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Business Intelligence · head to head

Pigment vs SAP BusinessObjects

Pigment logo

Pigment

Business Intelligence

Enterprise business planning platform for finance, sales and workforce modelling

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: Pigment no pricing is published and the structure has three moving parts, platform fee, use-case fees and tiered seats, so two companies of the same size can pay very different amounts and neither can benchmark the other.; 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: Pigment covers Dimensional modelling, SAP BusinessObjects covers Crystal Reports.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Pigment and SAP BusinessObjects actually diverge.

Attributes where Pigment and SAP BusinessObjects differ
AttributePigmentSAP BusinessObjects
Starting priceOn request$400/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWebWeb, 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 Pigment

  • Dimensional modelling
  • Scenario planning
  • Data connectors
  • Application blocks
  • Reporting and boards
  • Access control
  • Audit trail
  • AI assistance

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.

Pigment

  • A finance team retiring a fragile Excel consolidation that no one can audit and only one person can runnot SAP BusinessObjects
  • Sales operations modelling quota, territory and headcount capacity against a revenue plan in the same system finance usesnot SAP BusinessObjects
  • A company that needs monthly re-forecasting fast enough to run scenarios live in the leadership meetingnot SAP BusinessObjects
  • Replacing an ageing Anaplan estate where the model has become unmaintainable and per-workspace costs have crept upnot SAP BusinessObjects

SAP BusinessObjects

  • Enterprise reportingnot Pigment
  • Executive dashboardsnot Pigment
  • Regulatory compliancenot Pigment
  • Strategic planningnot Pigment
  • Operational analyticsnot Pigment

Where each one falls short

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

Pigment

  • No pricing is published and the structure has three moving parts, platform fee, use-case fees and tiered seats, so two companies of the same size can pay very different amounts and neither can benchmark the other.
  • Cost scales with planning processes rather than with company size, so a successful first deployment creates internal demand that directly increases the bill at renewal.
  • It requires a modelling owner. Without a person who understands dimensional design, teams rebuild spreadsheet patterns in Pigment and inherit all the maintenance problems they were trying to escape.
  • Implementation is partner-led and measured in months, so the payback horizon is long compared with lighter FP&A tools that a controller can configure alone.
  • The connector library covers major systems well but the long tail is thinner than the incumbents, and industry-specific source systems often need a warehouse or a file drop in between.

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

Pigment

On request
  • Pigment platform$undefined/year
    • Platform fee plus per use-case fees
    • Licences tiered as editor, contributor and explorer
    • No free tier and no self-service signup

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 Pigment if

  • You need dimensional modelling.
  • You also want scenario planning.
Pigment 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 Pigment or SAP BusinessObjects better?
Neither clearly leads. Pigment 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, Pigment or SAP BusinessObjects?
Pigment starts at On request and SAP BusinessObjects at $400/month.
Does Pigment or SAP BusinessObjects run on more platforms?
Pigment runs on Web. SAP BusinessObjects runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
What is Pigment best used for?
Pigment is most often used for a finance team retiring a fragile excel consolidation that no one can audit and only one person can run, sales operations modelling quota, territory and headcount capacity against a revenue plan in the same system finance uses, a company that needs monthly re-forecasting fast enough to run scenarios live in the leadership meeting, replacing an ageing anaplan estate where the model has become unmaintainable and per-workspace costs have crept up. Of those, a finance team retiring a fragile excel consolidation that no one can audit and only one person can run and sales operations modelling quota, territory and headcount capacity against a revenue plan in the same system finance uses are not what SAP BusinessObjects is typically brought in for.
What can Pigment do that SAP BusinessObjects cannot?
Pigment covers Dimensional modelling, Scenario planning, Data connectors, Application blocks. SAP BusinessObjects covers Crystal Reports, Web Intelligence, Lumira, Analysis for Office.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Pigment: Does Pigment publish prices?

No. Expect a quote combining a platform fee, fees per planning use case, and seat licences split into editor, contributor and explorer tiers.

Pigment: Is Pigment an alternative to Anaplan?

It is positioned directly against Anaplan and much of its customer base is migrating from it, mainly citing modelling readability and recalculation speed.

Pigment: Can we use it without consultants?

In practice most deployments use Pigment or a partner for the initial build. Ongoing model changes can be handled in-house once someone owns the modelling discipline.

Pigment: Where is data hosted?

Pigment is a European vendor with regional hosting options, which is often the deciding factor for EU buyers with data residency requirements.

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