# Crystal Ball Reviews **Vendor:** Oracle **Category:** [Predictive Analytics Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/predictive-analytics) **Average Rating:** 4.3/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 20 ## About Crystal Ball Oracle Crystal Ball is the leading spreadsheet-based application for predictive modeling, forecasting, simulation, and optimization. ## Crystal Ball Reviews ### 1. Crystal Ball Review **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Oil & Energy | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 26, 2020 **What do you like best about Crystal Ball?** User interface very friendly, ease of use is important for continued use (not dropping the software for another alternative), **What do you dislike about Crystal Ball?** Would like the ability to display more uncertainty data. **What problems is Crystal Ball solving and how is that benefiting you?** Reserves estimates. Understanding between input data and how this affects results distributions ### 2. An useful tool for the aspiring Finance graduates and people in Finance **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Raiyan J. | Management Trainee Officer, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 14, 2020 **What do you like best about Crystal Ball?** Hands down, the user friendliness of the software. In our MBA program, we are given 20 business cases to be solved and interpret with the help of Oracle Crystal Ball software. Unfortunate part was out instructor did not even give a hint on how to use this software. But after installing it, and using it for 2-3 days, it became very simple for us to use by our self! Within 1 week, we somewhat became expert in using the suite. **What do you dislike about Crystal Ball?** Throughout the usage, I have not realized any ground breaking issue with Crystal Ball. But however, occasional crashes in middle of simulation process, even though very rare, are very much disappointing. Another problem I faced was that the add-ins from the excel would sometime disappear even though I have customized settings to open Crystal Ball every time I open excel. I was particularly annoying when middle of the case presentation, we were suppose to run the simulation and interpret the data to the audiences. Costed the valuable time of the audiences in that process. **Recommendations to others considering Crystal Ball:** The software is very user friendly. I think it is mandatory for Finance graduates to have a great deal of idea about simulation and scenario analysis and Crystal Ball can easily be used to perform those tasks. It helps in interpreting financial models in more confidence manner. **What problems is Crystal Ball solving and how is that benefiting you?** Mainly business cases. When building a financial model, so many assumptions are made. In real world, those assumptions do not match the expectations in precise manner. So, we have to have a range within which the value will fall based upon the volatility of our assumptions and thus, we can provide recommendations to approach the business problem. Crystal Ball helps in determining the range through simulating thousands of scenario simulations. As a result, we can easily interpret the result to the audiences. Another time I used crystal Ball 5 months ago in evaluating a start up model. The plan was to provide our confidence, and range within which the angel investors will get value investing in the start up. Crystal Ball proved to be very efficient in convincing them. People trust statements backed by numbers. ### 3. User-friendly forecasting **Rating:** 3.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Higher Education | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 30, 2021 **What do you like best about Crystal Ball?** The formatted reports and output are easy to read and interpret. **What do you dislike about Crystal Ball?** The Excel add-in is prone to occasional crashes on my laptop, and the add-in occasionally has to be re-installed, especially after version updates. **What problems is Crystal Ball solving and how is that benefiting you?** It's helpful forecasting probabilistic events. There's a steep learning curve to understand what you're doing, but the software itself is very easy to use and interpret ### 4. Very useful add-in for Excel which does not lose validity **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Andreus V. | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 07, 2020 **What do you like best about Crystal Ball?** It is very easy to dock with Microsoft Excel and its options are very useful to make risk analysis and predictions in any numerical data set that you have in a simple table. Unlike other risk analysis and forecasting programs, with Crystal Ball you don't have to learn unknown formats or special modeling languages. This tool has a wide variety of options that could be applied in different business areas, especially in engineering projects, obtaining reliable results widely accepted worldwide. The predefined reports that show either in the input data as they originate as a result of the simulation itself. **What do you dislike about Crystal Ball?** Although it is a very complete complement, for many the learning curve is a bit steep. However, once you manage to overcome that barrier or have the right training, it will be a very valuable tool. **Recommendations to others considering Crystal Ball:** Very useful to perform risk analysis of any data set you have in Microsoft Excel or SPSS. **What problems is Crystal Ball solving and how is that benefiting you?** With this tool we have been able to carry out better analysis of evaluations and specify better projections to estimate many behaviors of various variables inherent to each project. It is a tool that has helped us in the maintenance department to carry out predictive maintenance procedures for many of the critical and essential equipment in the production plant. ### 5. Best software for simulations and easy to use **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Ankush R. | Data Engineer, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 18, 2020 **What do you like best about Crystal Ball?** It's easy to use, like Excel! Also the functionality can easily be learnt by anyone. You just need to apply your algorithms in it. **What do you dislike about Crystal Ball?** As it is the one of the best software for simulations, the Price is the only factor. **Recommendations to others considering Crystal Ball:** It's one of the best software for simulation. Also an easy to use UI. It can help your projects to ho in the right direction if used correctly wnd consistently. **What problems is Crystal Ball solving and how is that benefiting you?** With Crystal Ball, I had done Monte Carlo simulation for the organisation which helped us in the different projects. ### 6. Good experience **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Sofia G. | WW Menswear Merchandising Intern, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 14, 2020 **What do you like best about Crystal Ball?** I liked its ease of use. Also it was very easy to download and install on my laptop. **What do you dislike about Crystal Ball?** The free time is only up to 14 days whether you start using it or not. **Recommendations to others considering Crystal Ball:** Trust the tool as it is really useful and easy to use. **What problems is Crystal Ball solving and how is that benefiting you?** I used it in a project management class during my senior year. It was meant to help me calculate a Monte Carlo simulation to ponder risks and adjust cost expectation. ### 7. One of the best application for Design & Simulation **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Sri Lakshmi Swetha V. | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 22, 2020 **What do you like best about Crystal Ball?** The data visualization and the provision of charts, tables, graphs etc. **What do you dislike about Crystal Ball?** Nothing as such. Every tool I found is useful. **Recommendations to others considering Crystal Ball:** This is a very useful application for mechanical engineers mainly who are dealing with SCM, Design, Simulation **What problems is Crystal Ball solving and how is that benefiting you?** I used it for design and simulation as a part of my project. It helped me in visualisation of uncertainties. ### 8. One of the best optimisation tool **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Pramod K. | Staff Engineer, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 26, 2020 **What do you like best about Crystal Ball?** Crystal Ball is easy to integrate with excel, it make this very easy to use **What do you dislike about Crystal Ball?** It can have assistant guide for new people to suggest best way to utilise all its functionalities. **What problems is Crystal Ball solving and how is that benefiting you?** Some of the design optimisation problems for aircraft engine component design. Optimised designs & with design boundaries found to be very useful ### 9. Crystal Ball Review by Siva **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Information Technology and Services | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 16, 2020 **What do you like best about Crystal Ball?** Crystal makes to have an what if analysis with wide range of confidence intervals along with chart view. This part is really useful to get to know the prediction in better. **What do you dislike about Crystal Ball?** I don't see any dissatisfaction factor in Crystal Ball to my knowledge. **Recommendations to others considering Crystal Ball:** I would recommend to use Crystal Ball if you have to really to do a proper prediction analysis with different set of factors in it to improve the business. **What problems is Crystal Ball solving and how is that benefiting you?** I am trying to predict the metrics like productivity and Defect Removal efficiency which will benefits both organisation and customer. ### 10. Really helpful simulation software **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Research | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 22, 2020 **What do you like best about Crystal Ball?** I thought the interface was very intuitive. It was very easy to choose different distributions and customize them. Very easy to get results and they come in easy to read displays. **What do you dislike about Crystal Ball?** Unfortunately, the tough part about crystal ball is that it is expensive. There should be a way to use this program or at least some of its basic components for free or at a significantly reduced price. **Recommendations to others considering Crystal Ball:** If you want easy interface, this is your program **What problems is Crystal Ball solving and how is that benefiting you?** Tried to solve different optimization problems and run scenario analysis for future expected probabilities. ### 11. Crystal Ball for Decision Making **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Michael D. | Reservoir Engineer, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 24, 2020 **What do you like best about Crystal Ball?** Crystal Ball interfaces easily with MS Excel. **What do you dislike about Crystal Ball?** Could improve user friendliness for beginners. **What problems is Crystal Ball solving and how is that benefiting you?** Great tool for developing and evaluating scenarios. ### 12. an efficient tool for scenario analysis and profit forecast in various industries **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Marketing and Advertising | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 18, 2020 **What do you like best about Crystal Ball?** Beginner Friendly and easy to use mostly **What do you dislike about Crystal Ball?** Sometimes might lead to excel breaking down **Recommendations to others considering Crystal Ball:** Try integrate it with other softwares **What problems is Crystal Ball solving and how is that benefiting you?** Profit analysis. I was able to examine different scenarios and pick up the optimized solution ### 13. Analysis, Prediction & Forecasting **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Krishna G. | Database Administrator, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 20, 2020 **What do you like best about Crystal Ball?** Ability to create predictive models and forecasting facility **What do you dislike about Crystal Ball?** It cannot be used with IOS pr Android only for Desktop **What problems is Crystal Ball solving and how is that benefiting you?** I use crystal ball to make predictions for my attendance data. it is helpful to allocate staff and hire seasonal staff. ### 14. Used Crystal Ball for project management course. it's very useful tool for analysis and modelling. **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Higher Education | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 23, 2020 **What do you like best about Crystal Ball?** The UI is very simple and can be easily used for complex simulations and analysis. **What do you dislike about Crystal Ball?** The manual when I was using it was not very intuitive. **What problems is Crystal Ball solving and how is that benefiting you?** Easy analysis and simulations. ### 15. Extraordinary for sensitivity analysis of sales estimates and financial projections **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Joy P. | Project Manager, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** February 26, 2019 **What do you like best about Crystal Ball?** Straight-forward, simple to utilize, and delivers important designs and insights to delineate outcomes. Yasai performs similar essential simulation functions, however, it does not generate graphical results. The ability to connect assumptions of the outcome of your simulation, which is incredibly important. Yasai does not allow for relationship matrices. The tornado chart feature allows you to identify the most critical drivers of your business. No more 'guessing' what the key driver of revenue/profit will be. **What do you dislike about Crystal Ball?** Finally, the main genuine capability missing is to integrate this feature into non-Microsoft spreadsheet tools - for example, Google Sheets. Most of the limitations on compatibility for middleware of this kind are essentially derived from the requirements of the platform it needs to operate on, in this case, Excel. **Recommendations to others considering Crystal Ball:** The astute activity is to adjust the answer for your extraordinary requirements, worker skill levels, funds, and different components, and Crystal Ball offers them all. Great product and well-established company. **What problems is Crystal Ball solving and how is that benefiting you?** The association and fitting devices of the Precious Stone Ball allow you to use current and reliable data to create accurate, predictive models. Alternatively, the OptQuest tool is a flexible feature that simplifies dealing with problems where variability and uncertainty have typically confounded predictions. It enables you to subsequently search for an optimal solution while considering requirements, constraints, and uncertainty. Even better, Oracle Crystal Ball allows you to use simulations to predict and demonstrate various uncertain scenarios, thus saving your time and enhancing productivity. ### 16. Powerful Predictive Analytics Software **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Gary H. | Senior Software Engineer, Design, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** February 09, 2019 **What do you like best about Crystal Ball?** The capacity to perform incredible examination and natural Monte carlo reenactments utilizing the current Excel foundation is uncommon. A strong GUI that takes into account quick changes and alterations, that once learned takes into consideration close constant modifications and fast investigation of various informational indexes, with brilliant representation of totaled yields. It is stunningly simple to learn and is fit for cutting edge account/anticipating strategies. **What do you dislike about Crystal Ball?** Expectation to absorb information is steep at the extremely introductory point, however there is magnificent documentation from both Oracle and outsider sources. At last, the main genuine ability missing is fuse this capacity into non-Microsoft spreadsheet instruments - for example GoogleSheets. Most of the impediments on convenience for middleware of this sort are truly acquired imperatives originating from the stage it needs to keep running on, for this situation Excel. **Recommendations to others considering Crystal Ball:** It is impressively easy to learn and is capable of advanced finance/forecasting techniques. The wise thing to do would be to adapt the solution for your unique requirements, employee skill levels, finances, and other elements and crystal ball offers them all. **What problems is Crystal Ball solving and how is that benefiting you?** On the off chance that you need something that falls under this application set, this is ostensibly the best instrument on offer. Crystal Ball's connection and fitting devices enable you to use present and verifiable information to make exact, prescient models. Then again, the OptQuest instrument is an adaptable element that makes it simple to take care of issues in which changeability and vulnerability have generally frustrated conjecture. It enables you to consequently scan for an ideal arrangement while representing necessities, requirements, and vulnerability. Even better, Oracle Crystal Ball grants you to utilize reproductions to consequently imagine and show various dubious situation, in this manner sparing your time and enhancing profitability. ### 17. Optimizing your business with crystal ball. **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Information Technology and Services | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 06, 2019 **What do you like best about Crystal Ball?** Oracle Crystal Ball is a desktop solution for modeling uncertainty and measuring & reporting on the risk inherent in key business metrics.Crystal ball can use the same historical data that oracle application use but to answer a different set of question.Crystal Ball helps to move us from data analysis to decision. **What do you dislike about Crystal Ball?** There is nothing to dislike about Crystal Ball. **Recommendations to others considering Crystal Ball:** Crystal ball is very useful for business forecasting, simulation and optimization. **What problems is Crystal Ball solving and how is that benefiting you?** Crystal Ball analyze current and historical facts to make predictions about future events. It measures and quantify the risk in each of the scenarios under consideration. ### 18. Crystal Ball vs. Yasai **Rating:** 3.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Zoe M. | Environmental Engineer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** February 03, 2019 **What do you like best about Crystal Ball?** Straight-forward, easy to use, and produces relevant graphics and statistics to illustrate results. Yasai performs the same basic simulation functions, however does not produce graphical results. Ability to correlate assumptions of the outcome of your simulation, which is incredibly valuable. Yasai does not allow for correlation matrices. **What do you dislike about Crystal Ball?** Can be a bit of a learning curve to understand the interface and how to set up your simulation, but tutorials are helpful. **What problems is Crystal Ball solving and how is that benefiting you?** Foreseeing product demand to optimize supply and resource allocation. ### 19. Crystal Ball is a great predictive analysis / forecasting tool **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Food & Beverages | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 15, 2019 **What do you like best about Crystal Ball?** easy to use, fast and very accurate tool. provided excellent forecast models **What do you dislike about Crystal Ball?** price mostly, the software maintenance costs in our estimate were higher than expected **Recommendations to others considering Crystal Ball:** Great product and well known and established company **What problems is Crystal Ball solving and how is that benefiting you?** We were looking at current costs, consumption, etc... and looking at ways to reduce overhead based on theoretical cost reduction efforts ### 20. Great for sensitivity analysis of sales forecasts and financial projections **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Higher Education | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 31, 2018 **What do you like best about Crystal Ball?** The tornado chat feature let's you identify the most important drivers of you business. No more 'guessing' what the key driver of revenue/profit will be. **What do you dislike about Crystal Ball?** The copy function doesn't work well. 'Drag and fill formulas into cells' doesn't work as expected. It can be frustrating to enter each assumption manually **What problems is Crystal Ball solving and how is that benefiting you?** It helps you assess the main risks of your revenue models, profit models or even project budgets easily. It makes predicting risk more accurate by avoiding average values and using normal, triangular and other distributions. - [View Crystal Ball pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/crystal-ball/reviews?section=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-05-15+11%3A33%3A30+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=3bad96c5-85a0-4f36-906a-8dc6d73b0d91&secure%5Btoken%5D=939acee38947b430ad5ed68eb65253bf2f0a7bad882525e5a8659d5060d1d751&format=llm_user) ## Crystal Ball Features **Statistical Tool** - Scripting - Data Mining - Algorithms **Data Analysis** - Analysis - Data Interaction **Decision Making** - Modeling - Data Visualizations - Report Generation - Data Unification **Generative AI** - AI Text Generation - AI Text Summarization ## Top Crystal Ball Alternatives - [IBM SPSS Statistics](https://www.g2.com/products/ibm-spss-statistics/reviews) - 4.2/5.0 (891 reviews) - [Tableau](https://www.g2.com/products/tableau/reviews) - 4.4/5.0 (3,534 reviews) - [@RISK](https://www.g2.com/products/risk/reviews) - 4.2/5.0 (11 reviews)