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IBM Planning Analytics vs OneStream XF comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM Planning Analytics
Ranking in Business Performance Management
4th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
28
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
OneStream XF
Ranking in Business Performance Management
9th
Average Rating
9.4
Reviews Sentiment
5.9
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
Financial Close Software (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Business Performance Management category, the mindshare of IBM Planning Analytics is 4.5%, down from 9.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OneStream XF is 4.3%, down from 4.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Business Performance Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
IBM Planning Analytics4.5%
OneStream XF4.3%
Other91.2%
Business Performance Management
 

Featured Reviews

Gladys Njeri - PeerSpot reviewer
Key Account Manager at DHL
Data-driven planning has transformed financial decisions and now saves major reporting time
IBM Planning Analytics helps with collaboration between teams by allowing us to gather data from various departments, analyze it, and collaborate on the data to make data-driven decisions between different departments easily. As I mentioned previously, I mainly use IBM Planning Analytics to visualize the existing data to generate meaningful report dashboards and use it during stakeholder meetings to arrive at the right decision. The best features IBM Planning Analytics offers include budgeting, forecasting, and what-if scenario analysis. The scenario modeling feature in IBM Planning Analytics is probably the most robust planning and forecasting solution we use, especially for what-if scenarios, where we are able to forecast using Watson Studio, which helps in better prediction. I really appreciate the Excel integration in IBM Planning Analytics because it keeps things familiar and adds more power.
Andy Jorgensen - PeerSpot reviewer
Chief Revenue Officer at MindStream Analytics
Customer satisfaction and data integration shine in multinational consolidations
The best features of OneStream XF are threefold. The first is Extensible Dimensionality, which allows for different levels of detail depending on the task. When budgeting for 2026, Extensible Dimensionality enables detailed breakdowns of supplies into specific items such as printer paper and magic markers. When actuals arrive, that level of detail isn't necessary. This flexibility in collecting and reporting data is a significant advantage. OneStream XF is advantageous because it provides one product that can do everything. Users do not have to purchase separate products for consolidation, planning, and reporting, which saves time and money in training and setup. OneStream XF shows a strong commitment to customer success. While 100% satisfaction is unrealistic, OneStream XF puts in substantial effort to ensure clients are successful, which contrasts sharply with experiences from companies such as SAP. OneStream XF's data integration capabilities with ERP and HCM systems are excellent, thanks to its history. The founders of OneStream XF were the creators of Upstream, which specialized in data integration. When they developed OneStream XF, they implemented that expertise, making it excel at data integration.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"This level of stability is crucial for a product like Cognos TM1, as using an unstable platform would result in loss of time."
"The ease of use is valuable. The fact that it's plugged into Excel spreadsheets is also valuable. It provides additional functionality where you can slice and dice the information in a way that you can't do with spreadsheets"
"A lot of the platform is in-memory, so Planning Analytics can run calculations quite fast. It also offers several user interfaces. And in the newest version of Planning Analytics, there is a new one called the Planning Analytics Workspace. Maybe it could be useful for the business side."
"IBM Planning Analytics has positively impacted my organization since we started using this tool."
"We cut down on manual budgeting and forecasting work, which saved us between 50 to 70% of our time."
"The most valuable feature is that it is able to slice and dice the data."
"The flexibility of IBM Planning Analytics is a great feature of this solution. The design flexibility with data rules and defining calculations The ability to combine online and offline calculations are a benefit. Additionally, the forecasting features and predictive analytics is very good."
"The tool is flexible."
"OneStream XF is advantageous because it provides one product that can do everything; users do not have to purchase separate products for consolidation, planning, and reporting, which saves time and money in training and setup."
"OneStream XF's unified structure makes it easier for our financial consolidation and planning processes, though I would say we have a standardized way of using it and not that much forward-looking."
"We were with Oracle previously. With Oracle, you have to buy a different piece of software for every business process. If you want to do budgeting, that's a product. If you want to do consolidation, that's a product. If you want to do BI type of work, that's yet another product. So, you end up buying a lot of software from Oracle. With OneStream, it is a little different. It is a platform where you can do all those things, and you can do them with just one software purchase and then you just pay for users on it."
"The product's most valuable feature is extensibility."
"It offers great ease of use. This impacts not only the end-user experience but also the administrator's, which affects the total cost of ownership."
 

Cons

"IBM Planning Analytics does not work offline, which makes it difficult for me and my team to work or gather required data when we do not have an internet connection."
"Planning Analytics could be improved by adding automation features."
"The tool's transport layer could be improved when promoting development between environments."
"The tool should include features for prediction. It can also improve the scalability."
"It is a bit expensive, but it does the job."
"Extracting data is a little slow."
"The local authentication part is difficult to manage in the product, making it an area where improvements are required."
"The workspace API should be improved and documented so we know better which objects are used."
"It's okay for collecting information and setting it up, but for business support, we don't get much from it."
"There are longstanding challenges with OneStream XF, particularly around the technical aspects that require scripting skills, typically managed by finance departments."
"Currently, they only support one browser, and it would be good if you could use it on Chrome, Firefox, etc. It is a little frustrating that you can only use a certain Microsoft browser. They're pretty tightly aligned with Microsoft. So, I can see the reasons for it."
"We should be able to download the data in the same format we upload it."
"AI is where I see the most innovation and progress, but it's not fully developed yet."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I would rate the tool's pricing a nine out of ten since it's expensive."
"IBM Planning Analytics is not the cheapest solution, but it's priced per the market standard for this type of solution. I rate the price at seven out of ten."
"IBM Planning Analytics is priced well, and licensing costs are yearly."
"Compared with the other tools in the market, IBM Planning Analytics is a bit expensive."
"Our licensing cost is approximately $50,000.00 per year."
"It is a bit expensive, but you get what you are paying for."
"The license of this solution is paid annually. Most of my customers choose a license that includes support."
"The product has a license by the user. They're on par with other competitors."
"The licensing is expensive."
"They price it by the user. Before discounting, it is 2,500 or something like that."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
17%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Retailer
9%
Educational Organization
5%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Aerospace/Defense Firm
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business16
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise15
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM Planning Analytics?
The most valuable features of IBM Planning Analytics for streamlining planning processes include a unified database where all data are centralized.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Planning Analytics?
While IBM's solutions were costly before, the introduction of SaaS models has reduced prices significantly. Comparatively, IBM rates may be better than those of competitors, such as Hyperion ( /pro...
What needs improvement with IBM Planning Analytics?
IBM is behind competitors like Tableau ( /products/tableau-reviews ) and Power BI in terms of visualization. Their visuals are less innovative and practical with fewer varieties. IBM's visualizatio...
Seeking lightweight open source BI software
I advise you to try OneStream. This is a very good platform focused on reporting, consolidation and budgeting & forecasting.
What do you like most about OneStream XF?
It offers great ease of use. This impacts not only the end-user experience but also the administrator's, which affects the total cost of ownership.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for OneStream XF?
My experience with the price has been okay. It's something that, when part of a larger system, we need to use, and there are also some discounts related to our multi-country usage.
 

Also Known As

Cognos TM1, IBM Cognos TM1
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

ManpowerGroup, Convergys, AIG, Orchard Brands, Citibank, InterGen, Northwestern University, EF Education First, Ironside, Bazan Group, CSOB Insurance, Macquarie Group, Charles Stanley, SATO, Government of Sint Maarten, BMW Financial Services
Fruit of the loom, Melrose, AAA, Valeo Foods
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Planning Analytics vs. OneStream XF and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.
881,733 professionals have used our research since 2012.