Difference between NetSuite “Editions” and NetSuite “Levels” by the TM Group

Are you confused by the difference between NetSuite “Editions” and NetSuite “Levels?” You’re not alone. The main reason for the confusion is that the terms are often used interchangeably, but that’s wrong. Editions are not levels and levels are not editions. Let’s take a look at what those differences are.

Editions  

NetSuite basically offers 3 editions:

• CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
  
  The CRM edition of geared toward companies that would like to use NetSuite to manage customer relationships. Similar in many ways to Salesforce.com, this edition is designed to be an entry point for sales and marketing automation. It’s the most limited of the 3 editions because it does not include accounting functions. However, it comes at a lower price point than the other editions. 
• Standard
  
  The Standard edition is the middle of the road in terms of price and functionality, in other words it falls between CRM and OneWorld. It’s the most popular of the 3 editions, meaning that the Standard edition is what most companies implement. The Standard edition includes strong financials, inventory management, and everything that comes with the CRM edition. The only real limitation of the Standard edition is that it can’t be used by companies with multiple subsidiaries. 
• OneWorld 
  
  OneWorld is the largest edition. It includes all of the functionality available in the CRM edition as well as the standard edition, but it’s the best choice for companies with multiple subsidiaries and multinational entities. OneWorld can handle all of a company’s international transactions and operations, and book them to different subsidiaries. While you are charged an additional amount for each subsidiary, the cost per subsidiary is reasonable. There are significant differences in price between the CRM and Standard editions, but only slight differences in cost between the Standard and OneWorld editions. You can also purchase standalone NetSuite Financials, which includes core financials only and is not governed by Levels. Once you’ve chosen an Edition, you can then proceed to choose a level. 

Levels 

• LE (Light Edition)
  
  The Light Edition is based on employee size and user count. Simply stated, companies with a maximum of 10 users and 50 employees can choose LE. 
• MME (Mid-Market Edition)
  
  While technically the Mid-Market Edition does not require a minimum number of users, it’s geared toward companies with 15-1000 employees. And the price point for MME would pretty much preclude smaller companies from choosing this level. The major difference between LE and MME is that at the MME level you have the option to add a variety of modules and functionality, such as eCommerce, Fixed Assets, and Inventory. 
• EE (Enterprise Edition)
  
  The Enterprise Edition level is specifically for companies with more than 1,000 employees. These levels affect the way you interact with NetSuite as a company and what kind of support you can receive. But levels significantly impact cost. On a per user per month basis, there’s a relatively small jump between LE and MME, but a huge jump in price between MME and EE. 

Are you still confused? Not surprising, because as you can see above the levels are also called editions! Hopefully, the explanations above are helpful. Just remember, step one is to choose an Edition and step two is to choose a Level. For example, if you choose the CRM Edition for customer relationship management only, you then fit your company into one of the 3 Levels above based on the size of your company as determined by a combination of number of users and number of employees. 

For more information about NetSuite, please visit http://www.tmgroupinc.com/ or call The TM Group toll free at 888-482-2864. Founded in 1984, The TM Group is a full-service provider of software applications, including NetSuite ERP and CRM. Offering an all-in-one CRM, ERP and e-commerce solution, NetSuite’s native cloud based solutions are perfect for start-up and mid-size businesses. By The TM Group, www.tmgroupinc.com