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Infor M3 vs Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central vs SAP ERP comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the ERP category, the mindshare of Infor M3 is 2.9%, down from 4.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is 4.0%, down from 6.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP ERP is 10.4%, down from 19.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
ERP Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
SAP ERP10.4%
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central4.0%
Infor M32.9%
Other82.7%
ERP
 

Featured Reviews

UD
Vice President, Delivery at Independent Computer Consulting Group, Incorporated
Maximized industry-specific process efficiency with rapid implementation
The best features of Infor M3 are the micro-vertical and industry ready-made solutions rather than generic solutions. They have ready-made solutions ready, so the implementation of the process discovery happens very fast. It won't take more than two months, and if the process is very simple and they adopt the standard, it may happen within five weeks, covering the implementation cycle which will finish within seven to eight months. Most of the time, it helps streamline business processes; maybe some processes such as unique subcontracting vary by continent or job work, which could be different due to legal compliance. Other than that, everything helps because the processes are very much streamlined. Everywhere you have a check and maker concept, there is a workflow, and all those things are there; document management is also very simple. You can drag and drop the reports. The workflow feature is very good and flexible, working with multi-level authorization and all those capabilities. Apart from that, the GUI interface screens are really good. Users can design their own workspace based on the roles, and there are roles-based security options, with many roles available that you need not define—you can just tweak them.
reviewer2746122 - PeerSpot reviewer
Automation Engineer
Integrations Help Bring Efficiency while Documentation Needs Improvement
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 because you cannot control the number of integrations, and our team struggled to manage the numerous integrations we had. More documentation is needed on how to use Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and its capabilities. From a technical perspective, it was challenging because understanding the system requires familiarity with financial sectors. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central could benefit from more AI integration. Learning the application was challenging as there was much to understand about accounts payable, receivable, accounting, and general ledger.
Achmad Dimyati - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Service Management Team Lead at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Long-term adaptation and evolution meets changing technology trends
SAP ERP is not really real-time. We use the HANA database which is supposed to be memory data in memory, but we are still not very happy. It is supposed to be real-time and come very quickly, but in reality, it still takes time to run. That is why we use BW of SAP, Business Objects, and now we have moved to the Analytic Cloud where we start using predictive AI. SAP recently implemented Databricks, and they started investing significantly in the analytic environment. SAP ERP has been left behind as they moved to S/4HANA with the HANA database. They restructured the whole table structure of SAP ERP, introduced simple finance, simple logistics, and moved HR to SuccessFactors. They have the BTP layer where they manage everything from integration to master data management. The challenge with SAP is that they move very fast to different products and buy different products. It requires significant investment and many skills to catch up because all of these have different sets of technology. The fundamental has changed differently. It is not monolithic anymore but different products under one name, SAP. You have to buy it model by model for additional models. Products such as SuccessFactors, Ariba for procure to pay, Concur for travel, and Facility Management use totally different technology. They try to integrate with each other, but it remains a challenge for SAP to make them have the same management, technology, and operational approach.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The user interface and user experience were good."
"provides all modules, supply chain, HR - it's good for management."
"Infor M3 has ready-made processes, which provide the best workflows."
"The most valuable feature of Infor M3 is the level of detail it has about the different manufacturing processes compared to other ERP solutions. Other ERP solutions provide the same level of integration as Infor M3, but Infor M3 specializes in several functions, such as planning and manufacturing."
"Infor M3 has several valuable features, including customer order management and integration capabilities with third-party applications like ION."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is highly customizable."
"Overall, I rate Infor M3 nine out of ten for a positive experience."
"It's very stable, and it handles all types of industrial and manufacturing businesses in very good ways."
"The initial setup is pretty straightforward."
"We have everything recorded in the database, so our data is much more manageable than before, and that's one of the greatest advantages."
"It is a stable solution."
"The initial setup is easy."
"We like the manufacturing and case management modules."
"We are very dependent on this solution, we manage almost all of our business processes, and it has helped us a lot."
"The appeal of NAV was that it's all-inclusive, so we didn't need 15 different programs to keep the business running."
"It is a scalable solution. There are more than 5,000 end users in my organization."
"MDG provides a central location for governance of the creation/updating processes of master data. It allows you to change several fields in the same object. For example, we can change a field on the purchasing view and change another field on an accounting view to the same material at the same time."
"It integrates everything into one process."
"ERP can help manage all enterprise resources. It brings them together and provides some analytical data to inform management decisions."
"The payroll solution and the localization for advances are valuable."
"The solution has a lot of good integrated modules."
"SAP is a very process controlled application. It does not allow users to manage the data. Once the initial process is set, it works smoothly."
"This is a robust solution with a lot of control measures."
"SAP is more reliable in terms of data quality than other systems."
 

Cons

"It would be great if Infor added some new workflows in the finance module. I'd also like to see better integration with third-party applications."
"From a technology perspective, this is an old solution making it harder to integrate and maintain."
"The product's technical support has certain shortcomings. Sometimes, my company doesn't get a proper response from their end."
"The implementation could be simplified, it's complex."
"Customer support from Infor is responsive and addresses issues, but the response time can be delayed, which sometimes leads me to explore private vendors."
"I would like to have some kind of dashboard to show an overview of different data on the same dashboard or on the same screen instead of moving to BI."
"We can't make modifications to fit the client's requirements."
"The solution must provide more learning documents."
"The tool needs to work on reporting issues and user interface."
"There is a book for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central explaining how to use it. But it is not easy to use, and it is not easy to learn."
"In the next release, I would like to see a quality check module - Navision doesn't have one, and the industry very much requires it."
"I would like to have more frequent updates."
"It would be nice if the integration process was much easier."
"I wouldn't say that Microsoft Dynamics is very scalable."
"The solution could include the retail tool in the native version."
"Microsoft Dynamics NAV could improve the reporting."
"Initial setup is a little complex when compared with Workday and SF."
"I think we have not seen any tangible benefits from SAP ERP."
"SAP is more expensive than some of its competitors."
"SAP is not making a big effort to make it easy to integrate solutions from other vendors. It's not easy at all... Integration is what they can do better."
"The speed to build and the speed to deliver could be better."
"The reporting feature could improve in SAP ERP. It could benefit from being more flexible."
"The initial setup of SAP ERP is complex and it took a lot of time."
"It's very difficult to find people who are well versed in it."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool’s licensing is yearly."
"The cost is between $50 and $100 per user annually."
"There is a yearly licensing cost. The price is based on the modules you need. There are several modules, such as HR module, accounting module, sales module, scheduling module, etc., and the price will vary depending on the number of modules you choose. The customers always say that it's very expensive. It can cost a lot of money if your organization is huge. It's not implemented in a lot of organizations in my country because it's too expensive."
"Infor M3 is a tier-two product and is cheaper than tier-one products such as SAP and Oracle. However, it is more expensive than some other tier-two products. The licensing cost is dependent on the number of users. Also, if you purchase other tools from Infor as a package, then there may be other discounts offered."
"If you compare Infor M3 to SAP, Infor M3 is less expensive than SAP, but if you compare Infor M3 to Dynamics 365, Infor M3 is more expensive. It also depends on the model that you buy. It depends on whether you have the complete package or whether you have separate models."
"I'm not part of the team that manages Infor M3 pricing, but it depends on the client, integration, ship-out, and training levels. You get the price from the solution provider, but it would be best to discuss it because nothing is set in stone regarding pricing."
"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 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."
"There is an annual cost of using Microsoft Dynamics NAV. The cost is approximately 140,000 INR."
"The deployment cost us $70,000 and we pay around $18,000 annually for support, which we find to be expensive."
"The first time we tried to buy the newest version, it was expensive."
"Business Central charges a monthly fee of $70 to $100 per user."
"You have to pay a yearly licensing fee for the solution."
"There are two types of licenses. One is the essential license in which everything is covered, and the next is the premium. If your company is a manufacturing or service management company, then you can go for the premium license because those two modules are the premium ones. You can manage your manufacturing activities and your service activities."
"When we talk about pricing it is expensive. On a scale of one to ten, it would rank a two. There are no additional fees but the user licenses are high."
"The price of SAP ERP is high, but it is worth the money. The maintenance and support can be expensive. There should be a different price model for businesses that are not as large to be able to afford it."
"The solution has moved from a licensing model to a rights-based, subscription model in the cloud."
"SAP ERP is an expensive tool."
"The solution can cost approximately $1 million a year for maintenance for a small-size company and can grow from there. Approximately $1 million is needed for a good-size company."
"There is a license needed to use this solution."
"When you have a solution that is stable, reliable, and has a high performance as this solution, the price is going to be expensive. However, when you evaluate the service you are paying for the cost is quite reasonable for this solution."
"The on-premises licensing model comes with annual maintenance whereas the cloud-based licensing model is a yearly subscription. The tool’s pricing is normal and not expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
15%
Computer Software Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Retailer
6%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Construction Company
8%
Computer Software Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise3
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business40
Midsize Enterprise12
Large Enterprise19
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business29
Midsize Enterprise31
Large Enterprise78
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Infor M3?
The product's initial setup phase is easy.
What needs improvement with Infor M3?
Some customers expect more out-of-box reports, and in some areas, they should provide more reports. However, Infor ha...
What is your primary use case for Infor M3?
Infor M3 is specifically dominant in fashion, food and beverages, and chemicals manufacturing; it works into micro-ve...
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 mi...
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 ...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Dynamics NAV?
A point of sale solution is still lacking in the retail industry. A basic point of sale would help a great deal becau...
Is Anaplan better than SAP ERP?
There are different aspects of both Anaplan and SAP ERP that I like and dislike. Anaplan improves forecast accuracy a...
What do you like most about SAP ERP?
The solution has made the most significant impact on our human resources function, specifically in HR operations and ...
What needs improvement with SAP ERP?
SAP ERP logged out in slightly less time than expected. Updates to the SAP UI would be useful.
 

Also Known As

Infor Lawson M3, Lawson M3
Dynamics NAV, MS Dynamics NAV
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Grosfillex, High Five Sportswear, L_derach, OTK Group, PHS Group, Propper International, Red Wing Shoe Company, Reynolds Catering Supplies, Saudi Diesel, Sheetz, Zeppelin, Zodiac Aerospace
Harris Farm Markets, Mister Spex GmbH, Bounce Foods, Eurofin Services SA, Medica Medizintechnik, Associated Gaskets, Onduline, Sitka Surfboard Corporation, World Animal Protection
B&G Manufacturing, Unilever, Life is good Inc., Joy Global Inc., City of Cape Town, Bhopal Municipal, Corporation (BMC), adidas Group, Butcher & Packer Supply Company, Franklin Valve L.P., Evoshield, Prime Meats, a Norsan Group company, EMC Corporation, Varian Medical Systems Inc., FC Bayern Mªnchen AG, AkzoNobel Chemicals B.V., T¾V Rheinland, Pacific Drilling S.A., Fire & Rescue New South Wales, University of Amsterdam, Pa_alon S.A.
Find out what your peers are saying about SAP, Oracle, Microsoft and others in ERP. Updated: March 2026.
885,444 professionals have used our research since 2012.