Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Anaplan
Score 8.6 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
Anaplan is a transformative way to see, plan, and run your business. Using its proprietary Hyperblock™ technology, Anaplan lets you contextualize real-time performance, and forecast future outcomes for faster, confident decisions. Anaplan enables connected strategy and planning across your enterprise to move your business forward. Based in San Francisco, Anaplan has over 200 partners and more than 2,000 customers worldwide.N/A
Vena
Score 8.6 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
Vena Solutions provides a financial process automation solution to automate Corporate Performance Management, accounting and budgeting, Regulatory & Compliance, and other finance-related processes. It is scaled for medium to large-sized organizations.N/A
Pricing
AnaplanVena
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Professional
N/A
Complete
N/A
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
AnaplanVena
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalOptional
Additional DetailsProfessional Plan is the most flexible way to get started quickly and add as you grow. The plan includes: Growth Platform, Customer Success Manager, Standard Support and Customer Portal. Complete Plan includes everything in Professional, plus: Microsoft Power BI Embedded, Premium Support, Sandbox Environment, Expert Managed Services and more. *Vena offers special pricing for not for profit organizations. To learn more, speak to an expert.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
AnaplanVena
Considered Both Products
Anaplan
Chose Anaplan
Compared to OneStream and Venna Anaplan offers a more modern look and feel of the platform. It is better situated and maintained in regards of platform updates as it's a full SaaS software there are never any issues with the system version as it's always automatically up to …
Chose Anaplan
Anaplan combines the best of both worlds, the flexibility, ease of use, and freedom of modeling of a spreadsheet and the control, calculation power, and reliability of the best planning, budgeting, and consolidation software vendors.
Chose Anaplan

Other platforms offer some scale vs Anaplan by adding great user interfaces and many out of the box functionality (Time filtering, versions, predefined tables (modeled sheet), chart of accounts (debit, credit)). However, very structured architecture makes edge use cases harder …

Vena
Chose Vena
More flexible and Excel embedded
Cloud Solution
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
AnaplanVena
BI Standard Reporting
Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Anaplan
7.7
181 Ratings
5% below category average
Vena
8.7
86 Ratings
7% above category average
Pixel Perfect reports6.41 Ratings8.648 Ratings
Customizable dashboards9.1181 Ratings8.875 Ratings
Report Formatting Templates00 Ratings8.782 Ratings
Ad-hoc Reporting
Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Anaplan
9.1
2 Ratings
9% above category average
Vena
8.1
174 Ratings
3% below category average
Drill-down analysis9.12 Ratings8.7167 Ratings
Formatting capabilities9.12 Ratings8.4166 Ratings
Report sharing and collaboration9.12 Ratings8.4144 Ratings
Integration with R or other statistical packages00 Ratings6.848 Ratings
Report Output and Scheduling
Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Product A and Product B
Anaplan
8.8
188 Ratings
7% above category average
Vena
9.0
132 Ratings
10% above category average
Publish to Web9.11 Ratings9.262 Ratings
Publish to PDF8.8187 Ratings9.091 Ratings
Report Versioning9.1162 Ratings9.1109 Ratings
Report Delivery Scheduling8.33 Ratings8.798 Ratings
Data Discovery and Visualization
Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Product A and Product B
Anaplan
8.2
2 Ratings
7% above category average
Vena
8.1
77 Ratings
6% above category average
Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)9.12 Ratings8.569 Ratings
Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization9.12 Ratings7.353 Ratings
Predictive Analytics6.42 Ratings8.459 Ratings
Pattern Recognition and Data Mining00 Ratings8.06 Ratings
Access Control and Security
Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Product A and Product B
Anaplan
9.2
191 Ratings
5% above category average
Vena
9.2
168 Ratings
5% above category average
Multi-User Support (named login)9.12 Ratings9.0157 Ratings
Role-Based Security Model9.4191 Ratings9.2156 Ratings
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)9.12 Ratings9.3159 Ratings
Report-Level Access Control9.444 Ratings9.222 Ratings
Single Sign-On (SSO)9.12 Ratings9.2116 Ratings
Mobile Capabilities
Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Product A and Product B
Anaplan
7.9
181 Ratings
1% below category average
Vena
9.1
80 Ratings
13% above category average
Responsive Design for Web Access8.6172 Ratings9.277 Ratings
Mobile Application8.2161 Ratings00 Ratings
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile8.2168 Ratings8.966 Ratings
Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting
Comparison of Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting features of Product A and Product B
Anaplan
9.1
293 Ratings
9% above category average
Vena
8.7
210 Ratings
4% above category average
Long-term financial planning9.4267 Ratings8.7187 Ratings
Financial budgeting9.6272 Ratings9.2202 Ratings
Forecasting9.2281 Ratings8.6193 Ratings
Scenario modeling9.1283 Ratings8.2172 Ratings
Management reporting8.3282 Ratings8.8199 Ratings
Consolidation and Close
Comparison of Consolidation and Close features of Product A and Product B
Anaplan
7.2
248 Ratings
12% below category average
Vena
8.4
182 Ratings
4% above category average
Financial data consolidation8.6228 Ratings9.2155 Ratings
Journal entries and reports7.0186 Ratings8.0110 Ratings
Multi-currency management6.211 Ratings7.2103 Ratings
Intercompany Eliminations6.08 Ratings8.2102 Ratings
Minority Ownership6.07 Ratings8.666 Ratings
Local and consolidated reporting8.5215 Ratings8.5134 Ratings
Detailed Audit Trails8.1228 Ratings8.8161 Ratings
Financial Reporting and Compliance
Comparison of Financial Reporting and Compliance features of Product A and Product B
Anaplan
8.6
265 Ratings
4% above category average
Vena
8.5
200 Ratings
3% above category average
Financial Statement Reporting8.7244 Ratings9.0180 Ratings
Management Reporting8.4256 Ratings8.7185 Ratings
Excel-based Reporting8.1235 Ratings9.3194 Ratings
Automated board and financial reporting9.013 Ratings8.8139 Ratings
XBRL support for regulatory filing00 Ratings6.445 Ratings
Analytics and Reporting
Comparison of Analytics and Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Anaplan
9.0
284 Ratings
11% above category average
Vena
8.7
148 Ratings
8% above category average
Personalized dashboards8.6279 Ratings8.4121 Ratings
Color-coded scorecards8.7263 Ratings8.990 Ratings
KPIs9.119 Ratings8.9105 Ratings
Cost and profitability analysis9.2241 Ratings7.9116 Ratings
Key Performance Indicator setting9.4252 Ratings9.1103 Ratings
Benchmarking with external data9.113 Ratings8.877 Ratings
Integration
Comparison of Integration features of Product A and Product B
Anaplan
8.8
290 Ratings
5% above category average
Vena
9.0
196 Ratings
8% above category average
Flat file integration9.4280 Ratings9.4156 Ratings
Excel data integration8.4262 Ratings8.8180 Ratings
Direct links to 3rd-party data sources8.6241 Ratings8.9143 Ratings
Best Alternatives
AnaplanVena
Small Businesses
IBM Planning Analytics
IBM Planning Analytics
Score 8.4 out of 10
IBM Planning Analytics
IBM Planning Analytics
Score 8.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Centage
Centage
Score 9.6 out of 10
Centage
Centage
Score 9.6 out of 10
Enterprises
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Score 8.2 out of 10
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Score 8.2 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
AnaplanVena
Likelihood to Recommend
9.3
(302 ratings)
8.8
(214 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.4
(25 ratings)
8.6
(18 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(16 ratings)
8.9
(25 ratings)
Availability
8.7
(6 ratings)
8.8
(6 ratings)
Performance
9.0
(6 ratings)
8.4
(6 ratings)
Support Rating
7.8
(18 ratings)
10.0
(95 ratings)
In-Person Training
8.4
(4 ratings)
9.0
(3 ratings)
Online Training
9.0
(4 ratings)
8.8
(3 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.5
(21 ratings)
7.6
(4 ratings)
Configurability
9.0
(4 ratings)
8.2
(3 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.1
(2 ratings)
8.8
(3 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.3
(6 ratings)
8.8
(6 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
7.4
(3 ratings)
8.7
(3 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
4.8
(3 ratings)
8.8
(3 ratings)
User Testimonials
AnaplanVena
Likelihood to Recommend
Anaplan
Anaplan revolutionizes the planning process by standardizing it, creating transparency in data, particularly in showcasing results to the management team. By replacing Excel-centric planning methods, Anaplan not only opens the door to handling larger datasets but also enables a more intricate level of data granularity at an accelerated pace. What sets it apart is its capacity to facilitate a seamless collaboration within a cross-functional model, accommodating diverse departments and business functions in a dynamic, real-time environment.
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Vena Solutions
Vena is very well suited to handle budgeting, forecasting, and reporting. The platform is very flexible, and I have been able to create some great reports that has allowed our team to deepen our analysis of our organization's performance. I also use Vena for other data storage and reporting, such as creating a site code directory for our field staff, developing an invoicing schedule for our AR department, and creating a workbook to facilitate calculating and reporting on our site staff mileage stipends.
Read full review
Pros
Anaplan
  • Forcing structure and auditability to processes that used to exist in spreadsheets
  • Strong calculation engine that can account for many dimensions
  • Formula Syntax that is not overly complicated and can be learned by the business in order to have ownership of their models internally
Read full review
Vena Solutions
  • Easy to manage and maintain
  • Provides a better end user experience
  • Workflows and automatic emails make the budgeting process much easier to manage/complete
  • API integrations with important tools such as Power BI, Sage Intacct, and Salesforce
  • Easier for Finance to "own" the tool and troubleshoot data issues without having to rely heavily on internal/external Data teams
Read full review
Cons
Anaplan
  • The "new" UX front-end offers a lot of modern and intuitive features, but it lacks the ability to view multiple "tabs" of dashboards and reports. The "classic" dashboard had this feature but now with the UX, you need to be really smart about how to design a single page where the users won't get "lost".
  • Lacks the ability to "wrap text" (similar to excel) and auto-size grid rows
Read full review
Vena Solutions
  • I have trouble logging into the Zoom meetings and have missed several meetings because of not being able to log in. That is likely due to limits from our IT department and probably not a Vena issue.
  • Sometimes I need more of an explanation or can't find the article I need in the Vena knowledge base. Also, some of the explanations leave me more confused about what I need to do to achieve my objective.
  • When we implemented Vena, the implementation team created a template for our unallocated lab expenses, but I wasn't able to effectively use it.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Anaplan
In any line of work, a tool that is flexible and would allow different departments of your company to easily interact and exchange valuable insights, is highly anticipated and needed. For me, what Anaplan provides to a business, be it a smaller one or an enterprise customer, is an easily scaling, agile planning and modeling platform that can meet almost any need and give a high-end solution to the problems any company faces on a daily basis.
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Vena Solutions
Vena has been a huge win for us as an organization, as it vastly improved our budgeting process by removing manual consolidation that was incredibly time consuming, and it allows us to see a multi-year view of our organizational budget across all of our funding sources. We've seen Vena's platform grow over the years and we've not yet fully adopted some of them so it feels like there's still potential to get even more value out of the platform.
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Usability
Anaplan
There is a dependency in this rating - in that I find Anaplan extremely easy to use, but I've spent the necessary time developing a strong understanding of the platform. Once you understand how to use it, the platform is flexible, easy to use, and fun to use.
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Vena Solutions
This is split between usability from an end-user perspective and administrative. Administrative - The tool is lacking in a cohesive way to administer the tool, both from more of a back-end perspective (ETL/Integrations, scripting, etc.) as well as from a business administrative (Processes, Models, etc.). On the more back-end IT related aspects, the tool is a mishmash of modules that were clearly developed in stovepipe fashion. Basic feature/functionality aspects such as version control, auto vs manual save, etc. differ between the code preparation components. It is also lacking in any sort of coherent version control. Not all pages display the context information, so extreme caution must be used. There is also no coherent migration strategy. The process and model navigation has been somewhat challenging for our business administrators, often requiring assistance from Vena when creating or altering templates. 2 of 10 End User - This is better. The Excel add-in generally functions well. Creating basic templates is straightforward, and there is a large degree of flexibility when creating reporting templates. Being part of Excel puts many users into a comfort zone. The toggle switch between template and data mode is not well conceived, and the add-in pop-ups occasionally have issues on multi-monitor displays. 6 of 10
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Reliability and Availability
Anaplan
There are very few outages. Maintenance is scheduled on two or three Saturdays per month, so as not to affect businesses. When there is an outage, users are kept informed of progress to restore the platform and typically this takes no more than an hour. Anaplan customer support is very responsive if we ever have questions about platform issues
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Vena Solutions
Contact with Vena Solutions technical support is quick and experts in the field always respond. It is not necessary to go through a large form to explain the problems and then answer more questions to receive a direct answer, we simply send a message indicating the specific problem and they are immediately there to actively help us
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Performance
Anaplan
Everything is calculated in memory in the cloud. It's nearly instantaneous updates when you make changes. The only time things get a little slow is when you have a massive model with very intricate calculations...but "slow" for Anaplan is not what I would call "slow" for something like Hyperion. We used to have Hyperion calcs that ran for 60 mins before you could use data. The equivalent would be 60 seconds in Anaplan.
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Vena Solutions
Vena Solutions pages load quickly and only a few times does it get a bit slow, only when there are many integrations and the reports are long. But in general it is always fast and honestly I am very satisfied with the speed in the generation of statistical reports and the pages
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Support Rating
Anaplan
1. Anaplan has separate 24/7 customer support channel to help with queries, 2. Customer Partner from Anaplan to support vendor with their queries like license purchase, use case implementation support, customer advocacy 3. Anaplan Learning Platform to help learning new product features free of cost and Yearly Anaplan connect across globe to share success stories of various companies.
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Vena Solutions
From initiate setup to going live, Vena's customer representatives and technicians have proven to be responsive and enthusiastic in getting our company up and running. They have been patient with our questions and frustrations and worked to troubleshoot issues that have come up.
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In-Person Training
Anaplan
The in-person training is simply not worth the cost. After a few weeks of playing in Anaplan, I went to the basic training and knew more than the person teaching it. a year down the road, I was the first person to complete the advance training, and again could have been teaching the class better than the person running the session. Spend some time on your own trying out different things and you will get all the understanding you need to be successful.
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Vena Solutions
The original training was onsite and over two weeks. Since our original onboarding the company has come out with a training website to aid in user self directed needs.
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Online Training
Anaplan
Anaplan training materials are clear, simple, easy to understand and to follow. Visuals are excellent. The vendor is good at updating training materials in a timely manner and encouraging users and administrators to keep coming back to Academy site for refresher courses or new feature courses. I really like their interactive diagrams
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Vena Solutions
The online training was effective, it would be nice to see a more personalized solution. I understand the training is tailored for all industries, but it would be nice to see industry-specific use cases.
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Implementation Rating
Anaplan
Agile methodology and breaking the work down into sprints was very helpful. Implementation required a deeper dive into our data than expected for the consultants to be able to construct the data model. But once it was in place, the focus on knowledge transfer enabled us to be able to use the product effectively after the team rolled off.
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Vena Solutions
The Vena consultant had great knowledge of both the Vena solution and Excel and Excel functions. He was able to help suggest ways to build our templates that met our requirements using Excel functions we had not previously considered using. And we have been able to use the Excel information he provided in other ways outside of Vena. He was very patient and flexible as we learned the Vena tool and created templates
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Alternatives Considered
Anaplan
Anaplan is what I would consider a modeling platform. It excels at taking a forecasting or planning process and systematizing it - and allowing for whatever nuances and granularity you need to perform that modeling. It is not positioned as "data collection" platform - which are typically designed to take data uploads from Excel to calculate basic opex and revenue models. It's much more customizable and flexible.
Read full review
Vena Solutions
Vena has better reporting and budgeting functions than NetSuite Budgeting & Reporting when we compared the two. The Kansas City Chiefs currently use Vena and they had nothing but good things to say about it so that gave us confidence to go with Vena.
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Scalability
Anaplan
We have managed to leverage Anaplan for financial planning and forecasting across the business. It is now used by almost every department, with more than 50 users (but I know of companies that have hundreds of users) and still the platform is quick and reliable. It is easy to make changes to divisions and departments or add users and apply different user settings - the core part of the model is not affected and end users can continue their work without any disruption
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Vena Solutions
We use Vena across 10 countries and 200 users who are located in a wide range of settings and internet reliability. Even with that wide implementation, the most common issue we run into is a new hire not installing the Vena add-in, which is a super quick fix. Depending on our user's location, the internet can sometimes be spotty, but that is outside of Vena's control and even in those settings, Vena might take a little longer to open a template, but it still does open and the user can complete their work. Over 5 years of using Vena, we've collectively only had 3 issues where we needed Vena support to help look at a specific issue a user was having.
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Return on Investment
Anaplan
  • Speeding up the process of closing and updating the current month forecast
  • Reduced work on the preparation of reports and presentations. We used different Anaplan approaches with varying success, but the overall result was there.
  • It's hard to gauge, but the overall increase in process and algorithm transparency, along with data protection, has given an excellent platform for scaling up the company's processes.
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Vena Solutions
  • Saved considerable time for monthly close by streamlining reporting and entries
  • Saved considerable time and effort for reconciliations by standardizing input and output and ability to send reviews to different users and track completion
  • Saved a lot of headache when tracking down variances
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ScreenShots

Anaplan Screenshots

Screenshot of Platform: The Anaplan platform is a unified cloud-based solution that connects people, data and plans to enable complex scenario modeling and drive growthScreenshot of OpEx Planning: Review revenue-target-setting goals by brand, season, and capacity all on one, unified, highly-visual dashboardScreenshot of Supply Planning: Break down costs across assembly production to project profitability and align your supply chain to market opportunitiesScreenshot of Territory and Quota Planning: Keep track of sales goals and quotas across territories and industries to optimize sales performanceScreenshot of Headcount Planning: Easily align workforce plans with your strategic plans and quickly see where the best qualified talent resides to fit your organization’s staffing needsScreenshot of Marketing: Eliminate spreadsheets to drive efficiency across planning and manage budget against planned activity

Vena Screenshots

Screenshot of Operation Expenses - Predictive AnalysisScreenshot of Allocations DashboardScreenshot of Vena Add InScreenshot of Power BI DashboardScreenshot of Revenue and Sales PlanningScreenshot of Corporate Dashboard - Workforce Planning