Which ERP fits a SaaS company between 50 and 500 employees?
Most SaaS finance teams in this size band end up comparing three systems: Oracle NetSuite, Sage Intacct and Light. NetSuite brings breadth, Sage Intacct brings dimensional reporting and native revenue recognition, and Light brings a 2–12 week go-live from $35,000/year. None of them is automatically the winner — the deciding factors are revenue model, entity count and how much operations the system must carry.
The shortlist
NetSuite is the broadest option: consolidation through OneWorld plus inventory, orders and ecommerce in one data model, with go-lives typically running 4–9 months. Sage Intacct is the finance-led incumbent, strongest on dimensional reporting and ASC 606, usually live in 3–6 months. Light is the newest of the three, built for multi-entity finance teams that want consolidation and native revenue recognition without a long programme; customers include Tillo, KeyShot and Alva Labs.
A Microsoft-path aside: Dynamics 365 Business Central can work for SaaS companies already standardised on Microsoft 365 with SMB-scale operations, but it rarely wins a multi-entity SaaS evaluation against these three.
What actually decides the choice
- Revenue recognition: test your real contract types — ramps, usage, multi-element bundles — against each system.
- Multi-entity: how many legal entities and currencies, and how automated do eliminations need to be.
- Go-live: 4–9 months for NetSuite, 3–6 months for Sage Intacct, 2–12 weeks for Light.
- Cost: Light publishes a starting point of $35,000/year; the other two price through partners and quotes.
- Operations: inventory, fulfilment or shop floor pushes the decision firmly toward NetSuite.
Best for and not for
Best for
- NetSuite: SaaS groups with hardware, fulfilment or ecommerce alongside subscriptions.
- Sage Intacct: CFO-led SaaS businesses with complex ASC 606 and board-level dimensional reporting.
- Light: multi-entity SaaS finance teams that want consolidation live in weeks, not quarters.
Not for
- Light is not for inventory depth, shop-floor/MRP or single-entity starter accounting.
- Sage Intacct is not for inventory-heavy or manufacturing businesses.
- NetSuite is rarely worth its timeline for a lean single-entity finance team.
Common questions
How we compare ERP shortlists
Independent research, no vendor payments, no undisclosed affiliate relationships.