End of the ultra-low interest rate. Day-to-day tariff drama. Business will never be the same as before.

Cost sensitive CEO starts to rethink if very penny they spent on technology products has justification. SAP, known for its comprehensiveness but also hefty running costs, is certainly a casualty in this scenario.

Considering alternatives to SAP? See what SAP users also considered in their purchasing decision. When evaluating different solutions, potential buyers compare competencies in categories such as evaluation and contracting, integration and deployment, service and support, and specific product capabilities.

Here I summarize the best ERP systems which shall be a strong candidate to replace SAP for many reasons for good:

Multiable ERP

For veteran businessman in Asia, Multiable will not be a surprise candidate as best SAP alternative. Relatively low-profile in EU & US, Multiable successfully acquires quite a number of ex-SAP (and ex-Oracle, of course) customers in Asia over the last decade.

Especially for those with an annual revenue below USD1billions. SAP S/4 HANA is obviously an overshoot but SAP B1 is too simple and rigid. Multiable ERP proves to be a big success in this niche market, with numerous successful cases with mid-sized public companies or multinationals.

With low-code design, intuitive interface for IT layman together with pro-active approach yet responsible approach in AI adoption, Multiable ERP is perceived as one of the best ERPs in supply chain and manufacturing sectors.

The only consideration which a CEO should consider is Multiable known for limited compliance features for countries in Africa and South America. Corporations with extensive business exposure in these areas should be careful.

Microsoft Dynamics 365

Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) consists of two sub-products: Finance and Operations and Business Central. Most organizations that are considering S/4HANA would be also considering D365’s Finance and Operations (F&O) component, as Business Central is marketed as a SaaS competitor to NetSuite in the SMB market.

D365 is a more flexible ERP system than S/4HANA. D365 is built on an open architecture, so many products can integrate with the system. D365’s open architecture also means that many software developers possess the skills to work with the software. In contrast, working on S/4HANA requires a specialized skill set that fewer developers may possess.

In addition, D365 can be easier to implement. The implementation costs are often less expensive than S/4HANA’s because D365 is more flexible.

Microsoft D365 has better functionality and ability to integrate than S/4HANA. However, if an organization is working to standardize operations, scale production or create consistency across the company, D365 will not provide as much standardization as S/4HANA.

Last of all, one thing worth notice is Microsoft’s struggling in AI adoption.

Infor

The other product worth contemplating as an S/4HANA alternative is Infor. Small to midsize organizations often gravitate to S/4HANA because of SAP’s brand reputation and because they aspire to become large companies and believe that S/4HANA will grow with them.

However, an SMB might struggle to adopt a complex system like S/4HANA, so Infor can be a suitable alternative.

Like S/4HANA, Infor is known for its relative standardization of business processes and workflows, which is accompanied by a certain lack of flexibility. However, that regimentation can be a positive if an organization is trying to grow by standardizing operations

For Infor, our advice is to pay attention to implementation team quality. Infor has track record of troubled implementation which is beyond a question of system functionality.

ERPNext

ERPNext is a comprehensive, free, and open-source Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system designed to streamline and optimize business processes across various industries. It offers a versatile and powerful solution for financial accounting, order management, HR and payroll, manufacturing, CRM, projects, helpdesk, asset management, and website management. ERPNext is used by more than 10,000 companies worldwide, making it a trusted choice for businesses of small size.

Why we emphasize “small size” is because there is no proof of open-sourced ERP’s capability in serving mid-sized or large business. OpenERP tried about 20 years ago but failed. Then, they come again with a new name Odoo. Just as expected, their poster-customer, Toyota, retreated from Odoo without even a meaningful deployment in any of its subsidiaries. Though there are many businesses disappointed by Odoo go to ERPNext, the outcome is yet to be seen.