Top ERP Systems for Australian and New Zealand Businesses

Executive Summary
> It is important that ANZ businesses use an ERP system that supports local compliance and payroll requirements without manual workarounds or excessive updates.

> MYOB Acumatica is the leading ERP for ANZ businesses, due to MYOB’s local expertise, built-in compliance, strong local support partner network, powerful functionality, and fully integrated payroll module.

> Kilimanjaro Consulting is the leading software partner for larger, more complex organisations in Australia and New Zealand, with decades of experience configuring MYOB Acumatica to fit unique and local requirements.

Graduating from a small business accounting system to a powerful Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform is a major step for the future of your organisation. It is evidence of your sophisticated operations and growing team, but also of the complexity that makes manual processes increasingly time-consuming. The right ERP system brings your business together in one place, creating a stronger foundation for informed decisions and greater efficiency. For Australian and New Zealand businesses ready to take this step, understanding the leading ERP platforms is an important place to begin.

What Makes a Great ERP System for ANZ Businesses?

Before choosing between the types of ERP systems, it is critical to understand which qualities are the most important for your business. What makes a strong ERP system for other businesses may not make the best ERP system for your organisation. We believe these are the key criteria you must assess to find the right ERP system:

1. Placing a priority on local compliance and regulations, including payroll.
2. Availability of local support.
3. Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), costs of implementing, and licensing flexibility.
4. Scalability, cloud architecture, and data hosting
5. Artificial Intelligence functionality
6. Easy to use and to adopt in the organisation
7. Powerful functionality, including integration between systems and automated processes

When it comes to implementing an ERP system, the quality of your implementation and support partner can be just as impactful as the system itself. A trusted software partner will understand your organisation’s requirements and map them to the functionality of the system. They will build customisations and configure the system to best fit your needs. Simply purchasing an ERP system will not necessarily improve efficiency. It needs to be adopted and used properly, with workflows and automations that reflect how your business operates.

Leading ERP Systems for ANZ Businesses

There are a wide variety of ERP systems available for Australian and New Zealand businesses. Based on our own experience and market research, we believe the list below is a good summary of the top ERP systems for ANZ businesses.

MYOB Acumatica

MYOB Acumatica is a true cloud ERP system, with built-in AI functionality, an open REST API for seamless integration, and powerful capability for automation. It is currently the #1 most chosen ERP system by mid-sized organisations in Australia and New Zealand, according to the iStart Buyers Guide 2025-26. The Kilimanjaro Consulting team are also experts in understanding what MYOB Acumatica can do and how it can improve efficiency for your team.

Why is MYOB Acumatica a Great ERP System for ANZ Businesses?

1. MYOB maintain system compliance, working with local software partners, the ATO and IRD, and US-based Acumatica developers to deliver a leading product for ANZ businesses.
2. Support is provided locally via trusted software partners, with escalation to MYOB available if required.
3. Flexibility to scale licences up and down. Subscription is billed monthly, and pricing is transparent. Option for longer-term contracts to lock in pricing or go from period to period.
4. All data is hosted within Australia by Amazon Web Services (AWS), which is secure and stable.
5. The platform is built for the cloud and AI. New AI functionality is continually developed and integrated to eliminate data risk and maintain governance.
6. Renowned as the absolute market leader for usability and ease of use.
7. A global leader in ERP, customised and managed for the ANZ market – the best of both worlds.

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Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a cloud-native SaaS ERP developed by Microsoft. It is one of several ERPs supported by Microsoft and is built for the needs of midmarket organisations. As a Microsoft product, one of its strengths is the ability to integrate with Microsoft’s wider suite, including Office 365.

How does Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central fit in our ERP System Criteria?

• Microsoft provides Australian and New Zealand localisations for finance, but payroll is typically separate and requires intervention from software partners.
• Broad partner network offering support for ANZ
• Good value per-user licensing pricing, but its TCO calculations are cloudy when looking at integrations, extensions, payroll, and consumption.
• Azure-based cloud hosting within Australian and New Zealand environments.
• Base plans include CoPilot AI with embedded assistance and agentic capabilities
• Familiar Microsoft interface and close integration with Outlook, Excel and Teams can reduce adoption barriers. However, ERP functionality can be difficult to learn from first principles.
• Strong finance and operational functionality, supported by Microsoft 365, Power BI, Power Automate, APIs, AL extensions and AppSource applications.

NetSuite

NetSuite is a cloud-based ERP system developed by the Oracle Corporation, headquartered in Texas, USA. The platform has a focus on finance, production, supply chain, procurement, and business intelligence; however, the top-performing industries are Technology & IT Services, Computer Software, Retail, and Financial Services.

How does NetSuite fit in our ERP System Criteria?

• Capable financial localisation features, including GST, but ANZ payroll and some regulatory requirements may depend on separate products, SuiteApps or partners.
• Australian and New Zealand support is available, though the depth and ownership model vary by provider.
• Supports multi-year pricing contracts, but significant price change between contracts is common.
• Mature SaaS architecture suited to multi-company and multinational operations. Data may be hosted overseas, including in the US.
• Useful embedded AI capabilities, but value depends on the licensed edition, available features and data quality.
• Modern browser interface, but significant learning curve especially for sites with customisation and extensive configuration.
• Strong financial, consolidation, order management, and reporting functionality. One of the major global ERP systems in terms of functionality.

Odoo

Odoo is an open-source ERP and CRM system based in Belgium and originally developed in 2005. It operates with two different versions, the free “Community” version and the paid “Enterprise” version.

How does Odoo fit in our ERP System Criteria?

• Stronger localisation for Australia compared to New Zealand, including payroll.
• Due to the completely custom nature of each site, Odoo is heavily reliant on one support partner that knows the intricacies of your system, which increases long-term software risk. Partners are local to ANZ.
• ERP licensing itself is well priced, but the system relies on customisations and upgrade maintenance from software partners, which drastically increases TCO over time.
• Predictable pricing based on number of modules, apps and users, although price per user is the same regardless of user type. Live data is stored within Australia, but backups are stored in Europe.
• Developing AI tools, some of which are available on the highest tier plan.
• Base platform is easy to use, but excessive customisation of Enterprise sites devalues common training modules and makes acceptance harder.
• Broad integrated application suite, configurable workflows, APIs and open-source extensibility are major strengths.

Sage Intacct

Sage Intacct is a cloud-based financial management system that focuses on supporting your core financials, typically for smaller and growing organisations. It is not regarded as a full ERP system; however, it does have many enterprise-level financial management functions in its Advanced modules. Intacct was founded in 1999 before being acquired by Sage in 2017.

How does Sage Intacct fit in our ERP System Criteria?

• Supports ANZ financial management and tax configuration but not payroll.
• Australian and New Zealand support and implementation partners are available.
• Modular licensing can align costs with requirements, but pricing is generally quotation-based, and integrations, entities, modules and support can increase TCO.
• Mature multi-tenant SaaS platform, but no assurance that ANZ production data and backups remain in Australia or New Zealand.
• Embedded AI and automation support finance use cases.
• Strong finance-focused interface and reporting; smaller system scope lowers the barrier to learning.
• Strong financials, multi-entity consolidation, reporting and APIs, but less comprehensive across inventory, manufacturing, payroll and operational ERP processes

SAP S/4HANA

SAP S/4HANA is an ERP system for very large organisations. It was released in 2015 as the successor to the SAP ERP platform and is available in a variety of hosting models. It brings together finance, procurement, manufacturing, supply chain, asset management, projects and sales within an integrated system, supported by advanced analytics, automation and artificial intelligence. SAP was founded in 1972 and is based in Germany.

How does SAP S/4HANA fit in our ERP System Criteria?

• ANZ localisation varies between deployment models. Some requirements may be delivered through standard country content, while others require SAP Document and Reporting Compliance, another SAP cloud service, a partner extension or customer configuration
• Support is available in ANZ, although it can be fragmented between different partners such as product, integration, hosting, tax or e-invoicing, and payroll.
•  Complex TCO calculations due to the immense scale and customisability of the system. It is very much suited to very large organisations with bigger budgets for business management technology.
• Australian data residency depends on the selected edition, contract, and service availability.
• Embedded AI and machine learning support finance, supply chain, procurement, HR and operational use cases
• Implementation complexity, process breadth and specialist terminology create a substantial adoption requirement.
• Comprehensive finance, manufacturing, supply chain, asset, project and enterprise functionality, supported by APIs, extension services and the wider SAP application portfolio.

MYOB Exo Business

MYOB Exo Business is a mature, stable on-premise ERP system built for growing businesses in Australia and New Zealand. It was originally developed in New Zealand as Exonet, before being acquired by MYOB in 2006. MYOB Exo has a large ANZ customer base and is not sold or operated outside of the region.

How does MYOB Exo fit in our ERP System Criteria?

• Purpose-built for ANZ requirements, with Australian and New Zealand tax, accounting, and reporting requirements. Integrated payroll has been phased into end of life.
• Supported through an established network of Australian and New Zealand MYOB Enterprise partners with local implementation and product expertise.
• Established modular licensing and deployment control can provide predictable ownership costs. However, there are additional costs for hosting, SQL Server, infrastructure, and specialist support.
• Developed as an on-premise system but can be hosted in the cloud. Licensing and module requirements are responsive to your needs.
• No built-in AI tools; however, there are specially developed AI add-ons such as ExoVision.
• The mature, configurable Windows interface is familiar to many users, although it is less modern than contemporary browser-based platforms.
• Strong finance, inventory, distribution, job costing and reporting, with configurable workflows and integration options.

How to Choose the Right ERP for Your Business

Without a software expert to guide you along the journey, it can be difficult to know which ERP to select. Trust the advice from the Kilimanjaro Consulting team when it comes to making your way through the ERP selection process. The right system is the one that best meets your requirements and is adaptable and configurable to your processes, while leaving room for future growth and business process improvement. Some initial steps you can take to prepare for the choice are:

• Document your processes and identify any desirable areas for improvement.
• Plan your budget for the ERP implementation
• Take stock of the number of databases and systems you use, which ones are must-haves and which can be replaced,
• Forecast how much data cleaning will be required during the migration to a new system.

When doing extra research and comparing ERP systems, it can be worthwhile using Acumatica as a functional comparison point, instead of MYOB Acumatica. Acumatica is the same system but developed for the US by the Acumatica company. MYOB Acumatica is a localised version, specifically developed by MYOB to meet the requirements of Australian and New Zealand businesses.

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Software Reviews and other independent reviewers often rank Acumatica as a leader in the ERP space, especially for midmarket organisations. This is ahead of SAP S/4HANA, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and Odoo. MYOB Acumatica is also the only software available with dedicated local compliance development. So, MYOB Acumatica beats the competition in terms of functionality and localisation.

Why Kilimanjaro Consulting Recommends MYOB Acumatica

Kilimanjaro Consulting recommends MYOB Acumatica as the best ERP solution for ANZ businesses because of the significant impact that local software has on your organisation. All the idiosyncrasies of doing business in Australia and New Zealand will be familiar to you, but not to overseas vendors. Their systems are not built to reflect the complexities that a local provider is more familiar with.

We have a strong, enduring partnership with MYOB and see immense benefit from local compliance management and support. ANZ businesses are the priority to MYOB, which focuses on developing the best possible system for your requirements. Furthermore, Acumatica’s UI and AI developments position the system as a leader for many years into the future, providing a stable, feature-rich platform that your business can use to improve efficiency.

Watch a free demonstration of MYOB Acumatica

See MYOB Acumatica in action, including specific modules and features that are important to you. Watch a free, on-demand and customisable demonstration now.

Next Steps

Our skilled and experienced team is available to guide you through the ERP selection and implementation process. We take a risk-free approach and follow a structured methodology to ensure the system best meets your requirements and fits your business. We are MYOB specialists with absolute expertise in these systems and how to configure and customise them to improve efficiency for your team.

Email sales@kilimanjaro-consulting.com or call 1300 857 464 (AU) or 0800 436 774 (NZ) today.