Managing a small business comes with many challenges. To handle these challenges well, it's crucial to plan carefully and use efficient tools for managing finances. Budgeting software can greatly help by automating financial tasks, making processes more efficient, and leading the business toward long-term success.
Various software choices come with unique features, interfaces, and prices. Keep reading to find out the best budgeting software for small businesses.
Why You Should Use Budgeting Software for Your Business?
Business budgeting software is a specialized tool that helps companies plan, manage, and analyze their finances. It assists businesses in tracking money coming in and going out, evaluating financial performance, and making smart decisions.
Businesses no longer need to calculate their budgets and expenses manually, which was time-consuming and prone to errors in the past. Today, small businesses can use software to enter their income and expenses, set financial goals, and monitor their progress instantly. It might also include features like automated expense categorization, predictions, and reporting. Some software can even integrate with accounting systems to further streamline financial management.
This type of software provides various functions like forecasting, financial reporting, managing cash flow, and analyzing differences in planned versus actual expenses. By simplifying the budgeting process, it ensures accurate data and offers real-time insights, essential for effective financial planning, especially for small and mid-sized businesses.
Top 7 Small Business Budgeting Software
1. LiveFlow
LiveFlow transforms your spreadsheet into a powerful real-time financial planning and analysis (FP&A) platform.
You can close your books 10 times faster by importing QuickBooks and Xero reports to Google Sheets within seconds. Your reports can be refreshed without messing up your cell references, and you can set up automatic updates. Plus, you can dive deep into your reports right from your spreadsheet. You can easily understand differences, explore transactions, and analyze your accounts in detail.
Using LiveFlow saves a lot of time by automating manual tasks. It frees you up to focus on discovering valuable insights for your business growth. Its smart, cloud-based automation does the hard work for you, saving you days of manual effort.
Features:
Plug & Play Templates
Automatic refresh
Drill down
Live Financial Models
Pricing:
Starter: $249/month with 2 months Free Trial
Professional: $481/ month with 2 months Free Trial
Team: $1,100/ month (Annual contracts only)
Organization: $2,000/ month (Annual contracts and billing)
Market Segment:
82% Small Business
18% Mid- Market
2. Mosaic Tech
Mosaic Tech is a unique financial platform designed for efficient planning, instant reporting, and better decision-making. It brings together information from different systems like ERP, CRM, HRIS, and Billing, allowing teams to work together seamlessly. Founded in 2019 by finance experts who were frustrated with existing tools, Mosaic simplifies complex financial processes. It is now used by fast-growing companies to collaborate, align, and plan effectively for the future. To learn more and see how it works, visit their website.
Features:
Integrations (ERP, CRM, HRIS, Billing)
Collaboration in one central platform
Data Management
Security Platforms
Pricing:
Prices were not specified on their website but a free demo could be pre-scheduled.
Market Segment:
63% Mid-Market
37% Small-Business
3. Datarails
Datarails is an FP&A tool that helps finance teams by automating financial reporting and planning tasks using Excel spreadsheets and financial models. By saving time on manual work, it allows teams to focus on analyzing data and answering important questions about increasing revenue and reducing expenses for their organization.
Features:
Data Consolidation and Visualization
Financial Reporting
Monthly Close
Planning, Budgeting, and Forecasting
FP&A Genius Chatbot
Pricing:
Datarails tailor each package to custom-fit a company’s needs, based on factors including financial reporting, planning or analysis goals, and the number of users and integrations.
Market Segment:
67% Mid-Market
24% Small-Business
4. Jirav
Jirav is a user-friendly financial planning and analysis software designed for businesses of various sizes. It helps streamline budgeting, reporting, and dashboarding in one place, making it convenient for businesses with 5 to 500 employees to plan and forecast according to their goals. Jirav aims to eliminate manual reporting and offers easy-to-use features. It integrates with popular apps like Excel and QuickBooks, making implementation quick and cost-effective. With Jirav, you can say goodbye to spreadsheet errors and embrace accurate financial planning.
Features:
Planning
Reporting
Dashboarding
Integrations
Collaboration
Integrations
QuickBooks
NetSuite
Sage Intacct
ADP
Paychex
Salesforce
Hubspot
Pricing:
Starter: $10,000/ Year with a 14-day Free Trial
Pro: $15,000/Year
Market Segment:
63% Small-Business
36% Mid-Market
5. Anaplan
Anaplan is a powerful tool that helps businesses make smart decisions quickly. It uses advanced technology to analyze real-time data and predict future results, allowing for confident planning. Anaplan connects different parts of a company, promoting collaboration and strategic planning. It is used by over 2,000 customers globally and is supported by 200 partners. Anaplan covers various areas like performance management, budgeting, sales planning, and more.
Features:
Simplified Design and Management
Intuitive Model Building Capability
Connected Planning Integration
Predictive Insights
Pricing:
Anaplan has 3 featured plans (Basic, Professional, and Enterprise) but prices were not specified on their website. Features could also be customized according to your company’s needs.
Market Segment:
52% Enterprise
35% Mid-Market
6. Casual
Causal makes financial modeling easy and understandable. You can create models using variables and plain English formulas, saving time and effort. Once your model is ready, share a link with others. They can see the results visually in a dashboard, without complicated formulas. Causal also lets you use advanced techniques like scenario analysis and integrate data from various sources like spreadsheets and accounting platforms.
Features:
Financial Modeling
Live Data Integrations
Data Visualization
Multi-currency/multi-entity Consolidation
Pricing:
Entry level is FREE
Launch: $250/ month with Free Trial
Growth: No price specified but a demo could be booked.
*Add-ons were priced separately
Market Segment:
66% Small-Business
30% Mid-Market
7. Vena Solutions
Vena is a unique planning platform designed to help business leaders and finance professionals grow their businesses. It uses a familiar Excel interface and operates through a platform called Vena Growth Engine. This system guides companies, including big names like Nike and Coca-Cola, in their journey toward growth. Vena is used by over 1,500 leading companies and collaborates with more than 100 partners worldwide. It falls into categories like Corporate Performance Management, Budgeting, Forecasting, Financial Close, and Sales Performance Management software.
Features:
Financial Modeling
Financial Workflows
Collaboration
Integrations
Scalability & Security
Central Database
Pricing:
Vena Solutions has two featured plans (Professional and Complete) but prices were not specified on their website. No price was specified but a demo could be booked.
Market Segment:
62% Mid-Market
20% Enterprise
Conclusion
Effective financial management is important for any small business to be successful. By using budgeting software, businesses can improve and enhance their financial planning and analysis processes. There are lots of budgeting software options available to cater to different business needs and sizes. These software have features like automated expense categorization, data consolidation, real-time insights, and predictive analysis. By adopting these advanced tools, small businesses can streamline their budgeting processes, minimize errors, and focus on strategic decision-making, ultimately paving the way for sustainable growth and success.