10 Best Business Plan Software and Tools in 2023

1. Upmetrics

Upmetrics is a top business and financial planning software helping entrepreneurs and small business owners start and grow their businesses.

Its 200+ fully customizable sample business plans, video tutorials, well-written documentation, and go-to guides make writing a business plan a lot easier for someone new to business plan writing.

The best part about Upmetrics is—it’s affordable, reliable, and best for beginners.

In fact, the creators of Upmetrics believe that creating a business plan requires no special qualifications, nor a degree in finance to draw financial projections.

And the tool they’ve created speaks volumes of their words—making it a go-to solution for budding entrepreneurs.

Let’s have a look at the features you get with Upmetrics—the #1 business plan software:

200+ fully customizable business plan templates to get started.
Easy-to-use business plan builder with drag and drop tools.
Financial forecasting tool to plan and manage your cash flow with ease.
Easy to share or collaborate with the team in real time.
Pitch deck creator to create perfect pitches and impress investors.
Create actionable business strategies using various business model canvases.
Easily customize and edit cover pages.
Real-time updates and cloud storage, eliminating the risk of data loss.
Business resources, video tutorials, and guides to help get started.
Intuitive, seamless, and responsive user interface.

The Upmetrics subscription starts at $7/month (billed annually) with one workspace; it also provides a free demo and a 15-day money-back guarantee—so no risk at all!

What People Say About Us

I've tried most apps, including LivePlan, Bizplan, and Cuttles, and found them all missing something critical. If you are a serious entrepreneur, Upmterics is the only app you need.

Upmetrics simplifies the heavy lifting for planning for business plans. It comes with 200+ sample templates, helpful tips, and detailed documentation. The only tool you ever need!

2. Liveplan

LivePlan is one of the best and most renowned business planning, budgeting, and performance-tracking software for startups and small business owners.

Whether you are a startup looking to attract potential investors or an established organization that needs help creating a forecast of your business’s financial future—LivePlan can help.

LivePlan simplifies the process of creating a professional business plan with its instruction manuals, tutorials, and expert guidance, whereas its automated financials built-in with formulas ensure precise financial forecasting.

LivePlan provides a wide range of features which may include:

Business plan templates
Budgeting and expense tracking
Online learning tools & resources
Collaborative planning
Pitch deck creator
Dashboard and reporting
Integrated document storage

	Liveplan	Upmetrics
Can't Miss to Compare
Minimum Pricing	$15/Month	$7/Month
Unlimited	5	5
Free Demo	No	Available
Core Capabilities
Business plan builder
Budgeting & forecasting
One-page pitch builder
AI Assistance
Business plan templates
Strategic planning
Support	Email and chat	Email and chat
	Visit Website	Free Demo

Though LivePlan has been in the market for a long time now, it isn’t suitable for short-term business planning. That’s why we recommend exploring some LivePlan alternatives.

LivePlan’s subscription model consists of two plans: standard and premium. The standard plan costs $20/month, whereas the premium plan costs $40/month. However, they do not have any free trial or demo as a part of their pricing plan.

Liveplan	Upmetrics
Standard plan $15/month	Starter plan $7/month
Premium plan $30/month	Premium plan $14/month
No lifetime plan	No lifetime plan
Free Demo No	Free Demo Available
Money back guarantee Yes	Money back guarantee Yes
Visit Website	Free Demo

Software is good but for one job only. If the size of the plan changes, I need to start all over. Suppose it goes back to the initial plan; I have to redo it all over again unless I have saved and downloaded the original version.

What I didn't like about LivePlan?

LivePlan offers three options for financial projections; 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year. Unfortunately, it is limited to that time frame, which is disappointing since everything else is customizable aside from the time frame.

Here are the average user ratings, comparing the experiences on Liveplan and Upmetrics.

	Liveplan	Upmetrics
Ease of use
Features
Value for money
Customer support
Overall rating
	Visit Website	Try Free Demo

Compare Liveplan with Others

Liveplan vs. Enloop: Which is Best for Your Business?

IdeaBuddy vs. Liveplan: Which is Best for Your Business?

Bizplan vs. Liveplan: Which is Best for Your Business?

3. Enloop

Enloop is an advanced business planning and financial forecasting tool helping business owners maximize the potential of their business venture.

Unlike Upmetrics and LivePlan—Enloop is designed for individuals with prior financial knowledge and business planning experience.

Understanding all of its functionalities is tough, but it has a lot to offer once you figure out its basic functionalities. Still, it’s not the most intuitive and user-friendly application in this space, so it may take a while to get used to it.

If you’re not a beginner and are willing to invest some time understanding and learning its functionalities—it’s well worth it. But, if you’re not, you may consider looking for a few other business plan software.

Enloop provides a wide range of advanced financial tools and business planning features, which may include:

Business plan creation
Automated financial forecasts
Collaboration and sharing
Funding and investor tools
Exporting and integrations
Auto-generated financial reports
Automated text writing

	Enloop	Upmetrics
Can't Miss to Compare
Minimum Pricing	$11/month	$7/Month
Team Member	2	5
Free Demo	Available	Available
Core Capabilities
Business plan builder
Budgeting & forecasting
One-page pitch builder
AI Assistance
Business plan templates
Strategic planning
Support	Email	Email and chat
	Visit Website	Free Demo

Enloop’s monthly subscription plans range between $19.95 and $39.95, depending on your plan and functionalities. It also has a 7-day free trial with no credit card details required.

Enloop	Upmetrics
Detailed plan $11/month	Starter plan $7/month
Performance plan $24/month	Premium plan $14/month
Free Demo Available	Free Demo Available
Money back guarantee No	Money back guarantee Yes
Visit Website	Free Demo

Relatively simple, straightforward solution for making business plans with an interesting business plan score system. Relatively easy to use.

What I didn't like about Enloop?

As mentioned before, it isn’t the most intuitive and user-friendly business plan creator—making it challenging to get used to its basic functionalities. Also, it isn’t an ideal business plan tool for beginners.

Here are the average user ratings, comparing the experiences on Enloop and Upmetrics.

	Enloop	Upmetrics
Ease of use
Features
Value for money
Customer support
Overall rating
	Visit Website	Try Free Demo

4. IdeaBuddy

Ideabuddy is an innovative business plan software helping new-age entrepreneurs turn their ideas into successful business plans.

Customizable templates, industry-based guides, and streamlined idea and business plan creation make it one of the most user-friendly applications on the list.

It is designed on a principle where users can develop, test, and launch their business idea—all in one place. While it’s great for idea creation, it may lack several comprehensive business planning features.

Financial forecasting is vital to a business plan, but IdeaBuddy may not provide all the necessary financial tools for accurate projections.

So if your business is in the idea stage—choosing IdeaBuddy could be a fair call, but if you plan to build a comprehensive business plan, you need another tool.

IdeaBuddy provides a wide range of features, which may include:

Modern business plan with a click
Export your plan and financials
Mobile-friendly platform
Customizable templates and industry-based guides
Test to score your idea
Step-by-step business guide
Brainstorm ideas with your team

	IdeaBuddy	Upmetrics
Can't Miss to Compare
Minimum Pricing	$5/Month	$7/Month
Team Member	1	5
Free Demo	Available	Available
Core Capabilities
Business plan builder
Budgeting & forecasting
One-page pitch builder
AI Assistance
Business plan templates
Strategic planning
Support	Email and chat	Email and chat
	Visit Website	Free Demo

IdeaBuddy’s subscription model consists of four plans: free, dreamer, founder, and team pro.

Depending on the plan specifications and features, these plans may cost between $15 to $40 a month. You can also save up to 60% on annual memberships.

IdeaBuddy	Upmetrics
Dreamer $5/month	Starter plan $7/month
Founder $10/month	Starter plan $7/month
Team pro $22/month	Premium plan $14/month
Free Plan No	Free Demo Available
Money back guarantee Yes	Money back guarantee Yes
Visit Website	Free Demo

It’s a neat idea, nicely executed. Right now could be a bit basic but I am sure it will have tons of new awesome functionalities.

What I didn't like about IdeaBuddy?

Even though it is easy to use for beginners, it lacks several business, financial, and long-term strategic planning capabilities—making it a no-go for comprehensive business plan creation.

Here are the average user ratings, comparing the experiences on IdeaBuddy and Upmetrics.

	IdeaBuddy	Upmetrics
Ease of use
Features
Value for money
Customer support
Overall rating
	Visit Website	Try Free Demo

5. Planful

Planful is a business planning and financial performance management cloud software. It provides a structured framework for industry-wide businesses to develop, track, and execute their plans.

The tool specializes in financial performance management with advanced features like—financial close management, reporting, and consolidation.

While the tool has numerous advanced features and functionalities—they all come with a high price tag as it’s mainly designed for medium and large-scale enterprises.

Let’s have a look at the extensive financial tools and features you may get with a planful subscription:

Budgeting and forecasting
Financial consolidation
Scenario modeling
Reporting and analytics
Financial close management
Data integration and connectivity
Responsive web and mobile apps

Planful has no structured pricing model on their website; users may contact their sales team for a custom quotation.

We've reduced the use of Excel spreadsheets for budgeting/forecasting by using this tool. It's simplified our budget and forecasting process and it keeps getting easier each year.

What I didn't like about Planful?

Planful may be an excellent financial planning and analysis tool with numerous features. Still, with its pricing, complexity of use, and limited customizations—it may not be best suitable for you as a small business owner.

6. iPlanner

iPlanner is an enterprise business plan software that has been helping entrepreneurs develop their business plans since 2007. It is suitable for businesses looking to secure funding, better understand and manage risks, or communicate the company’s business model and strategy to the team.

Though the business plan software has been around for over a decade now, it didn’t seem to cope with the technological advancements, so it may not provide the most intuitive and visually appealing user interface.

But if you are searching for an affordable business planning and performance tracking tool with KPIs, analytics, and reporting features, iPlanner can be a good investment.

Here’s an overview of the key features of iPlanner—business plan software:

Business plan templates
Financial forecasting
Secure and accessible
Data security and backup
How to articles and guides
Collaboration and sharing

iPlanner’s subscription model consists of two plans: professional and corporate. Professional subscriptions start at $24 for a 3-month subscription with one project, while corporate subscriptions start at $59 for a 6-month subscription with 12 projects.

I have been using Iplanner.net to prepare business plans for my clients. It’s quite useful as a template is ready to gather the information you want and fill in the details. The basic version is a bit expensive for small businesses, but the benefits make it worth ordering. For a Business Consultant like me, life has become stress-free!

What I didn't like about iPlanner?

While it offers many advanced financial and accounting features, using them can be complicated if you are new to fundamental accounting concepts and economic terms.

7. PlanGuru

PlanGuru is a business planning software that helps entrepreneurs make better decisions, increase profits, and accomplish their business goals through strategic business planning and accurate forecasting.

Budgeting & financial analytics, rolling forecast, and strategic planning are three critical components of PlanGuru’s feature list.

PlanGuru specializes in forecasting financial statements, scenario analysis, budgeting, and gaining insights through reporting tools.

It offers many advanced financial forecasting features but is quite expensive— making it unsuitable for startups with limited investment capital.

PlanGuru provides a wide range of financial tools and business planning features to create business plans, which may include:

Business valuation tool
20+ standard forecast methods
Budget/forecast for up to 10 years
Archive budget feature
Standard report export to PDF, Excel, and Word
Custom report builder for Excel
Online dashboard, scorecard, and reporting tools

PlanGuru has two different pricing plans; one for businesses and nonprofits and another for business advisors. Depending on the plan specifications and features, these plans may cost between $99 and $299/month.

Overall a great cash flow program for the price. it has many features that program 10 times the price do not have.

What I didn't like about PlanGuru?

It has some of the most advanced financial analysis and forecasting features, but its limited customization options make formatting complex financial models overwhelming for users.

8. The Business Plan Shop

The Business Plan Shop is a business & financial planning and analysis platform for small and medium-sized business owners and financial advisors.

Its business plan templates make writing a business plan relatively easier for beginners. Despite its many features, the business plan software specializes in financial analysis, forecasting, and KPI tracking.

It surely has a few advanced features but can be expensive for startups and small businesses.

This business plan software provides a wide range of features, which may include:

Business plan templates
Financial forecasting software
Sync accounting data
Drag and drop templates and editor
Integration with financial data
Collaboration and sharing
Faster than Microsoft Word

The Business Plan Shop has two different pricing plans; one for businesses and CFOs and another for advisors. The business & CFO plan costs $25.50 per month, and the Advisor plan costs $94.20 per month.

Very useful and practical. A huge time saver compared to the business plans, I had to draft myself using Word and Excel!

What I didn't like about The Business Plan Shop?

The Business Plan Shop may feel complex and challenging to use if you are new to business planning and financial forecasting.

9. Bizplan

Bizplan is a comprehensive business plan software helping startups, entrepreneurs, and small business owners create business plans with direct access to planning experts.

Financial tools help create detailed financial projections and financial and cash flow statements in no time, so entrepreneurs can spend more time growing and scaling their businesses.

The platform also has a fundraising tool to help startups connect with potential investors—which has already helped raise over $500 million for startups.

It has all the features to create a basic business plan but may lack industry-specific guidance or assistance.

Let’s have a look at the wide range of features that come with a Bizplan subscription:

	Bizplan	Upmetrics
Can't Miss to Compare
Minimum Pricing	$20.75/Month	$7/Month
Team Member	Unlimited	5
Free Demo	No	Available
Core Capabilities
Business plan builder
Budgeting & forecasting
One-page pitch builder
AI Assistance
Business plan templates
Strategic planning
Support	Email, call, chat	Email and chat
	Visit Website	Free Demo

Bizplan’s pricing plans start at $29/month, whereas the lifetime access costs $349. You may check their pricing page for more information.

Bizplan	Upmetrics
Monthly plan $29/pay month	Starter plan $7/month
Annual plan $20.75/month ($249 Annual)	Premium plan $14/month
Lifetime Access $349	No lifetime plan
Free Demo No	Free Demo Available
Money back guarantee No	Money back guarantee Yes
Visit Website	Free Demo

Let's face it: It's not easy to write a business plan. Bizplan helps that process by asking the right questions and by helping you put together the right kind of information in one place so that you can go to it often for inspiration and for help in clarifying things as a business owner.

What I didn't like about Bizplan?

Other business plan software options provide similar functionalities at much lower costs, so it may not be suitable for everyone from a price point of view.

Here are the average user ratings, comparing the experiences on Bizplan and Upmetrics.

	Bizplan	Upmetrics
Ease of use
Features
Value for money
Customer support
Overall rating
	Visit Website	Try Free Demo

10. Brixx

Brixx is a financial forecast software for cash flow, budgeting, and financial planning. Apart from helping users create a basic business plan, the platform also helps them with financial modeling, scenario planning, and goal tracking.

Its interactive charts and graphs can help you clearly present your financial data and cash flow statements for enhanced reader understanding.

Integrating Brixx and other accounting software automates the syncing of your actuals and forecasts, giving you a head start using Brixx.

The tool primarily focuses on financial projections and forecasting, so there are only a few features for other parts of the business plan.

Let’s have a look at the wide range of features that come with a Brixx subscription:

1-10 year financial forecasts
Professional charts and reports
Automated tax forecasts
Quick-start templates
Share plans in real-time
Business Resources
3-way forecasting

Brixx has four packages in its subscription model: Foundation, Essentials, Professional, and Enterprise. The pricing for these packages may range from $0 to $66 per month.

Really useful tool. Could be improved with a way to add % forecast increases for each year from imported data. Currently, it can only forecast based on the first year.

What I didn't like about Brixx?

Though Brixx has many valuable features, you may find Brixx’s set of features and tools somewhat limited compared to other business plan software options available in the market. And our list ends here. Still, figuring out which tool to choose? Fear not. Let’s discuss how you can pick the right tool among these best suitable for your requirements.

How to Choose the Right Business Plan Software?

All the business plan tools on our list are credible and can help you create a winning business plan. However, it’s critical to understand each tool specializes in certain aspects of business planning.

Let’s understand which factors to consider while choosing the right tool to help you create a professional business plan:

1. Budget

The most obvious factor. Ask yourself how much you can afford to spend on a business plan maker.

A free or low-cost tool may provide only some necessary functionalities to create a detailed plan. So, figure out your budget and shortlist the tools that you can afford to invest in.

2. Your specific requirements

The next step. Learn your specific requirement. For instance, if your business is in the idea stage, you may not require a tool with advanced financial features like—PlanGuru; Ideabuddy may work.

Both tools cater to specific audiences; if you are not sure, you may go with Upmetrics. It has pricing plans suitable for all business sizes.

3. Business plan templates

Custom designing a business plan can be tedious, so make sure the business plan software you choose has industry-specific templates to help you get started.

4. AI assistance

Artificial Intelligence has revolutionalized the way people get their things done. Make sure you select a platform that also provides AI assistance while creating a business plan.

With tools like ChatGPT and AI business plan generators, you can draft a business plan in a breeze.

5. Charts and graphs

Let’s face it, no one likes to read long paragraphs. The tool you choose must be able to turn your financial data and balance sheets into appealing and easy-to-understand charts and graphics.

6. Financial projections

Most critical section of a business plan. Understand your requirement regarding financial projections and the level of features the tool provides.

For instance, a large-scale organization may require a tool that can easily do business financials for ten or more years.

7. Contribution and sharing features

Make sure the tool you choose must provide the contribution and sharing features so that you can work with multiple team members.

8. Convenience and user-friendliness

A no-brainer. Ensure the software you choose has a user-friendly user interface and a manageable learning curve to understand all the working features.

9. Integrations

Some of the best business plan software integrates with accounting software. This feature can be handy while transferring financial details into your business plan.

10. Step-by-step guides

These user guides and tutorials can help you easily outline and prepare the first draft of your business plan, so make sure you consider this as one of the factors while selecting a tool.

11. Support

You are new to business planning software and may need help using some of its features. A responsive support team can help you get back on the right track.

Think of these factors as a checklist while researching the right business plan software. Once you have checked off all the boxes, you will have the right business plan software by your side.

Pros and Cons of Using Business Plan Software

Undoubtedly, business plan software can be a worth-it investment for your business, but it surely has a few disadvantages too. Let’s get to that:

Pros

Time Saving: business plan software can be a big time-saving investment.
Step-by-step guidance: These guides make it easier to get started for beginners.
Accurate reporting: Good business plan software guarantee the accountability and accuracy of the reports generated.
Customizations: Business plan tools also offer options to personalize your reports.

Cons

Generic templates: These planning tools often provide generic templates that may not suit your requirements.
Limited flexibility: In terms of formatting, content, design, and layout.
Learning curve: Using these tools requires a learning curve to navigate the software.

There have to be a few disadvantages, but they are negligible when you look at the positive side of having a business plan software onboard.

And this section leads us to our conclusion!

Conclusion

That was the article for today with some of the best business plan software. Now over to you. Revisit the top business planning software on the list, do your research, and select the one that best suits your requirements.

Got any more burning questions in mind? The FAQ section starts right after we wrap this article up, feel free to explore. Happy business planning!

Other Business Plan Software Alternatives

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best business plan software for startups?

We’ve already mentioned the best business plan software in the blog post earlier; you may choose one amongst those depending on your specific needs.

However, Upmetrics can be a go-to business planning software for startups as it only costs $9 per month to get started—which is worth it against the value you get.

Which tool is used as a one-page business plan?

There are many business plan software providing features to create one-page business plans like—Upmetrics and Ideabuddy. You can use Upmetrics’ canvas modeling feature to develop actionable and entrepreneur-focused one-page business plans.

Can I write a business plan myself?

Of course, you can. It’s easier than ever to write a business plan with the emerging use of tools like ChatGPT. Though you can write a business plan, you need assistance making it presentable for your investors.

And business plan software providers like Upmetrics can help you do that. With 200+ sample business plans, you can easily write the first draft of your business plan.

What is the best way to write a business plan?

There cannot be a standard answer to this question. There are various business planning processes, and all of them might not work for you. Still, considering the time-saving approach, using an industry-specific template and editing it as per your requirements can be an easy way to write a business plan.

Using ChatGPT for business plan writing can also be one of the best ways to write a business plan. As mentioned, there can’t be a specific answer to this question; find a way that best suits your needs.

Is there any free business plan software available?

It’s really challenging to find the perfect business plan software, that too, for free. IdeaBuddy from our list has a free plan, but it comes with very limited features, not so helpful for creating a business plan.

Business plan software like Upmetrics, Bizplan, and LivePlan also have free trials, so you may try their features before purchasing. Furthermore, you can get a 30% off on an Upmetrics subscription if you are a nonprofit or student.

How much does business plan software typically cost?

The cost of a business plan software can widely depend on the level of features and functionalities they provide. Still, the monthly subscription of a business plan tool can range anywhere between $5 to $300.

About the Author

Ajay Jagtap

Ajay is a SaaS writer and a personal finance blogger. He loves to write about topics related to startups, businesses, money-making, and personal finances. If not writing, he’s probably having a power nap. Read more