Acumatica vs. NetSuite: What’s the Difference?

Picture of Gary Jain
Gary Jain

Founder, Ledger Labs

Acumatica VS NetSuite
Table of Contents

For more extensive knowledge of Acumatica vs. NetSuite, read the entirety of this blog, which enables you to do a detailed comparison between the two.

The amount of labor that has to be done by people is being reduced through the automation of various jobs using cutting-edge software. It is becoming less necessary to hire several individuals to do repetitive and ongoing duties since there is an increasing amount of software and solutions available to help you. Moreover, centralized administration is helping to improve control over such data.

Technological introductions like CRM, ERP, etc. have come a long way to automate different tasks of the business. 

What is ERP or Enterprise Resource Planning Management? 

ERP, just like its full form suggests, is a tool or service that allows you to manage and control the resources of the business. The tool executes this control by taking care of different aspects related to the business and its operations like financial control, effective planning, accurate and timely accounting, sales management, HRM, and so much more. All these tasks are executed by the ERP software using a SaaS (Software as a Service) tool. 

This is the key focus of NetSuite vs Acumatica.

What is Acumatica? 

Acumatica is one of the most incredible and superior cloud-based business management suites. The application excels in CRM (Customer relationship management), e-Commerce management, payroll administration, HRM, financial management, accounting, and more, but its primary concentration is on providing ERP (enterprise resource planning) management.

In comparison to other business tools of a similar nature, Acumatica’s domain is rather expansive and all-encompassing. Similar to NetSuite, Acumatica places a strong emphasis on automating all of the aforementioned activities. All of the tasks that Acumatica manages are either routine or repetitive and occasionally they are unrelated. Yet there’s no denying that each of these jobs is crucial for the company as businesses may see things more clearly and make the necessary decisions with the help of Acumatica. Acumatica’s key objective is to save costs for a firm while assisting it in growing and performing better.

What is NetSuite? 

Amongst the most outstanding and helpful cloud-based company management packages is Oracle NetSuite or NetSuite. The suite or set of tools is primarily focused on providing ERP management, but it also shines in other areas like CRM, e-Commerce management, payroll administration, HRM, financial management, accounting, and more.

Compared to other helpful business tools of a similar nature, NetSuite has a far broader and more extensive domain. The automation of all the aforementioned processes is a key priority for NetSuite, just like it is for Acumatica. Every task that NetSuite manages is either repetitive or occasionally untethered. Nonetheless, it is undeniable that each of the said jobs is crucial to the company.

Corporations find it simpler to view things clearly and make the necessary decisions as a result of NetSuite. The major objective of NetSuite is to assist a firm in expanding and operating more effectively while reducing costs along with automating sharply. NetSuite was first released in 1998, and Oracle, the firm that owns Java, acquired it in 2016.

Acumatica VS NetSuite: Why the Confusion? 

The primary functions of Oracle NetSuite and Acumatica are the automation of duties and simplicity of administration along with effective ERP, as may have been obvious from the debut of the two services. The similarity in how the tools operate and function might occasionally make it difficult for various firms to decide between the two. Although the tools are relatively similar to one another, they are also distinct in several aspects.

We will attempt to be unsure about both the similarities and differences between the tools with the use of the next portions of this tutorial. Before we examine the differences between Acumatica and NetSuite, let’s look at the common traits of the two first.

NetSuite vs Acumatica: The Common Traits 

All the points or headers provided in the table below repent the common traits of Acumatica VS NetSuite. 

Data Comparison
Points or Headers Descriptions
Types of Businesses Both NetSuite and Acumatica are quite suitable for small and medium-sized businesses seeing stable and cumulative growth.
Types of Industries Both NetSuite and Acumatica can easily cater to the needs of businesses and companies employed with smart industries like:
  • 1. Distributions
  • 2. Manufacturers
  • 3. Service providers
  • 4. Retailing and e-commerce
  • 5. Nonprofit
ERP, CRM, HRM, Payroll management, and More Both Acumatica and NetSuite can take care of the basic ERP, CRM, HRM, Payroll Management, and other requirements of the business.
Types of Services Both of the tools make it possible for various businesses to manage and keep track of their accounts payables and receivables, multiple currencies heads, assets, general and specific ledgers, revenues, billing, multiple subsidiaries, forecasts, budgetary practices, projects, resources, payrolls, stock, purchases and sales, expenses, and other financial items.
Customer Care The parent companies of both solutions provide responsive and dependable customer assistance.
Cloud-Based Operations The development of Acumatica and NetSuite both took place on a cloud-based platform.
Smartphone Accessible Apps These systems are portable and simple to use. For your Android and iOS smartphones, you may download the relevant applications for each platform.
Integration Compatibility These systems enable companies to link up with or incorporate data from other third-party platforms for centralized access and management.
Multiple Languages Support Both platforms' user interfaces support a wide variety of languages.
Cloud Storage Both services provide you the option to back up your data to the cloud and recover it if necessary.
Annual Subscription Both platform versions are available for purchase and may be charged and renewed annually.
Flexible Cost For both platforms, there is an additional cost if you wish to combine data from other choices with cloud-based systems.
Bank Reconciliation Both Acumatica and NetSuite support bank account reconciliation.
Real-Time Performance The data in both tools gets uploaded in real time without any lags.
Financial Control Both of the platforms allow users to control the finances and accounting-related attributes of the business.
Financial Planning The financial planning features of both NetSuite and Acumatica are quite amazing and helpful.
Scalability You get flexible and growth-centric scalability with both platforms that allow you to expand as you grow.

These are the primary similarities between the two cloud-based business solutions. Now that we have a better and deeper understanding of the pair, let’s move on to the comparison of NetSuite and Acumatica.

Acumatica vs. NetSuite: The Differences

Some readers may have drawn the conclusion that NetSuite and Acumatica are comparable to one another and function similarly based on the earlier portions of this article. This presumption holds some truth. You might not be able to locate a lot more features or functions on one than on the other. Let’s clarify the doubts by looking through the following distinctions between the two:

Points of Difference NetSuite Acumatica
Exporting of Database NetSuite does not allow you to export the entire or any part of the database to a third-party source. Acumatica allows you to export the entire or any part of the database to a third-party source.
Customization Options NetSuite does not hold or offer any customization options to businesses that may help them. Acumatica holds and offers various customization options to businesses that may help them.
Flexible Upgradation Users of NetSuite cannot upgrade to the superior version or subscription anytime they want as it is very rigid. Users of Acumatica can upgrade to the superior version or subscription anytime they want as it is very flexible.
Flexible Licenses NetSuite's license policy is quite rigid and allows you to purchase a subscription with fewer options. Acumatica's license policy is quite flexible and allows you to purchase a subscription with multiple options.
Flexible Implementation The implementation options provided by NetSuite are quite few and rigid. The implementation options provided by Acumatica are quite flexible and multiple.
In-House Deployment NetSuite does not offer In-House Deployment options to businesses. Acumatica offers In-House Deployment options to businesses.
Industrial Difference Apart from similar ones, NetSuite caters to the needs of industries like non-profit, advertising firms, media, publishing, etc. Apart from similar ones, Acumatica caters to the needs of industries like consultation.
PSA (Professional Services Administration) You can easily undergo the PSA (Professional Services Administration) services with NetSuite. Acumatica does not offer any feature for PSA (Professional Services Administration) services like NetSuite.
User-Centric Plans and Subscriptions NetSuite offers User-Centric Plans and Subscriptions to businesses. Acumatica does not offer User-Centric Plans and Subscriptions to businesses.
Transactional-Centrix Pricing You will not find Transactional-Centric or transaction-based pricing structure with NetSuite. You will get multiple transactional-centric or transaction-based pricing structures with Acumatica.
Flexible Storage Options You will not get flexible data or storage options under the pricing structure with NetSuite. You will get tons of flexible data or storage options under the pricing structure with Acumatica.
Hidden Costs The pricing of NetSuite is quite upfront and does not contain any hidden costs. The pricing of Acumatica is not quite upfront and does at times contain some hidden costs.
Years of Operations
Market Share With more than 30,000 distinct active enterprises as clients and users, NetSuite covers a significantly bigger segment of the market. With more than 5,000 active enterprises as users and clients, Acumatica serves a significantly smaller segment of the market.
Scope of Operations While it offers a tone more features and functions than Acumatica, NetSuite is a much larger product. Due to the fact that Acumatica does not provide many more features and functions than NetSuite, it is a much smaller tool.
Training Operators of this service must undergo comprehensive and rigorous NetSuite training with the help of industry experts in order to use the technology to its full potential. Because Acumatica is far less difficult than NetSuite, operators do not need to go through as much rigorous training for the platform as NetSuite operators need.
Period of Operations NetSuite has been offering ERP services to all businesses for the last 20 years. Acumatica has been offering ERP services to all businesses for the last 12 years.
Difference in Services Although the services provided under Acumatica VS NetSuite are quite common, some of the special ones you get with the latter are:
    1. Production Management
    2. Demand Planning
    3. HR Directories
    4. Holiday management
    5. Employee hiring
    6. Product Content Management
    7. Resource management
Although the services provided under Acumatica VS NetSuite are quite common, some of the special ones you get with the former are:
    1. Requisition management
    2. HR Tracking
    3. Self-help for Personnel
Support Since NetSuite provides round-the-clock help, you may get in touch with a customer service representative whenever you want. Acumatica provides round-the-clock help but is only available to some developers and handlers.
User Community NetSuite has a user community named Suite Answers where you can find the answers to all the queries if required. . Acumatica does not have a user community where you can find the answers to all the queries if required.

These thus were the primary distinctions between Acumatica and NetSuite. Although the information on the differences and similarities in the tables above was pretty thorough and exhaustive, you could still wonder which of the services a company should choose for the best outcomes. In the following and last portion of this tutorial, we will offer the ideal response to this query.

Acumatica VS NetSuite: The Perfect Choice

As you can see from the above information, Acumatica and NetSuite both serve the requirements of sectors that are comparable to one another. Yet, choosing NetSuite over Acumatica and vice versa may be more advantageous for specific sectors. All of these industries may be found in the differentiation table above.

The primary factor that accurately answers the question of which one to select NetSuite or Acumatica is the business necessity. As you can see, NetSuite is a much wider service; it is a suite that addresses the needs of numerous business elements. A company that wants better administration and automation across all of these areas should choose this suite. Acumatica, on the other hand, is a smaller suite of tools that performs best against isolated criteria. So, Acumatica is your best option if your company merely wants to establish control over the basic responsibilities and tasks.

Despite the fact that both Acumatica vs NetSuite provides their services to small and medium-sized enterprises, it would be helpful for the company to make a well-informed choice following careful study, support, and assistance from the subject matter experts.

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