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IBM Planning Analytics vs Oracle HFM 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
6th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Oracle HFM
Ranking in Business Performance Management
4th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Business Performance Management category, the mindshare of IBM Planning Analytics is 4.9%, down from 9.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle HFM is 4.5%, down from 9.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Business Performance Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Oracle HFM4.5%
IBM Planning Analytics4.9%
Other90.6%
Business Performance Management
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer1517922 - PeerSpot reviewer
Responsable B.I at a retailer with 51-200 employees
Ensured functionality meets user needs, yet complexity remains a challenge
Since I'm using TM1 as an old version of Planning Analytics, it wouldn't be fair to specify what needs improvement because it's possible these issues have already been addressed in newer versions. If we talk only about the TM1 engine, it's quite rich and possibly too rich, making it complex to perform simple tasks. The abundance of features results in complexity, requiring strict guidelines for developers to ensure simplistic approaches are adhered to. This complexity makes it hard to maintain and evolve developments.
Segun Oladele - PeerSpot reviewer
Associate Manager, Accounting at BIC
Has supported financial consolidation through accurate reporting and global currency conversion
Oracle HFM is excellent for consolidation and reconciliation. It helps me see the general overview of the business across several locations. The drill-through reporting enhances accuracy in financial analysis. Oracle HFM has a schedule that requires reporting, especially one that ties back to my general ledger. I have to report each line item that comprises that number. It helps me fact-check reported numbers with a schedule. For example, with payables, Oracle HFM allows me to have a list of numbers reported per supplier. This provides comfort that the numbers are not fictitious. Additionally, it has a feature that performs fact-checking from P&L to balance sheet. For instance, if depreciation is reported, it must align with what is in the profit or loss account. These features ensure integrity in the reported numbers and allow for quick error detection while serving as a reconciliation tool. The currency conversion feature provides a global view from entity currency to local currency perspective, enabling value checks in different currencies for the company as a whole. In Nigeria, I report in Naira, and I don't need to report in my parent currency. The entity can report in their currency into Oracle HFM, and the parent company converts to their currency. By inputting budget rates, I can convert to any reporting currency, particularly the parent company currency. This feature saves time, increases speed, and allows the parent company to value its subsidiaries quickly. Regarding data integration capabilities for ensuring data consistency and accuracy, it deserves a high rating. For example, with inventory, if there is an impairment, the reported amount in P&L should match the balance sheet's inventory impairment. This level of checking provides confidence in the accuracy of reported figures.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."
"IBM Planning Analytics is easy to use and deploy. It is quick to develop. The calculation machine is also very fast."
"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"
"This level of stability is crucial for a product like Cognos TM1, as using an unstable platform would result in loss of time."
"IBM Planning Analytics is essential for creating a clear budget for our organization so that we can reach our future goals without significant loss."
"The product's stability is good."
"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."
"Navigating through the data to make analysis is really quick."
"There are measurable benefits from using Oracle HFM as it reduces manpower and eliminates work duplication."
"Oracle HFM is excellent for consolidation and reconciliation; it helps me see the general overview of the business across several locations."
"Oracle HFM's drill-through reporting has enhanced my customers' financial analysis significantly, allowing users to drill down to the base level in each of the dimensions and even further using Smart View for very granular level of general ledger cost centers, making the whole process more effective for their targets and deadlines."
"It is an expensive product but delivers what it promises, ensuring regulatory compliance, reducing risks associated with spreadsheets, and providing a better return on investment based on usage."
"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"The most valuable features are around consolidations, eliminations, conversions."
"The most valuable feature is the flexibility and ease of configuration in terms of testing and formula creation."
"It is a very user-friendly software."
 

Cons

"It is a bit expensive, but it does the job."
"The new frontend Planning Analytics Workspace is not very good, it could be improved. I like the Planning Analytics functionality but it would be helpful if it could be more customizable. You can create a prediction and receive information but you cannot do feature engineering regarding the predictive models. If this was added it would be helpful."
"Adding predefined templates could be beneficial."
"IBM Planning Analytics could be improved by simplifying the learning curve, as it requires a lot of time to learn and master it."
"IBM is behind competitors like Tableau and Power BI in terms of visualization. Their visuals are less innovative and practical with fewer varieties."
"Extracting data is a little slow."
"The workspace API should be improved and documented so we know better which objects are used."
"The dashboard is very poor and needs a lot of improvement."
"Oracle HFM could be improved or enhanced in handling metadata or the dimensionality."
"The solution has integration challenges. We need a simple tool that is fool-proof for the data that is submitted not only for consolidation purposes but also for performance management and reporting purposes."
"It's a difficult process to try to edit, configure, or change the business rules that exist and work within HFM."
"In my first experience with Oracle HFM, navigating to input numbers was cumbersome."
"Integration is an area where it lacks and can be improved."
"The complexity is okay. I don't see it as super complex. The solution could have more functionality to make it a little bit more flexible."
"In my first experience with Oracle HFM, navigating to input numbers was cumbersome."
"The intercompany reporting function in this tool needs improvement, particularly being able to run reports in batches, rather than one at a time."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I would rate the tool's pricing a nine out of ten since it's expensive."
"IBM Planning Analytics is priced well, and licensing costs are yearly."
"Our licensing cost is approximately $50,000.00 per year."
"The license of this solution is paid annually. Most of my customers choose a license that includes support."
"Compared with the other tools in the market, IBM Planning Analytics is a bit 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."
"It is a bit expensive, but you get what you are paying for."
"Oracle Hyperion Financial Management (HFM) uses the named user licensing model. There's different pricing depending on HFM and Essbase planning."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
17%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Retailer
9%
Insurance Company
5%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Retailer
6%
Computer Software Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business16
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise12
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise11
 

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...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle HFM?
It depends on the discount offered by Oracle. It is an expensive product but delivers what it promises, ensuring regulatory compliance, reducing risks associated with spreadsheets, and providing a ...
What needs improvement with Oracle HFM?
Oracle HFM could be improved or enhanced in handling metadata or the dimensionality. I currently handle updates in the dimension hierarchies and properties manually. There is a way for it to be cen...
What is your primary use case for Oracle HFM?
The usual use cases for Oracle HFM that I support are for financial institutions, crewing for ships, and an Australian airlines company. They use the application mainly for management reporting pur...
 

Also Known As

Cognos TM1, IBM Cognos TM1
HFM
 

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
B&B Hotels, Goldwind, Drake & Scull
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Planning Analytics vs. Oracle HFM and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.