Skyward ERP vs Dynamics 365 Finance

Last Updated:

Our analysts compared Skyward ERP vs Dynamics 365 Finance based on data from our 400+ point analysis of ERP Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Skyward ERP Software Tool
Dynamics 365 Finance Software Tool

Product Basics

Skyward ERP is a comprehensive software solution designed to streamline and manage various administrative and operational tasks within educational institutions. It is particularly well-suited for K-12 schools and districts, offering tools for financial management, human resources, payroll, and student information systems. This software helps schools enhance efficiency, reduce manual errors, and improve data accuracy.

Key benefits include centralized data management, real-time reporting, and user-friendly interfaces that facilitate easy navigation and task completion. Popular features encompass budget tracking, employee records management, and automated payroll processing. Users often appreciate its integration capabilities and the ability to customize modules to fit specific needs.

Compared to similar products, Skyward ERP is praised for its intuitive design and robust support services. Pricing typically varies based on the size of the institution and the specific modules required, with options for annual or multi-year payment plans. This flexibility makes it accessible for a range of educational organizations.

read more...
Dynamics 365 Finance, a cloud-based Accounting ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software, streamlines financial operations for mid-sized to large organizations. It automates core accounting tasks like general ledger, payables, receivables, and project accounting, providing real-time financial insights. Its strengths lie in scalability, integration with other Microsoft products, and industry-specific features. Users praise its ease of use, reporting capabilities, and workflow automation. However, some find the initial setup complex and customization options limited. Pricing is subscription-based, tiered by modules and user count. It's pricier than basic accounting software but cost-effective compared to comprehensive on-premise solutions.

Pros
  • Real-time insights
  • Scalable & flexible
  • Integrates with MS tools
  • Automates workflows
  • Easy to use (reported)
Cons
  • Complex setup (initial)
  • Limited customization
  • Pricier than basic options
  • Reporting can be complex
  • Subscription-based
read more...
$30,000 Annually, Quote-Based
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
$480/User, Monthly
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
Small 
i
Medium 
i
Large 
i
Small 
i
Medium 
i
Large 
i
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile

Product Assistance

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • Improved Efficiency: Skyward ERP streamlines administrative tasks, reducing the time spent on manual data entry and allowing staff to focus on more strategic activities.
  • Enhanced Data Accuracy: By centralizing data entry, Skyward ERP minimizes errors and inconsistencies, ensuring that all departments work with the same accurate information.
  • Real-Time Reporting: The software provides up-to-date reports and analytics, enabling informed decision-making based on the latest data.
  • Cost Savings: Automating routine processes reduces the need for additional staff and lowers operational costs, leading to significant financial savings over time.
  • Scalability: Skyward ERP can grow with your organization, easily accommodating new users, departments, and functionalities as needed.
  • Improved Compliance: The system helps ensure that your organization adheres to regulatory requirements by maintaining accurate records and providing audit trails.
  • Enhanced Collaboration: By providing a single source of truth, Skyward ERP fosters better communication and collaboration across departments.
  • Customizable Workflows: The software allows for the customization of workflows to match your organization's specific processes, improving overall efficiency.
  • Better Resource Management: Skyward ERP helps in tracking and managing resources effectively, ensuring optimal utilization and reducing waste.
  • Increased Transparency: With centralized data and comprehensive reporting, stakeholders have greater visibility into operations, enhancing accountability.
  • Enhanced Security: The system includes robust security features to protect sensitive data, ensuring that only authorized personnel have access.
  • Improved Customer Service: By providing quick access to accurate information, Skyward ERP enables staff to respond to customer inquiries more efficiently.
  • Streamlined Financial Management: The software integrates financial data across departments, simplifying budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting.
  • Reduced Redundancy: By eliminating duplicate data entry and redundant processes, Skyward ERP ensures that efforts are not wasted on repetitive tasks.
  • Enhanced Decision-Making: With comprehensive data analytics and reporting tools, leaders can make more informed decisions that drive organizational success.
read more...
  • Artificial Intelligence Data: Utilize Dynamics 365 Finance's AI-powered data tools to evaluate business health as well as boost financial controls, maximize cash flows, and develop and execute better business decisions. 
  • Budget Planning: Dwindle operation expenses and increase spending for businesses throughout various regions with the budget planning apparatus. 
  • Reduce Risks: Swiftly adjust to global and local financial regulations with a pliable standards-based chart of accounts and dimensions that permit users to effortlessly and properly superintend their financial operations. 
  • Power BI-Applicable: Initiate wiser, quicker actions and choices through the role-based workspaces that are embedded with Power BI's synergistic data visualization capabilities so users may examine KPIs with more depth as well as dive into transactions to overview the health of their business. 
read more...
  • Human Resource Management: Make the hiring process smarter with a data-driven applicant tracking system. Manage job openings and position requests with ease. 
    • Position Management: Leverage the position management module to track employees’ professional growth, degrees and certifications and credits. Identify useful development milestones to trigger updates in payroll. Review hire dates and staff vacancies to fill up open positions. 
    • Position Budgeting: Categorize employees into batches to automate salary calculations and boost transparency with what-if scenarios. View hourly rate, FTE counts and assignment details and more from a single interface.
    • Substitute Tracking: Use custom rate tables to formulate robust pay rates. Automate pay hikes based on sub frequency, and auto calculate half-day, full-day or hourly pay rates. 
  • Financial Management: Eliminate budgeting guesswork and implement robust financial controls to eliminate fraud and deception. Automate manual workflows to save time and effort. 
    • Accounts Receivable: Receive and process payments faster with the accounts receivable module. Clone and import invoices and apply discounts to them with ease. Make use of graphical indicators to assimilate complicated information within seconds. 
    • Accounts Payable: Clone invoices for monthly bill payments, generate fixed asset records from invoices and automate encumbrance adjustments with the accounts payable module. Auto-populate invoices with the purchase order information. 
    • Budgeting: Access real-time information and printable budget worksheets to create budget forecasts. Use built-in state reports or e-files to create or customize reports based on local requirements. 
  • Employee Portal: Empower employees to access and manage personal information, including work experience, educational qualifications, skills, payslips and more to boost transparency and accountability. 
    • Employee Access: Provide real-time access to payroll history, time-off balances, time-off days, expense reimbursements and more to employees to boost communication with team members. Employees can access W2s and other important forms electronically via a dedicated customer portal. 
    • Expense Reimbursement: Set up default accounts based on expense reimbursement types. Attach notes, receipts and screenshots and empower managers to review details and approve requests from any device. It facilitates transparency in the review and approval process. 
    • Custom Forms: Personalize forms, roll out surveys or event sign-ups and set up virtual signatures for acknowledgment to boost the onboarding experience. 
  • Asset Management: Manage supplies and track the value of assets in real time. 
    • Fixed Assets: Evaluate existing assets and gauge their status to reduce the possibility of shortages and overstocks. Simulate depreciation, log additions and disposals for review by auditors. 
    • Warehouse Management: Get real-time stock updates to see if items are below a certain level. Set alerts and notifications to inform the users if items are under certain thresholds. Leverage built-in reporting capabilities to make informed decisions 
read more...
  • Elaborate Reporting: Balance and close books quicker with in-depth reporting and real-time analytics appliances. Users may enable pliable financial reports that showcase numerous currencies and legal entities to administer foreign exchanges and expedite end-of-month bookkeeping procedures. 
  • Grow Revenue: Work with machine learning capabilities that come with reporting, financial intelligence and analytics that compile forecasted recommendations and provide guidance for opportune customer expenditures. 
  • Role-Based Workspaces: Personalize crucial documents and reports such as invoices and statements that align with ever-changing business necessities with the role-based workspaces and modules. Users may also activate automatic recurring bills that seamlessly adapt to new revenue recognition rules, dwindle audit costs and cipher financial statements with precision.  
  • Compliances: Ensure that businesses align with local and global standards to reduce risks with the compliance attribute that guarantees compliance in approximately 37 countries and 42 languages. 
  • Financial Planning: Keep organizations running smoothly whether they're local, abroad or both with the financial process automation, financial planning and analysis, encumbrance and budget control modules. 
read more...

Product Ranking

#97

among all
ERP Software

#116

among all
ERP Software

Find out who the leaders are

User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 283 reviews
Great User Sentiment 3543 reviews
88%
of users recommend this product

Skyward ERP has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 88% when considering 283 user reviews from 3 recognized software review sites.

89%
of users recommend this product

Dynamics 365 Finance has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 89% when considering 3543 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

4.7 (9)
4.0 (19)
n/a
3.6 (90)
4.4 (137)
n/a
4.4 (137)
4.5 (3273)
n/a
4.0 (40)
n/a
3.6 (121)

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

User-Friendly Interface: Users praise Skyward for its intuitive design and ease of navigation, making it simple to find the information they need without extensive training.
Streamlined Communication: Skyward facilitates seamless communication between teachers, administrators, and parents through features like messaging and notifications, keeping everyone informed and connected.
Comprehensive Reporting: The platform offers robust reporting capabilities, allowing administrators to generate detailed reports on student performance, attendance, and other key metrics, enabling data-driven decision-making.
Show more
Streamlined Workflow: Automates tasks like payables, receivables, and GL, saving time and reducing errors. Users highlight improved efficiency and fewer manual processes.
Real-Time Insights: Provides instant access to financial data through dashboards and reports, enabling data-driven decisions. Users appreciate the ability to quickly track performance and make informed choices.
Seamless Integration: Connects seamlessly with other Microsoft products like Office 365 and Power BI for a unified user experience and enhanced data sharing. Users value the convenience and improved collaboration across departments.
Industry-Specific Solutions: Pre-built templates and industry-focused features cater to specific needs in sectors like retail, manufacturing, and non-profits. Users benefit from faster implementation and reduced customization costs.
Scalability and Flexibility: Adapts to your growing needs with cloud-based architecture and modular functionality. Users praise the ability to easily add users and modules as their business expands.
Show more
Clunky Interface: Users frequently express frustration with the user interface, finding it cumbersome and outdated compared to modern software.
Limited Customization: Adjusting the system to fit specific workflows or unique business needs can be challenging due to limited customization options.
Reporting Complexities: Generating reports and extracting meaningful data from the system is often perceived as a difficult and time-consuming process.
Show more
Complex Setup: Initial configuration and data migration can be complex, requiring professional assistance for larger organizations, leading to higher implementation costs.
Limited Customization: While offering flexibility, extensive customization can be expensive and require developer resources, potentially negating cost savings and increasing maintenance needs.
Subscription-Based Cost: Ongoing subscription fees can be higher than upfront costs of on-premise solutions, especially for smaller businesses with limited usage, raising concerns about long-term affordability.
Reporting Complexity: Advanced reporting features can have a learning curve for non-technical users, requiring training or dedicated personnel, impacting user adoption and efficiency.
Mobile App Limitations: Some users report occasional glitches and lack of full feature parity with the desktop version, hindering on-the-go access and real-time updates.
Show more

Skyward ERP is a cloud-based ERP solution that has received positive reviews from users. They praise its user-friendly interface, which makes it easy to learn and use, even for employees who are not familiar with ERP software. Users also appreciate the wide range of functionality that Skyward ERP offers, which allows businesses to manage all of their core operations in one place. However, Skyward ERP is not without its drawbacks. Some users have reported that the software can be slow and buggy at times. Others have complained that the customer support is not as responsive as they would like. Despite these weaknesses, Skyward ERP is a solid ERP solution that is well-suited for small and medium-sized businesses. Its user-friendly interface and wide range of functionality make it a good choice for businesses that are looking for an ERP solution that is easy to use and can grow with their business.

Show more

Dynamics 365 Finance users offer a mixed bag of opinions, with praise for its robust functionality and cloud-based accessibility countered by criticisms of its complexity and implementation hurdles. Compared to competitors like SAP Business One and Sage Intacct, Dynamics 365 shines in its tight integration with other Microsoft products and its advanced business intelligence capabilities. However, its steeper learning curve and higher upfront costs can be deterrents. Users laud the software's comprehensive financial management features, from core accounting to project accounting and budgeting. One reviewer, a finance manager at a mid-sized manufacturing firm, highlighted the ease of generating real-time financial reports, enabling them to make data-driven decisions. Another user, the CFO of a growing tech startup, appreciated the seamless integration with Dynamics 365 Sales, streamlining order-to-cash processes. However, the complexity of the software is a recurring pain point. Users report a significant learning curve, requiring extensive training and support, especially for non-technical users. A controller at a non-profit organization mentioned the difficulty in customizing workflows, making it less adaptable to their specific needs compared to more user-friendly competitors like Sage Intacct. Implementation challenges also surface in reviews, with users citing lengthy setup times and integration issues. One reviewer, an accountant at a construction company, emphasized the need for experienced consultants to navigate the initial setup, adding to the overall cost. This can be a disadvantage for smaller businesses or those with limited IT resources. Despite these drawbacks, Dynamics 365 Finance's strengths in functionality, scalability, and future-proof cloud technology make it a compelling choice for larger organizations with complex financial needs and the resources to invest in its implementation. For smaller businesses or those seeking a more user-friendly option, other alternatives might be a better fit.

Show more

Screenshots

Top Alternatives in ERP Software


Acumatica

Cetec ERP

DELMIAworks

Dynamics 365 ERP

Epicor Kinetic

IFS Cloud

Infor M3

NetSuite

Odoo

Oracle Fusion Cloud

Priority ERP

Rootstock

S2K Enterprise

Sage 300 Cloud

SAP Business ByDesign

SAP Business One

SAP S/4HANA Cloud

SYSPRO

SyteLine

Visibility ERP

Related Categories

Show more

WE DISTILL IT INTO REAL REQUIREMENTS, COMPARISON REPORTS, PRICE GUIDES and more...

Compare products
Comparison Report
Just drag this link to the bookmark bar.
?
Table settings