The Best Enterprise Performance Management Software List
Here’s a shortlist of the best enterprise performance management software I’ll review in this article:
Are your strategic business processes grounded in accurate and timely enterprise performance data? How can you ensure your organization is maximizing data to support high-level decision-making? Enterprise performance management (EPM) software is crucial for high-level business process management (BPM). If you're not using any EPM software yet, you may want to consider using it across your organization.
EPM software addresses high-level processes such as financial forecasting and e-commerce reporting. Many also offer insights into supply chain effectiveness, strategy creation and implementation.
In this article, I'll outline several trustworthy EPM software solutions for enterprise-level clients. This list represents the best EPM tools on the market, so let's take a closer look at them to understand what they do.
Enterprise Performance Management Software Comparison Criteria
Wondering what features I'm looking for when selecting the best EPM software for this list? Here’s a summary of my evaluation criteria:
- User Interface (UI): The best EPM tools have broad features that organize busy, complex data well. The user interface should be tidy, readable at a glance, and provide drilled-down details with minimal clicks and menuing. Bonus points for maintaining a crisp, colorful, modern UI.
- Usability: Training staff on an EPM system is a huge undertaking so usability scorecards focus on the availability of detail-oriented training solutions, real-time customer support features, predictive help documentation (webinars, FAQ, forum, tutorial videos), and ongoing educational initiatives (particularly as software updates come and go).
- Integrations: EPM deals a lot with financial planning and analysis, plus financial reporting, so the software should be able to connect with other commonly used financial applications such as Salesforce, QuickBooks, Microsoft Excel, and CRM data sources.
- Value for $: Dealing with an enterprise and its stakeholders means you'll need a robust, easily-scalable, and fairly priced tool. Is the EPM pricing structure easily adaptable to the needs of your growing and changing enterprise?
EPM Software: Key Features
- Robust budgeting and forecasting
- Sound data visualization
- Advanced key performance indicator (KPI) monitoring
- Financial consolidation and closing capabilities
- Participatory and collaborative modeling
- Supply chain effectiveness reports
- Human Capital Management (HCM) reports
Overviews Of The 10 Best EPM Software
Here’s a brief description of each of the EPM solutions on my list. I've explained what each system does best, and included screenshots to showcase some of the key features.
Anaplan
Best EPM software for supply and demand planning
Anaplan is a EPM software designed to mobilize complex scenario planning in order to empower agile decision-making. They easily develop an accurate supply forecast across your entire network with the flexibility to pivot focus as needed in an ever-changing marketplace. Their intelligent, advanced reporting features predictive warning of stock-out inventory shortages, excess inventory, and wasted capital to better streamline your inventory flow.
Anaplan has enterprise pricing upon request and offers a free demo.
Vena
Best for automating administrative tasks
Vena Solutions is an enterprise performance management software with a sales performance management feature to help you in quota planning, territory management, and incentive compensation management. It has workforce planning capabilities to help you ensure that you have enough human resources to meet goals. Vena Solutions has capital expense and revenue planning capabilities to give you insights into your company’s profitability.
Administrative tasks can be time-consuming, and you can save time by automating them with the help of Vena Solutions. You can use Vena Solutions to create and automate workflows for simple and repetitive admin tasks. Vena Solutions automatically sends reminders to team members, alerting them when tasks are due to help avoid missing deadlines or delaying projects.
Vena Solutions pricing and demo are available upon request.
Pros
- Has a wide variety of financial templates
- Offers centralized version control
- Has integrated Excel
Cons
- Limited training support
- Not available for Mac users
Jedox
Best for AI-supported planning and forecasting
Jedox’s EPM solution helps companies accelerate their planning, forecasting and reporting. Their system incorporates AI (artificial intelligence) and machine learning to help finance teams create better forecasting models. As well, Jedox makes it possible to automate key portions of financial and operational planning processes. It’s designed to act as a single source of common data so company executives across finance, sales, human resources and supply chain departments can collaborate effectively and take advantage of the system’s smart, predictive technologies to drive business transformations.
Jedox has enterprise pricing available upon request. They also offer a free demo and a 14-day free trial.
Workday Adaptive Planning
Best versioning and scenario analysis
Workday Adaptive Planning is a smart enterprise planning solution used by the likes of Airbnb, Airbus, HubSpot, Goodwill, and Microsoft. Gartner 2020 positioned them as a Magic Quadrant Leader in Cloud FP&A (financial planning and analysis). Users are empowered to evaluate multiple scenarios across large data sets; plus, they can collaborate from anywhere—by web, mobile, and Excel. Department managers will benefit from dynamic headcount and skills-based planning solutions.
Workday Workforce Planning offers customized pricing on request and offers a free trial which you can request here.
OneStream XF
Best EPM software for manufacturing operations
OneStream XF is a modern, comprehensive platform for corporate performance management that works to boost agility of enterprise planning, budgeting, and forecasting processes. Manufacturing operations will appreciate their drill-down planning and analysis by product lines, brands, functions, geographies, plant sites, and customers. They also have over 50 additional apps accessible in their marketplace, further extending the value of their service.
OneStream has customized pricing upon request.
Epicor ERP
Best EPM software for retail analytics
Epicor ERP business intelligence and analytics boasts real-time, in-context data made accessible to customers, vendors, and inventory managers. Their fully integrated retail management system comes with built-in best practices, data-driven customer loyalty guidance, competitor price comparisons, and other performance solutions. Be sure to take advantage of their robust employee scheduling features and document management tools.
Epicor costs from $175/user/month and offers a free demo.
Pros
- Good supply chain management (SCM) functions
- Highly customizable with a new REST API implemented in 2019
- Good quality dashboard and reports capabilities
- Top-notch database search feature (called Enterprise Search)
Cons
- Additional integration with financial and HR applications welcomed
- Somewhat cumbersome to implement and upgrade
- The order release process is not as user-friendly as it could be
Planview Enterprise One
Best for enterprise project portfolio management
Planview Enterprise One is a comprehensive enterprise project portfolio management (PPM) system with a sleek, modern take on reporting and analytics modules that make visualizations endlessly accessible and digestible. Tap into their solutions for strategic planning, program management, road mapping, investment prioritization, and financial planning. Planview’s PPM-oriented strengths include excellent stakeholder engagement features and trade-off analysis for shifting priority navigation.
Pricing details for Planview are available upon request. They also offer a free 30-day trial.
ARES PRISM
Best EPM software for executives
ARES PRISM includes a whole suite of enterprise-oriented tools for budgeting, resource planning, performance measurement, funds allocation, earned value management, time-phasing, cost and schedule analysis, risk tracking, and forecasting. Executives and CFOs will benefit from their forward-facing and outward-facing data gathering and analytics systems, which are designed to speak coherently to both internal decision-makers and external stakeholders.
ARES PRISM has enterprise pricing upon request and offers a free demo.
Infor d/EPM
Best user-friendly modeling tool
Infor Dynamic Enterprise Performance Management (Infor d/EPM) merges intelligent business tools and financial planning capabilities to help you assess current and potential activities. Their user-friendly modeling tool empowers managers to create, test, and deploy scenarios with machine learning insights, recommendations, and predictive analytics. You’ll find yourself able to easily manage work-in-progress delivery costs, timelines, and project execution.
Infor d/EPM has enterprise pricing upon request and offers a free demo.
EPM Live
Best for Microsoft SharePoint integration
IgniteTech’s EPM Live is a Microsoft SharePoint integrated enterprise work management solution designed to enhance your ability to track and manage all projects and associated costs. EPM Live users can hone in on specific EPM processes, or access other IgniteTech modules which are also included in their EPM Live subscription. You can also access all Ignite products under an Ignite Unlimited plan, which cover six key areas: customer experience management, digital engagement, sales and marketing enablement, functional process automation, information technology acceleration, and communications & remote engagement.
EPM Live costs from $6/user/month and offers a free 30-day trial. Enterprise plan pricing is available upon request.
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Best EPM Software Summary
| Tool | Free Option | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anaplan Best EPM software for supply and demand planning | Free demo available | Price upon request | Visit Website |
| 2 | Vena Best for automating administrative tasks | 7-day free trial | Pricing upon request | Visit Website |
| 3 | Jedox Best for AI-supported planning and forecasting | 14-day free trial + free demo | Pricing upon request | Visit Website |
| 4 | Workday Adaptive Planning Best versioning and scenario analysis | Free trial + free demo available | Pricing upon request | Visit Website |
| 5 | OneStream XF Best EPM software for manufacturing operations | Not available | Price upon request | Visit Website |
| 6 | Epicor ERP Best EPM software for retail analytics | Free demo available | From $175/user/month | Visit Website |
| 7 | Planview Enterprise One Best for enterprise project portfolio management | 30-day free trial | Pricing upon request | Visit Website |
| 8 |  ARES PRISM Best EPM software for executives | Not available | Enterprise pricing upon request and offers a free demo | Visit Website |
| 9 |  Infor d/EPM Best user-friendly modeling tool | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Visit Website |
| 10 |  EPM Live Best for Microsoft SharePoint integration | 30-day free trial | From $6/user/month | Visit Website |
Other Enterprise Performance Management Software
Here are a few more EPM solutions that didn’t make the top list:
- Axiom Software
Best EPM software for finance teams
- Oracle EPM Cloud
Best for financial close solutions
- Planful
Best for rolling forecasts
- SAP Analytics Cloud
Best for first-party feature scalability
- IBM Planning Analytics
Best for change management planning
- Insight Software
Best for first-party feature scalability
What Is Enterprise Performance Management Software?
Enterprise performance management (EPM) software is an on-premise or cloud-hosted digital tool designed to collect and manage metrics related to financial performance and business planning processes.
Enterprise applications for performance management will often cover budgeting, forecasting, and profitability planning solutions. The core functionality of EPM software is to help you analyze, understand, and report on your enterprise workflow methodologies.
What Is The Difference Between ERP And EPM Software?
Simply put, enterprise resource planning (ERP) software addresses operational processes within a corporation. ERP systems focus primarily on transactional data, and are more likely to address:
- A/R (accounts receivable)
- A/P (accounts payable)
- budgetary management
- cash management
- financial reporting (actual vs. budget variance)
- income statements
In contrast, EPM software aims to streamline business management processes within a corporation. EPM systems focus primarily on managerial data, and are more likely to address:
- analytics and modeling of "what if" scenarios
- advanced managerial insight into business performance
- complex budget maintenance
- complex enterprise planning
- decision-making based on financial and operational results
- in-depth analysis of detailed operational plans
Since EPM and ERP solutions do have a lot in common, much of the software on this list touches a bit on both. However, the best EPM systems remained the strongest focus.
Which EPM Software Have You Used?
Time for the audience to weigh in. Are you currently using any corporate performance management (CPM) tools that you want to boast about? What's your best business performance management tip? Is there a SaaS financial planning tool that you would add to this list if you could? Sound off in the comments.
Other Resources
Are you looking for software to help you track more granular, transactional data? If so, I recommend you take a look at our list of the best ERP systems too.
If you're interested in ERP systems, but on a tight budget, we've got you covered there too. Take a look at our list of the best ERP systems for small businesses on a budget.
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And last but not least, you're welcome to get involved with our community here to share tool recommendations and best practices with other HR professionals too.
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Related Read: Essential Performance Review Phrases And Best Practices