How much does Dynamics 365 Business Central cost?
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On November 1, 2025, Microsoft adjusted the prices for its Dynamics 365 Business Central ERP system. This is the first real price increase for Business Central licenses in many years. We reported on this in our blog: New prices for the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central ERP system as of November 1, 2025
We are taking this price adjustment by Microsoft as an opportunity to take a closer look at the entire pricing and licensing model for Business Central. This is because in our other major overview articles
we only deal with Business Central in passing.
- The basic prices of Business Central
- Subscription model and payment method
- All Business Central prices at a glance
- The different user types in Business Central and what they can and are allowed to do
- Dynamics 365 Business Central Essentials as an additional license
- Further synergies with the Dynamics 365 ecosystem
- Conclusion
1. The base prices of Business Central
Before we get into the details, here are the base prices for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. You will find these prices on the Microsoft homepage and probably also at other Business Central partners. These prices apply to annual subscriptions and annual payments per user. However, these are not the only options for licensing Business Central...
As of November 17, 2025
| Dynamics 365 Business Central Essentials | Dynamics 365 Business Central Premium | Dynamics 365 Business Central Team Members |
|---|---|---|
| 74,90 € | 103,00 € | 7,50 € |
Note: To make it easier to compare prices overall, we have broken them down by month here and in the rest of this article—even if the option of monthly payment is not available for every variant.
2. Subscription model and payment method
2.1 The various options for licensing Business Central
As indicated, the prices shown above are only one option for licensing Business Central. It is probably the most frequently chosen option, as it is also the cheapest, but it is not the only option available to you. You have a great deal of flexibility in terms of both the duration of your subscription and the payment method.
With the subscription model, you can choose between:
- Monthly subscription: monthly cancellation period
- Annual subscription: annual cancellation period
- Three-year subscription: cancellation period every three years
In terms of payment methods, you can choose between
- Monthly payment: you pay the license costs for all users on a monthly basis
- Annual payment: You pay the license costs for all users once and for one year in advance
- Three-year payment: You pay the license costs for all users once and for three years in advance
You can combine the subscription model and payment method almost any way you like (see point 3 for details). And each combination results in different prices.
2.2 Overview of the advantages, disadvantages, and possible payment methods for Business Central subscription models
Monthly subscription:
- Advantage: This subscription offers you the most flexibility, as you can cancel it every month.
- Disadvantage: With a 20% surcharge, the monthly subscription is the most expensive option.
- Payment method: Only monthly payment is possible.
Annual subscription:
- Advantage: You get the best balance between flexibility and price. With annual payment, it is even one of the cheapest options.
- Restriction: You are not quite as flexible as with the monthly subscription, and the price guarantee is only valid for one year.
- Payment method: You can pay for the annual subscription monthly or annually.
Three-year subscription:
- Advantage: You have a price guarantee for three years. For example, anyone who had this subscription model before November 1 still benefits from the old, slightly cheaper license prices even after the current price adjustment.
- Disadvantage: You are tied in for a long period of time and may have to pay license fees even if you no longer need some of the licenses you purchased over time.
- Payment method: You can pay for the three-year subscription monthly, annually, or as a one-time payment for the three years.
For many companies, the annual subscription is the ideal compromise when it comes to licensing.
2.3 Overview of the advantages and disadvantages of the individual payment methods in Business Central
Monthly payment
- Advantage: You don't have to pay a large sum up front and can maintain your liquidity, as the license costs are spread evenly.
- Disadvantage: Regardless of which subscription model you choose, monthly payments are never the cheapest option. The combination of a monthly subscription and monthly payments is also 20% more expensive.
- Applies to: You can choose monthly payments for all subscription models.
Annual payment method
- Advantage: If you break down the total costs into individual months, the annual payment method is one of the cheapest options – regardless of whether you have an annual or three-year subscription.
- Disadvantage: High one-time investment at the beginning of your license.
- Applies to: The annual payment method applies to the annual and three-year subscriptions.
Three-year payment plan
- Advantage: If you break down the total cost into individual monthly payments, the three-year payment plan is also one of the most affordable options. What's more, you are protected against price increases during this period.
- Disadvantage: Even higher one-time investment at the start of your license.
- Applies to: The three-year payment plan only applies to the three-year subscription.
Apart from the price guarantee, the three-year payment plan for the three-year subscription currently offers no advantages over the annual payment plan. For most companies, therefore, the monthly or annual payment plan is the preferred choice for licensing.
3. All Business Central prices at a glance
If you have read the last point carefully, you will have calculated that there are a total of six licensing options for Business Central.
- Monthly subscription with monthly payment (1)
- Annual subscription with monthly (2) or annual payment (3)
- Three-year subscription with monthly (4), annual (5) or one-time/three-year payment (6)
Below you will find all prices for the licenses for
But we also show you the prices for the less frequently chosen variants
- Business Central Device (100 seats)
- Business Central Device
- Business Central Essentials (as additional license)
Note: To make it easier to compare the total prices, we have calculated them on a monthly basis here and throughout the article – even if the monthly payment option is not available for every variant.
4. The different user types in Business Central and what they can and are allowed to do
If we briefly ignore point 3.6 “Dynamics 365 Business Central Essentials as an additional license” (more on this in point 5), we have five options for licensing Business Central. The most common user types are the two full versions, Business Central Essentials and Business Central Premium, as well as the Team Member license with limited functionality. However, there are also two variants that allow you to license devices.
4.1 Business Central Essentials, Premium and Team Member
Here is a comparison of the features included in these three licenses.
| Business Central Essentials | Business Central Premium | Business Central Team Member |
|---|---|---|
Full version for the modules
| Full version for the modules
| Not a full version; includes the following rights:
|
4.2 Business Central Device, Business Central Device, (100 seats)
The device license is a special variant of user or device access licensing for Business Central. Unlike traditional full user licenses (Essentials, Premium) or the restricted Team Member license, the device license is designed for scenarios in which, instead of named users, several employees access the system at different times using the same device. This allows devices such as cash registers, data entry stations in warehouse logistics, or workshop PCs to be licensed cost-effectively.
The most important aspects of device licenses:
- The device license is not necessarily assigned to a single user, but rather to a device or workstation from which it can then be used by multiple people.
- In terms of price, a device license can be more attractive than team member licenses or full versions, provided that it makes sense for multiple employees to share a specific device.
- The Device (100 Seat) option is aimed at companies with many shared devices. Instead of licensing each station individually with a normal device license, you purchase a license that can cover up to 100 devices.
5. Dynamics 365 Business Central Essentials as an additional license
Let's now turn to a point that plays a very important role in the Dynamics 365 pricing and licensing model: the interactions between base and add-on licenses.
If you are interested in the comprehensive ERP solution Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management or the CRM system Dynamics 365 Sales, it is essential to understand these interactions, as they offer numerous synergy effects and thus significant savings potential.
The situation is slightly different with Business Central: The reason why this ERP system is usually presented separately in Microsoft's pricing and licensing model is partly because main and additional licenses were rarely used for Business Central in the past and are still less common today. We will therefore refrain from explaining the rules for main and additional licenses in detail here and focus only on the options relevant to Business Central.
Anyone interested in the interaction between basic and additional licenses can read about this in detail here: Basic and additional licenses in Dynamics 365
The following is important to note regarding the pricing and licensing model for Business Central:
There is no difference between the low-cost Business Central Essentials as an additional license and the more expensive Business Central Essentials as a main license. Both are the same full version for users, with identical rights and functions.
So, should we just go for the cheaper add-on license as Essentials?
Unfortunately, it's not that simple. You can only get Business Central Essentials as an add-on license if you already have certain other applications from the Microsoft Dynamics 365 ecosystem licensed as a main license.
Specifically, it works with these four applications:
- Customer Service Enterprise (main license €98.30 per month, annual subscription, annual payment)
- Customer Service Premium (main license €182.50 per month, annual subscription, annual payment)
- Field Service (main license €98.30 per month, annual subscription, annual payment)
- Sales Enterprise (main license €98.30 per month, annual subscription, annual payment)
In summary: If you use one of these four applications as your main license, you can obtain Business Central Essentials as an inexpensive additional license (€18.70 instead of €74.90) for the corresponding users. Only these four combinations are possible.
6. Further synergies with the Dynamics 365 ecosystem
If you have chosen Business Central Essentials or Business Central Premium as your main license, you can access a range of other applications in the Microsoft ecosystem at discounted rates. In this case, you do not pay the license costs for a main license for these applications, but only the costs for an additional license.
6.1 Synergy options for Business Central Essential
If you have Business Central Essentials as your main license, you can obtain the following two applications from Microsoft as inexpensive additional licenses:
- Customer Service Professional (for €18.70 instead of €46.80 as a main license, annual subscription, annual payment)
- Sales Professional (for €18.70 instead of €60.80 as a main license, annual subscription, annual payment)
If you would like to combine Business Central Essentials with other Dynamics 365 applications (e.g., Sales Enterprise or Field Service), unfortunately, you do not have the option of obtaining the other applications as additional licenses. In this case, we recommend the approach described in point 5 – Sales Enterprise or Customer Service Enterprise becomes your main license and Business Central Essentials your additional license. This also allows you to benefit from synergy effects and savings opportunities. As you can see, there are always ways to save costs in the Dynamics 365 pricing and licensing model. You just need to know what they are.
6.2 Synergy option for Business Central Premium
If you have Business Central Premium as your main license, you can obtain the following five Microsoft applications as low-cost additional licenses:
- Customer Service Professional (for €18.70 instead of €46.80 as a main license, annual subscription, annual payment)
- Customer Service Enterprise (for €18.70 instead of €98.30 as a main license, annual subscription, annual payment)
- Sales Professional (for €18.70 instead of €60.80 as a main license, annual subscription, annual payment)
- Sales Enterprise (for €18.70 instead of €98.30 as main license, annual subscription, annual payment)
Field Service (for €18.70 instead of €98.30 as main license, annual subscription, annual payment)
If you want to combine Business Central Premium with other applications (e.g., Sales Premium or Customer Service Premium), there are no synergy effects. In this case, it does not work the other way around either, because as things stand, Business Central Premium is only available as a main license and not as an additional license.
7. Conclusion
The pricing and licensing model for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central offers companies a wide range of options in terms of contract terms, payment methods, and license types. Which option makes the most sense ultimately depends heavily on individual requirements. The cheapest option is therefore not automatically the right one.
- Planning security: A three-year subscription with a price guarantee is suitable for companies that want to keep their costs stable in the long term.
- Flexibility: Those who regularly adjust user numbers or have uncertainties about capacity utilization will benefit from a monthly subscription – despite the price premium.
The choice of the appropriate license type (Essentials, Premium, Team Member, or Device) also has a noticeable impact on the total cost. Device licenses in particular, and the combination with other Dynamics 365 applications, open up potential savings that are often overlooked. If main and additional licenses are carefully coordinated, significant synergy effects can be achieved.
Business Central can therefore vary in price – the optimal price is only determined by the combination of subscription model, payment method, and licensing strategy. If you would like to review or reset your licensing, we would be happy to assist you in selecting the right license mix.
