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ERP · head to head

Exact Online vs SAP S/4HANA

Exact Online logo

Exact Online

ERP

Dutch cloud business software for entrepreneurs and accountants

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SAP S/4HANA logo

SAP S/4HANA

ERP

SAP's current ERP, running only on the HANA database, with a migration deadline behind it

From
$5000/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Exact Online no pricing published; visitors directed to contact sales directly; SAP S/4HANA implementation and integration costs routinely run to several times the software cost, and the subscription clock typically starts long before go live, so the first contract year buys much less usable production time than the headline suggests.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Exact Online and SAP S/4HANA actually diverge.

Attributes where Exact Online and SAP S/4HANA differ
AttributeExact OnlineSAP S/4HANA
Starting priceOn request$5000/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWebCloud, Windows, Linux
FoundedUnknown1972

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (ERP).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Exact Online

Nothing recorded that SAP S/4HANA does not also cover.

Only in SAP S/4HANA

  • HANA in-memory database
  • Core finance
  • Supply chain and manufacturing
  • Country localisations
  • Fiori interface
  • Deployment options
  • Business Technology Platform
  • Embedded analytics

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Exact Online

  • Automating bookkeeping with AI document processingnot SAP S/4HANA
  • Managing multi-company accounting in single interfacenot SAP S/4HANA
  • Calculating tax compliance for multiple jurisdictionsnot SAP S/4HANA
  • Reconciling bank accounts automatically across subsidiariesnot SAP S/4HANA

SAP S/4HANA

  • An existing ECC customer facing the end of mainstream maintenance and choosing between migration and replacementnot Exact Online
  • A multinational needing statutory compliance and consolidation across many countries in one system of recordnot Exact Online
  • A large manufacturer whose supply chain complexity exceeds what mid-market ERP can modelnot Exact Online
  • A group standardising a fragmented estate of divisional ERP systems onto a single templatenot Exact Online

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Exact Online

  • No pricing published; visitors directed to contact sales directly
  • Website content in Dutch suggests regional/European focus

SAP S/4HANA

  • Implementation and integration costs routinely run to several times the software cost, and the subscription clock typically starts long before go live, so the first contract year buys much less usable production time than the headline suggests.
  • Custom ABAP from an ECC installation must be assessed against the simplification list and either retired or rebuilt, and this remediation is normally the largest and most underestimated line in a brownfield conversion.
  • The public cloud edition constrains modification by design, so organisations that depend on non-standard processes are pushed either to change the process or to pay for the private edition, and that decision is often made after the contract is signed.
  • SAP intends extensions to live on the separately licensed Business Technology Platform, so the extensibility model that makes upgrades safe also adds a second subscription and a second set of skills to the total cost.
  • Exit is effectively impossible at reasonable cost, because the data model, the accumulated configuration and the trained staff around a large installation represent a switching cost that outweighs any competing vendor's discount, so the decision binds for a decade or more.

Pricing, plan by plan

Exact Online

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Exact Online review.

SAP S/4HANA

$5000/month
  • Cloud Standard$5000/month
    • Core ERP functionality
    • Cloud deployment
    • Real-time analytics
  • Cloud Premium$8000/month
    • Advanced features
    • AI and ML capabilities
    • Priority support

Which should you pick?

Choose Exact Online if

Nothing in the data separates Exact Online from SAP S/4HANA on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Exact Online review

Choose SAP S/4HANA if

  • You need hana in-memory database.
  • You work on Cloud, Windows, Linux.
  • You also want core finance.
SAP S/4HANA review

Questions people ask

Is Exact Online or SAP S/4HANA better?
Neither clearly leads. Exact Online starts at On request and SAP S/4HANA at $5000/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Exact Online or SAP S/4HANA?
Exact Online starts at On request and SAP S/4HANA at $5000/month.
Does Exact Online or SAP S/4HANA run on more platforms?
Exact Online runs on Web. SAP S/4HANA runs on Cloud, Windows, Linux.
What is Exact Online best used for?
Exact Online is most often used for automating bookkeeping with ai document processing, managing multi-company accounting in single interface, calculating tax compliance for multiple jurisdictions, reconciling bank accounts automatically across subsidiaries. Of those, automating bookkeeping with ai document processing and managing multi-company accounting in single interface are not what SAP S/4HANA is typically brought in for.
What can Exact Online do that SAP S/4HANA cannot?
SAP S/4HANA covers HANA in-memory database, Core finance, Supply chain and manufacturing, Country localisations.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Exact Online: Does Exact Online publish pricing on its website?

No. Exact Online's website contains no pricing information, costs, subscription tiers, or fee structures. Interested parties must contact the company via phone or contact form for pricing details.

Source
SAP S/4HANA: What is the actual deadline for leaving ECC?

SAP has set mainstream maintenance for the older Business Suite to end in 2027, with paid extended maintenance available for a further period to 2030. Confirm the current dates and terms with SAP directly, because the commercial detail has been adjusted more than once and it determines your negotiating window.

Exact Online: How can I get pricing information for Exact Online?

Exact Online directs visitors to contact sales directly. The website includes a phone number and contact form option for requesting pricing and product information.

Source
SAP S/4HANA: Greenfield or brownfield?

Brownfield carries your existing configuration and custom code forward, which is faster to start and slower to finish because everything must be remediated. Greenfield rebuilds on standard processes, which costs more in change management and leaves a cleaner system. The right answer depends mostly on how much of your existing configuration you would defend to a board.

SAP S/4HANA: Is the public cloud edition cheaper?

To run, generally yes. Whether it is cheaper overall depends on whether your processes fit within its extensibility limits. If they do not, the savings evaporate into workarounds or into a move to the private edition.

SAP S/4HANA: How should I approach pricing negotiation?

Treat licence, infrastructure, BTP, the integrator and the internal backfill as one number and negotiate against it. Also settle indirect and digital access terms explicitly in writing, since usage from connected systems has been a recurring source of unbudgeted cost.

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