Here are the upsides of Anaplan:

- Flexibility

- Power of multidimensional architecture

- Ability to do things on the fly

- Ability to access Anaplan on mobile application

- Workflow Automation

- Management Reporting

- Co-pilot of Model Build

- Anaplan co-planner using generative AI capabilities enables faster insights into business performance

- Introduction of Anaplan data orchestrator enables seamless integration with various data sources, including SAP

- Statutory Consolidation and Disclosure Management

- Industry agnostic tool Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Here are the downsides of Anaplan:

- Workspace capacity constraints - this is mitigated to an extent with the introduction of new pricing tiering from Anaplan

- Limitation to combining the hierarchies to manage the sparsity, which results in the application not being user-friendly - Introduction of Polaris engine overcomes this limitation

- Pricing of Anaplan software Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Multidimension modeling, Polaris engine. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Slow performance and sometimes glitches using model Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The platform's modularity accommodates even the most specialized business processes, enabling us to have the platform adapt to our business needs rather than forcing our business to adapt to the platform. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The platform lacks extensibility, which has forced us to create several workarounds to better integrate it with our process automation. Features released at each initial GA stage often feel incomplete or fall short of what was promised on the roadmap. That said, these features do tend to improve over time and eventually align with the original vision. We've also experienced moderate to significant cost increases during each contract negotiation, particularly when there are changes to platform features. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Multi-dimensionality and speed of calculations Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

High paywall for advanced features. Excel add-in is not best in class. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

With a solid foundation of data, integrations, financial models, the tool can be as flexible as the company needs. The code is easy to understand and easily built out with the proper talent (either in house or contracted). Users do not need extensive architecture knowledge to stand up models and then connect the pipes together. This allows teams to trial and error fairly quickly to build new use cases. The ability to manage a large portion of the infrastructure within the function and outside of IT is also very appealing. Typically, finance functions rely on IT to perform regular tasks and wait for results - with Anaplan, a lot of those activities can remain with the business. There are a variety of integration tools available as well as native tooling that can support an enterprise. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Without major talent, the models can quickly go awry and be poorly designed. Though the functionality may work, it might be less performant or create complexities when trying to adjust existing logic. Talent is also a large factor when considering this tool as it requires either building a team in house or contracting out. With contractors, you run the risk of knowledge gaps & lack of documentation for proprietary processes. To facilitate the implementation phase, business owners need to actively participate and devote a large number of hours to support the build. This is expensive to manage with larger organizations and could be less likely with smaller organizations. On the support side, you may contract out activities but there is a ramp up time that companies need to factor in (though this is true with most tools). The pricing model is quickly evolving to a subscription based model (again not uncommon amongst most SaaS platforms these days). Customer support is fairly basic and can be escalated, but is cumbersome during critical periods. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

MANY USERS FIND ANAPLAN USER-FRIENDLY INTERFACE EASY TO USE, WITH AN INTUITIVE DESIGN THAT SIMPLIFIES THE PLANNING PROCESS. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

WHILE MANY FIND THE PLATFORM USER-FRIENDLY, SOME USERS HAVE NOTED THAT THE INTERFACE CAN BE COMPLEX, AND NOT VERY INTUITIVE, PARTICULARLY FOR NEW USERS. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I love Anaplan's flexibility and ease of use, especially its cloud-based, low-code platform that allows for intuitive navigation. The customer support is fantastic and responsive. The advanced features and continuous updates keep up with market demands, ensuring seamless user experiences. Anaplan's ability to solve problems by providing real-time data integration and advanced security is exceptional. The scenario-based modeling for forecasting, budgeting, and planning is highly useful for clients. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I would like to see a place where I can test all the formulas before deploying them. This would make things more efficient for model builders. Additionally, I feel that the UX and other pages of Anaplan could be more intuitive. Another area for improvement is being able to model without worrying about model size and workspace size. Addressing these issues could enhance the overall user experience and make it easier to manage models. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Anaplan has added a ton of features over the last year and seems like they really are listening to feedback. Workflow has improved immensely. The new calculation engine addresses major concerns of the past version. And now with combined grids, that solves for one of the largest headaches in development. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

A key dislike of the platform - at times the UX pages can look clunky and old fashioned. Especially when compared to some competitors solutions from best in class reporting tools like Tableau. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The solution is Easy to Implement with Less dependency on IT.

Solutions can be implemented as quickly as 1 week and can be done by existing Business user with Technical know-how.

Huge Time and Cost benefit to companies.

Cloud based technology, so does not require installing or maintaining software.

Upgrades come with zero cost and no IT involvement.

Excel Add-In has been improved and is an advantage to users who are not willing to move away from Excel.

Many Planning Formulas are included which are hard to create or not available in Excel. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Reporting can be improved

Would like to see more frequent Product updates

Free API connectivity is limited and not end user friendly.

Model sizing is another limitation, any solution has to be developed with size in mind.

No single way to solve a problem, which leads to inconsistent model building.

Need to improve connectivity to many widely used platforms. ex. Power BI Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

From a model builder’s perspective, what I like best about Anaplan is its flexibility and the control it provides over building complex planning models without needing traditional coding skills. The platform’s intuitive interface allows me to design and customize models that fit unique business requirements, combining data from multiple sources into a single, connected planning environment.

Anaplan’s in-memory engine is powerful and supports real-time calculations, which means changes in one part of the model immediately update all related calculations. This instant feedback is invaluable for testing scenarios and ensuring data accuracy. The drag-and-drop functionality and modular structure make it easy to organize data and logic logically, improving maintainability and scalability.

Another key advantage is the ability to create reusable components like lists, modules, and line items, which saves time and helps maintain consistency across models. The platform also encourages collaboration by allowing multiple users to work on the same model simultaneously, with role-based access controls ensuring data security.

While there is a learning curve, especially with complex formula building and model optimization, the extensive community support and training resources make it manageable. Overall, Anaplan empowers model builders to deliver agile, robust planning solutions that can quickly adapt to changing business needs, which is highly rewarding. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What I don’t like about Anaplan is the performance slowdown when working with large or highly complex models. As the size of the model grows—especially with millions of cells, multiple dimensions, or intricate formula logic—calculations can take much longer to complete. This lag impacts day-to-day usability, causing delays when entering data, refreshing dashboards, or running scenario analyses. This becomes more noticeable when multiple users are collaborating simultaneously, sometimes leading to timeouts or frustration during critical planning cycles. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.