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ERP · head to head

QAD ERP vs SAP S/4HANA

QAD ERP logo

QAD ERP

ERP

Cloud ERP for global manufacturers

From
$600/month
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: QAD ERP no published pricing; requires custom quote; 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.
  • They diverge on capability: QAD ERP covers Manufacturing execution, SAP S/4HANA covers HANA in-memory database.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which QAD ERP and SAP S/4HANA actually diverge.

Attributes where QAD ERP and SAP S/4HANA differ
AttributeQAD ERPSAP S/4HANA
Starting price$600/month$5000/month
PlatformsCloud, Web, MobileCloud, Windows, Linux
Founded19791972

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 QAD ERP

  • Manufacturing execution
  • Supply chain management
  • Quality management
  • Financial management
  • Business analytics
  • Quality systems
  • Supplier management
  • Analytics

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.

QAD ERP

  • Enterprise resource planningnot SAP S/4HANA
  • Manufacturing operationsnot SAP S/4HANA
  • Supply chain managementnot SAP S/4HANA

SAP S/4HANA

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

Where each one falls short

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

QAD ERP

  • No published pricing; requires custom quote
  • Sales-oriented contact model

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

QAD ERP

$600/month
  • Standard$600/month
    • Core manufacturing
    • Financial management
    • Supply chain
  • Advanced$1500/month
    • Advanced modules
    • Quality management
    • Advanced analytics

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 QAD ERP if

  • You need manufacturing execution.
  • You work on Cloud, Web, Mobile.
  • You also want supply chain management.
QAD ERP 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 QAD ERP or SAP S/4HANA better?
Neither clearly leads. QAD ERP starts at $600/month 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, QAD ERP or SAP S/4HANA?
QAD ERP starts at $600/month and SAP S/4HANA at $5000/month.
Does QAD ERP or SAP S/4HANA run on more platforms?
QAD ERP runs on Cloud, Web, Mobile. SAP S/4HANA runs on Cloud, Windows, Linux.
What is QAD ERP best used for?
QAD ERP is most often used for enterprise resource planning, manufacturing operations, supply chain management. Of those, enterprise resource planning and manufacturing operations are not what SAP S/4HANA is typically brought in for.
What can QAD ERP do that SAP S/4HANA cannot?
QAD ERP covers Manufacturing execution, Supply chain management, Quality management, Financial management. SAP S/4HANA covers HANA in-memory database, Core finance, Supply chain and manufacturing, Country localisations.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

QAD ERP: How is QAD ERP priced?

QAD does not publish pricing on their website. Potential customers are directed to request a demo or contact QAD sales directly to discuss pricing and specific requirements.

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.

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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