SAP Business One is a well-known ERP solution for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). It helps manage finance, inventory, sales, and operations from a single platform. However, it’s not the best fit for every business. Some companies find it expensive, difficult to implement, or lacking in flexibility.
If you’re looking for an alternative, this guide provides a detailed comparison of the best options. We’ll cover features, pricing, ease of implementation, scalability, and who each ERP is best suited for.
SAP Business One works well for many companies, but it has some limitations that may make you consider other options.
SAP Business One has a high initial cost. Despite the fair license pricing, it requires a very extensive implementation, which can take months. It's not unusual for some companies to implementing SAP Business One for over a year and still not have achieved what they need. This brings significant costs. Businesses will also need to spend money on maintenance if they chose the on-premise solution, which adds to the total cost of ownership. These factors can make it unsuitable for small businesses with a low budget.
While SAP Business One can support growing businesses, it isn’t as flexible as some competitors. It doesn't offer very sophisticated financial consolidation functionality, so any company with more than one entity, particularly in different countries with different compliance rules, should look elsewhere.
It can be customised to try and meet your requirements, but creating these customisations is very time consuming and can leave you with a very slow system. For businesses with complex requirements, go for a scalable ERP with better customisation options.
Setting up SAP Business One can be time-consuming, requiring technical expertise. Businesses without an in-house IT, or who do not have a big budget to hire an implementation partner team may struggle with implementation and ongoing maintenance.
SAP Business One is a general ERP, meaning it may not provide industry-specific features. Businesses in industries like manufacturing, e-commerce, or finance may find other ERPs better suited to their needs.
Each alternative below is reviewed in detail, covering its key features, pricing, implementation process, scalability, and best use cases.
Overview:
NetSuite is a comprehensive cloud-based ERP solution specifically designed to cater to the needs of growing businesses. It provides a wide array of functionalities, including advanced financial management, inventory and warehouse management, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), project management and e-commerce. NetSuite is renowned for its flexibility, customisation and automation, which makes it an ideal choice for mid-sized companies and large enterprises seeking a versatile ERP solution to support their growth. Due to it's cloud-based nature, you don't need to worry about maintenance costs, and automatic updates means you don't have to worry about your system being impacted or having to pay for reimplementation costs.
Key Features:
Implementation:
NetSuite requires professional implementation, usually through a NetSuite partner. The setup process can take as little as 4 weeks or as long as 12 months, depending on business complexity.
Scalability:
Highly scalable. Businesses can start with basic modules and no of users and expand as needed. Ideal for growing SMBs and mid-market companies that anticipate scaling.
Pricing:
Starts at around $1,000 per month, plus additional fees for users and modules. Check out our pricing blog for a deep dive into pricing, or if you'd like to save time, check out our NetSuite pricing calculator below!
Pros:
✔ Cloud-based with automatic updates
✔ Scalable for growing businesses
✔ Strong financial management tools
Cons:
✖ Can be expensive, especially for smaller companies
Best For:
Overview:
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a comprehensive enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution tailored for small and medium-sized businesses. It integrates various business processes, including finance, sales, service, and operations, into a unified platform, facilitating streamlined operations and informed decision-making. It's main drawback is it's lack of flexibility and scalability. Business central is difficult to customise, meaning you either need to use third-party applications or spend a significant amount of implementation on customisations. Even if customisations are successful, you will need to redo and test these with each update, resulting in yet more service costs from your partner.
Key Features:
Implementation:
Implementation can be done in-house (for basic requirements) or through a Microsoft partner. Microsoft offers templates and tools to speed up deployment, but complex businesses may require custom development. Useful and faster implementation if you are already on Microsoft products.
Scalability:
Poor scalability, business central doesn't offer financial consolidation or advanced manufacturing operations. It works well for SMBs but not suitable for larger organisations with advanced needs.
Pricing:
Starts at $70 per user per month.
Pros:
✔ Integrates well with Microsoft tools
✔ Customizable with add-ons
✔ Cloud and on-premise options
Cons:
✖ Can be overwhelming for small teams
✖ Requires Microsoft ecosystem for full benefits
Best For:
Overview:
Odoo is an open-source ERP with a modular design. Businesses can pick and choose the features they need, making it a flexible and affordable option. It doesn't offer as advanced functionality as other ERPs, and it requires extensive technical knowledge if you want to do this in-house. You can use Odoo partners, but this obviously comes at a cost.
Key Features:
Implementation:
Odoo can be self-hosted or used as a cloud-based solution. It offers a simple setup for small businesses, but more complex setups may require professional help.
Scalability:
Scalable. Businesses can build the solution as and when they need. Suitable for both small businesses and larger companies.
Pricing:
Starts at $25 per user per month for basic modules. Additional modules may cost extra.
Pros:
✔ Affordable and scalable
✔ Open-source with strong community support
✔ Many business apps available
Cons:
✖ Some modules lack depth compared to other ERPs
✖ Customization can require technical knowledge
Best For:
Overview:
Acumatica is a cloud ERP that offers flexible pricing based on resource usage rather than per-user costs. It’s known for strong financial and project management features. However the software is hard to customise so would not be suitable for companies with complex needs, such as manufacturing or distribution businesses.
Key Features:
Implementation:
Acumatica partners handle implementation. Businesses can choose cloud or on-premise deployment. Customisation is available, but it may require professional services and is limited.
Scalability:
Scalable for growing businesses. Pricing based on resource usage makes it more flexible than per-user pricing models.
Pricing:
Custom pricing based on resource usage.
Pros:
✔ Flexible pricing model
✔ Strong cloud-based features
✔ Good for growing businesses
Cons:
✖ Pricing can be hard to predict
✖ Some users report a steep learning curve
Best For:
Overview:
If all you are looking for is financials and not need a fully fledged ERP, then Quickbooks Enterprise might be the way to go. QuickBooks Enterprise is a more advanced version of QuickBooks, designed for small businesses needing sophisticated financial management. It offers advanced features for financial analysis, budgeting, and forecasting, handling larger data volumes and complex transactions. It doesn't provide standard ERP functionality such as inventory management, CRM and e-commerce modules, but as such it's much cheaper and may be a better option for small businesses.
Key Features:
Implementation:
Simple to implement, especially for businesses already using QuickBooks. It requires minimal setup compared to full ERPs.
Scalability:
Limited scalability. Suitable for small businesses but may not be powerful enough for larger companies with complex needs.
Pricing:
Starts at $1,410 per year.
Pros:
✔ Familiar interface for QuickBooks users
✔ Good financial and accounting tools
✔ Lower cost than most ERPs
Cons:
✖ Limited scalability for large businesses
✖ Fewer ERP-style features than competitors
Best For:
Overview:
SYSPRO is an ERP built for manufacturers and distributors. It provides everything these industries would need, from financials, to inventory and warehouse management, order management and production management features. It offers good customisation capabilities and can easily integrate with third-party apps. If you're a manufacturing or distribution business, this is definitely an ERP to take into consideration, particularly as SAP Business One's functionality is not great in this area.
Key Features:
Implementation:
Requires professional setup. SYSPRO partners help with deployment, whether cloud-based or on-premise.
Scalability:
Highly scalable for manufacturing and distribution businesses.
Pricing:
Custom pricing based on business needs.
Pros:
✔ Great for manufacturing and distribution businesses
✔ Detailed inventory and supply chain tools
✔ On-premise and cloud options
Cons:
✖ Can be expensive for small businesses
✖ May not be necessary for service-based companies
Best For:
Overview:
Sage Intacct is a cloud-based ERP focused on financial management. It offers automated financial processes, multi-entity accounting, and budgeting and forecasting tools. This solid financial consolidation makes it stand out, as a lot of other ERPs don't offer this. It offers other features such as inventory management and can easily integrate with third-party apps to plug any gaps, such as CRM and HR which it doesn't offer natively. If you're looking for an ERP that can offer your comprehensive functionality without having to integrate, then this probably isn't the ERP for you.
Key Features:
Implementation:
Cloud-based with straightforward setup, but businesses with complex needs may require help from a Sage partner.
Scalability:
Best suited for mid-sized businesses needing financial management tools.
Pricing:
Starts at around $400 per month.
Pros:
✔ Excellent financial reporting tools
✔ Cloud-based with automation features
✔ Strong compliance tools for regulated industries
Cons:
✖ Can be expensive for smaller businesses
✖ Limited outside of financial management
Best For:
Here's a general round up of all the aforementioned ERPs to help you make a decision:
| ERP System | Cloud-Based | Easily Customisable? | Starting Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAP Business One | Yes | Fairly | $3,000+ upfront | SMBs needing full ERP |
| NetSuite | Yes | Yes | $1,000/month | Mid-sized businesses needing comprehensive ERP |
| Microsoft Dynamics 365 | Yes | No | $70/user/month | Microsoft users |
| Odoo | Yes | Yes | $25/user/month | Budget-friendly ERP for businesses with technical expertise |
| Acumatica | Yes | Fairly | Custom pricing | Growing businesses |
| QuickBooks Enterprise | No | No | $1,410/year | Small businesses |
| SYSPRO | Yes/No | Yes | Custom pricing | Manufacturers and distributors |
| Sage Intacct | Yes | Fairly | $400/month | Financial-focused businesses |
SAP Business One is a strong ERP, but it’s not the best fit for every business. Whether you need something more affordable, easier to use, or tailored to your industry, there are many great alternatives. Compare pricing, features, and scalability before making a decision. Most ERPs offer free trials, so test a few to find the right fit (and get in contact below if you'd like a free 14 day NetSuite free trial!)