When it comes to choosing an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution for your business, two of the top options on the market are NetSuite and SAP. Both of these platforms offer a range of tools and features to help companies streamline their operations and improve efficiency. However, they also have some notable differences that may make one a better fit for your specific needs. In this post, we'll take a closer look at NetSuite and SAP ERP, comparing and contrasting their key features and capabilities to help you make an informed decision."

This introduction sets the stage for the rest of the blog post by introducing the topic of ERP solutions and mentioning the two specific platforms you will be focusing on. It also provides some context for the comparison by explaining that both platforms offer similar benefits, but have some differences that may make one a better fit for certain businesses.

The name SAP has long been synonymous with enterprise business software, one of the original pioneers of ERP software developed back in the 1970's. 

ERP software has changed dramatically since those early days and has seen prominence in the last decade with the rise of cloud computing. This major shift in the way software is consumed has allowed other vendors to surpass SAP both in terms of customers and capabilities. 

In the last eight years SAP has spent billions acquiring cloud-based software companies in an attempt to play catch up in the cloud ERP space. This post will provide a side-by-side comparison of NetSuite ERP to SAP's cloud-based ERP offering Business ByDesign (ByD) and BusinessOne (B1).

Keep reading to learn more about how SAP's SMB & Mid-Market ERP solutions compares to the #1 cloud-based ERP, NetSuite.

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Be sure to bookmark this page as a resource during your ERP evaluation and if you want to talk to a NetSuite expert, lets chat.

Table of Contents

• NetSuite vs SAP (ByD) Overview
• NetSuite vs SAP (ByD) Company Profiles
• NetSuite vs SAP (ByD) Features
• NetSuite vs SAP (ByD) Pricing
• NetSuite vs SAP (ByD) Reviews
• NetSuite vs SAP (ByD) Support

• NetSuite vs SAP (B1) Overview
• NetSuite vs SAP (B1) Company Profiles
• NetSuite vs SAP (B1) Features
• NetSuite vs SAP (B1) Pricing
• NetSuite vs SAP (B1) Reviews
• NetSuite vs SAP (B1) Support
• NetSuite vs SAP S/4 HANA
• Conclusion

Oracle NetSuite vs SAP Business ByDesign

Both SAP Business ByDesign (ByD) and Oracle NetSuite offer cloud-based ERP software designed to help mid-market companies run their businesses better. 

But how are they different?

The key differences between Oracle NetSuite and SAP Business ByDesign center around 1) go-to-market strategy, 2) long-term road map and 3) partner ecosystem.

One example, widely noted among users, is that SAP's portfolio is confusing both in the SMB and the midmarket space, citing SAPs portfolio approach and go-forward strategy is vague at best.

With roughly a dozen Value Added Resellers (VAR) partners, the partner ecosystem has struggled to take root. That being said, ByD has very strong capabilities in the manufacturing space, in some areas potentially surpassing NetSuite's native capabilities.

NetSuite on the other hand has been the leading cloud-based ERP for several years now and continues to grow at a brisk pace while receiving tremendous investment from Oracle.

NetSuite has a robust, growing global Solution Integrator (SI) and Independent Software Vendor (ISV) ecosystem and claims to have over 16,000 customers to date.  

To identify whether Oracle NetSuite or SAP (ByD) is best for your business we've produced this a side-by-side comparison guide below:

NetSuite vs SAP (ByD): Product Profiles

Overview:

ByD is SAP's first attempt at cloud ERP.  After a ~$1.2B+ investment it was released in 2007 only to be pulled back for further re-tooling.  Re-released in 2008 with a focus on Manufacturing, Distribution and Professional Services in the mid-market space.  

NetSuite ERP is a complete cloud ERP solution, which automates front and back-office processes like financial management, revenue management, fixed assets, order management, billing, and inventory management and more. 

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NetSuite vs SAP (ByD): Feature Comparison

Native Financial Management Features:

• Accounts Payable
• Accounts Receivable
• General Ledger
• Multi-Currency
• Revenue Recognition (limited capabilities)
• Localization
  (limited capabilities)
• Budgeting

• Accounts Payable
• Accounts Receivable
• General Ledger
• Multi-currency/multi-tax,multi-language
• Fixed Assets
• Multi-Company & Consolidation
• Revenue Recognition
• Subscription Billing
• Forecasting & Budgeting
• Financial Planning (PBCS)

Native Supply Chain Features:

• Order Management
• Production Management
• Inventory Management
• Procurement
• Warehouse & Fulfilment
• Demand Planning
• WIP & Routing
• Work Orders & Assemblies
• Shop Floor Control & BOM Maintenance

• Order Management
• Production Management
• Inventory Management
• Procurement
• Warehouse & Fulfilment
• Demand Planning
• WIP & Routing
• Work Orders & Assemblies
• Shop Floor Control & BOM Maintenance

Native Human Capital Features:

Requires SuccessFactors

• Human Resources Management
• Payroll
• Employee Center

Native Commerce Features:

Requires SAP Hybris & SAP C4/HANA

• Point of Sale
• Ecommerce
• Order & Inventory Mgt
• Product Content Mgt
• Commerce Marketing Automation (Bronto)

Native Professional Service Automation (PSA) Features:

• Project Management
• Resource Management
• Timesheet Management
• Expense Management

• Project Management
• Resource Management
• Timesheet Management
• Expense Management

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NetSuite vs SAP (ByD) Pricing:

Pricing Info:

• Standard Enterprise User is $146 per month
• SCM Enterprise User is $197 per month
• ByD requires minimum of 10 Enterprise Users.
• Base package: $1,647 /month for 5 Enterprise Users

• Base application starts at $999 per month.
• User Licenses $99 per user per month

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NetSuite vs SAP (ByD) Reviews:

Software Advice:

• 4.5 Stars 22 Reviews

• 4 Stars 91 Reviews

Table of Contents

NetSuite vs (ByD) Support:

Tech Support:

24/7 toll-free worldwide phone support available

24/7 toll-free worldwide phone support available

How do they compare?

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Oracle NetSuite vs SAP Business One 

Both SAP Business One and NetSuite offer ERP software designed to help SMB companies run their businesses better. 

But how are they different?

Top 5 differentiators of Oracle NetSuite vs SAP Business One:

1. SAP Business One is just now making the transformation to a hosted cloud deployment model, and has minimal ERP customers on any of it’s cloud versions to date, whereas NetSuite has over 29,000+ customers running on the same multi-tenant cloud, making NetSuite a true leader in this area.
   
   SAP Business One is a hosted SaaS solution and customizations may/may not carry forward with upgrades potentially requiring redevelopment efforts. With NetSuite all customizations carry forward with each NetSuite update (twice per year).
   
   Why not future proof your ERP investment?
   
   
2. NetSuite supports drill down, drill through for custom reports. NetSuite uses a consistent data model and database for all its information, which means that even as customers build customized reports & dashboards, you can still drill down and drill through from summary level info to detailed levels.
   
   SAP Business One on the other hand requires additional reporting software (SAP Crystal Reports) for any/all customized reporting, but Crystal Reports does not provide drill down / drill through capabilities. 
   
   
3. NetSuite provides a clean, modern and consistent user interface throughout the entire application. While SAP Business One is moving toward a modern and consistent user interface (known as Fiori), it has not yet leveraged this in a consistent manner.
   
   SAP needs to utilize other products in it’s portfolio to provide the same level of feature/functionality that NetSuite does, and each of these products is at a different stage of UI development. Most Business One customers are running pre v9.0 which have a legacy software (old) user experience.
     
4. Techfino and NetSuite can provide a fixed price implementation. Whereas each SAP implementation is generally a custom build, and as such the costs can vary and often run over budget. SAP Business One projects are almost always sold on a T&M basis. 
   
   
5. NetSuite is easily configured and customized. NetSuite supports point-and-click, standards based application customization and rapid configuration of processes, interfaces, roles, and reports that customers can do themselves. SAP Business One needs a separate tool for customization (MS Visual Studio), and often requires professional services for even minor changes driving up the total TCO.
   
   

Keep reading to further compare and contrast NetSuite vs SAP B1.

NetSuite vs SAP (B1): Product Profiles

Overview:

SAP acquired Topmanage Financial Management in 2002 and rebranded as SAP Business One. Business One provides core ERP functionality deployed in a hosted or hybrid model designed for SMB's with <1000 FTEs.

NetSuite ERP is a fully cloud-based ERP solution, which automates front and back-office processes like financial management, revenue management, fixed assets, order management, billing, and inventory management and more. 

Table of Contents

NetSuite vs SAP (B1): Feature Comparison

Native Financial Management Features:

• Accounts Payable
• Accounts Receivable
• General Ledger
• Multi-Currency
• Fixed Assets
• Revenue Recognition (limited capabilities)
• No native support for multi-company-requires middleware (Bizweaver)
• Localization - 100+ countries
• Budgeting

• Accounts Payable
• Accounts Receivable
• General Ledger
• Multi-currency/multi-tax,multi-language
• Fixed Assets
• Multi-Company & Consolidation
• Revenue Recognition
• Subscription Billing
• Forecasting & Budgeting
• Financial Planning via PBCS

Native Supply Chain Features:

• Order Management
• Production Management
• Inventory Management
• Procurement
• Warehouse & Fulfilment
• Demand Planning
• WIP & Routing
• MRP
• Work Orders & Assemblies
• Shop Floor Control & BOM Maintenance

• Order Management
• Production Management
• Inventory Management
• Procurement
• Warehouse & Fulfilment
• Demand Planning
• WIP & Routing
• Work Orders & Assemblies
• Shop Floor Control & BOM Maintenance

Native Human Capital Features:

• None: Requires SAP SuccessFactors

• Human Resources Management
• Payroll
• Employee Center

Native OmniCommerce Features:

• Ecommerce not native to platform

• Point of Sale
• Ecommerce
• Order & Inventory Mgt
• Product Content Mgt
• Commerce Marketing Automation (via Bronto)

Native Professional Service Automation (PSA) Features:

• Project Management
• Resource Management
• Timesheet Management
• Expense Management
• Field Service & Repair

• Project Management
• Resource Management
• Timesheet Management
• Expense Management
• Field Service & Repair (via 3rd party)

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NetSuite vs SAP (B1) Pricing:

Pricing Info:

• SAP B1 price is $108 per user per month for professional license plus hosting fees. (subscription)
• Professional license as one time charge $4,000 per user (perpetual).

• Base application starts at $999 per month.
• User Licenses $99 per user per month

Table of Contents

NetSuite vs SAP (B1) Reviews:

Software Advice:

4 Stars 78 Reviews

4 Stars 91 Reviews

Table of Contents

NetSuite vs (B1) Support:

Tech Support:

24/7 toll-free worldwide phone support available

24/7 toll-free worldwide phone support available

Oracle NetSuite vs SAP S/4 HANA

SAP S/4 Hana is a powerful enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that is designed for large enterprises. It offers a range of advanced financial, sales, and customer service capabilities and is highly scalable.

Some of the main features of SAP S/4 Hana include:

• Financial management: SAP S/4 Hana offers a range of financial management tools, including accounting, budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting.
• Sales and marketing: SAP S/4 Hana offers tools for managing sales and marketing efforts, including customer relationship management, lead management, and sales forecasting.
• Customer service: SAP S/4 Hana offers tools for managing customer service, including support for multiple channels (e.g. phone, email, chat) and customer relationship management.
• Supply chain management: SAP S/4 Hana offers tools for managing the entire supply chain, including procurement, inventory management, and logistics.

One of the main benefits of using SAP S/4 Hana is its ability to handle large volumes of data and its advanced analytics capabilities, which can help businesses make more informed decisions. SAP S/4 Hana is also highly scalable, which means it can easily be modified to accommodate a business's growth.

One of the main differences is the target market. SAP S/4 Hana is primarily intended for large enterprises, while NetSuite is designed for small to medium-sized businesses. This means that SAP S/4 Hana may have more advanced features and be better suited for larger organizations, while NetSuite may be more appropriate for smaller businesses.

Another difference is the type of deployment. SAP S/4 Hana is available as both a cloud-based and on-premises solution, while NetSuite is only available as a cloud-based solution. This means that SAP S/4 Hana may be a better fit for organizations that prefer an on-premises deployment, while NetSuite may be more suitable for businesses that want to take advantage of the benefits of a cloud-based system.

There are also some differences in terms of the specific features and capabilities offered by these two systems. For example, SAP S/4 Hana offers advanced analytics capabilities and is highly scalable, while NetSuite offers a range of e-commerce capabilities.

Overall, the primary differences between SAP S/4 Hana and NetSuite ERP are the target market, type of deployment, and specific features and capabilities offered. Generally speaking it would be uncommon for a business to compare NetSuite to SAP S/4 HANA.  A more apples to apples comparison would be between NetSuite and Business One and/or ByDesign. 

Final Thoughts...

NetSuite is leading and winning the cloud-ERP battle for SMB and MME sized companies and taking market share by the day.

SAP was never fully committed to cloud ERP for the mid-market and has had to make significant acquisitions to be a serious contender in the space.

NetSuite on the other hand was born in the cloud since day one. If your looking for a
"true" cloud-based ERP solution you'll be hard pressed to find an alternative that's superior to NetSuite in terms of platform breadth, scalability, ecosystem and price.  

Still not sure about what solution makes most sense? Take the Quiz