SAP Business ByDesign vs SAP ERP comparison

The compared SAP Business ByDesign and SAP ERP solutions aren't in the same category. SAP Business ByDesign is ranked #6 in CE , with an average rating of 9.0, and holds a 4.2% mindshare in the category. SAP ERP is ranked #2 in ERP , with an average rating of 7.6, and holds a 9.0% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of SAP Business ByDesign users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 87% of SAP ERP users who would recommend it.

SAP Business ByDesign

Read 16 SAP Business ByDesign reviews

1,137 Views
671 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

SAP ERP

Read 108 SAP ERP reviews

12,562 Views
10,929 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

SAP Business ByDesign

SAP ERP

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between SAP Business ByDesign and SAP ERP based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about SAP, Oracle, NetSuite and others in Cloud ERP.

To learn more, read our detailed Cloud ERP Report (Updated: May 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cloud ERP

May 2026

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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

SAP Business ByDesign

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud ERP (6th)

SAP ERP

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

108

Ranking in other categories

ERP (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

While both are Enterprise Resource Planning solutions, they serve different purposes. SAP Business ByDesign is designed for Cloud ERP and holds a mindshare of 4.2%, down 9.0% compared to last year.
SAP ERP, on the other hand, focuses on ERP, holds 9.0% mindshare, down 17.9% since last year.

Cloud ERP Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
SAP Business ByDesign	4.2%
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP	18.5%
NetSuite ERP	18.2%
Other	59.1%

Cloud ERP

ERP Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
SAP ERP	9.0%
SAP S/4HANA	5.8%
Oracle E-Business Suite	4.0%
Other	81.2%

ERP

Featured Reviews

Manoj Sahoo

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.

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Achmad Dimyati

IT Service Management Team Lead at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees

Long-term adaptation and evolution meets changing technology trends

SAP ERP is not really real-time. We use the HANA database which is supposed to be memory data in memory, but we are still not very happy. It is supposed to be real-time and come very quickly, but in reality, it still takes time to run. That is why we use BW of SAP, Business Objects, and now we have moved to the Analytic Cloud where we start using predictive AI. SAP recently implemented Databricks, and they started investing significantly in the analytic environment. SAP ERP has been left behind as they moved to S/4HANA with the HANA database. They restructured the whole table structure of SAP ERP, introduced simple finance, simple logistics, and moved HR to SuccessFactors. They have the BTP layer where they manage everything from integration to master data management. The challenge with SAP is that they move very fast to different products and buy different products. It requires significant investment and many skills to catch up because all of these have different sets of technology. The fundamental has changed differently. It is not monolithic anymore but different products under one name, SAP. You have to buy it model by model for additional models. Products such as SuccessFactors, Ariba for procure to pay, Concur for travel, and Facility Management use totally different technology. They try to integrate with each other, but it remains a challenge for SAP to make them have the same management, technology, and operational approach.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It has a quick implementation and onboarding of users. It is flexible with reports and powerful."

"ByDesign's best features are its speed, real-time data, and reporting."

"I like the tool’s customization."

"The most valuable feature of SAP Business ByDesign is it has a streamlined design."

"The stability has been great, and compared to other products that I have used before, they have been doing really well with stability."

"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."

"ByDesign's best features are its speed, real-time data, and reporting."

"The most valuable features of Business ByDesign are the integration of its modules, analytics, and dashboards."

More SAP Business ByDesign pros

"It is a comprehensive and robust solution. It can provide lots of functional features."

"I find it to be very stable in comparison to other systems, with no downtime, which is important to us because we have companies around the world and need it constantly running, and it can do that beautifully."

"There are many interfaces, so you really can build satellites around it like with other SAP stuff or even third-party stuff."

"The most valuable features of SAP ERP is the flexibility and functionality. It is one of the best ERPs I have seen in the market."

"SAP ERP has created a paperless environment for us."

"Overall the solution is very good in the industry."

"This product is very scalable and easy to expand."

"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."

More SAP ERP pros

Cons

"There is room for improvement in the reporting capability. To use it properly, you need intensive IT support. You cannot write your own reports."

"Scalability is difficult."

"The database needs to be more customizable."

"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."

"The payroll module of the solution could improve."

"ByDesign could be improved by making screen modifications easier."

More SAP Business ByDesign cons

"If big companies are going for SAP and they would like to install it, they should know that it still needs time."

"License fees are too high."

"We will not make any major changes, and we are not expecting any enhancements or new features from SAP because they already have a new solution."

"The user interface could be improved. For example, sometimes you're missing some data and can't complete a task. There should be some built-in support and suggestions on how to solve your problem. I would also like the interface to be optimized to work better with mobile devices like tablets and smartphones."

"The system is very big. It is not exactly user-friendly, due to the fact that it's so massive and complex."

"The problem with SAP is that whenever there is a modification, or if a new field needs to be added, they charge tens of thousands, hundreds, or even two hundred thousand dollars. That is not anything in which I am really interested. For instance, consider a single-use case. I have to enter the root causes for a certain operation or failure. That option does not exist anywhere in SAP, not in manufacturing, not in logistics, not in anything. It is completely missing. The root cause analysis is very common across industries, yet SAP does not offer this option. A line field or a metaparticle, for example, was delayed. If you have the choice to input the warehouse operator or if the person who submitted the document has the opportunity to enter, this has been postponed for N, X, Y, or Z reasons."

"I'm only working on the front end with ERP's user interface, which isn't very easy for end-users."

"It is not flexible for the users; SAP works in a specific way, and the users and the processes have to adapt to the way it works."

More SAP ERP cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I rate the price of SAP Business ByDesign a seven out of ten."

"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."

"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 the solution could be better. They have to come up with a new strategy."

"We have to pay yearly."

"The tool’s pricing is expensive."

More SAP Business ByDesign pricing and cost advice

"There is a license needed to use this solution."

"Licensing can vary, but for educational institutions, there are often favorable conditions."

"SAP is quite expensive."

"When you have a solution that is stable, reliable, and has a high performance as this solution, the price is going to be expensive. However, when you evaluate the service you are paying for the cost is quite reasonable for this solution."

"I don't know the price, but I know its licensing is on a yearly basis."

"The solution is expensive and is best-suited for large enterprises."

"We pay annually for the use of this solution."

"I rate the product's price a nine on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap or affordable, and ten is really expensive. The solution is expensive."

More SAP ERP pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Healthcare Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Construction Company

Manufacturing Company

15%

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	5

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	30
Midsize Enterprise	31
Large Enterprise	78

Questions from the Community

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%.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SAP Business ByDesign?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for SAP Business ByDesign?

Our use case for SAP Business ByDesign is our dealer team accessing their system to perform sales and service; these two functionalities are done through SAP Business ByDesign. SAP Business ByDesig...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

What needs improvement with SAP ERP?

SAP ERP logged out in slightly less time than expected. Updates to the SAP UI would be useful.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for SAP ERP?

I have been using SAP ERP for posting journal entries and analyzing the P&Ls and the financial close. By posting in FBL3N in SAP ERP, I can verify my journals and review how they were posted. I...

See all answers

Comparisons

SAP S/4HANA Cloud vs SAP Business ByDesign

Compared 25% of the time

Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP vs SAP Business ByDesign

Compared 11% of the time

SAP Business One vs SAP Business ByDesign

Compared 10% of the time

Infor LX vs SAP Business ByDesign

Compared 9% of the time

Acumatica vs SAP Business ByDesign

Compared 4% of the time

More SAP Business ByDesign Competitors

SAP S/4HANA vs SAP ERP

Compared 16% of the time

IFS Cloud Platform vs SAP ERP

Compared 5% of the time

Oracle E-Business Suite vs SAP ERP

Compared 5% of the time

Infor M3 vs SAP ERP

Compared 4% of the time

Microsoft Dynamics AX vs SAP ERP

Compared 4% of the time

More SAP ERP Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

SAP Business ByDesign

April 2026

Download SAP Business ByDesign product report

Buyer's Guide

SAP ERP

April 2026

Download SAP ERP product report

Overview

SAP Business ByDesign offers real-time integration and a streamlined design with comprehensive management of suppliers and service agents, making it ideal for financial reporting and project management.

SAP Business ByDesign is recognized for its comprehensive capabilities in financial and project management across sectors. With its Financial Closing Cockpit and real-time reporting, it integrates easily with SAP S/4HANA and offers a user-friendly approach to business process management. Challenges may exist in budget management, reporting, and user interface requiring further enhancements. Despite integration challenges, it streamlines operations in education, automotive manufacturing, and professional services.

What features are most important in SAP Business ByDesign?

Financial Closing Cockpit: Streamlines closing processes with automation.
Real-Time Integration: Ensures seamless data flow between systems.
End-to-End Process Capabilities: Supports comprehensive management activities.
Analytics and Dashboards: Provides actionable insights to drive decisions.
Customizable Interface: Allows businesses to tailor functionalities.

What benefits or ROI can users expect to find in reviews?

Streamlined Operations: Enhances efficiency without increasing user count.
Improved Real-Time Reporting: Delivers accurate and timely insights.
Comprehensive Management: Ensures effective handling of suppliers and services.
Reduced Time to Implementation: Facilitates quicker deployment.
Enhanced Performance: Boosts data-driven decision-making and accuracy.

SAP Business ByDesign is leveraged by education, automotive, and professional service industries for enhanced financial reporting and inventory management. It supports sales, service, and CRM functionalities, catering to companies looking to streamline their operations efficiently.

SAP

SAP ERP integrates modules like finance, supply chain, and material management, delivering seamless operations and real-time analytics. Its customization, scalability, and robust security make it ideal for large enterprises across different industries, enhancing decision-making and business efficiency.

SAP ERP is a comprehensive tool designed to streamline enterprise operations across finance, procurement, HR, sales, logistics, and manufacturing. Known for its adaptability and user-friendly interface, it supports real-time data analytics, crucial for informed decision-making. Its scalability ensures suitability for large organizations, while its reliable security measures protect data integrity. Despite its complexity and high initial costs, SAP ERP provides extensive customization options, aligning with specific business practices and enabling enhanced productivity. However, improvements are needed in integration with other systems and reporting features.

What are the key features of SAP ERP?

Module Integration: Seamless connectivity across finance, material management, and supply chain.
Real-Time Analytics: Provides up-to-date data for better decision-making.
Customizable Interface: Adapts to specific business needs for efficient processes.
Scalable Solution: Suitable for growing enterprises with diverse requirements.
Robust Security: Ensures data integrity with centralized measures.

What benefits or ROI should businesses look for when evaluating SAP ERP?

Improved Efficiency: Streamlined business processes enhance productivity.
Data Consistency: Centralized data supports accurate business insights.
Regulatory Compliance: Ensures adherence to industry standards.
Enhanced Decision-Making: Real-time analytics provide crucial information.
Scalability: Adaptation to growing business demands and requirements.

SAP ERP is utilized in sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, and utilities to integrate complex enterprise functions. It aids in production planning, financial control, and maintaining compliance with regulations. Its capability to align with distinct business requirements enables industries to achieve greater operational efficiency.

SAP

Sample Customers

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

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 SAP, Oracle, NetSuite and others in Cloud ERP. Updated: May 2026.

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