Softwr

Business Intelligence · head to head

Board International vs SAP BusinessObjects

Board International logo

Board International

Business Intelligence

Unified planning, budgeting and BI on a single multidimensional model

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SAP BusinessObjects logo

SAP BusinessObjects

Business Intelligence

Enterprise business intelligence suite

From
$400/month
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.; SAP BusinessObjects sAP BusinessObjects Private Cloud Edition is listed on UK G-Cloud 14 as a Cloud software service by SAP (UK) Limited titled 'SAP Business Objects Private Cloud Edition', alongside a reseller listing from NTT DATA Business Solutions; the G-Cloud search results describe it as subscription-based but show no per-user or per-month figure in the listing summary
  • They diverge on capability: Board International covers Unified model, SAP BusinessObjects covers Crystal Reports.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Board International and SAP BusinessObjects actually diverge.

Attributes where Board International and SAP BusinessObjects differ
AttributeBoard InternationalSAP BusinessObjects
Starting priceOn request$400/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWeb, Windows, iOS, AndroidWeb, Desktop, Mobile
FoundedUnknown1972

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 Board International

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

Only in SAP BusinessObjects

  • Crystal Reports
  • Web Intelligence
  • Lumira
  • Analysis for Office
  • Live Office
  • SAP HANA
  • SAP ERP
  • Oracle

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

SAP BusinessObjects

  • Enterprise reportingnot Board International
  • Executive dashboardsnot Board International
  • Regulatory compliancenot Board International
  • Strategic planningnot Board International
  • Operational 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.

SAP BusinessObjects

  • SAP BusinessObjects Private Cloud Edition is listed on UK G-Cloud 14 as a Cloud software service by SAP (UK) Limited titled 'SAP Business Objects Private Cloud Edition', alongside a reseller listing from NTT DATA Business Solutions; the G-Cloud search results describe it as subscription-based but show no per-user or per-month figure in the listing summary

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

SAP BusinessObjects

$400/month
  • Standard$400/month
    • Core BI Tools
    • Web Intelligence
    • Crystal Reports
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Full Suite
    • Advanced Features
    • Premium Support

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 SAP BusinessObjects if

  • You need crystal reports.
  • You work on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
  • You also want web intelligence.
SAP BusinessObjects review

Questions people ask

Is Board International or SAP BusinessObjects better?
Neither clearly leads. Board International starts at On request and SAP BusinessObjects at $400/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Board International or SAP BusinessObjects?
Board International starts at On request and SAP BusinessObjects at $400/month.
Does Board International or SAP BusinessObjects run on more platforms?
Board International runs on Web, Windows, iOS, Android. SAP BusinessObjects runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
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 SAP BusinessObjects is typically brought in for.
What can Board International do that SAP BusinessObjects cannot?
Board International covers Unified model, Driver-based planning, Scenario analysis, Data reader and writeback. SAP BusinessObjects covers Crystal Reports, Web Intelligence, Lumira, Analysis for Office.

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.

Board International: Who owns Board?

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

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.

Board International: Can it be deployed on premises?

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

Share

Related pages

More on Board International

More on SAP BusinessObjects

Keep looking

Other head to heads