Microsoft Dynamics NAV Pricing Guide
Microsoft Dynamics NAV -- now succeeded by Dynamics 365 Business Central -- was one of the most widely deployed ERP solutions for small and mid-market businesses worldwide. If you are researching Dynamics NAV pricing, you are likely either evaluating a legacy NAV environment, considering an upgrade to Business Central, or comparing ERP options for a new implementation. With 28+ years of Microsoft consulting experience, EPC Group provides transparent guidance on Dynamics NAV costs, licensing models, and the migration path to Business Central that represents the future of Microsoft's mid-market ERP.
Dynamics NAV Licensing History and Current Status
Microsoft Dynamics NAV (originally Navision) went through multiple licensing models over its 20+ year history. As of 2018, Microsoft discontinued new sales of Dynamics NAV licenses and transitioned the product to Dynamics 365 Business Central. However, existing NAV customers can continue using their perpetual licenses and purchasing enhancement plans for support and updates.
If your organization is currently running Dynamics NAV 2009, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, or 2018, you have existing perpetual licenses that remain valid. The key decision now is whether to continue operating on NAV (with diminishing support) or migrate to Dynamics 365 Business Central (the cloud-native successor).
Legacy Dynamics NAV Pricing Structure
For organizations still operating on or evaluating legacy Dynamics NAV, the pricing model consisted of several components:
| Component | Pricing Model | Typical Cost Range |
|---|---|---|
| Starter Pack (3 users) | One-time perpetual license | $5,000-$15,000 |
| Extended Pack (additional users) | Per-user perpetual license | $1,500-$3,500/user |
| Full User CAL | Per-user perpetual license | $2,100-$3,500/user |
| Limited User CAL | Per-user perpetual (read + limited write) | $600-$1,200/user |
| Enhancement Plan (Annual) | 16% of license cost per year | Varies by license investment |
| Server License | Per-server perpetual | $5,000-$10,000 |
Additionally, organizations needed to budget for SQL Server licensing (or use the included SQL Server Express for small deployments), Windows Server licensing, and ongoing infrastructure costs for hosting.
Dynamics 365 Business Central: The Modern Successor
Dynamics 365 Business Central replaced Dynamics NAV with a cloud-first SaaS model that eliminates server infrastructure, simplifies upgrades, and provides a modern web-based interface. Current pricing as of 2025:
| License Type | Monthly Cost | Capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| Business Central Essentials | $70/user/month | Finance, supply chain, warehouse, project management, HR |
| Business Central Premium | $100/user/month | Everything in Essentials + Manufacturing + Service Management |
| Team Members | $8/user/month | Read access, limited data entry, approvals, time/expense entry |
Total Cost of Ownership Comparison: NAV vs. Business Central
When comparing the true cost of maintaining Dynamics NAV on-premises versus migrating to Business Central cloud, most organizations find that Business Central delivers significant savings over a 3-5 year period:
- Infrastructure costs eliminated: No more SQL Server licenses, Windows Server licenses, hardware refresh cycles, or hosting fees. Business Central runs entirely on Microsoft Azure.
- Automatic updates: Microsoft delivers two major updates per year and monthly minor updates to Business Central at no additional cost. NAV required expensive upgrade projects every 2-3 years.
- Reduced IT overhead: No server patching, backup management, disaster recovery configuration, or security hardening. Microsoft manages all infrastructure.
- Built-in Power Platform: Business Central includes Power Automate, Power BI, and Copilot AI capabilities that would require separate licensing or custom development on NAV.
- AppSource ecosystem: Over 3,000 third-party extensions are available on Microsoft AppSource, replacing expensive custom development with pre-built, supported solutions.
Implementation Costs to Budget For
Beyond licensing, organizations should budget for implementation services:
- Discovery and planning: $10,000-$25,000 for requirements gathering, gap analysis, and project planning.
- Data migration: $15,000-$50,000 depending on data volume, complexity, and number of source systems.
- Configuration and customization: $25,000-$100,000 for module configuration, workflow setup, report development, and extensions.
- Integration development: $10,000-$40,000 per integration (e-commerce, CRM, third-party applications).
- Training: $5,000-$15,000 for role-based end-user training and administrator training.
- Go-live support: $5,000-$15,000 for cutover planning, parallel run, and hypercare support.
For a typical 20-50 user mid-market organization, total implementation cost ranges from $75,000 to $200,000 when working with an experienced partner like EPC Group.
Why Choose EPC Group for Your NAV to Business Central Migration
With 28+ years of Dynamics consulting experience and hundreds of successful NAV and Business Central implementations, EPC Group is the ideal partner for your migration:
- NAV expertise: Our consultants have worked with every version of NAV from 3.x through 2018. We understand your legacy customizations and can design optimal migration strategies.
- Proven migration methodology: Our accelerated migration framework reduces NAV-to-Business Central migration timelines by 30-40% compared to traditional approaches.
- Custom code conversion: We convert C/AL customizations to AL extensions, ensuring your business logic carries forward to Business Central without disruption.
- License optimization: We analyze your user roles and recommend the most cost-effective mix of Essentials, Premium, and Team Member licenses.
- Fixed-price options: We offer fixed-price migration packages for qualifying NAV environments, giving you cost certainty.
Get a Custom NAV Pricing and Migration Assessment
Whether you are evaluating your current NAV licensing costs or planning a migration to Business Central, our team can provide a detailed cost analysis and migration roadmap tailored to your organization. Contact us for a complimentary assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I still buy new Dynamics NAV licenses?
No. Microsoft discontinued new sales of Dynamics NAV licenses in 2018. All new customers are directed to Dynamics 365 Business Central. Existing NAV customers can continue to use their perpetual licenses and purchase Enhancement Plans for support and updates, but Microsoft encourages migration to Business Central for long-term viability.
How long will Microsoft support Dynamics NAV?
Microsoft follows its Modern Lifecycle Policy for Dynamics NAV. The last on-premises version (Dynamics NAV 2018) continues to receive security updates as long as you maintain a current Enhancement Plan. However, new feature development has shifted entirely to Dynamics 365 Business Central. Organizations should plan their migration timeline to avoid running on increasingly outdated software.
What happens to my NAV customizations when I migrate to Business Central?
Legacy C/AL customizations (code modifications to base objects) must be converted to AL extensions for Business Central. AL extensions are modular, upgrade-safe, and do not modify the base application. EPC Group's migration team analyzes your custom code, identifies equivalent functionality in the standard Business Central application, and converts remaining customizations to AL extensions. Typically, 40-60% of legacy customizations are no longer needed because Business Central includes the functionality natively.
Is Business Central cheaper than NAV in the long run?
For most organizations, yes. While the monthly subscription fees for Business Central may appear higher than NAV Enhancement Plan renewals, the total cost of ownership is typically 25-40% lower over 5 years. This is because Business Central eliminates server hardware costs, SQL Server licensing, IT infrastructure management, and expensive manual upgrade projects. Additionally, the included Power Platform capabilities (Power BI, Power Automate) replace tools that required separate licensing or custom development.
How long does a NAV to Business Central migration take?
A straightforward migration from a recent NAV version (2016-2018) with moderate customizations typically takes 3-5 months. Older NAV versions (2009-2015) with extensive custom code may require 5-8 months. EPC Group uses an accelerated migration framework that includes automated code analysis, data migration tools, and pre-built test scripts to compress timelines and reduce risk. We always recommend a phased approach with a pilot migration before the full cutover.