Anaplan vs. SAP Analytics Cloud

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Anaplan
Score 8.7 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
Anaplan is a scenario planning and analysis platform designed to optimize decision-making in complex business environments so that enterprises can outpace their competition and the market. By building connections and collaboration across organizational silos, the Anaplan platform surfaces key insights.N/A
SAP Analytics Cloud
Score 7.9 out of 10
N/A
The SAP Analytics Cloud solution brings together analytics and planning with integration to SAP applications and access to heterogenous data sources. As the analytics and planning solution within SAP Business Technology Platform, SAP Analytics Cloud supports trusted insights and integrated planning processes enterprise-wide to help make decisions without doubt.
$36
per month per user
Pricing
AnaplanSAP Analytics Cloud
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
SAP Analytics Cloud for Business Intelligence
$36.00
per month per user
SAP Analytics Cloud for Planning
Price upon request
per month per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
AnaplanSAP Analytics Cloud
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional DetailsA 30-day trial with SAP Analytics Cloud is available, supporting analytics enterprise-wide. A trial can be extended up to 90 days on request.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
AnaplanSAP Analytics Cloud
Considered Both Products
Anaplan
Chose Anaplan
I think Anaplan is a better and more mature product than SAP SAC, but SAC has a better integration with its core modules and BW platforms.
Chose Anaplan
- Flexibility & connected planning across all the functions of the organization
- Business owned tool
- Easy to acquire skills to maintain & enhance the application
Chose Anaplan
Anaplan and these other tools are very similar. I cannot say that I selected Anaplan over them as I have worked with and been involved with setting up a number of tools for clients. They all have their advantages and Anaplan is a very strong tool in the cloud planning space.
Chose Anaplan
Anaplan system/structure is not a far departure from Microsoft Excel which many people are most familiar with - this allowed for an easy transition during our first implementation as well as onboarding new users. Anaplan presents itself in a somewhat familiar structure while …
Chose Anaplan
We selected Anaplan because of the breadth of their vision and their approach to tackle "planning" of all kinds and integrate planning processes into a true Connected Planning ecosystem. We found that their flexibility and ease of use ultimately provided a better avenue to …
Chose Anaplan
Ease of use, intuitive design, business user friendly, quick implementation time
Chose Anaplan
Anaplan has a clear advantage comparing to Excel when it comes to complex planning and forecasting, especially for bigger companies. Anaplan can perform much smoother but still is giving the same amount of flexibility.

SAC is much more analytical comparing to Anaplan. SAC can …
Chose Anaplan
Anaplan's UX and calculation engine tend to perform better. Regarding the UX, Anaplan's is very customizable and end-user-friendly. Some of the other solutions' UX looks very dated. Regarding the calculation engine, when an input is made in Anaplan it will calculate real-time …
Chose Anaplan
Flexibility in modeling capability sets Anaplan apart from other competitors. You are tied to cookie cutter solution, which needed to be customized for others. Once customized, it does not change as business changes. It requires them to come in and changes. We needed a …
Chose Anaplan
I have used all of the above tools in previous companies. I have seen the limitations and what makes each tool shine. I have seen exactly why Anaplan beat the competition, and why the tool is critical for any FP&A team. From the things I mentioned previously, there is no reason …
Chose Anaplan
We ultimately picked Anaplan because it allowed us the flexibility that we needed as well as we could see how there were other use cases for the tool.
Chose Anaplan
Anaplan provided a whiteboard that allowed us to set up our unique business as we saw fit. Other programs had built-in forecasting modules that we needed to adapt to. Our company is retail but also collections so flexibility was the key when making the final decision. Plus, …
Chose Anaplan
Overall better, quicker process. Lack of space in Anaplan is a pain point as compared to Host where we have been able to keep prior years worth of data with no problem.
SAP Analytics Cloud
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
Great integration with sap. Not good for customization.
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
While SAP Analytics Cloud is not the most affordable tool in its category, it is capabilities and ease of integration make it more desirable.
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
When we talk about SAP, what you are looking for is not the best price but a complete integration with the other products of the brand. But even in the same brand, their updates are more frequent and allow the addition of several improvements that are not yet found in other …
Features
AnaplanSAP Analytics Cloud
BI Standard Reporting
Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Anaplan
7.4
214 Ratings
3% below category average
SAP Analytics Cloud
8.0
247 Ratings
2% below category average
Pixel Perfect reports6.47 Ratings8.0204 Ratings
Customizable dashboards8.0214 Ratings8.1242 Ratings
Report Formatting Templates7.96 Ratings7.9220 Ratings
Ad-hoc Reporting
Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Anaplan
9.1
8 Ratings
11% above category average
SAP Analytics Cloud
7.9
257 Ratings
2% below category average
Drill-down analysis9.18 Ratings8.1248 Ratings
Formatting capabilities9.18 Ratings8.1245 Ratings
Report sharing and collaboration9.18 Ratings7.8235 Ratings
Integration with R or other statistical packages00 Ratings7.7190 Ratings
Report Output and Scheduling
Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Product A and Product B
Anaplan
8.4
221 Ratings
2% above category average
SAP Analytics Cloud
8.0
242 Ratings
4% below category average
Publish to Web8.67 Ratings8.0208 Ratings
Publish to PDF8.0219 Ratings8.3233 Ratings
Report Versioning9.2192 Ratings8.1202 Ratings
Report Delivery Scheduling7.98 Ratings7.7194 Ratings
Data Discovery and Visualization
Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Product A and Product B
Anaplan
8.2
8 Ratings
8% above category average
SAP Analytics Cloud
8.0
250 Ratings
0% above category average
Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)9.17 Ratings7.7239 Ratings
Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization9.17 Ratings7.7232 Ratings
Predictive Analytics6.43 Ratings8.3236 Ratings
Pattern Recognition and Data Mining00 Ratings8.234 Ratings
Access Control and Security
Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Product A and Product B
Anaplan
9.3
224 Ratings
6% above category average
SAP Analytics Cloud
8.1
256 Ratings
5% below category average
Multi-User Support (named login)9.18 Ratings8.1235 Ratings
Role-Based Security Model9.8224 Ratings8.1242 Ratings
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)9.18 Ratings7.8233 Ratings
Report-Level Access Control9.773 Ratings8.145 Ratings
Single Sign-On (SSO)9.18 Ratings8.5236 Ratings
Mobile Capabilities
Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Product A and Product B
Anaplan
7.5
213 Ratings
5% below category average
SAP Analytics Cloud
7.9
219 Ratings
0% above category average
Responsive Design for Web Access8.3204 Ratings7.7208 Ratings
Mobile Application7.4190 Ratings7.6180 Ratings
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile7.8198 Ratings8.0203 Ratings
Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting
Comparison of Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting features of Product A and Product B
Anaplan
9.0
322 Ratings
8% above category average
SAP Analytics Cloud
-
Ratings
Long-term financial planning9.2297 Ratings00 Ratings
Financial budgeting9.4301 Ratings00 Ratings
Forecasting9.3310 Ratings00 Ratings
Scenario modeling9.2312 Ratings00 Ratings
Management reporting7.8311 Ratings00 Ratings
Consolidation and Close
Comparison of Consolidation and Close features of Product A and Product B
Anaplan
7.8
275 Ratings
2% below category average
SAP Analytics Cloud
-
Ratings
Financial data consolidation8.1255 Ratings00 Ratings
Journal entries and reports7.5211 Ratings00 Ratings
Multi-currency management7.312 Ratings00 Ratings
Intercompany Eliminations7.39 Ratings00 Ratings
Minority Ownership7.38 Ratings00 Ratings
Local and consolidated reporting7.9244 Ratings00 Ratings
Detailed Audit Trails8.9256 Ratings00 Ratings
Financial Reporting and Compliance
Comparison of Financial Reporting and Compliance features of Product A and Product B
Anaplan
8.0
293 Ratings
1% below category average
SAP Analytics Cloud
-
Ratings
Financial Statement Reporting9.0271 Ratings00 Ratings
Management Reporting8.0284 Ratings00 Ratings
Excel-based Reporting7.8262 Ratings00 Ratings
Automated board and financial reporting8.214 Ratings00 Ratings
XBRL support for regulatory filing7.31 Ratings00 Ratings
Analytics and Reporting
Comparison of Analytics and Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Anaplan
9.2
313 Ratings
13% above category average
SAP Analytics Cloud
-
Ratings
Personalized dashboards8.6307 Ratings00 Ratings
Color-coded scorecards9.4291 Ratings00 Ratings
KPIs9.120 Ratings00 Ratings
Cost and profitability analysis9.3270 Ratings00 Ratings
Key Performance Indicator setting9.5281 Ratings00 Ratings
Benchmarking with external data9.114 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration
Comparison of Integration features of Product A and Product B
Anaplan
8.3
319 Ratings
1% below category average
SAP Analytics Cloud
-
Ratings
Flat file integration9.1309 Ratings00 Ratings
Excel data integration8.0287 Ratings00 Ratings
Direct links to 3rd-party data sources7.7269 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
AnaplanSAP Analytics Cloud
Small Businesses

No answers on this topic

BrightGauge
BrightGauge
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Centage
Centage
Score 9.4 out of 10
Reveal
Reveal
Score 10.0 out of 10
Enterprises
OneStream
OneStream
Score 8.8 out of 10
Kyvos Semantic Intelligence Layer
Kyvos Semantic Intelligence Layer
Score 9.8 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
AnaplanSAP Analytics Cloud
Likelihood to Recommend
8.9
(336 ratings)
8.2
(297 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.9
(35 ratings)
7.8
(7 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(64 ratings)
8.0
(219 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(7 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.1
(7 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
4.2
(27 ratings)
5.6
(75 ratings)
In-Person Training
9.1
(6 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Online Training
8.3
(7 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.0
(27 ratings)
2.0
(6 ratings)
Configurability
9.1
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.1
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.1
(7 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Professional Services
9.1
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.0
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
8.9
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
AnaplanSAP Analytics Cloud
Likelihood to Recommend
Anaplan
Anaplan is best suited for strategic planning initiatives in industries like CPG, Manufacturing, FS, Pharma. It can handle multiple use cases for each function in the company like Supply chain, Finance, Sales and more. It is one of the best tools I have seen in scenario modelling. It is not suitable for very detailed level planning, essentially execution level eg. Production scheduling.
Read full review
SAP
SAP Analytics Cloud is great for big companies that want advanced data analysis and planning, especially when they need to work together in real-time or when people need to access data on their phones. It's like a super tool for predicting future trends in industries like retail or finance. SAC also works well for companies that use different types of computer systems because it can easily connect them. But, for small businesses that only need basic reports or don't have a lot of technical resources, a simpler tool might be better. If a company doesn't always have a good internet connection or if they're just starting with analytics, there might be other tools that work better.
Read full review
Pros
Anaplan
  • Anaplan can scale as your business grows, for example adding new regions into to your geographical hierarchy.
  • Anaplan is flexible and can do anything you want it to, there are no tables pre-configured that you need to fix your business process into.
  • Reading formulas in Anaplan is straight forward with a quick learning curve.
Read full review
SAP
  • It makes it easier yo analyse order and related records easily.
  • We can easily maintain and track the performance of employees in organisation.
  • Can easily track various aspects for the growth of an organisation thus allowing real time analysis and tracking of organisation's growth and performance.
Read full review
Cons
Anaplan
  • Ability to decide if to apply the formula or a manual input on front end for each line item
  • Real Time Data Transfer across models. Currently Data is transferred using Processes across different models. Having a functionality to access data from any model in real time would be great
Read full review
SAP
  • Complexity in Data Modeling
  • SAC supports various data sources, but improvements in the ease of connecting to and integrating with certain data repositories, especially non-SAP databases, would enhance the platform's versatility and integration capabilities.
  • An offline mode for SAC could be valuable for users who need to access and analyze data without an internet connection. Additionally, optimizing performance for large datasets and complex visualizations would contribute to a smoother user experience.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Anaplan
Anaplan is a very strong multi-dimensional modeling tool that provides a calculation engine to empower a complex planning process. It is fairly easy to learn for those with experience in similar tools, or excel. It forces structure and auditability that spread sheets do not have, along with extensive security capabilities
Read full review
SAP
There’s no doubt I will renew SAP Analytics Cloud. It is the most vital tool in our organization that makes it seamless to make rapid business decisions by collecting, modeling and visualizing data in real-time.
Read full review
Usability
Anaplan
Anaplan is interesting because it is at the same time easy to use and difficult to use. An end user can navigate a well-constructed app, being pointed in the right direction every time they feel a slight bit of confusion, and find everything they need in what feels like a straight line. Similarly, a model builder (developer of sorts) can have the exact same experience, but the journey is longer and more complicated. End users have great experiences with Anaplan, but sometimes model builders have a frustrating one. That is not to say model building is hard (because it truly is not), but things change, and when things change in complex systems, the effort required simply to investigate where a model builder needs to make an adjustment may frustrate them but also frustrate their non-technical bosses. However, the reality is that with complicated businesses, complicated business problems, come complicated solutions. It is actually a testament to Anaplan's capabilities that it has taken on the biggest problems at the biggest companies. It may be daunting to adjust it in those environments, but at least you know it did meet the needs there, which is more than most tools can say.
Read full review
SAP
On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate 8 SAP Analytics Cloud's overall usability as a 7. SAC has a clean, modern user interface with drag-and-drop features. It is an integrated platform that combines reporting, planning, and predictive analytics in one tool. It has Real-time connectivity with SAP data sources like S/4HANA.


Self-service analytics capabilities allow non-technical users to build simple dashboards.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Anaplan
There are very few outages. Maintenance is scheduled on two or three Saturdays per month, so as not to affect businesses. When there is an outage, users are kept informed of progress to restore the platform and typically this takes no more than an hour. Anaplan customer support is very responsive if we ever have questions about platform issues
Read full review
SAP
I would rate SAP Analytics Cloud an 8 out of 10 for scalability. It offers a flexible, cloud-based architecture that supports expansion across departments and geographies. The platform adapts well to growing data volumes and user needs, making it a strong choice for organizations looking to scale analytics capabilities efficiently.
Read full review
Performance
Anaplan
Everything is calculated in memory in the cloud. It's nearly instantaneous updates when you make changes. The only time things get a little slow is when you have a massive model with very intricate calculations...but "slow" for Anaplan is not what I would call "slow" for something like Hyperion. We used to have Hyperion calcs that ran for 60 mins before you could use data. The equivalent would be 60 seconds in Anaplan.
Read full review
SAP
I would rate SAP Analytics Cloud’s performance an 8 out of 10. Pages generally load quickly, and reports run within a reasonable time frame, even with complex datasets. Integration with other systems is smooth and doesn’t noticeably affect performance. Overall, it’s a responsive and efficient tool for business analytics. But
Read full review
Support Rating
Anaplan
Support quality has dropped since Thoma Bravo has taken over. I think some serious re-focus needs to happen here -- part of the beauty of being in the Anaplan community was how involved you felt in it before. Before I didn't dread sending a support ticket, now I am starting to.
Read full review
SAP
Since the implementation stage, the support team has been very helpful and assisting. Even in the later stages, the tech team had quite a rapid response. In general, SAP has provided us with great customer support, let it be for a specific product of SAP or for integration of different modules.
Read full review
In-Person Training
Anaplan
In my opinion, in-person training is always the best if you have the option to do so. This allows real-time interactions with the instructions, whereas the online training I took required me to write-down questions, email them, and wait for responses. This slows down the process, as you can imagine. That said, in-person training is an extra cost and it likely isn't needed for everyone. I would suggest selecting a small number of people to take in-person training and then having them act as mentors to the rest of your team. That way, as the rest of the team takes the online training, they have a resource to help them in real time.
Read full review
SAP
Good videos and reference material available in SAP Portal.
Read full review
Online Training
Anaplan
Anaplan training materials are clear, simple, easy to understand and to follow. Visuals are excellent. The vendor is good at updating training materials in a timely manner and encouraging users and administrators to keep coming back to Academy site for refresher courses or new feature courses. I really like their interactive diagrams
Read full review
SAP
it's ok
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Anaplan
The platform allows a flexible implementation mechanic to be put in place, since the possibilities and functionalities are vast and there are very few things the tool cannot do well. The solutions for the financial planning and the integrated business planning we put in place were easily adopted by the end users and their day-to-day work was made easier.
Read full review
SAP
SAC is a simple solution ad it works fine when connecting it to other SAP tools. On the other hand, connecting it to third party solutions brings difficulties when there's no previous design and the objetives are not clear. It is really important to integrate Business users from the start to provide with valuable business insights
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Anaplan
Anaplan and these other tools are very similar. I cannot say that I selected Anaplan over them as I have worked with and been involved with setting up a number of tools for clients. They all have their advantages and Anaplan is a very strong tool in the cloud planning space
Read full review
SAP
SAP Analytics Cloud vs. Microsoft Power BI:Cost: Power BI is often perceived as a cost-effective solution, especially for organizations already using Microsoft products. SAP Analytics Cloud might be seen as a higher-cost option.Integration: SAP Analytics Cloud may have an edge in integration with SAP systems, while Power BI is known for its broad integration capabilities, including seamless integration with other Microsoft tools.Usability: Power BI is often praised for its user-friendly interface and quick adoption, while SAP Analytics Cloud may be seen as offering more advanced features.
Read full review
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Anaplan
No answers on this topic
SAP
unit pricing
Read full review
Scalability
Anaplan
The platform is highly flexible and can be deployed across multiple departments and locations, supporting growth and varying business needs effectively. Its cloud-based architecture allows for scaling model size and user access as required. However, there can be some challenges with performance and model complexity as the scale increases significantly, which slightly limits its scalability in very large or highly complex environments.
Read full review
SAP
I would rate SAP Analytics Cloud an 8 out of 10 for scalability. It offers a flexible, cloud-based architecture that supports expansion across departments and geographies. The platform adapts well to growing data volumes and user needs, making it a strong choice for organizations looking to scale analytics capabilities efficiently.
Read full review
Professional Services
Anaplan
No answers on this topic
SAP
very simple
Read full review
Return on Investment
Anaplan
  • Anaplan's implementation led to a significant reduction in planning cycle errors and bugs, streamlining processes and improving overall accuracy in data inputs
  • Standardizing the planning process and enabling cross-functional collaboration through Anaplan enhanced our ability to adapt swiftly to changing business needs, resulting in improved agility in decision-making
  • The platform's capabilities, especially in Demand Planning and Supply Chain, positively impacted our ROI by optimizing resource allocation and solving complex business problems efficiently across multiple functions
Read full review
SAP
  • Many manual data manipulations and exports in Excel have been replaced by the tool, providing management with improved insight into the amount of time spent at each stage of an invoice's lifetime, allowing bottlenecks to be discovered.
  • We now have more insight into the data, and people with little technical experience can easily build stories.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Anaplan Screenshots

Screenshot of a preview of the Anaplan login page.Screenshot of a preview of an Anaplan home page.Screenshot of a preview of an Anaplan board.