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SAP Business ByDesign vs Unit4 Business World comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

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
Ranking in Cloud ERP
5th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
16
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Unit4 Business World
Ranking in Cloud ERP
9th
Average Rating
6.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Cloud ERP category, the mindshare of SAP Business ByDesign is 7.8%, down from 8.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Unit4 Business World is 3.3%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Cloud ERP Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
SAP Business ByDesign7.8%
Unit4 Business World3.3%
Other88.9%
Cloud ERP
 

Featured Reviews

Majid-Mustafa - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides custom versions of reports personalized for users
For AI initiatives, you need to purchase a separate AI license to integrate with SAP Business ByDesign. I'd recommend SAP Business ByDesign for large companies that want to check data graphically, especially for monthly income, expenses, and taxes in the millions or trillions. Overall, for large-scale companies, I'd rate it ten out of ten.
Mirchaye Mulugeta - PeerSpot reviewer
A flexible solution that is useful in finance, HR, and procurement
We use the tool in finance, HR, and procurement.  Unit4 Business World's most valuable feature is flexibility. Its dashboards are easy.  I would like to see direct communication support to engage with clients. The parent company should have a direct relationship with clients. Also, the tool's…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I find the tool’s every feature valuable."
"The most valuable features of Business ByDesign are the integration of its modules, analytics, and dashboards."
"The most valuable feature of SAP Business ByDesign is it has a streamlined design."
"I like the tool’s customization."
"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."
"ByDesign's best features are its speed, real-time data, and reporting."
"The most valuable feature is the feature called Financial Closing Cockpit. This feature allows us to monitor our accounting and processing closely."
"It has a quick implementation and onboarding of users. It is flexible with reports and powerful."
"Unit4 Business World's most valuable feature is flexibility. Its dashboards are easy."
"The product's self-service capabilities have benefited our organization."
"Unit4 Business World is a reliable product."
 

Cons

"The Arabic localization is neglected. It should have an Arabic interface. It lacks Arabic translation or support from right to left."
"There is room for improvement in the reporting capability. To use it properly, you need intensive IT support. You cannot write your own reports."
"ByDesign could be improved by making screen modifications 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."
"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."
"There might be some hurdles when integrating with SAP ECC, but integration with SAP S/4HANA Cloud is smooth."
"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 to see more flexibility in the customization for us to be able to customize it based on the client's requirements."
"I would like to see direct communication support to engage with clients. The parent company should have a direct relationship with clients. Also, the tool's licensing, upgrade, and maintenance costs should be reduced."
"Reporting and analytics features must be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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 cost starts anywhere between fifty thousand dollars and up depending on the number of licenses."
"The price of the solution could be better. They have to come up with a new strategy."
"I rate the price of SAP Business ByDesign a seven out of ten."
"We have to pay yearly."
"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 tool’s pricing is expensive."
"The pricing depends on company size. It's cheaper for small companies and more expensive for large ones."
"I rate the solution's pricing a five out of ten."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
22%
Healthcare Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Real Estate/Law Firm
6%
University
25%
Government
13%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Educational Organization
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise5
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

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...
What do you like most about Unit4 Business World?
The product's self-service capabilities have benefited our organization.
What needs improvement with Unit4 Business World?
I would like to see direct communication support to engage with clients. The parent company should have a direct relationship with clients. Also, the tool's licensing, upgrade, and maintenance cost...
What is your primary use case for Unit4 Business World?
We use the tool in finance, HR, and procurement.
 

Also Known As

No data available
Agresso ERP
 

Overview

 

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
Media Prima Berhad, IKEA, Cranfield University, The Salvation Army, Avis Europe plc, Nando's
Find out what your peers are saying about SAP Business ByDesign vs. Unit4 Business World and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
869,566 professionals have used our research since 2012.