ERP Replacement

SAP S/4HANA as the upgrade route: dates, prices and conditions

The vendor’s own answer to the replacement question. Deep, maintained to 2040 and familiar to the team, and the route on which the published evidence about cost and delay is most detailed.

By The editors · Updated · 3 min read

Contents
  1. The dates
  2. The price
  3. The evidence on projects
  4. AI
  5. Strengths and limits
  6. Pricing
  7. Questions to ask SAP or a partner
  8. Sources
TypeUpgrade within the same vendor
PricingPublished
Websitesap.com

For a group that runs SAP ECC and intends to stay with SAP, S/4HANA is the upgrade. SAP has committed to maintain it until the end of 2040, while mainstream maintenance for ECC ends at the end of 2027⁠12.

Best for: Groups that are committed to SAP, have the budget and people for a multi-year programme, and need its depth in finance and supply chain.

Not the right fit for: Companies that want to stop paying licence, maintenance and integrator fees for a system they cannot shape.

The dates

OptionTerms
ECC mainstream maintenanceTo the end of 2027⁠2
ECC extended maintenance2028 to the end of 2030, two percentage points on the maintenance basis⁠1
SAP ERP, private edition, transition optionContinuity from 2031 to 2033 for systems moved to private edition on SAP HANA by the end of 2030; minimum 2 TB; only with the max success plan; a standard 20% uplift for customers signing in 2026⁠3
S/4HANAMaintenance commitment to the end of 2040⁠1

The price

We could open no list price on SAP’s own site. Vendr, a software-buying marketplace, estimates S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition at $200 to $300 per user a month, implementation at one to three times the annual subscription and a three-year total cost of two and a half to four times the first-year subscription; its figures come from anonymised deals of undisclosed number⁠4. Gartner says private-cloud customers that did not negotiate a renewal cap saw increases of 10% or more, an analysis SAP calls factually incorrect⁠5.

The evidence on projects

ISG’s survey of 200 senior decision-makers found nearly 60% of SAP migration projects delayed and over budget⁠6. In the DSAG Investment Report 2026, 37% of ECC users planned to switch by the end of 2027 and almost half by the end of 2030⁠7.

AI

SAP’s Joule assistants and agents were announced for ECC and on-premises S/4HANA in May 2026 as an interim measure, for customers that have started a RISE with SAP migration and hold the Max Success Plan⁠8. CIO.com reported that at least 50% of maintenance spending must first shift to the cloud⁠9.

Strengths and limits

Strengths

  • The deepest documented coverage of finance, logistics and industry processes for large groups.
  • A stated maintenance horizon to the end of 2040.
  • An existing SAP team keeps much of its knowledge.

Limits

  • ISG found nearly 60% of SAP migration projects at large companies delayed and over budget.
  • Gartner reports private-cloud renewal increases of 10% or more where no cap was negotiated; SAP disputes the analysis.
  • AI on ECC and on-premises S/4HANA is offered only to customers that have started a RISE with SAP migration, with further commercial conditions.
  • The company rents the system and adapts to a "clean core"; custom code makes later upgrades harder.

Choose another option if: The business case for the move cannot be made, which 95% of legacy users in one survey described as a big effort or a real challenge.

Pricing

No list price we could open on the vendor’s site. Vendr’s marketplace data, from anonymised deals of undisclosed number, puts S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition at $200 to $300 per user a month, implementation at one to three times the annual subscription and on-premises maintenance at 17 to 22% of licence cost a year.

Questions to ask SAP or a partner

  • What is the renewal price cap, in the contract?
  • Which of our custom developments survive a clean-core conversion?
  • Which Joule functions are included, and which need a further agreement?
  • What will the programme cost in partner fees, and who carries an overrun?

For S/4HANA against the other routes, see the comparison table.

Sources

  1. SAP S/4HANA: commitment to innovation and maintenance until 2040. SAP News Center, 4 Feb 2020. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
  2. Maintenance strategy: SAP S/4HANA and SAP Business Suite 7. SAP Support Portal. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
  3. Navigating your RISE with SAP journey: updates for SAP ERP, private edition, transition option. SAP News Center, 4 Aug 2025. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
  4. SAP software pricing and plans 2026. Vendr. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
  5. Unwary SAP private cloud users face 10% renewal hikes, warns Gartner. The Register, 14 Oct 2025. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
  6. Most SAP migrations bust budgets and deadlines, study finds. The Register, 5 Feb 2026. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
  7. DSAG Investment Report 2026. DSAG (German-speaking SAP User Group), 26 Feb 2026. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
  8. SAP U-turn brings AI features to ECC and on-prem S/4HANA. The Register, 13 May 2026. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
  9. SAP’s AI offer to legacy customers comes with a catch. CIO.com, 13 May 2026. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
  10. Two-fifths of SAP Americas users yet to ditch legacy ERP. The Register, 5 Nov 2025. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
  11. SAP’s grand cloud escape plan €2B short of the runway. The Register, 19 Mar 2026. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.

Further reading

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