May 20, 2022

Top NetSuite Competitors & Alternatives

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Sept. 28, 2023: Verified pricing and updated vendor information.

At TechnologyAdvice, we assess a wide range of factors before selecting our top choices for a given category. To make our selections, we rely on our extensive research, product information, vendor websites, competitor research and first-hand experience. We then consider what makes a solution best for customer-specific needs. By defining business needs, we can determine the essential features organizations in various sectors require, and select platforms that will cover all bases. Reputable providers known for their ease of use and customer satisfaction are added to our compilation list for further analysis. We then evaluate each solution on the list based on the features they offer, considering the platform’s usability, integration capabilities, customization options, mobile access, and any other relevant functionalities. Price plans, hidden fees, customer reviews, and customer support are also assessed in the selection process. Technology Advice writers will often take advantage of free trials and demos to get a first-hand user experience of available software. Finally, we curate a comprehensive list based on the previously stated factors, ensuring readers have the necessary tools to make an informed decision.

Since Oracle acquired NetSuite in 2016, NetSuite has become a top enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution used by companies all over the world and ranked highly amongst other top enterprise software. While NetSuite has become so popular for a reason, many businesses don’t want to use it for a variety of reasons—usually because their company doesn’t use the full Oracle stack or because they need a less complicated or less expensive ERP solution.

If you’re in the market for an ERP software solution, but you don’t want to use NetSuite, then check out these five Oracle NetSuite competitors instead.

SAP ERP: Best for large enterprises

Sage X3: Best for financial operations

Microsoft Dynamics: Best for small-to-midsize businesses

SYSPRO: Best for manufacturing and distribution

Acumatica: Best for scalability

 

SAP ERP – Best for large enterprises


Pros

  • Scalable Infrastructure
  • Comprehensive Modules
  • Robust Integration Capabilities
  • Supports multilingual, multicurrency, and global compliance requirements

Cons

  • Dependence on SAP consultants
  • Customization costs
  • Limited flexibility
  • Lengthy deployment
  • SAP HANA database: Enables real-time processing of high volumes of operational and transactional data, crucial for large organizations with substantial data workflows
  • SAP S/4HANA: As SAP’s leading ERP suite, it’s designed for digital businesses and is built on the advanced in-memory platform, SAP HANA.
  • Fiori user experience (UX): SAP Fiori’s role-based, consumer-grade user experience enhances usability across business tasks and devices, improving productivity and user satisfaction.
  • Supply chain management: For large enterprises, managing complex supply chains is critical. SAP ERP’s supply chain management capabilities facilitate demand management, response and supply orchestration, and supply chain visibility.

Full License (Plan 1): Costs $3,213 per user for perpetual license or offers a subscription option at $108 per user per month.

Restricted Use (Plan 2): Starts at $1,666 per user for perpetual license or available on subscription at $56 per user per month.

Harnessing the capabilities of SAP HANA for real-time data processing, SAP ERP emerges as our top choice for large enterprises. Its SAP S/4HANA suite elegantly tackles digital transformation, while the Fiori UX simplifies cross-task usability. Supply chain management tools provide critical oversight for complex networks. With comprehensive, scalable solutions that adapt to global operations, SAP ERP delivers a finely tuned ecosystem where extensive functionalities meet user-friendly design, encapsulating why it’s an enterprise favourite. Note, this choice also acknowledges SAP’s substantial total cost of ownership, fitting more comfortably into the budget of larger corporations.

Touted as a leading name alongside NetSuite in the enterprise software arena, SAP ERP is a significant force in enterprise resource planning. Built originally for on-premises deployment, SAP has expanded its capabilities to offer a cloud-based solution, putting it in direct competition with the cloud-native NetSuite, and making it more accessible to businesses of all sizes.

SAP ERP operates as an integrated suite of ERP functionalities. Unlike NetSuite’s all-in-one package approach, SAP offers distinct modules addressing various ERP functions, allowing businesses to pick and choose according to their needs. This modular flexibility can be advantageous for businesses seeking specific ERP functions. However, if you’re seeking an all-in-one ERP solution, the piecemeal approach might seem overwhelming and potentially costly.

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Sage Business Cloud X3 – Best for financial operations


Pros

  • Scalability
  • Comprehensive business management solutions
  • Real-time reporting
  • Global operations

Cons

  • Limited CRM functionality
  • Inconsistent software updates
  • Limited customization
  • Financial management: Sage X3 offers comprehensive financial, personal, cost and budget management, along with real-time analytics and reporting to enhance financial decision-making
  • Sage X3 finance: This dedicated module enables businesses to manage financial processes with greater accuracy and control, including General Ledger, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, and Fixed Assets
  • Compliance and auditing: Sage X3 provides a set of tools for managing financial compliance and reducing risks associated with non-compliance, including audit trails and automated alerts
  • Expense management: Sage X3 includes a powerful expense management feature that allows for easy tracking and recording of expenses, ensuring cost control

5-Full User Manufacturing Bundle: Starts at $24,000 per year for an on-premises installation, with subscription pricing.

Implementation Services: Estimated to start at $128,000, these are one-time costs, scoped individually based on project complexity and refined through mutual discovery with the client.

Personalized Support Plans: Annual support plans are available at varied price packages based on the client’s specific demands and needs.

As the top pick for financial operations, Sage X3 captures our approval due to its dedicated financial management capabilities. Providing precision control over general ledger, accounts receivable, and payable alongside fixed assets, X3 keeps a firm financial grip. Compliance tools reduce risk while real-time analytics steer decisive action. Expense tracking further solidifies cost control. Sage X3’s scalability plays a key role in selection, able to match stride with rapid business growth. Its comprehensive, yet manageable features cater to businesses seeking to elevate their financial operations without compromise.

While NetSuite and Sage Intacct get compared a lot, a more analogous product is Sage X3, which is the company’s comprehensive cloud-based ERP solution. However, if you only need financial and accounting features and not a full suite of ERP modules, Intacct is definitely worth checking out.

Sage X3 covers supply chain management, financial management, and more functions in this vein. Note that the company does break the HR functionality into two separate products: Sage HRMS, which is on-premises, and Sage People, which is cloud based. Sage also offers a separate CRM module as well if you don’t already have one.

If you are looking for an ERP system that is geared towards finances and operations, that is exactly what Sage X3 provides, but if you need the HR and/or CRM functionality, you’ll need to deploy the additional modules accordingly, which might be a drawback for your company.

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Microsoft Dynamics – Best for small-to-midsize businesses


Pros

  • Integration with Microsoft suite
  • Highly customizable
  • Highly scalable
  • User-friendly interface

Cons

  • Complex and time-consuming implementation
  • Limited advanced features
  • Dependency on Microsoft ecosystem
  • Financial management: Microsoft Dynamics ERP offers comprehensive financial management capabilities, including general ledger, accounts payable, and accounts receivable, cash flow management, and budgeting.
  • Business intelligence and reporting: Using tools like Power BI and Management Reporter, Microsoft Dynamics ERP allows for real-time analytics, custom reporting, and seamless data visualization.
  • Supply chain management: With features for procurement, sales order management, inventory control, and warehouse management, Microsoft Dynamics helps SMBs streamline their supply chain.
  • Integration with Microsoft suite: One of the key selling points of Microsoft Dynamics is its seamless integration with other Microsoft applications such as Office 365, SharePoint, and Teams, which can boost productivity and streamline operations.

Dynamics 365 Business Central: Starting at $70/user/month. Additional options like premium licenses, team member licenses, and promotional pricing available.

Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations: Starts at $210/user/month. Options for team member licenses, device & activity licenses, and more are available.

Dynamics NAV: Pricing begins at $65/user/month plus hosting. Hosting costs are $1,650/month for 14 or fewer users and $2,000/month for 15+ users.

Dynamics GP: Subscription starts from $65/user/month plus hosting. Hosting costs for 14 or fewer users are $1,650/month, and $2,000/month for 15+ users.

Dynamics AX: Perpetual licenses are around $4,500/user. Note, new licenses cannot be bought for new implementations but existing customers can still buy more licenses.

Implementation Costs: Implementation project costs vary significantly, from $16,000 to over $1,000,000+, depending on company size, customization, and the quality of professional services.

The seamless integration with the familiar Microsoft Suite fosters a comfortable user experience, promoting efficiency. Its flexibility allows customization for specific needs, and scalability makes it a reliable partner for growing businesses. Despite packing a powerful suite of features like financial management, supply chain management, and business intelligence, it retains a user-friendly interface. These aspects make Dynamics ERP an enticing, value-rich option, ultimately earning the nod for SMBs in our selection.

Alongside SAP and Oracle, Microsoft is one of the leading names in enterprise software, including enterprise resource planning. Formerly hosted on-premises, Microsoft Dynamics 365 is now also available as a cloud-based solution, making it more accessible to smaller businesses who don’t have the resources to host software on site. This change helped make Microsoft Dynamics more directly competitive than NetSuite, which has always been cloud-first.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a suite of ERP products that can be used individually or seamlessly integrated together. Unlike NetSuite, which bundles everything together in a single comprehensive package, Microsoft Dynamics breaks out various ERP functions into different modules, so you can mix and match the ones you need. This is great if you only need a couple specific ERP functions but might be frustrating and expensive if you are looking for an all-in-one ERP solution.

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SYSPRO – Best for manufacturing and distribution


Pros

  • Industry focus
  • End-to-end solution
  • Highly scalable
  • Extensive integration capabilities

Cons

  • Slow pace of updates compared to competitors
  • Limited mobile experience
  • Complex implementation
  • Inventory optimization: SYSPRO’s Inventory Optimization Suite enables effective inventory management, providing control over inventory levels, improving service levels, reducing excess inventory, and increasing profitability.
  • Advanced planning and scheduling (APS): SYSPRO APS assists with plan creation to match supply with demand and integrates with SYSPRO’s Manufacturing Operations Management solution to provide comprehensive control over the manufacturing process.
  • Product lifecycle management (PLM): SYSPRO’s PLM solution helps manage all the information about products from conception, through design and manufacture, to service and eventual retirement.
  • Supply chain management (SCM): SYSPRO’s SCM solution provides visibility into the supply chain process, enhances collaboration with suppliers, manages procurement effectively, and streamlines distribution processes.

Base pricing: Starts at $199/user/month. Costs can increase based on selected modules and configurations.

Installation costs: For on-premises system, installation costs are around $12,000.

Additional costs: If purchasing the system through a reseller, be prepared for additional consulting and implementation costs.

SYSPRO snagged the top spot for manufacturing and distribution thanks to its tailored functionalities. The suite provides robust features like inventory optimization, advanced planning and scheduling, product lifecycle management, and an impressive supply chain management module. SYSPRO’s specific industry focus ensures it’s equipped to handle the nuanced demands of these sectors. Coupled with scalability and smooth integration capabilities, SYSPRO proves a compelling option for enterprises in the manufacturing and distribution landscape.

If you are a smaller business that doesn’t need a complete stack of enterprise software like Oracle, then you should definitely consider SYSPRO specifically for your ERP needs. SYSPRO users love how easy the platform is to use and say that you don’t need to be an ERP expert to get up and running with the software. SYSPRO balances this ease of use with comprehensive functionality, offering basically every ERP module you could want.

This combination of accessibility and functionality makes it a great choice for businesses looking for their first official ERP software. However, that comprehensive functionality is a double-edged sword, since complete ERP beginners might find all the options overwhelming at first. Once you get past that initial hurdle, however, this is a great alternative to NetSuite for businesses that don’t want to commit to the Oracle platform.

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Acumatica – Best for scalability


Pros

  • Unlimited users
  • Flexible deployment
  • Resource-based pricing
  • Scalable modules

Cons

  • Lack of advanced features
  • Complex pricing structure
  • Steep learning curve
  • Scalable resource-based pricing: Acumatica’s pricing model is consumption-based, meaning it’s tailored to the resources your company utilizes, instead of charging per user. As the business grows, you only pay for the additional computing power needed.
  • Flexible deployment options: Acumatica offers true flexibility with its deployment. You can choose from cloud-based, on-premises, or a hybrid of both, allowing your system to adapt as your business needs change.
  • Integrated suite of modules: With Acumatica’s suite of integrated applications, businesses can add and customize modules (Financials, Distribution, Project Accounting, CRM, Manufacturing, Service Management, etc.) as they grow, providing an adaptable solution to changing business requirements.
  • Acumatica cloud xRP platform: Acumatica’s Cloud xRP Platform leverages the benefits of the cloud and provides a scalable development platform, enabling rapid modification and extension of Acumatica to meet unique business needs and ensure future growth.

Custom pricing based on your business requirements

The ERP’s unique resource-based pricing, uncapped users, and flexible deployment make it a top choice for businesses planning growth. Its suite of modular applications enables seamless scaling of operations, while the innovative Acumatica Cloud xRP Platform ensures fast adaptation to evolving needs. These scalable features, paired with Acumatica’s commitment to accommodating changing business landscapes, make it a standout option for enterprises aiming for scalable expansion.

ALSO READ: NetSuite vs. Acumatica comparison.

Acumatica is a fantastic ERP contender for small to mid-sized businesses. It’s more flexible and easier to customize than NetSuite, making it a better solution for growing business with needs that are constantly evolving. It’s especially well-suited to companies in the manufacturing and distribution industries, which is what the software was originally designed for. As such, users in other industries may find that they need some third-party add-ons to really make the most of the software.

In addition to the cloud, Acumatica also offers both on-premises deployment and private cloud hosting, which sets it apart from NetSuite. Moreover, the browser-based app is easy to use and navigate, with a low learning curve for new users. However, users do note that the out-of-the-box reports leave something to be desired, and the reports really need to be customized in order for your business to make actionable insights based on the data.

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Choosing a NetSuite ERP alternative

Still looking for the perfect NetSuite alternative for your company? Check out our ERP software buyer’s guide for a step-by-step walk-through of everything you should consider during the buying process.

Or maybe you’re after a more personalized recommendation on Oracle NetSuite competitors for your company. If so, Schedule a consultation with one of our unbiased technology experts today to get free recommendations for the best ERP software for your business.

ALSO READ: NetSuite vs. SAP ERP | In-depth SAP vs. Oracle Breakdown.

How we choose our top picks

At TechnologyAdvice, we assess a wide range of factors before selecting our top choices for a given category. 

To make our selections, we rely on our extensive research, product information, vendor websites, competitor research and first-hand experience. We then consider what makes a solution best for customer-specific needs.

For our NetSuite Alternatives list, we looked at 17 options before whittling them down to the five that cover all ERP needs for startups all the way up to enterprises.

Featured partners

1 Wrike

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Wrike is an enterprise resource planning software trusted by 20,000+ companies worldwide. Improve your enterprise resource planning using resource management and allocation, performance reports, Gantt charts, time tracking, workload overviews, and company-wide visibility all in one place. Integrate Wrike with 400+ applications to accelerate your everyday processes. Customize workflows and reduce the need for emails, meetings, status updates, and more. Work smarter, not harder with Wrike.

Learn more about Wrike

2 Visibility ERP

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Visibility ERP is a fully integrated and modern ERP solution designed to meet the unique needs of complex manufacturers. It provides manufacturers with visibility into their business operations and strategic advantages across the entire enterprise. Business integration, comprehensive functionality, collaborative capabilities, global features and compliance-based controls enable effective decision-making, increased productivity, and a system infrastructure optimized for business growth.

Learn more about Visibility ERP

3 Acumatica Cloud ERP

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Acumatica Cloud ERP offers best-in-class functionality for small and mid-sized businesses to thrive in the new digital economy.

Born in the cloud, Acumatica’s business management system is built for remote collaboration and rapidly integrates with mission-critical third-party applications.

Its consumption-based licensing charges for resources used, rather than per individual user, and its future-proof platform drives value and delivers flexibility, efficiency, and continuity of operations.

Learn more about Acumatica Cloud ERP

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