Sage X3 vs. Microsoft Dynamics AX

The sheer number of ERP software solutions on the market is daunting. For this reason, the task of choose the most suitable ERP for your company can result in a headache.

ERP systems are not one size fits all. What works perfectly for one business may not be right for your business, your users, your goals, or your workflow processes.

So to help you break it all down, below is a comparison between SAGE-X3 vs Microsoft Dynamics AX, two popular ERP solutions on the market today.

Industry Focus, Third Party Plugins, or Best of Breed?

X3 supports discrete, process, and mixed-mode manufacturing environments with built-in features delivered from the factory. This is useful for companies that run multiple businesses or divisions, each with different manufacturing needs and processes.

offers unique, pre-built implementation templates to optimize for industry-specific requirements during product setup. X3 also recognizes unique regulatory needs and accommodates FDA, USDA, MSDS, and other critical compliance requirements within industries.

Like Sage, Microsoft Dynamics AX offers industry verticals out of the box while leveraging its channel ecosystem. partners and the independent software vendor community (ISV) to develop third-party vertical industry applications that enhance the software.

Both X3 and Dynamics AX offer strong international capabilities including legislations that meet country-specific regulatory requirements, multi-language translations, and robust collaboration features for complex multi-country projects.

Mobility and usability

X3 has been providing real-time access to business intelligence reporting and analysis from anywhere on any device and browser since 2013. Mobility apps simplify the X3 user interface for common functions and provide real-time access to information at the time that provide a rich user experience.

Microsoft Dynamics AX promises mobile accessibility in its latest release. Codenamed “AX 7” or Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, a version of Microsoft Dynamics that offers a user experience on almost any device, from anywhere.

In earlier editions of Dynamics AX there are no mobile apps out of the box; Emiral offers you multi-platform applications that adjust to the needs of your company and that you can install on any device (PDAs, mobiles, tablets, computers, etc). They are integrations that work with any version (AX 2012, AX 2009, AX 4.0 and even AX 2.5). To know more about them you can contact us  and check some of our ERP solutions.

Choice of platforms and technology

X3 Online offers customers a choice of three popular operating systems: Windows, Unix, or Linux. The platform of choice offers the customer the ability to retain their internal infrastructure and IT talent, reducing initial cost, training and implementation.

Microsoft Dynamics AX is restricted to Windows platforms only. This may require additional investments in the Microsoft technology stack, leading to higher initial investment and annual maintenance costs than other mid-market solutions.

Cost Sage X3 vs Microsoft Dynamics AX

Both X3 and Microsoft Dynamics AX have competitive prices for the local licenses (on-premise). The biggest difference is how user licenses are delivered and managed.

For example, Microsoft Dynamics AX is sold for designated User, while X3 is more commonly sold for concurrent user. Consider how this license model might affect your organization because different user license models can significantly affect your software investment and usage.