Functionality

Sage Intacct is the ultimate accounting solution. It’s GAAP compliant, and it’s the first and only financial management software endorsed by the AICPA. Sage Intacct’s streamlined shared chart of accounts and dimensional reporting capabilities allow you to slice and dice data in ways that no other solution can handle. Sage Intacct offers some general operational functionality, but those capabilities are basic and not well-suited for companies with more complex needs. 

On the other hand, Dynamics GP offers the traditional accounting features you would expect from a financial management solution and handles them in a way that will feel familiar to most users. Dynamics GP is a true ERP solution, with functionality for HR and payroll, supply chain management, and manufacturing. 

With these capabilities in mind, Sage Intacct is particularly well-suited for professional services organizations, while Dynamics GP’s features meet the needs of most manufacturing or distribution companies. 

Best-in-Class vs. All-in-One

When it comes to software design, best-in-class solutions stand out due to their focused feature set and extensive integration capabilities. Best-in-class products serve one specific area of a business, and as a result, they include powerful integration capabilities to let users mix and match their favorite solutions. When you use best-in-class software like Sage Intacct, you benefit from robust functionality with the flexibility to combine software and build your ideal solution. 

Since Sage Intacct is best-in-class accounting software, you’ll need to integrate it to other best-in-class solutions for capabilities related to other departments. 

As a more traditional ERP solution, Dynamics GP comes with basic functionality and includes additional modules for HR and payroll and time and expense management. Because Dynamics GP covers so many aspects of a business, you may find that feature strength varies across the product or that some areas receive new features more often than others. It can sync with other software, but because Dynamics GP lacks the extensive integration capabilities of a best-in-class solution, connectivity with non-Microsoft products may be more difficult and costly to maintain. 

Price

At first glance, Sage Intacct seems to come at a much higher cost than Dynamics GP. However, it’s essential to consider the short-term and long-term costs of both software products. In the case of Sage Intacct, the cost reflects its best-in-class status, and the software is designed to grow alongside your business. Users pay a monthly subscription fee for all the benefits of Sage Intacct.  

Dynamics GP does charge regular fees for subscriptions, but users often opt for one-time perpetual license fees. Unlike Sage Intacct, Dynamics GP requires users to purchase add-on packages for HR, budgeting, and other modules. Still, these packages cover areas than Sage Intacct does.  

Ultimately, the question of price comes down to what you’re paying for, as opposed to how much you’ll be paying. Consider the exact needs of your business alongside your budget to figure out which solution will best suit your company. 

Deployment

Sage Intacct is a cloud solution and cannot be deployed on-premise. With the cloud platform, you can access the software anywhere, anytime, from any device. There are no hardware requirements or ongoing hardware costs associated with the software. Upgrades are managed by Sage Intacct and rolled out automatically with no downloads or installations required on your end. 

Dynamics GP can be hosted in the cloud, but it was initially designed as an on-premise solution and typically performs best in that environment. Whether Dynamics GP is deployed in the cloud or on-premise, upgrades must be scheduled with Microsoft or your software provider—they do not happen automatically.  

Sum It Up

If you’re considering Sage Intacct and Dynamics GP, you’ll need to determine whether you need specialized financial functionality or broad capabilities that cover multiple areas of your business. Sage Intacct can fulfill specialized financial needs such as drill-down capabilities and advanced reporting and dashboarding. Still, features outside of its accounting stack (like inventory) are basic, and you’ll need to integrate it with other solutions to cover all your business needs. 

Dynamics GP is a tried-and-true ERP solution with plenty of broad coverage, tackling everything from accounting and HR to manufacturing and supply chain management. Dynamics GP usually performs best when deployed on-premise and may be more challenging to integrate with other solutions. 

At Cargas, our expert consulting team specializes in both Dynamics GP and Sage Intacct. We’ve been working with Dynamics GP since 1993 and are recognized as a Sage Intacct Premier Partner. If you’re struggling to determine which of these solutions is the best fit for your business, we’d love to help. Let’s connect to talk about your needs and what you’re looking for in a software solution.