Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued vs. NetSuite ERP

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
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
NetSuite ERP
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
NetSuite is a suite of ERP and accounting modules which is sold in various editions aimed at different size customers. The multi-country, multi-currency version is an additional module called OneWorld. Netsuite is a SaaS system and is not offered in an on-premise edition.N/A
Pricing
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinuedNetSuite ERP
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinuedNetSuite ERP
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details—Users subscribe to NetSuite for an annual license fee. The license is made up of three main components: core platform, optional modules and the number of users. There is also a one-time implementation fee for initial setup. New modules and users and can be added as a business grows.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinuedNetSuite ERP
Considered Both Products
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
Chose Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
Microsoft D365 FO stands out amongst the competitors with its strong backing on the Microsoft Azure cloud and the life cycle services is the best I’ve seen. There is a ways to go in making it low/no code and mobile is there but not great. Overall an ok product as ERP is a …
NetSuite ERP
Chose NetSuite ERP
We use AX for some of our older operations that haven't been imported to our Magento instance. AX is comparatively harder to navigate vs NetSuite, pulling reports for example can be a pain if you don't have every metric, parameter, etc needed. Given it's an older system, it's …
Chose NetSuite ERP
NetSuite is far superior to these. NetSuite allows for integration with many other products making it very customizable. NetSuite is also much easier to use and set up as the user likes to make their process easier and more automated. NetSuite also makes it easier to have …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinuedNetSuite ERP
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.8
8 Ratings
20% above category average
NetSuite ERP
1.1
15 Ratings
147% below category average
Pay calculation9.07 Ratings1.013 Ratings
Benefit plan administration9.05 Ratings1.010 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.05 Ratings1.39 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
7.0
13 Ratings
4% below category average
NetSuite ERP
9.1
74 Ratings
23% above category average
API for custom integration5.013 Ratings9.264 Ratings
Plug-ins8.912 Ratings9.547 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
6.0
14 Ratings
30% below category average
NetSuite ERP
9.2
81 Ratings
12% above category average
Single sign-on capability5.013 Ratings9.262 Ratings
Role-based user permissions7.014 Ratings9.280 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.3
14 Ratings
17% above category average
NetSuite ERP
9.3
72 Ratings
29% above category average
Dashboards9.012 Ratings9.371 Ratings
Standard reports7.014 Ratings9.370 Ratings
Custom reports9.014 Ratings9.370 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.2
15 Ratings
7% above category average
NetSuite ERP
7.7
258 Ratings
1% above category average
Accounts payable7.015 Ratings8.3252 Ratings
Accounts receivable7.014 Ratings8.3233 Ratings
Global Financial Support8.06 Ratings9.526 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers9.07 Ratings9.528 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations7.010 Ratings9.141 Ratings
Configurable Accounting9.08 Ratings9.535 Ratings
Standardized Processes8.99 Ratings9.537 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.7
13 Ratings
10% above category average
NetSuite ERP
8.8
48 Ratings
11% above category average
Inventory tracking8.013 Ratings9.847 Ratings
Automatic reordering9.011 Ratings8.628 Ratings
Location management9.011 Ratings9.335 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
7.6
13 Ratings
2% below category average
NetSuite ERP
8.8
207 Ratings
12% above category average
Pricing8.012 Ratings9.353 Ratings
Order entry9.011 Ratings8.1203 Ratings
Credit card processing3.09 Ratings8.537 Ratings
Cost of goods sold8.010 Ratings8.848 Ratings
Order Orchestration9.05 Ratings9.521 Ratings
Subledger and Financial Process
Comparison of Subledger and Financial Process features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.7
10 Ratings
16% above category average
NetSuite ERP
7.5
199 Ratings
1% above category average
Billing Management8.99 Ratings8.3188 Ratings
Cash and Asset Management8.010 Ratings9.527 Ratings
Travel & Expense Management8.97 Ratings8.631 Ratings
Budgetary Control & Encumbrance Accounting8.97 Ratings8.627 Ratings
Period Close8.07 Ratings9.535 Ratings
Project Financial Management
Comparison of Project Financial Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.9
7 Ratings
16% above category average
NetSuite ERP
6.4
32 Ratings
17% below category average
Budgeting and Forecasting9.06 Ratings5.926 Ratings
Project Costing8.06 Ratings5.923 Ratings
Cost Capture8.05 Ratings5.922 Ratings
Capital Project Management9.05 Ratings4.014 Ratings
Customer Contract Compliance9.03 Ratings9.513 Ratings
Project Revenue Recognition8.95 Ratings6.722 Ratings
Project Execution Management
Comparison of Project Execution Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.8
5 Ratings
25% above category average
NetSuite ERP
4.1
17 Ratings
50% below category average
Project Planning and Scheduling8.95 Ratings8.614 Ratings
Task Insight for Project Managers9.04 Ratings3.311 Ratings
Project Mobile Functionality6.04 Ratings3.010 Ratings
Definable Resource Pools9.04 Ratings3.68 Ratings
Grants Management
Comparison of Grants Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.7
4 Ratings
14% above category average
NetSuite ERP
3.1
12 Ratings
84% below category average
Award Lifecycle Management9.04 Ratings3.57 Ratings
Procurement
Comparison of Procurement features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.7
7 Ratings
22% above category average
NetSuite ERP
3.3
19 Ratings
71% below category average
Bids Analyzed and Compared9.05 Ratings3.58 Ratings
Contract Authoring9.03 Ratings2.010 Ratings
Contract Repository9.04 Ratings3.58 Ratings
Requisitions-to-Purchase Orders Integrated8.05 Ratings3.613 Ratings
Supplier Management8.06 Ratings9.613 Ratings
Risk Management
Comparison of Risk Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.8
2 Ratings
30% above category average
NetSuite ERP
3.1
11 Ratings
71% below category average
Risk Repository9.02 Ratings3.58 Ratings
Control Management9.02 Ratings2.011 Ratings
Control Efficiency Assessments9.02 Ratings3.57 Ratings
Issue Detection9.02 Ratings3.58 Ratings
Remediation and Certification9.02 Ratings3.58 Ratings
Logistics
Comparison of Logistics features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.5
6 Ratings
21% above category average
NetSuite ERP
3.0
17 Ratings
78% below category average
Transportation Planning and Optimization8.06 Ratings2.89 Ratings
Transportation Execution Management8.05 Ratings2.88 Ratings
Trade and Customs Management8.95 Ratings2.88 Ratings
Fulfillment Management8.04 Ratings9.514 Ratings
Warehouse Workforce Management10.05 Ratings2.511 Ratings
Manufacturing
Comparison of Manufacturing features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
7.7
6 Ratings
2% above category average
NetSuite ERP
9.0
16 Ratings
18% above category average
Production Process Design9.05 Ratings8.612 Ratings
Production Management8.05 Ratings8.614 Ratings
Configuration Management7.04 Ratings9.510 Ratings
Work Execution8.05 Ratings9.512 Ratings
Manufacturing Costs9.05 Ratings8.614 Ratings
Supply Chain
Comparison of Supply Chain features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
9.2
6 Ratings
24% above category average
NetSuite ERP
7.9
132 Ratings
9% above category average
Forecasting9.95 Ratings7.917 Ratings
Inventory Planning9.05 Ratings7.3129 Ratings
Performance Monitoring9.04 Ratings8.614 Ratings
Product Lifecycle Management
Comparison of Product Lifecycle Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
9.0
3 Ratings
21% above category average
NetSuite ERP
3.8
13 Ratings
63% below category average
Proposal Management9.02 Ratings2.610 Ratings
Product Master Data Management9.03 Ratings3.29 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinuedNetSuite ERP
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Score 8.7 out of 10
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User Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinuedNetSuite ERP
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(19 ratings)
8.5
(356 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.0
(4 ratings)
9.2
(49 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(3 ratings)
8.6
(231 ratings)
Availability
7.0
(1 ratings)
9.0
(16 ratings)
Performance
7.0
(1 ratings)
8.0
(15 ratings)
Support Rating
8.0
(3 ratings)
7.1
(215 ratings)
In-Person Training
9.0
(1 ratings)
7.3
(2 ratings)
Online Training
8.0
(1 ratings)
6.4
(10 ratings)
Implementation Rating
7.3
(2 ratings)
6.4
(17 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
8.7
(5 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(3 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(8 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
4.8
(2 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinuedNetSuite ERP
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
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NetSuite
Really in this hybrid environment, being up in the cloud and being able to securely access the data and work from anywhere, I think it's a real game changer for my team. So I really like the fact that NetSuite keeps up with security features and allows users to access it from anywhere.
Read full review
Pros
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
NetSuite
  • NetSuite does analytics very well.
  • They do reporting very well. I love the ability to have control over how the information flows through my NetSuite, my user roles, and my responsibilities. I can assign certain tasks to certain people, and they do that and then also have the control to approve that and make sure it's done correctly.
  • Just being able to drill down into a particular GL account or into a particular line item and see what really makes that up and what's driving our certain costs.
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Cons
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.
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NetSuite
  • Honestly, right now, my biggest pain point is kind of our own doing, but I would appreciate a little bit more support and help in the area of performance management and kind of understanding how our application is built, what are the best choices for customizing or solving a problem in terms of performance, because our company is rather large, we have a lot of data coming in and out, and that has been an issue for us recently.
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Likelihood to Renew
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.
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NetSuite
NetSuite is able to cover all of our needs, spanning multiple departments and managerial levels. We use it daily for a multitude of functions, including creating promotions, estimating inventory, pulling historical reports, forecasting sales, and more. Overall, we're very satisfied with NetSuite as an ERP solution and recommend it to medium to large businesses.
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Usability
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.
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NetSuite
I have given this rating due to below use cases: - Order Management - Advanced Revenue Management - Invoicing - Automated Billing - Inbound and Outbound Integrations with applications such as Salesforce, Zip, Stripe, Mavenlink, Avalara, Floquast - Project management and billing - Training -Customer Support - Knowledge Article Support
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Reliability and Availability
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.
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NetSuite
It has been very reliable. I can only think of 1-2 times in 4.5 years that we have had issues getting in, and in each case were able to get back in within 1 hour. There has not been a major downtime
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Performance
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.
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NetSuite
Most of the time the performance is very good. Pages load in a few seconds; financial reports take less than 5 seconds; basic searches take a few seconds. But performance can be sporadic throughout the day and cause the run time to triple.
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Support Rating
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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NetSuite
The account rep changes quite often, which requires restarting. Suite Answers is a very good tool but can be hard to use for somebody who is not fully confident with Netsuite. Asking questions that are not already answered in Suite Answers can be rough. Training is readily available, but most of the time stays on the surface and doesn't answer medium to more advanced questions.
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In-Person Training
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.
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NetSuite
I had in person training for a day when first got the software. The training was good. The challenge was that there was a large gap between training and when we went live so we forgot quite a lot
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Online Training
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.
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NetSuite
Online training is quite strong. I have used for specific pieces of functionality.However it is not sufficient in all areas.
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Implementation Rating
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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NetSuite
I felt NetSuite Professional Services did an excellent job of guiding us in the implementation. I also felt our internal teams were a little resistant to the change and engagement of new software. Had we performed better engaging and buying into the new software, I would be able to rate the implementation better. Therefore, the lower number should not be viewed as a deficiency with the software or the professional services teams, but as an reminder of how important complete buy-in from the local users is.
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Alternatives Considered
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.
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NetSuite
Well, the reason why I'm with NetSuite is because obviously it beats out those other options quite considerably. It gave us the whole ecosystem that gave us everything we needed. I didn't need a dedicated administrator whose full-time job is to deal with it like our current system would need to really be useful. I can find people or train people how to use it right away. So for us, that really beats it out compared to the Sage and QuickBooks where we were looking at it from a perspective of, yeah, we can find people who are experts in those fields. They don't scale up to the size that we need as we're going to really quickly go from R&D company into doing tens of millions of dollars a year in revenue and activities. So that's where it beats us out over say Sage or QuickBooks is it's got that complete scalability. We can go to multiple subsidiaries, foreign currency, not a problem. It's got that full functionality.
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Scalability
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
NetSuite
We have been able to scale our business 25X without any major overhaul with Netsuite. Its dashboard setup makes onboarding new employees very easy and allows data to be shared across multiple offices. Its cloud setup does not put any pressure on IT to scale servers or other infrastructure. We have been able to become much more efficient in all aspects of the business.
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Return on Investment
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.
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NetSuite
  • Positive impact, again, it's our source of truth, so we are able to not have questions about how much money we have in the bank or do we have enough material to build this job. Being able to know those things immediately is super valuable.
  • I mean it's the grease that skids the wheels that gets us to accomplish the things that we do in our business.
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ScreenShots

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