Anaplan vs IBM Planning Analytics comparison

Anaplan and IBM are both solutions in the Business Performance Management category. Anaplan is ranked #1 with an average rating of 7.9, while IBM is ranked #3 with an average rating of 9.2. Anaplan holds a 13.3% mindshare in BPM, compared to IBM’s 9.2% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Anaplan users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 89% of IBM users who would recommend it.

Anaplan

Read 27 Anaplan reviews

3,971 Views
2,042 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

IBM Planning Analytics

Read 24 IBM Planning Analytics reviews

1,938 Views
1,229 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

Anaplan

IBM Planning Analytics

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

IBM Planning Analytics and Anaplan directly compete in the business performance management space with their comprehensive planning and forecasting solutions. Anaplan often takes the lead due to its powerful cloud-based platform that scales efficiently, suggesting its superior appeal despite the benefits of IBM's pricing and support.

Features: IBM Planning Analytics offers robust data modeling capabilities, advanced multi-dimensional modeling, and powerful scenario planning and predictive analytics. Anaplan is known for collaborative planning features, extensive connectivity through its agile platform, and delivering real-time insights with powerful operational planning.

Room for Improvement: IBM Planning Analytics could enhance its ease of deployment and reduce the technical expertise required. It also could benefit from more advanced cloud-based features and a more modern interface. Anaplan may improve with more flexible pricing packages, increased offline functionality, and better integration with external systems for enhanced versatility.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Anaplan offers a highly adaptable deployment model with strong, personalized customer service that simplifies complex deployments, making cloud adaptation highly accessible. IBM Planning Analytics, while robust, may require more technical expertise for deployment, extending the setup time. Its customer service is substantial, but Anaplan's personalized touch gives it a slight edge.

Pricing and ROI: IBM Planning Analytics generally presents a more cost-effective setup, often achieving faster ROI due to better initial pricing. However, Anaplan tends to justify its higher investment through extensive functionality and long-term scalability, promising substantial ROI with its comprehensive planning capabilities and flexibility.

To learn more, read our detailed Anaplan vs. IBM Planning Analytics Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Anaplan vs. IBM Planning Analytics

January 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Anaplan

Ranking in Business Performance Management

1st

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Production Planning (5th), Predictive Analytics (4th)

IBM Planning Analytics

Ranking in Business Performance Management

3rd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Business Performance Management category, the mindshare of Anaplan is 13.3%, down from 16.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Planning Analytics is 9.2%, up from 8.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Business Performance Management

Featured Reviews

Antonio Flor

Lead Anaplanner at Chaucer Group

Real-time data integration enhances operational efficiency and flexibility

As a client developer and solutions architect, I use Anaplan for building modules and deploying logic end-to-end. I work closely with the business in an agile manner to ensure the model aligns with business needs Anaplan offers flexibility in building different options within the platform. The…

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Gnanavel-Chakkarapani

Junior Consultant at CMA CGM

Can easily create dashboards and helps businesses improve forecasting accuracy

The product has improved our company's forecasting accuracy since it serves as a very useful tool for our sales and controller teams as they easily get to enter the inputs using views in TM1, which gets loaded into our main database. If there are sales team members in different parts of the world, like in Hong Kong and Singapore, they may prefer to use IBM Planning Analytics, which is easy to use when compared to the Excel tool. Speaking about planning analytics and data analysis, I would say that our company used to use IBM Cognos Analytics for reporting, where we used to use Cognos Dynamic Cubes so that users can easily use its drag and drop features while getting to see the data for which the users had to wait for two to three minutes prior to its use. In our company, tons of data are loaded into the memory, and users can use Cognos Dynamic Cubes to analyze data and understand it. The AI capabilities of IBM have benefited our planning strategy as they are very useful for business. The tool allows the easy creation of dashboard reports using AI capabilities. No technical knowledge is required for business use cases. It is possible to integrate the product in scenarios where some new integrations are available. I remember that my company used Azure Data Factory to connect Azure, Oracle, and IBM WebSphere Application Server. When it comes to IBM Planning Analytics, it is complex to integrate it with LDAP and or any other authentication tool offered by Microsoft. In our company, some users like to integrate IBM Planning Analytics with the common LDAP or Microsoft AD, which we currently use for all our applications. The authentication part is difficult to configure with IBM Planning Analytics. The maintenance of the product is easy. My company has scheduled maintenance on the product every week, especially during forecast times, so that memories automatically lapse and users can freely access their servers. The use of the tool has had an impact on collaboration within our company's planning team since everyone knows how to easily access the data and publish the results. I recommend the product to those who plan to use it. I rate the tool a nine out of ten.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Where we're seeing the opportunity in the market is at the Fortune 100 companies that have far more complex modeling type scenarios where you need to be able to have a lot of people collaborating together, and you need a lot of information all at everyone's fingertips. This is where you see the big advantage of a solution like Anaplan."

"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."

"Anaplan's most valuable features are that it's a no-coding platform, everything can be scaled to your other functions, and it's easy to learn and use (especially because Anaplan provides excellent interactive training)."

"Anaplan integrates well into my clients' core systems. The ability to aggregate the forms within the dashboarding is also useful. Only one of my clients has implemented workflow. Their usage has been very light. Dashboarding capability is probably the biggest one. My clients like having the ability to aggregate, slice and dice, and dynamically adjust things in the dashboards."

"It's simple to use with a lot of functions."

"The features that I have found most valuable are that it is web-based and easy to use."

"The solution scales well."

"Anaplan provides 130 GB of cloud storage for organizations to use as part of their license."

More Anaplan pros

"The most valuable features of IBM Planning Analytics for streamlining planning processes include a unified database where all data are centralized."

"The ease of use is valuable. The fact that it's plugged into Excel spreadsheets is also valuable. It provides additional functionality where you can slice and dice the information in a way that you can't do with spreadsheets"

"This level of stability is crucial for a product like Cognos TM1, as using an unstable platform would result in loss of time."

"All the different platforms are well integrated."

"It's a very stable, robust product."

"The scenario modeling capabilities are frequently used to create different scenarios, compare them, and see which action leads to which result."

"The most valuable feature is that it is able to slice and dice the data."

"The product's stability is good."

More IBM Planning Analytics pros

Cons

"When there is a lot of data, it sometimes takes long to load."

"The negative is that the higher the flexibility, the higher is the complexity. That can act against you as a negative because it does require a model builder or a coder/developer."

"One key area of improvement is pricing."

"Automation needs to be built into this solution."

"The integration technique should be a little bit easier."

"Anaplan's workflow component is probably the biggest area for improvement. I'd also like to see Anaplan add an ad hoc reporting tool that allows users to query things. It's going to factor into how you design your data set and your models, but I'd like the ability to create ad hoc queries against the data that's in there."

"There are workspace issues, like the limitation on model sizes."

"Anaplan is a relatively expensive piece of software."

More Anaplan cons

"Extracting data is a little slow."

"It's highly competitive right now, and all the vendors are in a race to put out new versions with additional features. IBM comes out with new versions too often, and it has an impact on quality."

"Scalability is quite hard to implement in TM1, largely since the on-premise installation chosen back in 2014. On a scale, I'd rate scalability at four, out of ten. It's difficult."

"The tool should include features for prediction. It can also improve the scalability."

"The new frontend Planning Analytics Workspace is not very good, it could be improved. I like the Planning Analytics functionality but it would be helpful if it could be more customizable. You can create a prediction and receive information but you cannot do feature engineering regarding the predictive models. If this was added it would be helpful."

"The workspace API should be improved and documented so we know better which objects are used."

"It is a bit expensive, but it does the job."

"Adding predefined templates could be beneficial."

More IBM Planning Analytics cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool’s pricing is reasonable and competitive with other solutions."

"The cost of Anaplan is a challenge for clients, especially if they don't have an ongoing long-term use case for it. It's a $50,000 licensing fee just to get started. Clients need a strong business case to switch from Excel to Anaplan. But if clients have used something similar in the past, such as Hyperion or other solutions, that's not a factor because they know what to expect."

"The price of the solution is expensive."

"This is an expensive product and if the price were reduced then it would attract more customers."

"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."

"The license is a yearly subscription. There are three licensing tiers: the model builder, planner, and the reporting."

"Anaplan is a bit pricier compared to its competitors - the license costs about $4,000 per user annually."

"The entry-level is anywhere from about $30,000 to $50,000 a year, however, it does go up significantly after that depending on the complexity and how much space you're using."

More Anaplan pricing and cost advice

"IBM Planning Analytics is priced well, and licensing costs are yearly."

"Our licensing cost is approximately $50,000.00 per year."

"Compared with the other tools in the market, IBM Planning Analytics is a bit expensive."

"The license of this solution is paid annually. Most of my customers choose a license that includes support."

"It is a bit expensive, but you get what you are paying for."

"I would rate the tool's pricing a nine out of ten since it's expensive."

"IBM Planning Analytics is not the cheapest solution, but it's priced per the market standard for this type of solution. I rate the price at seven out of ten."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

31%

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

49%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What are your main use cases for Anaplan?

Anaplan is an industry-leading cloud-based corporate performance management (CPM) platform that combines business planning and analytics in a single solution. It is designed to assist organizations...

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Is Board better than Anaplan as a Business Intelligence (BI) solution?

We've had several FP&A departments include Anaplan in their analytics discussions, and while BI information IS generated, the focus is generally on compiling input from various sources and simu...

See all answers

Is Anaplan better than SAP ERP?

There are different aspects of both Anaplan and SAP ERP that I like and dislike. Anaplan improves forecast accuracy and drives up the quality of analytics. Rather than spending all of their time co...

See all answers

What do you like most about IBM Planning Analytics?

The most valuable features of IBM Planning Analytics for streamlining planning processes include a unified database where all data are centralized.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Planning Analytics?

The cost of IBM Planning Analytics is not cheap, considering the amount of money involved. However, it offers good ROI for customers.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Planning Analytics?

The workspace API should be improved and documented so we know better which objects and tier-one objects are used.

See all answers

Comparisons

SAP ERP vs Anaplan

Compared 32% of the time

SAP Analytics Cloud vs Anaplan

Compared 10% of the time

SAP S/4HANA vs Anaplan

Compared 8% of the time

Board vs Anaplan

Compared 6% of the time

Oracle Hyperion vs Anaplan

Compared 6% of the time

More Anaplan Competitors

Microsoft Power BI vs IBM Planning Analytics

Compared 24% of the time

SAP Analytics Cloud vs IBM Planning Analytics

Compared 22% of the time

Jedox vs IBM Planning Analytics

Compared 9% of the time

Oracle Hyperion vs IBM Planning Analytics

Compared 7% of the time

IBM Cognos vs IBM Planning Analytics

Compared 6% of the time

More IBM Planning Analytics Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Anaplan

February 2025

Download Anaplan product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM Planning Analytics

February 2025

Download IBM Planning Analytics product report

Also Known As

No data available

Cognos TM1, IBM Cognos TM1

Overview

Anaplan is a cloud-based planning and performance management platform with documented use cases in finance, sales, supply chain, marketing, IT and HR. At the core of Anaplan's technology is a single hub where business users can build, deploy, maintain, and share models without coding or reliance on IT personnel.

With Anaplan You Can:

Accelerate revenue growth
Convert data into market opportunity
Drive higher sales performance
Gain market share
Improve customer satisfaction
See edge-to-edge across your company
Achieve business and technology goals
Become agile and resilient with continuous models and forecasts

The Anaplan Platform Is:

Flexible
Scalable
Collaborative
Secure
Multi-dimensional
Built to help businesses think ahead and rapidly adapt to change

Anaplan Benefits:

Illuminate blind spots and hidden opportunities.
Easily create a shareable, living representation of how your business actually works.
Dynamic planning allows you to continuously adapt to market changes and other changing circumstances effectively.
Information is always readily available and can be easily shared with all teams across your enterprise.
Anaplan provides intelligent decision-making. The platform gives you all the information you need to make business decisions and also gives you the ability to run several “what if” scenarios to determine which decision is best based on a large range of variables - at record speed, instead of it taking days or weeks to complete.
By using Anaplan, you can adapt to changes very quickly. You can consider all of the possible options before responding in real time.
Anaplan can be used remotely from wherever you are.
Anaplan will help your organization stay focused and on target. You can stay in control with the ability to run scenario calculations quickly and use the information to make adjustments as needed.
Anaplan provides accurate, real-time data so you don’t have to worry about the risk of bad data. In turn, this boosts shareholder confidence because Anaplan’s platform mitigates the risks associated with incorrect data.
Anaplan’s Connected Planning helps you meet regulatory requirements. All the relevant business data is held in one place, therefore making adjustments easier to implement quickly. With Connected Planning, results also have a full audit trail.

Anaplan Features:

Hyperscale computing: Anaplan eliminates the “messy middle” caused by out-of-date, siloed signals.
Integrated and dynamic signal set: This feature incorporates internal and external factors, relationships, and market context across functions which can all be seamlessly integrated.
Responsive unified system: Anaplan’s high-fidelity, responsive, and unified system for execution and accountability is reliable, accurate, and traceable.
Real-time insights: Detect signals hidden in your systems and gain insight into every asset, resource, risk, and change to help provide decision clarity.
Unlimited multi-dimensional scenarios: Anaplan helps your organization run unlimited multi-dimensional scenarios to identify ideal plans of action.
Synchronization: Using Anaplan, you can synchronize execution and readiness. Anaplan enables autonomous and coordinated in-market action by connecting headquarters to your most remote outposts.

Reviews from Real Users:

"Anaplan's in-memory calculation engine is super-fast compared to the old tools we previously used. You enter the data and everything shows up in one go.” - Sandeep A., Lead Analyst at a retailer

"This product has a very good modeling feature, and its graphical representation of visualizations has also been valuable.” - Raghavendra K., Lead Consultant at a tech services company

"Anaplan is a three-dimensional cloud platform that is good for analyzing data, visualization, integration, terrific for visibility.” - Anaplan model builder at a tech services company

Anaplan

IBM Planning Analytics is an integrated planning solution that uses AI to automate planning, budgeting, and forecasting and drive more intelligent workflows.

Built on TM1, IBM’s powerful calculation engine, this enterprise performance management tool allows you to transcend the limits of manual planning and become the Analytics Hero your business needs. Quickly and easily drive faster, more accurate plans for FP&A, sales, supply chain and beyond.

IBM

Sample Customers

HP, ForeScout, DocuSign, EAT, Pandora, Aviva, Intel Security, Zalora

ManpowerGroup, Convergys, AIG, Orchard Brands, Citibank, InterGen, Northwestern University, EF Education First, Ironside, Bazan Group, CSOB Insurance, Macquarie Group, Charles Stanley, SATO, Government of Sint Maarten, BMW Financial Services

Buyer's Guide

Anaplan vs. IBM Planning Analytics

January 2025

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