Enterprise standard
Dynamics 365 Business Central or SAP Business ByDesign? Both systems from the Enterprise standard segment – neutrally contrasted: suitability profile, prices, ratings, strengths/weaknesses and DACH compliance.
Last editorial review: July 2026How we rate
At a glance
Where Dynamics 365 Business Central and SAP Business ByDesign lead across the recorded metrics – derived purely from the data.
Dynamics 365 Business Central
0 advantagesNo clear advantages in the recorded metrics.
SAP Business ByDesign
1 advantages- Better avg. user rating4,0 vs. 4,2
Suitability profile compared
How strongly both systems cover the typical areas of use – the curated editorial assessment (scale 0–3) as a radar and as exact bars.
- E-commerce & retail
- Dynamics 365 Business CentralbasicSAP Business ByDesignbasic
- Manufacturing & production
- Dynamics 365 Business CentralstrongSAP Business ByDesignstrong
- Services & projects
- Dynamics 365 Business CentralspecialistSAP Business ByDesignspecialist
- International reach
- Dynamics 365 Business CentralspecialistSAP Business ByDesignspecialist
- DACH compliance
- Dynamics 365 Business CentralstrongSAP Business ByDesignstrong
Scale 0–3, a curated editorial assessment. The same yardstick as in the ERP finder.
Facts side by side
| Dynamics 365 Business Central | SAP Business ByDesign | |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Essentials approx. €79–83/user/month | From approx. $1,607/month base fee per tenant, plus approx. $20–$192/month per user depending on user role (2026 estimate, USD; SAP does not publish binding EUR list prices – pricing is available only through SAP partners) |
| Pricing model | Cloud subscription per named user (SaaS), sales via partners (CSP) | Subscription (SaaS): monthly base fee per tenant plus user-based licenses across role tiers (Self-Service / Core / Advanced); optional add-on packages such as cross-country localization. |
| Company size | SMEs, typically approx. 10–500 employees (scaling up via D365 Finance & Operations) | Midsize companies and corporate subsidiaries, typically around 50–1,000 employees (sweet spot roughly 100–500) |
| Deployment | Cloud (SaaS) + on-premise variant | Cloud (pure multi-tenant SaaS, hosted by SAP) |
| Hosting | DE/EU (Azure regions) | SAP data centers, European customers primarily in St. Leon-Rot (Germany); audited to ISO 27001 / ISAE 3402 |
| Origin | USA | Germany (Walldorf) |
| Founded | Microsoft 1975; Business Central since 2018 (from Dynamics NAV/Navision) | Product introduced in 2007 (SAP founded in 1972) |
| Employees | Microsoft approx. 228,000 (worldwide) | SAP SE approximately 109,000–111,000 employees worldwide (2024/2025) |
| Trial | 30-day trial with full functional access. | SAP offers/offered trial access; however, as of April 20, 2026, ByDesign will no longer be sold to new customers via the price list. |
| Minimum term | Public prices as annual payment; minimum term not explicitly stated. | Subscription contract with a minimum term (typically multi-year); specific term available on request via SAP/partners. |
| Support / SLA | All plans with under 1 hour response time for critical incidents (Severity A); Professional Direct/Unified with prioritized routing. | Governed by the contractual SLAs of SAP cloud support or the partner; not publicly disclosed as a blanket figure. |
Prices are approximations (as of 2026) and should be checked with the vendor before deciding.
User ratings side by side
Average across the linked third-party portals – the linked source is authoritative in each case.
What sets each system apart
The distinctive features that set both systems apart within the segment.
Business Central is the most price-accessible of the three enterprise systems and positions itself as a mid-market ERP that draws its strength less from functional depth than from its unrivaled native embedding into the Microsoft ecosystem (365, Teams, Power Platform, Copilot).
- Native Microsoft 365 and Power Platform integration: working in Outlook, Excel and Teams as well as reporting via Power BI without a media break – a degree of interlocking that neither SAP nor NetSuite offers.
- Clearly the lowest and transparently listed entry prices in the segment (Essentials approx. $80, Premium approx. $110 per user/month), while SAP and NetSuite only quote "on request".
- Very dense DACH partner network and strong adoption as the Navision successor – an established mid-market footprint that NetSuite clearly lacks in the region.
- Copilot as standard at no extra charge and, from Release Wave 2026, autonomous AI agents (such as the Payables Agent for accounts payable).
SAP Business ByDesign is SAP's genuine multi-tenant cloud ERP for the project- and service-heavy upper midmarket with international multi-company structures – functionally well-rounded and fully operated by SAP, but strategically sidelined, since SAP is removing it from the new-customer price list as of April 20, 2026.
- Genuine SAP-hosted multi-tenant SaaS with quarterly upgrades on HANA – without needing your own infrastructure or basis operations, unlike the partner-hosted Business One or classic on-premise SAP
- Native multi-company, multi-currency, and multi-language support with standard localization for ~21 countries (including Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) – ready for international midmarket rollouts out of the box
- Especially strong integrated project and service management (time/expense tracking, project billing) coupled with a deep finance/controlling foundation
Head-to-head: the assessment
Both perspectives honestly side by side – where one system leads and where the other counters.
Dynamics 365 Business Central against SAP Business ByDesign
From Business Central's perspective, ByDesign is a purely SAP-bound cloud ERP without the native Office, Teams, and Copilot integration that shapes everyday mid-market work — and with its announced sunset, it's a discontinued product we specifically address as a reason to switch. ByDesign has stronger integrated SAP controlling and native multi-company capability, but its price level and future uncertainty favor the more openly extensible, more affordable Business Central.
SAP Business ByDesign against Dynamics 365 Business Central
Business Central is more accessible on price and offers native embedding in Microsoft 365, Teams, the Power Platform, and Copilot – an ecosystem ByDesign doesn't provide – making it clearly more attractive for Microsoft-centric organizations. ByDesign counters with a stronger integrated finance/controlling and project-billing foundation on HANA, plus native multi-company capability for international corporate subsidiaries; Business Central often needs more add-ons and partner customization to match that. The decisive drawback remains: ByDesign has no strategic future, while Business Central certainly does.
When Dynamics 365 Business Central, when SAP Business ByDesign?
The concrete use scenarios in which each system is the better choice.
Choose Dynamics 365 Business Central when …
- Mid-market companies with an existing Microsoft 365 environment
- Companies migrating from Dynamics NAV/Navision
- Trade, services, project business and discrete manufacturing (Premium)
Rather not when: Very small businesses with a tight budget and simple needs · Corporate groups with highly complex requirements (rather D365 F&O or SAP)
Choose SAP Business ByDesign when …
- Project- and consulting-oriented companies (IT, engineering, consultancies)
- Subsidiaries of large SAP corporate groups needing a lean cloud branch-office solution
- Internationally active midsize companies with multiple entities and currencies
- Companies without their own IT infrastructure team that prefer pure SaaS
Rather not when: New customers seeking a long-term, actively developed SAP cloud solution beyond 2026 (choose S/4HANA Cloud instead) · Small businesses with tight budgets · Businesses with complex discrete manufacturing / in-depth production control needs · Pure e-commerce/marketplace retailers focused on Amazon/eBay/Otto and point-of-sale operations
Plans & prices compared
The editions of both systems side by side. Additional costs for implementation, add-ons and support apply depending on the vendor.
- Essentialsapprox. €79–83/user/month
Core ERP: finance, sales, procurement, warehouse, projects, basic manufacturing, service basics
- Premiumapprox. €114/user/month
Everything from Essentials plus full manufacturing (production orders, capacity planning) and service management
- Team Memberapprox. €8/user/month
Read access and light tasks (time tracking, approvals) for occasional users
- Self-Service UserApprox. $20/month per user (estimate, USD)
Restricted access for occasional self-service tasks (e.g., time, expense, approval processes)
- Core / Team UserApprox. $106/month per user (estimate, USD)
Operational roles with access to defined business areas/work centers
- Advanced / Enterprise UserApprox. $192/month per user (estimate, USD)
Full access across all business areas for power users; plus a base tenant fee of approx. $1,607/month
DACH compliance compared
DATEV, GoBD, e-invoicing, hosting and language determine practical viability in the DACH region – here both systems directly side by side.
| Dynamics 365 Business Central | SAP Business ByDesign | |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting & data protection | Microsoft Azure; DE regions (Frankfurt/Berlin) and EU data storage selectable, GDPR-compliant. | SAP data centers; European tenants are primarily located in St. Leon-Rot (Germany). Customers can choose the country/data center, but SAP always remains the operator. Certifications: ISO 27001, ISAE 3402, SSAE 16. |
| DATEV | No DATEV connection in the standard – via certified partner extensions (incl. SKR03/SKR04, posting data service). | No native DATEV general-ledger integration; DATEV export and a certified DATEV payroll interface are available via partner add-ons for collaboration with tax advisors. |
| GoBD | GoBD support via the German localization (HGB, ELSTER); audit-proof archiving partly via add-on solutions. | GoBD-relevant requirements (immutable, complete, machine-evaluable record-keeping) are addressed via the system's audit-proof bookkeeping/archiving; binding GoBD procedural documentation depends on the individual project. |
| E-invoicing | PEPPOL in the standard since v23.2; XRechnung/ZUGFeRD in older versions only via extensions, ZUGFeRD native from v26.3. | E-invoicing (XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, Peppol) is available via partner add-ons such as e-invoice4cloud; receiving and automated processing are well established in the DACH region but not fully native. |
| Language & support | Full German localization; support mostly via DACH partners + Microsoft. | German-language interface and documents; German-speaking SAP and partner support available in the DACH region. Up to 41 languages overall (13 as standard). |
Strengths & weaknesses
Strengths
- Seamless native integration into Microsoft 365 and the Power Platform
- Broad, standardized ERP functional scope, cloud- and on-premise-capable
- Large partner and app ecosystem (AppSource)
- Semi-annual release waves, high future-proofing
- DE/EU Azure data centers selectable (GDPR)
Weaknesses
- Sales/support almost exclusively via partners – quality and costs partner-dependent
- Standard reporting weak; demanding analyses via Power BI/third-party solutions
- DACH functions (DATEV, partly e-invoicing) require paid extensions
- Customizations require AL development; total costs high for small companies
Strengths
- Genuine multi-tenant SaaS: SAP hosts, operates, and updates the system (quarterly upgrades) – no infrastructure of your own required
- Very strong integrated finance/accounting and controlling on HANA
- Pronounced project and service management capabilities (time/expense tracking, project billing)
- Native multi-company, multi-currency, and multi-language support for international rollouts
- Standard localization for around 21 countries including Germany, Austria, and Switzerland; localization content available for 130+ countries
Weaknesses
- SAP is removing ByDesign from the price list for new customers as of April 20, 2026 – no strategic future, no active further development
- Limited customizability compared to on-premise SAP; deep adaptations only via SDK/partners
- Weaknesses in discrete/complex manufacturing (no full-fledged MES/PLM out of the box)
- Smaller partner and add-on ecosystem than Business One or S/4HANA
Verdict per system
Verdict on Dynamics 365 Business Central
A mature, broadly applicable mid-market ERP with a clear advantage for Microsoft-oriented companies thanks to deep M365/Power Platform integration. Well suited for the DACH region, though DATEV, parts of e-invoicing and strong reporting are usually only covered via partner extensions.
Ideal for: Mid-sized companies that already use Microsoft 365 and are looking for an integrated, cloud-capable ERP with a familiar interface and a broad partner ecosystem.
Full profile of Dynamics 365 Business CentralVerdict on SAP Business ByDesign
A technically mature, SAP-operated cloud ERP with a strong foundation in finance, projects, and multi-company management. For new customers in 2026, however, it is no longer a strategic choice, since SAP is no longer actively developing the product and is removing it from the price list.
Ideal for: Project- and service-oriented midsize companies, as well as subsidiaries of large SAP corporate groups, looking for an SAP-hosted, internationally deployable cloud ERP without their own infrastructure
Full profile of SAP Business ByDesignDynamics 365 Business Central or SAP Business ByDesign – which fits you?
In a free initial consultation we narrow down the right system for your requirements – vendor-independently.