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Microsoft Dynamics AX vs SAP ERP comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 20, 2025

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
Ranking in ERP
4th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
Activity Based Costing Software (3rd)
SAP ERP
Ranking in ERP
2nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
104
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the ERP category, the mindshare of Microsoft Dynamics AX is 6.3%, down from 6.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP ERP is 19.0%, down from 22.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
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.
Srinivasan Kuppuswamy - PeerSpot reviewer
The amazing, robust framework with unlimited scalability earns its #1 status
The solution is not ready for the current e-commerce environment. Its was built for large enterprises who need to predictably optimize their human, material, and financial resources. ERP has evolved and businesses are changing. There are not many large corporations. Most are small enterprises with the capabilities of large enterprises through networking and platform integration. Some companies promote products but get things done with other enterprises as a network. Companies do not want to create new capacity but want to leverage existing capacity with innovative products. They do not want to spend resources on duplicating capacity or facilities. I do not think any ERP product is ready to support this environment so ERPs as a whole might end up being used for back-office functions only. It is not easy to evolve an ERP product because its intent is to integrate functions and processes within an organization. Whereas, in the new business model, processes are not limited to one's own enterprise but cut across different enterprises. There is no enterprise solution as this point in time for the current e-commerce environment so companies must integrate with many solutions.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"There's a moderate amount of scalability available."
"The most valuable features of Microsoft Dynamics AX are ease of use and performance."
"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 tool's most valuable feature is reporting."
"The product's most valuable features are its day-to-day operations, Power BI-driven workspaces, and homepage."
"Supply Chain Management is an excellent feature."
"It was an okay solution when we delivered hardware and we had to do maintenance."
"The tool's most important capabilities are for retail and finance. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 doesn't have many integration capabilities, but Microsoft 365 has the most capabilities to integrate with any type of standalone software and has many more features."
"The power of ABAP Development Tools is the main valuable feature in the SAP ECC system. Every couple of years SAP upgrades ABAP technology significantly, which facilitates developers' work."
"Control and governance are the best features."
"It has a lot of integrity of data, and it is fast. All the users feel that they can trust this data. So, data integrity is the most important value of SAP."
"The best feature of SAP ERP is the full integration."
"I like that SAP ERP is very robust and stable."
"I like SAP's premade workflows for various areas, such as supply chain, procurement, or finance."
"The solution is scalable."
"We like that we have real-time dashboard views."
 

Cons

"It is being decommissioned."
"The product needs better admin control. There is room for improvement in flexibility, reporting, and dashboards. Artificial intelligence should be incorporated. I have concerns regarding partners, specifically in the implementation and deployment of Microsoft Dynamics."
"The implementation was completed within one month."
"There is room for improvement when handling various currencies within the current Microsoft Dynamics AX system."
"The 2012 version is obsolete, and we don't have any support for it."
"We experienced some challenges with the mobile apps due to the insufficient processing capacity to handle the workload effectively."
"AX does take some time and maintenance."
"Microsoft Dynamics AX has several areas that need improvement, particularly when compared to larger systems. It lacks the concept of month-end closing, which is essential for tight control over financial periods."
"The only feature that is not available in our current version is web access."
"Could be more user friendly."
"It has a high cost."
"SAP ERP needs to be more innovative when it comes to areas like mobility and the internet."
"Sometimes the cost is not reasonable, such as in the case of budgeting."
"Although you can use SAP as a Warehouse Management System, and you don’t need any other program for that purpose, it is not enough as a Transportation Management System. You need another program which is integrated with SAP."
"There should be better support provided to be able to migrate to S/4HANA easier."
"It needs a more complete guidance with complete processes. Right now, it only has single transactions."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We pay for licensing yearly to use Microsoft Dynamics AX."
"The pricing is expensive."
"Comparatively, Business Central appears to be more cost-effective. Microsoft offers Business Central at only $70 per user per month in the US. In contrast, GP requires an initial investment, including around $9,000 for the GP license for three users and additional expenses for hardware. Therefore, the initial investment for GP is quite substantial. On the other hand, cloud-based ERP products like Business Central do not entail the same upfront investment and operate on an ongoing, subscription-based model."
"The price of the solution could benefit from being less expensive."
"The platform's price offering is good."
"In relation to the cloud, it might be expensive for a longer duration. However, it's essential to consider the demands of enterprise users. While it's cost-effective in the short run, it becomes relatively costly in the long run."
"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."
"Go for cloud implementation, if cost is critical."
"My company makes early payments towards the licensing costs attached to the product. There are no additional costs apart from the charges paid toward the subscription-based license offered by SAP."
"The solution is expensive so I rate cost a five out of ten."
"We pay annually for the use of this solution."
"SAP ERP is expensive."
"This is a costly product."
"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."
"Some components are available at an additional cost, depending on the type of contract that you have."
"SAP ERP is an expensive tool."
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Comparison Review

it_user110085 - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 1, 2015
SAP All in One vs. Oracle E-Business Suite vs. Microsoft Axapta
We put together an ERP evaluation for 3 proposed solutions. The top 3 packages considered for detailed evaluation – SAP All in One, Oracle E-Business Suite, Microsoft Axapta. The Key Criteria used for Evaluation are as follows: A. Functional Fit to meet current Business Requirements B…
 

Answers from the Community

VC
Mar 15, 2021
Mar 15, 2021
For starters, I would stop comparing tools, and start looking at my business and what I want to achieve. So identify objectives and what's blocking achievement, define quality outcomes for the obejctives you want to achieve and build your businesscase on efficiency improvement. What earnings, savings, benefits are achieved when meeting your obectives.Based on the blocking issues you identified...
2 out of 5 answers
GH
Jan 25, 2021
I think Panorama Consulting Group publishes some of their ERP shootouts comparing SAP/Oracle/Microsoft with Infor thrown in as a bonus.  Our firm is more of a boutique operation that compares internal company requirements then picks software known for its propensity to work well in those industries/environments. But if you get to the stage where you need some guidance on who some of the top partners and resources are for those software packages, hit us up. 
DR
Mar 11, 2021
Do you want to do it for a specific purpose or to tick a box?  Lets assume you are looking for system deployment. I would focus on the key areas of your business rather than what Gene has listed below, which is looking at point for point comparisons. (The Panorama report is SUPERB for getting up to speed....) Then look at weighting for specific key business differentiation opportunities - such as single global instance for multiple companies, integrated CRM into Finance and Operations, off-line capabilities for customer facing processes, seamless transfer of customer conversations from one channel to another. Then ask for client references to answer 5 key questions: - Are they live? - how was the deployment support from the OEM/partner and what was the % work split required to go live (as in your input vs partner vs OEM) - how many customisations were requried to achieve xxx (your key areas) - would they use the OEM again and what would they change going forward Then look at demonstration from the OEM and costing for the solution I would not go on a tender for each and every feature and function because we assume world class solutions have these typical areas covered. Happy to discuss how to do this practically if required. Daniel@liferocksconsulting.co.za
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Retailer
6%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Computer Software Company
12%
Retailer
7%
University
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Microsoft Dynamics AX?
Microsoft Dynamics AX has several areas that need improvement, particularly when compared to larger systems. It lacks the concept of month-end closing, which is essential for tight control over fin...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Dynamics AX?
I primarily use Microsoft Dynamics AX ( /products/microsoft-dynamics-ax-reviews ) for the financial module, which includes the general ledger, account payable, account receivable, inventory, and pu...
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 and drives up the quality of analytics. Rather than spending all of their time co...
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 HR analytics. One feature of SAP ERP that I found most valuable is its use of co...
What needs improvement with SAP ERP?
There is a need for improvement in the business analytics aspect in financial reporting and also in sales and marketing analytics.
 

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.
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 Microsoft Dynamics AX vs. SAP ERP and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
849,686 professionals have used our research since 2012.