
NetSuite is huge and confusing. You might feel lost in all the menus and data.
This makes daily tasks take twice as long as they should.
It is frustrating to fall behind just because the software feels like a maze.
But it does not have to be hard.
Our guide shows you how to use NetSuite the simple way. We break down the basics so you can work faster.
Stop stressing and start mastering your dashboard today.
Read on to become a pro.

Join over 40,000 businesses using NetSuite. Users see a 20% to 50% boost in efficiency and save 15 hours of work weekly.
Netsuite Tutorial
Learning NetSuite is like finding your way around a new city.
First, you must log in and check your dashboard.
This screen shows your most important work. Use the search bar to find files fast.
Click the tabs to see your sales, reports, and customers.
It gets easier daily.
How to use Accounts Payable Automation
Managing bills can be a big headache for NetSuite users.
Oracle NetSuite makes it easier by doing most of the work for you.
This helps increase efficiency, so you don’t spend all day typing numbers.
If you need more help, you can always ask your NetSuite administrator or look at training resources.
Here is how you can set up and use the automation for your bills.
Step 1: Set Up Your Vendor Records
- Log in to your NetSuite account and go to the Lists tab.
- Click on Relationships to find your vendors. This is part of your customer relationship management area.
- Make sure each vendor has a correct email and payment terms.
- Check the Auto-Calculate box to let the system handle tax and totals. This is one of the best NetSuite features for saving time.
Step 2: Capture Your Invoices
- Use the Email Capture tool to send bills directly into the system.
- The software uses smart data management tools to read the PDF files.
- Review the data to ensure the amounts and dates are right. You can use a NetSuite saved search to find any invoices that are missing info.
- Click Approve to move the bill into your financial processes.
Step 3: Schedule Your Payments
- Navigate to Transactions and then Payables.
- Select Pay Bills to see everything you owe. This is easier than manually checking a sales order for every purchase.
- Use the filter to find bills that are due this week.
- Select the bills you want to pay and click Submit. If you get stuck, the NetSuite help button is a great place for quick NetSuite training.
How to use Multi-Book Accounting
Running a global business means you might need to follow different sets of rules for your money.
In the past, this meant a lot of boring data entry in many different places.
With Oracle NetSuite, you can keep all your records in a single system.
This ERP tool gives you real-time visibility into your finances, no matter where you are.
Using this feature is a great way to showcase your new financial skills.
Step 1: Enable the Multi-Book Feature
- Start your NetSuite navigation by going to Setup and then Company.
- Click Enable Features, then select the Accounting tab.
- Look for the Multi-Book Accounting box and check it.
- You can watch for the green checkmark to ensure success.
- Check your user roles to ensure you have the necessary permissions to change these settings.
Step 2: Create a Secondary Book
- To save a new book, go to Setup > Accounting Setupunting Books.
- Click New to start. This is much faster than the old ways of saving time.
- Choose the currency and the tax rules for this specific book.
- You can check your recent records or the history tab to see what you did last.
- This setup helps users sstay organizedwithout needing extra marketing or CRM tools.
Step 3: Run Reports for Each Book
- Open the Reports menu to see your real-time data.
- Select a report, like your Income Statement.
- Use the dropdown menu at the bottom to switch between your main book and your new book.
- You can also make a saved search to find specific numbers across all your books.
- For more help, you can read support articles or find a complete training guide.
- You can also set up email templates to automatically send these reports to your boss. This leads to improved efficiency for everyone.
How to use Accounts Receivable Automation
Getting paid on time is the best way to help your company achieve growth.
If you wait too long for checks, it hurts your productivity.
Automation is a great solution because it does the boring work for you.
Using this cloud tool helps you keep your financials clean and efficient.
You can even access these tools from any device, like your phone or laptop.
Step 1: Create a New Invoice
- To create a bill, go to the Transactions tab.
- Click Sales, then Create Invoices.
- Use the functionality to pick your customer from the list.
- Add the items you sold and check the price.
- This is much more efficient than writing bills by hand.
Step 2: Set Up Payment Reminders
- Go to Setup and then AccoSetup.
- You want to implement a “Dunning” plan, which is just a fancy word for reminders.
- Tell the system how many days to wait before it sends an email to a customer.
- This helps you manage your jobs without having to call people every day.
- If you need tips, you can search for knowledge articles in the support center.
Step 3: Record the Payment
- When you sign in to NetSuite and see that the money has arrived, find the invoice.
- Click the Accept Payment button to finish the complete process.
- This gives you insights into who pays the fastest.
- You can effectively track your cash and see it move in real time.
- If you learn better by watching, you can find many videos on YouTube. Just hit play on a tutorial to see how it works.
Alternatives to NetSuite
- Puzzle IO: This software focuses on AI-powered financial planning.
- Dext: This tool is great for capturing documents and extracting data.
- Xero: This is a popular online accounting software for small businesses.
- Synder: It specializes in syncing e-commerce and payment data with accounting software.
- Easy Month End: This software is designed to streamline your month-end financial tasks.
- Docyt: It uses artificial intelligence for bookkeeping and automates financial workflows.
- Sage: This is a comprehensive business and accounting software suite.
- Zoho Books: An online accounting tool, it is known for being affordable and great for small businesses.
- Wave: This option provides free accounting software for small businesses.
- Quicken: A popular personal finance management tool that helps organize budgets.
- Hubdoc: It specializes in capturing and organizing financial documents for bookkeeping.
- Expensify: This app is focused on expense management, making it easy to track and submit receipts.
- QuickBooks: A very well-known accounting software that helps businesses with everything from invoicing to payroll.
- AutoEntry: This tool automates data entry by scanning and analyzing documents like invoices and receipts.
- Freshbooks: A powerful and complete cloud-based business management suite for larger companies.
Netsuite Compared
- NetSuite vs Puzzle: This software focuses on AI-powered financial planning for startups. Its counterpart is for personal finance.
- NetSuite vs Dext: This is a business tool for capturing receipts and invoices. The other tool tracks personal expenses.
- NetSuite vs Xero: This is popular online accounting software for small businesses. Its competitor is for personal use.
- NetSuite vs Synder: This tool syncs e-commerce data with accounting software. Its alternative focuses on personal finance.
- NetSuite vs Easy Month End: This is a business tool to streamline month-end tasks. Its competitor is for managing personal finances.
- NetSuite vs Docyt: This uses AI for business bookkeeping and automation. The other uses AI as a personal finance assistant.
- NetSuite vs Sage: This is a comprehensive business accounting suite. Its competitor is an easier-to-use tool for personal finance.
- NetSuite vs Zoho Books: This is an online accounting tool for small businesses. Its competitor is for personal use.
- NetSuite vs Wave: This provides free accounting software for small businesses. Its counterpart is designed for individuals.
- NetSuite vs Quicken: Both are personal finance tools, but this one offers more in-depth investment tracking. The other is simpler.
- NetSuite vs Hubdoc: This specializes in document capture for bookkeeping. Its competitor is a personal finance tool.
- NetSuite vs Expensify: This is a business expense management tool. The other is for personal expense tracking and budgeting.
- NetSuite vs QuickBooks: This is well-known accounting software for businesses. Its alternative is built for personal finance.
- NetSuite vs AutoEntry: This is designed to automate data entry for business accounting. Its alternative is a personal finance tool.
Conclusion
NetSuite is a big system, but it does not have to be scary.
You now know how to handle your bills and get paid faster.
Using automation is the best way to save time and stop making mistakes.
It helps you focus on growing your business instead of just clicking buttons.
Keep practicing every day to get better.
If you ever feel stuck, remember that there are many guides and videos to help you out.
You are on your way to becoming a pro user.
Take it one step at a time and stay positive!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is NetSuite and how does it work?
NetSuite is a cloud-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system owned by Oracle. It unifies disjointed business processes—like finance, CRM, inventory, and e-commerce—into a single platform. It operates on a SaaS model, meaning you access it entirely through a web browser without needing on-premise hardware.
How much is NetSuite per user?
NetSuite does not publish fixed pricing, but costs typically include a base license fee (often starting around $999/month) plus a per-user fee (approximately $99/user/month). Final pricing depends heavily on the specific modules required, contract length, and negotiated discounts.
Is NetSuite better than QuickBooks?
For mid-sized or rapidly growing companies, yes. NetSuite offers superior scalability, advanced inventory management, and multi-entity global consolidation that QuickBooks cannot match. However, for small businesses or freelancers with simple accounting needs, QuickBooks is significantly cheaper and easier to use.
What are the disadvantages of NetSuite?
The primary downsides are cost and complexity. It has a high total cost of ownership due to expensive implementation fees and licensing. Additionally, the learning curve is steep, and customizing the system often requires specialized knowledge of “SuiteScript,” NetSuite’s proprietary coding language.
What is the NetSuite controversy?
Most “controversy” revolves around aggressive pricing tactics. Users often complain about significant annual cost increases at renewal time and complex, binding contracts. Some customers also find the “SuiteSuccess” implementation model too rigid if their specific business processes don’t align with NetSuite’s standard workflows.
Is NetSuite easy to learn?
No, it generally has a steep learning curve. Unlike plug-and-play accounting tools, NetSuite is a robust ERP system with complex workflows. While the dashboard is customizable and user-friendly once configured, mastering the backend logic and full navigation takes dedicated training and time.
What do people use NetSuite for?
Companies use NetSuite to replace fragmented software ecosystems (like using Excel for inventory and Salesforce for CRM) with one “source of truth.” It handles financial management (GL, AP/AR), supply chain operations, order management, and omnichannel commerce in real-time.
More Facts about NetSuite
- Automation: NetSuite handles workflows automatically, such as processing customer orders and paying bills, so data is always up to date.
- Testing: Before the system goes live, users perform “User Access” testing to make sure everything works correctly.
- The Process: Setting up NetSuite happens in stages: Discovery, Design, Build, Test, Deploy, and Support.
- Planning: In the first stage, businesses document exactly how they operate and the goals they want to achieve.
- Moving Data: Before moving data into NetSuite, companies must clean up their legacy data to ensure customer records and bank balances are accurate.
- Six Phases: The full project usually follows six steps: Planning, Designing, Moving Data, Testing, Training, and Going Live.
- Safety Controls: NetSuite protects data through “roles.” T”is mea”s employees can only see and do things that match their specific job duties.
- Partners: Choosing the right team or partner to help set up the system is crucial to success.
- Cost Savings: Many companies save money on the setup process by hiring independent experts.
- Keys to Success: To succeed, a project needs a clear plan and the right people working on it.
- Custom Features: NetSuite allows businesses to change the software to fit their specific needs.
- Expert Help: Hiring an experienced consultant can guide the project and ensure it runs smoothly.
- Business Value: For the project to work well, the company must see how the software helps them win.
- Dashboards: NetSuite uses them to display key numbers, tasks, and reports on a single screen, helping people work faster.
- Real-Time Data: The system provides instant insights into every part of the business, enabling leaders to make smart decisions.
- One System: NetSuite combines many business tasks into one app. This means you don’t have to enter the same information twice.
- Remote Work: Because NetSuite is in the cloud, you can access it from any of your devices with an internet connection, making it easy to work from home.
- Workflow Tools: A tool called SuiteFlow helps guide users through tasks and prevents mistakes.
- Custom Fields: You can add special boxes (fields) to forms to capture the exact information your business needs.
- Tracking Changes: To keep data honest, the system uses “System No”es” to track the history of every change made to the data.
- AI Assistants: NetSuite uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to let users ask questions in plain English to get reports.
- Finance Tools: The system automates repetitive tasks, allowing staff to focus on more important work.
- Scanning Bills: AI can automatically scan bills and match them to ord correctingings typing errors.
- Better Decisions: Analytics tools provide live updates to help managers decide what to do next.
- Cloud Platform: NetSuite is a cloud-based software platform that manages finances, inventory, and accounting in one place.
- Efficiency: By consolidating all processes into a single system, companies save money and make fewer mistakes.
- Collaboration: Teams can work together easily because they can log in from anywhere.
- Flexibility: The software offers many options to support the unique ways different organizations work.
- Startups: NetSuite is a top choice for growing companies because it is easier to maintain than older systems.
- Visibility: It lets companies see exactly what is happening in their business right now.
- Higher Salary: Getting certified in NetSuite can help a person negotiate a salary increase of $10,000 to $20,000.
- Resume Boost: Knowing how to use NetSuite looks very good on a resume and helps people find jobs.
- Hard to Practice: NetSuite is a private system, so it isn’t easy to learn unless you work at a company that already uses it.
- Job Demand: Many companies are seeking candidates with NetSuite experience.
- Online Training: There are many videos and guides online to help developers and users learn.
- Competitive Edge: Job seekers with NetSuite skills stand out more to employers.
- Free Courses: NetSuite offers a “learning “aspect that includes some free classes for beginners.
- Tutorials: Lessons are available that cover how to move around the system and search for data.
- Third-Party Classes: You can find NetSuite courses on learning platforms like Udemy.
- Learning Portal: NetSuite has a special website just for training and finding new opportunities.
- Resources: Users can read eBooks and guides from NetSuite to better understand the software.













