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Business Intelligence · head to head

Anaplan vs DashThis

Anaplan logo

Anaplan

Business Intelligence

Connected planning platform with an in-memory calculation engine for large multidimensional models

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
DashThis logo

DashThis

Business Intelligence

Fixed-price marketing dashboards for agencies billed by dashboard, not by seat

From
$44/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Anaplan workspace is licensed by memory consumed, so a model that grows as the business adds SKUs, regions or scenarios generates a bill increase without a single new user being added, and teams end up optimising models for licence cost rather than clarity.; DashThis dashboards are the billing unit, so an agency that gives each client a summary and a channel detail view consumes its allowance at twice the expected rate and upgrades jump by roughly a hundred dollars a step.
  • They diverge on capability: Anaplan covers Hyperblock calculation engine, DashThis covers Unlimited users.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Anaplan and DashThis actually diverge.

Attributes where Anaplan and DashThis differ
AttributeAnaplanDashThis
Starting priceOn request$44/month
Pricing modelquotePer month by dashboard count
PlatformsWeb, iOSWeb

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Business Intelligence).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Anaplan

  • Hyperblock calculation engine
  • Connected planning
  • Scenario and versioning
  • Model builder
  • Anaplan PlanIQ
  • Workflow and approvals
  • Application lifecycle management
  • Data integration

Only in DashThis

  • Unlimited users
  • Preset templates
  • Multi-source widgets
  • Calculated widgets
  • White labelling
  • Scheduled delivery
  • Data source library
  • Comment annotations

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Anaplan

  • Sales territory and quota planning across thousands of reps where a change to segmentation must reflow quota immediatelynot DashThis
  • Demand and supply planning at SKU and location level for a manufacturer with tens of thousands of itemsnot DashThis
  • Workforce planning that ties headcount, cost and capacity to a revenue plan across dozens of business unitsnot DashThis
  • Replacing a spreadsheet estate where the master planning model has become too large and too fragile for Excel to open reliablynot DashThis

DashThis

  • A twenty-person agency that wants every account manager and every client to have a login without per-seat billingnot Anaplan
  • A PPC team producing the same monthly report for forty accounts and wanting it emailed automaticallynot Anaplan
  • An in-house marketing lead who needs one cross-channel view for the board without involving a data teamnot Anaplan
  • An SEO consultancy white labelling client reports under its own domain and sending addressnot Anaplan

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Anaplan

  • Workspace is licensed by memory consumed, so a model that grows as the business adds SKUs, regions or scenarios generates a bill increase without a single new user being added, and teams end up optimising models for licence cost rather than clarity.
  • Model building requires certified Anaplan modellers using a proprietary formula language, and the labour market for that skill is small, so most customers stay dependent on a systems integrator long after go-live.
  • Thoma Bravo took the company private in 2022 in a $10.7bn deal, and customers have since reported firmer renewal terms; a private-equity owner optimising for cash flow is a real factor in a multi-year planning contract.
  • Native reporting and visualisation are weak for anything beyond planning grids, so most customers push data out to Power BI or Tableau for executive reporting, adding another tool and another latency point.
  • Implementations are long. A connected planning programme across finance and supply chain routinely runs six to eighteen months before the first production plan, which is difficult to justify when the business wants a forecast this quarter.

DashThis

  • Dashboards are the billing unit, so an agency that gives each client a summary and a channel detail view consumes its allowance at twice the expected rate and upgrades jump by roughly a hundred dollars a step.
  • There is no data warehouse, SQL layer or real data modelling, so anything requiring joins beyond simple multi-source widgets has to be done in another tool first.
  • Historical data depends on what each connected API will return, so switching to DashThis does not retroactively give you years of comparable history.
  • There is no free tier at all, and the fourteen day trial is short for an agency wanting to rebuild forty client reports before committing.
  • Visualisation options are limited to a fixed widget set, so clients who want a specific chart type or layout often cannot get it.

Pricing, plan by plan

Anaplan

On request
  • Anaplan$undefined/year
    • Licensed by user tier and by workspace capacity
    • Workspace charged on memory consumed by models, independent of user count
    • Multi-year enterprise agreements are the norm

DashThis

$44/month
  • Individual$44/month
    • 3 dashboards
    • 15 data sources
    • Unlimited users
  • Professional$139/month
    • 10 dashboards
    • 40 data sources
    • Unlimited users
  • Business$279/month
    • 25 dashboards
    • 100 data sources
    • Unlimited users
  • Standard$429/month
    • 50 dashboards
    • 200 data sources
    • Unlimited users

Which should you pick?

Choose Anaplan if

  • You need hyperblock calculation engine.
  • You work on Web, iOS.
  • You also want connected planning.
Anaplan review

Choose DashThis if

  • You need unlimited users.
  • You also want preset templates.
DashThis review

Questions people ask

Is Anaplan or DashThis better?
Neither clearly leads. Anaplan starts at On request and DashThis at $44/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Anaplan or DashThis?
Anaplan starts at On request and DashThis at $44/month.
Does Anaplan or DashThis run on more platforms?
Anaplan runs on Web, iOS. DashThis runs on Web.
What is Anaplan best used for?
Anaplan is most often used for sales territory and quota planning across thousands of reps where a change to segmentation must reflow quota immediately, demand and supply planning at sku and location level for a manufacturer with tens of thousands of items, workforce planning that ties headcount, cost and capacity to a revenue plan across dozens of business units, replacing a spreadsheet estate where the master planning model has become too large and too fragile for excel to open reliably. Of those, sales territory and quota planning across thousands of reps where a change to segmentation must reflow quota immediately and demand and supply planning at sku and location level for a manufacturer with tens of thousands of items are not what DashThis is typically brought in for.
What can Anaplan do that DashThis cannot?
Anaplan covers Hyperblock calculation engine, Connected planning, Scenario and versioning, Model builder. DashThis covers Unlimited users, Preset templates, Multi-source widgets, Calculated widgets.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Anaplan: Why is Anaplan expensive even when user counts are low?

Because workspace is licensed on the memory your models consume as well as on users. Large models cost money regardless of how many people log in.

DashThis: Does DashThis charge per user?

No. Every plan includes unlimited users and client viewers; you pay for dashboards and data sources.

Anaplan: Do we need a systems integrator?

Almost always for the first implementation. The proprietary modelling language and the scale of typical models make an experienced partner or an internal certified team effectively mandatory.

DashThis: Is there a free plan?

No. Pricing starts at 44 US dollars a month for three dashboards, after a short trial.

Anaplan: Who owns Anaplan?

Thoma Bravo, which took it private in 2022 for $10.7bn.

DashThis: Can I blend data from several ad accounts?

Yes, through multi-source widgets and calculated widgets, but there is no general purpose join or SQL layer.

Anaplan: Can it replace our BI tool?

No. It is a planning and calculation platform; most customers still export to Power BI or Tableau for reporting and dashboards.

DashThis: Does it white label fully?

Yes, including logo, colours, sending email address and a custom domain on the higher plans.

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