Planful (formerly Host Analytics) is a comprehensive FP&A platform offering budgeting, forecasting, consolidation, and reporting for mid-market to enterprise organisations.
Founded
2001
Headquarters
San Francisco, USA
Avg. Rating
3.7 / 5
Best For
Mid-market to upper mid-market organisations
Overview
Planful, formerly known as Host Analytics, rebranded in 2020 and has since positioned itself as a comprehensive financial planning and analysis platform for mid-market and upper mid-market organisations. The platform covers the full FP&A lifecycle including budgeting, forecasting, financial consolidation, and reporting.
Planful has invested heavily in its Predict suite, which applies machine learning to detect anomalies, generate forecasts, and surface insights from financial data. The platform offers a good balance of depth and usability, with structured workflows that guide users through planning processes while still offering flexibility for custom modelling.
Reporting is a particular strength, with both web-based dashboards and Excel-based report publishing through Spotlight. However, some users report that the platform's legacy architecture shows through in certain areas, and the user interface, while improved in recent years, still feels dated compared to newer entrants.
Feature Ratings
Rated across six key criteria for FP&A teams.
Pricing
Mid-market to enterprise pricing; typically GBP 40,000-120,000+ per year depending on modules and user count. Implementation fees are additional.
Best For
Mid-market to upper mid-market organisations (500-5,000 employees) needing a comprehensive FP&A platform with strong reporting and consolidation.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Alternatives
Adaptive Insights, now Workday Adaptive Planning, is a cloud-based FP&A platform known for its balance of power and usability, particularly strong in workforce planning.
Vena Solutions is an Excel-native FP&A platform that lets finance teams keep working in the spreadsheet environment they know, while adding governance, automation, and collaboration.
Datarails is an FP&A platform that automates data consolidation from multiple sources while letting finance teams continue working in Excel for modelling and analysis.
Prophix is a comprehensive financial performance management platform offering budgeting, planning, consolidation, and reporting for mid-market organisations.
Compare
Grove FP is purpose-built for small and mid-sized businesses that need real FP&A capabilities -- budgeting, forecasting, workforce planning, and reporting -- without enterprise complexity or six-figure contracts.
FAQ
Grove FP is built for small and mid-sized businesses that need real FP&A capabilities without enterprise complexity or pricing.