If the company reports into a foreign parent, the drivers are different: your Ukrainian subsidiary runs 1C.
This page covers the cost of switching from 1C — data volume, how much history you keep, the parallel run. For the overall project budget see what an implementation costsCost calculator
Moving off 1C scares people with two things: an unknown cost and the fear of stopping the business during migration. Both fears disappear once you understand the project's structure. Let's break down the budget and the timeline.
What the cost of switching is made of
- Business Central licences. A per-user subscription — a predictable monthly sum instead of a one-off purchase.
- Implementation. Configuring the system to your processes — the main budget line.
- Data migration from 1C. Moving master data, balances and open documents with validation.
- Rethinking custom tweaks. What 1C did “your way” is implemented in Business Central through AL extensions.
What it costs in actual numbers
Percentages describe the shape of a budget but not its size. These are the figures a company actually deals with when switching.
| Line | Amount | Type of payment |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft licences | $80–110 per user per month | Ongoing subscription, paid directly to Microsoft |
| Start package — 2 modules | $860 per month | Implementation, consulting, training and support |
| Business package — 3 modules | $1,290 per month | The usual choice for companies with several business lines |
| Corporate package — 5 modules | $2,150 per month | Full process coverage for a mid-sized company |
A worked example. A distribution company, 15 users on Essentials, Business package:
- Licences: 15 × $80 = $1,200 per month
- Implementation package: $1,290 per month
- Total: $2,490 per month for the duration of the project
At a typical switching timeline of eight to sixteen weeks that is roughly $6,000–10,000 for the whole project, after which only the licence subscription and your chosen support arrangement remain. To model your own headcount and module count, use the cost calculator; the packages are described in full on the pricing page.
Complex projects with non-standard processes are quoted separately after a free audit, because there the figure depends on the volume of extensions rather than the number of modules.
How long migration takes
For a mid-market business, moving off 1C takes roughly 8 to 16 weeks. The data migration itself isn't the whole project but one of its stages; most of the time goes into process analysis and system configuration.
How not to stop the business
The key is a parallel period. 1C runs until the last day, data is moved as of a fixed date over a weekend or low-activity period, and balance reconciliation finishes before the team starts working in Business Central. A well-planned migration runs with no downtime.
Practical tip: don't move ten years of history out of 1C. Open balances and master data enter the new system, while the old database stays in an archive for reference. This makes migration significantly cheaper and faster.
The main mistake
Trying to “move 1C as-is” together with every custom tweak. A switch is a chance to simplify processes that have run on inertia for years. An audit before migration shows what to keep and what to drop.
Only a process audit gives an exact figure for your scope. If you're still weighing the decision itself, start with the 1C vs Business Central comparison.