Acumatica vs Dynamics 365: ERP Pricing, Capabilities, Best Fit

Which ERP system will give your growing business the biggest bang for your buck without overwhelming your team?

And how do you pick between two cloud-native platforms that seem to promise similar things but use totally different pricing models?

These questions keep plenty of business owners up at night, especially when you're looking at Acumatica vs Dynamics 365 Business Central. Both platforms target some of the same businesses, but they take completely different approaches to pricing, personalization, and user experience.

Having worked in the ERP industry for a decade, I’ve seen many ERP platforms up close, and I know their strengths and weaknesses. In this article, I’ll draw on that knowledge to show you exactly how Acumatica or Business Central would fit your business size, budget, and growth plans. Not every ERP platform fits every business, so understanding what these ERP solutions do best is critical when you make your choice.

• ERP Software Publishers: Acumatica and Microsoft Dynamics 365
• What are the Different Dynamics 365 ERP Platforms?
• Which Costs Less, Acumatica or Dynamics 365 Business Central?
• User Satisfaction: What Real Customers Say
• Development and Customization for Acumatica or Business Central
• Capability Comparison by Business Function
• Will Your Business Fit Best with Acumatica or Dynamics 365?
• Implementation and Partners: Acumatica vs Dynamics 365

ERP Software Publishers: Acumatica and Microsoft Dynamics 365

Acumatica launched in 2008 as a cloud-first ERP company, serving over 10,000 customers worldwide. From day one, Acumatica focused on building a cloud-native, browser-based system for small and mid-sized businesses.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 traces back to 1987 with the original Navision platform. Microsoft acquired the technology in 2002 and eventually transformed it into Business Central in 2018. Today, Business Central serves about 60,000 customers globally.

What are the Different Dynamics 365 ERP Platforms?

Before we compare the main contenders, there's something you need to know about older Dynamics 365 platforms. Microsoft still supports legacy systems like Dynamics SL (formerly Solomon) and Dynamics GP (formerly Great Plains), but these are not cloud-native solutions. If you're currently using one of these systems, you'll need a complete rewrite to move to Business Central — there's no simple migration path. This makes these legacy platforms poor long-term investments compared to cloud-native alternatives.

Which Costs Less, Acumatica or Dynamics 365 Business Central?

Which ERP platform is most affordable will depend on how many user licenses you need and how many resources you use.

Dynamics 365 Business Central Pricing Model

Business Central follows Microsoft's traditional per-user model:

• Essentials: $70/user/month (Finance and Project modules)
• Premium: $100/user/month (adds Distribution and Manufacturing)

This approach seems straightforward until your business starts growing. Every new employee, contractor, or stakeholder who needs system access increases your monthly bill. If your business is large and has deep pockets, this may not matter. But small to midsized businesses should be cautious knowing that prices may rise rapidly as you scale, or if you need to add seasonal employees.

Acumatica Pricing Structure

Acumatica takes a completely different approach by using consumption-based pricing. Instead of paying per user, you pay by transaction volume. This means unlimited users at no additional cost.

Here's what this looks like in practice: A manufacturing company with 50 employees, 20 contractors, and 10 customers who need portal access would pay for 80 Business Central licenses. With Acumatica, they'd pay one static subscription fee regardless of user count.

User Satisfaction: What Real Customers Say

Industry research firm G2 supplies objective user satisfaction data comparing mid-market ERP systems. In the 2025 G2 survey, Acumatica consistently outperforms Dynamics 365 Business Central across key satisfaction metrics:

• Product Direction: Acumatica 94% vs Business Central 77%
• Ease of Use: Acumatica 86% vs Business Central 77%
• Likelihood to Recommend: Acumatica 90% vs Business Central 80%
• Meets Requirements: Acumatica 86% vs Business Central 83%
• Product is a Good Partner in Business: Acumatica 84% Business Central 78%

Development and Customization for Acumatica or Business Central

Acumatica's Developer-Friendly Platform

Acumatica built its system using universal development tools that most programmers already know:

• Standard C# and .NET framework
• Open APIs for easy integrations
• Low-code/no-code options for simple changes
• Source code access for deep customizations

This means your staff or your Acumatica partner can modify the system without learning proprietary languages or dealing with outdated development environments.

Business Central's AL Programming Challenge

Business Central requires a proprietary programming language called AL, which evolved from the original Navision codebase. AL skills are rare and thus can be expensive to hire. Most developers need special training, and finding qualified support can be challenging.

The practical impact? Customizations take longer, cost more, and create dependencies on specialized resources.

Capability Comparison by Business Function

Will Your Business Fit Best with Acumatica or Dynamics 365?

The characteristics of your business will determine which ERP system will work best for your needs.

Acumatica's Ideal Customer

Acumatica works best for companies with $5-100 million in annual revenue that need:

• Multiple locations or branches
• Mixed business models
• Strong manufacturing and distribution capabilities
• Plans for rapid user growth

Business Central's Best Fit

Business Central serves companies with $30-250 million in revenue that:

• Already use Microsoft tools heavily
• Need primarily financial and basic operational features
• Operate in a single country/currency
• Have a tech team with AL coding experience

Integration Capabilities and Ecosystem: Acumatica vs Dynamics 365

Microsoft's Ecosystem Advantage

Business Central's biggest strength is seamless integration with Microsoft products like Office 365, Power BI, and Teams. If your business runs on Microsoft tools, this creates a unified experience that reduces training time and increases adoption.

However, integrating with non-Microsoft systems often requires expensive middleware or custom development work.

Acumatica's Open Platform Approach

Acumatica uses industry-standard APIs that connect easily with most business applications. If you need to integrate with Salesforce, QuickBooks, or specialized industry software, the process is smoothed by this API standardization.

Acumatica is known for its native integrations with eCommerce software such as Shopify and BigCommerce, as well as B2B eCommerce apps such as Nomad and CIMcloud. Acumatica also has an Outlook integration that allows you to create contacts, leads, opportunities, and support cases from inside Outlook and log email activities to Acumatica with one click.

Implementation and Partners: Acumatica vs Dynamics 365

Microsoft's Partner Network Advantages

Microsoft's extensive partner network offers significant benefits, including global coverage and competitive pricing. With over 3,000 Business Central partners worldwide, you'll find implementation support virtually anywhere.

However, the sheer volume of partners creates quality control challenges. The barrier to entry is relatively low, so partner expertise varies widely. You'll need to carefully evaluate potential partners' track records and certifications.

Acumatica's Partner Approach

Acumatica's more selective partner certification process typically results in higher implementation success rates. Acumatica Partners must meet stricter requirements and often provide more comprehensive post-implementation support.

The downside? You may have fewer partner options if you want someone local to your area. But because all the work is cloud-based, many Acumatica Partners provide service nationwide.

Performance and Scalability

Business Central's Performance Profile

Business Central benefits from Microsoft's Azure infrastructure for reliability and uptime. The platform handles standard business processes efficiently, and Microsoft's rapid implementation methodology can get systems running quickly.

Performance challenges can emerge with larger data volumes or complex customizations. Some users report slower response times as databases grow, requiring performance tuning and optimization work.

Acumatica's Cloud-Native Performance

Acumatica's architecture generally delivers more consistent performance across different usage levels. The platform automatically scales resources based on demand, reducing manual intervention needs.

However, Acumatica's resource-based pricing can rise if your usage patterns change dramatically, though that’s not common for small to midsized businesses.

Which ERP Platform Fits Your Business?

The choice between Acumatica vs Dynamics 365 Business Central isn't about which system is universally better, because no ERP solution works best for all circumstances. The question is which system matches your specific business situation.

Choose Acumatica if you:

• Plan to grow significantly in users or locations
• Need native integrations or easier integrations using open API
• Operate multiple business models
• Want access to flexible development tools

Choose Business Central if you:

• Already invested heavily in Microsoft tools
• Prioritize seamless integration with other Microsoft apps
• Operate in a single nation/currency 
• Have a flexible IT budget or in-house AL coders for ongoing support

Both platforms will handle core business functions effectively, but they take fundamentally different approaches to pricing, development, and long-term growth support.

The next step is seeing how an ERP system would work with your actual business processes through a hands-on evaluation. Stellar One's expert team has helped scores of small to midsized businesses navigate this exact decision.

We are an Acumatica Gold-Certified Partner, which means we have the highest level of training and expertise. However, we'll only recommend Acumatica when it truly fits your specific needs, timeline, and budget.

Find out more about Acumatica and how it compares to other popular ERP solutions like NetSuite and Odoo.