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Business Intelligence · head to head

Anaplan vs insightsoftware

Anaplan logo

Anaplan

Business Intelligence

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

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
insightsoftware logo

insightsoftware

Accounting

A private-equity roll-up of financial reporting and EPM tools for the office of the CFO

From
On request
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.; insightsoftware you are buying one acquired product rather than a platform, and its roadmap depends on portfolio strategy decisions made after your contract is signed.
  • They diverge on capability: Anaplan covers Hyperblock calculation engine, insightsoftware covers Excel-native reporting.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Anaplan and insightsoftware actually diverge.

Attributes where Anaplan and insightsoftware differ
AttributeAnaplaninsightsoftware
PlatformsWeb, iOSWeb, Windows
CategoryBusiness IntelligenceAccounting

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 insightsoftware

  • Excel-native reporting
  • ERP connectors
  • Financial close and consolidation
  • Budgeting and planning
  • Embedded analytics
  • Lease and equity management

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

insightsoftware

  • A Dynamics or NetSuite finance team that needs live ERP data in Excel without an IT-built data warehousenot Anaplan
  • Month-end close reporting where the current process is exporting to Excel and manually rekeying figuresnot Anaplan
  • Statutory consolidation and disclosure management across several legal entities and currenciesnot Anaplan
  • A software vendor embedding dashboards into its own application using Logi Analyticsnot 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.

insightsoftware

  • You are buying one acquired product rather than a platform, and its roadmap depends on portfolio strategy decisions made after your contract is signed.
  • The acquisition pace, roughly twenty-five companies, has produced overlapping products in the same category, and customers of the loser in an internal overlap face a migration they did not plan.
  • Renewal price increases are a recurring complaint across the portfolio, which is a normal consequence of private-equity ownership and should be negotiated into the initial contract rather than discovered later.
  • Support quality varies sharply by product depending on how recently it was acquired and how integrated the support organisation is, so reference checks need to be product-specific rather than vendor-level.
  • Nothing is priced publicly, and because each product is priced separately a finance stack assembled from three insightsoftware products can cost far more than the platform framing implies.

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

insightsoftware

On request
  • insightsoftware products$undefined/year
    • Priced per product, not as one platform
    • Annual subscription or perpetual licence depending on the product
    • Named user and server-based metrics vary by product

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 insightsoftware if

  • You need excel-native reporting.
  • You work on Web, Windows.
  • You also want erp connectors.
insightsoftware review

Questions people ask

Is Anaplan or insightsoftware better?
Neither clearly leads. Anaplan starts at On request and insightsoftware at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Anaplan or insightsoftware?
Anaplan starts at On request and insightsoftware at On request.
Does Anaplan or insightsoftware run on more platforms?
Anaplan runs on Web, iOS. insightsoftware runs on Web, Windows.
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 insightsoftware is typically brought in for.
What can Anaplan do that insightsoftware cannot?
Anaplan covers Hyperblock calculation engine, Connected planning, Scenario and versioning, Model builder. insightsoftware covers Excel-native reporting, ERP connectors, Financial close and consolidation, Budgeting and planning.

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.

insightsoftware: Is insightsoftware one product?

No. It is a portfolio of roughly twenty-five acquired products including Jet Reports, Spreadsheet Server, Longview, Certent and Logi Analytics.

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.

insightsoftware: Who owns it?

TA Associates, with Hg investing around one billion US dollars for joint control at a valuation near four billion.

Anaplan: Who owns Anaplan?

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

insightsoftware: Does it publish pricing?

No. Each product is quoted separately.

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.

insightsoftware: What should I check before buying?

Where your specific product sits in the portfolio strategy, and whether it overlaps with another acquired product.

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