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Microsoft Dynamics AX vs SAP Business ByDesign 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Dynamics AX
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
58
Ranking in other categories
ERP (5th), Activity Based Costing Software (3rd)
SAP Business ByDesign
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
16
Ranking in other categories
Cloud ERP (6th)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Enterprise Resource Planning solutions, they serve different purposes. Microsoft Dynamics AX is designed for ERP and holds a mindshare of 3.4%, down 6.5% compared to last year.
SAP Business ByDesign, on the other hand, focuses on Cloud ERP, holds 5.3% mindshare, down 6.8% since last year.
ERP Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Dynamics AX3.4%
SAP ERP11.6%
SAP S/4HANA6.4%
Other78.6%
ERP
Cloud ERP Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
SAP Business ByDesign5.3%
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP16.2%
NetSuite ERP14.4%
Other64.1%
Cloud ERP
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2765214 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Sales Support Supervisor at a manufacturing company with 501-1,000 employees
Has required ongoing support and modernization but effectively manages core operations and complex workflows
Microsoft Dynamics AX is a very strong ERP system, applicable for customizations to help companies and organizations streamline their processes. The specific feature I find most valuable about Microsoft Dynamics AX is the applicable permissions. There are many levels of security and permissions for each user to monitor and access specific data relative to their functions. Additionally, the linkage and transition between exploring and moving from window to window, from function to function is valuable. The impact of Microsoft Dynamics AX on managing financial processes is significant. It's a very important element for financial departments as it represents all transactions, references, and records. The adjustments and availability to create more than one virtual company allow large companies, which combined represent one group of companies, to connect and streamline their financials and operations.
MS
Divisional Manager IT at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Valuable features enhance sales and service capabilities while performance improvements are needed
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 handling. My feedback about the modular architecture and customized features of SAP Business ByDesign is that it is only good, but we have not explored much on this one. The initial setup for SAP Business ByDesign was complex. 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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The tool makes it easier to manage things."
"It is a scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"The most valuable features of Microsoft Dynamics AX are field services and the vendor collaboration portal. Both of the features are very good."
"Dynamics AX provides a lot of functionality."
"There's a moderate amount of scalability available."
"Microsoft Dynamics AX represents the backbone of the company's operations across all functions; it's our main system."
"From a developer's perspective, the architecture of Dynamics has a well-designed security layer, which prevents coding issues between different layers. This is a significant advantage."
"The product is easier to use and has more efficient workflow management features than other vendors."
"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."
"SAP Business ByDesign is connected to our S/4 HANA system, and we have developed some APIs which help us integrate the system with S/4 HANA."
"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."
"The most valuable feature of SAP Business ByDesign is it has a streamlined design."
"The most valuable feature is the feature called Financial Closing Cockpit. This feature allows us to monitor our accounting and processing closely."
"ByDesign's best features are its speed, real-time data, and reporting."
"I find the tool’s every feature valuable."
"The standard system is stable."
 

Cons

"The UI has room for improvement and can be more user-friendly."
"The initial setup can be complex at times and has room for improvement."
"The support here in Turkey could be better. However, the international support is good."
"The older version of Microsoft Dynamics AX that we are using is not as scalable as the newer version."
"Microsoft Dynamics AX should include more connectors for third-party integrations. It should also include more features that AI models can govern."
"Microsoft Dynamics AX needs to improve its support and the developer experience. Developing and programming are more complex. Automation and integration with other apps should be simplified."
"We do not have access to daily projections."
"I don't know if Microsoft Dynamics AX is still receiving official technical support from Microsoft."
"There is room for improvement in the reporting capability. To use it properly, you need intensive IT support. You cannot write your own reports."
"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."
"With SAP S/4HANA, you can design your release strategy and modify it to include as many people as possible, which is missing in SAP Business ByDesign."
"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."
"The solution does not support customization for forms and reports. It's not flexible in case you need some enhancements in business processes."
"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."
"SAP Business ByDesign is a very vast product, but it has to be a bit more centralized. All the models need to be more centralized for a better experience."
"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."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool's licensing model is based on user subscription. The pricing needs to be reduced for the Indian and South Asian markets."
"We pay for licensing yearly to use Microsoft Dynamics AX."
"There is an annual licensing cost for Microsoft Dynamics AX."
"The solution is on-premises and we do not pay for a license."
"It is $180 to $200 per user per month with a minimum of 20 users, which makes selling the product a bit difficult."
"It's too expensive for customers to take this on themselves. As partners, we will buy this on behalf of the customers and then charge this value for each project."
"The initial investment cost goes up due to the hidden cost."
"Go for cloud implementation, if cost is critical."
"The pricing depends on company size. It's cheaper for small companies and more expensive for large ones."
"The cost starts anywhere between fifty thousand dollars and up depending on the number of licenses."
"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."
"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."
"I rate the price of SAP Business ByDesign a seven out of ten."
"Everything is included in the licensing cost of the solution. However, they use a per-user model for additional charges."
"The price of the solution could be better. They have to come up with a new strategy."
"The tool’s pricing is expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Educational Organization
6%
Retailer
6%
Computer Software Company
18%
Healthcare Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Retailer
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business29
Midsize Enterprise13
Large Enterprise17
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise5
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Microsoft Dynamics AX?
I don't know if Microsoft Dynamics AX is still receiving official technical support from Microsoft. I can see most companies working with AX currently transforming to D365, upgrading their ERP syst...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Dynamics AX?
I'm using Microsoft Dynamics AX to process and monitor the sales process from end-to-end, starting from placing orders. First, the order entry and placing the sales order, creating purchase requisi...
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.
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%.
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...
 

Also Known As

Dynamics AX, Axapta, MS Dynamics AX
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

ConQuaestor, D & H Distributing, Sunny Queen, Mesa Associates, Britax Childcare, Ibema, Arafa, Sabo S.p.A.
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, Oracle, Microsoft and others in ERP. Updated: December 2025.
881,114 professionals have used our research since 2012.