needs is key to its successful implementation. Overall, I rate the solution an eight 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

"I like that all of the student information is in one place."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is cloud accessibility."
"It's quite reliable, and there's a good local provider who can adapt the solution for tax issues."
"This is readily available and affordable, as well as user-friendly and simple to use in my opinion."
"We are getting more features after switching to Microsoft 365."
"We like the manufacturing and case management modules."
"I like Microsoft Dynamics' simplicity. The interface is excellent, and it's a highly mature product. You can hardly find any bugs in the product."
"The tool covers most of the business requirements that most companies have, especially financial institutions."
"The customer support is good. The first level of support agent in every case was able to solve the problem very quickly."
 

Cons

"The functionality for monitoring satisfactory academic progress has room for improvement."
"Since it's complex for a layperson user to understand the solution, it would be better if the solution provided some training resources."
"Microsoft Dynamics NAV will be replaced with Office 365 in the future."
"The stability could always be improved."
"I would like to have more frequent updates."
"The formulas in Power BI could be simpler. Sometimes, it's difficult to figure them out, but I am part of a lot of communities that work with us, so we help each other."
"Implementing localizations when we use the system for multiple countries can be quite complex."
"The price of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central could be reduced."
"One aspect that could be improved in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is the visibility and accessibility of communication-related features, such as email integration."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"In my opinion, the fees are reasonable."
"The license changes every year. Sometimes it's for fixed users, and sometimes it's for concurrent users."
"I think the pricing is the best; it's cost effective for sure."
"We have an agreement with Microsoft and pricing is okay for us."
"Business Central charges a monthly fee of $70 to $100 per user."
"The cost is one of the benefits. If you don't want to go for the full-blown finance and operations, the pricing model is a lot cheaper and has now switched to being based on a per-user subscription. So, if it's on cloud, you now have an expense instead of a large CapEx. If it's on-prem, you obviously still have to continue with the licensing model that they have, but if you compare the features and functionality, in terms of the price that you pay, I find it's better than other products. My answer on the pricing would be slightly different, depending on the country you're in and the return on investment, based on the size of the company. It's well-priced internationally. I think the new model is priced even better because it's now subscription-based and, if you go for cloud, the return on investment is a lot quicker and if it's expense, you can cap it. If you do take the on-prem version, the licensing is still priced as what it used to be, so that would depend on what country you are in."
"The on-premises model of Dynamics NAV is very expensive, hence our plan to migrate to Dynamics 365 Business Central, which appears to fit our needs better in terms of pricing. Compared to competitors, the cloud version of Dynamics is in the middle; not too high and not too low."
"The solution is on the cloud and they provide 50 gigabytes of free space on their Microsoft Drive. The reason for this is that Microsoft is requiring you to upgrade all of your systems to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central in order to effectively use the cloud. This means that if you are currently using a different version of Microsoft for a specific purpose that does not require this solution, it can be frustrating to have to spend money to upgrade to this solution just for the purpose of syncing with the cloud. Additionally, even if you do purchase Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, there can still be issues with syncing between the on-premise and cloud clients. This can be especially frustrating as the cloud storage is not free and can be difficult to access even after purchasing."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
University
35%
Educational Organization
11%
Computer Software Company
9%
Healthcare Company
6%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Retailer
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

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What do you like most about Microsoft Dynamics NAV?
The platform offers a robust and comprehensive cycle for supply chain and inventory management, with features like minimum and maximum settings, dynamic monitoring of inventory levels, and integrat...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Dynamics NAV?
I don't have specific information about the pricing of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. However, it was very costly due to the numerous integrations we had.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Dynamics NAV?
When I started working with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, I was new and didn't know what ERP was or its purpose, but I was eager to learn more each day. The system can become overwhelmed...
 

Also Known As

Datatel
Dynamics NAV, MS Dynamics NAV
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Oklahoma Christian University
Harris Farm Markets, Mister Spex GmbH, Bounce Foods, Eurofin Services SA, Medica Medizintechnik, Associated Gaskets, Onduline, Sitka Surfboard Corporation, World Animal Protection
Find out what your peers are saying about Ellucian vs. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
865,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.