# Page 4 | LivePlan Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Page 4 - Is LivePlan the right Business Plan solution for you? Explore 200 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/142049/LivePlan/reviews --- LivePlan 4.5 (200) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated June 3rd, 2026 # Page 4 - Reviews of LivePlan ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 76-100 of 200 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use CG Claude G. Director Philanthropy Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "A Profesional Plan For Dummies. " June 27, 2023 5.0 Pros I love the video examples. The step-by-step businesses directory. I had no clue how to write a business plan or could not afford to hire a business plan writer and this app help me indefinitely to conjure to pursue my dream. Cons The one thing I liked about the life plan was the marking of the don't use boxes, I figured I didn't want to submit that information it would just not print. And with printing the app it print blank pages which made my business plan seem incomplete. Eventually, I got it right. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Private Practice Mental Health Care Used the software for: 2+ years ### "LivePlan takes the intimidation out of writing a business plan!" October 7, 2018 5.0 is helping my business grow because I am able to stay organized with goals and milestones as we are meeting them. I can see firsthand what is allowing my company to grow and where we need to make changes to be successful. Pros I really liked working with to build a business plan. LivePlan helped me with having a template available to build my business plan upon. I thought writing a business plan would be something I would have to outsource and get help with. LivePlan allowed me to take control of writing and creating my own business plan. I love that I can change and expand my business plan at any time! I can also share my plan with potential investors and feel confident that it is both organized and professional. Cons I would like if the software would integrate with my accounting software, that way I can see in realtime how my cash flow is cooresponding with my company goals. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer CEO Renewables & Environment Used the software for: 2+ years ### "LivePlan Review" January 8, 2020 4.0 Software is good but for one job only. If the size of plant change I need to start all over. If it goes back to the initial plan I have to redo it all over again unless I have saved and downloaded the original version. Pros Easy to use and guide you to what it has to be done. Cons The fact that you can not make several business plans at the same time for example a business plan for a 300 ton per day plant and a business plan for a 1000 ton per day plant if I am building both plants at the same time. Review Source Response from Palo Alto Software January 9, 2020 Thanks for the feedback - A standard LivePlan account includes one active company at a time but you can create as many companies as you want. You may archive your current plan, then create a new plan. It's easy to switch back and forth between companies. Here are detailed instructions from the Help Center: Managing your companies, pitches, and plans (https://help.paloalto.com/hc/en-us/articles/115004655828-Managing-your-companies-pitches-and-plans) If you need to be able to have multiple companies active simultaneously, you may upgrade your account. Changing the number of active companies on your account (https://help.paloalto.com/hc/en-us/articles/115004922227-Changing-the-number-of-active-companies-on-your-LivePlan-account) You may also choose to create multiple financial forecasts within one company: Using multiple forecasts (https://help.paloalto.com/hc/en-us/articles/115004824088-Using-multiple-forecasts-to-create-scenarios) Dunsin S. Business Development Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great product " May 30, 2023 5.0 It's been a great run with for over 5years now Pros Product way of use and how it makes my financial planning easy Cons The new price upgrade does not make subscribing easy anymore Review Source KF Keneisha F. CEO Consumer Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Live Plan is AMAZING" May 30, 2023 5.0 Pros I was first introduced to while getting my MBA, and now that I am launching my own business, I find myself coming back. LivePlan is a simple-to-use application for anyone launching a business and wanting to speak to banks or investors about funding their business. LivePlan sets you on a great course to speak intelligently about your business. Cons could offer more downloadable template options. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Founder & Owner Leisure, Travel & Tourism Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great product to start a business" March 31, 2020 5.0 Pros Very useful in planning, pitching and eventually starting my business. It supported every element from ideation through to detailed p&l & balance sheet for presentation to investors. The software guides you through how to write your proposal/business plan and then helps you formulate and plan all the revenue & costs you need to think about and plan for. Integration with my online accounting software was pretty helpful too. Cons I found that for my business the options for calculating revenue and cost of sales were clunky - adding support around these elements in terms of how COS are not necessarily all incurred in the months the product is produced. In my case it can take 3 or 4 months to build the final product - incurring costs along the way. Reporting variance against plan with integrated accounting software is clunky. Review Source Response from Palo Alto Software April 1, 2020 Thanks for your feedback! BZ Brandon Z. CEO Mental Health Care Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Who would’ve thought this tool existed?" May 30, 2023 5.0 Pros I love that it walks me through writing a pitch and a business plan. This is a tool even the most novice of entrepreneurs can use to write a stellar business plan that will wow the banks! Cons The example business plan templates were not easily found/accessible. I would make those front and center in all windows so that a person can easily compare what they’re putting together to what a seasoned pro might add in a similar field. Review Source RJ Reid J. Manager Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Summary of Live Plan" June 27, 2023 5.0 My experience has been very good and I have appreciated their Pros Although we use excel to initiate the process - we always end up placing things within Live Plan Cons Generally going out 5 years is more than fine with projections. However, we did have a situation where we brought a new division in 2 years later and we need to combine it with the original plan and would have liked it going 6 or even 7 years. Switched from [Microsoft Excel](https://www.capterra.com/p/176574/Excel/) the number crunching and financial tables are what is needed for quality of the presentation. Review Source SM Stacey M. Co-Owner Restaurants Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Satisfied over the last 10+ Years" April 1, 2020 5.0 The biggest thing for me is that after I created my plan for my current business, going back to see where I made mistakes after I had been open a year allowed me to understand more what I should have done. Luckily, my business is a success, even with my numbers being somewhat off. Pros For me, the examples presented allow the user to get a sense what is needed in each section. Help is also valuable when using this software. A Business plan can be difficult to create & with the help, it does answer most of my questions at the time. I have created a couple of plans over the last 10+ years where I had ideas for businesses. I did use this platform for my current business that started in 2012. Going back to view ones business plan does allow them to get a better sense where they might have fell short on predicting income, payroll, etc.. Cons Overall, I don't think there is CON to using this software. Sure there are some obstacles to overcome, but the help & examples help a lot. I say look at example business plans before one starts. Review Source Response from Palo Alto Software April 6, 2020 Thank you so much for leaving a review, Stacey! VR Verified Reviewer President/Owner Environmental Services Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "GREAT Business Builder and Planner" June 10, 2020 4.0 My business is solving budgetary issues with . It is creating a window into my business as a whole so that I can see what areas need to be improved, increased or eliminated. So far, my business is making great progress. One of the changes we made was to cut the size of our staff. Our workload is less, but we are making MORE money! Thanks LivePlan for your enlightenment! Pros definitely has many features that I need in my service-based business. BUSINESS PLANNING SOFTWARE is one of the features that it provides via video instructions. IMPORTING OF QB INFORMATION for BUDGET ANALYSIS is a crucial need for any business looking to be successful. Cons I am not completely satisfied with the ease-of-use of . To their credit, I haven't searched out for help or training....and I'm sure they have online support for new users. I would like support in understanding the numbers created by the many reports that can be analyzed. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer MD Medical Practice Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "This as a complete scam" March 30, 2023 1.0 Service seemed generic and automated. No personalization or attention to care. Pros I did the 35 day trial...thinking it was just a trial. The catch is that they will charge you $180.00 and if you contest it, they will not refund you. This product was not easy to use and it's interface wasn't clear so I didn't use it at all. I'm out $180.00 because they care more about money than the quality of services or customer care. Cons I dislike that they seem more concerned about money than service. Review Source Response from Palo Alto Software December 6, 2024 Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We appreciate your feedback. It sounds like the satisfaction money-back guarantee was confused for a trial. We do not offer a 35 day trial. We surely do not care more about money than the quality of our service, in fact there are many reviews that state how accommodating and supportive our customer service team is. All that to say, we really appreciate you taking the time to voice your feedback as we value any/all feedback from customers. Thank you! Laurie S. Owner Food & Beverages Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Best Planning Software for a Small Start-Up" January 17, 2020 5.0 helped me create a workable, realistic strategic plan. After one year in business, I revisited the plan and saw that my projections on revenue, margins and start up costs were spot on, thanks in part to this great software tool. I recommended it it to several prospective bakery owners as a well-priced tool to start turning their dream into a viable business reality. Pros Live Plan was perfect for my needs - it helped me shape my strategic plan and think through my start-up capital requirements and revenue projections. I loved that it gave me some industry benchmarks and suggested budget items (like employee payroll liabilities) I hadn't thought of. The templates were also very helpful to show me what a plan should look like. Cons I didn't like that the software didn't highlight at the beginning how to coordinate between my line items and my Quick Bookls like items. It made using the review feature (to compare projections with performance) more difficult to use. Review Source Response from Palo Alto Software January 21, 2020 Thank you so much for the feedback Laurie - we greatly appreciate it! Jeremy F. Vice President, North American Operations Consumer Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Shocking service." August 27, 2018 5.0 It was a great experience with . They have a clean and attractive user interface with helpful guidance. The customer service is shockingly amazing. I requested one payment refund after not using it in over a year and it was super quick and easy. Highly recommend this software. Pros It's clean, attractive, and easy-to-use. Cons It is subscription based and not cheap, however, I was shocked at how quickly and easily they refunded and cancelled my subscription after my request since I had not used it in over a year (Thanks Chris!) Review Source LZ Lauren Z. Owner Printing Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Great product for understanding business" October 16, 2019 5.0 This software was amazing for my initial business planning phase. Unfortunately, because I am a franchise I have access to other tools that are integrated with my ordering software and reporting software that automate most of the dashboard and bench-marking features. If this could link up to my other software i would likely come back to it since it is so easy to test out possible business plans and forecasts. Pros This software helped fill in the gaps for me. I don't have a business background, so purchasing an existing business was a little out of my knowledge comfort zone. This software helped me understand how business works and how my decisions effect the whole picture of my business. Cons The reason I stopped using this software is that the reports it generates is difficult for banking and finance professionals to digest. My applications for additional funding got delayed because I needed to redo my forcast and business plan in a way that was easier for my finance people to digest. Reason for choosing LivePlan I did research and chose this one over the alternatives. It was easy to use and helped me get a business education specific to my business and industry. Review Source Response from Palo Alto Software October 17, 2019 Thank you for your honest feedback, we appreciate it! MH Matthew H. Owner Consumer Services Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Thank you for this software" February 6, 2022 5.0 I don't think it could be easier for someone who is unfamiliar with formal business plans to produce an accurate and professional result. I learned more about running my small business from a week of focused work in this software than I have from any other single source. It has fundamentally changed the way I view my business ventures and it will undoubtedly save me from many cash flow frustrations in the future. Highly recommend. Pros Logical & progressive layout, detailed instructions, examples. I especially appreciate that so far, I have hardly run into any situation that I could not accurately represent in the business plan because there has always been an appropriate option. Cons I haven't used every feature yet. I will update if I have suggestions, but for now I'm still learning. Review Source Indraneel R. CEO and Co-Founder Computer Software Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "The best software for making business plan" November 26, 2018 5.0 It has been a great experience to create business plans on the fly and also to track the actual results against your plan Pros \- Very easy and flexible software - Its an excellent software for making business plan without the hassles of learning excel formula - Very easy depiction of balance sheet and P&L statement and auto generation Cons \- There is absolutely nothing I don't like about this software Review Source AP Aaron P. CTO Computer Software Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "LivePlan - Don't Write a Business Plan without It" December 18, 2019 5.0 It was a great experience. I was able to complete my business plan in much less time than I expected. While I ultimately walked away from the business idea, I couldn't have realized the plan at all without . Pros is very easy to use. That was the first thing that drew me to it. It's packed with all the features I needed when writing a business plan for my software development company. I really like the archive feature because I needed to do two business plans and could do that with the base subscription by switching which plan was archived. That was very handy. Cons There were a couple of instances when I had issues with formatting, but I wondered if that was the internet browser I was using at the time. Overall, no complaints. Review Source Response from Palo Alto Software December 20, 2019 Thanks so much for the feedback Aaron, we greatly appreciate it! Allan D. Marketing / Wine Club Manager Wine and Spirits Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Absolutely the stand-out business plan writing / sales forcasting / start-up tool available. " December 23, 2015 5.0 I've checked out no fewer than 10 other options. This is by far the most simple, the most user friendly, and the most feature-rich option out there. It's not only the cleanest and best-working (no bugs!), but it actually gives you the tools you need to cover a wide variety of business planning needs. Given the range of functionality (for example, you can do month-by-month sales forecasting for 36 months at the basic price level - something that most other services charge you an arm and a leg to upgrade tiers to gain access to), no other software comes close to this. And the final output of the business plan is SO CLEAN. A nice variety of example plans are available, and the "guided" element of going step-by-step is really actually helpful (instead of prohibitive, as I've found some guided software just takes you too far away from what you should really be focusing your time on). Pros Price is very affordable Extremely rich feature set Very flexible Easiest and cleanest user interface Fantastic examples Rich and clean output Cons This software really only seems to lack a timeline option - you can't custom map a gantt chart for your project timeline. I had to go to another piece of software to get this element in place. But I used for the rest of the business plan. Review Source PS Pasha S. Ceo Internet Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "The only business planning software that gets the job done" June 3, 2020 5.0 It took a few attempts to put together a business plan, but it worked out. Pros This is all-in-one software that helps you organize thoughts, data, expectations and organize everything in a meaningful way that helps you plan, budget and forecast. Cons It’s needed at the beginning, but not later. Reason for choosing LivePlan is the only product for business plan creation that is worth considering. I tried many different products and they all sucked. I remember that it was difficult to distinguish liveplan from other products at the beginning, at least its advantages were not obvious upfront. Review Source NS Nicholas S. Consultant Retail Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Go from business idea to business plan fast. Super easy to use. " February 21, 2020 5.0 Overall, i was able to put my business idea on paper and see exactly what the budget and funding looks like. It really helped me decide whether or not the business idea was worth pursuing. I highly recommend it to anyone of any level looking to write a business plan. Pros I was able to create the exact business plan that I had envisioned. The software has great tools to help along the way. I had never written a business plan before, but using the software made it very easy with plenty of help and examples to create my own. The forecasts, budget, and funding pitch were what sold me on their software, and it was definitely worth it. It works exactly as advertised, and you'll know after you finish your business plan if it's really worth pursuing. Cons Everything about it was great. I got stuck at the beginning a little bit with the various summaries. I recommend writing out the full plan then coming back to the summary. It's much easier to do it this way and the software allows you to skip around. Review Source Response from Palo Alto Software February 25, 2020 Thank you so much Nicholas - we really appreciate you taking the time to review LivePlan! Best of luck! MO Maranda O. Senior Consultant Accounting Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Decent enough for SMEs " April 13, 2020 3.0 Overall a good starting point to assist a small business entrepreneur with little or no business planning experience,should consider more options to integrate with accounting apps and visually biased analytical tools to enable better tracking of post planning perfomance on more devices as well. Pros I like the ease and simplicity of building the projections and adjusting them with different scenarios. Cons The write up section is a bit limiting in certain aspects for example there are no font selection options if one wants to change to their company document preferred font style ( Century Gothic) as well as set my paragraphs as justified as opposed to left indented.I cannot import tables and adjust them within the plan document, The graphical representations of the projections are a bit visually limited in color and info graphic presentation options .particularly if one wants a more visual document.It would also be nice to have a quick preview option for the document as u build it without necessarily having to export or down load a pdf to get and idea of how it look in print. Review Source KB Karen B. CFO Food & Beverages Used the software for: 2+ years ### "LivePlan is an excellent business planning solution" December 21, 2017 5.0 Pros I love the output of . The business plans and one-pagers look clean, modern, and professional. It's very simple to enter information about our business into LivePlan, and the software asks great questions. Cons If you already have a separate financial model or set of financial projections for your company, it can be difficult to enter them into . Review Source VR Verified Reviewer not telling you Nanotechnology Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "seems like a scam" February 20, 2019 2.0 This depends on if I get my refund or not. Pros Well, the price seemed too good to be true, but I signed up anyway. Withing five minutes of signing up with my credit card and watching a couple lackluster videos and trying to find what I needed, I decided this wasn't for me. I proceeded to cancel, but it appears I cannot get my money back and I must wait one month for my subscription to cancel. How easy they taketh, but how difficult to returnth. Cons No robust, colorful, attractive. Videos a bit bland. Review Source Response from Palo Alto Software January 21, 2020 Hello anonymous, We do offer a 60 day, no questions asked, money-back guarantee with any of our software. To receive this refund, one simply needs to contact one of our Customer Advocates by phone, email or chat during our normal hours of operation. Please contact us directly (click the Contact Us link in the upper right hand corner of our website) and mention this reply to your Capterra review so we can discuss your situation further. https://help.paloalto.com/hc/en-us/articles/115004948207-How-do-I-get-a-refund-using-the-money-back-guarantee- Best regards, Sean Serrels Director of Customer Advocacy Palo Alto Software, Inc. makers of LivePlan ME Monique E. Owner Retail Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Easy to use" May 30, 2023 5.0 Pros Easy to use and understand. It’s an opportunity to understand future sales forecasts. Cons Tax percentage depending upon the city would help. Review Source Renea H. President Used the software for: 2+ years ### "My Go To Software For My Clients" June 1, 2018 5.0 The ability to provide a workable and successful business plan. Pros I can produce a business plan for my clients extremely quick using . I have used it on startups and other business types, in different industries. Cons The template choices and overall look and feel of the templates I would like to see improved much more. Review Source ## Send me user reviews about this product ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox. Talk to a Capterra advisor for free and get results within 15 minutes.