We're using the product for budgeting and forecasting.
Manager at Xceedance
Good for budgeting with excellent reports and reliable performance
Pros and Cons
- "The solution works very well for budgeting."
- "The integration technique should be a little bit easier."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The calculation capabilities are great. The reports on offer are perfect.
The initial setup is simple.
The performance is good.
The solution works very well for budgeting.
What needs improvement?
The integration technique should be a little bit easier. Currently, we need to connect with the API server and then we need to install it. That includes the IT team also. It would be ideal if the Anaplan consultant could do it in an easy or simple way. That would be great.
I would love to see additional features added. They have an action tab, however, the action tab itself is a little bit complicated. It would be great if some easy thing could be incorporated there.
I couldn't get any documentation that we can provide to the customer to lay out, for example, the features. It's there on the Anaplan website, however, it would be helpful to have some sort of proposal so that we can use the proposal to propose it to new clients. Also, the pricing is not there on the Anaplan site. We are not able to tell what would be a good quotation or what would be the price we would offer them. I'd like approximate pricing, or something related price so that I can tell customers what it would cost.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for four years or so.
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Anaplan
February 2025
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable and the performance is good. It's actually performing very well as it actually reduced a lot of manual work and manual exercises. We have reduced the Excel work, and now teams are using it on Anaplan itself.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
20 to 21 people are using the solution in our organization.
The solution is easy to scale.
We work with it on a daily basis.
How are customer service and support?
I haven't had any issues with technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've used other solutions, such as SAP and Oracle.
The multidimensionality is good in Anaplan as compared to other options. In Anaplan, we can also do calculations in designing a module for all the departments in one go. For other ERPs, for example, in SAP, for each department, there are separate SAPs, different implementations have to be done, and the process has to be set up for all the different departments.
How was the initial setup?
The inial setup was pretty simple and straightforward. It's not difficult.
The first deployment only took about six months.
Currently, we have the product installed internally, however, we are pitching it to clients, so that we will deploy it to the client-server as well.
There isn't really any maintenance. I know maintenance is going on, on the backend side. For us, no maintenance is required. We just keep on taking the backups.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The is a cost per user and also costs related to the implementation itself.
I'd like the product to have more transparency in terms of the pricing and the licensing model.
I don't know how to check the date of the licensing and when it will expire. It would be great if there was some feature on the Anaplan site that people could check. I can check, for example, the GBs used, and yet I can't check the license status. I've raised so many emails in regards to needing to know when the license will be expiring, however, I still don't get any response.
What other advice do I have?
We are Anaplan partners.
We are using the latest update.
I'd advise potential users, if they want to search for any reporting tool that will help them for budgeting or forecasting, I would suggest they go to the Anaplan website and try Anaplan instead of other ERPs.
I'd rate the product at a six out of ten. There are still many improvements needed, however, I like the product in general.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Director of Software Engineering at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Provides supply chain management with easy setup but lacks customization
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for supply chain management. It is more like logistics solution.
What is most valuable?
It is easy to use.
What needs improvement?
The solution should provide customization.
How are customer service and support?
The clients had good support.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward but client's setup was complex because they were overlappping with other teams.
What other advice do I have?
Clients used Anaplan for various purposes. As their needs became more complex, they wondered if a custom solution would be faster and provide more tailored data. Anaplan was clearly useful. However, clients wanted to focus more on data engineering and integration with their processes to track numerous metrics. They were unsure if Anaplan and other IT solutions could fully meet their needs. Thus, they sought a custom solution.
Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Last updated: Aug 7, 2024
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February 2025
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Solutions Expert at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
It's simple to use and has a lot of functions
Pros and Cons
- "It's simple to use with a lot of functions."
- "Space and integration are a problem."
What is our primary use case?
You can use this solution for almost everything that you need, that includes the sales forecast, workforce, planning of technical KPIs, etc. It's not a focused solution for a specific use case.
What is most valuable?
It's simple to use and has a lot of functions suitable for many use cases. Here, you don't have to know how to code. So it's like Excel-based syntax.
What needs improvement?
Workspace allowance and integrations with external systems are the things to be improved. Apart from that, everything else works well except for the poor ETL capabilities. They should first solve the issue of integrations and modeling sparsity. That would be great.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for five years. It's a SaaS solution so it's always up-to-date.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate it nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's one of the solutions that could be scaled up quite easily if its architecture is set up correctly at the beginning of the project, compared to many others marketed by big and well-known CPM/BI providers. Currently, we have approximately 20 Anaplan users in our organization.
How are customer service and support?
I would say it was a good experience. I faced probably zero unsolved issues. On a scale of one to ten, I would rate it all nine. They're good at solving issues.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I switched due to the company's policy I work for now.
How was the initial setup?
It's not easy to start from scratch, but the complexity is something you can also find doing your planning in Excel. So, I don't think Anaplan has an outstanding complexity.
What about the implementation team?
As it is cloud-based, it doesn’t need to be deployed on your servers and it's usually deployed via partners. We just make sure it serves the needs of the organization considering the demands of the specific projects.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's not that expensive compared to the vast majority of other products. But it's not cheap, it's somewhere in the middle. I would rate the cost five out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
I would very likely recommend the product to my colleagues.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
Data Engineering Sr Analyst
A web-based business planning platform with a useful updating feature
Pros and Cons
- "I believe Anaplan is a new cloud tool, and from time to time, there's a lot of improvement that the Anaplan company deploys with the system. So, with that improvement, we need to really adapt and know the new system trends."
- "The dashboard could be better. Because within a dashboard or report, you have to do a lot of scrolling. You need to scroll down because the table doesn't fit in a single view. That's why even the users aren't happy with that kind of user experience. They need to scroll to see all the data, and it could be better if it fits in just one page. That way, you can see everything. In the next release, I want automation that's connected to Anaplan. For example, to load master data from SAP to Anaplan. I don't know if this already exists, but a log where you can see the progress and see if there's an error will also help. It would be better to give you the error message, for example, if there is an error within the automated process importing to Anaplan."
What is our primary use case?
I'm using Anaplan to provide production support for my client. The Anaplan model is already there and what I'm doing is fixing bugs updating the logic. That's my main role in the project. I will fix those queues for the business and update some processes or dashboards to better suit business needs, as per their requests.
How has it helped my organization?
I believe Anaplan is a new cloud tool, and from time to time, there's a lot of improvement that the Anaplan company deploys with the system. So, with that improvement, we need to really adapt and know the new system trends.
What is most valuable?
I like updating the current model. For example, if the business wants to see a different version or a different report style, I'm happy to work, manipulate, and do some data visualization changes for them.
What needs improvement?
The dashboard could be better. Because within a dashboard or report, you have to do a lot of scrolling. You need to scroll down because the table doesn't fit in a single view. That's why even the users aren't happy with that kind of user experience. They need to scroll to see all the data, and it could be better if it fits in just one page. That way, you can see everything.
In the next release, I want automation that's connected to Anaplan. For example, to load master data from SAP to Anaplan. I don't know if this already exists, but a log where you can see the progress and see if there's an error will also help. It would be better to give you the error message, for example, if there is an error within the automated process importing to Anaplan.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the Anaplan tool for about three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Right now, Anaplan is very stable. It has some downtime from time to time, but they're able to reinstate it to work as it is. I think many of our users have a demand planner, and they are the main users of Anaplan for our clients. Many of them are in field sales roles, and these people are in the market selling the product. I believe the number of users ranges from 30 to 50 for one country.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In terms of scalability, Anaplan is great. Right now, there's a lot of changes that need to happen in our model, and I believe you can easily ask for an increase in size, and it can adopt the new logic that encouraged a lot of space.
How are customer service and technical support?
Sometimes, we find bugs within the system, and we don't know how to fix them. So, every year we file maybe five to ten tickets with Anaplan support to fix the bugs that we found.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I used IBM Cognos TM1, which is now called Planning Analytics. I started using Anaplan because I was given an additional role, and I started supporting Anaplan simultaneously.
I think there's a lot of differences between Anaplan and IBM because Anaplan is cloud-based. But I believe IBM Planning Analytics is getting on the cloud as well. The old version of IBM is more like a remote desktop. But Anaplan is on the cloud, and you can access it via the web anywhere you go.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is quite complex because we have this one development team, and we have plenty of markets connected to one model. There's a lot of customization to tailor-fit with the market requirements and with the country requirements. Setting up a new model takes the team at least three months or five months at most.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented this solution. We followed the Agile methodology, and there were a lot of sprints for two weeks and then we released all the enhancements or deployments. It's very fast-paced.
What other advice do I have?
I would advise potential users to have a good model builder and a solutions architect to transform their business complexity into an Anaplan module or dashboard that fits and works for them. They need to have a great solutions architect, a finder, and the end model builder, which will convert this complexity in Excel and to an equivalent Anaplan report.
The biggest lesson I learned using the Anaplan is that everyone can learn to use the Anaplan tool if they have the perseverance to learn. Everything is in Google, and you can Google the logic that you need to apply to a given bug or issue with the module within the system. It's continuous learning, and you have to keep learning and using the Anaplan system every day to be more familiar with the tool.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Anaplan a nine.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Anaplan Application Analyst at a tech company with 10,001+ employees
Easy to use for many different purposes
Pros and Cons
- "The features that I have found most valuable are that it is web-based and easy to use."
- "When there is a lot of data, it sometimes takes long to load."
What is our primary use case?
We use Anaplan for a lot of different things, but mostly in sales planning.
What is most valuable?
The features that I have found most valuable are that it is web-based and easy to use.
What needs improvement?
In terms of what could be improved, when there is a lot of data, it sometimes takes long to load.
In the new experience, it does not let you pick a list in the formula box like it did in the old experience. I would like that to be included in the new release.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Anaplan for about a year and a half.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a low maintenance solution.
How are customer service and support?
The support is pretty good. They get back to you within a week.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale of one to ten, I would give Anaplan an eight.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Founder at Metora
Effective machine learning, constantly evolving, but price could improve
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Anaplan is machine learning. The solution is constantly evolving from feedback. Additionally, there is a wide range of training material online."
- "The price of the solution can improve."
What is our primary use case?
Anaplan is used for various financial planning, such as supply chain, and consolidation.
How has it helped my organization?
My clients exhibit enhanced efficiency in financial planning, supply chain management, demand planning, and financial consolidation. They possess superior visibility, enabling swift action-taking.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Anaplan is machine learning. The solution is constantly evolving from feedback. Additionally, there is a wide range of training material online.
What needs improvement?
The price of the solution can improve.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Anaplan for approximately eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is generally stable. There are tweaks that need to be made for optimum stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is highly scalable.
How are customer service and support?
We do the support ourselves and rarely needed global support from the vendor.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We did not use another solution previously.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Anaplan is easy because it is low code or no code deployments. The full process of deployment can take six months. We do not need a lot of resources for the deployment.
What about the implementation team?
We do the difficult customization for the customers. We provide our customers with feedback.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of the solution is expensive.
What other advice do I have?
If the solution is built correctly there is no maintenance needed.
The crucial aspect is to ensure that there are individuals who possess the knowledge to effectively utilize the tool. It is akin to piloting an airplane, where one must first acquire the skills to fly before attempting to operate it. Otherwise, they will crash it.
I rate Anaplan a seven out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Implementer
A stable Enterprise Performance Management tool with the most powerful calculation engine
Pros and Cons
- "I am impressed with the tool’s real-time calculations and intuitive interface. The tool’s user interface is the best compared to other software that I have worked with. I also find the tool’s management reporting feature valuable."
- "The tool needs to work on its integration with MS Excel and MS Word. The tool does not allow data analysis in spreadsheets which is possible on other platforms. I want the solution to be more collaborative to facilitate decision-making in organizations."
What is our primary use case?
We concentrate now on financial planning. However, we have intentions to move towards supply planning. My company uses the tool to know the key players in the market.
What is most valuable?
I am impressed with the tool’s real-time calculations and intuitive interface. The tool’s user interface is the best compared to other software that I have worked with. I also find the tool’s management reporting feature valuable.
What needs improvement?
The tool needs to work on its integration with MS Excel and MS Word. The tool does not allow data analysis in spreadsheets which is possible on other platforms. I want the solution to be more collaborative to facilitate decision-making in organizations.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with the solution for three to four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable. There are around 10-20 users for the solution.
How are customer service and support?
The tool’s support is responsive but its Workaround Time is not very helpful.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We chose Anaplan based on the client’s requirements.
How was the initial setup?
The tool’s setup is easy. The tool’s deployment depends on the requirements of both users and clients. The overall deployment will not take more than four to five weeks to complete. One week is required for the determination of user requirements and another four to five weeks for the solution’s deployment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The tool’s pricing is reasonable and competitive with other solutions.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate the solution a seven out of ten. This product is an important Enterprise Performance Management tool. It has one of the most powerful calculation engines called Hyperblock.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
Anaplan model builder at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Effective data analyzing, highly stable, and excellent support
Pros and Cons
- "Anaplan is a three-dimensional cloud platform that is good for analyzing data, visualization, integration, terrific for visibility."
- "The solution could improve by better dashboards and while entering the form loss and project implementation the ability to use graphical shapes more effectively."
What is our primary use case?
We use Anaplan for organizing and planning the data in a supply concept.
What is most valuable?
Anaplan is a three-dimensional cloud platform that is good for analyzing data, visualization, integration, terrific for visibility. Additionally, it is continually being updated and allows collaboration. When comparing it to Microsoft Excel, in Anaplan when you make a change to a sheet you do not need to make the same change to all the sheets as you do in Excel.
What needs improvement?
The solution could improve by better dashboards and while entering the form loss and project implementation the ability to use graphical shapes more effectively.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Anaplan for one and a half years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Anaplan is highly stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is very good.
We have 15 model builders using this solution in my organization.
How are customer service and technical support?
Anaplan has an online community group and if we have any technical problems they can provide us support answers within 15 to 20 minutes. Their technical support is very good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used Microsoft Excel previously.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward. it took us approximately 24 hours.
What about the implementation team?
There is maintenance being conducted every month by Anaplan.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We are currently using a free workspace license for 90 days. We are satisfied with the price of the solution. There are additional costs if you want more storage, the default limit is 250 GB.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have evaluated other solutions and Anaplan is better than other competitors out there.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Anaplan a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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