Oracle Crystal Ball

Pros: The ability to perform powerful analysis and intuitive Monte carlo simulations using the existing Excel infrastructure is exceptional.

A solid GUI that allows for rapid changes and adjustments, that once learned allows for near-real time adjustments and rapid analysis of numerous data sets, with excellent visualization of aggregated outputs.

Cons: Learning curve is steep at the very initial point, but there is excellent documentation from both Oracle and third party sources.

Ultimately, the only real capability missing would be to incorporate this capability into non-Microsoft spreadsheet tools - i.e. GoogleSheets. The majority of the limitations on ease of use for middleware of this type are really inherited constraints coming from the platform it has to run on, in this case Excel.

Overall: If you need something that falls under this application set, this is arguably the best tool on offer.

Pros: Crystal Ball makes Monte Carlo Simulation very easy. It is impressively easy to learn and is capable of advanced finance/forecasting techniques.

Cons: The biggest challenge with Crystal Ball is understanding its inner workings before applying it to problem sets. It is crucial to understand the implications of how the software performs its calculations before use.