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Planning has always been a crucial segment when it comes to businesses. It is how businesses set clear goals and objectives, optimize resource allocation, and undertake risk management efficiently. The process of decision-making becomes much smoother when a solid plan is backing it up. Effective business planning can provide a competitive advantage and identify potential opportunities. And to have this advantage, you need to find out the best business planning software.
Check out this article in which we have compiled top of the business planning platforms helping you to coordinate your business according to the market requirements.
LivePlan | Planning Just Got Better
The LivePlan business planning software is an initiative taken by Palo Alto Software designed to help small entrepreneurs and businesses create a detailed business plan or roadmap.
With LivePlan’s easy-to-use interface and step-by-step guidance, users can quickly develop actionable strategies to achieve their goals. The software includes a visual dashboard that contains snapshots of financial performance indicators.
It also has an easy collaboration option with fellow businesses to provide insight into the market. The platform is said to help businesses grow 30% faster than their competitors. You get a limited offer of saving up to 25% on your first purchase of any plan of LivePlan.
Key Features:
- Sales Forecasting: The sales forecasts in LivePlan are integrated directly with the business plan making it more financially aligned.
- A.I.-powered live assistant: Allowing users to interact with the software using natural language queries or commands to generate reports, analyze data, or provide insights.
- Expert guidance for the start: LivePlan helps users by creating a step-by-step procedural guide on approaching the business plan if they are a newbie in the market.
Other features:
- Hardware Compatibility: Microsoft Windows, macOS
Pricing:
- Standard Plan: $15/month
- Premium Plan: $30/month
Find it on LivePlan
Bizplan | Ensuring Better Plans
Another people’s favorite business planning software in the market, Bizplan is famous for its Template-based approach providing customizable templates that guide users through the creation and formation of their business plans.
These templates are majorly designed to ensure that every essential section of the business plan gets involved in one single place. Bizplan also includes the major feature of Financial forecasting and Budgeting giving an idea to the business owners how their business plan will perform in different scenarios and cases.
Bizplan’s fundraising feature helps you to raise a fund of over $500 million as a startup capital. It also has the provision of guiding young entrepreneurs in the process of funding their businesses.
Key Features:
- Pitch Deck creation: Bizplan helps users create a visually appealing pitch deck, which helps in the pitching process for investors, partners, or future stakeholders.
- Educational Resources: It provides educational resources and guides to help newbies get a hold of the market and their business for a smooth start.
- Competitive Analysis: Provides access to market research or data to conduct market analysis, competitive research, and industry analysis.
Other features:
- Hardware Compatibility: Microsoft Windows, macOS
Pricing:
- Yearly Plan: $249/year
- Lifetime Access: $349
Find it on Bizplan
Also Read: 9 Must-Have Apps for Entrepreneurs
Enloop | Planning Made Easy
Enloop has a keen focus on the auto features for business planning such as automated text writing, auto-generated financials, and real-time performance scores.
The automated text writing feature helps to create customized texts and syncs for the financial and graphical data making it hassle-free whenever you want to change in the future. This software has a pass-and-fail metric telling you the important sections to be included in the plan and also telling you the ones to drop.
A total of 16 critical financial ratios are analyzed by this business planning software and then structured into a performance report with a score telling where you stand in the market.
Key Features:
- Real-time performance score: Enloop offers a real-time performance score to measure the strength of your business plan. Your score increases as your plan becomes more comprehensive and stronger.
- Financial Ratio Analysis: Providing its users with a comprehensive analysis of constructed ratios to assess their forecasted performance.
- Automatically Generated Financial Reports: Automatic financial reporting is yet another incredible Enloop business planning feature.
Other features:
- Hardware Compatibility: Microsoft Windows, macOS
Pricing:
- 7-day Free Trial
- Detailed: $19.95/month
- Performance: $39.95/month.
Find it on Enloop
StratPad | Real Planning Starts Here
Stratpad is mostly used for the designing of startups and small agencies. This leading platform for business planning provides end-to-end solutions designed for Web App.
This online Business Plan system offers Business Plan Templates, Financial Projections, and Investor Management in one place. It offers tools for adjusting, forecasting, and modifying plans. It combines the initial process of creating a business plan and includes tools for project management as it develops.
Key Features:
- Industry-Specific Guidance: Benefit from expert advice and best practices tailored to your industry
- Analytics and Reporting: Gain valuable insights into your business plan’s performance and track key metrics to identify areas for improvement.
- Progress Tracking: Monitor your progress and receive reminders to keep your business plan development on track.
Other Features:
- Hardware Compatibility: Microsoft Windows
Pricing:
Subscription starting at $19.99 /month.
Find it on StratPad
PlanGuru | Plan Ahead of Time
PlanGuru is a robust financial planning and analysis software that goes beyond traditional business planning tools. With PlanGuru, users can create detailed financial models, conduct scenario analysis, and track performance against targets.
Whether you’re a startup seeking funding or an established business planning for growth, PlanGuru provides the insights needed to drive success.
The rolling forecast feature aids in understanding the full implications of your decisions on profitability and cash even before you use them in your business module. In the same way, the Scenario analysis tool interprets the likely financial impact of specific events with greater precision.
Key Features:
- Scenario planning: Users can create multiple scenarios for checking the responsive way of their business plan under different cases.
- Forecast using Assumptions & KPIs: PlanGuru gives the benefit of analyzing and calculating financial projections through Key Performance indicators.
- Audit trail and version control: This feature helps in the transparency and credibility of the plan on many different levels.
Other features:
- Hardware Compatibility: Microsoft Windows, macOS
Pricing:
- Single entity: $83/month
- Multiple-consolidations: $250/month
Find it on PlanGuru
Conclusion
Each of these software tools brings unique strengths to the table, whether it’s robust financial forecasting, intuitive interface design, industry-specific analysis, or collaborative features.
Choosing the best software depends on specific business needs, goals, and preferences for financial planning and strategic management. Reduction of uncertainty, hopping on a futuristic approach, and performing a SWOT analysis can all be done after one has built a sturdy plan for the execution of their business objective. Choose wisely and accelerate your dream into reality.
FAQs
What features should I look for in business planning software?
Important features to look for in business planning software include template libraries, financial modeling tools, collaboration features, integration with other software tools, customization options, mobile accessibility, and data security measures.
Which software is best for a business plan?
LivePlan and Bizplan are usually top choices for budding entrepreneurs to help them plan and execute better. Other options include Enloop, Startpad, and PlanGuru.
What tool do most businesses use for planning?
Most businesses use LivePlan as their go-to choice for business planning and strategizing. It has one of the largest user bases in business planning software tools.
