Choosing between NetSuite and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central isn't really about features. Both systems handle accounting, inventory, and operations just fine.
Both are cloud-native ERPs built from the ground up for modern businesses, though NetSuite pioneered cloud ERP while Microsoft adapted its legacy Dynamics products.
The real question: what happens six months after go-live when your consultant is gone and you're stuck with recurring issues nobody remembers how to fix?
We're comparing both ERPs on what actually matters: capabilities, real costs over five years, integrations, and the post-implementation support that determines whether your system becomes an asset or a money pit.
NetSuite vs Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central: Core Capabilities Comparison
Both are cloud ERPs built for companies doing $5M to $500M in revenue. Both handle accounting, inventory, and basic operations. The differences show up in depth, complexity, and what you'll pay extra for.
Accounting & Financial Management
Both get an "A" for core accounting. You won't regret either choice here.
NetSuite strengths:
- First cloud ERP ever built (decades of stability in financials)
- Pre-built controller dashboards (balance sheets, income statements, KPIs)
- Multi-entity consolidation out of the box with strong support for multi-currency, inter-company transactions, and global tax compliance
- Better for complex financial workflows and global operations
- SuiteAnalytics built-in for financial reporting and analysis
Business Central strengths:
- Modern interface that finance teams actually like using
- Native Excel integration (your team already lives there)
- Familiar Microsoft look and feel
- Cleaner, more organized design
- Power BI integration for advanced reporting and data visualization
Reporting comparison:
- NetSuite uses SuiteAnalytics for built-in reporting with saved searches and workbooks.
- Business Central relies on Power BI for advanced analytics, which gives you more flexibility but requires Power BI licensing and expertise.
If your team already uses Power BI, Business Central fits naturally. If you want reporting built into the ERP without separate tools, NetSuite has the edge.
The post-go-live reality:
NetSuite's power comes with complexity. Custom saved searches, SuiteAnalytics workbooks, and modified dashboards that nobody documented.
When your controller leaves, the new person inherits a system they don't understand. No documentation means starting over.
Inventory Management
Both handle the basics well. Real-time tracking, lot/serial numbers, standard warehouse ops.
What's different:
- NetSuite: Advanced multi-location inventory, complex lot tracking, barcode scanning (requires WMS add-on module)
- Business Central: Strong MRP capabilities for production planning, basic scanning included
Neither gives you advanced warehouse management without extra investment.
Supply Chain Management
This is where you pick based on complexity.
NetSuite:
- Enterprise-grade supply chain (but it's an additional module you pay for)
- Better for global, multi-location operations
- Real-time KPIs and analytics
- More complex to set up and maintain
- Strong for ecommerce and retail with native integrations to Shopify, Amazon, Magento, and other platforms
Business Central:
- Simpler, distribution-focused
- Better for regional operations
- More cost-effective if you don't need global complexity
- Works well for retail businesses already in the Microsoft ecosystem
NetSuite's SuiteCloud platform gives you extensive customization options via SuiteScript and SuiteFlow, but these customizations require governance.
Without change control, documentation standards, and approval flows, those customizations become technical debt that breaks during updates.
Manufacturing
This one's straightforward. Your company size and complexity determine the winner.
- Business Central wins for small to midsize manufacturers. It's more cost-effective and flexible for companies doing $5M to $50M who need to adapt to specific production processes.
- NetSuite wins for complex, global manufacturing. If you're running multi-site production with extensive global requirements, NetSuite handles that scale better.
If you're a regional manufacturer under $50M, Business Central is the smarter choice.
Project management capabilities
Both systems offer project management modules, but the approach differs:
- NetSuite: Project management integrated with financials, time tracking, resource allocation, and revenue recognition for professional services firms
- Business Central: Project jobs functionality with basic time/expense tracking, better when paired with Microsoft Project for complex project management
For professional services firms with complex project accounting, NetSuite's integrated approach typically wins. For companies needing basic job costing, Business Central is sufficient.
Warehouse Management
Both systems offer warehouse functionality, but you'll need to invest beyond the base package for serious operations.
NetSuite:
- RF barcode scanning for putaway and picking
- Reduces manual work
- Requires WMS module (additional cost)
Business Central:
- Similar functions available
- More limited out of the box
- Rated "Good" vs NetSuite's "Good" (basically a tie)
CRM Capabilities
The CRM story is completely different between these two platforms.
- NetSuite: Integrated CRM with marketing automation tools. Your sales-to-cash workflow stays in one system.
- Business Central: Limited CRM out of the box. You'll need to integrate Dynamics 365 Sales (additional licensing at $65/user/month) for full functionality.
If you need real CRM, factor that cost into your Business Central decision.
AI & Automation
AI is the current hot topic, and Business Central has the edge here in 2026.
Business Central has better AI right now:
- Copilot chat assistant (ask questions, get guidance)
- AI-powered sales forecasting
- Automated item descriptions for eCommerce
- More interactive and user-friendly
NetSuite has Oracle Cloud AI:
- Predictive analytics
- Data processing features
- More enterprise-focused
- Less interactive than Copilot
But here's the truth: AI features don't matter if your system isn't stable enough to use them. A chatbot can't fix inaccurate reports caused by undocumented customizations.
NetSuite vs Business Central Cost Comparison: 5-Year Total Cost of Ownership
Everyone obsesses over Year 1 costs. That's the wrong game. What you'll actually spend over five years tells the real story, and the gap between these two systems is massive.
Implementation Costs
Let's start with what it costs to get either system up and running and how long it takes.
- NetSuite: ~$35,000 (lower upfront) | Timeline: 3-6 months for standard implementation
- Business Central: ~$95,000 (higher due to customization needs) | Timeline: 4-8 months due to Power Platform customization requirements
Business Central costs nearly 3x more to implement. Why?
The Microsoft partner ecosystem typically requires more upfront customization work to get the system configured for your specific workflows.
NetSuite implementations are more standardized, which keeps initial costs lower.
Implementation timeline considerations:
- NetSuite's standardized approach means faster go-lives for most mid-market companies.
- Business Central takes longer because partners typically build more custom Power Platform solutions during implementation rather than using out-of-the-box functionality.
If time-to-value matters more than perfect customization, NetSuite has the advantage.
Annual Subscription Costs
Here's where the numbers flip completely.
NetSuite pricing model:
- Year 1: $44,500
- Year 2: $49,000 (10% increase)
- Year 3: $54,000 (10% increase)
- Year 4: $59,000 (10% increase)
- Year 5: $65,000 (10% increase)
- Total 5-year cost: ~$264,000
That 10% annual increase is standard across the industry. NetSuite requires customers to accept this when they sign the contract.
Business Central pricing model:
- Flat rate: $6,720/year (based on 8 full users)
- No automatic increases (unless Microsoft announces pricing changes)
- Total 5-year cost: ~$128,000
Business Central costs roughly half of NetSuite over five years. Even with the higher implementation cost, you're still saving $136,000 by Year 5.
Hidden Costs & Support Expenses
The subscription fee is just the entry point. Here's what you'll actually pay.
NetSuite hidden costs you need to know:
- ACS (Advanced Customer Support): The Optimize package runs $300/hour
- Premium Support: Add 10% of your annual license fee just to access higher ACS tiers (NetSuite requires this before they'll even let you purchase certain ACS packages)
- Quarterly hour expiration: Buy hours at the start of the quarter. Don't use them? They disappear. You lose money you already spent.
- Supply Chain Management: Additional module (not included in base pricing)
- WMS functionality: Another add-on module
Some NetSuite customers end up buying both Premium Support and ACS just to get post-go-live support for complex work. That's paying twice for what should be included.
Business Central hidden costs to factor in:
- Power Platform licensing: Required if you want customizations beyond basic configuration
- Dynamics 365 Sales: $65/user/month if you need actual CRM functionality
- Azure consumption fees: Charges rack up for advanced integrations
- Partner support rates: Vary wildly depending on which Microsoft partner you chose
Hidden Cost of Operational Drift
TCO calculators never show you this part, but it's often the biggest expense.
What operational drift actually costs:
- Lost ACS hours: You paid for 40 hours this quarter. Used 15. Lost 25. That's $7,500 gone.
- Recurring issues: Same problem breaks every month. Finance spends 8 hours each time investigating. That's 96 hours per year on one issue.
- Month-end delays: Close takes 2 extra days because of manual workarounds. Your controller and two accountants work overtime.
- Manual workarounds: Tasks that should be automated but aren't. Someone spends 5 hours per week on data entry that shouldn't exist.
- Duplicated customizations: Nobody documented the first solution. Someone builds it again. You paid twice.
- Features you're not using: You're paying for modules, advanced functionality, and integrations that are just sitting there dormant.
Let's do the math:
You chose Business Central and saved $136,000 over five years on subscription costs. Excellent decision, right?
But if operational drift costs you $200,000 in lost productivity, finance team overtime, delayed decisions, and manual work that shouldn't exist, did you actually save money?
Or you spent $264,000 on NetSuite over five years. But you're still dealing with expired ACS hours, rotating consultants who don't know your system, and recurring issues that never get permanently fixed.
The real cost isn't the subscription. It's what happens when nobody owns continuity and reliability after your consultant leaves.
NetSuite vs Microsoft Dynamics 365: User Experience and Integration Capabilities
How a system feels to use and how well it connects to everything else matters more than most CFOs realize. Your finance team will spend 40+ hours per week in whichever ERP you choose, and your other systems need to talk to it without constant issues.
A. User Interface & Usability
This one's subjective, but the feedback from 2025 users is pretty consistent.
Business Central:
- Modern, clean design
- Role-based interface
- Looks and feels like Microsoft Office (your team already knows how to use it)
- Easy to personalize
- Intuitive for new users
NetSuite:
- Functional design that works
- Customizable with effort
- Looks dated compared to newer systems
- Users in 2025 commonly describe it as "outdated"
- Steeper learning curve for new hires
Honest assessment: If UI is your top priority, Business Central wins hands down. But NetSuite's interface is stable and doesn't break during updates. For finance teams who value reliability over modern aesthetics, that consistency matters more than a sleek dashboard.
Your controller cares more about accurate month-end close than pretty buttons.
B. Third-Party Application Ecosystem
The raw numbers look dramatic.
App availability:
- Business Central: 6,539 apps on Microsoft AppSource
- NetSuite: 752 apps on SuiteApp.com
Business Central has roughly 10x more third-party apps available. That sounds like a massive advantage.
But here's what that really means in practice:
More apps equal more complexity:
- More integration points that can fail during updates
- More vendors to manage and coordinate
- More potential conflicts between apps
- More things that need documentation and governance
We've seen NetSuite customers with 12 integrations running smoothly because someone documented every connection, every data flow, and every dependency.
We've also seen Business Central customers with 30+ apps creating trouble because nobody tracked what connects to what.
The number of available apps matters less than whether you have an Admin Continuity Vault tracking every integration, customization, and workflow.
Without documentation, both ecosystems become a mess when your admin leaves or a critical app updates unexpectedly.
C. Native Platform Integrations
This is where Business Central's Microsoft ecosystem really shines.
Business Central's native advantages:
Microsoft 365 integration (no connectors needed):
- Outlook for email tracking and calendar sync
- Teams for collaboration and embedded apps
- SharePoint for document management
- Excel for exports and data manipulation (your team lives here already)
Power Platform:
- PowerApps for custom applications
- Power Automate for workflow automation
- Power BI for reporting and analytics
- Low-code tools that business users can learn
Azure services:
- Full access to Microsoft's cloud infrastructure
- Advanced integrations without third-party middleware
- Scalability built into the platform
- Dataverse as the underlying data platform for unified data management
- Azure Synapse for data warehousing and advanced analytics
Copilot AI:
- Chat assistant throughout the system
- Natural language queries
- Embedded in the tools your team already uses
Security and compliance advantages:
- Azure Active Directory for identity management
- Centralized security controls across Microsoft stack
- Compliance certifications (SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA) managed at platform level
- Single sign-on across all Microsoft applications
If you're already a Microsoft shop, Business Central fits your existing technology stack immediately. No friction, no translation layer, no extra connectors to license and maintain.
NetSuite's integration approach:
NetSuite wasn't built inside the Microsoft ecosystem, so connections require more work:
- Third-party connectors for Microsoft products (Celigo, Boomi, etc.)
- SuiteCloud platform for specialized integrations
- API capabilities via SuiteScript and RESTlets for custom connections
- SFTP for file transfers and data exchange
- Can integrate with Microsoft 365 and Power BI through middleware, but requires additional licensing and maintenance
NetSuite can integrate with Microsoft products and thousands of other systems. It just requires more custom work, more middleware, and more ongoing maintenance.
Data warehousing consideration:
- NetSuite customers often use Snowflake or other third-party data warehouses for advanced analytics.
- Business Central customers can use Azure Synapse natively.
Factor in these costs when comparing total ownership.
The real question: Are you willing to pay for and maintain those connectors? Or do you want native integration that works out of the box?
D. Customization & Extensibility
Both systems let you customize, but the approach and technical requirements are completely different.
Business Central customization:
- Power Platform: Low-code and no-code options for non-technical users
- Faster to build: Small customizations can be done quickly
- Easier learning curve: Business users can make changes with training
- Visual workflow builders: Power Automate uses drag-and-drop logic
NetSuite customization:
- SuiteCloud platform: Provides the full development framework
- SuiteScript: JavaScript-based coding (requires developers)
- SuiteFlow: Workflow automation tool
- SuiteAnalytics: Advanced reporting and data visualization
- More powerful but technical: You need actual technical expertise to build anything custom
Business Central is easier for non-technical users. NetSuite is more powerful for technical teams.
The problem both platforms share: Custom code becomes technical debt without governance.
Whether it's SuiteScript or PowerApps, if nobody documents why it was built, how it works, what it connects to, and when it was last tested, you're creating future problems:
- Custom scripts break during platform updates
- Nobody remembers what that workflow does or why it exists
- The person who built it left the company
- New customizations duplicate old ones because no one documented the first version
- Performance slows down from abandoned code nobody cleaned up
This is where a Custom Code De-Risking Protocol matters.
Stabilize and document every customization so legacy code doesn't become a landmine waiting to explode during your next NetSuite release or Business Central update.
NetSuite vs Business Central: Post-Implementation Support and Long-Term Reliability
This is where the real difference shows up. Not in features. Not in cost. But in what happens six months after your implementation consultant finishes the project and moves on to the next client.
The Traditional Support Model (What's Broken)
Let's be direct about what you're walking into with standard support from either platform.
NetSuite ACS pain points:
- Hours expire quarterly: Buy 40 hours at the start of Q1. Use 15. The other 25 disappear. You just lost $7,500 you already paid for.
- Projects get stuck mid-quarter: Your customization consumes all available hours in week 6. The project isn't done. You wait until Q2 starts to continue. Your go-live just got delayed by 6 weeks.
- Junior consultant rotation: Different person every ticket. They don't know your system. You spend the first hour of every call re-explaining your setup, your industry, and your history.
- Response times measured in weeks: Sometimes months. You submit a ticket. You wait. Your finance team is stuck. You escalate. You wait more.
- Premium Support tax: NetSuite charges 10% of your annual license fee just to access higher ACS tiers. Some customers pay for Premium Support AND ACS packages just to get post-go-live help for complex work.
- No continuity: Every ticket is a reset. No one tracks patterns. No one owns your long-term success. You're a ticket number, not a partner.
Business Central support challenges:
- Partner quality is all over the map: Your experience depends entirely on which Microsoft partner you chose. Some are excellent. Many are not.
- Power Platform customizations need ongoing care: That low-code app someone built in PowerApps? It needs maintenance. Updates break things. Who's testing that?
- No standard continuity model: Most Microsoft partners treat you like a project with a finish line. Once implementation is done, you're on hourly support with whoever's available.
- Release management falls on you: Microsoft pushes monthly updates. Your partner might test them against your customizations. Or they might not. You find out when things break.
- Documentation is inconsistent: Some partners document everything. Most document nothing. You're dependent on whoever remembers how it was built.
Neither platform's default support model is designed to fight operational drift. Both are reactive, fragmented, and built on billable hours instead of outcomes.
Operational Drift: The Real Opponent
Operational drift is the silent killer of ERP investments. It's the slow erosion of context, knowledge, documentation, and system alignment that happens when nobody owns continuity.
You have operational drift if you recognize these symptoms:
- Recurring issues that never die: Same problem every month. Gets "fixed" but comes back. Nobody root-causes it because that takes time and doesn't generate billable hours.
- Reports nobody trusts: Finance pulls three different reports. Gets three different numbers. Stops trusting the system. Goes back to Excel.
- Manual workarounds everywhere: Tasks that were supposed to be automated two years ago. Still doing them manually. Nobody remembers why it wasn't automated.
- One admin holds all the knowledge: That person leaves. Panic sets in. Nobody else knows how workflows were built or why they exist.
- Investigations take forever: Simple question about a transaction. Takes three days to track down. Nobody documented the process.
- Month-end close is chaos: Every single month. Scrambling. Overtime. Stress. Same problems that should have been solved by now.
- Duplicated customizations: Someone builds a workflow. Nobody documents it. Six months later, someone builds it again because they didn't know the first one existed.
- Features you forgot you're paying for: Modules sitting dormant. Unused functionality. Wasted licenses. Nobody optimized anything after go-live.
This is what ACS doesn't fix. This is what Microsoft partners don't fix. Because their model is reactive and designed to bill hours, not prevent problems.
The Continuity & Reliability Imperative
Post-implementation matters more than implementation. Here's why.
Knowledge transfer fails during turnover:
Your admin leaves for another job. Your consultant rotates to a different client. The developer who built that critical SuiteScript is gone. No documentation exists. The new person inherits a system they don't understand and has to reverse-engineer everything.
You just reset to zero. All that institutional knowledge walked out the door.
Release management without testing breaks your system:
- NetSuite pushes quarterly updates
- Microsoft pushes monthly updates
- Both claim they test thoroughly (they test the platform, not YOUR customizations)
- Someone needs to test those updates against your specific workflows, scripts, integrations
- Most companies find out things broke after users start screaming
A Release Readiness Confidence Protocol means you test updates before they hit production. You catch conflicts before they break month-end close. Updates improve your system instead of creating emergency tickets.
You can't improve what you can't measure:
Answer these questions about your current ERP:
- How many tickets are recurring issues vs. new problems?
- What's your actual system uptime over the last 90 days?
- Are you meeting your internal SLA commitments?
- Which customizations are slowing performance?
- Where are the risks in your next platform update?
If you can't answer those questions, you're flying blind. A System Reliability Dashboard gives you visibility into stability, performance, SLA adherence, recurrence rates, and risk indicators.
Governance prevents issues from compounding:
Without governance, every change creates future problems:
- Change control: Who can modify what, and when? Who approves changes before they go live?
- Documentation standards: Every customization gets documented. No exceptions.
- UAT processes: Test changes before deployment. Catch issues before users do.
- Approval flows: No surprise changes that break existing workflows.
A Reliability Governance Layer wraps standards and controls around your ERP so changes don't turn into problems.
What Post-Implementation Excellence Looks Like
Most companies don't know what good support actually looks like because they've never experienced it. Here's the standard.
Continuity means:
- No knowledge loss when people leave: Everything is documented. New admins inherit a system they can understand.
- No support interruptions: Consistent team that knows your business. No rotating consultants. No re-explaining your setup.
- Predictable operational cadence: You know when reviews happen. You know when optimizations are scheduled. No surprises.
- Hours that don't expire: You bought support. You get support. No quarterly resets that lose your investment.
Reliability means:
- Consistent system performance: Month-end close gets faster, not slower. Reports are accurate.
- Data you can trust: Finance stops building shadow Excel systems because they don't trust the ERP.
- Uptime you can count on: System is stable. Updates don't break things. Users can depend on it.
- Confidence in your numbers: CFO can make decisions based on what the system says without second-guessing.
ROI maximization means:
- Using features you're already paying for: Modules and functionality sitting dormant get activated and optimized.
- Eliminating recurring issues permanently: Root cause analysis that fixes problems instead of band-aiding them.
- Automating manual work: Workflows that should have been automated get built properly.
- Faster operations every quarter: Month-end close, order-to-cash cycle, lead times all improve continuously.
This is what the ACS model doesn't deliver. This is what traditional Microsoft partners don't deliver. Because they're incentivized to bill hours, not solve problems permanently.
Questions to Ask Your ERP Partner
Before you sign anything, ask these questions. The answers will tell you everything you need to know.
About continuity:
- What happens when my NetSuite admin or Business Central expert leaves the company?
- Do your support hours expire? If I don't use them, do I lose that money?
- Will I work with the same team long-term, or does it rotate based on availability?
- How do you document our system so knowledge doesn't disappear when people leave?
- What's your process for knowledge transfer during consultant or admin turnover?
About reliability:
- How do you handle NetSuite quarterly updates or Business Central monthly updates?
- Do you test platform releases against our specific customizations before they go live?
- What documentation do you provide for every customization, workflow, and integration?
- How do you prevent the same issues from recurring month after month?
- What visibility do I get into system health, performance, and stability?
- Do you provide regular reports on SLA adherence and issue recurrence?
About ROI:
- How do you help us actually use features we're paying for but not using?
- What's your process for identifying optimization opportunities?
- Do you provide quarterly reviews, or do we only hear from you when we submit tickets?
- How do you measure whether we're getting value from our ERP investment?
- What happens if we're paying for modules or licenses we don't need?
Red flags to watch for:
- Vague answers about "standard support processes."
- Focus on how many hours you can buy.
- No mention of documentation or knowledge preservation.
- "We'll assign someone when you submit a ticket."
- No proactive optimization or quarterly reviews.
- Billing model based purely on time and materials.
If the answers are vague or focused on billable hours instead of outcomes, keep looking. You're about to buy a reactive support model that doesn't prevent operational drift.
NetSuite vs Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central: Which ERP Is Right for Your Business?
Both systems work. The question is which one fits your specific situation, and more importantly, whether you have a plan for what happens after go-live.
Choose NetSuite if
Your company profile matches this:
- $5M to $500M in annual revenue.
- Complex financial requirements (multi-entity, multi-currency, consolidation across subsidiaries).
- Wholesale distribution, SaaS, eCommerce, or professional services.
- Need integrated CRM with financial systems (not bolted together).
- Advanced supply chain management or global operations.
- Recurring revenue models requiring strong financial controls and recognition rules.
You're willing to:
- Invest more upfront and annually for deeper functionality
- Commit to proper governance and documentation (or partner with someone who provides it)
- Pay for continuity instead of just buying hours that expire.
- Extend your processes through customizations.
NetSuite is ideal for:
- Companies outgrowing QuickBooks, Xero, or entry-level ERPs that can't scale.
- Organizations consolidating financials across multiple entities or countries.
- Businesses with complex order-to-cash cycles that require automated workflows.
- Companies that prioritize financial depth and stability over modern UI.
- Professional services firms needing integrated project accounting and resource management.
- Companies that want to customize flows and additional functionality using NetSuite’s Suitecloud Framework.
Real scenarios where NetSuite wins:
- You have three subsidiaries in different countries and need consolidated financial statements.
- Your SaaS business has complex revenue recognition requirements across multiple subscription types.
- Your wholesale distribution company manages inventory across 10+ warehouses with complex picking logic.
- Your eCommerce business processes thousands of orders daily with integrations to Shopify, Amazon, and ShipHawk.
- Your professional services firm bills by project, tracks time and expenses across multiple clients, and needs revenue recognition by milestone.
Migration consideration:
If you're currently on legacy Dynamics (GP, NAV, or AX) and evaluating whether to migrate to Business Central or switch to NetSuite, consider your complexity level.
- NetSuite makes sense if you've outgrown what Business Central can handle for multi-entity or global operations.
- Business Central makes sense if you're staying within the Microsoft ecosystem and don't need enterprise-grade consolidation.
Choose Business Central if
Your company profile looks like this:
- $5M to $50M in annual revenue with simpler operational needs.
- Manufacturing-focused SMB needing flexibility for production processes.
- Deeply integrated into Microsoft 365 ecosystem (you live in Outlook, Teams, Excel, SharePoint).
- Prefer modern UI and user experience over legacy interfaces.
- Straightforward, regional supply chain (not global complexity).
- Want lower subscription costs with solid core functionality.
You have or can get:
- Internal Microsoft expertise or a strong, reliable Microsoft partner relationship.
- Finance team that already works primarily in Excel and Outlook.
- Less complex financial consolidation needs (maybe 1-2 entities, single currency, or simple multi-currency).
- Willingness to integrate Dynamics 365 Sales separately if you need real CRM functionality.
Business Central is ideal for:
- Small to midsize manufacturers needing flexible production workflows.
- Distribution companies with regional focus (not managing global complexity).
- Microsoft shops where everyone already uses Office 365, Teams, SharePoint daily.
- Companies prioritizing lower total cost of ownership with good-enough functionality.
- Retail businesses already using Microsoft's point-of-sale and back-office systems.
Real scenarios where Business Central wins:
- You're a $15M manufacturer with two production facilities and need flexible shop floor workflows.
- Your entire team works in Microsoft 365 and you want an ERP that feels like the tools they already use.
- You have straightforward financials and want to save $136,000 over five years on subscription costs.
- You need Power BI analytics integrated natively without third-party connectors.
- Your retail business has 5-10 locations and you need point-of-sale integration with back-office accounting.
Tiebreaker question
Here's what actually determines long-term success, and it has nothing to do with features or cost.
What's your post-implementation strategy for continuity and reliability?
Lower total cost of ownership means nothing if operational drift erodes productivity faster than you save money. Business Central's $136,000 savings over five years evaporate completely if:
- Your system becomes unstable and undocumented
- Nobody knows how customizations work when your admin leaves
- Month-end close takes longer every quarter instead of getting faster
- You're paying a Microsoft partner by the hour to fix the same recurring issues
NetSuite's deeper functionality and higher cost don't matter if you're stuck in ACS limbo:
- Hours expire every quarter (you lose money you already spent)
- Different consultant every ticket (re-explain your business constantly)
- Weeks or months waiting for responses on critical issues
- Premium Support fees stacked on top of ACS fees just to get adequate help
Neither ERP's native support model solves the continuity problem.
NetSuite ACS is reactive, fragmented, and built on quarterly-hour packages that expire. Microsoft partner support varies wildly in quality and rarely includes proactive governance.
You need a partner who treats post-go-live as the actual work, not the afterthought.
The right ERP plus the right managed services partner creates compounding value:
- Knowledge doesn't disappear when people leave
- System gets more stable and faster over time
- Features you're paying for actually get used
- ROI increases quarter after quarter instead of degrading
The wrong combination creates compounding problems:
- Lost institutional knowledge
- Growing technical debt from undocumented customizations
- Recurring issues that never get root-caused
- Manual workarounds that should have been automated years ago
- Slower operations despite paying more for "support"
The question isn't just "Which ERP?" The question is "Which ERP with which post-implementation partner?"
Making the Right Choice Between NetSuite and Microsoft Dynamics 365
Both ERPs work. Business Central costs half as much over five years and has a modern UI. NetSuite goes deeper on financials and includes integrated CRM.
But here's what actually matters: what happens after go-live.
You can choose the cheaper system and watch operational drift cost you more than you saved. Or choose the expensive system and still deal with expired ACS hours, rotating consultants, and recurring issues.
Neither platform's traditional support model delivers continuity and reliability. Both are reactive, fragmented, and built on billable hours instead of outcomes.
The real decision: Which ERP plus which post-implementation partner?
If you choose NetSuite, don't rely on ACS alone. You need managed services that don't expire hours quarterly, don't rotate consultants, and treat your success as an ongoing commitment.
Stockton10 is the NetSuite continuity and reliability managed services partner.
We provide what ACS can't: support that doesn't expire, knowledge that doesn't disappear, and systems that get better over time instead of worse.
When continuity and reliability come first, ROI naturally follows.
Contact Stockton10 to make your NetSuite investment actually pay off.
