7 Best Budgeting and Forecasting Software Reviewed 2025
Managing your company's finances can get very complicated. The pace at which things move can make it feel almost impossible to complete your financial planning especially if you don't have the right tools.
Finance teams are under pressure to deliver an accurate forecast of the market. They will also be asked to adapt to market shifts and provide some real-time insights to the leadership of their company.
Relying on outdated systems and spreadsheets will only lead to delays and a lot of errors. This is where budgeting and forecasting software comes into play.
These types of platforms will streamline financial planning. Teams and individuals will be able to automate many of their routine tasks.
This will enable smarter decision making. There are many tools on the market and all of them are certainly not created equal. How do you know which one is best for your organization? I reviewed some of the best solutions out there in 2025.
1. Unit4 - Best for Advanced Scenario Planning
Unit 4 gives a comprehensive financial planning and analysis solution all in one place. Users get forecasting, reporting, budgeting and analytics on the platform. What really sets it apart is the advanced scenario planning capabilities of the software.
Finance teams will be able to create several different ”what if” models so they can test out all the different assumptions that they may come up with. These may be market disruptions, revenue changes or cost increases.
They will not have to build spreadsheets from scratch and this saves a lot of time. The flexibility that the software offers is critical in the face of today's uncertain business landscape. Unit4 provides forecasting that is AI driven and facilitates real-time data integration.
Pros:
Provides powerful scenario modeling
Uses an AI-driven forecasting to reduce manual work for users
It integrates planning, reporting, and analytics
Features a cloud-native and scalable architecture
Cons
It is best for mid-sized to large organizations. Small businesses may find it too complex.
2. Anaplan - Best for Enterprise-Wide Planning
This software is one of the go-to ones for very large enterprises. It is able to handle some highly complex financial tasks. This platform is known for supporting connected planning. This is a strategy that links finance with several other departments such as operations, sales and HR.
This type of insight ensures that the forecast and budgets will create a true picture of the financial needs of the entire organization.
It will not be just one team's perspective. This strength is one of the main reasons why the software is so popular.
Pros
It is extremely scalable for enterprise use
Provides very strong cross-departmental planning features
Uses highly flexible modeling system
Cons
A bit expensive when compared to other solutions
Has a steeper learning curve for some new users
3. Oracle NetSuite Planning and Budgeting - Best for Growing Businesses
This software is a part of the netsuite ERP ecosystem. It is used for planning and budgeting. If you have a growing business and want a solution that is integrated this might just be the right financing software for you.
It will automate many of the key processes and make life easier. These include capital planning, financial consolidation and workforce planning. Since it is part of the NetSuite platform all the data that is collected will flow very seamlessly between operational, sales function and financial planning.
Pros
It integrates directly with your NetSuite ERP
Automation will reduce the time spent on any manual consolidation
Contains strong reporting as well as compliance features
Cons
Works well if a user is already in the NetSuite ecosystem
Customization options may need some technical expertise
4. Workday Adaptive Planning - Best for User-Friendly Forecasting
The software is well known for having a very user friendly platform. In fact, it is considered one of the most user friendly platforms on the market.
Many financial professionals and also non-professionals use it to create reports. They can run forecasts without needing to get IT support.
Pros
An interface that is accessible for non-finance users
Supports the use of rolling forecasts
Provides a good balance of features
Cons
Dashboards could be a bit more customizable
5. Planful - Best for Real-Time Insights
This platform puts an emphasis on speed as well as agility. The software gives real-time financial data. You will also find automated workflows.
It allows finance teams to respond very quickly to any performance changes that take place in the business. Collaboration is also a key feature of the tool because it can be used for several departments across your business. This way all the financial forecasts will be aligned.
Pros
Provides real-time financial insights for users
Strong collaboration features are a necessity
It will automate variance analysis and routine tasks
Cons
Doing implementation can take a lot of time for larger organizations
6. Prophix - Best for Automation
This is a good choice for those organizations that want to automate. If using automation for as many forecasting and budgeting tasks as possible is the aim of a company then this is the right solution for them.
It will reduce a lot of the time spent on manual tasks. It includes variance analysis, report generation and data consolidation.
Pros
Automates those repetitive FP&A tasks very well
Has strong visualization as well as reporting tools
Provides good value for mid-market companies
Cons
The interface often feels much less modern than competitors
It may require some additional integrations to do advanced analytics
7. Vena Solutions – Best for Excel Lovers
Vena is a very unique software. It combines the familiarity that users get from Excel with the power of using an enterprise FP& A platform.
If your financial team enjoys working in Excel they can continue to do so while still getting cloud connectivity. They will also have version control and an advanced modeling system as well.
Pros
It boasts an excel-native interface which lowers adoption barriers
The cloud features will improve collaboration
It has competitive pricing for smaller teams
Cons
It relies very heavily on Excel’s limitations
Final Thoughts
Having the right budgeting and forecasting tool is essential for most modern businesses. The right platform is going to save you a lot of time and improve accuracy.
It will also give the leaders of any business strong insight into their finances so that they can make better decisions. If your organization is one that prioritizes scenario planning and predictive accuracy then Unit4 is the best choice in 2025.
However, no matter what the size of the industry you find yourself in, there's always a solution that will make your financial planning more reliable, and easier.
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