What Is RISE with SAP? Independent 2026 Guide

RISE with SAP is SAP's guided path to move an existing SAP landscape onto S/4HANA Cloud. Launched in March 2021 and restructured in 2025, it is no longer a single fixed bundle but a migration methodology paired with a modular set of subscription SKUs — cloud ERP, tools, and services — sold under one contract.

Updated July 2026. Independent and vendor-neutral — no vendor pays for placement or ranking.

RISE with SAP vs GROW with SAP

SAP sells two "with SAP" programmes, and buyers frequently confuse them. The short version: RISE is for existing SAP customers migrating an established landscape (brownfield); GROW is for new customers starting fresh on public cloud (greenfield).

If you are moving an existing SAP system, RISE is almost always the relevant programme. If you have never run SAP and want a standardised public-cloud deployment, GROW is the entry point.

What's Included in RISE with SAP?

RISE bundles several SAP assets under one contract. The exact composition depends on the SKUs you select, but the core building blocks are consistent:

• SAP S/4HANA Cloud — the ERP core, in either Public or Private Cloud edition (see below).
• SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) — a credit-based platform for integration, application extension, analytics, and AI, so customers can extend S/4HANA without modifying the core.
• SAP Business Network — starter access to SAP's supplier, logistics, and asset networks (including the Ariba Network) for connected supply-chain collaboration.
• SAP Signavio — process-intelligence tooling (formerly Business Process Intelligence) that maps current processes and benchmarks them against best practice ahead of migration.
• Migration tooling and services — SAP-led adoption frameworks, reference architectures, and a single point of accountability for the cloud operations underneath.

SAP S/4HANA Cloud: Public vs Private

RISE delivers S/4HANA Cloud in one of two editions, and the choice drives most of the cost and flexibility trade-offs.

Private Cloud edition runs the on-premise S/4HANA code base as a fully managed, single-tenant service hosted on a hyperscaler of your choice (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud). It includes SAP Basis and light application-management services. Because it is single-tenant and carries the full customisation model, Private Cloud is the usual landing zone for large, complex organisations and for brownfield migrations that need to preserve custom code.

Public Cloud edition is built on a separate, cloud-native code base derived from S/4HANA. It is multi-tenant — the core application and hosting are shared across customers, while data and access are isolated. That makes it cheaper to buy and run, with faster setup, but customers configure within a predefined scope rather than customising the code directly.

For a fuller breakdown, see our independent guides to S/4HANA Public Cloud and S/4HANA Private Cloud.

RISE with SAP Pricing

RISE is priced as an annual subscription, and since the 2025 restructure the total depends on which modular SKUs a customer selects rather than a published tier. The main cost drivers are:

• FUE (Full Use Equivalent) users — SAP's licensing metric, weighting users by role.
• S/4HANA Cloud edition — Private Cloud generally costs more than Public.
• BTP consumption — platform credits for integration, extensions, and AI.
• Add-on services and industry scope — migration services, premium support, and line-of-business modules.

SAP does not publish RISE list pricing; quotes are deal-specific and negotiated. As a directional benchmark, mid-sized RISE contracts commonly land in the low-to-mid six figures per year, scaling well beyond that for large enterprises. Model your own numbers before engaging SAP or a partner — our ERP cost estimator and pricing guides help you frame the conversation.

Is RISE with SAP Mandatory for S/4HANA?

No — RISE is not the only route to S/4HANA, but SAP has made it the most attractive one. You can still license S/4HANA on-premise or run S/4HANA Cloud outside the RISE contract. However, SAP steers incentives (discounting, migration credits, and roadmap benefits such as broader access to its cloud AI features) toward customers who adopt via RISE or GROW. In practice, most net-new S/4HANA transformations now go through one of the two programmes.

RISE User Interface and Experience

S/4HANA and the surrounding RISE applications use SAP Fiori, SAP's role-based design system, delivering a consistent web and mobile experience across the suite. This is a significant shift from the classic SAP GUI of the ECC era and is one of the practical wins customers cite after migrating.

Wider SAP Product Portfolio

RISE centres on ERP, but many organisations pair S/4HANA with the rest of SAP's line-of-business cloud portfolio:

• SAP SuccessFactors — human capital management.
• SAP Ariba & SAP Fieldglass — spend management and external workforce.
• SAP Concur — travel and expense.
• SAP Customer Experience (CX) — commerce, sales, and marketing cloud.
• SAP Integrated Business Planning (IBP) — supply-chain planning.

For the broader context on SAP's ERP strategy, see our independent SAP ERP overview, and for how SAP stacks up against its closest enterprise rival, our Oracle ERP Cloud vs SAP comparison.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is RISE with SAP?

RISE with SAP is SAP's guided programme for moving an existing SAP landscape onto S/4HANA Cloud. It combines a cloud-migration methodology with a modular set of subscription components — S/4HANA Cloud, SAP Business Technology Platform, SAP Business Network, Signavio process intelligence, and SAP-led services — all delivered under a single contract with SAP accountable for the cloud operations.

What is the SAP RISE full form?

RISE is not an acronym in the traditional sense — SAP uses "RISE with SAP" as a branded programme name signifying a company's rise or transformation to the cloud. SAP officially describes it as "business transformation as a service." It launched in March 2021 and was restructured into a modular SKU framework in 2025.

Why choose RISE with SAP?

The main reason is the ECC deadline: mainstream maintenance for SAP ECC ends in 2027 (extended maintenance through 2030), so existing customers need a path to S/4HANA. RISE packages the ERP, platform, and migration services under one contract with a single accountable vendor, which reduces the number of moving parts in a complex transformation versus assembling the pieces separately.

How much does RISE with SAP cost?

RISE is an annual subscription with no published list price. Since the 2025 restructure, cost depends on the modular SKUs selected — FUE user count, S/4HANA Cloud edition (Private typically costs more than Public), BTP consumption, and add-on services. Mid-sized contracts commonly run into the low-to-mid six figures per year, scaling higher for large enterprises. All pricing is negotiated deal-by-deal.

Is RISE with SAP mandatory for S/4HANA adoption?

No. You can still deploy S/4HANA on-premise or license S/4HANA Cloud outside RISE. But SAP concentrates its discounts, migration credits, and roadmap incentives — including broader access to its cloud AI capabilities — on RISE and GROW customers, so most new S/4HANA transformations now adopt through one of the two programmes.

What is the difference between RISE and GROW with SAP?

RISE with SAP is for existing SAP customers migrating an established landscape (brownfield), and supports both Private and Public S/4HANA Cloud. GROW with SAP is for net-new customers with no legacy SAP ERP, uses S/4HANA Cloud Public only, and follows a standardised greenfield implementation aimed at midmarket and fast-growing companies.