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Head-to-head · Reporting Software

SAP Crystal Reports vs Bold Reports

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score SAP Crystal Reports #3 in Reporting Software 9.0/10 30-day trial Free trial✓ 0 of 2 features Visit site
Bold Reports #6 in Reporting Software 8.6/10 Pricing on request · 30-day trial Free trial✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Bold Reports

SAP Crystal Reports leads on 0 checks, Bold Reports on 0, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreSAP Crystal Reports · 9.0/10
  • Free trialboth
  • Most featuresBold Reports · 2 of 2

SAP Crystal Reports scores higher on our rubric for reporting software: 9.0 against 8.6 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #6.

On report access, Bold Reports gives you Web_and_download where SAP Crystal Reports offers Download.

SAP Crystal Reports is the better fit for traditional Windows-based business reporting. Bold Reports is the better fit for embedded enterprise reporting deployments.

  • SAP Crystal Reports fits best

    Traditional Windows-based business reporting

  • Bold Reports fits best

    Embedded enterprise reporting deployments

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Side by side

Feature SAP Crystal Reports 9.0/10 Visit ↗ Bold Reports 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.0 8.6
Ranking #3 in Reporting Software #6 in Reporting Software
Best for Traditional Windows-based business reporting Embedded enterprise reporting deployments
Pricing model Paid Paid
Starting price — —
Free plan — —
Free trial 30 days 30 days
Free trial length 30 days 30 days · no card needed
Deployment Desktop Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms Windows Web, Windows, Linux
Support Community, Docs Live chat, Tickets, Docs
Integrations 13 integrations 250+ integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Mid-market, Enterprise
Features SAP Crystal Reports 0/2 · Bold Reports 2/2
Interactive reports Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Scheduled delivery Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Specs
Report access Download Web_and_download
Distribution channels Not checked yet Multi_channel
Data source connectors Not checked yet 25 connectors
Viewer limit Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Pixel-perfect layouts for multipage reports, forms, and invoices
  • Connections to databases, files, JDBC, and ODBC sources
  • Parameters, formulas, grouping, summaries, and export options
  • Paginated, interactive, pixel-perfect, RDL, and RDLC reporting
  • Embedded viewers, SDKs, REST APIs, and embed URLs
  • Cloud, private cloud, and air-gapped on-premises deployment options
Cons
  • Windows-only desktop product
  • Paid named-user licensing with no free plan
  • Report access is download-focused rather than web-native
  • Pricing is quote-based across all deployment editions
  • There is no free plan
  • Listed integration coverage includes CData
Our verdict

SAP Crystal Reports is a Windows desktop, on-premise reporting tool for creating formatted business reports, invoices, forms, and other multipage documents. It is aimed at report creators who need precise control over layout, formulas,…

Read the review →

Bold Reports is a reporting platform for organizations and software teams that need paginated, pixel-perfect, interactive, and embedded reports. It supports browser-based drag-and-drop design, native RDL and RDLC files, report scheduling,…

Read the review →
  1. SAP Crystal ReportsReporting Software 9.030-day trial
  2. Bold ReportsReporting Software 8.6Pricing on request · 30-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • SAP Crystal Reports — where it wins

    • Pixel-perfect layouts for multipage reports, forms, and invoices
    • Connections to databases, files, JDBC, and ODBC sources
    • Parameters, formulas, grouping, summaries, and export options

    Where it doesn't

    • Windows-only desktop product
    • Paid named-user licensing with no free plan
    • Report access is download-focused rather than web-native

  • Bold Reports — where it wins

    • Paginated, interactive, pixel-perfect, RDL, and RDLC reporting
    • Embedded viewers, SDKs, REST APIs, and embed URLs
    • Cloud, private cloud, and air-gapped on-premises deployment options

    Where it doesn't

    • Pricing is quote-based across all deployment editions
    • There is no free plan
    • Listed integration coverage includes CData
  • SAP Crystal Reports9.0/10 · 30-day trial

    A Windows desktop reporting tool for precise, database-connected business documents.

    Visit siteFull verdict →
  • Bold Reports8.6/10 · Pricing on request · 30-day trial

    A deployment-flexible reporting platform for embedded, paginated, and interactive enterprise reports.

    Visit Bold ReportsFull verdict →

More comparisons

All reporting software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update