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Microsoft Dynamics AX vs SAP Business One comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 28, 2025

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
6.8
Microsoft Dynamics AX boosts productivity and efficiency, offering customizable solutions with significant ROI, despite challenges in precise measurement.
Sentiment score
2.0
SAP Business One improves efficiency and savings with rapid ROI, enhancing decision-making, inventory management, and resource utilization.
There are instances of significant cost saving by improving processes and obtaining necessary data for better analysis.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
4.1
Microsoft Dynamics AX support is praised for availability but criticized for costly, slow handling of complex issues and customizations.
Sentiment score
5.9
SAP Business One support is satisfactory but varies with partner competence, leading to mixed user experiences with responsiveness and effectiveness.
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 offers scalability, especially in the cloud, but older versions struggle with complex setups for larger clients.
Sentiment score
7.7
SAP Business One is adaptable for medium-sized enterprises, offering cloud deployment and integration benefits, but faces flexibility limitations.
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.
Microsoft Dynamics AX already has multiple functions for sales, inventory, HR, finance, and supply chain.
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
7.1
Microsoft Dynamics AX is generally stable, though stability varies with infrastructure and updates, with mixed user ratings.
Sentiment score
7.7
SAP Business One is highly stable and reliable, excelling in accurate financial reporting and integration across branches.
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.
We can maintain our clients with the latest delivery version stable; it is a stronger product and ERP that improves with each version.
SAP Business One is a very stable solution, and I rate its stability as ten out of ten.
I rate the stability of SAP Business One an eight out of ten.
 

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Dynamics AX requires greater efficiency, improved user interface, better integration, and more flexible, scalable, and localized features.
SAP Business One needs user interface, integration, analytics improvements, and better scalability, customization, deployment, and cloud functionality.
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.
Most companies working with AX currently transforming to D365, upgrading their ERP systems, which are more enhanced and have additional features such as dashboards.
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 has high initial costs, with variable regional pricing, but cloud options may offer savings.
SAP Business One offers fair pricing with variable costs based on licenses, users, region, plus additional service fees.
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.
The pricing of SAP Business One is fair.
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Dynamics AX offers comprehensive ERP solutions with strong security, seamless integration, and efficient support for finance, supply chain, and sales.
SAP Business One offers comprehensive, user-friendly, and scalable solutions for financial management and diverse business needs across industries.
There are many levels of security and permissions for each user to monitor and access specific data relative to their functions.
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.
This feature allows me to get all the necessary data required to best analyze the business and improve processes.
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.
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Dynamics AX
Ranking in ERP
7th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
58
Ranking in other categories
Activity Based Costing Software (3rd)
SAP Business One
Ranking in ERP
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
96
Ranking in other categories
Cloud ERP (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the ERP category, the mindshare of Microsoft Dynamics AX is 5.1%, down from 6.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP Business One is 3.2%, down from 4.9% 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 AX5.1%
Other91.7%
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
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Educational Organization
6%
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Educational Organization
6%
Comms Service Provider
5%
 

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 Business45
Midsize Enterprise30
Large Enterprise24
 

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, SAP Business One on AWS
 

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.
872,655 professionals have used our research since 2012.