Anaplan vs Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central comparison

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5,996 views|2,624 comparisons
95% willing to recommend
Microsoft Logo
8,723 views|6,050 comparisons
96% willing to recommend
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Anaplan and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Anaplan, Oracle, Jedox and others in Business Performance Management.
To learn more, read our detailed Business Performance Management Report (Updated: March 2024).
768,857 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"I am impressed with the tool’s real-time calculations and intuitive interface. The tool’s user interface is the best compared to other software that I have worked with. I also find the tool’s management reporting feature valuable.""I believe Anaplan is a new cloud tool, and from time to time, there's a lot of improvement that the Anaplan company deploys with the system. So, with that improvement, we need to really adapt and know the new system trends.""This product has a very good modeling feature, and its graphical representation of visualizations has also been valuable.""The solution works very well for budgeting.""Anaplan's strongest feature is that its GUI is very modern and user-friendly.""Anaplan is a three-dimensional cloud platform that is good for analyzing data, visualization, integration, terrific for visibility.""The features that I have found most valuable are that it is web-based and easy to use.""The best thing is that it's very intuitive and user-friendly. You don't need coding skills to manipulate the platform."

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"The tool covers most of the business requirements that most companies have, especially financial institutions.""The initial setup is easy.""It's quite reliable, and there's a good local provider who can adapt the solution for tax issues.""It is easy to use, and it works very well for small-scale companies.""The most valuable features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central are the dashboards, ease of use, and flexibility.""The most valuable feature of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is its ease of use, data customization, and smooth integration.""The initial setup is pretty straightforward.""The selling feature is the most valuable."

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Cons
"Space and integration are a problem.""The negative is that the higher the flexibility, the higher is the complexity. That can act against you as a negative because it does require a model builder or a coder/developer.""The dashboard could be better. Because within a dashboard or report, you have to do a lot of scrolling. You need to scroll down because the table doesn't fit in a single view. That's why even the users aren't happy with that kind of user experience. They need to scroll to see all the data, and it could be better if it fits in just one page. That way, you can see everything. In the next release, I want automation that's connected to Anaplan. For example, to load master data from SAP to Anaplan. I don't know if this already exists, but a log where you can see the progress and see if there's an error will also help. It would be better to give you the error message, for example, if there is an error within the automated process importing to Anaplan.""One area of improvement is conditional formatting. It's not very practical, and you need to specify additional formatting.""Anaplan is a relatively expensive piece of software.""There are so many business rules to set up in the system that as a business user it's hard to gauge what they're doing and it's possible to get lost.""The visualization tools in the product are limited in comparison to other reporting tools.""The tool needs to work on its integration with MS Excel and MS Word. The tool does not allow data analysis in spreadsheets which is possible on other platforms. I want the solution to be more collaborative to facilitate decision-making in organizations."

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"There is a lot of improvement needed in the top model, such as better integration with logistics, quality management, and data modeling for all revenue types.""It could be more stable.""The solution could include the retail tool in the native version.""The tool needs to work on reporting issues and user interface.""There is a book for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central explaining how to use it. But it is not easy to use, and it is not easy to learn.""In Thailand, the support here could be better. The process to get an answer is too long.""I wouldn't say that Microsoft Dynamics is very scalable.""The product should improve work optimization."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "We are currently using a free workspace license for 90 days. We are satisfied with the price of the solution. There are additional costs if you want more storage, the default limit is 250 GB."
  • "The entry-level is anywhere from about $30,000 to $50,000 a year, however, it does go up significantly after that depending on the complexity and how much space you're using."
  • "This is a yearly subscription. So a customer initially buys a workspace and specifies how much GB they want. The minimum starts at around 30 GB. You can buy multiple workspaces."
  • "The license is a yearly subscription. There are three licensing tiers: the model builder, planner, and the reporting."
  • "This is an expensive product and if the price were reduced then it would attract more customers."
  • "The cost of Anaplan is a challenge for clients, especially if they don't have an ongoing long-term use case for it. It's a $50,000 licensing fee just to get started. Clients need a strong business case to switch from Excel to Anaplan. But if clients have used something similar in the past, such as Hyperion or other solutions, that's not a factor because they know what to expect."
  • "Anaplan is a bit pricier compared to its competitors - the license costs about $4,000 per user annually."
  • "A value-for-money product and a very reasonable price compared to competitors like SAP or IBM."
  • More Anaplan Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "The first time we tried to buy the newest version, it was expensive."
  • "I have some subscription-based customer and a few customers who have perpetual licenses that hosted the application on the cloud."
  • "The price of the solution is reasonable."
  • "The price of the solution is reasonable."
  • "I think the pricing is the best; it's cost effective for sure."
  • "Microsoft Dynamics NAV has a pay-as-you-use payment model."
  • "NAV might be a little pricey for a small or medium-sized company, but all the solutions out there are."
  • "The cost is one of the benefits. If you don't want to go for the full-blown finance and operations, the pricing model is a lot cheaper and has now switched to being based on a per-user subscription. So, if it's on cloud, you now have an expense instead of a large CapEx. If it's on-prem, you obviously still have to continue with the licensing model that they have, but if you compare the features and functionality, in terms of the price that you pay, I find it's better than other products. My answer on the pricing would be slightly different, depending on the country you're in and the return on investment, based on the size of the company. It's well-priced internationally. I think the new model is priced even better because it's now subscription-based and, if you go for cloud, the return on investment is a lot quicker and if it's expense, you can cap it. If you do take the on-prem version, the licensing is still priced as what it used to be, so that would depend on what country you are in."
  • More Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:Anaplan is an industry-leading cloud-based corporate performance management (CPM) platform that combines business planning and analytics in a single solution. It is designed to assist organizations of… more »
    Top Answer:We've had several FP&A departments include Anaplan in their analytics discussions, and while BI information IS generated, the focus is generally on compiling input from various sources and… more »
    Top Answer:There are different aspects of both Anaplan and SAP ERP that I like and dislike. Anaplan improves forecast accuracy and drives up the quality of analytics. Rather than spending all of their time… more »
    Top Answer:The most valuable features of Business Central for me are its seamless integration with Power BI and the ability to create customized reports.
    Top Answer:I would rate the pricing of Business Central as a six or seven out of ten in terms of costliness. We have yearly licensing costs, and the biggest additional expense is for external consultants.
    Top Answer:There is room for improvement in the ability to reverse or correct transactions more easily. Currently, if we make mistakes or need to undo something, it can be challenging and time-consuming… more »
    Ranking
    Views
    5,996
    Comparisons
    2,624
    Reviews
    6
    Average Words per Review
    357
    Rating
    7.8
    3rd
    out of 68 in ERP
    Views
    8,723
    Comparisons
    6,050
    Reviews
    33
    Average Words per Review
    376
    Rating
    8.3
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Dynamics NAV, MS Dynamics NAV
    Learn More
    Overview

    Anaplan is a cloud-based planning and performance management platform with documented use cases in finance, sales, supply chain, marketing, IT and HR. At the core of Anaplan's technology is a single hub where business users can build, deploy, maintain, and share models without coding or reliance on IT personnel.

    With Anaplan You Can:

    • Accelerate revenue growth
    • Convert data into market opportunity
    • Drive higher sales performance
    • Gain market share
    • Improve customer satisfaction
    • See edge-to-edge across your company
    • Achieve business and technology goals
    • Become agile and resilient with continuous models and forecasts

    The Anaplan Platform Is:

    • Flexible
    • Scalable
    • Collaborative
    • Secure
    • Multi-dimensional
    • Built to help businesses think ahead and rapidly adapt to change

    Anaplan Benefits:

    • Illuminate blind spots and hidden opportunities.
    • Easily create a shareable, living representation of how your business actually works.
    • Dynamic planning allows you to continuously adapt to market changes and other changing circumstances effectively.
    • Information is always readily available and can be easily shared with all teams across your enterprise.
    • Anaplan provides intelligent decision-making. The platform gives you all the information you need to make business decisions and also gives you the ability to run several “what if” scenarios to determine which decision is best based on a large range of variables - at record speed, instead of it taking days or weeks to complete.
    • By using Anaplan, you can adapt to changes very quickly. You can consider all of the possible options before responding in real time.
    • Anaplan can be used remotely from wherever you are.
    • Anaplan will help your organization stay focused and on target. You can stay in control with the ability to run scenario calculations quickly and use the information to make adjustments as needed.
    • Anaplan provides accurate, real-time data so you don’t have to worry about the risk of bad data. In turn, this boosts shareholder confidence because Anaplan’s platform mitigates the risks associated with incorrect data.
    • Anaplan’s Connected Planning helps you meet regulatory requirements. All the relevant business data is held in one place, therefore making adjustments easier to implement quickly. With Connected Planning, results also have a full audit trail.

    Anaplan Features:

    • Hyperscale computing: Anaplan eliminates the “messy middle” caused by out-of-date, siloed signals.
    • Integrated and dynamic signal set: This feature incorporates internal and external factors, relationships, and market context across functions which can all be seamlessly integrated.
    • Responsive unified system: Anaplan’s high-fidelity, responsive, and unified system for execution and accountability is reliable, accurate, and traceable.
    • Real-time insights: Detect signals hidden in your systems and gain insight into every asset, resource, risk, and change to help provide decision clarity.
    • Unlimited multi-dimensional scenarios: Anaplan helps your organization run unlimited multi-dimensional scenarios to identify ideal plans of action.
    • Synchronization: Using Anaplan, you can synchronize execution and readiness. Anaplan enables autonomous and coordinated in-market action by connecting headquarters to your most remote outposts.

    Reviews from Real Users:

    "Anaplan's in-memory calculation engine is super-fast compared to the old tools we previously used. You enter the data and everything shows up in one go.” - Sandeep A., Lead Analyst at a retailer

    "This product has a very good modeling feature, and its graphical representation of visualizations has also been valuable.” - Raghavendra K., Lead Consultant at a tech services company

    "Anaplan is a three-dimensional cloud platform that is good for analyzing data, visualization, integration, terrific for visibility.” - Anaplan model builder at a tech services company

    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution developed by Microsoft. It is designed to help small and mid-sized organizations streamline and automate their financial, supply chain, and project management processes. Business Central offers a range of tools and features to support collaboration and communication and provides real-time visibility into business performance.

    With Business Central, organizations can manage their financials, including general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and cash management. It also offers supply chain management capabilities, including inventory management, purchase order management, and sales order management. In addition, Business Central supports project management, including project tracking, project billing, and resource management.

    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Features

    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

    • Mobility: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central provides mobile access, allowing users to access information and perform tasks from anywhere, at any time.
    • Reporting and analytics: The solution includes business intelligence and reporting capabilities to help organizations gain insight into their operations and make data-driven decisions.
    • Security: With its secure platform, the solution protects sensitive data and ensures the integrity of business operations.
    • Customization: It offers a highly customizable solution that can be tailored to meet the specific needs of a wide range of industries and organizations.


    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Benefits

    There are many benefits to implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

    • Adapt as your business grows: With full capabilities on desktop, tablet, or mobile, on-premises or in the cloud, across Windows, Android, and iOS devices, the solution allows you to work wherever your business takes you.
    • Rapid deployment: The solution can be rapidly deployed either in the cloud or on-premises.
    • Scalability: With the solution, you can scale as you grow using modern technologies built on the Microsoft cloud, such as machine learning, IoT, and mixed reality to help you adapt to market dynamics.
    • Drive continuous process optimization: When you implement Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, you can Improve outcomes and productivity with real-time system suggestions, based on historical data, to guide employees through workflows.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a solution that stands out when compared to many of its competitors. Some of its major advantages are that it is user-friendly, has good integrations, and is flexible.

    Sasinath V., Project Consultant ( Scale Up) at a tech vendor, says, "For me, the main strengths of Microsoft Dynamics NAV are that it's user-friendly and light. These are its major wins. I have used other ERPs and their architecture was a little more complex when compared to the Microsoft Dynamics NAV architecture."

    "The solution's integrations and interface are very good,” mentions Alonso R., Director de Servicios at Kc ERP group.

    Another PeerSpot reviewer, Kamesh G., Vice President - Information Systems at a media company shares what he likes most about the solution: "I have found the flexibility to be very valuable. It's highly flexible, and at least for us, it has been effective. It is also highly functional."

    Sample Customers
    HP, ForeScout, DocuSign, EAT, Pandora, Aviva, Intel Security, Zalora
    Harris Farm Markets, Mister Spex GmbH, Bounce Foods, Eurofin Services SA, Medica Medizintechnik, Associated Gaskets, Onduline, Sitka Surfboard Corporation, World Animal Protection
    Top Industries
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Educational Organization25%
    Computer Software Company11%
    Financial Services Firm8%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    REVIEWERS
    Manufacturing Company24%
    Financial Services Firm10%
    Computer Software Company10%
    Government10%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company14%
    Comms Service Provider9%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Financial Services Firm6%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business43%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise43%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business18%
    Midsize Enterprise31%
    Large Enterprise52%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business55%
    Midsize Enterprise18%
    Large Enterprise27%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business36%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise47%
    Buyer's Guide
    Business Performance Management
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Anaplan, Oracle, Jedox and others in Business Performance Management. Updated: March 2024.
    768,857 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Anaplan is ranked 1st in Business Performance Management with 24 reviews while Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is ranked 3rd in ERP with 62 reviews. Anaplan is rated 8.0, while Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Anaplan writes "Great for large-scale modelling, easy to learn, and very stable". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central writes "Easy to deploy, extremely stable, and highly scalable". Anaplan is most compared with SAP ERP, Oracle Hyperion, SAP S/4HANA and IBM Planning Analytics, whereas Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is most compared with SAP S/4HANA, Microsoft Dynamics AX, SAP Business One, SAP ERP and Oracle E-Business Suite.

    We monitor all Business Performance Management reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.