Anaplan is a well-known financial planning and analytics platform that helps large companies manage budgeting, forecasting, and team collaboration. It’s built to handle large amounts of data and complex financial processes, which is why it’s popular in retail, manufacturing, and finance. Connecting financial data in one place helps businesses work more efficiently and make better decisions.
For organizations with big planning needs, Anaplan has been seen as a reliable choice for some time now.
Why Companies Look for Anaplan Competitors
Anaplan is a powerful tool, but it’s not the best fit for every business. Many companies find it challenging to use or justify the cost, so they explore other options.
Here are some common complaints about Anaplan:
- Hard to learn: The software requires a lot of training, especially for non-technical users.
- Slow performance: Processing large datasets can be slow. With multiple users, this gets especially bad.
- Weak reporting: The reporting and visualization tools aren’t as good as with competitors.
- (Confusing) pricing: Many users are not satisfied with the pricing, and find it unclear and too complicated.
- Difficult to use: The interface isn’t intuitive, which can slow adoption.
- Integration issues: It can be hard to connect Anaplan with other systems.
- Customer support problems: Some users report inconsistent or unhelpful support.
- High Cost: The Average contract value for Anaplan is around $ 200,000, which can be too expensive for many businesses.
For businesses that need something easier to use, more flexible, or faster to implement, there are several strong Anaplan competitors to choose from.
This blog looks at the 6 best Anaplan competitors, reviewing their strengths, weaknesses, pricing, and ideal use cases. If you’re looking for a tool that’s simpler to use, faster to implement, or more affordable, this guide will help.
For a deeper dive into selecting the right FP&A software, check out our FP&A Software Buyer’s Guide.
Anaplan's Competitor #1 - Farseer
Farseer is a financial planning platform built for mid-market companies and enterprises in industries like retail, manufacturing, and professional services. It helps businesses manage financial consolidation, planning, and forecasting in one place. The platform combines an intuitive, spreadsheet-like interface with powerful tools for handling large datasets and complex workflows.
What makes Farseer stand out is its ability to customize financial models to fit specific business needs. It uses RamaDB, its proprietary in-memory database, to deliver fast calculations and real-time data processing. Farseer also offers tools for scenario planning and AI-driven forecasting, making it easier for teams to analyze options and make better decisions.
Strengths
- Powerful real-time modeling and automated no-code dashboards that fit with your business processes
- Easy-to-use, spreadsheet-like interface that requires minimal training.
- High performance with fast calculations, even for large datasets.
- AI-powered insights for forecasting and anomaly detection.
- Quick deployment (6-8 weeks) and faster time-to-value compared to traditional enterprise tools.
Weaknesses
- Best for mid-market and enterprise companies; not suited for small businesses with simple workflows.
- Learning curve. Farseer’s advanced features may take time to learn, but its strong support helps users get up to speed quickly.
Pricing
Farseer offers tailored pricing based on company needs, with contract value starting at $ 20,000.
Ideal Use Case
Farseer is ideal for large companies that are managing complex planning processes with many users and relying on Excel. It simplifies collaboration, provides full control over workflows, and is perfect for businesses needing custom financial models, handling large datasets, and leveraging tools like AI forecasting and real-time scenario planning.
Book a demo to see Farseer in action.
Anaplan's Competitor #2 – Workday Adaptive Planning
Workday Adaptive Planning is a cloud-based tool for mid-sized companies and enterprises. It helps with budgeting, forecasting, and reporting and keeps things simple for teams without a technical background. The platform makes it easy to create reports, adjust plans, and collaborate across departments.
With features like scenario modeling and customizable reports, finance teams can quickly explore different planning options and share insights with decision-makers. Many companies choose Workday Adaptive Planning for its ease of use and ability to improve teamwork.
Strengths
- Simple to use: A clean interface that’s easy to navigate.
- Great for collaboration: Teams can work on plans together in real time.
- Customizable reports: Create and adjust reports without needing IT help.
- Quicker to roll out compared to more complex tools.
Weaknesses
- Limited features for companies needing detailed consolidations.
- Doesn’t offer advanced AI tools for predictive forecasting.
Pricing
The average contract value is around $50,000 per year.
Ideal Use Case
Workday Adaptive Planning is a good fit for mid-sized companies and enterprises that want an easy-to-use budgeting and forecasting tool. It works well for teams that focus on collaboration and don’t require advanced features for complex financial processes.
Anaplan's Competitor #3 – Planful
Planful is a financial planning platform made for mid-sized companies that want to simplify budgeting, forecasting, and reporting. It automates repetitive tasks and provides pre-built templates to make processes like month-end close and variance analysis easier. Planful is a great option for teams ready to move on from spreadsheets to something more efficient and collaborative.
Strengths
- Pre-built templates speed up budgeting and reporting.
- Automation tools save time on routine financial tasks.
- Collaboration-friendly: Teams can work on plans together in real time.
- Simple setup with minimal training needed.
Weaknesses
- Not ideal for larger businesses with complex or highly customized workflows.
- Planful uses Excel spreadsheet and formulas which results in Excel-like issues
- Doesn’t include advanced features like AI-driven forecasting.
Pricing
Planful’s pricing starts at $32,000 per year for organizations with annual revenues under €50 million.
Ideal Use Case
Works best for mid-sized companies that want to save time on budgeting and reporting. Good fit for teams looking for automation and collaboration without the cost or complexity of enterprise platforms like Anaplan.
Anaplan's Competitor #4 – Vena Solutions
Vena Solutions is a financial planning platform for businesses that rely on Excel but need more features to handle budgeting, forecasting, and reporting. It builds on Excel’s familiar interface, adding tools to automate tasks, reduce errors, and improve collaboration.
With Vena, teams can keep working in Excel while centralizing their data and streamlining financial processes. It’s a great option for businesses that want to modernize without giving up spreadsheets entirely.
Strengths
- Excel-based, works seamlessly with existing Excel workflows.
- Automation tools save time on tasks like budgeting and month-end reporting.
- Collaborative: Teams can update and share models in real time.
- Centralized data: Reduces errors and keeps reports consistent.
Weaknesses
- Less suited for larger companies with complex financial needs.
- Heavily dependent on Excel, which may not appeal to businesses moving away from spreadsheets.
Pricing
Vena Solutions’ pricing starts at $23,000 per year for smaller organizations.
Ideal Use Case
It’s a great fit for mid-sized companies that want more efficiency in a well-known spreadsheet environment.
Anaplan's Competitor #5 – OneStream
OneStream is a financial platform built for large companies that need to manage financial consolidation, planning, and reporting all in one place. It’s designed to handle complex workflows across multiple entities, making it a strong choice for global organizations.
The platform offers add-ons through its OneStream MarketPlace, which includes tools for tasks like tax provisioning and account reconciliations. This makes it easy to expand functionality based on specific business needs.
Strengths
- Great for companies with multi-entity consolidations.
- Combines planning, reporting, and analytics in one platform.
- Add-ons available through the OneStream MarketPlace.
- Good customer service.
Weaknesses
- More expensive than other options.
- Outdated UI experience.
- Longer implementation times due to its complexity.
Pricing
The average annual contract value for OneStream is $170K+.
Ideal Use Case
Large companies that need a unified platform to manage complex financial processes across multiple entities.
Anaplan's Competitor #6 – Jedox
Jedox is a financial planning platform designed to simplify budgeting, forecasting, and reporting. It’s flexible, letting businesses create custom models that fit their specific needs. Just like Vena, Jedox relies heavily on Excel and integrates with ERP systems, helping companies automate.
The platform also includes AI tools for predictive analytics, giving finance teams better insights and more accurate forecasts. Its multi-dimensional database can handle large datasets efficiently, making it a solid choice for companies with growing data needs.
Strengths
- Easy to connect with Excel and ERP systems.
- Customizable models for unique business needs.
- Includes AI features to improve forecasts.
- Handles large datasets effectively.
Weaknesses
- Long implementation projects
- Can feel complex for new users due to its customization options.
- Advanced features may require additional training.
Pricing
Jedox offers pricing starting from $26 000 per year, on average.
Ideal Use Case
For businesses that use Excel but want to automate some processes and improve forecasts with AI tools
Conclusion
Choosing the right FP&A platform comes down to what your business needs most. While tools like Workday Adaptive Planning, Planful, Vena Solutions, OneStream, and Jedox are solid options, Farseer stands out as the most complete solution. It combines flexibility, powerful features, and quick implementation to help businesses manage complex financial processes with ease.
See how Farseer can make a difference for your team. Book a demo and explore how it can simplify your planning and reporting.