Emburse Abacus vs. Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Emburse Abacus
Score 6.9 out of 10
N/A
Abacus is a web and mobile application that helps manage employee expenses and reimbursements. Some key features include: Real-Time Expense Submission, Integrated ACH Payments, and Dynamic Custom Reporting. Abacus was acquired by Certify in summer 2018 and is now part of Emburse, formed from the merger of Certify and Chrome River March 2019.
$9
per active user/per month
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations (or Dynamics AX) was an ERP product in the Dynamics family. It has been split into separate Dynamics 365 products to provide more flexibility to customers, allowing users to pay only for the functionality they need. Microsoft Dynamics AX will reach end of support in 2021, and end of extended support in 2023. Financial tracking and budgeting features are now found in the newly launchedN/A
Pricing
Emburse AbacusMicrosoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
Editions & Modules
Starter
$9
per active user/per month
Professional
Custom Pricing
Enterprise
Custom Pricing
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Emburse AbacusMicrosoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Emburse AbacusMicrosoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Emburse AbacusMicrosoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Emburse Abacus
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.8
8 Ratings
20% above category average
Pay calculation00 Ratings9.07 Ratings
Benefit plan administration00 Ratings9.05 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
Emburse Abacus
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
7.0
13 Ratings
4% below category average
API for custom integration00 Ratings5.013 Ratings
Plug-ins00 Ratings8.912 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
Emburse Abacus
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
6.0
14 Ratings
30% below category average
Single sign-on capability00 Ratings5.013 Ratings
Role-based user permissions00 Ratings7.014 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Emburse Abacus
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.3
14 Ratings
17% above category average
Dashboards00 Ratings9.012 Ratings
Standard reports00 Ratings7.014 Ratings
Custom reports00 Ratings9.014 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
Emburse Abacus
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.2
15 Ratings
7% above category average
Accounts payable00 Ratings7.015 Ratings
Accounts receivable00 Ratings7.014 Ratings
Global Financial Support00 Ratings8.06 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings9.07 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings7.010 Ratings
Configurable Accounting00 Ratings9.08 Ratings
Standardized Processes00 Ratings8.99 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
Emburse Abacus
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.7
13 Ratings
10% above category average
Inventory tracking00 Ratings8.013 Ratings
Automatic reordering00 Ratings9.011 Ratings
Location management00 Ratings9.011 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
Emburse Abacus
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
7.6
13 Ratings
2% below category average
Pricing00 Ratings8.012 Ratings
Order entry00 Ratings9.011 Ratings
Credit card processing00 Ratings3.09 Ratings
Cost of goods sold00 Ratings8.010 Ratings
Order Orchestration00 Ratings9.05 Ratings
Subledger and Financial Process
Comparison of Subledger and Financial Process features of Product A and Product B
Emburse Abacus
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.7
10 Ratings
16% above category average
Billing Management00 Ratings8.99 Ratings
Cash and Asset Management00 Ratings8.010 Ratings
Travel & Expense Management00 Ratings8.97 Ratings
Budgetary Control & Encumbrance Accounting00 Ratings8.97 Ratings
Period Close00 Ratings8.07 Ratings
Project Financial Management
Comparison of Project Financial Management features of Product A and Product B
Emburse Abacus
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.9
7 Ratings
16% above category average
Budgeting and Forecasting00 Ratings9.06 Ratings
Project Costing00 Ratings8.06 Ratings
Cost Capture00 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Capital Project Management00 Ratings9.05 Ratings
Customer Contract Compliance00 Ratings9.03 Ratings
Project Revenue Recognition00 Ratings8.95 Ratings
Project Execution Management
Comparison of Project Execution Management features of Product A and Product B
Emburse Abacus
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.8
5 Ratings
25% above category average
Project Planning and Scheduling00 Ratings8.95 Ratings
Task Insight for Project Managers00 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Project Mobile Functionality00 Ratings6.04 Ratings
Definable Resource Pools00 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Grants Management
Comparison of Grants Management features of Product A and Product B
Emburse Abacus
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.7
4 Ratings
14% above category average
Award Lifecycle Management00 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Procurement
Comparison of Procurement features of Product A and Product B
Emburse Abacus
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.7
7 Ratings
22% above category average
Bids Analyzed and Compared00 Ratings9.05 Ratings
Contract Authoring00 Ratings9.03 Ratings
Contract Repository00 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Requisitions-to-Purchase Orders Integrated00 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Supplier Management00 Ratings8.06 Ratings
Risk Management
Comparison of Risk Management features of Product A and Product B
Emburse Abacus
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.8
2 Ratings
30% above category average
Risk Repository00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Control Management00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Control Efficiency Assessments00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Issue Detection00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Remediation and Certification00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Logistics
Comparison of Logistics features of Product A and Product B
Emburse Abacus
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.5
6 Ratings
21% above category average
Transportation Planning and Optimization00 Ratings8.06 Ratings
Transportation Execution Management00 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Trade and Customs Management00 Ratings8.95 Ratings
Fulfillment Management00 Ratings8.04 Ratings
Warehouse Workforce Management00 Ratings10.05 Ratings
Manufacturing
Comparison of Manufacturing features of Product A and Product B
Emburse Abacus
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
7.7
6 Ratings
2% above category average
Production Process Design00 Ratings9.05 Ratings
Production Management00 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Configuration Management00 Ratings7.04 Ratings
Work Execution00 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Manufacturing Costs00 Ratings9.05 Ratings
Supply Chain
Comparison of Supply Chain features of Product A and Product B
Emburse Abacus
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
9.2
6 Ratings
24% above category average
Forecasting00 Ratings9.95 Ratings
Inventory Planning00 Ratings9.05 Ratings
Performance Monitoring00 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Product Lifecycle Management
Comparison of Product Lifecycle Management features of Product A and Product B
Emburse Abacus
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
9.0
3 Ratings
21% above category average
Proposal Management00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Product Master Data Management00 Ratings9.03 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Emburse AbacusMicrosoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
Small Businesses
Dext Prepare (with Receipt Bank)
Dext Prepare (with Receipt Bank)
Score 9.1 out of 10
Acumatica
Acumatica
Score 8.7 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Darwinbox
Darwinbox
Score 7.9 out of 10
Infor VISUAL
Infor VISUAL
Score 7.2 out of 10
Enterprises
Webexpenses
Webexpenses
Score 8.5 out of 10
SAP Business ByDesign
SAP Business ByDesign
Score 7.4 out of 10
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User Ratings
Emburse AbacusMicrosoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
Likelihood to Recommend
2.8
(17 ratings)
8.0
(19 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(4 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(3 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(9 ratings)
8.0
(3 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
Emburse AbacusMicrosoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
Likelihood to Recommend
Emburse
Emburse Abacus is well suited for mid-market organizations that are open to - or embrace - the concept of real-time processing of expense transactions. Emburse Abacus takes a radically different approach from other platforms that rely on modeling paper-based monthly (or periodic) expense reports containing multiple expenses submitted simultaneously. Emburse Abacus allows each transaction to be very rapidly processed individually so that approving managers and accounting professionals are able to perform review tasks and identify potential problems throughout the entire month, relieving the massive monthly influx of large numbers of expense reports simultaneously.
Read full review
Microsoft
It integrates fully with the other Microsoft software we use daily, and this coordination speeds up our work and gives us the agility to run easily. For example, in a purchase inquiry, the customer, after submitting a request, identifies the teams that should work on the project, and if they need further review by other people, they are added to the process, and everything is managed seamlessly rather than the sales process. Get the result as fast as possible.
Read full review
Pros
Emburse
  • User-Friendly Interface: Reviews from our employees (ages ranging from 20s-70s) are all positive in regards to the ease of submitting an expense and getting reimbursement on Abacus
  • Timely Reimbursement: After final approval, money hits user accounts within 2 days
  • Approval routing: ability to set up multi-tier complex approval routes
  • Syncs with Sage Intacct: pushes entries on a day to day basis in to Intacct and it hits our GL accordingly
  • Abacus is competitively priced compared to the competition
  • Abacus utilizes "by expense" management. Getting rid of expense reports and batch reports (they do have an option where you can batch if need be)
Read full review
Microsoft
  • Microsoft Dynamics AX's scalability to meet our regional office needs provide flexibility to the team's requirements.
  • Combined with Citrix Xenapp, the application offers seamless access for users on high latency unreliable network connection to the application.
  • Application maintenance and updates are easy which makes it possible for us to manage remotely considering the servers are located in a remote Asia site.
Read full review
Cons
Emburse
  • When you upload a receipt to abacus it would be great to port in the information from the receipt to the text fields.
  • It would be good to have a more automated way for Abacus to integrate in with other payroll systems.
  • It would be nice to have more levels of permissions, e.g. manager level, administer level and employee level.
Read full review
Microsoft
  • MRP can be slow to adapt to changes in actual production or supply chain transactions.
  • Setting up number sequences seems a trivial matter, but these numbers ID transactions once they are in the ledger and are key--easy to miss this point in the implementation process.
  • Bank rec being easily automated and able to quickly plug into a bank back end to get data is not the best.
  • Payment processing can be 'clunky' based on checks, ACH, Wires...as some of these items are not triggered out of the box in AX, bur are easily added --talking ACH and Wires specifically.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Emburse
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
Microsoft Dynamics continues to evolve by bringing more functionality to the customer. Also there are several independent software providers that offer a wide range of solutions for vertical markets.
Read full review
Usability
Emburse
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
Overall the product does what we need it to do in order for us to function as a company. While there are some concerns over ongoing costs, the belief is, once we have it fully acclimated to our business the cost should settle into alignment with our original expectations. The new features that are consistently being added do add value to the product as they are usually customer request directed.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Emburse
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
Some integration and high volume ramping challenges, particularly with BizTalk and SQL Server, but getting sorted out. Outages over time appeared to be more dependent on integration complexity than AX MES.
Read full review
Performance
Emburse
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
Some integration and high volume ramping challenges, particularly with BizTalk and SQL Server, but getting sorted out. Outages over time appeared to be more dependent on integration complexity than AX MES.
Read full review
Support Rating
Emburse
I have never had to contact Abacus support and have not heard stories from any of my colleagues having to do so either. Our accounting department stresses the ease of Abacus and has not voiced any concerns with the software or the product support team or the product support process.
Read full review
Microsoft
We use a 3rd-party Microsoft Partner for the system. They are responsive and very knowledgeable. While costs have been mentioned several times in this review they are very aware of costs and have developers who are more economical they use to help offset the level of work required to meet our changes and fix our issues.
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In-Person Training
Emburse
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
It took a lot of work, but Microsoft ultimately did a good job with in-person training, including being onsite in multiple global locations for extended periods.
Read full review
Online Training
Emburse
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
Our solution deviated from a number of key out-of-the-box standards that were included in Online training. We just used that for introduction to the general functionality.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Emburse
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
Some rough spots, but ultimately worked out. The contract didn't appear to be structured to support the level of overlapping facility deployments required to meet timeline commitments. Merging cultures on the program was also challenging. Overall, not an easy implementation by any stretch. Everyone did the best they could.
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Alternatives Considered
Emburse
I chose Abacus because of its ease of use and flexible billing. The billing is based on the number of submissions rather than users in the system. Because we reimburse committee members, we have a lot of users in the system, but the activity can vary widely from month to month.
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Microsoft
I was not part of the decision making process to select Microsoft Dynamics AX, however, I do know that an exhaustive search was done and many options were considered alongside Microsoft Dynamics AX and I feel that the right decision was made in choosing this solution.
Read full review
Return on Investment
Emburse
  • It is giving reliable services.
  • I am happy with its user-friendly services. Since I have issued the virtual and physical cards, I am getting real-time, and end-to-end control over my employee expenses. They can now easily go to visits and this has built their trust too. Further through receipts and expense details, I can easily control the pre-set budgets and easily configure rules to control spending.
  • I will also like to praise their customer care team they are very helpful and always ready to assist.
Read full review
Microsoft
  • With the robust built-in reporting we were able to drop an external reporting platform that costed about $40,000.
  • API integrations have saved manual entry and reduced having to hire 2-3 people to manage data.
  • Several administrators and developers are required for this which costs about 200-300 thousand in employee costs.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Emburse Abacus Screenshots

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