OpenLazarus as an SAP alternative: one owned system in place of the stack
The entry for companies that would sooner replace the SAP stack than swap each product for another subscription. Broad in scope and owned by the customer; still without a published SAP replacement case.
Contents
| Type | AI operating system the company owns |
|---|---|
| Pricing | Published |
| Website | openlazarus.ai |
Most SAP alternatives replace one SAP product with a similar product from another vendor. OpenLazarus starts from a different premise: an established company should own its software, its data and its AI, in one system built around how it works1.
Best for: Established companies that want to leave the SAP stack as a whole instead of one product at a time: ERP, CRM, email, messaging, telephony and customer service as modules of one system they own, with AI agents working across all of it.
Not the right fit for: Companies that want a packaged ERP from a large vendor with a certified partner network, or that plan to keep SAP at the core and add tools around it.
The problem it addresses
A company that leaves SAP product by product ends up with a new ERP, a new HR system, a new CRM and the interfaces between them. Its data stays divided among vendors, and its AI tools each see one part. OpenLazarus describes itself as an AI lab that helps established companies become AI-native, and its answer is a single AI operating system.
What replaces what
| In the SAP estate | In OpenLazarus |
|---|---|
| S/4HANA, ECC, Business One, ByDesign | The ERP module, on the shared data layer |
| Sales Cloud and older SAP CRM | The CRM module: contacts, companies and deals2 |
| Ariba purchasing workflows | Purchasing and supplier workflows in the ERP module |
| Concur expense approval | An expense workflow with approval limits |
| SuccessFactors HR records | HR records and approvals as apps on the same data layer |
| Email, chat and phone systems around SAP | Email, messaging and telephony modules1 |
| Joule and separate AI add-ons | AI teammates with a role, the data they need and set permissions |
The modules are prebuilt and swapped in, then adapted to the company. Requests to AI are routed to frontier, open-weight or custom-trained models, so a better model can be adopted without rebuilding the system2. For each teammate the company sets what is automatic, what needs approval and who approves it.
Who owns the code and the data
The code and the data belong to the customer, according to its FAQ2. Hosting is fully managed and can be moved to the company's own cloud at any time3, and European companies can run on servers in the EU2. The company can maintain the system itself, use any developer, or buy engineering support.
Two ways to start
Builders design the system themselves in the no-code builder. Executives can have the OpenLazarus team work with their leadership on how the company should run and then build it, which OpenLazarus recommends above 100 people3.
Strengths and limits
Strengths
- Replaces the stack instead of one product: the modules share one data layer, so there is no integration project between the ERP, the CRM and the communication tools.
- The code and the data belong to the customer, according to its FAQ. Hosting is managed, can move to the company’s own cloud, and European companies can run on servers in the EU.
- AI is the working layer of the system, not an add-on tied to a contract type. Requests are routed to frontier, open-weight or custom-trained models, so the system does not depend on one model vendor.
- Two ways in: a no-code builder for teams that want to design the system themselves, or an engagement in which the OpenLazarus team builds it with the company’s leadership.
- Publishes prices for hosting, engineering support and AI credits.
Limits
- No published case study of a completed SAP replacement that we could cite.
- Country-specific payroll and statutory reporting are not described on the pages we read; they should be confirmed in writing for each country.
- Its savings figures (OpenLazarus says 80 to 90% lower IT costs and token costs more than 80% lower) are the company’s own claims, not independent measurements.
- A system built around one company needs an accountable owner inside that company. It is a different purchase from licensing a packaged suite.
Choose another option if: You need a packaged, partner-implemented ERP on a vendor’s roadmap. Dynamics 365 or NetSuite cover the ERP core; Workday, Ivalua, Navan and Salesforce cover the cloud products one by one.
Pricing
Published on its site: managed hosting from $150 a month, engineering support from $4,500 a month including 10 engineering credits, and a 5.5% fee on AI credits. The consultancy engagement is priced per engagement.
What to ask OpenLazarus
- Which of our SAP modules map to prebuilt modules, and which would be built for us?
- How will statutory reporting and payroll be handled in each country we operate in?
- Can one process run beside SAP for a quarter before we commit?
- What is the calculation behind the savings figure for a company of our size?
For OpenLazarus beside the other entries, see the comparison table.
Sources
- OpenLazarus: the AI operating system your company owns. OpenLazarus. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
- Questions about OpenLazarus. OpenLazarus. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
- Pricing. OpenLazarus. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.