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Business Intelligence · head to head

Board International vs Mode

Board International logo

Board International

Business Intelligence

Unified planning, budgeting and BI on a single multidimensional model

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Mode logo

Mode

Business Intelligence

Collaborative analytics for data teams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Mode has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Board International no pricing is published, and independent estimates put year-one total cost of ownership at 150,000 to 400,000 US dollars or more once implementation is included, so budget approval requires a sales process before any real evaluation.; Mode free tier limited to 4GB RAM and 1 CPU for SQL notebooks, insufficient for large datasets
  • They diverge on capability: Board International covers Unified model, Mode covers SQL Editor.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Board International and Mode actually diverge.

Attributes where Board International and Mode differ
AttributeBoard InternationalMode
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotesubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Windows, iOS, AndroidWeb
FoundedUnknown2013

Identical on both: 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 Board International

  • Unified model
  • Driver-based planning
  • Scenario analysis
  • Data reader and writeback
  • Predictive forecasting
  • Self-service dashboards

Only in Mode

  • SQL Editor
  • Python/R Notebooks
  • Interactive Reports
  • Version Control
  • Scheduling
  • Snowflake
  • Redshift
  • BigQuery

What people use each for

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

Board International

  • A finance function that wants budgeting and management reporting on one model rather than two integrated systemsnot Mode
  • Supply chain and demand planning where the same dimensional model must serve finance and operationsnot Mode
  • Rolling forecasts with many scenarios where spreadsheet consolidation has become the constraintnot Mode
  • An organisation replacing a large collection of Excel models with something auditable and version-controllednot Mode

Mode

  • Self-service analyticsnot Board International
  • Data explorationnot Board International
  • Ad-hoc reportingnot Board International
  • Collaborative analysisnot Board International
  • Embedded analyticsnot Board International

Where each one falls short

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

Board International

  • No pricing is published, and independent estimates put year-one total cost of ownership at 150,000 to 400,000 US dollars or more once implementation is included, so budget approval requires a sales process before any real evaluation.
  • Implementation is heavy and normally delivered by Board professional services or a certified partner, which means the go-live date depends on a third party’s availability rather than your own team.
  • The platform requires a trained internal model owner to remain useful, and organisations that lose that person frequently find the model ossifies because nobody else can safely change it.
  • The interface is dated relative to newer planning tools, which shows up as slower adoption among business users who compare it with the consumer-grade software they use elsewhere.
  • Performance degrades on very large models, and the response to that is usually a modelling redesign delivered by a partner rather than something a customer can fix themselves.

Mode

  • Free tier limited to 4GB RAM and 1 CPU for SQL notebooks, insufficient for large datasets
  • Requires SQL knowledge for most analysis tasks, creating dependency on technical resources
  • Paid plan pricing not publicly listed; requires sales consultation
  • Recently acquired by ThoughtSpot in 2026, creating product direction uncertainty
  • Limited customization options for visual aspects and embedded analytics

Pricing, plan by plan

Board International

On request
  • Board Intelligent Planning Platform$undefined/year
    • Unified planning, reporting and analytics
    • Cloud or on-premises deployment
    • Named and concurrent user licence options

Mode

Free
  • FreeFree
    • SQL Editor
    • Python/R Notebooks
    • Basic Charts
  • Business$65/month
    • Advanced Visualizations
    • Collaboration
    • Integrations

Which should you pick?

Choose Board International if

  • You need unified model.
  • You work on Web, Windows, iOS, Android.
  • You also want driver-based planning.
Board International review

Choose Mode if

  • You need sql editor.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want python/r notebooks.
Mode review

Questions people ask

Is Board International or Mode better?
Neither clearly leads. Board International starts at On request and Mode at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Board International or Mode?
Mode has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Board International and Free for Mode.
Does Board International or Mode run on more platforms?
Board International runs on Web, Windows, iOS, Android. Mode runs on Web.
Can I use Mode for free?
Yes. Mode has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Board International starts at On request.
What is Board International best used for?
Board International is most often used for a finance function that wants budgeting and management reporting on one model rather than two integrated systems, supply chain and demand planning where the same dimensional model must serve finance and operations, rolling forecasts with many scenarios where spreadsheet consolidation has become the constraint, an organisation replacing a large collection of excel models with something auditable and version-controlled. Of those, a finance function that wants budgeting and management reporting on one model rather than two integrated systems and supply chain and demand planning where the same dimensional model must serve finance and operations are not what Mode is typically brought in for.
What can Board International do that Mode cannot?
Board International covers Unified model, Driver-based planning, Scenario analysis, Data reader and writeback. Mode covers SQL Editor, Python/R Notebooks, Interactive Reports, Version Control.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Board International: Does Board publish pricing?

No. Licensing and implementation are both quoted, and independent estimates put per-user licensing in the low thousands of dollars per year.

Mode: What languages does Mode support for analysis?

Mode notebooks support SQL, Python (3.11 with pandas, NumPy, scikit-learn, matplotlib), and R (4.2.0 with ggplot2, dplyr, tidyr). Both Python and R allow additional library installation at runtime.

Source
Board International: Who owns Board?

Nordic Capital holds a majority stake, with founders and management retaining significant shareholdings.

Mode: Can I integrate Mode notebook results into reports?

Yes. Mode allows adding notebook cell results directly to reports, with synchronized scheduling so reports re-run to keep data current.

Source
Board International: Is Board a BI tool or a planning tool?

Both, on one multidimensional model, which is the main argument for choosing it over separate tools.

Mode: Does Mode support collaborative analysis?

Yes. Mode notebooks provide moveable code blocks and markdown cells enabling exploratory analysis and team collaboration on data queries and visualizations.

Source
Board International: Can it be deployed on premises?

Yes, both cloud and on-premises deployments are supported.

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