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Business Intelligence · head to head

Board International vs Phocas

Board International logo

Board International

Business Intelligence

Unified planning, budgeting and BI on a single multidimensional model

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Phocas logo

Phocas

Business Intelligence

Pre-built BI and FP&A for wholesale distributors and manufacturers running mid-market ERPs

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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.; Phocas the value is the pre-built vertical content, so a company outside distribution, manufacturing or retail pays premium prices for dashboards it must build itself anyway.
  • They diverge on capability: Board International covers Unified model, Phocas covers ERP connectors.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Board International and Phocas differ
AttributeBoard InternationalPhocas
PlatformsWeb, Windows, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), 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 Board International

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

Only in Phocas

  • ERP connectors
  • Pre-built distribution content
  • Grid-first analysis
  • Financial statements
  • Budgets and forecasts
  • Rebates module
  • Alerts and subscriptions
  • Mobile apps

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 Phocas
  • Supply chain and demand planning where the same dimensional model must serve finance and operationsnot Phocas
  • Rolling forecasts with many scenarios where spreadsheet consolidation has become the constraintnot Phocas
  • An organisation replacing a large collection of Excel models with something auditable and version-controllednot Phocas

Phocas

  • A wholesale distributor on Prophet 21 whose sales reps need per-customer margin and stock availability without waiting on a report writernot Board International
  • A manufacturer that wants budgeting on the same data as its sales analysis rather than in a separate spreadsheetnot Board International
  • A multi-branch retailer comparing branch and product performance daily without an internal BI teamnot Board International
  • A private equity owner standardising reporting across several acquired distributors on different ERPsnot 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.

Phocas

  • The value is the pre-built vertical content, so a company outside distribution, manufacturing or retail pays premium prices for dashboards it must build itself anyway.
  • If your ERP is not on the maintained connector list you fall back to generic database extraction and lose the fast time to value that justifies the price.
  • The visualisation library is thin next to Power BI or Tableau, and analysts who want fine control over chart design will find it constraining.
  • Pricing is quoted per user and never published, and buyers routinely report large gaps between initial and renewal quotes with limited comparison leverage.
  • Modules are licensed separately, so a customer who bought Analytics and later wants Financial Statements or Rebates faces a new negotiation rather than an upgrade.

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

Phocas

On request
  • Phocas$undefined/year
    • Annual subscription quoted by user count and modules
    • Analytics, Financial Statements, Budgets and Rebates licensed separately
    • One-off implementation and ERP connector setup fee

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 Phocas if

  • You need erp connectors.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want pre-built distribution content.
Phocas review

Questions people ask

Is Board International or Phocas better?
Neither clearly leads. Board International starts at On request and Phocas at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Board International or Phocas?
Board International starts at On request and Phocas at On request.
Does Board International or Phocas run on more platforms?
Board International runs on Web, Windows, iOS, Android. Phocas runs on Web, iOS, Android.
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 Phocas is typically brought in for.
What can Board International do that Phocas cannot?
Board International covers Unified model, Driver-based planning, Scenario analysis, Data reader and writeback. Phocas covers ERP connectors, Pre-built distribution content, Grid-first analysis, Financial statements.

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.

Phocas: What does Phocas cost?

Nothing is published. It is quoted annually by user count and module, with a separate implementation fee, and varies by region.

Board International: Who owns Board?

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

Phocas: Is it worth it over Power BI?

Only if you are in its target verticals on a supported ERP. Power BI is far cheaper per seat but you supply the data model.

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.

Phocas: Does it replace my ERP reporting?

It replaces day-to-day analysis and sales reporting. Transactional and statutory reporting stays in the ERP.

Board International: Can it be deployed on premises?

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

Phocas: Can it do budgeting?

Yes, through a separately licensed Financial Statements and Budgets module on the same warehouse.

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