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21,994 views|19,694 comparisons
SAP Logo
19,024 views|13,087 comparisons
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on Mar 6, 2024

We compared SAP ERP and SAP S/4HANA based on our user's reviews in several parameters.

Based on user feedback, SAP ERP is praised for its comprehensive functionality, efficient supply chain management, and excellent customer service. Meanwhile, SAP S/4HANA stands out for its real-time data analysis capabilities, intuitive user interface, and flexibility. Users highlight the need for enhanced customization in SAP ERP, while SAP S/4HANA could benefit from performance improvements and better system integration.

Features: The valuable features of SAP ERP include comprehensive functionality, ease of integration, robust reporting, and efficient supply chain management. In comparison, SAP S/4HANA offers robust functionalities, seamless integration, intuitive user interface, real-time data analysis, efficient business process management, improved efficiency, streamlined operations, accurate insights, flexibility, scalability, and a comprehensive set of tools for various industries.

Pricing and ROI: The setup cost for SAP ERP has been reported as manageable, ensuring a seamless implementation process. On the other hand, SAP S/4HANA has been praised for its reasonable setup cost, providing users with flexibility. Both products offer straightforward and transparent licensing terms., The ROI for SAP ERP has been positive according to user feedback, with satisfaction expressed for financial benefits and efficiency improvements. SAP S/4HANA also delivers a positive ROI, with users highlighting its efficiency, effectiveness, increased productivity, and cost savings.

Room for Improvement: SAP ERP requires enhancements in customization options, user interface intuitiveness, integration with other software systems, and performance. SAP S/4HANA needs improvements in performance with large data sets, a more intuitive interface, and better system integration.

Deployment and customer support: The reviews indicate that both SAP ERP and SAP S/4HANA have varying timeframes for implementing a new tech solution. Some users spent three months on deployment and an additional week on setup for both products. However, it is important to consider the context in which the users used these terms., SAP ERP receives high praise for its customer service and support, with prompt and knowledgeable assistance, personalized attention, and efficient problem resolution. SAP S/4HANA also provides excellent customer service, with prompt and efficient assistance, as well as a knowledgeable and friendly support team.

The summary above is based on 61 interviews we conducted recently with SAP ERP and SAP S/4HANA users. To access the review's full transcripts, download our report.

To learn more, read our detailed SAP ERP vs. SAP S/4HANA Report (Updated: March 2024).
765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The most significant elements of this solution are the ability to create a virtual product, a service product, and delivery.""SAP is a very process controlled application. It does not allow users to manage the data. Once the initial process is set, it works smoothly.""The most valuable feature of SAP ERP is the integration. It can be seamlessly integrated across the board.""It's a good ERP system.""The most valuable features of SAP ERP are the integration between all departments, such as purchasing, finance, trading, and sales.""SAP ERP's interface is pretty easy nowadays, as it has evolved over time and has been made as user-friendly as a person would like it.""SAP is more reliable in terms of data quality than other systems.""The stability and performance are good."

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"It's reliable and the performance is good.""S4HANA is very scalable - we use it across seven or eight factories, and everything is running fine.""The most valuable feature is the detail in all of the processes. The solution captures our policies and enables us to implement our policies in SAP. There are different models that address our needs.""It is a very scalable solution. We have enterprise-level businesses using this solution.""SAP S4HANA is a stable solution.""SAP S4HANA version 1909 is stable. We have not gone live with 2020 yet.""It is a very powerful, highly customizable tool.""The scalability has been good."

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Cons
"License fees are too high.""The system is very big. It is not exactly user-friendly, due to the fact that it's so massive and complex.""There is room for improvement in the integration of the solution, especially in the payroll area.""It needs to incorporate the new features from the SAP S/4HANA release, such as, utilizing data processes, which is quite nice.""The version that we are using lacks in reporting. The reporting feature needs to be constructed more in this product. There can be better scope for mobility. They could include the technical development of reports instead of depending completely on programming. The programming method needs to be easy.""I would like to see the customization of the reports become easier to work with instead of having technical support have to assist us.""Technical support could be better.""If big companies are going for SAP and they would like to install it, they should know that it still needs time. Implementation will cost a lot of money."

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"Their yearly licensing is expensive. Improvements are needed on the user experience level and digital work.""The product's use of resources could be improved, as it is quite intensive at the moment.""Documentation could be improved.""We are always looking for a better user experience. We would like to see more consolidation in SAP S4HANA because of all the financial compliance and regulatory changes.""SAP S4HANA is not suitable for all-size companies. If you have a small company there are better fit solutions for your needs.""The migration to SAP S/4HANA is hard.""The difficulty level of the initial setup depends on the person's skills. If you know the basic knowledge of the database, then it will be easy, otherwise, it will be very difficult.""The solution could be more user-friendly for regular users and developers."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "SAP ECC is not cheap but I consider it the best system for managing an organization's data and processes."
  • "This is a costly product."
  • "There are licensing costs."
  • "Some components are available at an additional cost, depending on the type of contract that you have."
  • "The licensing costs are slightly on the higher side. They need to make it more competitive."
  • "SAP is a bit on the costly side, but they also provide support and other things. We are paying for licenses and the use of the cloud."
  • "SAP ERP is 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."
  • More SAP ERP Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "It is an expensive solution."
  • "The price of this product is an issue for some customers."
  • "I have found the price of the solution is on the medium to the expensive side of the scale. There is a license for this solution and there are additional maintenance fees."
  • "The solution is expensive."
  • "We're not sure yet. I think it was six figures a year, over 100,000. It has straight-up licensing fees."
  • "Licensing works on a subscription model for the cloud version and it's a one-time fee for the on-premises version."
  • "The price of the solution is reasonable but some modules can be expensive. When comparing SAP S4HANA to other solutions, such as Oracle, it is not expensive."
  • "The price of the solution is expensive."
  • More SAP S/4HANA Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer: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… more »
    Top Answer:The most valuable features of SAP ERP are its stability, industry-specific package, and adaptable configuration.
    Top Answer:One challenge we face with SAP ERP is the push to upgrade to S/4HANA, which comes with significant costs. While SAP encourages this transition, we need to carefully evaluate factors like our team's… more »
    Top Answer: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… more »
    Top Answer:During parallel preparation of go-live processes, SAP B1 and S4H transactional data alignment can be difficult to track. The approach is to have the same sales order amount and quantity to compare the… more »
    Top Answer:We use the solution to import master data. We use classic resolution to collect local US company material masters and align HQ material masters' numbers. We import FI/CO/MM/PP/SD IMG and opening… more »
    Ranking
    1st
    out of 66 in ERP
    Views
    21,994
    Comparisons
    19,694
    Reviews
    36
    Average Words per Review
    433
    Rating
    8.4
    2nd
    out of 66 in ERP
    Views
    19,024
    Comparisons
    13,087
    Reviews
    23
    Average Words per Review
    396
    Rating
    8.5
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    SAP S4HANA
    Learn More
    Overview
    SAP ERP addresses the core business software requirements of midsize and large organizations in all industries and sectors. SAP ERP includes four individual solutions that support key areas of enterprise resource planning: human capital management, financials, operations, corporate services.

    SAP S4HANA is an ERP (enterprise resource planning) system that uses sophisticated technologies including machine learning and AI. It is most commonly used to integrate and manage business functions and is an ideal solution for large enterprises. The platform includes supplier relationship management (SRM), customer relationship management (CRM), supply chain management (SCM), and product lifecycle management (PLM) functionality.

    SAP S4HANA offers three different deployment options:

    • On-premises
    • Cloud
    • Hybrid

    SAP S4HANA Features

    SAP S4HANA has many valuable key features, including:

    • Customizable
    • ERP, CRM, SRM, SCM, PLM co-deployed
    • High throughput
    • Fast analytics and reporting
    • Smaller total data footprint
    • SAP HANA multi-tenancy
    • All data: social, text, geo, graph, processing
    • New SAP Fiori UX for any device (mobile, desktop, tablet)
    • Unlimited workload capacity
    • High-volume transaction processing (OLTP)
    • High volume real-time analytical processes (OLAP)
    • Service Management
    • Digital Boardroom Integration

    SAP S4HANA Benefits

    Some of the benefits of using SAP S4HANA include:

    • Speed: S4 HANA applications leverage speed, context, and data accessibility to ensure you can stay up to date with rapidly evolving technology.
    • Improved performance: With SAP S4HANA, you can plan, execute, or generate reports and analytics based on live data to increase performance.
    • Simplicity: SAP S4HANA’s whole infrastructure was designed with simplification in mind — from the management of the solution to the administration of the IT landscape. The solution serves as the digital core for business process simplification and enables the centralizing of hardware and network resources.
    • Cost effective: SAP S4HANA is a cost effective solution. It provides the ability to bring together all the analytical and transactional capabilities of a variety of systems in one location, enabling better decision making.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by SAP S4HANA users.

    A Mechanical Engineer at a construction company says, “It is a very powerful, highly customizable tool. The most valuable feature is that the reporting is fast. We can see the results from that in that our commissions come in fast. That is the main advantage.”

    Another reviewer, a SAP Technology Manager at a financial services firm, mentions, "It is more or less a very, very smooth and seamless product. Day by day they are increasing their technology features and they are keen to resolve the issues. India has a complex business scenario and SAP is thinking about that and resolving the issues day by day. In terms of the features I have found most valuable, I don't think that there is any lack or any gap process-wise. SAP is a very good tool."

    A Project and Service delivery Manager at a tech services company comments, "One of the most valuable features, which we used the most, was the FI module, for finance. It involved controlling, account receivables, account payables, and complete financial steering."

    A Senior Architect at a construction company states, “The POD applications are very useful to us. There are a few POD apps which we are using for different business scenarios. They are quite interesting.” He also adds, “The initial setup is pretty straightforward. The documentation is very good. The solution can scale well. The solution is stable.”

    Sample Customers
    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.
    Nestle, O.C. Tanner, Sabre, New York Life Insurance Co., MEMEBOX, Siemens AG.
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Manufacturing Company25%
    Computer Software Company10%
    Financial Services Firm8%
    Pharma/Biotech Company8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Manufacturing Company12%
    Computer Software Company12%
    Educational Organization6%
    Retailer6%
    REVIEWERS
    Manufacturing Company13%
    Computer Software Company13%
    Financial Services Firm10%
    Retailer10%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Educational Organization34%
    Computer Software Company9%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    University4%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business21%
    Midsize Enterprise22%
    Large Enterprise57%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business22%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise64%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business38%
    Midsize Enterprise21%
    Large Enterprise41%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business16%
    Midsize Enterprise41%
    Large Enterprise43%
    Buyer's Guide
    SAP ERP vs. SAP S/4HANA
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about SAP ERP vs. SAP S/4HANA and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    SAP ERP is ranked 1st in ERP with 100 reviews while SAP S/4HANA is ranked 2nd in ERP with 65 reviews. SAP ERP is rated 8.2, while SAP S/4HANA is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of SAP ERP writes "The amazing, robust framework with unlimited scalability earns its #1 status". On the other hand, the top reviewer of SAP S/4HANA writes "The solution is highly scalable, with solid performance and integration". SAP ERP is most compared with Microsoft Dynamics AX, Anaplan, SAP Business One, Infor M3 and Infor LN, whereas SAP S/4HANA is most compared with SAP Business One, Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP, NetSuite ERP, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Oracle E-Business Suite. See our SAP ERP vs. SAP S/4HANA report.

    See our list of best ERP vendors.

    We monitor all ERP reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.