RISE vs GROW vs On-Prem: The 2026 Decision.

Choose GROW for greenfield deployments that can run standard processes, RISE for existing ECC estates with custom code that need a managed private cloud, and stay on-premise when a stable estate has no compelling business case to move and you want to preserve maintenance leverage toward the 2027/2030 deadline. That is the short answer. The longer answer turns on three variables — how customised your processes are, whether you are migrating or starting fresh, and how much your ECC maintenance stream is still worth as negotiating leverage. This comparison sets all three SAP routes side by side so you can place your estate on the matrix before SAP places it for you.

RISE vs GROW vs on-premise: how do they compare?

All three deliver S/4HANA, but the commercial model, the customisation ceiling and the migration path differ sharply. The table below is the head-to-head we walk clients through; the two cloud routes are detailed in our RISE with SAP and GROW with SAP guides, and the whole decision sits under the RISE and GROW pillar guide.

The three SAP routes head-to-head. The customisation and cost-model rows usually drive the decision.

Is RISE cheaper than staying on-premise?

Not automatically. RISE converts a perpetual-licence-plus-22%-maintenance cost into a per-FUE subscription that bundles infrastructure and managed services, which changes the shape of the spend rather than guaranteeing it is lower. For a heavily customised or infrastructure-heavy estate, a five-year RISE total can exceed the cost of staying put and running S/4HANA on a direct hyperscaler contract. The comparison only becomes meaningful once each RISE bundle layer — software, infrastructure, managed services, support — is benchmarked separately against standalone alternatives. The cost mechanics of the perpetual model are in our SAP license cost in 2026 benchmarks.

Cloud vs on-premise cost shape. Cloud lowers up-front cost but trades away infrastructure control and price predictability.

When does ECC maintenance end, and why does it matter?

SAP mainstream maintenance for ECC 6.0 runs to the end of 2027, with extended maintenance available at a premium to 2030. SAP uses that deadline to frame the cloud move as urgent — but the deadline cuts both ways. For a buyer, an in-support ECC estate is leverage: it means you are choosing to move, not being forced to, and that choice is worth a discount. For cost-pressured organisations mid-migration, staying on-premise with third-party support can bridge the gap to a better-timed cloud move without paying SAP's extended-maintenance premium. The runway and its tactical uses are covered in our S/4HANA migration 2027 guide.

How should you decide between RISE, GROW and on-prem?

We resolve the decision against the estate's profile rather than SAP's roadmap. The questions below, answered honestly, point to a route in nearly every engagement.

• Are you greenfield or migrating? Greenfield with standard processes → GROW. Migrating a configured estate → RISE or on-prem.
• How much custom code matters? Heavy ABAP that delivers real differentiation → RISE or on-prem, not GROW.
• Do you want infrastructure control? If yes, on-prem or RISE with a benchmarked infra layer; if not, GROW.
• Is there a business case to move at all? A stable, fully-depreciated ECC estate may be best left on-prem with maintenance leverage intact.
• What is your negotiating leverage? In-support ECC and a credible "stay" option are what make any cloud discount real.

Whichever route you land on, the negotiation discipline is the same: document a credible alternative, benchmark every layer, and refuse to let the 2027 clock substitute for a business case. That is the core of our buyer-side contract negotiation practice, and it runs alongside SAP audit defence whenever an existing estate carries compliance exposure. For how this plays out across a multi-vendor estate, see our portfolio renegotiation case study.

Frequently asked questions.

Related reading.

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