SAP's RISE with SAP offering originally shipped in three tiers: Base, Premium, and Premium Plus. In mid-2025, SAP rebranded Premium as "SAP Cloud ERP Private," retired Premium Plus entirely, and unbundled its advanced AI and sustainability features into optional add-ons. This guide explains what each tier includes, what changed, what it means for pricing, and how CIOs should respond in current and upcoming negotiations.
SAP's mid-2025 packaging restructure lowers the apparent entry price of RISE but creates multiple upsell opportunities post-signature. For CIOs, this means the initial RISE price may be lower, but the 5-year total cost could be higher if you add components individually at list pricing. Well-prepared customers who audit usage, benchmark pricing, and negotiate aggressively at renewal can turn the unbundling into savings. See also: Complete RISE Licensing Guide and SAP's Shift to Cloud ERP Licensing.
RISE with SAP is SAP's all-in-one subscription service for digital transformation. It bundles S/4HANA Cloud (Private Edition), cloud infrastructure, managed services, and transformation tools under a single contract. The goal is to simplify the transition from on-premise SAP ECC to S/4HANA Cloud by combining software licences, hosting, technical migration support, and business process tools into one subscription.
SAP initially structured RISE with three packaging tiers: Base, Premium, and Premium Plus. All tiers include the core S/4HANA Cloud ERP and basic infrastructure. Higher tiers add transformation tools, BTP credits, analytics, AI, and sustainability capabilities. The tier you select determines not just what tools are included, but how much commercial flexibility and negotiating leverage you have.
For a detailed comparison of RISE vs traditional on-premise licensing, see CIO Playbook: RISE vs Traditional SAP Licensing.
The table below shows the complete feature breakdown across all three original RISE tiers, based on SAP's packaging as of early 2025 (before the mid-2025 changes).
| Feature / Component | Base | Premium | Premium Plus (Retired) |
|---|---|---|---|
| S/4HANA Cloud (Private Edition core) | Included | Included | Included |
| SAP Build Work Zone (enterprise sites) | Included | Included | Included |
| Group Reporting (financial consolidation) | Included | Included | Included |
| SAP Signavio (process analysis and modelling) | Not included | Included | Included |
| SAP BTP credits and extension tools (SAP Build) | Not included | Included | Included |
| Advanced finance (cash management, receivables) | Not included | Not included | Included |
| SAP Analytics Cloud (planning capabilities) | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Supplier Portal (SAP Business Network) | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Sustainability management (Green Ledger) | Not included | Not included | Included |
| SAP Joule (generative AI assistant) | Not included | Not included | Included |
| SAP Datasphere (data warehouse) | Not included | Not included | Included |
The Base edition is the stripped-down entry point. It is designed for organisations that want a straightforward S/4HANA Cloud migration with no additional transformation tooling.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| What is included | Core S/4HANA Cloud (Private Edition) covering finance, logistics, sales, and procurement. SAP Build Work Zone for internal launchpads. Basic Group Reporting for financial consolidation. Standard cloud hosting on SAP-managed infrastructure. |
| Who it is for | Mid-market organisations with straightforward processes and minimal customisation requirements. Companies in regions where SAP's multi-tenant public cloud edition is not yet available. Organisations that will separately purchase any extensions or analytics they need. |
| What is missing | No Signavio process analysis tools. No BTP credits for building extensions. No advanced finance, analytics, AI, or sustainability tools. Limited T-shirt sizes (resource tiers). Restricted hyperscaler choice in some regions. |
| Being phased out | SAP is actively retiring the Base package in markets where the public cloud edition or GROW with SAP (for SMBs) is mature. New Base RISE deals are increasingly rare. Existing Base customers have grandfathering protection through end-2025, but renewals will push towards the new Cloud ERP Private packaging. |
Organisations on the Base tier that need Signavio, BTP credits, or analytics must purchase these separately at list pricing, which is typically 20 to 40% more expensive than if they had been included in the Premium bundle. If you anticipate needing these tools within 2 to 3 years, the Premium tier is almost always more cost-effective than Base plus add-ons.
The Premium edition became the default choice for most large enterprises adopting RISE with SAP. It builds on Base by bundling transformation tools, BTP credits, and integration capabilities that accelerate the S/4HANA Cloud journey.
| Premium Component | What It Provides |
|---|---|
| SAP Signavio Process Tools | Process Insights, Process Manager, and Collaboration Hub for mapping current processes, identifying optimisation opportunities, and planning the migration to a clean-core S/4HANA architecture. Critical for enterprises with significant customisation debt that need to rationalise processes before moving to the cloud. |
| SAP BTP Credits (CPEA) | A consumption allowance for SAP Business Technology Platform services: low-code development (SAP Build), workflow automation (SAP Build Process Automation), integration (SAP Integration Suite), and custom extensions. Enables organisations to build on top of S/4HANA without separate purchase orders. |
| Integration and Extension Tools | SAP Integration Suite for connecting S/4HANA to third-party systems and legacy landscapes. Extended infrastructure options including choice of hyperscaler (AWS, Azure, GCP) and larger T-shirt sizes for compute and storage. Enhanced SLAs compared to the Base tier. |
The price difference between Base and Premium is typically 15 to 30% of the total annual RISE subscription. However, SAP frequently offers Premium at near-Base pricing during fiscal year-end (Q4, ending December) or when competing against AWS/Azure-native S/4HANA deployments. Always benchmark the Premium price against the cost of purchasing Signavio, BTP credits, and Integration Suite separately. The bundled Premium price should be 20 to 40% cheaper than buying components individually. If SAP's Premium quote exceeds this benchmark, push back. See SAP Contract Negotiation Service.
The Premium Plus tier was SAP's highest-end RISE package, bundling the latest innovations on top of everything in Premium. As of July 2025, SAP has discontinued Premium Plus and unbundled its components into separate add-on subscriptions.
| Premium Plus Component | What It Did | Post-Retirement Status | Pricing Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAP Joule (AI assistant) | Generative AI co-pilot integrated into S/4HANA for natural-language queries, process automation, and recommendations. | Available as separate AI add-on subscription. | $15-$30 per user/month (estimated, varies by volume). |
| SAP Analytics Cloud | Planning, business intelligence, and predictive analytics built on S/4HANA data. | Available as separate SAC licence. | $22-$35 per user/month for planning edition. |
| SAP Datasphere | Cloud data warehouse for combining SAP and non-SAP data sources. | Available as separate Datasphere subscription. | Consumption-based pricing (capacity units). |
| Advanced finance add-ons | Cash management, receivables management, payment factory capabilities. | Available as S/4HANA Cloud add-on modules. | Typically 5-10% uplift on core S/4HANA licence. |
| Sustainability management | Green Ledger, carbon footprint tracking, ESG reporting. | Available as SAP Sustainability Control Tower add-on. | Separate subscription, pricing varies by scope. |
| SAP Business Network | Supplier portal, procurement network integration. | Available as separate Business Network subscription. | Transaction-based or per-supplier pricing. |
The bundle was too expensive for most customers to justify, and the take-up rate was low. By unbundling, SAP achieves two goals: it lowers the apparent entry price of RISE making the core offering more competitive against hyperscaler-native deployments, and it creates multiple upsell opportunities post-signature as customers adopt AI, analytics, and sustainability features incrementally. For CIOs, this means the initial RISE price may be lower, but the 5-year total cost could be higher if you add components individually at list pricing.
In mid-2025, SAP executed a significant packaging restructure that CIOs must understand for current and future negotiations.
| Change | What Happened | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Premium becomes "SAP Cloud ERP Private Edition" | The former RISE Premium package has been rebranded. The core contents are largely unchanged (S/4HANA Cloud, Signavio, BTP credits, Integration Suite), but the branding and contract structure now align with SAP's broader "Cloud ERP" portfolio. | Existing Premium customers retain contract terms through their current term. Renewals will be under the new branding. |
| Premium Plus discontinued | SAP has retired the Premium Plus tier entirely. All components previously bundled in Premium Plus (Joule AI, SAP Analytics Cloud, Datasphere, advanced finance, sustainability, Business Network) are now sold as separate add-on subscriptions. | Existing Premium Plus customers retain bundled entitlements through current contract term but must decide at renewal whether to continue each component individually. |
| Base package phase-out continues | The Base tier is being actively retired in markets where GROW with SAP (multi-tenant SaaS) or the public cloud edition is available. New Base deals are increasingly rare. | Existing Base customers have grandfathering protection but will face pressure to upgrade at renewal. |
| Single-tier future | SAP's direction is toward a single-tier core offering (Cloud ERP Private) with a modular add-on catalogue. | Simplifies SAP's sales process but shifts complexity to the customer, who must now evaluate and negotiate each add-on separately. See SAP's Shift to Cloud ERP Licensing. |
The 2025 changes create different situations depending on which tier you are currently on.
| Current Tier | During Current Contract | At Renewal | Key Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | Grandfathered through end-2025. No forced changes. | SAP will push upgrade to Cloud ERP Private (former Premium) at renewal. Base pricing no longer available. | 15-30% price increase at renewal if you must move to the new tier. Negotiate early to lock in transition pricing. |
| Premium | Rebranded to Cloud ERP Private. No material change to entitlements during current term. | Renewal under Cloud ERP Private branding. Contents largely unchanged but watch for any add-on unbundling in the new contract. | SAP may attempt to remove BTP credits or Signavio entitlements at renewal. Verify all components carry forward. |
| Premium Plus | Bundled entitlements honoured through current term. All components (Joule, SAC, Datasphere, etc.) remain accessible. | Must decide which components to retain as separate add-ons. Renewals will be at list pricing for each component. | Total renewal cost could be 20-40% higher than original Premium Plus price if all components retained individually. Prioritise which components you actually use. |
Before renewal, conduct a usage analysis of every Premium Plus component. In our experience, 30 to 50% of Premium Plus customers actively use fewer than half of the bundled features. At renewal, drop the unused components and negotiate aggressive discounts on the ones you retain. This can reduce the renewal cost to below the original Premium Plus price despite the unbundled structure.
| Pricing Issue | Detail |
|---|---|
| Lower entry price, higher TCO | SAP's new Cloud ERP Private offering has a lower headline price than the old Premium Plus bundle. But the total cost of ownership over 5 years is likely higher for organisations that need AI, analytics, and sustainability features, because add-on pricing lacks the bundle discount. Model the 5-year TCO before committing. |
| Add-on price escalation | Each add-on subscription carries its own annual price escalation clause (typically 3-5% per year). With 4-6 separate add-ons, the compounding effect is significant. In the old bundle, a single escalation applied. Negotiate caps on each add-on's escalation rate. |
| Contract complexity | Instead of one RISE contract, enterprises may now manage 5-8 separate order forms (core plus add-ons). Each has its own term, renewal date, and termination provisions. Align renewal dates and negotiate a master agreement structure to avoid administrative burden. |
| Lock-in mechanics | Individual add-ons typically have 1-3 year minimum commitments with auto-renewal. Cancelling a component mid-term incurs penalties. Negotiate co-termination clauses so all components renew (or terminate) together with the core Cloud ERP Private subscription. |
A European manufacturer with 3,000 SAP users on RISE Premium Plus was approaching renewal in Q4 2025. SAP's renewal proposal quoted the new Cloud ERP Private core at 2.1M EUR/year plus 1.4M EUR/year in add-on subscriptions (Joule AI, SAP Analytics Cloud, Datasphere, advanced finance) for a total of 3.5M EUR/year vs the original Premium Plus price of 2.8M EUR/year (a 25% increase). The licensing team conducted a usage analysis showing Datasphere had zero active users and SAP Analytics Cloud was used by only 40 of 3,000 users. They dropped Datasphere entirely, renegotiated SAC to a 40-user pack, negotiated Joule AI at a 35% discount against SAP's list, and secured a co-termination clause on all add-ons. Final renewal: 2.5M EUR/year, 300K EUR below the original Premium Plus price and 1M EUR below SAP's initial proposal. 3-year contract with 3% annual cap on all escalation clauses. The unbundling creates opportunity for well-prepared customers. Usage data is your most powerful negotiation tool at RISE renewals.
| Customer Type | Recommended Approach | Key Actions |
|---|---|---|
| New RISE customers | Start with Cloud ERP Private plus selective add-ons. | Adopt the new Cloud ERP Private as your core and add only the components you need immediately. Negotiate option rights for additional add-ons at pre-agreed pricing so you can activate them later without renegotiating. This gives you the lowest entry cost with a defined path to expand. See Strategic Checklist for CIOs. |
| Existing Base customers | Negotiate the upgrade carefully. | You will be moved to Cloud ERP Private at renewal. Start negotiation 6-9 months before renewal to avoid SAP's deadline pressure. Benchmark the upgrade price against the old Premium price for comparable customers and alternative deployment models (BYOL on hyperscaler). Use the Base-to-Premium uplift of 15-30% as your negotiation anchor. Reject anything above this range. |
| Existing Premium Plus customers | Audit usage and unbundle strategically. | Conduct a thorough usage analysis of every Premium Plus component before renewal. Drop underused features (typically Datasphere, sustainability, and Business Network have the lowest adoption). Retain and renegotiate Signavio, BTP credits, and the 1-2 add-ons you actively use. Target a renewal price at or below your current Premium Plus price despite the unbundled structure. |
For RISE vs on-premise cost comparison, see RISE vs Own Infrastructure Cost and 5-Year TCO Budget Guide.
| Step | Action | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Map your current tier and entitlements | Document exactly which RISE tier you are on, when the contract was signed, what components are included, and the renewal date. Pull the original order form and compare to SAP's current packaging documentation. |
| 2 | Conduct usage analysis of every bundled component | For each component in your RISE bundle (Signavio, BTP credits, SAC, Datasphere, Joule, etc.), measure actual usage: active users, consumed credits, reports generated, processes mapped. Unused components are your negotiation leverage. |
| 3 | Model the 5-year TCO under new packaging | Build a 5-year cost model comparing: your current RISE price trajectory, the new Cloud ERP Private plus add-ons, and a BYOL hyperscaler alternative. Include annual escalation, add-on subscriptions, and any migration costs. |
| 4 | Identify components to drop or downgrade | Any component with less than 25% adoption is a candidate for removal. Components with moderate adoption may benefit from smaller licence packs rather than enterprise-wide entitlements. |
| 5 | Benchmark against market pricing | Obtain benchmark pricing for each add-on from independent sources. SAP's initial quotes are typically 20-40% above what well-negotiated customers pay. Use competitive alternatives (e.g. Power BI vs SAP Analytics Cloud, Celonis vs Signavio) as negotiation leverage. |
| 6 | Negotiate co-termination clauses | Ensure all add-on subscriptions co-terminate with the core Cloud ERP Private contract. This prevents SAP from creating staggered renewal dates that give them leverage across multiple negotiation cycles. |
| 7 | Cap annual escalation on every component | Negotiate explicit annual escalation caps (target 3% or less) on the core subscription and every add-on individually. Without caps, SAP's standard 5-8% escalation across 5+ components compounds rapidly. |
| 8 | Secure option rights for future add-ons | Negotiate pre-agreed pricing for add-ons you may need in 2-3 years (e.g. AI capabilities, Datasphere) but do not activate now. Lock in today's pricing with a future activation option to avoid paying list price later. |
| 9 | Protect existing licence credits | If you have on-premise SAP licences being converted to RISE, verify the credit value applied. SAP's licence conversion ratios have become less generous with the new packaging. See Impact on Existing On-Premise Licences. |
| 10 | Engage independent advisory before signing | RISE contracts are complex and SAP's standard terms heavily favour the vendor. Independent advisory typically saves 20-35% on RISE deals by identifying overpriced components, unnecessary add-ons, and unfavourable contract terms. |
The Base package is being actively phased out. Existing Base customers retain their contract terms through the current period (grandfathering typically through end-2025), but new Base deals are increasingly rare. SAP is steering new customers toward the Cloud ERP Private edition (formerly Premium) or the multi-tenant GROW with SAP offering. At renewal, Base customers should expect to be moved to Cloud ERP Private, typically at a 15-30% price increase. Start renewal negotiations early to secure the best transition terms.
SAP discontinued the Premium Plus tier in mid-2025. All components previously bundled in Premium Plus (SAP Joule AI, Analytics Cloud, Datasphere, advanced finance, sustainability management, Business Network) are now available only as separate add-on subscriptions. Existing Premium Plus customers retain their bundled entitlements through their current contract term. At renewal, they must decide which components to retain individually at list pricing. The unbundled total cost is typically 20-40% higher than the original Premium Plus bundle price unless negotiated aggressively.
If you are currently on RISE Premium, the rebranding to Cloud ERP Private is primarily a naming change during your current contract term. Your entitlements (S/4HANA Cloud, Signavio, BTP credits, Integration Suite) should remain unchanged. However, at renewal, verify that all components carry forward under the new branding. SAP may attempt to reclassify certain entitlements or reduce BTP credit allocations under the new packaging. Review the renewal proposal line by line against your current order form.
It depends on your current tier. For Premium customers, the Cloud ERP Private renewal should be comparable to current pricing (with standard annual escalation). For Premium Plus customers, the renewal will almost certainly be more expensive if all components are retained at list pricing. For Base customers, the forced upgrade to Cloud ERP Private will be 15-30% more expensive. In all cases, the key mitigation is starting negotiations 6-9 months before renewal and having independent benchmark data.
Not necessarily. SAP Joule is still maturing, and the pricing model is evolving. Unless you have a specific, quantified use case for AI-assisted ERP workflows, it is better to negotiate an option right at pre-agreed pricing that you can activate later rather than committing to a subscription now. This locks in today's pricing without paying for a capability you may not use for 12-18 months. If SAP pushes Joule as a mandatory add-on, treat this as a negotiation tactic and push back.
Yes, SAP supports hybrid scenarios. RISE with SAP (now Cloud ERP Private) is the single-tenant private cloud offering for complex enterprises with significant customisation. GROW with SAP is the multi-tenant public cloud SaaS offering for simpler, more standardised deployments. Some organisations use RISE for their core, complex entities and GROW for smaller subsidiaries or greenfield deployments. The licensing and contracts are separate, so ensure integration costs between the two environments are factored into your TCO model.
The most effective benchmarks compare RISE against: SAP S/4HANA on a BYOL hyperscaler model (self-managed or partner-managed on AWS/Azure/GCP), SAP Private Cloud managed by a third-party hosting partner (e.g. Rackspace, HEC partners), and equivalent functionality from competing ERP vendors (Oracle Cloud ERP, Workday). Independent advisory firms maintain benchmark databases with actual deal pricing from hundreds of RISE transactions. This data is your most powerful negotiation lever. SAP cannot argue with what other customers are actually paying. See SAP Contract Negotiation Service.
Redress Compliance helps enterprises evaluate RISE tier options, benchmark pricing against market data, negotiate add-on terms, and structure contracts that protect your interests. Whether you are a new RISE customer or renewing, we provide a pricing analysis and negotiation strategy. Fixed-fee engagements. No SAP partnerships or referral arrangements.
SAP RISE AdvisoryIndependent RISE tier evaluation, pricing benchmarking, add-on negotiation, and contract structuring. Fixed-fee engagements. No SAP conflicts.