A strategic buyer's guide to choosing between Rimini Street, Spinnaker Support, and regional alternatives, with evaluation criteria, cost analysis, and selection checklist.
This guide is part of our SAP Licensing Knowledge Hub. For the full transition guide, see Switching to Third-Party Support for SAP.
SAP's standard support costs around 22% of your licence value every year. For many organisations, maintenance eats a huge chunk of the IT budget with relatively little innovation to show for it. Third-party providers promise to dramatically cut this cost and provide more flexible service, but not all vendors are created equal.
Beyond cost savings, moving to independent SAP support is about gaining control. Companies exploring alternatives are seeking to avoid forced upgrades, achieve better service levels, and regain leverage in vendor negotiations.
What is at stake. Potentially 50% off annual support fees and significant total cost of ownership reduction, but also important considerations around service quality, compliance, and risk. A smart comparison ensures you maximise savings without compromising mission-critical systems.
Rimini Street is widely regarded as the market leader in third-party SAP support, serving thousands of clients including Fortune 500 companies. It offers the most comprehensive service scope and the strongest SLAs in the industry.
Spinnaker Support is a strong second-ranked provider, often praised as a more "boutique" option delivering excellent service quality with a personal touch. Hundreds of clients across SAP and Oracle trust Spinnaker for responsive, tailored support.
The trade-off is scale: Spinnaker has fewer total clients and engineers than Rimini Street, so very large global companies with extremely complex needs may lean toward Rimini's greater resources. But in terms of quality, Spinnaker is right up there.
Beyond the two market leaders, smaller third-party vendors serve specific regions or niches. Support Revolution focuses on EMEA; other firms operate in North America, Europe, and Asia with narrow specialisations.
Key risks with regional providers. Smaller teams may lack 24/7 follow-the-sun support in multiple languages. Limited innovation: may not offer security suites, AI monitoring, or interoperability tools. Stability risk: verify track record, legal history, and financial health before committing. For most enterprises, the global leaders offer more comprehensive and proven services.
| Criteria | Why It Matters | Rimini Street | Others |
|---|---|---|---|
| Support Scope | Can they cover custom code, integrations, and older versions? | Full coverage of all SAP products + custom code. 15+ years beyond EOL. | Ask if they handle custom mods and legacy modules without extra fees. |
| SLAs | Fast issue resolution for mission-critical operations. | 24/7/365. Sub-10-min P1 response (avg ~2 min). Named senior engineer. | Spinnaker: 15-min P1. Smaller firms: verify written commitments. |
| Regulatory and Security | Tax, legal, and patch compliance worldwide. | Day-1 updates for 200+ jurisdictions. Zero-day protection via Rimini Protect. | Verify depth: do they cover your countries? Do they provide security mitigations? |
| Cost and TCO | Annual savings and long-term total cost reduction. | 50% lower annual fees. Up to 90% TCO savings. 15+ years of deferred migrations. | Compare % savings and what is included. Watch for hidden fees. |
| Risk Profile | Vendor stability, legal standing, long-term viability. | 15+ years in business. Thousands of clients. Proven legal resilience. Customer indemnification. | Request references. Check for lawsuits. Verify financial stability. |
Rimini Street stands out as the top choice due to its unmatched combination of scale, service breadth, and proven savings. Its ability to reduce SAP support costs dramatically while innovating in areas like security and interoperability makes it the leader for organisations looking to regain control of their IT budgets.
Spinnaker Support is a strong runner-up, shining for organisations that want a more boutique, personalised experience. Excellent service quality and flexibility make it ideal for mid-sized companies or any firm that values tailored attention over sheer scale.
Regional providers can be the right solution in specific scenarios: EMEA focus, extremely tight budgets, or narrow specialisations. But generally they do not unseat the leaders in an apples-to-apples comparison on features and assurances.