A full ERP system designed by Microsoft. Formerly Navision.

Product Overview

Dynamics NAV was the most widely used ERP product in Microsoft’s Dynamics suite with over 125,000 companies and 2 million users globally, primarily in small and medium-sized businesses. Its implementation timeline varies, accommodating both smaller setups and larger, more complex deployments.

Dynamics NAV supports a range of roles, from business analysts to systems accountants, highlighting its broad scope and customization capabilities for various business needs The software is at end-of-life, with Microsoft suggesting users to move to Dynamics 365 Business Central or move their instance to Azure.

Pros

  • Customizable source code
  • Multi-language, multi-currency support

Cons

  • Lacks automated workflow tool
  • Customization increases costs
  • Limited life cycle support​​

Target Market

Small to mid-sized businesses, especially in light manufacturing processes, as well as businesses already familiar with Microsoft applications due to its seamless integration and ease of learning.

Not Recommended For

Large companies who might need additional third-party applications for comprehensive functionality, or businesses seeking a solution with an inbuilt automated workflow tool, or those with a tight budget for customization and maintenance.

About Dynamics NAV

Dynamics NAV Lifecycle Policy

Dynamics NAV Version Start Date End of Mainstream Support End of Extended Support
NAV 2009 R2 15 March 2011 13 January 2015 14 January 2020
NAV 2013 19 December 2012 1 September 2018 10 January 2023
NAV 2013 R2 30 December 2012 1 September 2018 10 January 2023
NAV 2015 17 December 2014 14 January 2020 14 January 2025
NAV 2016 3 January 2016 13 April 2021 14 April 2026
NAV 2017 27 October 2016 11 January 2022 11 January 2027
NAV 2018 1 December 2017 10 January 2023 11 January 2028

Dynamics NAV was the most popular solution among the line of Microsoft Dynamics ERP products and has a global install base over 100,000. The product’s strong multi-language and multi-currency capabilities made it a frequent choice for companies conducting business in multiple countries.

Both on-premises and cloud deployment options were available for Microsoft Dynamics NAV. The product offered multiple client-side software options including Windows OS, browser-based, and mobile support. Additionally, base program functionality could be extended via custom solution configuration and an extensive network of certified add-on products.

Video Overview

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q. What functionality did Dynamics NAV include?

Dynamics NAV was an ERP program that provides financial management, supply chain, project management, service, and CRM capabilities.

Q. How much does NAV cost?

Dynamics NAV was targeted toward the small to mid-market segment and has costs typical of ERP solutions designed for this market.

The cost of Dynamics NAV could vary significantly and depends on which functionality is licensed, user counts, hosting requirements, active discounts & promotions, implementation requirements, and support needs.

67.6% of software buyers who considered Dynamics NAV had an estimated targeted 3 year spending range in the tens of thousands of dollars (USD).

Q. What were the licensing options for Dynamics NAV?

The primary two licensing options were via Microsoft’s Perpetual Licensing (for purchased, on-premises or 3rd party hosted deployments) or via Subscription Licensing (for SaaS, hosted deployments).

Dynamics NAV could be purchased for variable user counts. Additionally, customers wishing to expand on the functionality provided in the Dynamics NAV Starter Pack have the option to purchase the Extended Pack. More.

Q. What industries was Dynamics NAV appropriate for?

Dynamics NAV provides functional support for companies in a wide variety of industries.

The most common industry classification for users of Dynamics NAV included: Manufacturing (20.3%), Distribution (16.2%), and Professional Services (15.7%). More.

Q. What size companies use Dynamics NAV?

Dynamics NAV was designed for small and mid-market companies.

Q. Was Dynamics NAV the same thing as Navision? What about Dynamics 365 Business Edition?

Navision was the original name of the product now known as Dynamics NAV. Microsoft no longer uses the brand name “Navision” in its official marketing material for the solution.

Dynamics 365 Business Edition is powered in large part by Dynamics NAV technology, but is a separate product that has requires independent licensing.

Q. How does Dynamics NAV differ from other Dynamics products?

Microsoft offers five separate ERP products in their Dynamics line: Dynamics GP, Dynamics NAV, Dynamics SL, Dynamics 365 Enterprise Edition, and Dynamics 365 Business Edition.

Dynamics NAV is oriented toward mid-market businesses. Its multi-language and multi-currency capabilities make it a popular choice for companies conducting international business.

  • Dynamics GP targets mid-market and small businesses. While the product can scale to support larger organizations, it is a frequent choice for growing companies looking to replace an entry-level accounting solution with broader departmental functionality and more advanced features.
  • Dynamics SL offers extensive project accounting and project management capabilities, making it a strong choice for many professional services and construction/contracting companies.
  • Dynamics 365 Enterprise Edition is a highly customizable, Tier 1 ERP solution designed specifically for enterprise level companies. It includes all functionality formerly available from Microsoft under the Dynamics AX product brand.
  • Dynamics 365 Business Edition is a cloud-based management software platform designed for companies between 10-250 employees.

Q. Was Dynamics NAV available “on the cloud”?

Dynamics NAV was available as a cloud-based option, hosted on the Microsoft Azure hosting platform. Remote users could access full Dynamics NAV functionality via Terminal Services, or via An HTML5 web client.

Q. What operating systems could the Dynamics NAV client software run on?

Dynamics NAV is designed to run on Windows based client operating systems. However, the web client can be used by users on any device type (regardless of OS) so long as a supported browser and Internet connection is available.

Q. Could you run Dynamics NAV on a Mac workstation?

Dynamics NAV did not run as a Mac native client application. However, Mac workstations set up for Terminal Services or Windows virtualization could run Dynamics NAV. Additionally, Mac users also have the option to use the browser-based web client for Dynamics NAV.

Q. What kind of tech support is available for Dynamics NAV?

Microsoft offered direct tech support for their products in multiple service level offerings. Additionally, an extensive network of authorized Dynamics NAV providers is available to provide in-depth implementation and solution consulting support. More.

Q. Can Dynamics NAV be customized?

Dynamics NAV offered a variety of default user configuration options throughout the full range of its functional capabilities.

Users seeking to further customize the product could purchase the Application Builder and Solution Developer (both available a la carte).

Additionally, a wide variety of authorized solution providers are available to provide solution customization services.

Q. What additional 3rd party software is available to extend Dynamics NAV functionality?

There is an active community of Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) developing 3rd party applications to augment Dynamics NAV. An extensive table identifying popular add-on applications for Microsoft Dynamics NAV is available below.

Functionality

Dynamics NAV was an ERP program that provides financial management, supply chain, project management, service, and CRM capabilities.

The following checklist provides an overview of Dynamics NAV support for common functionality typically sought in ERP solutions.

Functionality Support Note
Accounts Payable Yes Payment prioritization; invoice & PO association; aging reports by due, posting, or document date
Accounts Receivable Yes With or without sale order invoicing; penalty/discount management; batch payment reminders
Equipment Management Partial Basic asset management included; full 3rd party CMMS options available
Bank Reconciliation Yes Bank statement import; automated stement to account ledger entry matching; guided reconciliation
Benefits Management No Microsoft certified 3rd party add-on software available
Bill of Materials Yes Assembly & production BOMs; material quantity comparison; BOM item exhance support
Billing Yes Electronic invoicing; installment billing; job suggested billing; credit card processing
Budgeting Yes Budget from historical GL entries; budget export/import; multi-period variance reporting
Business Intelligence Yes Budgeting; account schedule KPIs; dimensional data analysis; Excel export/import; analysis templates; XBRL support
Cash Flow Management Yes Automatic payment reconciliation; bank fund withdrawal/deposit; bank transfers
Commissions Management Partial Basic commissions management provided; 3rd party add-ons available for advanced commissions management
Credit Card Processing Yes Enrollment with Payment Services for Microsoft Dynamics ERP required
Customer Relationship Management Partial Service management included; additional CRM available via Microsoft Dynamics 365 offerings
eCommerce No Microsoft certified 3rd party add-on software available
EDI No Microsoft certified 3rd party add-on software available
Employee Records Yes Employee contract management; employee history tracking; absence regiestering
Estimating Yes Estimated usage and costs; estimated invoicing contracts; job usage and estimate comparison
Field Service Management Yes Schedule service calls; track repair parts & supplies; assign personnel based on skill & availability
Fixed Asset Tracking Yes Asset class, department, & location tracking; asset insurance tracking; multiple valuation schedules
Fund Accounting No Microsoft certified 3rd party add-on software available
Fundraising Management No Microsoft certified 3rd party add-on software available
General Ledger Yes Reverse journal postings; multiple-currency; XML file export; reconciliation; intercompany transfers
Human Resources Partial Employee records; absence management; payroll, benefits management, hiring available in 3rd party add-ons
Inventory Control Yes Physical or cycle counting; lot numbers; serial numbers; multiple costing methods
Job Costing Yes Cost definition and allocation management; job cost adjustment accounts
Manufacturing Execution System Yes Production order management; capacity management; material issuing; resource scheduling
Material Requirements Planning Yes Demand prediction and production forecasts; regenerative planning; PO & production action message control
Payroll No Microsoft certified 3rd party add-on software available
Point of Sale No Microsoft certified 3rd party add-on software available
Bank Reconciliation Yes Microsoft certified 3rd party add-on software available
Project Management Yes Resource & capacity management; time tracking; task/step definition
Purchasing Yes Blanket purchase orders; receiving & cross-docking; purchase codes; supplier management
Quotes Yes Sales quotes; sales quote to sales order conversion
Recruitment and Talent Management No Microsoft certified 3rd party add-on software available
Sales Forecasting Yes Location, customer, & project sales forecasts
Sales Order Management Yes Quote to sales order conversion; partial shipments; batch posting
Time Tracking Yes Job & order time assignment; time sheet approvals management
Warehouse Management (Advanced) Yes Warehouse set-up; workflow definition; pick & put-away management
Work Order Management Yes Contract integration; service quote to order conversion; service order resource allocation

Industries

Dynamics NAV is a popular ERP option across a variety of company industry types. The following chart details the proportion of Dynamics NAV reviews within individual industry classifications.

Other Industries: Government (3.7%), Real Estate (3.4%), Finance & Insurance (2.2%), Software Development (2.0%), Health Care (1.7%), Natural Resources (1.7%), Education (0.5%).

Pricing

The pricing for Dynamics NAV can be highly variable depending on the needs of the individual company licensing the software. Pricing factors include the extent of the licensed functionality, user count, hosting needs, and implementation and on-going support requirements.

The following chart displays a breakdown of estimated maximum spending ranges reported by software buyers who recently reviewed Dynamics NAV as a purchase option.

Dynamics NAV History

Dynamics NAV began as a multi-user client/server account application called Navision. Navision was originally produced by the Danish software developer PC&C A/S, which was founded in 1987.

In 2002, Microsoft purchased Navision. The product was renamed Microsoft Dynamics NAV in 2005. The current version of Dynamics NAV is Dynamics NAV 2017.

Starting Price
$65 /user/month
Price Range Learn More
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Product Overview

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User Reviews of Dynamics NAV

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on December 20th, 2023 by Anonymous

Awful

The Good…

Nothing, NAV is slow, is missing essential process compared to SAP

The Bad…

I think Microsoft should stop creating ERP systems at all. There are plenty other and better ones

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on October 10th, 2018 by Anonymous

I don’t like the lack of reporting capabilities, my people have issues with it on a daily basis

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on September 23rd, 2018 by Anonymous

So far we are blown away with the system’s ability and hope for big things with it.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on November 6th, 2017 by Anonymous

It does a lot of stuff. We are still learning. It is somewhat flexible.

The Good…

It’s modern compared to our old software. It’s somewhat customizable which kind of helps.

The Bad…

The contacts are not as smooth as we would have liked. It’s a bit cumbersome.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on September 23rd, 2015 by Amanda

It is a very very complicated software tool. Laymen will have a hard time understanding its modules. We have been using the system for 5 years already and until now still not familiar with it. At times, processing and posting of data takes forever. Support for this system is very expensive.

The Good…

Consolidated reports.

The Bad…

I think navigation of this system should be simplified, i believe most people using this system are not IT experts.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on July 7th, 2015 by Don

NAV is a very good product that does all the basics very well but is not the most feature rich software you will find. Depending on the industry you are in you may need to find additional add-on solutions or customize the software to meet all of your requirements. Don’t make assumptions about what it will do. Don’t be fooled by other software that does seem to have all the features but can’t actually do the basics (accounting) well. Be very careful about believing that you can implement it on your own, or with very little help. Most organizations can’t and even if you can, there is no substitute for experience with the software.

The Good…

It is logically and consistently designed throughout all functional areas. It does most things very well. It is a very good system that has been getting even better the past few years. If you take the time to learn it well, you will be rewarded.

The Bad…

Microsoft has spent a lot of time in the last few years modernizing the technology and creating the RTC (role tailored client). Their RTC attempt with NAV2009 was an epic fail but NAV2013R2 and NAV2015 are much, much better. They need to focus more on adding functionality that is currently missing as well as fixing bugs that were fixed in the past and then re-introduced with a new version.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on July 18th, 2014 by Anonymous

We have used Navision since 2002 and our old version was at the end of its life and needed to be replaced. In the naive belief that upgrading to Nav 2103 was likely to be simpler, quicker, cheaper and easier for existing users to convert to than installing a brand new system, we chose Nav 2013. It was a BIG MISTAKE. The software is so much more complicated (unnecessarily). It lacks many of the features of the old system that made it flexible and easy to use. It is not intuitive and screens and menus are poorly laid out and cluttered. Information is very difficult to find. There are many more key strokes required for most actitivies with the result that productivity has gone backwards after a significant investment of time and money.

The Good…

Very little

The Bad…

Search functionality needs to revert back to the simplicity and power of ‘old Navision’. There needs to be the option of old style menus that were so much easier to use than the role tailored ones. The main window should be made different from all subsequent windows so that it’s difficult to accidentally close it and the rest of the Nav 2013 session. (Thick client programmes take ages to re-load). Some useful out of the box reports would be good too although this has been a long standing criticism of Navision not just Nav2013.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on April 5th, 2014 by Anonymous

It is a great tool for SMUs because it is so flexible, inexpensive, and easy to get started with. Once you realize how it works you get ideas how you could improve your efficiency with it continuously. It saves so much time for us that we find it is worth every dollar.

The Good…

flexible inexpensive full company solution easy implementation improvement tool intuitive user interface full MS Office integration

The Bad…

for the setup of some more advanced functions you need a service provider to help you. Licensing and Servicing models are cumbersome in some areas.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on January 27th, 2014 by Anonymous

We just basically use the general ledger feature.

The Good…

We had a local reseller who is helping with implementation. The reporting was much better than some of the others that we have seen. I would say the overall package had a very good look and feel to it. We also liked it’s built in interface with other solutions.

The Bad…

Right now we are at the configuration of it so it’s proving to be difficult to do that but I think that just goes along with the complexity of it.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on December 28th, 2013 by Anonymous

it has taken us a lot of time to understand the program but now we are more confident in it

The Good…

we have found the detail provided in reports very useful especially using dimensions.

The Bad…

Setting up our documents such as invoices and statements has been really difficult and we are still not happy with them

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on December 16th, 2013 by Anonymous

Integrates easily with Excel. Takes a LOT of programming to make it work in the traditional GL accounting system approach. It wants to be one size fits all.

The Good…

Easy to export or copy to Excel. Good drill down capability.

The Bad…

Missing a lot of expected abilities. It doesn’t import canceled checks for the bank recon module. Although the “dimensions” aspect is sold as a plus, it actually causes a lot of pitfalls for the unwary. Bank recons couldn’t be done because of dimensions.
Financial statements are awful. Even after you know how to program financial statements, underlines print even though there are no numbers to underline. Incredible amount of custom programming is required to get useful reports.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on December 11th, 2013 by Anonymous

It’s a sophisticated accounting system geared to the small or large corporation that has complex accounting needs.

The Good…

It’s flexible and adaptable.

The Bad…

Very poor documentation

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on December 11th, 2013 by Anonymous

Very difficult to use. A guide on how to use would help

The Good…

Once set up it is great and complete

The Bad…

Need a lot of tech help at 150 per hour in addition to purchase price. Est extra cost at $100,000