NetSuite and Salesforce, pioneers of Software as a Service (SaaS), undoubtedly are the most popular software providers of cloud-based software in the marketplace today.
Naturally, when business executives are looking for new software solutions its likely that NetSuite and Salesforce will be top of mind in their evaluation.
Both solutions provide subscription based, feature rich capabilities for companies that desire to scale their business through modern cloud-based software.
This comprehensive "NetSuite vs Salesforce Comparison Guide" is designed to help you determine which solution is best for your growthing business across a myriad of categories.
Be sure to bookmark this page as a resource during your ERP evaluation and if you want to talk to a NetSuite expert, lets chat.
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Salesforce, the industry leading CRM provider does not offer native ERP capabilities within its suite of products instead they leverage their go-to partner Financialforce to provide customers an integrated CRM & ERP solution on the Force.com platform. It's important to note that while Salesforce was a major investor (along with Unit4), FinancialForce is technically not a Salesforce company nor division.
NetSuite, now part of Oracle, is the industry leading cloud-based ERP provider offers both CRM and ERP capabilites aimed at the SMB and Mid-Market space.
Ironically, both NetSuite and Salesforce were founded right around the same time in California and both received initial investment from Larry Ellison, whom its initial founders (Marc Benioff & Evan Goldberg) worked for at Oracle.
FinancialForce focuses exclusively on financial management and Professional Service Automation (PSA) and targets existing Salesforce CRM users. NetSuite on the other hand offers a suite of applications that spans well beyond the needs of accounting such as: Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Order Management, E-Commerce, Point of Sale, Inventory and Warehouse Management, Manufacturing, and more.
Furthermore, FinancialForce primarily targets large professional service firms and will attempt to sell into other industries with smaller sized companies that require a less robust ERP whereas NetSuite has the customers and industry recognition to prove its ability to scale from a small business to a global billion dollar enterprise across multiple industry segments.
To identify which solution is best for your growing business, it depends upon your needs, preferences and budget.
Do you desire a single software suite that can be transformative for your company? Or do you prefer a financial management and PSA application that sits on top of the Force.com platform?
To help you uncover which one may suit your business best, we've produced this a side-by-side comparison guide below:
FinancialForce is a series of products sitting on top of the SalesForce's Force.com platform developed by Unit4 and SalesForce.com (2009) and offers a suite of Financial Management and PSA products aimed at service based organizations.
NetSuite ERP is a complete cloud ERP solution, which automates front and back-office processes like financial management, revenue management, fixed assets, order management, billing, and inventory management and more.
9
20
~1,200
~40,000
No Capabilities
*FinancialForce does not offer CRM capabilities.
Salesforce & FinancialForce requires a year-long contract; renewed annually.
NetSuite requires a year-long contract; renewed annually.
Additional fees apply for professional services such as implementation,integrations, customizations, data migration and support.
Additional fees apply for professional services such as implementation, integration, customizations, data migration and support.
Annual recurring fees for the software subscription.
Annual recurring fees for the software subscription.
Direct or through NetSuite Solution Provider partner
Magic Quadrant Niche Player for Cloud Core Financial Management Suites (FMS) for Midsize, Large and GLobal Enterprises- Download Report
Magic Quadrant Leader for Cloud Core Financial Management Suites (FMS) for Midsize, Large and GLobal Enterprises - Download Report
US Support - 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM (PST)
24/7 toll-free worldwide phone support available
Live and/or online training available by FinancialForce training department and by partners.
Live and/or online training available by NetSuite training department and by partners.
FinancialForce offers the OnDemand training library.
NetSuite has extensive knowledge base (SuiteAnswers) available to all users as well as online user group.
Handful of local user groups across the United States.
Dozens of local user groups across the United States.
As you can see there's many similarities and differences between FinancialForce & Salesforce and NetSuite. Generally speaking NetSuite is going to provide broader capabilities at an attractive price point.
If you're simply looking for an accounting solution with tight SalesForce CRM integration both FinancialForce and NetSuite can accomplish this. However if you require a proven, business solution from a single software vendor that can scale with your ambitions its probable NetSuite is going to be the right choice for your business.