Catalyst, by EBM Software vs. PlanGuru

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Catalyst, by EBM Software
Score 7.8 out of 10
N/A
Catalyst from EBM Software in Minneapolis is a cloud-based business performance application suite, designed to provide an environment and workflow for understanding business profitability.N/A
PlanGuru
Score 9.0 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
PlanGuru is budgeting, forecasting and financial analytics software for SMB's, Nonprofits and the Accountants/ Advisors that work with them.
$99
per month
Pricing
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwarePlanGuru
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
PlanGuru App
$99
per month
PlanGuru Desktop
$99
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwarePlanGuru
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional DetailsFlexible and tiered pricing structures available - monthly, 1-3-5- contracts, and more—
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwarePlanGuru
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwarePlanGuru
BI Standard Reporting
Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.1
2 Ratings
8% below category average
PlanGuru
-
Ratings
Customizable dashboards7.12 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Formatting Templates7.12 Ratings00 Ratings
Ad-hoc Reporting
Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.7
2 Ratings
6% below category average
PlanGuru
-
Ratings
Drill-down analysis7.12 Ratings00 Ratings
Formatting capabilities8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Report sharing and collaboration8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Output and Scheduling
Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
8.0
2 Ratings
3% below category average
PlanGuru
-
Ratings
Publish to PDF7.92 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Delivery Scheduling8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Data Discovery and Visualization
Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.7
1 Ratings
2% above category average
PlanGuru
-
Ratings
Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Predictive Analytics8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Access Control and Security
Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
8.0
2 Ratings
9% below category average
PlanGuru
-
Ratings
Multi-User Support (named login)8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Role-Based Security Model8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile Capabilities
Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
8.0
2 Ratings
2% above category average
PlanGuru
-
Ratings
Responsive Design for Web Access8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting
Comparison of Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
8.0
2 Ratings
3% below category average
PlanGuru
-
Ratings
Long-term financial planning7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Financial budgeting8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Forecasting8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Scenario modeling8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Management reporting8.92 Ratings00 Ratings
Consolidation and Close
Comparison of Consolidation and Close features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.2
1 Ratings
10% below category average
PlanGuru
-
Ratings
Financial data consolidation9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Journal entries and reports8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Multi-currency management6.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Intercompany Eliminations5.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Minority Ownership7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Local and consolidated reporting8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Financial Reporting and Compliance
Comparison of Financial Reporting and Compliance features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
8.0
1 Ratings
1% below category average
PlanGuru
-
Ratings
Financial Statement Reporting8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Management Reporting9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Excel-based Reporting7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Automated board and financial reporting8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Analytics and Reporting
Comparison of Analytics and Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.2
2 Ratings
11% below category average
PlanGuru
-
Ratings
Personalized dashboards7.12 Ratings00 Ratings
Color-coded scorecards6.01 Ratings00 Ratings
KPIs7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Cost and profitability analysis8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Key Performance Indicator setting8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Benchmarking with external data7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration
Comparison of Integration features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.4
2 Ratings
12% below category average
PlanGuru
-
Ratings
Flat file integration8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Excel data integration7.12 Ratings00 Ratings
Direct links to 3rd-party data sources7.12 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwarePlanGuru
Small Businesses
IBM Planning Analytics
IBM Planning Analytics
Score 8.2 out of 10
MIP Fund Accounting
MIP Fund Accounting
Score 8.7 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Centage
Centage
Score 9.5 out of 10
Centage
Centage
Score 9.5 out of 10
Enterprises
Prophix
Prophix
Score 8.8 out of 10
Prophix
Prophix
Score 8.8 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwarePlanGuru
Likelihood to Recommend
7.9
(2 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
8.8
(2 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
7.8
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwarePlanGuru
Likelihood to Recommend
EBM Software
[Catalyst, by EBM Software] is well suited to track invoices from vendors to get them paid on time to avoid late fees. [Catalyst, by EBM Software] is less appropriate when paying vendor because that is not a function they currently have. If the system was an all in one system that could track and pay your invoices it would be an amazing software.
Read full review
PlanGuru
I suggest becoming fully familiar with the program before first time use as it can become costly and a charge off to a client would not be practical.
Read full review
Pros
EBM Software
  • The GUI is easy to navigate on the iPad mini, which we use for charting.
  • The options are simple so there is very little room for mistakes.
  • Charting is easy and the setup allows for necessary fields that must be completed so charting stays uniform.
Read full review
PlanGuru
  • Allows for several different scenarios for the same company
  • Modification in specifications alterable
  • Allows for changes at any level with several criteria.
Read full review
Cons
EBM Software
  • The browser closes unexpectedly at times when refreshing the page and you get logged out
  • The incorrect vendor is chosen by Catalyst a few times
  • The Catalyst file is occasionally not placed on time in the folder
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PlanGuru
  • Can be a bit complicated for new users.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
EBM Software
No answers on this topic
PlanGuru
It hasn't really been a viable program for our office.
Read full review
Usability
EBM Software
Well.... when it works... it's good. When it doesn't it is very frustrating for our staff.
Read full review
PlanGuru
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
EBM Software
The support for Catalyst is great and they are usually within the 48 hour response time. There could be a little quicker upload time for invoices that are submitted. They usually show up until the next day on the system and sometimes gives us a stress on time. Overall, the support is quite good
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PlanGuru
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
EBM Software
No answers on this topic
PlanGuru
Great tool for projections and forecasting.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
EBM Software
[Catalyst, by EBM Software] is a very easy system to use and is very user friendly. It gives you different ways of researching an invoice and not just one. Catalyst also helps to allow us to research an invoice within seconds and eliminates a lengthy and confusing process. It is a great software for first time users to learn quickly and efficiently.
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PlanGuru
We contacted PlanGuru for a low-cost module initially for use on a particular client. It has been used several times since by my department for projections. It's fairly adaptable with our QuickBooks business clients.
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Return on Investment
EBM Software
  • Catalyst is better than pencil and paper data analysis. But the app can be very frustrating when it's not working the way it did last week.
  • The GUI is very simple. Sometimes too simple, like there is no way to go back in and edit SOAP note options.
  • New feature roll-outs are mandatory. I understand that no one would opt in to being the guinea pig, but it would be nice if you weren't the first user to try it.
  • The integration with billing software has streamlined the billing notes and saved us money over having two separate systems.
Read full review
PlanGuru
  • There hasn't really been much use of this product for some time.
Read full review
ScreenShots

PlanGuru Screenshots

Screenshot of Income StatementScreenshot of Balance SheetScreenshot of Cash FlowScreenshot of Payroll ForecastingScreenshot of KPI's Example