# Planful Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is Planful the right Budgeting solution for you? Explore 76 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/72818/Host-Analytics-EPM-Platform/reviews --- Planful 4.3 (76) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/72818/Host-Analytics-EPM-Platform/alternatives/) 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 March 13th, 2026 # Reviews of Planful Ease of use 4.2 Customer Service 4.4 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews TV Tiff V EngineerConsumer Services, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “Planful automates our reporting and analysis and the investigation tool allows us to use AI for more insights.“ July 7, 2025 MG Margaux G Operations DirectorHospital & Health Care, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “Setting up logic for handling the distribution of expenses for multiple cost centers was not very flexible as expected, and more tailoring was required.“ April 15, 2025 CM Charlene M SelfArts and Crafts, Self-employedUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Very streamlined process that makes it easy for you to complete your tasks such managing a budget to predicting an accurate forecast.“ July 13, 2025 aB ayoub B FreelancerComputer Software, Self-employedUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “I also mainly use chrome as my browser and there seems to be a lag time when scrolling in a template which is a bit of a pain.“ April 25, 2025 AY Alisha Y ClaimsInsurance, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “This is a powerful financial reporting tool which we use to forecast and budget within the team.“ December 15, 2024 IZ Ivan Z Licenciado en Sistemas de InformaciónUtilities, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “One of its main drawbacks is the steep learning curve, which can make initial adoption challenging and often requires specialized training to fully leverage all of its features“ May 10, 2025 IZ Ivan Z Licenciado en Sistemas de InformaciónUtilities, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Its ability to integrate with other systems and its analytics tools make it an ideal choice for financial teams.“ May 10, 2025 CM Charlene M SelfArts and Crafts, Self-employedUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “It can also slow down when processing large amounts of data.“ July 13, 2025 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 76 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Lauren M. Financial Analyst Building Materials Used the software for: 2+ years ### "It's a life saver for reporting" October 14, 2017 4.0 Pros Ease of reporting and planning. The reports are fast to make and can very easily be taught to other users. Also since it is in the cloud, there are many tiers of security features for customization. Cons New features and cross browser supporting don't function the best. The new row sets are difficult to get to the exact detail and adjusting cold width can't be done in a cluster in chrome. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Sr. Financial Business Specialist Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great FP&A Product" September 24, 2021 4.0 We've reduced the use of excel spreadsheets for budgeting/forecasting by using this tool. It's simplified our budget and forecasting process and it keeps getting easier each year. Pros They listen to their customers and are always making improvements to the product. It's easy to use and they have so many resources (support chat, community, training, etc). Cons The support was not great when we first implemented the tool. They've come a long way and are truly supportive of all questions I have. Switched from [Microsoft Excel](https://www.capterra.com/p/176574/Excel/) We used a custom built tool that was clunky and time consuming with a lot of side spreadsheets. Review Source MP Matthew P. Director Religious Institutions Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Planful Effective but Gruesome to Learn" March 22, 2025 3.0 Frustrating and not user-friendly. For context, this is perhaps the sixth software that I’ve had to learn in three years Pros Planful does a good job of gathering aggregate data. Cons Tall learning curve. Hard to ‘make macros’ or create recurring data searches Review Source DR Dominic R. Senior Manger, Finance Systems and Analysis Medical Devices Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Planful Review" July 5, 2023 4.0 It has been good. Our \[sensitive content hidden\] of FP&A likes the tools. The FP&A \[sensitive content hidden\] prefers Adaptive Insights. Pros The ability to use third-party software to integrate other systems. The Reporting in the browser is clean. Cons Saving HC to finance and HR cubes requires many additional steps. I used Adaptive Insights, and saving to the database was much more efficient. Also, the model for our vendor spend is in Spotlight. That has led to incorrectly saving data to other scenarios. Reason for choosing Planful Planful has more robust features. Other tools seemed much lighter. The alternatives seemed to be used by much smaller customers. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Self Arts and Crafts Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great financial asset" July 13, 2025 4.0 For the most part, easy input, navigation, and data analysis is very user friendly. This is a good software for financial savvy users and non savvy users. Very streamlined process that makes it easy for you to complete your tasks such managing a budget to predicting an accurate forecast. Pros Looking for an easy approach to all those financial tasks that you have to do and need it to be simple, streamlined, and efficient? This is it! Easy to navigate and the features are also easy to use! Cons Sometimes it requires a manual upload, and can be challenging for new users, and customization options are more limited. It can also slow down when processing large amounts of data. Review Source JA Joseph A. Chief Financial Officer Computer Games Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Unfortunately Planful never worked let alone met the expectations from the sales pitch" March 13, 2024 1.0 Pros \- That the licence was only three years long Cons \- The planning feature was almost impossible to use - Any new features were always only available at a price never as part of what we already were paying for - The integrators were oversold and never worked despite being paid for - The consolidation functionality roll over made January month end more painful than our annual audit process, and take almost as long Alternatives considered [CCH Tagetik](https://www.capterra.com/p/62308/CCH-Tagetik/) Reason for choosing Planful Pricing, and the support offered from the onboarding team, as well as out of the box integrations. Review Source MG Margaux G. Operations Director Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Made cost-effective solution to achieve quicker monthly close cycles" April 15, 2025 4.0 Pros I liked the feature of consolidation of financial data as this department is fully automated. They efficiently dealt with intercompany eliminations coupled with multi-entity rollups It saved at least two to three days every month-end and shifted the emphasis on the analysis part of job. Cons I found that there were certain practical restrictions in the development of custom allocation rules. Setting up logic for handling the distribution of expenses for multiple cost centers was not very flexible as expected, and more tailoring was required. Review Source GB Gideon B. Customer Manager Media Production Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Execeptional accounting software " March 16, 2025 5.0 My experience with Planful has been breath-taking. The software is at another level. It has an automatic analytics and measurement system which ensures effective implementation. Pros Effectiveness of the software in account progress management and account based advertising. Cons The software is very comprehensive and reliable. No dislike. Review Source JC Jess C. Accounts Receivable Accounting Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Planful Review" April 15, 2025 5.0 Pros I like that this software makes it incredibly easy for budgeting. Cons There is nothing specific that I dislike about this product. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Licenciado en Sistemas de Información Utilities Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Planful: Is It Worth It for Your Business Finances?" May 10, 2025 4.0 Planful is a robust solution for mid-sized companies looking to optimize and automate their financial processes. Its ability to integrate with other systems and its analytics tools make it an ideal choice for financial teams. Pros It allows for detailed analysis in budgeting and scenario planning, thanks to Planful's advanced tools, which even enable integration with various ERP and CRM systems. This optimizes time during data consolidation and reduces manual errors. Cons One of its main drawbacks is the steep learning curve, which can make initial adoption challenging and often requires specialized training to fully leverage all of its features Review Source AY Alisha Y. Claims Insurance Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Planful review - would recommend. " December 15, 2024 4.0 This is a powerful financial reporting tool which we use to forecast and budget within the team. We have used this for a couple of years and will continue using. Pros The interface works well across the team and everyone got to grips with it very shortly upon implementation. Cons You can’t input all data into the system quickly; it takes some time to do it manually. Review Source PP Purva P. User Accounting Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Planful is a must have " January 21, 2025 5.0 I enjoy planful it’s made me more accountable and productive in my daily life. Pros I like how easy and accessible the app is. It’s easy to use and helps me plan well. Cons I have nothing to write that’s bad about planful. It’s helped me become so much more productive Review Source VG Victoria G. Service support worker Individual & Family Services Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Looking for a good financial plan this is the one" March 30, 2025 5.0 Pros Overall it was pretty easy-to-use everything was where you needed it to be Cons Nothing really like i said it was very easy to use Review Source JK Jessica K. Sr. Financial Analyst Higher Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Planful: Modern FP&A Solution" September 27, 2021 5.0 My overall experience with Planful has been overwhelmingly positive. Their team is frequently engaged to ensure that we're utilizing the solution to our maximum benefit. Planful's help desk team knowledgeable and very quick and responsive addressing issues as quickly as possible. Pros Administering the system is very smooth and adaptable. Our prior system would take 110% of my time to keep it running and troubleshooting issues. With Planful, now that we're live and stable on the platform, it takes < 50% of my time, so I'm able to focus on other value-add activities: process improvement and automation, personal skill development and growth, and future product enhancements. Reporting is extremely user friendly both within platform and Spotlight, so users have been able to create and admin their own reports . Cons Loading actual wage data by employee is seems more complicated than it needs to be. Prepping the file to load this data takes ~1 hour/month when all other data load rules take < 5 minutes. We also had issues in the past with Workforce data input/locking between users, but it's been much easier for our team to use with the extensive Workforce UI redesign in 2020. Review Source SP Shivam P. Senior Consultant Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "A great all round FP&A solution that is competitively priced" September 27, 2021 5.0 I honestly think it's great, particular for users whose current ERP systems are lacking in the core FP&A functionalities Planful provides. Its attractive pricing and feature rich functionality and great support make it a solid offering to prospective users. Pros We used Planful's Reporting and Consolidation functionality, and are current in the process of setting up Dynamic Reporting/Spotlight for the purposes of revamping an internal budgeting and forecasting process. In my opinion the best thing about the system is that once you perform the initial set up and get the hierarchies and data loads correct, it is super easy to use with minimal training required, whilst also being massively powerful and flexible. It is also very competitively priced, and the support staff and implementation consultants are excellent. Cons The biggest and most obvious drawback of the solution is the training materials that accompany it. Because it is a relatively new platform, there is not currently a huge amount of training resources and materials out there with which end users can learn the platform. This means there is a greater dependency on the materials Planful provide, and in my own personal opinion, the training courses do not do a great job in bringing a Planful user up to speed. Thankfully, it seems Planful is investing and promoting in a new Engage forum which will no doubt help new users of the system. Review Source LO Lana O. Consultant Management Consulting Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Training review" October 8, 2021 5.0 Great, easy to set up and use, flexible enough Pros Planful is very user friendly and it is easy to become a self-sufficient user of this application as a lot of help resources availiable for use. Searcg engine within Planful is very good as well as it makes it easy to navigate application. Cons I dont like that to complete certificaiton, all users have to attend real life class. Those classes are not convinient for UK users and they dont usually add much more informaiton that cannot be found in written guides. Reason for choosing Planful Na Review Source JD Jean D. Sr. Financial Analyst Sporting Goods Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Planful great value for the money" November 23, 2021 4.0 Postive experience, good customer support after implementation Pros Ease of reporting, creating and distributing and ability to schedule distribution even to non users Cons consolidation module could be improved, tracking reconciliations etc Review Source JD Jean D. Financial Planning & Reporting Mgr Retail Used the software for: 2+ years ### "User friendly product. Great customer support" September 12, 2017 4.0 We generate our reporting package quicker and with less errors. Our planning process runs more smoothly and efficiently again with less errors. We are able to consolidate our plans quicker. Pros How easy it is to create basic reporting and customize and scheduled distribution. Interface that is scheduled nightly to automatically populate Host with data from our G/L. Consolidation of our plan is more efficient and timely so changes aren't such a nightmare to make. Cons Quarterly releases are great, but they don't give you enough time to test them before they are automatically put into production. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Sr Financial Analyst Biotechnology Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Less Inituitive than other systems but more modeling capabilities" November 13, 2019 4.0 Getting benefits in terms of financial analysis and setting up consistent reporting standards. Pros The modeling & reporting capabilities in Host are what set it apart from other systems. The ability to integrate reports directly with system data pulls is a very nice feature that can help reduce the complexity of workbooks Cons Size limited, may be difficult with scale up. It is also not an intuitive system to learn (especially with the spotlight add in) and is not as "ad hoc" ready as some other systems like Hyperion. Review Source KN Kelsi N. Accounting Project Manager Veterinary Used the software for: 2+ years ### "In-depth P&Ls" March 23, 2022 5.0 We've been using it as our budgeting software for the past few years, as well as to build our financial statements and I have been very impressed so far. It is easy to get information out, once the reports are built. Pros Planful feed from our Accounting software that happens every 5 minutes. That means we have the most up-to-date Accounting info for true budget to actuals! Cons Building reports takes a bit of time to learn. It's a fairly complicated software and definitely not for non-tech savvy folks Review Source EM Edward M. Corporate Controller Automotive Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "The software was in place when I got here, so I have never had any formal education on it. Good!" September 12, 2017 4.0 Visibility to all of our entities around the world in a timely manner! Pros Ease of use and access! I use my mobile application and access on line from home, office, hotel and other office when traveling abroad with ease. Cons New account and entity set up is only somewhat intuitive. I do this so rarely, i really have to go back and read to set up new accounts and other entities. Review Source KS Kate S. Financial Analyst Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### " As a first timer with any EPM system it was easy to configure and learn." September 13, 2017 4.0 Pros There seem to be minimal limitations as to what it can do. With coming from nothing what I appreciate most is HA's reporting capabilities. Cons i don't really like the set up of the new currency exchange rate page. i like to be able to seem them all as we could prior to that release. Review Source NO Nikola O. Finance Manager Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Closest cloud experience to excel " September 13, 2017 4.0 Pros Closest experience to excel functionalities in Cloud. Native and intuitive approach to solving traditional budgeting and forecasting. Does not require on premises dev support. Cons Initial time to set up environment and templates. If we re did the process again, I would definitely be positioned better to execute faster and more efficient. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer COO Computer Software Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Host Analytics for Board Reporting" March 9, 2019 4.0 excellent customer service, trappings of enterprise software. Pros aggregate data from different sources create charts and graphs to visualize information Cons integration time and setup UI over OLAP database Review Source AM Alan M. Financial Analyst Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Host Analytics. An upgrade to our budgeting and reporting software." January 26, 2018 5.0 Pros Host Analytics is easy to use. I have a large amount of product data that Host helped me organize it and use it in my business, several financial reports with the push of a button each month and budgeting too. It makes month end easier. Great customer service team always there when help is needed. Cons It can be difficult to set up a report template. Not all the modules have the same reporting tools. The functionality in the HR module and capital needs improvement. Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Related categories [Financial Reporting](https://www.capterra.com/financial-reporting-software/)[Budgeting](https://www.capterra.com/budgeting-software/)[Financial Close](https://www.capterra.com/financial-close-software/) ## 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.