There is no single price. The cost depends on the scope of your NAV installation. Here we explain what drives it, how to separate it from licenses and how to get a real estimate.
Migrating from Dynamics NAV to Business Central is a services project quoted according to the real scope of your installation. It is not a product with a price list: two companies on the same NAV version can have very different costs depending on their companies, customizations, integrations and data.
Many comparisons fail because they mix the migration service with the license subscription. They are two different things, with different logic.
| Migration cost (services) | Business Central licenses | |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | One-time implementation project | Recurring subscription (SaaS) |
| Defined by | Scope: version, customizations, data, integrations | Number of users and edition (Essentials / Premium) |
| Frequency | Paid per project phase | Paid monthly or annually per user |
| Depends on | Your NAV installation and the AL redesign | Microsoft, the region and the partner (CSP) |
| On this page | This is the main topic | Detailed on the Business Central pricing page |
Simple rule: migration is paid once (in phases) and licenses are paid every month. Do not mix both numbers in the same comparison.
Each one moves the effort to a different degree. During the assessment, each factor is scored to estimate the project.
| Factor | Why it matters | How it moves the cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1. NAV version | NAV 2018 and later have a direct path to the cloud; earlier versions require a staged upgrade or reimplementation. | An older version adds prior upgrade phases. |
| 2. Number of companies | Each company has its own configuration, data and balances to migrate, reconcile and validate. | More companies multiply the data and testing effort. |
| 3. Users | They affect licenses (recurring), security roles, training and acceptance testing. | More users raise licenses and training, not necessarily development. |
| 4. Database size | It defines extraction, loading and validation times, and the decision about history. | Large databases lengthen the migration and the cutover. |
| 5. Customizations | Every customization must be rewritten as an AL extension or replaced by standard functionality. | Along with integrations, the biggest cost driver. |
| 6. C/AL objects | Modified tables, pages, codeunits, dataports and reports are classified one by one. | Modifying base objects forces a redesign with extensions and events. |
| 7. Reports | Each custom report is converted, replaced by a standard report or retired. | Complex layouts and datasets require more rebuilding. |
| 8. Integrations | There is no SQL access in the cloud: they are rebuilt with APIs, OData, webhooks or Power Automate. | Each integration adds development, authentication and testing. |
| 9. EDI | Electronic exchanges require mappings, validations and error handling. | EDI is usually the most expensive type of integration. |
| 10. Third parties (add-ons) | Add-ons may have a Business Central version, require replacement or custom development. | Without a compatible version, development and data migration are added. |
| 11. Localization | Taxes, electronic invoicing, regulatory reports and country-specific legal requirements. | A localization with its own requirements demands extra extensions and testing. |
| 12. Historical data | You can migrate all history, a summary, or start from opening balances. | More detailed history = more extraction, loading and reconciliation. |
| 13. Testing | Unit, regression and integration tests, plus UAT with key users. | It scales with the number of critical processes and customizations. |
| 14. Training | Role-based training, materials and change-management support. | More users and new processes increase training hours. |
These factors are analyzed in the NAV to Business Central migration assessment. The version alone does not define the cost: a heavily customized NAV 2018 can cost more than a simple NAV 2016.
Because the cost of a migration is a function of scope, not a catalog product. A serious quote is built by reviewing the system, not by applying a flat rate to "a migration".
Two NAV installations can look the same on the outside and be very different inside: number of modified C/AL objects, integrations with third-party systems, add-ons without a cloud version, number of companies, fiscal localization and volume of history. Any of these axes can double the effort.
That is why anyone offering a "fixed price" without an assessment is usually assuming a scope that probably does not match yours. The honest way to quote is to estimate by factors and by phases.
The project is broken into stages. Each one has scope, deliverables and estimated hours.
Review of version, companies, database, C/AL objects, reports, integrations, EDI, add-ons and data. Deliverable: feasibility report and route.
Rewriting customizations as extensions, refactoring onto events and converting reports. Deliverable: publishable extension.
Master data, configuration, opening balances and open documents, with reconciliation. Deliverable: validated data.
Rebuilding on API v2.0, OData, custom APIs, webhooks and Power Automate. Deliverable: tested integrations.
Unit, regression and integration tests, plus user acceptance. Deliverable: validation sign-off.
Role-based training, go-live and post go-live support. Deliverable: stabilized operation.
The technical detail of each stage is in the NAV to Business Central migration guide. If the project includes custom development, it is estimated separately as AL extensions.
These profiles are illustrative examples to show how effort changes with scope. They are not prices or timelines committed by VPC Dynamics.
| Profile (example) | Typical scope | Relative complexity | Indicative timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Example A — Simple migration | NAV 2018, 1 company, ~10-15 users, fewer than 20 C/AL objects, no EDI, 1-2 simple integrations, standard localization, balances and open documents only. | Low | 6 to 10 weeks |
| Example B — Intermediate migration | NAV 2015-2017, 2-3 companies, 20-40 users, 30-80 C/AL objects, 2-4 integrations, limited EDI, partial history, add-ons with a BC version. | Medium | 12 to 20 weeks |
| Example C — Complex migration | NAV 2013 or earlier, several companies, more than 50 users, many customizations on base objects, add-ons without a version, EDI and multiple integrations, specific localization, full history. | High | 20 weeks or more / reimplementation |
A transparent process, with deliverables before committing development hours.
We analyze version, database, companies, C/AL objects, reports, integrations, EDI, add-ons, localization and data scope.
Each customization is classified as: covered by standard, reproducible with an extension, requires rewriting or is retired.
We deliver scope, deliverables and estimates per stage. You can approve the full project or proceed phase by phase.
If you want to understand the technical routes first, start with the NAV to Business Central migration guide or the specific NAV 2018 route.
There is no single price. Migration is a services project quoted by scope: NAV version, number of companies, users, database size, C/AL customizations, reports, integrations, EDI, third-party add-ons, localization, historical data, testing and training. Business Central licenses are paid separately as a subscription. The estimate is delivered after a technical assessment.
Because every NAV installation is different. Two companies on the same version can differ in number of companies, database size, modified C/AL objects, integrations and fiscal localization. Cost is a function of scope, not a catalog product. That is why it is quoted after reviewing the system.
No. It is best to separate two costs: migration services, a one-time implementation project, and Business Central licenses, a recurring per-user subscription by edition (Essentials or Premium). Mixing them makes proposals impossible to compare. Licenses are detailed on the Business Central pricing page.
The highest-impact factors are C/AL customizations that modify base objects, integrations and EDI, third-party add-ons without a Business Central version, the number of companies and the volume of historical data. Testing and training also scale with scope.
No. NAV 2018 and later have a direct cloud migration path, so the project is usually shorter. Earlier versions (NAV 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2009) require an intermediate on-premises upgrade or a reimplementation, which adds phases and effort.
Yes. The project can be planned and budgeted in stages: assessment, customization conversion, data migration, integrations, testing and cutover. Budgeting by phase lets you approve each stage with its scope and deliverable, and control progress without committing the full amount at once.
Yes. Migrating all detailed history of movements, documents and attachments requires more extraction, transformation, loading and reconciliation effort. If only master data, opening balances and open documents are migrated, the scope and cost decrease. The decision is made with the business, not IT alone.
Yes. Country-specific regulatory requirements, such as electronic invoicing (for example AFIP/ARCA in Argentina), tax reports and tax rules, may require local extensions, additional integrations and specific testing. A standard localization takes less effort than one with its own requirements.
Users mainly impact licenses, which are recurring, and the scope of training, security roles and acceptance testing. They are not the only factor in the services cost: a migration with many users but few customizations can be simpler than one with few users and heavy customization.
With a free technical assessment. We review the NAV version, number of companies, database size, modified C/AL objects, reports, integrations, EDI, add-ons, localization and data scope. Based on that report, VPC Dynamics provides a phased proposal with scope and deliverables.
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