Dynamics 365 vs. Netsuite: What You Need to Know

Here’s a simple analogy that will illustrate the advantages of Dynamics 365 vs. NetSuite. Imagine having to share a single phone line with multiple users. (Don’t laugh; these so-called “party lines” were common in the early days of telephones).
How would you keep your personal information private on a party line?
How could you ensure that someone else’s blunder didn’t rob you of phone access?
Or how would you handle upgrades to the system without everyone being on board?
Having a party line would be clunky and confusing – two qualities that spell disaster for business operations.
Party lines are a lot like Netsuite’s multi-tenant software. In both cases, lots of people have to share the same resources. Dynamics 365, on the other hand, is a single-tenant solution. This means each user gets a unique environment in which to work. When comparing Microsoft Dynamics 365 vs NetSuite, the advantages of the Dynamics 365 approach include:
Enhanced Security
- Enhanced security. The single-tenant software is impervious to attacks that could damage or even cripple multi-tenant systems. Neither solution is 100% foolproof, of course. But single-tenant software like Dynamics 365 has strong advantages over systems like Netsuite.
Flexibility
- Flexibility. With Netsuite, every user must adapt to a mandatory set of “upgrades” every few months. These changes occur on Netsuite’s schedule, not yours. This can cause compliance and training issues you’ll never have to worry about if you use Dynamics 365.
Customizability
- Customizability. Dynamics 365 allows each user to tailor the layout to his or her needs. Netsuite, however, imposes a one-size-fits-all configuration that may, or may not, be best for your situation.
To find out more about the benefits of Dynamics 365, contact us today. We can help your organization to run more smoothly and more profitably.
Dynamics 365 Business Central vs. NetSuite
Analyzing Strengths and Weaknesses (NetSuite vs Dynamics)
NetSuite Weaknesses
Dynamics 365 Strengths
- It’s complex and cumbersome, takes long to deploy, and requires extensive customization
- Service contracts are inflexible. High per use cost of $100/month, plus a 1-1.5x subscription price for implementation. A la carte pricing adds thousands of dollars per year. Annual contract renewals increase 10-20%
- NetSuite was acquired by Oracle in July 2016—after $250M in losses. To make NetSuite profitable, Oracle may cut staff, increase prices, or move upmarket where much of NetSuite’s growth in the past five years have been
- Familiar interface, built-in setup wizards, preconfigured templates, and tutorial reduces training time and enables quicker adoption. Deep integration with Office helps enhance productivity and usability for users.
- High value to license costs – Dynamics 365 Business Central is predictable, user-based, and billed monthly. User licenses start at $70/month for Full Users, $8/month for Team Members. 5-year TCO is significantly lower than NetSuite.
- Microsoft offers a complete stack – infrastructure, platform, and applications – with Azure, Dynamics 365 and Office 365 and deep ERP heritage trusted by 160,000 customers.



Microsoft gives access to the database in ways that NetSuite will not. NetSuite is like the Wizard of OZ. They want you to think that they are the all-powerful cloud, the ERP of the future. But behind the curtain, just a guy with a database.









Still not convinced?
The question between Dynamics 365 vs. NetSuite is a simple one for any small business looking to improve their resource management.
Learn how the flexible features provided by Dynamics 365 can accommodate your ERP expectations.