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Infor M3 vs SAP Business One 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

Infor M3
Ranking in ERP
14th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
Activity Based Costing Software (8th)
SAP Business One
Ranking in ERP
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
67
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the ERP category, the mindshare of Infor M3 is 5.2%, up from 4.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP Business One is 3.5%, down from 6.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
ERP
 

Featured Reviews

Pravinkumar Bhandare - PeerSpot reviewer
The solution is a reliable, stable, and cost-saving ERP
Different countries have different finance practices, but I believe they need to fine-tune their practices to match industry standards. Practices vary from country to country, for example, in India, it is different than in the US. Sometimes, clients require alternate processes that are not standard, but they claim that these are the standard practices in their industry. At those times, we feel that the option required is not available with the solution. This is not the case only for Infor M3. Other ERPs also have the same problem. We can't mold the ERP to fit the customer's requirements. There are some standards in place because many screens and programs are integrated into the finance process. We can't make modifications to fit the client's requirements. The customer needs specific screens for different users, so if that program is in place, we have one planning tool in Infor M3. Planners need to know all things related to manufacturing, purchase, and sales in order to make decisions about planning. In one of my clients, I came across the requirement that they were asking for user authority in the planning tool. This is not the case though, because all planners need to know all things. However, on the manufacturing side, we can say that the person who is working with machine operations only needs to know machine-related information and doesn't need knowledge of products or sales. That standard industry is available, so we can give access to the user as per their needs. If the maintenance people are there, we can give them limited access, but if the planner is there, we need to give them all access according to industry standards. However, this requirement from the client side is not possible with the standard Infor software, but Infor can consider implementing it if the need is larger for many customers.
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.

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."
"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."
"The product's initial setup phase is easy."
"It's simple to use. You don't need any complex training to use it."
"Its ease of use is most valuable. Inquiries are transparent, and it shows good information on each screen. We don't have to go to 14 different screens to find out about one item, which is a big advantage."
"Overall, I rate Infor M3 nine out of ten for a positive experience."
"Infor M3 has several valuable features, including customer order management and integration capabilities with third-party applications like ION."
"Infor M3 has ready-made processes, which provide the best workflows."
"We are using it for accounts and finance and also for maintaining third-party transactions and non-CRM transactions."
"Business One's best feature is transport management and collections."
"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's user-friendly and comes with comprehensive manuals. So, it is easy to learn to use SAP Business One"
"The solution is stable."
"The documentation part and the user manuals provided by SAP are quite comprehensive."
"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."
"The solution offers a structured view and is useful for the top management. The top management finds it organized and structured. It is stable and gives you fewer headaches as an IT manager."
 

Cons

"The implementation could be simplified, it's complex."
"Sometimes, M3 alone cannot handle all the planning functionalities required by a customer. It has to be used along with industry-specific planning tools because M3 doesn't have all the features. However, no product can handle all the requirements of all the industries. There will be some shortcomings in all the products. Though this is an area for improvement, it is not a very serious shortfall or limitation. It can be covered by using third-party planning applications that integrate with Infor M3."
"Infor should create one product to handle the whole business. At present, they make ERP systems for each type of business, and then sell additional features. I would like to have one system handing all organizations or all the business in deep ways and not have to buy additional features."
"Improvements could be made in security and scalability."
"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."
"Its initial setup was probably complex, but it is a very good system."
"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."
"Our company is expanding to different countries, and business is growing. We feel that it is not good enough for the huge volume of the business. On-premises setup is not good enough for the overseas office. We have our onsite premises in Hong Kong, but we have a major sales office in the US. We are looking for a more efficient setup to fulfill our requirements and needs. It can have portals for vendors, suppliers, and customers. I know that they have this feature in version 10, but it still has space to improve."
"Currently, SAP Business One only has ERP modules and lacks HR or payroll modules."
"They have a web client now. It primarily does sales. They just added purchasing. It'll be far more effective when I have inventory and financials as well into the web client version."
"Lacks ability to integrate with other tools."
"Business One's production module has room for improvement."
"The user interface could be improved with drag-and-drop functionality that it currently lacks."
"SAP Business One lacks solutions for some specific use cases, particularly in HR functions and production planning, which require a lot of customization."
"The analytics data capabilities could improve which will provide businesses with much more insight into how their companies are performing."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"There is a license to use this solution and the price is good."
"If the client's budget is low, they go for SAP Business One."
"The price of the solution is reasonable."
"I rate the product pricing structure at around six out of ten due to currency fluctuations posing challenges."
"On a scale from one to ten, where one is expensive and ten is cheap, I rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten."
"SAP Business One is not cheap."
"We are on a perpetual license for SAP Business One and the price it should be less expensive when comparing it to other solutions."
"Its price is reasonable. People are able to spend that much."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Wholesaler/Distributor
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Healthcare Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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?
Improvements could be made in security and scalability. Enhanced changes could be beneficial in security, and while the application is already cloud-based, adding features like daily MRP updates wo...
What is your primary use case for Infor M3?
I use Infor M3 as a robust system primarily in chemical process engineering, such as chemical industries and textile manufacturing. It is designed for discrete and non-discrete manufacturing, parti...
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
 

Also Known As

Infor Lawson M3, Lawson M3
Business One
 

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
Ego Pharmaceuticals Pty. Ltd
Find out what your peers are saying about Infor M3 vs. SAP Business One and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.