Business Central vs. NetSuite: A Comprehensive Comparison

Navigating the world of enterprise resource planning (ERP) can be tough. While modernizing your business can be made easy with an ERP solution that unifies various workflows with a customizable and scalable platform that’s easy to use, choosing the right one for your business is often the hard part. After all, with the myriad of ERP solutions available, it can be tough to weed out the options that don’t fit your needs or are targeted to a niche use case.

However, a few ERPs stand out from the rest, including Dynamics 365 Business Central and Oracle NetSuite. In this Business Central vs. NetSuite comparison, we’ll provide a rundown of each option so you can decide which platform is the best fit for your business. 

What Is Dynamics 365 Business Central?

Dynamics 365 Business Central is a comprehensive, cloud-based business management solution designed to help companies streamline their operations. It includes lots of modules, including financial management software, inventory tracking tools, and more. 

What Businesses Is BC Designed For?

Business Central is a versatile ERP solution that is great for small-to-medium-sized businesses, especially those already using other Microsoft products. If you’re familiar with Office 365 or if you simply like the idea of seamless integration with Microsoft tools, BC might be just what you’re looking for. 

What Is Oracle NetSuite?

Oracle NetSuite is a robust cloud-based platform that offers a suite of tools for enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, forecasting, and more. NetSuite is designed to manage all your foundational business processes in one platform. However, it is a bit complex for small businesses, making it more suitable for larger entities. 

What Type of Users Does Oracle NetSuite Target

NetSuite caters to a broad range of businesses, from retailers and manufacturers to suppliers. If your business has complex processes or serious growth aspirations, NetSuite might be the powerhouse you need. 

Business Central vs. NetSuite

Choosing an ERP for your business is no small decision. As you contemplate which platform to choose, your head is undoubtedly swirling with questions about costs, integrations, implementation complexities, and so much more. 

We understand that you need a lot of information to make informed decisions. That’s why we’ve broken down the Business Central vs. NetSuite debate into some key topics. 

Integration Complexity

Business Central plays well with others, especially applications in the Microsoft ecosystem. If you are already using products like Office 365, Outlook, or Power BI, rolling out Business Central will be relatively simple. 

NetSuite offers numerous out-of-the-box integrations, which means that you should have no problem connecting it to some of the tools you already use. But if you need to integrate it with unsupported third-party software, you will have your work cut out for you. 

Reports and Analytics Tools

Business Central offers comprehensive reporting and analytics capabilities. They allow you to glimpse the future and plan ahead, as well as customize reports to highlight variables that are most relevant to your decision-making process. This flexibility can help you pursue long-term growth goals while also supporting the immediate needs of the business.

Oracle NetSuite is known for its world-class analytics and forecasting tools as well. It provides extensive, customizable reporting features that can handle complex business data at scale. Remember, NetSuite is designed to support enterprise-grade organizations, so it can handle your reporting and analytics needs no matter how much your company grows. 

Tools for Customers

Business Central boasts useful internal tools like inventory and finance management modules. With BC, you can streamline key business processes, optimize efficiency, and get more done. However, its customer management tools are a bit more basic than those found in Oracle NetSuite.

Oracle NetSuite has a dedicated customer relationship management module. It acts as your one-stop shop for managing and using customer data. You can consolidate contact information, account data, order history, and virtually anything else you need to know about a customer in the NetSuite CRM module. 

By providing a 360-degree view of your customers, Oracle NetSuite empowers sales and marketing teams to stay in sync. When everyone is on the same page, you can design personalized campaigns that engage your audience and strengthen revenue. 

Manufacturing Solutions

If you operate in the manufacturing space, you know firsthand how hard it is to keep up with production workflows, inventory, and all the other variables at play. Fortunately, both Business Central and Oracle NetSuite are great at streamlining manufacturing processes and providing real-time transparency.

Business Central is geared toward small-to-medium-sized manufacturers. The platform is easy to implement and has plenty of user-friendly tools. However, it does not offer the bandwidth necessary for more complex operations.

NetSuite shines in this area by offering advanced features suitable for the most complex manufacturing processes. It provides actionable insights about your operations, can help you pinpoint bottlenecks, and is a great tool for optimizing efficiency. 

Inventory Management Capabilities

Both ERP solutions offer exceptional inventory management capabilities. However, Business Central is probably the better fit if you have straightforward inventory needs. You can track inventory from arrival to delivery and identify any inefficiencies along the way.

Oracle NetSuite has comprehensive inventory management capabilities and a dedicated module for this purpose. The inventory management module is ideal for businesses with complex or extensive inventories. 

Base Pricing

Business Central and NetSuite rely on a similar billing model. They start with a flat fee for the base package and then adjust your costs based on which modules you want to implement. The more modules you roll out, the higher your total costs. 

After the vendor compiles your base price, they will leverage a per-user per-month model to finalize your pricing. If you add more modules, consume additional computing resources, or enroll more users, your costs will increase. 

That said, Business Central is the more affordable option. It has a simplistic pricing structure and fewer add-ons. This makes it easier to get the features you need without driving up your total costs. 

Oracle NetSuite tends to be more expensive. It has premium modules that feature premium price tags. The per-user per-month rates tend to be on the higher side, too, compounding your total costs.

Hidden Costs

Unfortunately, upfront pricing has become a rarity in the software world. Many cloud-based technologies feature hidden costs and surprise fees, leaving you paying way more than anticipated. The good news is that both platforms are transparent about their pricing, although you might incur a few hidden fees with NetSuite.

Business Central has a base price and then add-on fees for individual modules. If you are not already using Microsoft solutions, you might have to purchase a few additional licenses or services, like SharePoint, to get BC up and running. 

NetSuite has dozens of modules, all of which involve an extra fee. Do your research and find out what is actually included at the price you are quoted. And remember that you won’t be able to add a single feature. If you need additional functionality, you’ll have to license an entire module to get the features you’re after. 

Complementary Systems

Investing in third-party apps is a great way to meet your unique business requirements and squeeze more value out of your software solution. While both NetSuite and Dynamics 365 Business Central have a large ecosystem of active developers, BC has more options for third-party applications. 

If you implement Business Central, you’ll have the opportunity to source additional modules from innovative developers like Cavallo. Supercharge your business with a full suite of robust solutions for BC, from flexible workflows to secure payment processing and unlock your profit potential.

Which Platform Is Right for You?

Familiarizing yourself with these key differences between Business Central vs. NetSuite will help you make an informed decision. While both platforms offer a wide range of features, Business Central is generally the more accessible platform, especially for small-to-mid-sized businesses.

Furthermore, as a Business Central user, you’ll enjoy the support of seasoned organizations that specialize in maximizing your ERP investment. At Cavallo, customer success is the cornerstone of our company, and we’re committed to bringing real results for our users. It’s simple: increase efficiency, save time, and make more money with Cavallo for BC. See for yourself how these solutions raise the bar, and become our next success story.