Comparing Acumatica and NetSuite?

Read This First

If you’re like many companies in the market for ERP software, you probably have a general idea what you want. You’re probably looking for a cloud/software-as-a-service product that delivers integrated ERP, CRM, and BI. You want a product designed for the needs of your specific industry that has both functionality and success with companies similar to you.

It’s also likely you’ve seen how challenging it is to narrow down your shortlist. Many of the products you’re looking at offer similar functionality. The truth is often hard to come by, with many companies offering conflicting information. It’s possible you’ve gone through videos, blogs, and demos, trying to find that one perfect solution to manage your business over the next decade.

Do You Have Acumatica and Oracle NetSuite on Your ERP Shortlist?

Knowing all this, it’s likely that two of the vendors on your shortlist are Acumatica Cloud ERP and Oracle NetSuite. How do we know? First, you probably wouldn’t be on this page if they weren’t. Second, it’s one of the most common dilemmas companies face when looking at ERP software.

Not only are they both extremely popular options for businesses, a high-level look at both products yields a variety of similarities:

Both companies offer true cloud functionality—accessible using a browser and stored in the cloud.
Both provide a complete, full-function ERP product that includes CRM and BI.
Both support a variety of verticals and microverticals.
Both are scalable, able to grow with your business.
Both are celebrated by analysts.

Small Differences Could Result in Big Challenges

There are many more similarities. In fact, both can probably help your business achieve ROI. However, it’s the differences that determine how fast you achieve payback and in turn how much value each software will provide five, seven, or ten years from now.

That said, the differences may seem small, but could cost you big money over the useful life of the product. Here are just a few of the differences between Acumatica and NetSuite.

Customization

Configuring your product is important. While both are configurable, only one of the two products is built using relatable and familiar code bases. Acumatica is built using industry standard C# and .NET. Oracle NetSuite uses proprietary development tools, making customizations more difficult.

Freedom to Upgrade on Your Terms

The cloud has made it easy to add new features. In fact, both Acumatica and NetSuite offer major updates twice a year, making both products superior to legacy ERP products. However, even in the cloud, where updates are tested so as to maintain compatibility with integrations and customizations, you still may want to update on your own schedule.

To support their required multi-tenant model, Oracle NetSuite limits when users can choose to update their software. Acumatica provides users the option to upgrade at any time they choose; Oracle NetSuite charges users for this option.

License or Subscribe

Before the rise of the cloud, ERP software had long been known for a traditional licensing model. Naturally, there were benefits and disadvantages to this model, as some organizations didn’t have money upfront. The cloud—and its subscription model—changed this. Rather than paying a lot upfront with minimal maintenance, companies were now able to pay a monthly subscription fee that included everything.

However, what if you do have the money upfront and want to just get the cost out of the way, depreciating the capital expense needed for a perpetual license? With Acumatica, this is possible. With NetSuite, you can only pay for a subscription.

Where Do You Want Your Data?

Paired with the license vs. subscribe option, the cloud also replaced the on-premises server room. However, just as some companies preferred the perpetual license, some haven’t gotten completely on board with the public cloud. Others may want to store some information there, others still may want to choose their own cloud. Shouldn’t you at least have the option?

While both products are available in the cloud, Acumatica also supports on premises and hybrid deployments for companies that want to keep sensitive data in-house.

How Do You Want to Pay?

One of the biggest changes the cloud made was the pricing model. By moving away from a traditional on-premises perpetual license, vendors needed to determine some way to price their products, with many settling on a per-user pricing structure. This is great—if every user is a power user.

Acumatica took a different approach, charging only by computing resources used. No longer do you have to pay full-user price for your CEO to access a couple dashboards each quarter—only pay for the resources consumed. Knowing this, both products charge by computing resources consumed, but Oracle NetSuite also charges per user. These costs increase as your company grows, increasing your total cost of ownership over time.

Don’t Pay to Part Ways

Oracle NetSuite users cannot directly export their data in a relational format, making it difficult and costly to migrate their data. Acumatica will never hold your data hostage – offering both built-in automated backup service plus a unique snapshot feature allow you to have a fully relational copy of your data at any time.

Acumatica and CCS Technology Group

At CCS Technology Group, our goal is to deliver IT support that’s responsive, effective and convenient. After all, technology should make it easier to run your business. That’s what we mean by freedom.

That’s why we work with Acumatica Cloud ERP, a company that allows your business to do more and gives you the freedom to grow. Learn more about Acumatica or register for a demo at the link below.

Learn More