IFS Cloud Platform vs SAP Business ByDesign comparison

The compared IFS and SAP solutions aren't in the same category. IFS is ranked #12 in ERP , with an average rating of 8.0, and holds a 2.6% mindshare in the category. SAP is ranked #6 in CE , with an average rating of 8.5, and holds a 8.3% mindshare. Additionally, 87% of IFS users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of SAP users who would recommend it.

IFS Cloud Platform

Read 30 IFS Cloud Platform reviews

4,095 Views
1,925 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

SAP Business ByDesign

Read 16 SAP Business ByDesign reviews

969 Views
562 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

IFS Cloud Platform

SAP Business ByDesign

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between IFS Cloud Platform and SAP Business ByDesign based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about SAP, Microsoft, Infor and others in ERP.

To learn more, read our detailed ERP Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

ERP

July 2025

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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

IFS Cloud Platform

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

CRM (20th), Customer Experience Management (8th), Field Service Management (1st), Help Desk Software (12th), ERP (12th), Activity Based Costing Software (6th), Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) (2nd), Local Government CRM (8th), IT Asset Management (10th), IT Service Management (ITSM) (10th), License Management (2nd)

SAP Business ByDesign

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud ERP (6th)

Mindshare comparison

While both are Enterprise Resource Planning solutions, they serve different purposes. IFS Cloud Platform is designed for ERP and holds a mindshare of 2.6%, up 2.3% compared to last year.
SAP Business ByDesign, on the other hand, focuses on Cloud ERP, holds 8.3% mindshare, down 8.9% since last year.

ERP

Cloud ERP

Featured Reviews

Brendan Fisher

IFS Applications Consultant at Zest Business Process Management Ltd

Robust, customizable, and modern

IFS is a very large and complex software, and implementation of IFS can be challenging and may lead to a difficult lengthy project. It can take between 12 and 24 months in some cases to deploy. I have found that not all clients are fully aware of how big the task is that they're undertaking when they make a decision to move to software like this. Companies need to be more aware of the complexity of an ERP implementation project and while I fully recommend moving to IFS, it is not easy and does require business change when adopting an ERP solution. New features are a difficult ask - I work across multiple industries and everyone would probably choose a different feature. Maybe BIM in Construction or Customs link-ups for importers/exporters.

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Majid-Mustafa

Senior SAP Technical Consultant at Tallimax Consultancy

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.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Individual user profiles that can be configured as templates to minimize data entry."

"The best feature is the maintenance module, which is essentially an industry-specific workflow designed with a manufacturing module as per industry standards. It's very precise and specific without having complex functionalities. It's straightforward. Field Service Management is definitely a wonderful product that IFS has developed because it caters to field services. The energy and utility sectors can answer their business needs using the software."

"The solution overall is very versatile and flexible, especially compared to other products."

"Some of the strengths are Enterprise Management Solutions and the series of Management solutions which is number one in Gartner's report and has been for the last five years."

"The main reason for the ERP project was to bring together our fourteen sites, which had until then worked in separate silos."

"Having a young talented programmer, during the six years of use, we were able to save around 75 000 EUR preparing simple modifications using customization rather than ordering them in IFS / Partner."

"One of our favorite features is the "Info-Zone", which provides operational intelligence in flight and in context to guide both business users and support teams to productivity."

"What I like about IFS Applications is that it's easier to use and implement than SAP. I also like that the IFS Applications team is more flexible than the SAP team."

More IFS Cloud Platform pros

"The most valuable feature of SAP Business ByDesign is it has a streamlined design."

"I have found the consolidation of the business and group reports very useful. There is plenty of features and the manufacturing and finance aspect of the solution are strong."

"I like the tool’s customization."

"I find the tool’s every feature valuable."

"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 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."

"ByDesign's best features are its speed, real-time data, and reporting."

More SAP Business ByDesign pros

Cons

"There should be some improvements in the predefined templates in IFS Applications."

"IFS Applications is not robust enough to handle high-volume transactions, so it's not suitable for larger enterprises."

"The solution's initial setup process was complex...The technical support my company receives from the implementation partners of the solution is not that great."

"The CRM was shaky and although this improves in Apps 10, there is room for improvement."

"Some kind of bot assistance, some kind of artificial intelligence to help people solve the problems, would be interesting."

"The support provided by IFS Applications has room for improvement. I'm based in Poland, and when my company had an issue, finding people from IFS to give my company the support it needed was difficult."

"Customization needs to be improved."

"IFS Applications can improve the reporting capabilities and increase the speed of feedback time in the IFS Applications. This would help with the overall performance of the solution and provide better experiences for customers."

More IFS Cloud Platform cons

"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."

"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."

"The Purchase to Pay process could benefit from further sophistication and additional functionality. It would be helpful for the user community to receive clearer information about the future roadmap of the business. Unfortunately, there were some confusing articles in the German press towards the end of last year about the future of SAP Business ByDesign. Therefore, more clarity is needed in the support function to address this."

"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."

"The solution does not support customization for forms and reports. It's not flexible in case you need some enhancements in business processes."

More SAP Business ByDesign cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The additional cost that comes with the solution includes the overhead of the people who are trying to fix the tool issues. These people are trying to reproduce the issue and report it to the technical support and testing with them which is huge. It is the cost of quality in the end."

"There's an additional yearly cost for support."

"Licensing is on an annual basis, with no additional costs."

"It is better to buy implementation services from IFS than from partners"

"I consider it to be a well-priced solution compared to other mid-range or high-end ERP solutions."

"The pricing of the solution may appear to be expensive for smaller companies with only tens of users; however, for larger and mid-size industrial companies, IFS is able to win deals and the pricing is competitive in the market."

"Pricing is an area that could be improved. They could be more competitive."

"The product is reasonably priced."

More IFS Cloud Platform pricing and cost advice

"The tool’s pricing is expensive."

"The pricing depends on company size. It's cheaper for small companies and more expensive for large ones."

"We have to pay yearly."

"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."

"Everything is included in the licensing cost of the solution. However, they use a per-user model for additional charges."

"I rate the price of SAP Business ByDesign a seven out of ten."

"The price of the solution could be better. They have to come up with a new strategy."

"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."

More SAP Business ByDesign pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

19%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Energy/Utilities Company

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

23%

Healthcare Company

Manufacturing Company

Real Estate/Law Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IFS Applications?

Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine or ten out of ten since it is an extremely scalable solution that can be used for various use cases with thousands of users.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IFS Applications?

The product is reasonably priced. The costs are justified by the value provided, considering the comprehensive features and minimal need for customization. I rate the pricing a seven out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IFS Applications?

I am not able to recall much about batch. Documentation-wise, they need more. There is not much available online, and the documentation availability is on the lower side compared to other products,...

See all answers

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.

See all answers

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%.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

Comparisons

SAP ERP vs IFS Cloud Platform

Compared 13% of the time

IBM Maximo vs IFS Cloud Platform

Compared 9% of the time

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central vs IFS Cloud Platform

Compared 8% of the time

SAP S/4HANA vs IFS Cloud Platform

Compared 7% of the time

Oracle E-Business Suite vs IFS Cloud Platform

Compared 6% of the time

More IFS Cloud Platform Competitors

SAP S/4HANA Cloud vs SAP Business ByDesign

Compared 68% of the time

SAP S/4HANA vs SAP Business ByDesign

Compared 32% of the time

More SAP Business ByDesign Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IFS Cloud Platform

August 2025

Download IFS Cloud Platform product report

Buyer's Guide

SAP Business ByDesign

July 2025

Download SAP Business ByDesign product report

Also Known As

IFS Applications, Assyst, IFS Cloud

No data available

Overview

IFS is the world’s leading provider of Industrial AI and enterprise software for hardcore businesses that make, service, and power our planet. Our technology enables businesses which manufacture goods, maintain complex assets, and manage service-focused operations to unlock the transformative power of Industrial AI™ to enhance productivity, efficiency, and sustainability. Industrial AI is IFS.ai.

IFS Cloud is a fully composable AI-powered platform, designed for ultimate flexibility and adaptability to our customers’ specific requirements and business evolution. It spans the needs of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Enterprise Asset Management (EAM), Supply Chain Management (SCM), Information Technology Service Management (ITSM), and Field Service Management (FSM). IFS technology leverages AI, machine learning, real-time data and analytics to empower our customers to make informed strategic decisions and excel at their Moment of Service™.

IFS

SAP Business ByDesign is a cloud-based business management software that supports everything from finance to CRM – and is available anytime, anywhere, on almost any device. It helps medium-sized businesses seize new opportunities and accelerate growth – and it helps subsidiaries take advantage of head office resources, while keeping their flexibility.

Streamline end-to-end processes and maximize efficiency across your organization
Gain timely business insights with integrated analytics and reporting powered by SAP HANA
Manage your business from anywhere, at any time, with built-in mobile apps
Rely on highly secure data centers that are managed, monitored, and maintained by SAP experts

SAP

Sample Customers

China Airlines, Electrolux Group, Babcock, Cimcorp, Sky, Multiplex, Veolia.

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, Infor and others in ERP. Updated: July 2025.

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