A recent survey has shown that almost 80% of decision-makers across the US believe that business transformation relies on financial automation. And this is true for most businesses – regardless of their size, goals, business model or the stage they might be in.
The best way to automate your finances is through financial planning software tools that are accessible to everyone today. In this article, we’ll review the six best financial tools to help you find the one that fits your needs and budget.
Contents
6 best financial planning software tools: A detailed overview
Fuelfinance
Fuelfinance is a cutting-edge, cloud-based financial management solution that acts as your personalized fractional CFO and financial advisor.
The user-friendly interface and interactive dashboards make our advanced financial planning software easy to use and accessible even for individuals with limited financial planning experience.
Designed for startup founders and optimized for small business financial management, our software provides a flexible and customizable alternative to the often rigid and complex financial planning tools available on the market.
Here are its key features:
- Financial planning: Financial forecasting for startups won’t be a headache anymore, as Fuelfinance offers comprehensive and accurate forecasting, delivering both pessimistic and optimistic scenarios. This enables you to anticipate and prepare for a range of potential circ*mstances and challenges that may arise in the future.
- Financial statements: Fuelfinance automatically generates all the .
- Unit economics: Our tool streamlines the tracking of revenue, expenses and critical metrics like LTV and CAC, helping to improve your startup’s overall profitability.
- Advanced automation: Our objective is to help you significantly reduce manual paperwork and save you a lot of time. Making well-informed decisions has never been easier, as this feature provides immediate access to your current financial information in real time.
- Comprehensive dashboard: The customizable dashboards enable you to visualize all your metrics in a single location and monitor personalized KPIs chosen according to your startup financial model. These dashboards are filled with crucial information and valuable financial data, making it quick and simple to manage your business finances in one place.
- Expert support: You will get a dedicated financial advisor serving as your outsourced CFO, assisting you in solving any problems, issues or questions you may have. Our commitment to providing you with support and guidance is limitless – our professional financial advisors are always available to assist you!
Fuelfinance integrates with various third-party platforms, including QuickBooks, Stripe, Gusto, Wise, Brex, HubSpot and others.
User ratings:
- Capterra: 5.0
- G2: 4.9
Client stories
Case study #1
Petcube, a globally renowned company focused on smart devices for pets, joined forces with Fuelfinance, resulting in solutions that were five times more efficient and ten times more cost-effective than the software they were previously using. This not only enhanced profitability but also instilled a sense of confidence in the future of the business.
“With Fuelfinace we received a 5x better solution that was 10x cheaper, than our in-house financial department. Fuelfinance made a major contribution to our profitability and gave a peace of mind about our business’ future”
Yaroslav Azhnyuk
Co-Founder at Petcube
Case study #2
O0 Design, a full-stack design studio, partnered with Fuelfinance to improve its financial management. Today, they demonstrate an impressive 2x YoY growth, attributing their success to making decisions grounded in robust, data-driven insights gained by using our tool.
“Fuelfinance made us realize that finances can be hassle-free. Plus, it’s a great team of professionals who are on the same page with us. Now all our decisions are based on real data.”
Illia Krupenikov
GM at Ozero.Design
Case study #3
Hampton, an exclusive membership community for CEOs, has an impressive revenue of $23 million per member. Fuelfinance helped to monitor Hampton’s financial dynamics and, with its advanced planning, adapted its reporting to meet the evolving needs of the growing company.
“Fuelfinance has been able to reflect the flexibility of our operations as we grow in finance and tailor the reporting to our changing needs”
Jordan DiPietro
CEO at Hampton
Pricing
- Essential plan: starting at $1,199 per month (ideal for startups beginning their journey)
- Growth plan: starting at $2,399 per month (suitable for expanding teams that have already got funding)
- Custom plan: custom price available upon request (great for a large corporation with complex organizational layers or a startup that has rapidly ascended to success)
*Fuel offers monthly and quarterly payments, with the possibility of saving thousands of dollars on a financial department.
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QuickBooks
QuickBooks is a well-known accounting software that can also be used for small business financial planning.
It can improve collaboration within finance teams, automate repetitive tasks and streamline various aspects of a company’s financial operations.
It comes with a range of integrations, including Bill.com, HubSpot, Salesforce and more.
Here are its key features:
- Expenses management: As accounting software, QuickBooks simplifies expense tracking and overall money management. Connect the application to your bank accounts, effortlessly monitor your expenses, effectively manage your cash flow and easily access and share expense reports.
- Insights and reports: Financial reports are straightforward and intuitive. With a simple click, you can access intelligent insights and gain an overview of your business performance.
- Multi-currency support: You can effortlessly send invoices, record transactions and customize reports in multiple currencies. You can also assign specific currencies to individual customers to automate and speed up the process.
- Inventory management: As keeping track of inventory can be time-consuming, this financial planning software helps monitor your product inventory, ensuring you have real-time information about what you currently have and need.
However, if you’re looking for a tool with a more modern interface, you might want to check out some of the QuickBooks alternatives.
See also: Best QuickBooks integrations
User ratings:
- Capterra: 4.3
- G2: 4
Pricing
- Simple start: €17 per month or €91.80 per year (only one user, suitable for solopreneurs)
- Essentials: €25 per month or €135 per year (great for small businesses, up to three users)
- Plus: €35 per month or €189 per year (ideal for business growth, up to five users)
Planful
Planful is one of the pioneers in comprehensive financial close, consolidation and financial planning & analysis.
This financial planning software has all the integrations you need, such as QuickBooks, Sage Intacct, Oracle, Acumatica and many more.
Here are its key features:
- Cash flow forecasting: Planful provides tools for forecasting cash flow, personalized to suit your specific requirements and business model.
- Workforce planning: This comprehensive financial planning software also helps with workforce planning and forecasting through precise data, allowing you to predict future workloads more accurately.
- Financial consolidation: With the help of Planful, you can speed up financial data consolidation by combining data from multiple sources.
- Financial close management: You can free your team from the burden of data-entry errors as this financial planning software accelerates the financial accounts closure process.
User ratings:
- Capterra: 4.3
- G2: 4.3
Pricing
Although Planful doesn’t make its pricing plans available on its site, many users commented that the tool is pretty expensive and out of reach for many small and mid-size businesses.
Additionally, users have noted that multi-year contracts are often required, and the setup fees can be substantial as they are handled by a third party. This is mostly because this financial planning software is made for big businesses and large enterprises with complex sales cycles.
Cube
Cube is user-friendly designed to enhance business planning and performance without altering existing workflows.
By automating manual processes and reducing errors, it facilitates quicker and more informed business decisions.
This tool integrates with many other apps and software, such as integrations for spreadsheets, accounting and finance, sales and marketing etc.
Here are its main features:
- Multi-scenario analysis: This financial modeling software allows you to generate precise financial projections and obtain a comprehensive view of your finances by simulating the impact of various future scenarios.
- Automated financial consolidation: As one of the best financial analysis software, Cube automates roll-ups and drill-downs by connecting and analyzing financial data from various sources.
- Multi-currency support: You can evaluate your finances in both your local currency and the reporting currencies used in your financial statements.
- User-based controls: User controls, validations and an audit trail ensure accurate data is delivered to the right individuals in real time.
User ratings:
- Capterra: 4.6
- G2: 4.6
Pricing
- Cube Go plan: starting at $1,500 per month (ideal for small finance teams)
- Cube Pro plan: starting at $2,800 per month (ideal for companies that want to scale the reporting and planning process)
- Enterprise plan: custom price available upon request (ideal for pre-IPO and large public companies)
Sage Intacct
As one of the longest-standing AICPA-endorsed software solutions, Sage Intacct may be one of the best financial reporting software for teams ranging from 10 to 200 members.
CFOs can leverage its capabilities to consolidate data, automate accounting processes and enhance decision-making.
As a financial planning software, it integrates with Expensify, Bill.com, Nexonia and many other tools.
Here are its main features:
- Financial planning: The planning feature helps you establish a realistic budget, strategize and promptly adapt to continually changing circ*mstances.
- Financial forecasting: Using advanced analytics, this tool enables you to acquire instant, predictive insights for making decisions based on data analysis.
- Automation: This comprehensive financial planning tool comes with all the essential financial modules, including accounts payable and receivable, dashboards and reporting, dimensions and an intelligent GL. These features empower you to automate repetitive processes and free up your time.
- Knowledge database: If you’re a new startup founder, this financial planning software can help you improve not only your financial management but also your knowledge in the field. The platform offers numerous articles, videos and tutorials designed to assist you in refining your skills and earning certificates.
User ratings:
- Capterra: 4.3
- G2: 4.3
Pricing
The price is custom-made and not available on their website. You’ll have to reach out to their sales team for a personalized price quote based on your needs and company size.
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Jirav
Jirav is a comprehensive, driver-based FP&A software designed specifically for accounting professionals, which means that it might have a steep learning curve if you’re not an accountant.
It provides integrations with well-known applications such as Excel, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, QuickBooks and Xero (check Xero vs QuickBooks).
Here are its main features:
- Business drivers: This financial planning software allows you to set up custom drivers (or key factors influencing your business) using your own formulas and assumptions, which increases the precision of your forecasts and budget planning. You have the flexibility to select from built-in drivers or create your own.
- Financial forecasting: Jirav automatically produces 3-way financial statements for both historical and future periods based on your model, including the income statement, cash flow statement and balance sheet. It allows you to forecast cash flow and income 60 months in the future.
- Scenario planning: You can compare budget versus actual, budget versus forecast, forecast versus actual or any other desired combination.
- Visual dashboard: All your data can be visually represented in one place, and you can effortlessly share and manage access, making this a great financial planning software for accountants managing multiple client portfolios.
That being said, Jirav is an essential tool for many finance professionals, but it might not work for you if you don’t know how to do a financial analysis.
User ratings:
- Capterra: 4.8
- G2: 4.7
Pricing
- Starter plan: $10,000 per year
- Pro plan: $15,000 per year
- Enterprise plan: custom price available upon request
Best financial planning software tools: Selection criteria
While choosing the right financial planning software, you can rely on the following three criteria to ensure finding the one with the most suitable financial planning capabilities for your business.
Features
Here are the key features to look for:
- Financial planning
- Financial statements
- Financial forecasting
- Unit economics
- Advanced automation
- Comprehensive dashboard
- Knowledge database
- Expert support
Pricing
The prices of top financial planning software can vary as they depend on the number of features or financial planning services included in different software packages. We’ve tried to include financial planning tools for every budget.
Integrations
Integrations that a particular financial planning software has to offer are as important as features because they ensure successful team collaboration and productivity.
Here are the most important ones to be on the lookout for:
- Bank connections to synchronize business transactions
- Integrations with payment gateways to streamline online payments
- Integrations with invoicing platforms
- Integrations with payroll services
- Integrations with tax software
- Integrations with CRM
Best financial planning software tools: Comparison table
| Tool | Features | Pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuelfinance | Financial planning Financial statements Unit economics Advanced automation Comprehensive dashboard Expert support | Essential plan: starting at $1,199 per month Growth plan: starting at $2,399 per month Custom plan: custom price available upon request | Startups and small and medium businesses |
| QuickBooks | Expenses management Insights and reports Multi-currency support Inventory management | Simple start: €17 per month or €91.80 per year Essentials: €25 per month or €135 per year Plus: €35 per month or €189 per year | Accounting and simple planning |
| Planful | Cash flow forecasting Workforce planning Financial consolidation Financial close management | Custom price available upon request | Financial close management |
| Cube | Multi-scenario analysis Automated financial consolidation Multi-currency support User-based controls | Cube Go plan: starting at $1,500 per month Cube Pro plan: starting at $2,800 per month Enterprise plan: custom price available upon request | Businesses working internationally in multiple currencies |
| Sage Intacct | Financial planning Financial forecasting Automation Knowledge database | Custom price available upon request | Financial reporting and automation |
| Jirav | Business drivers Financial forecasting Scenario planning Visual dashboard | Starter plan: $10,000 per year Pro plan: $15,000 per year Enterprise plan: custom price available upon request | Professional accountants or enterprise-level companies with big budgets |
Conclusion
The financial planning process shouldn’t be tiresome and complicated. However, many startup founders will tell you that one of the most difficult things at the beginning was to create a successful financial plan and stick to it.
To avoid that problem, we built financial planning software that will act as your personal financial advisor – Fuelfinance. Our intuitive software helps you bring your financial planning to the next level without much hustle.
With Fuelfinance, you no longer have to worry about manually filling in your paperwork or about your current financial situation because everything is automated and only one click away.
If you’d like to give it a try and plan like a pro, book a 30-minute call with us!
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P😌ACE OF MIND?
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FAQs
What tools do financial planners use?
They need a variety of tools, such as financial planning software programs, portfolio management tools, budgeting apps, financial calculators and data aggregation tools.
What is a widely used financial planning tool?
There are many popular tools, from the ones everyone knows, like Excel, to specialized financial planning software companies like Fuelfinance, Jirav and Cube. Check out other outsourced financial services businesses use.
What is the best financial planning software?
Choosing financial planning software depends on many factors, such as company size and budget, but if you’re looking for a user-friendly yet advanced cloud-based software for your startup, Fuelfinance could be the best solution for you.
