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Microsoft Dynamics AX 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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
7.3
Microsoft Dynamics AX enhances efficiency, reduces costs, and offers rapid ROI, benefiting organizations of all sizes with centralized management.
Sentiment score
2.0
SAP Business One boosts ROI by improving efficiency, reducing inventory costs, enhancing decision-making, and supporting growth with fewer resources.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
4.2
Dynamics AX support is praised for responsiveness and resources, though customization challenges and partner reliance pose issues.
Sentiment score
5.9
SAP Business One support relies on partners, with mixed experiences; partner choice significantly impacts response times and satisfaction.
Microsoft has really good documentation, and they are known for that.
The previous user left the company without sharing their password, so at that time I need to log those particular issues or reset the password; the facility is not available in the current system, and I have to raise tickets, waiting for updated passwords, which is very critical.
When the system or solution has a failure unrelated to the database, they become lost.
Through the SAP portal, we can access direct support, which includes notes and a massive community for resources.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.1
Microsoft Dynamics AX excels in scalability and adaptability for varied industries, though larger deployments may face hardware and compatibility challenges.
Sentiment score
7.7
SAP Business One is scalable, supporting varied company sizes, integrates well, but needs better stability and customization.
There are these things called AOS nodes where if you have more users and performance decreases, you can add more servers to the cluster.
It struggles with scalability when you need to manage financial reporting or setup for multiple companies.
SAP Business One is not very scalable, as it is aimed at medium to small-scale industries.
If your company is looking for an ERP to run end-to-end business, this is the solution.
The scalability of SAP Business One is very high.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.2
Microsoft Dynamics AX's stability varies, influenced by hardware, customization, maintenance, VPN issues, and user-specific setups.
Sentiment score
7.7
SAP Business One is praised for its stability, reliability, and high client satisfaction, especially among small to medium businesses.
I have not had any major issues with stability.
If you do the maintenance and have your own people, it could be stable, but it means a lot of work.
I rate the stability of SAP Business One an eight out of ten.
 

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Dynamics AX faces performance issues and lacks support; users are encouraged to transition to Dynamics 365 for improvements.
SAP Business One needs improvements in usability, integration, scalability, and features including HR, analytics, customization, and blockchain.
It is no longer supported from a security perspective, so it is not getting updated.
Microsoft Dynamics AX lacks the concept of month-end closing, which is essential for tight control over financial periods.
The solution lacks scalability as it targets medium to small-scale industries.
They also need to plan for integrating a small HR or payroll module.
Costing audits are required, but this is not available in SAP Business One.
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Dynamics AX is pricey, with costs adding up from licenses and implementation, making thorough enterprise assessment essential.
SAP Business One is cost-effective for SMEs, offering competitive licensing and maintenance fees with good value compared to other ERPs.
Acquiring a developer license for customization is expensive, costing over one hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars.
It is expensive compared to other modules or ERPs.
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Dynamics AX offers flexible, user-friendly integration with strong modules, customization, and cloud-based accessibility for diverse business operations.
SAP Business One is valued in Turkey for diverse features and industry-specific solutions, especially in automotive and small businesses.
I have not had any major issue with stability.
The most valuable feature of Microsoft Dynamics AX is its full integration with Excel, allowing for cut and paste functionality between Excel and the system.
The general ledger, balance sheet, trial balance, cash flow statement, and all other reports are updated simultaneously.
Regarding reporting capabilities, SAP Business One provides in-built reports and allows us to use crystal reports, which we can customize and develop our own reports alongside running SQL queries with the query generator to create SQL reports.
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.
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Dynamics AX
Ranking in ERP
6th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
57
Ranking in other categories
Activity Based Costing Software (3rd)
SAP Business One
Ranking in ERP
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
71
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the ERP category, the mindshare of Microsoft Dynamics AX is 5.4%, down from 6.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP Business One is 3.2%, down from 5.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
ERP Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
SAP Business One3.2%
Microsoft Dynamics AX5.4%
Other91.4%
ERP
 

Featured Reviews

SherifAnter - PeerSpot reviewer
The sales and distribution modules are robust, and reliable, and seldom encounter issues
In GP, there are certain features like financial reporting that aren't part of the core GP package. Users might need to install additional components for these features. For example, there's a reseller product called Management Reporter, but many users would prefer to have the reporting capabilities integrated within GP itself, rather than relying on external tools. The manufacturing module in GP is quite basic, and those who require more advanced manufacturing capabilities often turn to third-party modules or tools. Additionally, you might be aware that in 2028, GP is expected to reach its end of life. Microsoft has already ceased selling GP to new customers. It's essentially the same product, but this marks the final year for GP's availability.
Hatem Mohamed Nageeb Salama - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides efficiency for small businesses, but requires costly add-ons for broader capabilities
I am currently using SAP products but not primarily selling SAP. Regarding real-time data processing capabilities, it is partially helpful for decision-making. It has built-in capability for real-time data, but it's not interactive data analytics. People need another solution such as Power BI to be integrated to get real-time data with interactive analytics. When it comes to customizing reporting in SAP Business One, it has the capability to customize reports via SAP Crystal Reports. It has a good amount of reports, but for each business, you need to understand exactly what the customer needs to customize their reports. The solution includes a mobile app to access key business information, though it is a very weak mobile app. The main benefit SAP Business One provides to users is ease of access. It's very good to present to customers, both from the interface and capabilities perspective. It's suitable for small to medium companies, making the buy-in for the solution very good. The pricing for SAP Business One is very competitive. Overall, SAP Business One is a very good solution for small to medium businesses. If your company is looking for an ERP to run end-to-end business, this is the solution. You need specific add-ons to run in specific industries, but it's approximately 70% good for most small to medium companies. My overall rating for SAP Business One is 7 out of 10.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Retailer
6%
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Healthcare Company
6%
Retailer
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business29
Midsize Enterprise12
Large Enterprise17
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business35
Midsize Enterprise18
Large Enterprise20
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Microsoft Dynamics AX?
I have faced challenges with Microsoft Dynamics AX, specifically localization; it's very challenging because we are from Romania, so the finance module has to be harmonized with the Romanian law. T...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Dynamics AX?
We are a customer of Microsoft Dynamics AX. The ERP system is used to keep tracking our processes. I am using Microsoft Dynamics AX in the distribution and retail industry, wholesales, and we have ...
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

Dynamics AX, Axapta, MS Dynamics AX
Business One
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

ConQuaestor, D & H Distributing, Sunny Queen, Mesa Associates, Britax Childcare, Ibema, Arafa, Sabo S.p.A.
Ego Pharmaceuticals Pty. Ltd
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Dynamics AX vs. SAP Business One and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
867,349 professionals have used our research since 2012.