IFS vs SAP: which is the better consultant career?

Short answer. SAP is the far larger market, with more jobs and more consultants competing for them. IFS is a smaller, focused ecosystem where specialists are scarcer and easier to stand out among. Neither is better in general. SAP suits people who want the widest choice of employers. IFS suits people who want depth in asset-heavy and service-heavy industries.

How they differ

• Market size. SAP has many times more customers, partners and roles worldwide.
• Competition. The SAP talent pool is also much larger. In IFS, a consultant with two or three implementations is already well known to recruiters.
• Industries. IFS concentrates on aerospace and defence, energy, utilities and resources, construction and engineering, manufacturing, service industries and telecommunications. SAP spans almost every sector.
• Community. The IFS world is small. Reputation travels fast, in both directions.

How to choose

Start from your industry background and the employers near you. If you already work in maintenance, field service, project-based manufacturing or defence, IFS experience compounds quickly. If you want maximum optionality across sectors, SAP offers more doors.

For a sense of IFS demand: 155 open roles from 39 employers on this board today, in 22 countries.