best business plan software 2022

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• 5 Best Business Plan Software and Tools in 2023 for Your Small Business

Data as of 3 /13/23 . Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

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A business plan can do a lot for your business. It can help you secure investors or other funding. It can give your company direction. It can keep your finances healthy. But, if we’re being honest, it can also be a pain to write.

Luckily, you don’t have to start from scratch or go it alone. Business plan software and services can help you craft a professional business plan, like our top choice LivePlan , which provides templates, guidance, and more.

You’ve got quite a few choices for business plan help, so we’re here to help you narrow things down. Let’s talk about the best business plan tools out there.

• LivePlan : Best overall
• BizPlanBuilder : Most user-friendly
• Wise Business Plans : Best professional service
• Business Sorter : Best for internal plans
• GoSmallBiz.com : Most extra features
• Honorable mentions

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LivePlan: Best overall business plan software

Data as of 3 /13/23 . Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. *With annual billing

LivePlan has been our favorite business plan software for a while now, despite the stiff competition.

There’s a lot to like about LivePlan. It has pretty much all the features you could want from your business plan software. LivePlan gives you step-by-step instructions for writing your plan, helps you create financial reports, lets you compare your business’s actual financials to your plan’s goals, and much more. And if you ever need inspiration, it includes hundreds of sample business plans that can guide your writing.

LivePlan software pricing

But the best part? You get all that (and more) at a very competitive price. (You can choose from annual, six-month, or monthly billing.) While LivePlan isn’t quite the cheapest business plan builder out there, it’s not too far off either. And if comes with a 60-day money back guarantee. So there’s no risk in trying LivePlan out for yourself.

With a great balance of features and cost, LivePlan offers the best business plan solution for most businesses.

BizPlanBuilder: Most user-friendly

Need something easy to use? BizPlanBuilder fits the bill.

BizPlanBuilder doesn’t have a flashy, modern user interface―but it does have a very clear, intuitive one. You’ll be able to see your plan’s overall structure at a glance, so you can quickly navigate from your title page to your market trend section to that paragraph on your core values. And as you write, you’ll use a text editor that looks a whole lot like the word processing programs you’re already familiar with.

BizPlanBuilder software pricing

Data effective 3/13/23. At publishing time, amounts, rates, and requirements are current but are subject to change. Offers may not be available in all areas.

BizPlanBuilder also offers lots of helpful guidance for actually writing your plan. It gives you pre-written text, in which you just have to fill in relevant details. It offers explanations for what information you need to include in each section of your plan and way. It even gives you helpful tips from experts, so you’ll have all the information you need to plan like a pro.

So if you want planning software with almost no learning curve, you’ll like BizPlanBuilder.

Wise Business Plans: Best professional service

• Custom quote

Unlike all the other companies on this list, Wise Business Plans doesn’t offer software. Instead, it offers professional business plan writing services―meaning someone does all the hard work for you.

Now, you might think that sounds expensive―and you’re probably right (you have to request a custom quote for your plan). But there’s a lot to be said for expertise, and Wise Business Plans has plenty of that. Your business plan will get written by an experienced writer (with an MBA, no less). They’ll get information from you, do their own research, and then write your plan. You get one free revision, and you can always pay for more.  

Wise Business Plans service pricing

Your end result will be a polished, entirely original business plan. (You can even get printed copies.) And best of all, you won’t have to spend your precious time working on the plan yourself. Wise Business Plans takes care of all the hard parts, and makes your business look good while doing it. Sounds like a service worth paying for, right?

Put simply, if you want the most professional business plan possible, we recommend using Wise Business Plans’s writing service.

Business Sorter: Best for internal plans

Many businesses need plans to show to people outside the company (to get financing, for example). But what if you just need a plan for internal use? In that case, we suggest Business Sorter.

Business Sorter uses a unique card-based method to help you craft the perfect business plan. (You can watch a demo video to see how it works.) You’ll plan some of the usual things, like finances and marketing. But Business Sorter also lets you make plans for specific teams and team members. It also emphasizes more internal matters, like operations, that might get overlooked in a business plan for outsiders.

Business Sorter software pricing

After you’ve made your business plan, Business Sorter also helps you stay accountable to it. You can create tasks, give them deadlines, and assign them to team members―giving you basic project management tools to make sure your business plans become business actions. (Oh, and did we mention that Business Sorter has the lowest starting prices of any software on this list?)

It all adds up to a business plan software that works great for internal planning.

GoSmallBiz: Most extra features

Want to get way more than just business planning software? Then you probably want GoSmallBiz.

See, GoSmallBiz offers business plan software as part of its service―but it’s just one part of a much bigger whole. You also get everything from discounts on legal services to a website builder to a CRM (customer relationship manager) to business document templates. And more. In other words, you get just about everything you need to get your startup off the ground.

GoSmallBiz software pricing

Don’t worry though―you still get all the business planning help you need. GoSmallBiz gives you business plan templates, step-by-step instructions, and the ability to create financial projections. And if you get stuck, GoSmallBiz will put you in touch with experts who can offer advice.

If you want business planning and much, much more, give GoSmallBiz a try.

• PlanGuru : Best financial forecasting
• EnLoop : Cheapest tool for startups

We recommend the software above for most business planning needs. Some businesses, though, might be interested in these more specialized planning software.

Honorable mention software pricing

PlanGuru: Best financial forecasting features

PlanGuru is pretty pricey compared to our other picks, but you might find its forecasting features worth paying for. It has more forecasting methods than other software (over 20) plus it lets you forecast up to 10 years.

EnLoop: Cheapest tool for startups

EnLoop doesn’t have our favorite features or interface, but it does have really, really low pricing plus a seven-day free trial. It's the most affordable software for startup business planning and still provides all the essential features like financial analysis, team collaboration, charting, and more.

Data as of 3 /13/23 . Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. * With annual billing

Several of our previous favorite planning software, including BusinessPlanPro and StratPad, seem to have gone out of business.

A business plan is a written, living document that tells the story of your business and what you plan to do with it. It serves as the source of truth for you—the business owner—as well as potential partners, employees, and investors, but it also serves as a roadmap of what you want your business to be.

Why you need a business plan

While some small-business owners don’t see the point of creating a formal business plan, it can have some concrete benefits for your business. For example, one 2016 study found that business owners with written plans are more successful than those that don’t. 1

Still too vague? Then let’s get specific.

If you ever seek business funding (from, say, banks, angel investors , or venture capitalists ), you’ll have to prove that your business deserves the money you want. A formal business plan―complete with financial data and projections―gives you a professional document you can use to make your case. (In fact, most potential investors will expect you to have a business plan ready.)

Even if you’re not seeking funding right now, a business plan can help your business. A formal plan can guide your business’s direction and decision making. It can keep your business accountable (by, for example, seeing if your business meets the financial projections you included). And a formal plan offers a great way to make sure your team stays on the same page.

What to include in your business plan

Not all business plans are created equal. To make a really useful business plan, you’ll want to include a number of elements:

• Basic information about your business
• Your products/services
• Market and industry analysis
• What makes your business competitive
• Strategies and upcoming plans
• Your team (and your team’s background)
• Current financial status
• Financial and market projections
• Executive summary

Of course, you can include more or fewer elements―whatever makes sense for your business. Just make sure your business plan is comprehensive (but not overwhelming).

How business plan software can help

With so many elements to include, business plan creation can take a while. Business plan software tries to speed things up.

Most business plan software will include prompts for each section. In some cases, you can just fill in your business’s specific information, and the software will write the text for you. In other cases, the software will give you specific guidance and examples, helping you write the text yourself.

Plus, business plan software can help you stay organized. You’ll usually get intuitive menus that let you quickly flip through sections. So rather than endlessly scrolling through a long document in a word processor, you can quickly find your way around your plan. Some software even lets you drag and drop sections to reorganize your plan.

Sounds way easier than just staring at a blank page and trying to start from scratch, right?

Choosing business plan software

To find the right business plan builder for your business, you’ll want to compare features. For example, would you rather write your own text, getting prompts and advice from your software? Or would you rather go with a fill-in-the-blank method?

Likewise, think about the elements you need. If your plan will have a heavy focus on finances, you’ll want to choose business plan software with robust financial projection features. If you care more about market and competitor analysis, look for software that can help with that research.

You may also want to find business plan software that integrates with your business accounting software . Some plan builders will import data from Xero, QuickBooks, etc. to quickly generate your financial data and projections.

And of course, you’ll want to compare prices. After all, you always want to end up with software that fits your business budget.

The right business plan software can make your life easier. With LivePlan ’s wide breadth of features and online learning tools, you can’t go wrong. Plus, BizPlanBuilder 's one-time pricing makes it easy to invest while Business Sorter has a low starting cost. And if you're business is looking to grow, GoSmallBiz and Wise Business Plans will scale with you.

But of course, different companies have different needs. So shop around until you find the software that’s best for you and your business.

Now that you've got a business plan, take a look at our checklist for starting a small business.  It can help you make sure you have everything else you need to get your startup off to a good start!

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Creating a business plan can take anywhere from a couple hours to several weeks. Your timeline will depend on things like the elements you choose to include, whether you use software or hire a writing service, and how much research goes into your plan.

That said, much of the business plan software out there brags that it can help you create a fairly detailed plan in a few hours. So if you’re going the software route, that can help you set your expectations.

If you want to get the most out of your business plan, you should update it on a regular basis―at least annually. That way, you can continually refer to it to inform your company’s strategies and direction.  

At the very least, you should update your business plan before you start looking for a new round of funding (whether that’s with investors or lenders).

Thanks to business plan software, you can easily write your own business plan rather than pay someone to do it for you. And in most cases, software will cost you less than a professional business plan service.

There are some times you might want to go with a service though. If time is tight, you might find that it’s worth the cost of a service. Or if you’ve got big investor meetings on the horizon, you might want the expertise and polish that a professional service can offer.

Ultimately, you’ll have to decide for yourself whether business plan software or a business plan service will work better for your company.

Methodology

We ranked business plan software and tools based on features, pricing and plans, and connections to project management and other services. The value of each plan and service, along with what it offers, was a big consideration in our rankings, and we looked to see if what was offered was useful to small businesses or just extra. The final thing we looked at was the ease of use of the software to see if it's too complex for small businesses.

At Business.org, our research is meant to offer general product and service recommendations. We don't guarantee that our suggestions will work best for each individual or business, so consider your unique needs when choosing products and services.

Sources 1. Harvard Business Review, “ Research: Writing a Business Plan Makes Your Startup More Likely to Succeed .” Accessed March 13, 2023.

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Best Business Plan Software

Business plan software is used to create, manage, and share business plans for new companies or investments. This type of software helps users identify goals, strategies, and financial needs required to start a new business or launch a major project. A business plan should also describe the opportunities and risks related to the new company or project. Business plan software is used mostly by entrepreneurs who are starting a new company and in need of external investments. It can also be used by employees seeking funding for new projects.

This type of software should not be confused with strategic planning software, which is used for ongoing strategic operations. Strategic planning comes after a business plan has been implemented successfully. Business plan software may integrate with accounting software to generate financial statements or with document generation software to create documentation for investors.

To qualify for inclusion in the Business Plan category, a product must:

Best Business Plan Software At A Glance

• All Segments (32)
• Small Business (3)
• English (2)
• Pricing Available (2)
• G2 Score Information Checkmark
• Satisfaction
• Overview Expand/Collapse Overview

Upmetrics is a business plan software revolutionizing business planning with AI, helping entrepreneurs and small business owners find success in their business planning processes and growth strategies

• Computer Software
• 88% Small-Business
• 13% Mid-Market
• Pros and Cons Expand/Collapse Pros and Cons

Modeliks is a business planning software that helps startups & SMEs create pitch decks, business or financial plans & investor reports. Create your plan alone or in collaboration with your tea

• 83% Small-Business
• 17% Mid-Market

LivePlan simplifies business planning, budgeting, forecasting, and performance tracking for small businesses and startups. Become a more confident business owner and strategically manage your business

• 84% Small-Business
• 10% Enterprise

Cuttles is a fully interactive and guided pitch and business plan software that helps entrepreneurs build, understand and grow their business. The web app has all the features and in-app guides you ne

• 90% Small-Business

Data-driven business plans and marketing strategies informed by expert consultants and integrated data. Make smarter decisions faster with ProAI.

• 80% Small-Business
• 20% Mid-Market

Practical tools to help you understand customers, design better value propositions, and find the right business model.Strategyzer makes it easy for anybody to rapidly sketch business model ideas with

• 100% Small-Business

Startups.com is the world's largest startup platform. We help over one million startup companies find customers, funding, mentors, and world-class education. Our platform is a family of five products:

• 67% Small-Business

IdeaBuddy is an innovative business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and startups develop their ideas, create a business model, validate the business concept, and make an impressive business

Strategic Planning and execution that multiplies business value. Maus is an all-in-one platform for strategic, financial, and exit planning that turns big ideas into action. In one easy-to-use platfo

Decision Critical is a dynamic, cloud-based business modeling tool that is unique in its comprehensiveness. It is scalable, customizable and fast to implement. Decision Critical's modeling and zer

• 33% Mid-Market

Growth Forge is a cloud-based software as a service that helps innovation teams formulate, model, and evaluate business strategies to iteratively develop concepts from a hypothesis into a real busines

• 60% Mid-Market
• 40% Enterprise

Vizologi helps you reduce the uncertainty and risk in choosing your startup's business model. It searches, analyzes and visualizes the world's collective business model intelligence to help answer you

Our products are right for small business because we understand small business. We know what it's like to start from zero, with no outside investment, and build a company from 1 employee to nearly 50.

Strategic business planning software for professional users and individuals. As a business advisor, accountant or consultant, create tailored plans for clients using Planium Pro’s powerful inbuilt an

• 100% Mid-Market

The Business Plan Shop makes it easy to write a convincing business plan.

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7 Best Business Plan Software for Startups in 2024

| Written by

Writing a business plan is crucial for entrepreneurs to outline their vision and strategy. With so many options available, choosing the best business plan software for startups can be challenging. Our review compares top solutions for founders, evaluating features, usability, resources, integrations, and pricing to help you select the platform that fits your needs. We’ll explore how these tools can streamline the planning process and help you create a professional, investor-ready business plan to launch your startup successfully.

Our #1 Pick: Upmetrics

Upmetrics makes it easy and affordable to create a professional, investor-ready business plan with AI-powered tools and customizable templates.

Unsure if Upmetrics is right for you? Continue reading our comprehensive review below to learn more and explore your options.

Best Business Planning Tools

In this review, we’ll look at seven of the best business plan software platforms — discussing their pros, cons, features, pricing, and more — so you can decide which one is right for your startup.

Best Business Plan Software for Startups 2024:

• Upmetrics – Best Overall
• LivePlan – Best Financial Forecasting
• Bizplan – Easiest to Use
• Enloop – Best Automation Features
• PlanGuru – Best Business Valuation Tool
• IdeaBuddy – Best for Idea Validation
• iPlanner – Best for Nonprofits

The following tools all have their own great features. Based on its affordable pricing and usability, Upmetrics is our top business plan software choice for startups.

Try Upmetrics today or continue reading to explore your options!

Best Business Plan Software: Upmetrics

Access 400+ industry-specific templates and AI-driven tools to build a winning business plan.

1. Upmetrics – $7/month to $37/month

First up on our list is Upmetrics , an affordable and versatile business planning tool. The software is designed for small business owners, young entrepreneurs, and startups who need comprehensive business planning capabilities without the high cost. 

Upmetrics simplifies the entire planning process with its advanced AI capabilities, realistic financial forecasting, and user-friendly functionalities. The AI writing assistant auto-writes sections of your business plan, while the forecasting assistant provides financial forecasting stream suggestions.

What’s more, Upmetrics’ subscription model comes with strategic planning tools, collaborative features, and other business resources that help entrepreneurs plan and grow their businesses with ease.

• AI business plan generator to create business plans faster
• 400+ sample business plan templates
• AI pitch deck creator to generate impressive pitches
• Robust financial forecasting for up to 7-10 years
• QuickBooks and Xero integrations to import your data easily
• Business plan builder with drag-and-drop capabilities
• Real-time collaboration and easy-sharing options
• Reliable and easy-to use interface
• Extremely affordable pricing plans
• Multilingual support (9+ different languages)
• Effective strategic plan creation on-the-go
• 15-day money back guarantee (even change plans anytime)
• No long-term commitments
• Educational resources, free guides, and video tutorials for beginners
• Not suitable for larger enterprises
• No free trial

Customer Reviews

Over 110,000 entrepreneurs have used Upmetrics for different purposes, from securing funding to launching their ventures. It received great customer reviews and earned 4.8 stars out of 5 on GetApp, making it a strong contender among business planning software.

2. LivePlan – $15/month to $30/month

While LivePlan  isn’t our top pick, it’s a strong contender for the best business plan software for startups, offering excellent value for money. This cloud-based solution enables entrepreneurs to craft professional business plans from any location, combining user-friendly features with comprehensive functionality.

Additionally, if you decide to stop service for whatever reason, Palo Alto Software, the makers of LivePlan, will keep your account active and data preserved for at least a year should you decide to reactivate your account later.

• Create an unlimited number of business plans
• A forecast feature for those less mathematically inclined. Plug in data, and it will generate charts, graphs, figures, and even the profit and loss, balance sheet, and cash flow statements
• 500+ business plan templates spanning all major industries
• Real-time financial data tracking
• Performance dashboards track sales and budgeting
• Create one-page pitch plans for potential investors
• Milestone scheduling feature — Some people will use it when working with others on their plan; it will let you assign milestones to people
• Low-cost annual plans
• Affordable pay-as-you-go plans
• No cancellation fees
• Data saved for 12-months, even after cancellation
• Clean, modern platform
• Cloud-based; works on any business machine (Linus, Windows, Mac)
• Integrates with Quickbooks and Xero to import your data easily
• Knowledgeable customer support to get help with your plan
• No valuation capabilities
• Templates built on the earlier tool by Palo Alto Software, Business Plan Pro, require some modifications to be used on LivePlan

LivePlan receives great feedback from customers. LivePlan reviews average 4.5 stars out of 5 on GetApp. LivePlan is an easy company for us to recommend for the best business plan software.

Learn more by reading our full LivePlan review .

3. Bizplan – $29/month, $249/year, $349 lifetime

Bizplan rates high on our list because they offer a lifetime plan that gets you “forever access” to their business plan software. As an added bonus, you also receive free access to Startup Courses and LaunchRock, a landing page builder.

• Easy, “fill-in-the-blanks” plan builder
• Publish your detailed business plan online
• Unlimited business plans
• Bizplan takes care of the financials
• Cloud-based (use any browser on any computer)
• Options to add more graphics and photos
• Low-cost yearly plans
• Create unlimited business plans
• Xero to import your data easily
• Excellent and responsive customer support (email/chat/phone)
• Free access to Startup.com and LaunchRock.com
• Discount at Fundable.com (connect with lenders and investors)
• Can’t export in Word
• Doesn’t currently integrate with QuickBooks
• No third-party app integrations

BizPlan receives great feedback from customers. BizPlan reviews average 4.4 stars out of 5 on GetApp. Still a relatively new option, BizPlan already has over 30,000 satisfied customers. As their platform grows, we wouldn’t be surprised to see them integrate even more valuable features. Keep a close eye on this one.

Learn more by reading our full Bizplan review .

4. Enloop – Free to $39.95/month

If you’re looking to try before you buy, Enloop is a strong choice as one of the only business planning software tools with a free trial.

• User-friendly platform
• Compare your financials against your industry’s performance
• Bank ready financial statements (Profit and Loss, Balance Sheet, Cash flow)
• Lets multiple users work on a business plan
• 36-Month detailed financial reports
• Sync date and text into your business plan
• Real-time performance rating
• Generated business plan Pass/Fail report
• Multiple currency formatting
• Seven-day free trial (no credit card required)
• Advanced financial ratios
• Financial projections
• Video tutorials to help you with the writing process
• No phone or chat support, just a “contact us” form.
• Three business plan limit per account
• Doesn’t integrate with QuickBooks or Xero
• No financial forecasts beyond 36-months
• No 30-day money-back guarantee

Enloop receives fair feedback from customers. Enloop’s reviews average 3 stars out of 5 on PCMag. Enloop’s main complaint is its lack of instructional text for writing mission statements and other key sections. What they rank high on is their efficiency and the speed at which the software lets you write a business plan.

Even beyond the free version, Enloop Basic is just $9.95/month ($6/month when paid annually), so they’re one of the least expensive tools for writing a business plan.

5. PlanGuru – $99/month to $299/month

PlanGuru is a good option if you’re looking for considerably more robust software that offers quite a bit more. The most notable feature we like is the valuation tool, only present on the desktop version of the software. PlanGuru lets you calculate the valuation of your business using three different methods. No other business plan software offers this that we know of.

PlanGuru also offers budgeting, forecasting, and performance tools to help you put together a business plan. In the main, PlanGuru allows you to get a custom-tailored three financial statement budget model up and running out of QuickBooks or Xero in a matter of minutes. PlanGuru’s business plan writing software takes you through a setup process where it asks you questions such as:

• What’s the first month of your fiscal year?
• How many historical years do you want to import?

And, once you answer these questions, PlanGuru then generates a model for you that you can then populate with your historical data if you have it. Then you can go through PlanGuru’s 20+ projection methods.

Some financial data projection methods include:

• Expenses, like payroll, etc.
• Balance sheet items, like accounts receivable, accounts payable, crude expenses, prepaid expenses, loans, etc.

These are only a few of the features the business plan software offers. Here are some more.

• Budgeting/Forecasting Software
• Analytics Service for Financial Performance & KPIs
• Valuation calculations (desktop software only)
• Desktop and cloud-based options
• Free 14-day trial and 30-day money-back guarantee
• Great customer support and knowledgeable sales staff
• Lower-cost yearly plans offered
• Advanced financial calculations
• Business valuation calculations
• No contracts
• Integrates with QuickBooks and Xero
• Costlier than LivePlan and most other options
• Additional cost per user can add up quickly

Important Note: These tools are important because investors may want to see not only historical performance but also projections.

6. IdeaBuddy – Free to $35/month

IdeaBuddy makes our list because of what’s behind their approach. IdeaBuddy focuses on helping entrepreneurs develop their idea first, then share it, and then refine it into a plan. If you have a business idea and don’t know what to do next, IdeaBuddy could be what you’re looking for in a business plan software.

• Single-page business plan pitch (Idea plan)
• Clean modern design platform combined with great financial tools
• Marketing plan for selling and promoting your products
• Market overview plan where you create targeted customer profiles, identify your competition and calculate the market potential
• Business plan creation that includes forecasting performance and cash flow projections
• A proprietary algorithm calculates a final score for your idea providing recommendations for improvement after you complete “Story Mode”
• Idea Journal, that is an internal business plan for you to show potential investors
• A lifetime plan costs only $178
• Great for developing ideas
• Great for doing market research
• Pay-as-you-go plans offered
• Email-only customer service
• Software lag time issues
• Fewer software options than most other small business options

IdeaBuddy has received some outstanding customer reviews on GetApp. IdeaBuddy has earned a 4.6-star rating out of 5 possible stars.

7. iPlanner – Starts at $55/year

iPlanner is a comprehensive business plan software that has been aiding entrepreneurs since 2007, providing a robust framework for developing business plans, models, and financial forecasts online.

• Unlimited Team Members & Collaboration
• A La Carte Pricing Model vs Packages
• Discounts for Serial Entrepreneurs & Business Coaches
• Solid amount of industry knowledge and experience.
• They’ve got two trademarked business planning services, Startup Framework™ and Strategy Designer™
• All of their business planning packages allow you to have unlimited collaborators and assign people three different roles: Project Owners, Advisors, and Viewers.
•  Their Startup Framework software has a business modeling section where you can design a business model canvas and strategize as much as you need before diving into your plan.
• Doesn’t have a month-to-month option for either of their services. Their Strategy Designer is payable only annually, while their Startup Framework is available for 3-month, 6-month, or 12-month payments.
• They don’t offer refunds
•  Their website is pretty old school and tough to navigate.
•  Unlike other business planning software, iPlanner doesn’t offer a free version or trial. However, you can take a tour of their Startup Framework software or view a demo of the Strategy Designer to get a feel for them.

If a simple framework is all you’re looking for, iPlanner can help you out. They don’t have many bells and whistles, but at these price points, they offer a good value for nonprofits and corporations.

Business Plan Software Pros and Cons

• By using business plan software providers, you’ll be able to create a solid outline for your business. Although some of the options above are better than others, each will walk you through from start to finish.
• No matter how you look at it, business plan software is cost-effective. As long as you actually use the tool, you’ll generate significantly more value than you’re spending on monthly subscription fees.
• If you spend the time to create a solid plan, you’re much more likely to hold yourself accountable. Think of planning software like an accountability buddy for a small business owner.
• Your business plan tool will help set realistic financial goals, and most can also keep your bottom line in check by integrating your accounting software.
• Business planning software enables you to collaborate with partners, mentors and investors.
• Some of the business plan tools don’t offer support and can have slightly buggy features. That said, if you’re serious about writing a solid plan, go with a tool that’s constantly updated and well made.
• Although some business plan tools have a collaboration feature, none of them can review it when you’re done. All business planning tools lack a human touch.

How to Choose the Right Business Plan Software

With the array of business planning tools available, it can be daunting to select the right one for your needs. Here are some tips for choosing the best business plan software solution:

• Consider your skill level – Opt for software like a wizard-guided business plan template if you are less experienced in writing plans. Choose more advanced software with greater flexibility once you know what you are doing. Look for drag-and-drop tools to easily organize sections.
• Determine your budget – Prices range from free to several hundred dollars. Know how much you can spend before shopping.
• Compare features – Look for software with the specific tools you need, like financial projections, sample text, customizable templates, and more.
• Evaluate the financial tool capabilities – The software should provide extensive financial tools like forecasting, modeling, projections, and dashboards to streamline financial planning.
• Check reviews and ratings – Get feedback from other users about their experience with the software. High reviews indicate easier, more user-friendly software.

Plan for Success With Upmetrics

Create a professional, investor-ready plan using AI-powered tools and industry-specific templates.

What is the purpose of a business plan?

The purpose of a business plan is to provide a structured outline and roadmap for a business’s goals, strategies, and operations. It serves as a guide for decision-making, resource allocation, and management.

Furthermore, business plans can be crucial to attract investors, secure funding, and ensure that all stakeholders have a clear understanding of the business’s direction, objectives, and value proposition.

How do you write a business plan?

To write a business plan, start by writing an executive summary that provides an overview of your business idea, products/services, market opportunity, and projected growth. Outline your company description, industry analysis, target customers, competitive advantage, marketing and sales plans, operations, management team, and financial projections.

How long should a business plan be?

The length can vary based on the complexity of the business, its stage, and its intended audience. In general, it might range from 15-50 pages. However, the key is to ensure that the plan is comprehensive yet concise.

For many situations, especially when seeking investment, a more detailed plan is preferable. Yet, for internal purposes or for businesses at very early stages, a shorter, more concise plan might suffice.

Are there business plan templates on Word?

Yes, Microsoft Word has business plan templates you can download and customize. The templates provide section headings, instructions, sample text, and tables to input your specific business information.

Further Reading

• What Is a Business Plan? July 2, 2024
• Lean Startup Business Plan Guide August 29, 2024
• The 7 BIGGEST Business Plan Mistakes to Avoid July 10, 2024

Topics to Explore

• Startup Ideas
• Startup Basics
• Startup Leadership
• Startup Marketing
• Startup Funding

Browse Tags

The Best Business Plan Software for Startups [2022]

In need of a great business planning tool? There is plenty of helpful business software out there. Compare and evaluate the options and find the one(s) that suits your needs.

Table of contents

• Why Use Business Planning Software?
• Choose The Right Business Planning Software
• 1. LivePlan
• 3. Upmetrics

5. GoSmallBiz.com

• Choose Your Match

Why Is Business Planning Software Even Necessary?

Before we get to the exciting part, the business planning software itself, there's one question we're guessing you want to have answered while you are still exploring your opportunities. Why do you even need business planning software? I mean, when did using an excellent old-fashioned spreadsheet go out of style? If you have already decided on procuring software, then go ahead and scroll down to the 5 Business Planning Softwares section. If not, stay with us.

Why Is Using Business Planning Software Good For Your Idea and/or Business Project?

Well, as you are in the early stages of building a new business, we understand how the world feels like your oyster. At the moment, you are full of hope and excitement, as you should be. But please don’t let that excitement die in the piles of soon-to-come contracts, tax files, and forecasting documents. If you do, your startup adventure could quickly begin to feel like a vampire sucking you bone dry. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, as you are not yet (and hopefully never will become) a startup-zombie.

Choosing the right business planning tools means doing what you are passionate about: building your startup business. If you are unsure about how to start planning your business, the software will help you structure each element of your plans. All in all, business planning tools help you to handle those unfamiliar and sometimes tedious tasks.

As most solutions today exist as online software, you can keep track of common goals and milestones anywhere, 24/7. Committing to the right software means that your business partners and employees can also access the information anytime. Pretty neat, huh?

Are you feeling convinced yet? Ready to explore some of the best solutions? If not, let’s take a look at exactly how business planning software helps you on your way to success.

How can business planning software help you accomplish your goals?

Are you taking your first baby steps as a new startup? Or have you already validated your business idea? Whether your business is just dawning or having a solid plan, you might not know just how useful the right software can be for your business. Speaking on more general terms, let’s explore that claim.

Deliver effective decisions

You will quickly discover that as a startup entrepreneur, you have to make many important decisions. You might have a clear gut instinct on what to decide. But whether you are an experienced entrepreneur or still playing ‘little league’, you should make your decisions based on proper research. No one likes to admit that they are wrong, so why not do it right from the start?

Use your business planning software to provide you insights on the operations, marketing, finances and projections instantly. This way, you will be able to deliver results effectively, saving you many working hours. With all your information joined in one place, you will know when to make a move to seize a great market opportunity.

Grow Team Spirit

Your employees and shareholders are an essential part of your team. So, why not let them in on the fun? Find a solution where multiple team members can keep on contributing to your business development. This way, you will always know what people are working on, and you can quickly review any results made. Take full advantage of the collaborative spirit. Mobilize your teams talents and competencies in the best way possible with a joint software solution.

More Than A Roadmap

Mapping out your steps and setting up milestones is a sure way to keep track of your developing business. However, the right business plan software should provide you with more than a map. It is vital to have those features that help you grow your business. Often you will find yourself at a crossroad. And with the right tool, you will know if you should go right or left. As a startup business, funds are often limited. Therefore your tool should provide you with the means to seek out those necessary capital funds.

Polish That Business Plan Into A Shiny Beacon

Having a well-made business plan is essential to growing any successful business. Why? The business plan shapes the essence of your business. Pour all your hopes and ideas into a shape that makes sense. Remember, your business plan should not only make sense to you (though it most certainly should make sense!). With your business plan, you will convince business partners, employees and investors to ride that magic carpet with you into the sunset. Did we get the analogy right? Oh well, curious to know how you do write a business? Well, you are in luck. Read our step-by-step guide to writing your very own exceptional business plan, right here.

Is It Pronounced Data or Data?

Anyway, you need data to grow your business. Today, data shapes our world and consumer behaviour. So, of course you want to tap into that fountain of new information just waiting to be put to good use. Doing your research also means that your investors and partners know that you are in it to win it. A business planning software doesn’t only help you analyze the data. If done correctly, it will also give you the tools to present those valuable insights simply and comprehensively. Remember, nobody is interested in investing their money into a venture they don’t understand. Convince them with a plan that looks and feels professional and delivers the data, or data if you will, clearly.

Time to Choose The Right Business Planning Software

Now you see many of the benefits that business software can (potentially) provide for an entrepreneur. Business planning, managing finances, validating your ideas, planning milestones and mobilizing insight to grow your business are just some of the aspects of a great business planning tool. Now, we know that your key force is to build your startup, and probably not compare startup tech-programs. Therefore we have made it as easy as possible for you to choose the right business planning software for your startup. Let’s take a look at the top 5 solutions, features along with the pros and cons.

5 Business Planning Softwares - Prices, Features, Pros and Cons

Starting a business can sometimes feel like you need to sprout more arms to make your ideas succeed. As you are most likely a human reading this, and not a 10-armed octopus, we’d like you to explore what software helps you manage those 10-armed tasks in the best ways. We have selected 5 of the most prominent business planning software on the market and compared them to each other - and Cuttles.

1. LivePlan.com

What is liveplan.

LivePlan is a well-known business planning solution primarily designed for entrepreneurs and small businesses. Being one of the most used business planning software worldwide, LivePlan has assisted more than 1,5 million companies from 180 different countries. LivePlan provides you with the essential tool for business planning and in turn, provides pitching features to present your plans to potential investors.

Pricing Details

• Pay as you go: $20 pr. month
• 6 Months: $18 pr. month, billed every 6 months
• Annual: $15 pr. month, billed every 12 months

What Features Does LivePlan Offer?

• Step-by-step wizard for creating your business plan
• Business plan templates
• Pitch presentations
• Financial projections
• Cloud-based system for online sharing
• Exporting projects in PDF, Word or PowerPoint
• Expert support (chat, email or phone)

Pros and Cons of LivePlan

Based on independent user reviews of LivePlan, we look into the pros and cons of LivePlan.

• The software is easy to integrate with existing software
• Provides you with multiple insights for analysis
• Great tool for startups in the early stages of their idea

Disadvantages

• The UX features of this software seems outdated to many users
• The software is not as scalable as people prefer.
• When you start growing your business, the supporting features are limited
• No free trials or freemium version

How Does Cuttles Compare to LivePlan?

• Cuttles’ UX and design is modern, intuitive and user friendly.
• Cuttles designs all your work for you in your own brand design. When you upload your logo to Cuttles, the whole app adapts into your design. It looks professional, beautiful and everything matches startups’ individual brand. Cuttles doesn’t just make a pretty front page for your PDF plan.
• Cuttles provides you with a simple structure and powerful guides written in a language that everyone understands, whereas LivePlan’s guides are more business heavy, making the experience and skills required to do your business planning heavier too.
• Cuttles has a ready-to-fill-out business plan template but also gives the opportunity to fully customize your own plan.
• Cuttles has a 14-day free trial.
• Cuttles is a cloud-based service and offers a high level of security.
• Compared to LivePlan, Cuttles has a more simplistic feature set. LivePlan offers more advanced features for doing budgets and financial projections especially.
• Cuttles has Startup Success Managers that are ready to help you out with any questions and guide you through the business planning process.

2. BizPlan.com

What is bizplan.com.

BizPlan.com is a business planning software developed for startup businesses and business owners. BizPlan focuses on three aspects that help business owners succeed. These include the Guided Builder, Drag and Drop element and the Automatic Projections as the basic elements for starting a business. According to BizPlan, they have helped more than 1 million startup companies and rely on a vast number of mentors available for users to rely on.

• $29 per month
• $249 per year
• $349 lifetime access

What Features Does BizPlan.com offer?

• Guided business plan builder
• Budget and financial tools
• PDF export and the ability to share PDF online
• Expert help
• Opportunities for finding investors

Pros and Cons Of BizPlan

Based on independent user reviews of BizPlan.com, we look into the pros and cons of BizPlan.com.

• Quick responses from customer help during business hoursBroad selection of templates
• Descriptive guides on how to use the software tools
• Integrate your finances with the software
• Online sharing of documents and plans with investors
• Most useful for smaller businesses with under 1000 people
• No mobile-friendly usability
• No free trial, but you can get your money back within the first 7 days.
• PDF is not sufficiently supported
• Software design makes it hard to navigate the platform.
• Users have found issues with the input methods available on the software.

How does Cuttles compare to BizPlan.com?

• Cuttles’ UX and design is modern, intuitive and user friendly and makes business planning a fun task, instead of a boring chore
• Cuttles provides you with a simple structure and powerful guides written in a language that everyone understands, whereas Bizplan’s guides are more business heavy, making the experience and skills required to do your business planning heavier too.
• Cuttles has a ready-to-fill-out business plan template but also gives the opportunity to fully customize your own plan, BizPlan has many different templates, which can be great, but also a bit overwhelming for early-stage or more inexperienced entrepreneurs.
• Cuttles is a cloud-based service and offers a high level of security.Cuttles has more features, including a Pitch Deck, Roadmap and Cap table.
• Cuttles has Startup Success Managers that are ready to help you out with any questions and guide you through the business planning process, including pointing you in the direction of investors. We don’t have a database of investors like BizPlan.
• Besides exporting your plan to PDF, Cuttles lets you share your whole startup deck online in an intuitive format, rather than just an online pdf file.

3. Upmetrics.com

What is upmetrics.

Upmetrics.co is a cloud-based business planning software. The build-in templates of this software makes it simple to tailor your plans and projections. The software offers financial projection features and makes it easy for your team to collaborate. Upmetrics was founded in 2017.

• Solo plan: $9 pr. month
• Team plan: $14 pr. month
• Premium plan: $49 pr. month

What features does Upmetrics offer?

• Business plan builder
• Export and online sharing
• Collaborate on business plan with team
• Activity Dashboard

Pros and Cons

Based on independent user reviews of Upmetrics, we look into the pros and cons of Upmetrics. 

• Inexpensive fees
• Collaboration
• Social sharing features
• Customizable templates
• No investor management
• No fundraiser management
• No free trial
• Issues regarding user-friendliness and design features

How does Cuttles compare to Upmetrics.co?

• Upmetrics offers a selection of well-designed front pages for your business plan. Cuttles designs all your work for you in your own brand design. When you upload your logo to Cuttles, the whole app adapts into your design.
• Cuttles has a ready-to-fill-out business plan template that works for most industries, but also gives the opportunity to fully customize your own plan.
• With the Cuttles Startup or Unlimited plans, you can invite unlimited team members to collaborate with you.
• Cuttles has more features, including Roadmap and Cap table.

What is Enloop.com?

Enloop.com is a bank and investor-ready business plan creation system. The tool includes auto-write, and text sync features to help you write the best business plans. More than 300.000 business owners use this software, entrepreneurs and students according to Enloop.com.\

• Free plan: Free
• Basic plan: $9 pr. month
• Advances plan: $11-20 pr. month
• Professional plan: $24-40 pr. måned

What features does Enloop.com offer?

• Business plans
• Financial reports
• Interactive PDF
• Real-time performance scores
• Works for multiple languages
• Automated writing features

Based on independent user reviews of Enloop.com, we look into the pros and cons of Enloop.com.

• Affordable prices
• Free version for trying our the software
• Cloud-based software you can access anywhere
• Free business plan. The number of business plans in the free version is limited to 1.
• Automated text writing

What is GoSmallBiz.com?

GoSmallBiz is an online support system for startups and small businesses. The solution is limited to the US, which means if you are outside of US territory, you cannot access their services or website. If you are US based, the service offers you unlimited access to expert consultants. If you are a UK-based entrepreneur or from anywhere outside of the US, this is not a possibility for you.

Pricing Details:

• Full membership: $39 pr. Month

What features does GoSmallBiz.com offer?

• Expert support
• Standard templates
• Planning tools for startups
• Online courses
• Spreadsheet software for reports and statements 

Based on independent user reviews of Gosmallbiz.com, we look into the pros and cons of Gosmallbiz.com.

Advantages of GoSmallBiz.com

• Unlimited access to consultant
• Access to Online Business Courses
• Attracting clients and maintaining contact via database access
• Precise management information, which can help new businesses with decision-making

Disadvantages of GoSmallBiz.com

• US-based only
• Limited Business plan templates
• No direct contact with consultant, but you can send request and await response
• Only suitable with Microsoft Word and PDFs
• Not ideal as a tool for long term planning 

How does Cuttles compare to GoSmallBiz.com?

• There’s no geographical limitations to Cuttles
• Cuttles offers well explained guides and real-life examples on what to write in each section of your business plan. We believe planning is an important learning process, which we want you to go through. We don’t want to do the work for you.
• Cuttles has Startup Success Managers that are ready to help you out with any questions, guide you through the business planning process.
• Cuttles has a free, extensive startup academy with online startup business courses as well as a library of great tools and resources for startups. 

Now Find Your Match Made In eaven

Has your head stopped spinning? We hope that this simple walk-through of the 5 most prominent business planning tools has convinced you that:

•  You do need the software and that
• Even the best tools are only as good as the entrepreneur using them. You might find that you can live without certain features. But having a tool you can adapt to your needs is something we value greatly at Cuttles.

So, was this a trick just to get you thinking about Cuttles? We hope you don’t think so. With this comparison of the best business planning software, we want to provide you with the insights you need to make your business thrive. 

Through... If you believe Cuttles is the right match for you, you can easily sign up with our services today. Just click here to sign up and begin the first step of your startup journey.

Why Choose Cuttles As Your Business Plan Software?

Read what our current users think of using Cuttles as their favourite software for business planning:

“Documenting the building blocks of a start-up is a daunting task that Cuttles simplifies by guiding the user via a modular approach. Following the established guidelines developed by the Cuttles team with its first-hand experience of successful start-ups, aspiring entrepreneurs can break down the tasks into smaller segments. The canvas forces one to succinctly summarise one’s business pitch, the budgeting tool provides a powerful but easy to use interface to construct a detailed budget that includes cash flow projections and all metrics that potential investors will require. The business plan module once again follows the same ethos of stepwise guidance through a complex task, and a set of tasks that we thought might take us months to complete were shortened to a few weeks. Cuttles is a wonderful resource that we would unequivocally recommend.” - Phaseinvest

"Writing a business plan is a sinuous task and a continuous back and forth. Cuttles makes the process of thinking, sketching and writing your business plan seamless. We were able to get our plan ready in a couple of days easily and without issues." - Fernando Caamaño

"Creating something from nothing is hard. Building a startup requires a huge amount of work and that’s where Cuttles helps. The versatile and well organised startup builder is a solution to many of the problems that entrepreneurs face day by day. It is a must-have for every entrepreneur." - Farner

"We’ve been missing a tool like Cuttles for years! All our work is usually stuck within folders, within other folders and it’s hard to have a one-stop shop with all the details of each startup. Plus, these change almost on a weekly basis! So having an always up-to-date link to the business plan is such a nice feature. No more little hacks and workarounds, now business ideas have a home of their own!” - Startup Programme

"Our partners are early-stage startups innovating in the field of oncology and cancer research. These brilliant innovators face challenges in the business arena just as every early-stage company. Cuttles connects the dots and makes it easier to write a proper business plan, manage the budget, and present your ideas. MedTech, BioTech, Healthcare startups have a unique trajectory and Cuttles provides a solution to this with its fully customizable platform." - cLab Ventures

"We are proud to unveil our latest tool in partnership with Cuttles. Cuttles is a fully guided, interactive and customizable startup builder that helps you with planning, budgeting and presenting your startup to investors. Their business plan tool helps you write your plan in a fraction of the time." - The Hub

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Blog Business 8 Best Business Plan Software for 2024

8 Best Business Plan Software for 2024

Written by: Krystle Wong Jan 01, 2024

Gone are the days of staring at blank pages and struggling to structure a business plan effectively. With user-friendly interfaces and a wide range of business plan templates catering to various industries, creating business plans that are polished, professional and data-driven can now be done in a fraction of the time.

For startups, business plan software guides them through the crucial early stages with comprehensive business plan templates and financial modeling tools. Established businesses on the other hand benefit from the software’s collaborative features, enabling seamless teamwork as they pivot, innovate and pursue new growth opportunities.

In this article, let’s delve into exploring the seven best business plan software for 2024. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur with a groundbreaking idea or a seasoned business owner ready to elevate your enterprise to new heights, these software solutions have all you need to create a solid business plan.

Click to jump ahead:

What is a business plan software?

• 7 Best business plan software for 2024

Factors to consider when choosing a business plan software

7 steps to create your own business plan, business plan software faq, key takeaway.

A Business plan software is a specialized digital tool designed to assist entrepreneurs, startups and established businesses in creating, organizing and presenting comprehensive business plans. 

Business plan software significantly reduces the time and effort required to create a comprehensive business plan . The availability of business plan templates, financial modeling tools and automated features streamlines the process of business planning and eliminates the need for starting from scratch.

Some advanced business planning software even integrates market research capabilities. This feature provides users with access to market trends, industry benchmarks and relevant data. Access to such data helps users make informed decisions and demonstrate a thorough understanding of their target market.

8 Best business plan software for 2024 

1. venngage.

Venngage specializes in transforming traditional business plans into captivating visual stories. Visuals can communicate complex information effectively, ensuring your ideas stand out and resonate with your audience.

When it comes to business planning, conveying your ideas with impact is just as important as the content itself. In this digital age, visual storytelling has emerged as a powerful way to captivate audiences and leave a lasting impression. That’s where Venngage steps in.

With a rich library of templates, Venngage offers a variety of themes and styles to suit different industries and business types. Customize your business plans with our user-friendly drag-and-drop tools by adding your brand elements, customizing colors, fonts and visuals to make your business plan truly unique. Check out our library of sample business plans to get started today.

However, while Venngage excels in visual storytelling, it might not be the go-to tool for in-depth financial forecasts and analysis. Users seeking extensive financial modeling might want to complement Venngage with a comprehensive business planning tool.

Pricing options:

Create your first 5 designs with Venngage for free and upgrade to a premium or business plan for $10/month per user and $24/month per user respectively to enjoy premium features. For larger teams who need extra support, controls and security, the enterprise plan starts from $499/month for 10+ seats.

Can I collaborate with team members using this business plan software?

Yes, absolutely! Venngage offers collaborative features that allow you to work seamlessly with multiple team members when creating business plans. You can invite team members to join your Venngage account and they can contribute to the design process in real time. 

Can I export my business plan to different file formats?

Upgrade to a premium or business plan on Venngage to export your professional business plan to different file formats. After designing your business plan, you can choose to export it as a high-quality PDF document, which is ideal for sharing and printing. Additionally, Venngage allows you to export your business plan as an image file (PNG or JPG), making it easy to use in presentations or on your website. 

Is this business plan software suitable for startups or established businesses? 

Venngage is great for entrepreneurs and businesses looking to enhance their business plans with visually engaging infographics and visual assets.

Instead of sharing a lengthy, 50-page document that may bore your audience and fail to effectively convey your message — present your business plan with infographics. Here’s how you can create a business plan infographic that will wow your readers and showcase your business at its best. 

2. LivePlan

Source: Screenshot from LivePlan

In the realm of business planning software, LivePlan stands out as a reliable and user-friendly tool. With a focus on seamless financial forecasting and budgeting capabilities, LivePlan streamlines the planning process, helping businesses transform their visions into reality.

The software’s financial forecasting tools provide users with the ability to project revenue, expenses and cash flow accurately. This financial insight is invaluable for making informed decisions and setting realistic goals.

For hassle-free data integration, the business plan software offers seamless integration with accounting software . This feature allows users to import financial data effortlessly, saving time and reducing manual data entry.

While LivePlan excels in financial planning and user-friendliness, some users may find the customization options for design and layout to be limited. For businesses seeking highly tailored visual aesthetics, LivePlan’s template-based approach might be less ideal.

The standard plan is available at $20/month for monthly billing and $15/month for annual billing. For businesses seeking extensive financial tools to support their operations and growth, the Premium plan costs $20 for the first month and $40/month (monthly billing) or $30/month (annual billing) for subsequent months.

LivePlan facilitates seamless collaboration among users within your account, allowing multiple individuals to work on the same plan concurrently. To prevent conflicting edits, LivePlan restricts access to specific sections, allowing only one user to edit at a time while others observe the locked section.

You can export your business plan by using the print to PDF feature. This generates your plan content in a standard file format compatible with Adobe Reader and other free reader programs. Alternatively, you can export your plan to Microsoft Word (2007 or later).

A great tool for small businesses, startups and entrepreneurs looking for easy-to-use software with solid financial planning tools.

3. Upmetrics

Upmetrics is an AI-powered business planning software that helps businesses of all sizes and industries write their business plan.

With Upmetrics AI Assistant, you can write your plan faster, get answers to any business-related queries, and prepare financial forecasts in no time. 

Besides, the subscription includes access to 400+ sample business plans, various informative guides, and video tutorials to keep your business plan writing process on track. 

Additionally, it has collaborative features, so that everyone on the team can share their insights. Not just that, the software provides you with an AI pitch deck generator, so you can make a stellar pitch.

As an AI business plan builder , Upmetrics is suitable for entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses to write their plans at any stage. Although it has various cover page designs and immense customization options, it might still lack visual appeal. 

Pricing plan options 

• Starter plan – $7 monthly 
• Premium plan – $14 monthly 

Yes, you can collaborate with your team members while using Upmetrics. It offers collaboration tools that allow you to work effortlessly with your team on the business plan. You can invite team members to collaborate, assign tasks, and track the progress together. 

You can download your business plan as a PDF or directly as a document in Word. Besides, you can share the business plan directly to any email, and they will get the viewer access to the plan. 

Upmetrics is a versatile business planning software suitable for startups and established businesses. But its financial planning features, step-by-step guidance, and AI Assistant make it more useful for startups writing business plans for the first time.

4. BizPlan by Startups.com

Source: Screenshot from BizPlan

If you’re a startup aiming to raise investments, BizPlan is the one for you. As a universal professional business plan builder, BizPlan offers the added advantage of seamless integration with all the tools within the Startups.com network.

Designed with startups in mind, BizPlan’s step-by-step approach allows you to break down the entire scope of work into manageable steps and the built-in Progress Tracker tool keeps you on track towards success.

Once you subscribe, BizPlan opens the door to utilizing all the tools offered by Startups.com, making it a one-stop shop for your entrepreneurial needs. Whether it’s lifetime access to the service, connectivity to Findable to attract financial investments, a wealth of online educational programs or the ability to connect multiple owners to a single account, BizPlan delivers comprehensive support.

While the business plan software offers an array of benefits, it’s essential to consider the possible downsides. The absence of a free version and a mobile app, along with a lack of industry-specific templates for business plans may be worth considering before making your decision

Pricing plan options:

• Monthly plan ($29 per month)
• Annual plan ($20.75 per month or $249/year)
• Lifetime access (one-time fee of $349)

Bizplan encourages collaboration with partners, team members, advisors and subject matter experts by allowing threaded comments throughout the entire plan. It provides control over who can access sensitive financial data and enables convenient cloud-based access from anywhere.

Bizplan provides multiple options for sharing your business plan with others. You can generate an online version of your plan, which can be set as private by default or made publicly accessible through a unique shareable URL. Additionally, Bizplan offers the option to create a custom-branded PDF of your business plan. 

BizPlan is great for entrepreneurs and small businesses who value a vast collection of resources and need support in financial analysis.

Source: Screenshot from Enloop

Enloop emerges as one of the best business plan tools for startups, catering to entrepreneurs who crave a streamlined planning process. With the ability to automatically generate basic text for each section of your plan, Enloop saves time and effort in crafting your business vision.

A highlight of the business plan tool is its automatic generation of financial projections, offering accurate insights based on your entered data. This powerful feature empowers entrepreneurs to make informed decisions and project future outcomes with confidence.

For those with a penchant for strategic thinking, Enloop’s “what-if” scenario analysis becomes an invaluable tool. It allows users to explore various business strategies and assess their potential impact on plan outcomes, enabling sound decision-making.

Enloop doesn’t stop at generating numbers; it goes a step further by providing a business plan grading system. This insightful feature assesses plan quality, giving users valuable feedback to refine and enhance their business plans.

However, it’s essential to consider the software’s limitations as customization and design options are relatively limited. Additionally, the basic version of Enloop might not meet the needs of all users, as it lacks certain advanced features. 

• Seven day free trial (no credit card required)
• Detailed plan ($19.95/month or $11/month when billed annually)
• Performance plan ($39.95/month or $24/month when billed annually)

Enloop’s online business plan writing app lets you invite and collaborate with anyone on your business plans using the ‘Invite & Share’ feature.

Enloop allows you to download your business plan in PDF format whenever you’re ready. The plans remain accessible in your paid account, encouraging regular updates to keep track of your business’s health and have an up-to-date plan ready for financing needs.

Suitable for entrepreneurs seeking a tool that simplifies financial forecasting and scenario analysis.

6. PlanGuru

Source: Screenshot from PlanGuru

PlanGuru’s standout feature lies in its ability to forecast all three financial statements – income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statement so that users can make data-driven decisions.

Creating detailed analyses becomes a breeze with PlanGuru’s general ledger import utilities, allowing seamless historical data import. The software facilitates budget vs actual reporting and enables building rolling forecasts with just a few clicks each month.

Unlimited budgeting flexibility is another advantage offered by the business plan builder. Users can craft simple high-level small business budgets or delve into intricate multi-department operating budgets with ease.

With scenario analysis capabilities, PlanGuru empowers users to interpret the financial impact of specific events accurately. This feature enables making critical investments and strategic decisions with confidence, knowing thorough due diligence has been performed.

Given its sophisticated features, PlanGuru may be more suitable for financial professionals and analysts looking for in-depth financial analysis and budgeting tools. Users not familiar with financial modeling may face a steeper learning curve when utilizing Enloop’s robust capabilities.

• Single entity ($99/month or $75/month when billed annually)
• Multi-department consolidations ($299/month or $225/month when billed annually)

You can add up to 3 users with the multi-department consolidation plan. Additionally, all plans allow you to add on $29/month (billed monthly) or $25/month (billed annually) for each extra user.

What other apps does PlanGuru integrate with?

The cloud-based platform is also accessible as a Windows-based desktop version, giving you the freedom to choose the format that suits you best. Additionally, PlanGuru seamlessly integrates with MS Excel, QuickBooks Online and Xero, providing further flexibility and convenience in using the software.

The cloud-based version is suitable for SMBs or nonprofits budgeting for a single entity while the multi-department consolidations plan is for companies with multiple departments needing consolidated budgets.

7. Business Sorter

Source: Screenshot from Business Sorter

With Business Sorter’s card sort system, crafting the foundation of your plan becomes a breeze. Featuring 273 cards covering various business situations, the business plan generator offers flexibility, allowing users to customize their plan by adding their cards or modifying existing ones, tailoring the plan to their specific needs.

The platform also provides the convenience of viewing your plan on any device, including smartphones, which not many business plan apps have. Additionally, guidance is at hand with Business Sorter as the software provides valuable tips and advice for every key step, empowering users to implement their business strategy with confidence.

While Business Sorter excels in its interactive features, it may not offer as extensive financial analysis tools as other business plan software. For businesses requiring advanced financial modeling capabilities, Business Sorter might not fully meet their requirements.

• For small teams with up to 3 users ($10/month or $80/year)
• For medium teams with up to 10 users ($30/month or $240/year)
• For large teams with up to 30 users ($80/month or $640/year)
• For enterprises with unlimited users (custom pricing)

Your business plan can be edited by only one user at a time. When a user opens a plan, it automatically locks to prevent any data loss and remains locked until the user finishes their work and exits the plan.

You can print each business plan directly from the plan summaries on your dashboard. 

Suitable for both entrepreneurs and businesses looking for an interactive and visually appealing planning approach.

9. AchieveIt

Source: Screenshot from AchieveIt

AchieveIt stands as a versatile software for business plans, designed to simplify the planning process for businesses of all sizes and planning methods. With AchieveIt, you can easily build plans, ensuring alignment and engagement among your employees and optimizing plans for seamless execution.

Regardless of your preferred planning method, AchieveIt empowers you to construct plans effortlessly, providing a flexible solution for any planning use case. The software ensures your plans are well-aligned with your organization’s objectives, engaging all team members for successful plan execution.

The business plan tool provides robust tracking and reporting features, allowing businesses to monitor the progress of their plans and measure performance against set goals. Users can create customized dashboards to visualize key performance metrics, making it easier to identify trends and insights.

That said, In comparison to most business plan software, AchieveIt’s pricing might be relatively higher with its extensive features. On top of that, for users new to strategic planning software, AchieveIt may present a learning curve during the initial adoption phase.

The business plan software packages for AchieveIt varies based on factors like organization size, required functionality and the number of users. AchieveIt being an enterprise-level software offers custom pricing to cater to the specific needs of each business. For accurate pricing details, it’s best to contact their sales or customer support team.

AchieveIt allows team members, stakeholders and advisors to have shared access to the platform, providing them with visibility into the latest updates and progress on the plans. Users can assign tasks to team members and track their progress within the platform. 

Can AchieveIt integrate with existing systems?

AchieveIt’s Data Integration API lets you import key metric data from existing systems, saving time and reducing errors by eliminating the need for data entry in multiple places.

AchieveIt is best suited for medium to large-sized businesses and organizations that require a comprehensive and collaborative strategic planning platform. It caters to teams and enterprises seeking to improve their planning processes, track performance and drive organizational alignment to achieve business objectives effectively.

No idea what your business plan should look like? Check out these business plan examples for inspiration. 

When searching for the best business planning software, you may be wondering — what features should I look for in business plan software? You want to make sure it meets your specific requirements and streamlines the planning process effectively. Here are the top six factors to consider:

Ease of use

The software should have a user-friendly interface that simplifies the process of creating a business plan. Look for intuitive navigation, clear instruction and a layout that makes it easy to input and organize your information.

Features and business plan templates

Check the range of features and business plan templates the software offers. Look for a diverse selection of business plan templates catering to various industries and business types. The software should provide essential sections like executive summaries, market analysis, financial projections and more.

Financial modeling tools

Your business plan software should allow you to input financial data and generate accurate and comprehensive financial projections. These business plan creation tools are vital for assessing the financial viability of your business.

Collaboration and sharing

If you’ll be working with a team or seeking feedback from others, consider software that enables real-time collaboration and easy sharing. The ability to work together seamlessly can enhance productivity and improve the quality of your business plan.

Built for fast-moving teams that need to be on the same page, Venngage’s real-time collaboration enables you to polish your design with your team in real time, leave comments on each other’s work,and save your designs in one shared folder. With your  Venngage Business  account, you can easily invite and manage your team members to collaborate on a design, all in real time.

Security and data protection

Since a business plan contains sensitive information, prioritize software that prioritizes security. Ensure that the software uses encryption and data protection measures to keep your data safe from unauthorized access.

Exporting and sharing options

Check the software’s export options. You’ll likely want to share your business plan with others, so ensure it can be exported in popular formats like PDF or PowerPoint.

Are you an entrepreneur starting a new business or expanding your existing business? This guide on how to create a small business plan might come in handy for you. 

Creating business plans can be a crucial step in setting your entrepreneurial vision on the right track. To help you through the process, here are 7 steps to guide you in crafting a comprehensive business plan:

Step 1: Executive summary

Start with an attention-grabbing executive summary. This section provides an overview of your business. In your executive summary, make sure to highlight your mission, goals, products or services, target market and the unique value you offer. Keep it concise, yet compelling.

Step 2: Company description

Give a detailed description of your company. Explain your business’s history, its legal structure (e.g. sole proprietorship, LLC, corporation) and the reasons why your business will succeed in the market.

Step 3: Market analysis

Conduct thorough market research to understand your industry, target market and competition. Identify your ideal customers, their needs and preferences. Analyze your competitors and highlight your competitive advantages.

Step 4: Products and Services

Describe your products or services in depth. Explain their features, benefits and how they meet the needs of your target customers. Emphasize what sets your offerings apart from the competition.

Step 5: Marketing and sales strategy

Outline your marketing and sales strategies to reach your target audience. Explain your promotional activities, pricing strategies, distribution channels and sales tactics. Detail how you plan to acquire and retain customers.

Step 6: Financial projections

Project your financial performance over the next three to five years. Include estimated revenue, expenses and cash flow. Detail your startup costs and funding requirements if applicable. Be realistic and supported by market research.

Step 7: Implementation plan

Create a detailed roadmap for executing your business plan. Set specific goals and milestones. Break down tasks and assign responsibilities. Include timelines and a plan for measuring progress.

A great tip here is to start with a well-structured outline. This guide on how to create a business plan outline will help you in creating your blueprint to easily identify your business’ resource needs, including finances, personnel and equipment. 

Is my business data safe with business plan software?

Most reputable business plan software providers prioritize data security and employ encryption and other measures to keep your business data safe from unauthorized access.

What are the benefits of using business planning tools?

Business planning tools offer time efficiency, professional presentation, error reduction, collaborative features and accessibility, making it easier to create a comprehensive business plan that impresses investors and stakeholders.

Do I need any specific skills or expertise to use business plan software?

No, many business plan software solutions are designed to be user-friendly, requiring no specific skills or expertise. They often come with templates and step-by-step guidance to assist you through the planning process.

In the dynamic landscape of 2024, businesses are on the lookout for innovative tools to stay ahead of the curve and drive their growth. These 7 business plan software picks for 2024 offer a wide range of features, from user-friendly interfaces and real-time collaboration to sophisticated financial analysis tools and customizable dashboards.

Whether you’re looking for user-friendly platform business planning tools that aligns with your business planning processes or a business plan writing software that allows you to tailor the business plan according to your industry, goals and unique requirements — I’m quite certain I’ve got them all covered. 

The value of these business plan software options lies not only in their efficiency but also in their ability to save time and reduce errors. By integrating with existing systems through Data Integration APIs, users can seamlessly import key metric data, eliminating redundant data entry and streamlining the process.

If you’re still unsure about which is the right business plan software for your business, you can always take advantage of free trials or video tutorials and demos offered by software providers. Testing the platform firsthand will give you a practical understanding of its usability and suitability for your business.

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Best Business Plan Software: Our Top Picks for 2024

Written By Julija A.

Updated: February 6, 2024

To choose the best business plan software for your needs, you must consider several factors. Not all products and businesses are created equal, and some need more detailed financial projections than others.

Thankfully, there are various software solutions on the market you can choose from to assist you with your business planning. But where should you start?

To help you with that, we have researched and compiled a list of the top-rated programs that can make it easier to get your business off the ground and ensure its long-term success.

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• Unlimited plans
• 35-day money-back guarantee
• Insightful tutorials

Jump to Review

• 30-day free trial
• Valuation tool

• 7-day free trial
• Several free business plans
• Competitive prices

• Business process monitoring
• Revenue projection tool

• 15-day free trial
• Business guide
• Flexible pricing options

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Business Plan Software Pros and Cons

Now, let’s review some key advantages and potential disadvantages of these programs.

• They are cost-effective and efficient, providing excellent long-term value.
• Business planning tools help you set reasonable goals and track your progress.
• They allow you to work on the business plan with multiple people and easily share data with mentors and investors.
• Many have video tutorials, extensive knowledge libraries, and even forums, while others have help centers with short but useful guides, at the very least.
• Specific platforms have limited free-trial options. So, check what features your favorite business plan program offers as part of a free trial.
• Some software doesn’t provide live chat, phone, or quick-support options. So, getting in contact with customer service representatives may be a problem if you need urgent assistance.

Although business planning software offers a wide selection of useful features, choosing the one that’s ideal for your needs comes down to evaluating several factors.

Everyone’s requirements are different, so take your time choosing the right software for you. Once you’ve made your decision, all you need to do is put the program to work, define your business plan and operating budget , and get you’ll be able to get the project off the ground in no time!

Choosing Business Plan Software: Things To Consider

Deciding on the best business plan software for your needs can seem daunting – there are so many options available, and it can be difficult to know where to start. However, in our business plan software reviews, we pointed out a few key factors you should keep in mind to narrow down your options.

Both free and paid options are available, so you’ll need to decide what’s right for you. We did not mention any free business planning software in this review, but if you’re on a limited budget and are looking for free software, pay attention to the number of features it allows you to use and how many collaborators you can have onboard.

When using software to devise a business plan, the features offered by the tool are a top priority. Not all of them will be relevant for every business, so it’s important to take into account which features are more important for the type of business you’re running.

Number of Co-Workers

Another important thing to consider is the number of collaborators that you will need to include in the making of your business plan. You won’t need software with unlimited collaborators if you only need to share your project with a few people, but at the same time, the software has to support the number of coworkers you need working with you.

Educational Resources and Tutorials

Next, consider whether you’ll need access to educational resources. Some software options come with templates and tutorials that can help you get started, as well as help you optimize your business plan for the long term.

When it comes to business planning software, user experience is extremely important. The user interface should be intuitive and easy to use, as the last thing you need when devising a business plan is to deal with a clunky interface. That said, you should always thoroughly test out a platform before committing to it for the long term.

Integrations

Last but not least, check out how many integration options your shortlisted platform has and what those are. Programs such as QuickBooks, Xero, and Microsoft Excel are all highly useful and commonly used tools, so having them integrated with your business planning software can make your life easier.

Top 5 Picks: Business Plan Software

1.LivePlan Review

• Pricing: Standard plan: $15/$20 per month, Business plan: $30/$40 per month
• Number of plans: Unlimited
• Free trial: Yes (35-day money-back guarantee)

LivePlan offers high functionality at an affordable price. It boasts an intuitive, user-friendly interface with plenty of useful features, making it easy for users to write detailed business plans . So, if you’re looking for sophisticated, modern business plan software, LivePlan should be among your shortlisted options.

You’ll find there are many things you can use Liveplan software for. Some business plan features it offers are:

• Over 500 sample plans.
• Easy export to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• One-page pitch builder, which creates an infographic version of your business plan.
• Automatic financials – the program creates charts, tables, and reports for you.
• Financial performance tracking, which also helps you plan a budget and offers seamless integration with financial tools.
• Step-by-step guidance: You receive instructions with prompts, definitions, and tutorials as soon as you log in.

The premium package adds performance indicators, a milestone planner, benchmark data for metrics comparisons, and more.

Who Is It For?

LivePlan is among the finest business plan software solutions for businesses and entrepreneurs who need:

• An affordable business planning tool with a variety of useful features.
• To create many reports, as the software lets you create as many as you wish or need.
• Help with creating a report, since the platform has a comprehensive step-by-step guide and tutorials.
• To access their plans for extended periods, as the program saves data for more than a year, even after cancellation.

On the other hand, LivePlan itself is an advanced tool, so there is a learning curve for beginners.

LivePlan has two plans catering to startups, small and large businesses, and long-time investors. The subscription can be paid either monthly or annually.

If you choose the former option, the Standard package will cost you $20 a month, while the monthly price of the Premium plan is $40.

If you opt for the annual subscription, you’ll only have to pay $15 per month for the Standard and $30 per month on the Premium plan. This generous discount makes LivePlan arguably the best business plan software for individuals and businesses willing to commit to a subscription for a longer period.

Key Features

2.PlanGuru Review

• Pricing: Plan Guru App: $99 per month or $899 per year, Plan Guru Desktop: $99 per month or $899 per year
• Free trial: Yes (30 days)

PlanGuru is a good choice if you want robust software that offers a variety of features. The most notable one is the valuation tool, which is only available on the desktop version of the software at the time of writing.

In short, PlanGuru is a business planning software solution committed to helping businesses with their financial planning, providing the tools they need to create reports, budgets, forecasts, and more.

PlanGuru offers two types of plans: Advisor and Business/Non-profit. These are largely the same, with a few slight differences, and the company lets you choose between a cloud-based app and a desktop application.

Whichever option you choose, you gain access to an unlimited number of scenarios per company and can import up to five years of actual results. Furthermore, each plan entitles you to a pre-built three-way forecasting structure and lets you benefit from over 20 standard forecasting methods.

That said, PlanGuru is more of a financial planning tool than business plan writing software.

The desktop application has some additional features. For example, the valuation tool is currently available on the desktop version only. Also, some other features that are only available on the desktop version are the payroll utility, the breakeven tool, and an unlimited number of consolidated projections.

PlanGuru would make an excellent business plan tool for those who:

• Appreciate a comprehensive resources library.
• Wish to compare their finances to the performance of a given industry.
• Are used to importing files using QuickBooks Online, Xero, Excel, or QuickBooks Desktop.
• Need business valuation calculations (PlanGuru is one of the best business planning software solutions with this feature).

On the other hand, you may wish to look elsewhere if you:

• Need a tool focusing on basic business plan writing.
• Have a limited budget. PlanGuru is expensive, especially if you need to include additional users.

Pricing is on the high side with PlanGuru. A subscription will set you back $99 per month or $899 per year, and on top of that, adding additional users costs an extra $29 per month or $299 per year. So, ensure you can get the most out of this software to make writing your business plan worth the time, effort, and cost.

3.Enloop Review

• Pricing: Detailed plan: $11/$19.95 per month, Performance plan: $24/$39.95 per month
• Number of plans: 3
• Free trial: Yes (7 days)

If you’re looking for simple software to create a business plan, Enloop is an excellent option. Dedicated to business plan creation, it offers features such as automated text writing, financial forecast comparisons, and auto-generated financial reports.

Enloop is one of the best business plan software options available on the market if accessibility and ease of use are your priority. It features a simple interface and it’s suitable for users who don’t need more than a few business plans, although more plans can be unlocked for an additional monthly cost.

Both of Enloop’s pricing plans share most of the program’s feature set, such as automated text writing, colored charts, real-time performance score, data and text synchronization, and country currency formatting with over a hundred currency symbols and formats.

The main differences between the two plans come down to the number of team members who can be included in the project, and the number of financial ratios that the app can analyze.

You should consider Enloop if you only need up to three business plans, which is the account limit. However, you might want to keep it shortlisted even if you need more, since it’s possible to unlock additional business plans for an extra $9.95 per month.

Furthermore, you’d likely find this business plan creator software appealing if you intend to have multiple people working on a business plan. The Detailed plan allows two shared users, while the Performance package allows five.

You’ll also find Enloop helpful if you:

• Have a limited budget.
• Value text, tables, and image formatting.
• Wish to have access to helpful written and video tutorials.

On the flip side, Enloop might not be a good fit if you need:

• QuickBooks or Xero integration options.
• More than five co-workers working on your business plan.
• Responsive customer support, as it can only be reached via a contact form.

Enloop offers both monthly and annual subscription options, and the latter allows you to save about 50% if you wish to commit for the long term.

So, if you opt for the Enloop business plan software, the price is as follows:

• $19.95 per month for the Detailed plan
• $39.95 per month for the Premium package

If you choose the annual subscription, the prices are:

• $11 per month for the Detailed package
• $24 per month for the Premium plan

4.Bizplan Review

• Pricing: Monthly plan: $29 per month, Annual plan: $20.75 per month, Lifetime plan: $349
• Free trial: No

Bizplan is yet another tool popular among many businesses due to a variety of benefits it offers. You can include as many collaborators as you wish and create an unlimited number of business plans, have access to a range of useful tools, and use the company’s extensive educational resources, and more.

Bizplan is among the top business plan software options with a number of helpful features that young businesses can benefit from. For example, you can:

• Set your business goals and monitor the progress from a single dashboard.
• Ask for advice or detailed guidance from acclaimed mentors your dedicated advisor connects you to.
• Access courses that can help you scale your business, including customer acquisition and business planning.

Moreover, Bizplan boasts an extensive library of interviews and guides you can use, and you can join the Startup Therapy Podcast for insights on how to deal with issues that every new business experiences.

Among other features, this business planning software also has:

• Revenue-projection tool
• Equity fundraising platform
• Automatic financial projections
• Easy-to-use templates for reports generation
• Extensive library of educational content
• Unlimited business plans, tables, and sections
• Exemplary customer support you can contact via email, live chat, and phone

Bizplan is one of the business plan software providers that grants users access to all of its features with a single plan, with no limitations on the number of plans or collaborators. It caters to startups and seasoned business people, offering ample resources, business plan creation opportunities, and convenient monitoring.

One of the few downsides of this software is the lack of a free trial, which means you’ll have to subscribe if you wish to try the program out.

There are three subscription options with Bizplan:

• Monthly, which costs $29 per month
• Annual, which costs $20.75 per month ($249 per year)
• Lifetime, which costs $349 for lifetime access

Given that no other provider among our shortlisted options offers a lifetime plan, it’s safe to say that Bizplan is the best business plan software for users who wish to commit to a high flat cost rather than worry about subscription costs in the long-term.

5.IdeaBuddy Review

• Pricing: Dreamer plan: starting from $6 per month, Founder plan: starting from $9 per month, Enterprise plan: custom pricing
• Number of plans: Unspecified
• Free trial: Yes (15 days)

IdeaBuddy is a handy tool that can help you with many things, including testing your business ideas, financial planning, and more. It is particularly useful if you have a business idea but aren’t sure how to implement it. The software can accommodate a variety of people and companies, including entrepreneurs, managers, startups, and business schools.

IdeaBuddy is an excellent small business planning software that has five main features:

• Idea validation
• Financial plan
• Business plan

The idea plan feature allows you to map and structure your idea easily and efficiently on a single page without much effort. The process is simple, resembling a website building tool, and it provides you with an overview of the business model upon completion.

As its name suggests, the idea validation feature provides insights into how likely your idea is to become a thriving business.

The business guide gives you valuable insights into how to start your business. It can help you assess how big your target market is, perform competition analysis, allow you to better understand who your prospective customers are, and evaluate the idea’s overall market potential.

The financial plan helps you evaluate your income on monthly, quarterly, and annual bases, complete with long-term cash flow projections and detailed financial reports.

Finally, the business plan feature helps you create a shareable plan that you can edit and export to Word or PDF.

IdeaBuddy is business plan maker software especially suitable for individuals and startups that need guidance when it comes to implementing their business ideas. It is also useful for people with limited budgets. Furthermore, nonprofits and schools benefit from IdeaBuddy’s 30% off policy.

On the other hand, you might not find the platform to your liking if you:

• Wish to test all the features before committing, since the free trial has a very limited feature set.
• Need responsive customer support assistance, since you can contact them only via a contact form.

IdeaBuddy has flexible pricing options, making it one of the best business plan software solutions if money is an issue. You can see some of them in the tables below:

DREAMER PLAN

FOUNDER PLAN

As for the cost and details of the Enterprise plan, you need to contact IdeaBuddy directly via the contact form.

What is the best free business plan software?

Various business plan template software solutions offer a free basic version or a free trial. However, free business planning software usually lacks essential features that a growing business might need.

Which business plan software is the best?

It depends on your professional needs. For example, those who need a valuation tool would find PlanGuru the most convenient, while others might prefer LivePlan if they’re prioritizing flexibility and value.

What is the best business plan software for startups?

LivePlan, Bizplan, and IdeaBuddy are among the finest business planning software for startups. LivePlan provides high functionality for the price, Bizplan has extensive educational resources, while IdeaBuddy guides startups through different planning and implementation stages.

10 Best Business Plan Software and Tools for Better Productivity

• May 17, 2024
• Curiosity Corner

Fast fact: 70% of businesses that survive for 5 years follow a strategic business plan. 

That makes having a comprehensive and compelling business plan a no-brainer for long-term business growth. It serves as a roadmap for your venture and demonstrates your vision, strategy, and potential to investors and stakeholders. 

However, drafting a business plan from scratch can take time and effort, especially for those with limited experience and resources. Fortunately, many excellent business plan software solutions are available to make the process easier.

This article covers the top 10 business plan software options available in 2024. Each offers unique features, pricing structures, and capabilities to cater to diverse business needs. 

Let’s get right in!

10 Best Business Plan Software for 2024

1. Upmetrics 2. LivePlan 3. Enloop 4. BizPlan 5. GoSmallBiz 6. Business Sorter 7. iPlanner 8. Cuttles 9. MAUS Master Plan Lean 10. Storydoc 11. Retable

1. Upmetrics

Upmetrics is a modern and AI-powered business plan generator that simplifies the complexities of creating a comprehensive business plan. With its intuitive business plan builder and built-in templates, Upmetrics allows users to customize their plans and forecasts according to their specific needs.

The newly launched AI assistant can help users create a business plan from scratch within 10-15 minutes. All you need to do is enter some information about your business and see your plan coming through.

Key Features:

• 400+ customizable business plan templates
• AI Pitch Deck Creator
• Strategic Planning Tools
• Financial forecasting capabilities

Pricing: Starter plan at $7/month, Premium plan at $14/month. (annual billing)

2. LivePlan

LivePlan is a comprehensive and user-friendly business plan software that serves to businesses of all sizes and industries. It offers a user-friendly interface and step-by-step guidance to make the process of crafting a professional business plan easier.

• Customizable templates and industry-specific examples
• Financial forecasting and budgeting tools
• Pitch deck and presentation mode
• Real-time collaboration and sharing capabilities
• Expert advice and educational resources

Pricing: Starts at $20/month for the basic plan, with more advanced options available.

Enloop is a cloud-based solution designed specifically for creating business plans for investors, banks, and lenders. Enloop’s writing and text synchronization features can help you streamline business plan creation for you. Let’s check out some of its best features.

• Free version for testing the solution
• Available in multiple languages
• Interactive PDF export
• Step-by-step guidance and templates

Pricing: Basic plan starts at $9/month, with more advanced plans ranging from $11 to $40/month.

BizPlan is a versatile business plan builder that connects to the Startups.com network, making it an ideal choice for startups seeking investment. With its step-by-step approach and the Progress Tracker tool, BizPlan helps users stay organized and on track.

• Connectivity to Findable for attracting financial investment
• Online educational programs for entrepreneurs
• Multiple owner access to a single account
• A lifetime access option is available

Pricing: Monthly plan at $29/month, annual plan at $249/year, or lifetime access for $349 (one-time fee).

5. GoSmallBiz

GoSmallBiz is an online support system specifically designed for small businesses and startups in the United States. In addition to business plan creation, GoSmallBiz offers valuable resources and educational materials to help to aspire entrepreneurs succeed.

• Access to up-to-date management information
• Unlimited access to online consultants
• Customer database for attracting and retaining customers

Pricing: Monthly fee of $39.

6. Business Sorter

Business Sorter is a cloud-based solution that simplifies the process of creating internal business plans. Featuring a user-friendly card system and pre-designed solutions tailored to different business needs, Business Sorter is perfect for entrepreneurs who aren’t looking for investor-focused presentations.

• 173 digital cards for comprehensive business planning
• Unlimited team member access and monitoring
• Multi-device accessibility
• Built-in help function and strong data protection

Pricing: Cost depends on the number of users, with a special offer for companies with an unlimited number of team members.

7. iPlanner

iPlanner is a multifunctional platform for business planning and project management. The tool provides a variety of business plan templates and financial forecasting tools , making it suitable for a broad spectrum of startups, from restaurants to large enterprises and venture capital initiatives.

• Step-by-step business plan creation wizard
• Integration with Microsoft Office and DropBox
• Training content library with practical recommendations
• Experienced mentor support

Pricing: Professional Plan at $55 (supports 1 project), Corporate Plan at $93 (supports 12 projects), and Corporate Plus (custom pricing).

Cuttles is a fully interactive business planning software with a focus on planning, budgeting, and financial forecasting. With its ready-made templates and multi-language support, Cuttles caters to a global audience of entrepreneurs.

• One-page business plan template for banks, investors, and lenders
• High-level security through cloud storage
• PDF export for business plans
• Online training courses and resource library

Pricing: Seed Plan at $8/year (1 startup, 1 user), Grow Plan at $16/year (1 startup, unlimited users), and Series Plan at $48/year (unlimited startups and users).

9. MAUS Master Plan Lean

MAUS Master Plan Lean is an Australian-based business plan creation software designed for strategic planning. With its comprehensive toolset, MAUS Master Plan Lean helps users create actionable plans, track tasks, and monitor performance.

• Strategic planning wizard
• Step-by-step action plan creation and task tracking
• Schedule creation and collaboration tools
• Real-time marketing reports and performance tracking

Pricing: Business Planning & HR Pack at $97/month, MasterPlan Learn at $299/year, and Business Planning Pack at $499/year.

10. Storydoc

Storydoc is a business plan creator designed to help entrepreneurs and businesses create outstanding and innovative business plans, as well as other types of presentations. With its intuitive interface and a wide range of features, Storydoc makes it easy to organize and present various aspects of your business plan.

• Ready-made interactive slide templates optimized for engagement
• Robust integrations with existing tech stack
• Ability to pull company branding directly from website
• Extensive analytics panel for tracking performance

Pricing: Starter plan at $40/month per user, Pro plan at $60/month per user, and custom Team plans (pricing available upon request).

11. Retable

Retable is a versatile and intuitive project management and data management software designed to streamline operations of all sizes of business. With its easy-to-use interface and robust feature set, Retable makes managing data sets, tasks and projects simpler and more efficient.

• Customizable templates for various use cases
• Advanced data views like grid, kanban, list, card, calendar, chart, map and form
• Collaborative workspaces with real-time updates
• Organization, team and role management
• Integration with popular productivity apps
• Over +30 column types
• Custom branding

Pricing: Starts at $12/month for the team plan.

Why use business plan software?

Using business plan software offers several advantages over creating a business plan from scratch. These software solutions are designed to streamline the process, provide guidance, and ensure a professional and well-structured outcome. For a customized approach, consider ServiceNow Software Development to tailor solutions that fit your specific business needs.

Here are some key reasons to consider using business plan software:

Time-saving: Business plan software automates many tasks, such as formatting, financial calculations, and data organization, saving you valuable time and effort.

Guided approach: Most business plan software provides step-by-step guidance, prompts, and templates to ensure you cover all essential components of a comprehensive business plan.

Professional presentation: These software solutions offer built-in tools to create visually appealing and professional-looking business plans, increasing the chances of impressing potential investors or stakeholders.

Financial forecasting: Advanced financial forecasting tools help you create accurate financial projections, a critical component of any successful business plan.

Collaboration and sharing: Many software options offer collaboration features, allowing multiple team members to contribute to and review the business plan, ensuring a cohesive vision.

By using the power of business plan software, you can simplify the process, improve efficiency, and create a compelling and comprehensive business plan that effectively communicates your vision and increases your chances of success.

How to Choose the Right Business Plan Software?

With so many business plan software options available, choosing the right one for your needs can take time and effort. Here are some key factors to consider when selecting the best business plan software:

Ease of use: Look for software with a intuitive navigation & user-friendly interface to ensure a smooth learning curve and efficient workflow.

Industry-specific templates : Consider software that offers customizable templates and industry-specific examples relevant to your business sector. In addition, there is also an option to hire developers in Chile , Mexico or other IT hubs for custom software development.

Financial forecasting capabilities : Evaluate the financial forecasting tools and their ability to create accurate projections based on your business data.

Collaboration and sharing features: If you plan to involve multiple team members or stakeholders, prioritize software with robust collaboration and sharing capabilities .

Educational resources and support: Software that provides educational resources, such as tutorials, expert advice, and customer support , can be invaluable, especially for first-time business plan creators.

Integration with existing tools: Consider software that easily integrates with your existing platforms and tools, such as accounting software or cloud storage solutions.

Pricing and scalability: Evaluate the pricing plans and ensure they align with your budget and long-term goals, considering the potential for business growth and scalability.

By carefully assessing your specific needs and prioritizing the features that matter most to your business, you can select the best business plan software that will streamline the process and maximize your chances of success.

Creating a well-crafted business plan is similar to preparing a business proposal , it should be neat & clean, to the point, and engaging enough to attract investors or partners. The top 10 business plan software options discussed offer a wide range of capabilities to cater to diverse needs.

From user-friendly interfaces to advanced financial forecasting tools, collaboration features, and industry-specific templates, tools like Upmetrics streamline the creation of a comprehensive and professional business plan.

Selecting the right software requires careful consideration of factors such as ease of use, financial forecasting capabilities, collaboration features , educational resources, and integration with existing tools.

By utilizing the power of business plan software, you can present your vision with clarity and professionalism, increasing your chances of attracting the resources and support needed for long-term success.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Which business plan software is the best?

The best business plan software depends on your specific needs, goals, and budget. Some top options include Upmetrics, LivePlan, Enloop, BizPlan, each offering unique features and pricing structures. Carefully evaluate the capabilities of each software against your requirements to make an informed choice.

How do I create my own business plan?

Start by choosing a business plan software that provides templates, guidance, and tools for different components like executive summaries, market analysis, and financial projections. Follow the step-by-step process outlined by the software, filling in the necessary information and customizing as needed. Leverage the software’s features to create a comprehensive and professional business plan.

What are the different types of business plans?

The main types include standard business plans for presenting to investors or banks, lean business plans without extensive background information, and one-page business plans or pitches. Additionally, there are operational, tactical, strategic, and contingency business plans tailored to different purposes and business stages.

Is business plan software secure?

Most reputable business plan software solutions prioritize security features like multi-factor authentication, intrusion detection, data encryption, and regular security updates. However, it’s crucial to evaluate the specific security measures of the software you’re considering to ensure the protection of your sensitive business data.

Is it necessary for small businesses to use business plan software?

While not strictly necessary, using business plan software can significantly benefit small businesses by streamlining the process, providing guidance, and ensuring a professional outcome. It can save time, improve efficiency, and increase the chances of impressing potential investors or stakeholders.

What are the benefits of using Business Plan Software?

Key benefits include time-saving through task automation, a guided approach with templates and prompts, professional presentation tools, advanced financial forecasting capabilities, and collaboration features for multiple team members. Overall, business plan software simplifies the process and improves the quality of your business plan.

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7 Best Business Plan Software in 2024

One aspect of start-up business planning that never seems to get the attention it deserves is how a business gets its venture capital. Banks and investment institutions are looking for very detailed plans that outline your business. And business plan software can help you create those layouts.

What is Business Plan Software?

Business plan software helps you create a full business plan that is attractive to potential investors. The reports that the software generates will explain how you will get customers, who will run the business, and most importantly, where the start-up or venture capital will come from.

The reports are created with investors or financial institutions in mind.

This software is intended for people who have already done significant research and planning for their business. In most cases, the software will ask you to enter information that it already assumes you have available, like financial calculations.

Thus, this type of software is not intended for people trying to come up with an idea.

Alongside most business planning software, you are going to need other tools with the main one being spreadsheet software. In fact, many of these pieces of software will expect you to upload data straight from a spreadsheet .

Here are some of the best business plan software to use in 2024.

The Best Business Plan Software

1. liveplan.

LivePlan is the most well-known business planning software on the market. With over 15 years of experience, it has helped over 850,000 small businesses achieve their goals. And that’s because their software is easy to use and affordable.

And at the end of the day, what more could you want?

The software uses a step-by-step interface that helps lead you through the process of building a fully-fledged business plan. This process will help you create the initial pitch that you will use to secure funding, create a detailed report that will impress investors, and even help you map out future financial information.

This will help make sure that your business is on track to meet your goals. All of the information is entered through a series of text boxes following the questions. It’s literally like going through a form, but the end result is that the software will generate a report from it.

It really doesn’t get any easier than this.

Benefits of LivePlan

• This is a cloud-based software
• If you have all of the information ready, you could be done within an hour
• Over 500 sample plans to help you get started

Price of LivePlan

• Standard plans begin at $15 per month
• Premium plans begin at $30 per month

Enloop is another excellent choice in the business plan software market. It does everything you could possibly want at a low cost without all of the headaches. And, it even supports multiple users, which many similar software options lack.

But don’t just take my word for it, try it today for free with the 7-day trial.

One of the hardest parts of starting a business from scratch is the language you must use. Luckily, Enloop will automatically generate text that you can utilize. The text is fully editable, so you can make changes to it at any time.

This will make your plan sound professional, and increase the likelihood of receiving funding.

Many people seem to think that starting a business all comes down to one person, but that just isn’t true. While the core idea might start with one individual, you typically have partners, accountants, and others helping you out. Thus, allowing multiple users is necessary in many cases.

Benefits of Enloop

• Compatible with over 100 currencies
• An extensive evaluation of your report tells you if its good to go
• Generates bank-friendly financial reports

Price of Enloop

• Detailed plans start at $19.95 per month
• Performance plans start at $39.95 per month

3. GoSmallBiz.com

GoSmallBiz.com is another top-of-the-line business plan generator that is completely web-based. That means you can log into your account from any device, including mobile. That’s right, there are dedicated mobile apps for both Android and iOS.

However, there are far more features than just business planning software.

On top of building a detailed plan to start your business, GoSmallBiz.com will be there after your doors open. That’s because it also includes access to legal advice (free and discounted), a website builder, customer relationship manager , digital marketing, and so much more.

However, when it comes to business plan software, it has a series of industry-specific templates to help you get started. Simply follow the step-by-step wizard and build your plan the same day. You can even generate detailed financial reports to give you an idea of your earning potential down the road.

Benefits of GoSmallBiz.com

• Utilize a large library of business documents
• Get a detailed website analysis to ensure your website is up to current quality standards
• Communicate with an experienced consultant team

Price of GoSmallBiz.com

• There is only one plan that starts at $39 per month

Looking for business plan software that has generated over 500 million dollars in investment? Then you must be looking for BizPlan . The Software was built by experts to help small businesses secure the funding they need.

It has all of the tools you need from plan generation to financial assessments.

Many people want to start a business but don’t quite have the knowledge to do so, that’s where the video courses come into play. BizPlan offers an extensive and informative set of courses to learn the basics of building a business from a start-up. There are hundreds to choose from at no extra cost to you.

The actual business plan software leads you through a guided experience to create a business plan. The process is simple and straightforward. It will highlight areas that investors look to help boost your funding potential. It also offers a wide array of financial tools to choose from.

Benefits of BizPlan

• Drag and drop templates are available to speed up the process
• Progress tracker lets you see your progress in real-time
• Calculate team salary forecasts with minimal input

Price of BizPlan

• Monthly starts at $29 per month
• Annual starts at $20.75 per month
• Purchase lifetime access for a one-time payment of $349

By far, the most common reason people do not try to start a business is the money they need to spend before they receive funding, and business planning software is no exception. However, nTask ensures you can build a plan without breaking the bank.

It is, by far, the best free business plan software on the market.

Even if you are not using the free plan, take note of its incredibly low prices in comparison to the rest of this list. There is no cheaper option than nTask. However, don’t let the price fool you, this software is feature-rich and gets results.

This software is not just for creating start-up plans. You can use it to manage just about any project in a team-friendly environment. Thus, nTask will be with you before and after your business opens.

Just be aware that unlike most of the competition, there are no pre-built templates, so a little more work is involved.

Benefits of nTask

• Visualize projects with an interactive Gantt chart online
• Create detailed timesheets to help manage your employees
• Integrates with Zapier, Zoom, Slack, Google Calendar, and Outlook Calendar

Price of nTask

• A free plan is available
• Premium plans start at $2.99 per month per user
• Business plans start at $7.99 per month per user
• Enterprise options are available upon request

6. EquityNet

At its core, EquityNet is a network that helps investors connect with businesses looking for funding. It comes bundled with a wonderful business plan software that will help you attract investment on and off the website. And most of the website can be accessed for free.

Advertising your business plan on a platform filled with potential investors is a smart choice.

The business plan software itself is quite robust and will help you write up a professional report that will put additional focus on what investors are looking for. However, keep in mind that while the tool offers a lot of help text and explanations, you are still going to need to do most of the writing.

The main benefit of EquityNet is the premises of the platform. Think of it as a crowd funder that focuses on getting start-up businesses the funding they need. This platform really does make getting investments a breeze as long as you have a strong pitch and a plan to match it.

Benefits of EquityNet

• The largest marketplace for private investment deals
• Status bars help you identify parts to work on in your business plan
• Supports both PDF and Word documents

Price of EquityNet

• EquityNet does not make its subscription prices public. Thus, you must contact them for more information.

7. IdeaBuddy

And closing up this list is IdeaBuddy, but don’t let its placement fool you. It is one of the best. This software can take even the most basic idea and turn it into an attractive business plan that investors will be drooling over.

And you will never get lost during the process thanks to the excellent help center.

The planning process is similar to others on this list. You will be brought through a guided experience that will provide instructions and tips to help your business find success. You can also view multiple examples of similar businesses to help give you a clearer direction.

All of the financial calculations are done for you. The only part of this process you need to do is enter the numbers. These financial reports will look great and pique investor interest.

All of the reports and plans can be exported as PDF and Word documents to make sharing easy.

Benefits of IdeaBuddy

• Use pre-built templates to speed up the process
• 15-day free trial
• This software is great in a team environment

Price of IdeaBuddy

• Dreamer plans start at $15 per month
• Founder plans start at $25 per month
• Team plans start at $55 per month
• A lifetime deal is available for a one-time payment of $155

Who Is This Software For?

Business ideas come from the strangest places, and only a fraction of people act on them. That’s because creating a business from scratch is extremely challenging and risky. However, if you are one of the few people who is actively trying to bring their plan alive, then you are going to want this type of software.

However, you need to do a significant amount of work to make this software useful.

It is not intended for people who have just had an epiphany. Instead, it’s for people that have a full plan in place and just need to make it presentable. Banks and investors want to know everything about your potential business.

After all, if you have a great plan that is likely to succeed, the investment is safer. Thus, you are more likely to get the funding you need.

Bring Your Business to Life

The most common reasons banks and financial institutions do not lend small businesses money are the four C’s of Credit : Capital, Collateral, Capacity, and Character. If banks are unhappy with any of these individual elements, you can kiss your loan opportunities goodbye.

Business plan software can help improve your chances by clearly outlining your business assets and the role they will play, financial estimates that compare the cost of business to potential earnings, who will be managing the business (experience matters to banks), and much more.

These reports show that you are serious about starting a business and you can handle the workload.

What business planning software did you use to secure your loan?

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Some of our fans:

“ LivePlan earns the top spot on our list of best business plan software —and for good reason. LivePlan’s slick and interactive service provides a step-by-step business plan approach, a rich collection of cloud-based features, and online learning tools.”

Brooke Hayes

Software Reviewer at Business.org

Here’s how LivePlan makes it surprisingly simple to write a convincing business plan

You get a step-by-step process to follow

LivePlan asks you questions about your business, you plug in the answers. It’s as easy as that. You’ll get straight-forward instructions with examples on:

• Writing a pitch that grabs investors’ attention
• What to include in your marketing plan
• Every other essential piece of your business plan

“ LivePlan is incredibly simple and easy to use. The financial sales forecasting tool is very intuitive and makes writing a business plan more fun.”

Helga Douglas

Owner, Svala

All the financials are calculated for you

LivePlan tells you exactly what financial information you need to enter and then does all the calculations automatically using built-in formulas. So you end up with razor-accurate financial statements that include all the tables that a lender or investor expects to see.

“I have such a better clarity of thought because I can see the impact of marketing by using LivePlan versus just using a spreadsheet.”

Marc-Andre Seguin

JazzGuitarLessons.net

If you ever get stuck, we’ll help you out

Most LivePlan users are able to breeze through their first business plan. But if you ever have a question, there are 3 ways to get advice:

• Call a LivePlan expert at 1-888-498-6136.
• Chat with our advocacy team. Try it now.
• Browse 500+ sample plans & tutorial videos.

“It’s our road map, continually helping us stay on track. We wrote a business plan we can take to any investor , and it’s game on.”

Stacie Overman

Lavender Kisses Farm

LivePlan has helped over 1 million business owners build better businesses

It’s proven, companies that plan and track against their plan grow 30% faster than those that don’t. No matter your industry, location, or size — LivePlan helps you get your business off the ground and grow

“Trying to open a new business is very time-consuming, and since I was running another business while I was trying to set up Tailored, I didn’t have a lot of time.”

Owner & Founder, Tailored Coffee

“It wasn’t my intention to be an entrepreneur or a business person. My intention was to work with dogs. I kind of had to learn the rest of it in order to do what I wanted to do.”

Joanna Stanford

Founder, Trots Dogs

“That’s what it does for your business; [using LivePlan] has got us all talking and much more engaged about what we are and what we’re trying to do.”

Owner & Founder, Web Ninja

“Before LivePlan, I was making decisions that were poorly informed. Now I test everything through my business first, before I take it to my clients.”

Enae Jackson-Atkins

Owner & Founder, Esquire Accounting

Entrepreneurs & business owners love LivePlan

“I learned more about running my small business from a week of focused work in [LivePlan] than I have from any other single source. It has fundamentally changed the way I view my business ventures”

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“Using LivePlan is easy and there is so much assistance available. There are examples, templates, and videos explaining what to write. [...]. It does the math for you. It creates graphs and charts. It is amazing.”

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“Before LivePlan, my team and I had no idea where or how to start [...] It helped us focus on and build every single area of our business strategy and recognize that some aspects of the company needed to be adjusted before we could launch.”

“LivePlan has eased my business planning processes and have provided me with easy access to credit from both banks and investors alike.”

“All businesses require solutions and tools [...] for control of expenses, spreadsheets were always the first option, but since the arrival of LivePlan, all work is easier and more automated.”

Trust Radius Review

“I didn’t have a business plan and using LivePlan helped give me an easy tool to build a strong business plan for myself and clients. My clients have gone on to enhance their plans and grow their businesses.”

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“LivePlan provides the balance between stating your vision, the framework to support it, and the numbers.”

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10+ Best Business Plan Software and Tools

Summer Nguyen | 08-28-2024

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If you ask any successful sports coach how they can win so many games, they will tell you that they have a unique plan for every single game they coach. To win any of their opponents, they need to prepare a specific game plan tailored to each of their opponents’ strengths and weaknesses. Otherwise, they will get crushed.

The same logic applies to doing business. If you want to start a business , developing a robust business plan will be one of the first steps you should take. It’ll cover everything from a detailed explanation of your products/ services and pricing model to at least three years of financial projections - plus much more.

So, whether you are not sure how to get started or you are just looking to make the process easier, you may want to turn to business plan software and tools for help .

In this guide, we’ll break down 10+ of the best business plan software and tools - discussing their key features, pros, cons, pricing plans, and more - so you’ll get all the necessary information to decide which one is right for your business.

We should begin right now!

Table of contents

What is business plan software?

Pros and cons of using business plan software, features to look for in business plan software, 1. liveplan, 3. planguru, 5. gosmallbiz.

• 6. Business Plan Pro
• 7. BizPlanBuilder
• 9. Upmetrics
• 10. iPlanner
• 11. Business Sorter
• 12. MAUS MasterPlan
• 13. The Business Plan Shop

Over to you

First and foremost, a business plan is a detailed road map highlighting the future of business operations. It’s not limited to established organizations but can be written for small businesses to forecast their operations.

Business plan software is specifically designed to guide you through each step of your business plan and fill any gaps. That way, you will be more efficient in clarifying direction, attracting financing, developing team members, and eventually reaching your business goals.

As a business owner, it’s essential to consider whether new software or tools will benefit your business or needlessly add to your overhead. So, before purchasing business plan software, thoroughly weigh the following pros and cons against your business needs.

As a matter of fact, business plan software offers several benefits, including:

Step-by-step guidance . Business plan software has a detailed step-by-step guide to help you make the right choices for your business. It takes the guesswork out of aligning your business’s structure and cash flow forecast with future goals. This is specifically helpful if you are not sure how to begin.

Statement and report generation . Many small business owners don’t have a strong financial background or understanding of the strategic aspects of a business plan. That’s where a business plan tool comes in handy - it creates reports, graphs, and documents based on the information you’ve entered. These generated statements and reports can undoubtedly save you a considerable amount of time.

Accurate reporting . Creating a business plan from scratch by yourself may result in missed mistakes, skewing the data, and rendering reports - and hours of work - useless. A well-designed business plan software often comes with guarantees for accountability and accuracy in any reports generated under that program.

Customization . Business plan tools typically offer the option to personalize your reports. It also gives you the freedom to test out multiple scenarios depending on your long-term business goals, providing you more confidence in your business.

Easy to update . It’s so simple to adjust or replace any ideas or numerical calculations for a different outcome using a business plan tool. Certain features also keep you up to date on your business’s current situation and give you an insight into your future endeavors.

However, business plan software can also come with a few downsides, such as:

Lack of flexibility . Some business plan software only allows for specific customizations, which could limit personalizing your business plan. This includes sticking to available templates the software provides and being unable to rewrite the script or customize certain points in the data (unless you upgrade to a more expensive subscription plan).

Missed industry insights . As you aren’t writing the base coding that makes up a business plan tool, there may be discrepancies between your industry and the developed software. This could lead to missing out on essential industry insights and practical experience.

Expensive price tag . Depending on each type, some business plan tools can be pricey. They can range from basic plans to premium versions; however, it’s difficult to know whether the premium plan will assist you or just create a dent in your budget.

There are a lot of reasons to buy business plan software, but there are also some drawbacks that might turn you away from the investment. Therefore, weigh your options according to your business’s specific needs and determine which is right for you.

If you decide to purchase business plan software, it’s worth considering several key features to make sure that the process of creating your plan is smooth. Below is more about the specific features to look for in a business plan software application.

Step-by-step wizard . Step-by-step wizards take much of the guesswork out of trying to decide which sections to work on and in which order. This feature can take you through each section and make sure you’re including everything your plan needs.

Templates . Setting up a business plan from scratch can be tough. That’s why it’s great to have a jumping-off point. Many tools include dozens, if not hundreds, of templates to choose from. Many templates are geared toward particular types of businesses, so you can pick one that is right in line with the business you’re planning.

Financial projections . Most software applications can provide you with financial tools, so you can lay out your case for a successful venture. With some options, you plug in the numbers for expenses, cash flow, revenue, etc., and churn our financial projections. The easier this process is, the better your business plan creation experience is.

Charts and graphs . The tool you choose should be able to turn the financial data into eye-catching charts and graphs automatically. This will make your business plan more enticing to potential investors.

Integrations . Some software integrates with popular accounting programs, such as QuickBooks or Xero . This is useful when transferring financial details from your accounting software into your business plan, so that your plan is free from mathematical errors.

Contributors . Many businesses aren’t being launched by one person only. When multiple people are involved, you’d like all of your collaborators to contribute to the development of your business plan. That’s why you need to verify the number of contributors who can make edits to the plan. Some software caps this number, while others allow for unlimited contributors.

Additional services . Some software providers offer access to additional services that new entrepreneurs may find helpful, such as digital marketing help, website design services, and direct contact with consultants who can provide knowledgeable advice.

10+ best business plan software and tools

LivePlan can be the right pick for you, in case you want template-rich, modern-feeling business plan software. With more than 500 free and full-length sample business plans for inspiration, together with step-by-step assistance, you can start without any hassle.

The platform offers advanced financial services that automatically calculate financial outcomes for the five upcoming years. Plus, if you’re a Xero or QuickBooks user, you can easily import your data into the system to gain an in-depth view of how your business is performing from a financial standpoint.

You can start with a one-page business plan before moving to a complete professional plan that can be used to pitch to investors. The final business is not only high-quality but also professional. As all the charts and graphs are well-organized and easy to understand, you’ll love them.

Key features:

• More than 500 templates
• One-page business plan with a fill-in-the-blank template to jot down your ideas
• Access to educational materials
• Availability of financial charts and graphs
• Industry benchmark comparison
• Intuitive, modern interface
• A huge number of customizable templates
• Bank-level security
• Affordable plans
• Able to work on multiple active plans simultaneously
• Variety of business resources, including step-by-step instruction, video tutorials, and general customer support
• 60-day money-back guarantee
• Require a learning curve
• Can’t customize financial projection dates
• Limited third-party integrations

Pricing plans:

• Standard plan: $15 per month if paid annually - $20 per month if paid monthly
• Premium plan: $30 per month if paid annually - $20 per month if paid monthly

VISIT LIVEPLAN

Specifically built for tech startups, Bizplan will help you create a customizable business pitch and plan that appeals to several investors.

As a part of the Startups.com suite, Bizplan gets top marks for its easy-to-use, intuitive, and modern user interface. You will work with a step-by-step business plan builder to get exactly what you want from your business plan. It might remind you of a modern website builder , as it has drag-and-drop tools to build templates.

Moreover, if you’re a paying user, you’ll have access to all the materials in the Education corner, including online courses and more than 600 in-depth videos to help you explore more things.

In case you have an issue, you can contact its customer representative during business hours (from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m to 9 p.m), or send an email with all the questions you may be having.

• Drag-and-drop templates for business plan building
• Ability to track all business financials in one place with the financial command center
• Ability to access Fundable.com, an online fundraising platform that connects startups or small businesses to potential investors
• Unlimited account collaborators
• Availability of online courses, including tracks, master classes, guides, and expert answers
• Ability to control who can view or comment on your internal business information
• User-friendly, intuitive drag-and-drop business plan builder
• Excellent educational materials
• Subscription options give you access to all Startups.com tools
• You can easily integrate it with bookkeeping software
• Available lifetime pricing
• No free trial
• No mobile compatibility
• No templates based on specific industry
• Limited financial projection customization
• Monthly plan: $29/ month
• Annual plan (most popular): $20.75/ month
• Lifetime access plan: $349

VISIT BIZPLAN

PlanGuru is a cloud-based budgeting and business plan software that is all about financial planning. It offers more than 20 insider forecasting methods, allowing you to create projections for up to 10 years.

On top of budgeting and financial analysis, the tool lets you set goals and analyze performance. It also provides a rolling forecast, helping you understand the implications of spending on overall cash flow before you do it. Furthermore, strategic planning helps you manage your team and keep everyone accountable.

With its income statement, cash flow statement, and balance sheet, you can see how your venture will map out in a range of different scenarios. Furthermore, it enables you to harness turnkey methods and use business drivers to predict growth.

Unfortunately, PlanGuru doesn’t include the expert consultation function, so you’ll need to seek mentorship elsewhere. However, if you want a solution that can streamline the financial piece of your business plan, PlanGuru certainly has the most to offer.

• Budgeting and forecasting for up to ten years
• More than 20 standard forecasting methods
• Dashboard and reporting tools
• Formula builder to set up custom methods
• Ratios and KPIs
• Work with Quickbooks, Xero, and Excel
• Help guides, video tutorials, knowledgebase, and US-based customer support
• Extensive financial tools and detailed budgeting, forecasting, and reporting capabilities
• A substantial library of educational resources
• 14-day free trial and 30-day money-back guarantee
• No templates or tools for basic business plan writing
• Difficult to get started without prior financial knowledge
• Expensive, especially for additional users
• Single Entity: $83/month (paid annually) - $99/month (paid monthly)
• Multi-Department Consolidations: $250/month (paid annually) - $299/month (paid monthly)

VISIT PLANGURU

If you’re looking for an easy-to-navigate solution that can complete your business plan quickly, Enloop is there for you. It does this through its Autowrite feature and performance score that acts as a digital mentor.

Furthermore, Enloop has a strong focus on the financial aspect of the process, which is ideal for people with great ideas but aren’t necessarily financial wizards. Demonstrating profitability is crucial for raising capital from investors, and the software delves into this financial viability of your vision. It lets you add charts and graphs and analyze 16 distinct financial ratios.

It also allows you to compare financial projections with industry averages, so that you’ll get a clear picture of how your idea stacks up. You’re able to consult with an expert in case you need guidance. Enloop also offers business plan templates and an HR/ legal document builder, making it one of the strongest candidates for first-time start-ups.

Key features: *

• AutoWrite and TextSync features automatically create basic customized text for your business plan
• 16 different financial ratios indicate your financial health
• Performance score from 0-100 serves as motivation to complete the plan
• More than 100 currency symbols and number formatting
• Access to business templates
• Attractive interface
• Automatically populated text
• Well-explained financial ratios
• Instant access to all business reports
• 7-day free trial
• Affordable pricing plans
• Limited additional education resources
• Limited customer support
• Detailed plan: $11/ month (billed annually) - $19.95/ month (billed monthly)
• Performance plan: $24/ month (billed annually) - $39.95 / month (billed monthly)

VISIT ENLOOP

Initiated by NFL Hall of Famer and veteran entrepreneur Fran Tarkenton, GoSmallBiz offers hundreds of industry-specific templates that create the exact documents users need. Plus, its step-by-step wizard helps you set up a business plan by filling up business details in multiple segments.

Another helpful feature is its online calendar management. You can schedule events, meetings, and appointments and get automatic reminders. Besides, it lets you generate financial statements and projections. You’re allowed to create a range of insightful reports, such as profit and sales analysis, cash flow, balance sheets, and more.

For anyone new to business planning, GoSmallBiz offers a slew of online learning tools, including business courses, business mentoring, and weekly updates. It also provides help from a real CEO and business planning expert, so you can entirely rest assured knowing that you will never be steered in the wrong direction.

In addition to the business plan software, it provides a customer relationship management (CRM) tool , text-based business consultations, and legal business documents. No other business plan software offers this suite of tools - all for one cost.

• Step-by-step guide walks you through every single step
• Around 100 business templates
• Financial projections and statements
• Reports based on your financial data
• Integrate with major social media channels, such as Mailchimp, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter
• A wide range of industry-based templates
• Multiple educational videos
• Unlimited mentoring and business consultations
• Customized reporting
• Several additional business tools
• 30-day money-back guarantee
• Outdated interface
• Limited business plan features
• Expensive monthly cost compared to alternatives
• Lack of an annual subscription package
• Only exports to PDFs and Microsoft Word

Pricing plan :

• Grow: $39/ month
• Guide: $49/ month
• GO: $199/ month

VISIT GOSMALLBIZ

6. BizPlanBuilder

As an intuitive business plan tool, BizPlanBuilder provides a simple wizard that walks users through step-by-step business planning. With its premade industry-specific templates, the software can help you craft a plan that reflects your business goals.

With a single link, you can share your plan with investors online. So, instead of sharing bulky attachments, you can present your plan directly in a browser using modern navigation.

If calculation is not your strength, don’t worry! BizPlanBuilder’s financial tools, including calculators, cost analysis, financial projections, budget sheets, charts, and graphs, will help you with that. It also lets users import financial data from different accounting software programs.

In addition to business planning and financial features, the software offers real-time collaboration, meaning multiple team members can simultaneously view and edit the business plan.

• Premade industry-specific templates for business planning
• Available financial tools, including calculators, chart and graph generators, and budget-feasibility tools
• The collaboration feature lets team members log in, view, and edit the business plan at the same time
• Available technical support, including email and telephone support, FAQs, and video tutorials
• Eye-appealing visuals
• Easy-to-use drag-and-drop templates
• Various industry-specific templates
• In-depth presentations
• No mobile-friendliness
• Difficulty in exporting PDFs
• BizPlanBuilder for startups/ funding/ MBA students: $97/ year (add as many team members as you want for $10/ year each)
• BizPlan Builder for growing the company/ strategic planning/ growth financing: $27/ month (add an unlimited number of team, advisors, investors for $1/ month each)

VISIT BIZPLANBUILDER

Cuttles is a fully interactive and guided business plan software that helps entrepreneurs build, understand and grow their business.

Their web app has all the features and in-app guides you need to create a startup pitch, write a business plan, define a startup team, do budgets and financial projections. It’s simpler, faster and more impactful than ever to start a business.

• Cloud-based web app
• Strong focus on simplicity with UX and design
• Freemium version
• Fully guided and customisable business plan
• One-page pitch section for investors
• Financial forecasts and budgets
• Team feature to showcase your team
• Available in 6 languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, & Danish
• Share & Export options: Share with links, export to PDF, & invite members to view in the app
• Student discounts and diversity pricing initiatives
• Seed plan ( for founders who want to build and grow a startup): €8/ month - paid annually
• Grow plan ( For founders who want to collaborate with their entire team and stakeholders): €16/ month - paid annually
• Series plan (For serial founders and consultants who work with multiple startups): €48/ month - paid annually

VISIT CUTTLES

8. Upmetrics

Upmetrics is a well-rounded business demand planning software that helps small businesses and entrepreneurs find success in their business planning processes and growth strategies.

Are you just starting your business? Easily create a polished, professional business plan that lenders and investors will appreciate. Upmetrics simplifies the process of writing a business plan with step-by-step guidance, 200+ sample plans, and excellent customer support.

Are you looking to grow your business? Make confident decisions by forecasting your financials, and preparing your budget in Upmetrics.

Upmetrics is used by over 100K+ entrepreneurs all across the globe to plan their businesses and collaborate with remote teams to create growth strategies. Along with that, the software makes it easier to keep track of your projects and customize your plans as per your needs and requirements.

Key features: -Business Plan Builder -Financial Forecasting -Pitch Deck Creator -Business Models -200+ Sample Business Plans -Business Plan Cover Pages -Share With Pride -Comments & Feedback

• Business plan builder:- Guides you on creating your business plan at every step so you can have the clarity and confidence to excel in your business.
• Financial forecast:- Finance is the lifeline of any business. With our financial forecasting tool, create accurate financial sheets to convince investors & banks of your business viability and calculate your monthly & yearly financial projection.
• Pitch deck designer:- With our pitch deck designer, make your business pitch ready and present your business to investors & banks with confidence! -Business Model Canvas:- Business Model canvases bring planning and collaboration to the next level with great canvases and a great app.
• We dont have the real time live tracking of system
• Our business plan templates are kinda generic
• Our finanical forecast is limited to only 5 years
• Starter: $9/month ( paid monthly) - $7/month ( paid annually)
• Premium: $19/month ( paid monthly) - $14/month ( paid annually)

VISIT UPMETRICS

9. iPlanner

Launched in 2007, iPlanner has been helping many businesses raise finance for growth, manage risks, and improve internal communication. The software is designed as a planner for new enterprises, but it can also function as a project management tool.

The business modeling framework helps you generate a business model in real-time while collaborating efficiently with your team members. Plus, it offers various user-friendly business plan templates, such as venture capital business plan, restaurant business plan, elevator pitch, etc.

The software is also equipped with a financial engine to gauge different metrics, like sales, quantities sold, forecast price, and more. Moreover, all the projects have separate and secure URLs to protect your confidential business information.

You can integrate iPlanner with Microsoft Office and Dropbox, so collaboration and contribution are extremely easy. There’s also a huge library of how-to articles and business plan samples to help you stay on track.

• Business plan templates
• Step-by-step wizard to help you right from the start
• Financial templates and projections
• Integrate with Dropbox and Microsoft Office
• Expert mentors provide personalized assistance
• Available customer support via emails, how-to guides, and expert consultation
• Premade industry-specific templates to create custom business plans
• Feed-in content from different external sources, such as websites, MS Word, Excel, corporate intranets, etc.
• Regular backup of your data on the cloud
• Pretty old-school interface
• No monthly pricing option
• Professional plan: $55 (billed annually, 1 project)
• Corporate plan: $93 (billed annually, 12 projects)
• Corporate Plus plan: Custom pricing

VISIT IPLANNER

10. Business Sorter

Business Sorter is a cloud-based solution that offers the content to create plans you can share and keep track on. The content covers six key areas, including finance, sales, brand, people, operations, and goods and services.

The platform promises to simplify and speed up business planning via a novel 273 card sort system that covers many common situations. You can also include, edit the existing cards, delete, or add your own ones.

You can keep everything, including your ideas and thoughts, at a centralized location. It also offers tips and advice at every step to help you put your strategy into action. Unlike some software with videos, the educational resources here are provided as Word files and PDFs, which can be quicker to access, but harder to follow for some beginners.

• Card-based planning system with 273 digital cards
• Built-in tips and additional information
• Add team members and assign tasks
• Multi-device access
• Secure data protection
• Innovative, visual plan builder
• Unique card sort system to simplify planning
• Real-time collaboration with an unlimited number of users
• Regular updates for free
• Strong data security
• 14-day business trial
• Limited in financial planning needs
• No video educational resources

Pricing plans: From $10/month

VISIT BUSINESS SORTER

11. MAUS MasterPlan

MAUS MasterPlan is an Australian business plans solution with more than 60,000 clients worldwide. It aims to make the creation and implementation of your business strategy simple by offering templates, walkthroughs, and education for every step of the process.

You can generate detailed action plans based on your specific goals and projections for the future. Moreover, it’s possible to delegate tasks within the program and track progress.

If you want to calculate your finances, you just need to put the details, and it’ll do the rest. Other than that, it allows your team members to access your plans. You can invite them to help you with the business plan and invite your accountant to review once more once you’re done with the work.

MAUS MasterPlan includes information about segmentation, so it’s easy to break large markets down into smaller ones. According to that, you’re able to create different strategies for the various segments. More than financial reports for budgeting and projections, the tool can generate marketing and performance reports.

• Step-by-step wizard guides you through the whole strategic planning process
• Create cash flow and financial budgets & 5-year forecasts
• Market segmentation features
• Collaboration features
• Easy to use
• Detailed statement and impressive graphs
• Automated action plan monitors different tasks to keep the whole team on track
• Expensive for startups and small businesses
• Real-time errors occur sometimes
• Business planning & HR Pack: $97/ month
• MasterPlan Lean: $299/ year
• Business Planning Pack: $499/ year

VISIT MAUS MASTERPLAN

12. The Business Plan Shop

Last but not least, as one of the best business plan tools out there, The Business Plan Shop can help you generate a simple yet effective plan.

The software features a user-friendly interface and clean design. Once you sign up, you will enjoy an in-depth business plan together with instructions that you need to make one.

More than that, its financial forecasting section will collect your product and service information, so you can play around with the figures and come up with the right directions for your business. It can help you to forecast for up to 3 or 5 years.

• A financial forecast over 3 or 5 years
• Step-by-step guide with instructions and examples
• Exports to MS Word or PDF format
• Chart, break-even point analysis, financial analysis, and credit analysis
• Quite easy to use
• Clear instructions and examples for each section of your business plan
• Strong data protection
• Helpful educational materials
• Limited business planning features
• Can’t import financial information from spreadsheets
• Business & CFO: $25.50/month (monthly payment) - $14.08/month (annual payment)
• Advisor: $94.20/month (monthly payment)

VISIT THE BUSINESS PLAN SHOP

Create your business plan - step-by-step guide

Step 1: Craft a Powerful Executive Summary

Don’t let your business plan gather dust on a shelf! Start with an executive summary that captivates busy decision-makers. This concise overview introduces your company, highlighting its mission, goals, and what makes it stand out. Think of it as an elevator pitch – you only have a few floors (or sentences) to make a lasting impression.

Here’s how to craft a compelling executive summary:

Grab Attention: Start with a strong hook piques the reader’s interest. Briefly describe the problem you solve or the opportunity you present.

Define Your Mission: In a sentence or two, explain your company’s purpose and what drives you.

Showcase Your Offerings: Briefly describe your products or services and how they benefit your target market.

Target the Right Audience: Who are you trying to reach? Define your ideal customer and why they need your solution.

Highlight Your Value Proposition: What makes your business unique? Explain why customers should choose you over the competition.

Keep it Concise: Aim for one to two pages, focusing on the most critical information.

Source: Canva

Step 2: Create an attractive company overview

Provide a comprehensive overview of your company. Detail its history, legal structure (e.g. sole proprietorship, LLC, corporation), and the factors that will contribute to its success in the market. Here are some tips to help you create an engaging company overview:

Introduction : Engage with a captivating opening that sets the tone.

Company Background : Highlight key milestones, history, and achievements.

Products/Services : Clearly outline offerings and their unique features.

Target Market : Describe your audience’s needs and preferences.

Value Proposition : Clearly state what sets your company apart.

Differentiators : Emphasize unique selling points compared to competitors.

Success Stories : Include case studies or testimonials to validate claims.

Team Expertise : Showcase the qualifications and experience of key team members.

Vision/Goals : Share long-term objectives and strategic plans.

Visual Appeal : Use design elements to enhance readability and brand identity.

Step 3: Conduct Market analysis

Do thorough market research to understand your industry, your customers, and your competition. Find out what your customers need and like. Look closely at your competitors to see how you can stand out.

Step 4: Describe your products or services in depth

Provide detailed descriptions of your products or services. Explain their features, benefits, and how they fulfill the needs of your target customers. Highlight what makes your offerings unique compared to competitors.

Step 5: Make a marketing and sales strategy

Describe your marketing and sales plans for connecting with your target audience. Clarify your promotional efforts, pricing strategies, distribution channels, and sales methods. Explain how you intend to attract and keep customers.

Step 6: Project your financial performance

Forecast your financial performance for the next three to five years. This should cover projected revenue, expenses, and cash flow. Provide details on your startup expenses and funding needs, if relevant. Ensure your projections are realistic and backed by thorough market research.

Step 7: Implement business plan

Develop a comprehensive plan for implementing your business strategy. Establish clear objectives and checkpoints. Divide tasks and delegate responsibilities accordingly. Incorporate timelines and methods for monitoring advancement.

Now that you’ve read through the 10+ best business plan software available, it’s time to decide which one is best for you. It can be helpful to consider specific features you’re looking for, as well as your business budget. By doing so, you will have a set of criteria in mind when you explore different solutions.

For future recommendations, don’t forget to bookmark this blog post. We’ll continuously update it with juicy content that helps you create a solid business plan for any projects.

A data-driven marketing leader with over 10 years of experience in the ecommerce industry. Summer leverages her deep understanding of customer behavior and market trends to develop strategic marketing campaigns that drive brand awareness, customer acquisition, and ultimately, sales growth for our company.

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How To Write A Business Plan (2024 Guide)

Updated: Apr 17, 2024, 11:59am

Table of Contents

Brainstorm an executive summary, create a company description, brainstorm your business goals, describe your services or products, conduct market research, create financial plans, bottom line, frequently asked questions.

Every business starts with a vision, which is distilled and communicated through a business plan. In addition to your high-level hopes and dreams, a strong business plan outlines short-term and long-term goals, budget and whatever else you might need to get started. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to write a business plan that you can stick to and help guide your operations as you get started.

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Drafting the Summary

An executive summary is an extremely important first step in your business. You have to be able to put the basic facts of your business in an elevator pitch-style sentence to grab investors’ attention and keep their interest. This should communicate your business’s name, what the products or services you’re selling are and what marketplace you’re entering.

Ask for Help

When drafting the executive summary, you should have a few different options. Enlist a few thought partners to review your executive summary possibilities to determine which one is best.

After you have the executive summary in place, you can work on the company description, which contains more specific information. In the description, you’ll need to include your business’s registered name , your business address and any key employees involved in the business. 

The business description should also include the structure of your business, such as sole proprietorship , limited liability company (LLC) , partnership or corporation. This is the time to specify how much of an ownership stake everyone has in the company. Finally, include a section that outlines the history of the company and how it has evolved over time.

Wherever you are on the business journey, you return to your goals and assess where you are in meeting your in-progress targets and setting new goals to work toward.

Numbers-based Goals

Goals can cover a variety of sections of your business. Financial and profit goals are a given for when you’re establishing your business, but there are other goals to take into account as well with regard to brand awareness and growth. For example, you might want to hit a certain number of followers across social channels or raise your engagement rates.

Another goal could be to attract new investors or find grants if you’re a nonprofit business. If you’re looking to grow, you’ll want to set revenue targets to make that happen as well.

Intangible Goals

Goals unrelated to traceable numbers are important as well. These can include seeing your business’s advertisement reach the general public or receiving a terrific client review. These goals are important for the direction you take your business and the direction you want it to go in the future.

The business plan should have a section that explains the services or products that you’re offering. This is the part where you can also describe how they fit in the current market or are providing something necessary or entirely new. If you have any patents or trademarks, this is where you can include those too.

If you have any visual aids, they should be included here as well. This would also be a good place to include pricing strategy and explain your materials.

This is the part of the business plan where you can explain your expertise and different approach in greater depth. Show how what you’re offering is vital to the market and fills an important gap.

You can also situate your business in your industry and compare it to other ones and how you have a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Other than financial goals, you want to have a budget and set your planned weekly, monthly and annual spending. There are several different costs to consider, such as operational costs.

Business Operations Costs

Rent for your business is the first big cost to factor into your budget. If your business is remote, the cost that replaces rent will be the software that maintains your virtual operations.

Marketing and sales costs should be next on your list. Devoting money to making sure people know about your business is as important as making sure it functions.

Other Costs

Although you can’t anticipate disasters, there are likely to be unanticipated costs that come up at some point in your business’s existence. It’s important to factor these possible costs into your financial plans so you’re not caught totally unaware.

Business plans are important for businesses of all sizes so that you can define where your business is and where you want it to go. Growing your business requires a vision, and giving yourself a roadmap in the form of a business plan will set you up for success.

How do I write a simple business plan?

When you’re working on a business plan, make sure you have as much information as possible so that you can simplify it to the most relevant information. A simple business plan still needs all of the parts included in this article, but you can be very clear and direct.

What are some common mistakes in a business plan?

The most common mistakes in a business plan are common writing issues like grammar errors or misspellings. It’s important to be clear in your sentence structure and proofread your business plan before sending it to any investors or partners.

What basic items should be included in a business plan?

When writing out a business plan, you want to make sure that you cover everything related to your concept for the business,  an analysis of the industry―including potential customers and an overview of the market for your goods or services―how you plan to execute your vision for the business, how you plan to grow the business if it becomes successful and all financial data around the business, including current cash on hand, potential investors and budget plans for the next few years.

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Best small business software of 2024

Make managing your business easier

• Best for communications
• Best project management software
• Best office software
• Best sales and marketing app
• Best accounting software
• Best antivirus
• Best small business tools
• How we test

The best small business software makes it simple and easy to better manage every part of your business, from routine admin to business communications.

While there are obvious basics, such as productivity suites and accounting software , it's always good to have a general idea of what different types of software are out there, so that the moment you identify a need, you can identify a solution. This is especially the case when you start to grow and find yourself wanting to communicate and collaborate with new employees, customers, or suppliers.

Luckily, there is a lot of competition online in the business software market, and while there are big name products priced for big name clients, there are always smaller and cheaper packages which can be just as good. The challenge is to find not just the type you need, but the one that comes in at the right price for you.

However, even some of the more seemingly expensive software suites sometimes have a free tier, so you can try it out and see if it works for you - and if it does, you can grow into the software as your business cashflow improves.

Even better is that sometimes there are free alternatives to paid-for brand name suites, though often it's the case that you get what you pay for, and cheap or free can come with limitations.

We'll therefore look to list a wide range of software types that it's good to be familiar with, and feature the best on the market, so that should you develop a need for anything in particular, you already have an idea of what to look for.

Here are the best small business software solutions currently available.

Reader offer: Free plan

HubSpot is designed to help you build a frictionless customer experience. It brings all communication channels - from email inboxes, live chat, forms, and Facebook messenger - together into one place and enriches client data with its CRM tool. 

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We’ve also picked out the best small business web hosting .

The best small business software of 2024 in full:

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Best small business software: Best for communications

Our expert review:

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid.

Believe the hype, or at least part of it – Slack may not have killed off email just yet, and it can turn into a time sink if you're not disciplined in how it's deployed, but it's also fair to say that this communications platform has helped transform the way that a lot of small business teams keep in touch.

Like all the best software tools, the basic idea is very simple: real-time messaging in web browsers, mobile apps, and desktop clients. Team members can chat one to one, or in groups, or in channels based around topics (sales, finances, products and so on).

What Slack does well though is bring that simple idea to life very intuitively, with a slick and responsive interface, and a host of integrations, plug-ins and shortcuts to keep the conversation flowing. All the functions you think you might need, from file transfers to video calling, are right there for you.

You don't get much out of Slack for free but it gives you a feel for the app, and should be fine for smaller teams. At the highest pricing tier, you get round-the-clock support and a guaranteed support response time of four hours, as well as unlimited message archives.

Read our full Slack review .

• ^ Back to the top

Best small business software: Best project management software

Got both a team and multiple projects to manage? Asana helps you work out who should be doing what at any given moment, maximizing the chances of everything coming together on deadline (though you do need a certain amount of talent and hard work from your staff as well, of course).

As with the other software tools in this list, it's not just the features that Asana has that make it special – it's the way those features are wrapped up in an elegant and accessible interface that's easy to navigate around and works across mobile apps and the web without missing a beat.

We also like the way Asana integrates very well with more than a hundred other products and services. All the big names are included – Dropbox, Slack, Gmail, Salesforce and so on – and this means Asana is flexible enough to fit right into whatever workflow you've got set up at the moment (or want to try in the future).

Whether you're mapping out the steps in a project, assigning duties and responsibilities, checking on the current status of a plan or trying to get a 'big picture' look at exactly what's happening at any given moment, Asana makes the process much more straightforward than you might expect.

Read our full Asana review .

Best small business software: Best office software

3. Microsoft 365

There are many rivals, but Microsoft still provides the best office software suite, and Microsoft 365 delivers a cloud version you can use on the go as well as at home or in the office.

The first thing going for Microsoft 365 is its familiarity - if you've used Microsoft Office before you'll easily find your way around this platform. Even if you haven't and have used rivals instead the same still applies because Microsoft Office is the market leader that others attempt to copy.

The second is that Microsoft 365 works in the cloud, which offers several advantages, the first being that you can use it on the go with your smartphone or tablet, but the second being that all your documents are saved online in the cloud with OneDrive. This means you don't have to worry about losing important files to a hard drive crash, and also that you can switch between devices without losing your work.

Pricing can seem a little more expensive than it used to be for buying a standalone license for Microsoft 365 Personal, which provides you with Word , Excel , Powerpoint , Publisher, and Access, with online emails served by Outlook , and OneDrive for cloud storage of documents. 

There's also Microsoft 365 Home which offers up to six licenses which could be ideal and cost-efficient for distributing around employees if you have five or less. Microsoft 365 Business Premium is targeted at larger businesses and includes Sharepoint, Microsoft Exchange, and Microsoft Teams .

Altogether, Microsoft 365 delivers what you need in terms of an office software and admin platform, and remains superior in terms of functionality than rivals. Additionally, expect to find many suppliers and contractors also using it, making it easy to share, swap, or send send files between your both without any problems.

Read our full Microsoft 365 review .

Best small business software: Best sales and marketing app

4. Hubspot Marketing Hub

Hubspot is a platform that provides a range of tools for content management, sales and marketing, and social media advertising. Hubspot goes way beyond simply setting up a website and editing its content, as much as delivering a wide-ranging toolkit to help improve conversions, and ranks as our top pick for best content marketing tools as well as features in our best CRM software .

It does this by offering options for split testing, content hosting, communications within a sales team and with customers, along with goals and targets that can be tracked using Hubspot's analytics software.

There are also a number of additional integrations available, not least Salesforce, Google Workspace, and Microsoft 365. 

All in all, Hubspot probably isn't the best at any individual feature that it offers, but the comprehensive set that it does offer makes it a clear market leader, and the best at what it does.

Even better, there's a free tier for trying out Hubspot.

Read our full HubSpot review .

Best small business software: Best accounting software

5. Sage Accounting

Sage Accounting makes a good first impression with its clear and gimmick-free pricing. The top Sage Accounting plan offers decent value and there is also a 30-day free trial.

For this, you get modules to manage quotes, invoices, handle and submit tax online, smart bank feeds and reconciliation, cash flow forecasting, some detailed reports, multiple currency support, project tracking and more, all available from your desktop or via a mobile app.

All this is well presented and generally easy-to-use. If you run into trouble, detailed web help and video tutorials are only a click or two away, with the offer of “free unlimited 24/7 telephone and email support” that should help make any newbie comfortable.

Sage also has a more basic offering called Accounting Start. This doesn't include support for quotes, estimates or vendor bills, and has no cash flow forecasts and could be enough for start-ups as well as small businesses.

Read our full Sage Accounting review .

Best small business software: Best antivirus

6. Avast Business Antivirus

Avast Business is an excellent business antivirus and online security platform, giving you various tools such as antivirus, firewall, email protection, anti-spam and the ability to sandbox applications for complete security. Avast Business also includes a number of tools for your servers, and ranks top of our best business antivirus as well as our best antivirus in 2021 guide.

The AV protection you get is generally rated as good by independent testing, with Avast's engine blocking 99.7 per cent of threats in AV-Comparative's Real-World Protection report. 

The free version of Avast has long been considered one of the best for home users, but If value for money and simplicity are key factors, Avast Business could be a sensible choice.

Read our full Avast Business Antivirus review .

Best small business software: Best small business tools

7. Bitrix24

Bitrix24 provides a vast suite of powerful business tools: collaboration, instant messaging, telephony, project management, document handling, scheduling, employee management, and more.

If you prefer to keep things simple then you can concentrate on the excellent CRM, which is a capable system all on its own. Contacts and communications are logged, leads assigned to sales managers, emails sent, calls recorded, quotes and invoices issued. Detailed reports keep you up-to-date and there's convenient access via the mobile app.

Bitrix24's unusually generous free account supports 12 users and includes 5GB storage, but if you need more, there are additional paid-for accounts which offer more and for more users.

Overall, Bitrix24 is offers a powerful suite of tools that is especially going to be handy for small businesses and start-ups to help them develop and grow through improved productivity, all in one platform.

Read our full Bitrix24 review .

Other small business software to consider

We've barely touched the surface of all the different software options a small business might want to consider, not least as there are multiple areas of interest and a strong range of competitors who want to offer the best product for you. However, here are a few more that get honorable mentions, either because they're positioned so well in their respective industries, or they offer a wider ranger of features-and all of them geared toward small businesses:

Paypal  is a long-established merchant gateway provider for taking online payments, and has since moved into physical retail as well as pay and go mobile card readers. All of which means that if you need a payment provider, Paypal can cover you well, no matter what sort of business you have. There's no monthly fee for the basic plan, which will cover online ordering, which helps reduce upfront fees. And once you're well established with a good sales volume and turnover, if you'd prefer to cut down transaction fees then you can switch to a merchant account where for a monthly fee upfront you'll pay mostly interchange rates on each transaction.

Zoho  provides so many different software and apps for small business the bigger question might not be what they do, but what they don't. Zoho provides such a comprehensive range of solutions that it's impossible to do the company justice here, suffice to say that they-currently-provide at least 45 apps covering everything from sales, help desk, finance, people, IT, office, project management, and collaboration. What's even better is that not only do these all integrate with each other, but also often integrate with other popular business software platforms. If you need to do something, Zoho probably have already released software to do it!

Adobe Creative Cloud  is probably another toolkit to consider here, not least because of Adobe 's real strengths in creativity and design, as well as PDF management-something every business will have to address at some point. Adobe sell different apps in different groups, however, so it's important to ensure you're looking at the correct set. However, don't be surprised if you end up subscribing to multiple apps, not least the creativity bundle that includes Photoshop , and Adobe Acrobat for creating, editing, annotating, and signing PDF files. 

Salesforce  is possibly the leading sales solution for businesses of many sizes. Whether you're looking to focus on online or offline marketing, telephone or email sales, then this is an all-in-one platform that aims to bring customer sales and relationships together. However, it's not just about logging numbers and ticketing as much as improving all-round efficiency. This means you can look to improve key metrics across all processes, not least your sales and CRM channels, ensuring both a good synchronicity and efficiency between them. 

Going mobile? We've featured the best small business apps .

Small business software FAQs

Which type of small business software is best for you.

When deciding which small business software to download and use, first consider what your actual needs are, as sometimes platforms that aim to do a lot of different things may not offer such an extensive range of tools as one that focuses on one particular area. Additionally, budget software options can sometimes provide all the tools you may need, but higher-end software can really cater for the specialist, so do ensure you have a good idea of which features you think you may need to save on the pain of changing to a different software platform later on.

How we tested the best small business software

To test for the best small business software we first set up an account with the relevant software platform, whether as a download or as an online service. We then tested the service to see how the software could be used for different purposes and in different situations. The aim was to push each software platform to see how useful its basic tools were and also how easy it was to get to grips with any more advanced tools.

Read how we test, rate, and review products on TechRadar .  

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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

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9 Business Plan Examples to Inspire Your Own (2024)

Need support creating your business plan? Check out these business plan examples for inspiration and guidance.

Any aspiring entrepreneur researching how to start a business will likely be advised to write a business plan. But few resources provide business plan examples to really guide you through writing one of your own.

Here are some real-world and illustrative business plan examples to help you craft your business plan .

Business plan format: 9 examples

The business plan examples in this article follow this template:

• Executive summary
• Company description
• Market analysis
• Products and services
• Marketing plan
• Logistics and operations plan
• Financial plan
• Customer segmentation

1. Executive summary

Your executive summary is a page that gives a high-level overview of the rest of your business plan. While it appears at the beginning, it’s easiest to write this section last, as there are details further in the report you’ll need to include here.

In this free business plan template , the executive summary is four paragraphs and takes a little over half a page. It clearly and efficiently communicates what the business does and what it plans to do, including its business model and target customers.

2. Company description

You might repurpose your company description elsewhere, like on your About page , social media profile pages, or other properties that require a boilerplate description of your small business.

Soap brand ORRIS has a blurb on its About page that could easily be repurposed for the company description section of its business plan.

You can also go more in-depth with your company overview and include the following sections, like in this business plan example for Paw Print Post:

Business structure

This section outlines how you registered your business —as an LLC , sole proprietorship, corporation, or other business type : “Paw Print Post will operate as a sole proprietorship run by the owner, Jane Matthews.”

Nature of the business

“Paw Print Post sells unique, one-of-a-kind digitally printed cards that are customized with a pet’s unique paw prints.”

“Paw Print Post operates primarily in the pet industry and sells goods that could also be categorized as part of the greeting card industry.”

Background information

“Jane Matthews, the founder of Paw Print Post, has a long history in the pet industry and working with animals, and was recently trained as a graphic designer. She’s combining those two loves to capture a niche in the market: unique greeting cards customized with a pet’s paw prints, without needing to resort to the traditional (and messy) options of casting your pet’s prints in plaster or using pet-safe ink to have them stamp their ’signature.’”

Business objectives

“Jane will have Paw Print Post ready to launch at the Big Important Pet Expo in Toronto to get the word out among industry players and consumers alike. After two years in business, Jane aims to drive $150,000 in annual revenue from the sale of Paw Print Post’s signature greeting cards and to have expanded into two new product categories.”

“Jane Matthews is the sole full-time employee of Paw Print Post but hires contractors as needed to support her workflow and fill gaps in her skill set. Notably, Paw Print Post has a standing contract for five hours a week of virtual assistant support with Virtual Assistants Pro.”

Your mission statement may also make an appearance here. Passionfruit shares its mission statement on its company website, and it would also work well in its example business plan.

3. Market analysis

The market analysis consists of research about supply and demand , your target demographics, industry trends, and the competitive landscape. You might run a SWOT analysis and include that in your business plan. 

Here’s an example SWOT analysis for an online tailored-shirt business:

You’ll also want to do a competitive analysis as part of the market research component of your business plan. This will tell you which businesses you’re up against and give you ideas on how to differentiate your brand. A broad competitive analysis might include:

• Target customers
• Unique value proposition , or what sets the products apart
• Sales pitch
• Price points for products
• Shipping policy

4. Products and services

This section of your business plan describes your offerings—which products and services do you sell to your customers? Here’s an example for Paw Print Post that explains its line of custom greeting cards, along with details on what makes its products unique.

5. Marketing plan

It’s always a good idea to develop a marketing plan before you launch your business. Your marketing plan shows how you’ll get the word out about your business, and it’s an essential component of your business plan as well.

The Paw Print Post focuses on four Ps: price, product, promotion, and place. However, you can take a different approach with your marketing plan. Maybe you can pull from your existing marketing strategy , or maybe you break it down by the different marketing channels. Whatever approach you take, your marketing plan should describe how you intend to promote your business and offerings to potential customers.

6. Logistics and operations plan

The Paw Print Post example considered suppliers, production, facilities, equipment, shipping and fulfillment, and inventory. This includes any raw materials needed to produce the products.

7. Financial plan

The financial plan provides a breakdown of sales, revenue, profit, expenses, and other relevant financial metrics related to funding and profiting from your business.

Ecommerce brand Nature’s Candy’s financial plan breaks down predicted revenue, expenses, and net profit in graphs.

It then dives deeper into the financials to include:

• Funding needs
• Projected profit-and-loss statement
• Projected balance sheet
• Projected cash-flow statement

You can use a financial plan spreadsheet to build your own financial statements, including income statement, balance sheet, and cash-flow statement.

8. Customer segmentation

Customer segmentation means dividing your target market into groups based on specific characteristics. These characteristics can be demographics, psychographics, behavior, or geography. Your business plan will provide detailed information on each segment, like its size and growth potential, so you can show why they are valuable to your business. 

Airsign , an eco-friendly vacuum cleaner company, faced the challenge of building a sustainable business model in the competitive home appliance market. They identified three key customer personas to target:

• Design-oriented urban dwellers
• Millennials moving to suburbs
• Older consumers seeking high-quality appliances

The company utilized Shopify’s customer segmentation tools to gain insights and take action to target them. Airsign created targeted segments for specific marketing initiatives.

Put your customer data to work with Shopify’s customer segmentation

Shopify’s built-in segmentation tools help you discover insights about your customers, build segments as targeted as your marketing plans with filters based on your customers’ demographic and behavioral data, and drive sales with timely and personalized emails.

9. Appendix

The appendix provides in-depth data, research, or documentation that supports the claims and projections made in the main business plan. It includes things like market research, finance, résumés, product specs, and legal documents. 

Readers can access detailed info in the appendix, but the main plan stays focused and easy to read. Here’s an example from a fictional clothing brand called Bloom:

Appendix: Bloom Business Plan

Types of business plans, and what to include for each

This lean business plan is meant to be high level and easy to understand at a glance. You’ll want to include all of the same sections in one-page business plan, but make sure they’re truncated and summarized:

• Executive summary: truncated
• Market analysis: summarized
• Products and services: summarized
• Marketing plan: summarized
• Logistics and operations plan: summarized
• Financials: summarized

A startup business plan is for a new business. Typically, these plans are developed and shared to secure funding . As such, there’s a bigger focus on the financials, as well as on other sections that determine viability of your business idea—market research, for example:

• Market analysis: in-depth
• Financials: in-depth

Your internal business plan is meant to keep your team on the same page and aligned toward the same goal:

A strategic, or growth, business plan is a big-picture, long-term look at your business. As such, the forecasts tend to look further into the future, and growth and revenue goals may be higher. Essentially, you want to use all the sections you would in a normal business plan and build upon each:

• Market analysis: comprehensive outlook
• Products and services: for launch and expansion
• Marketing plan: comprehensive outlook
• Logistics and operations plan: comprehensive outlook
• Financials: comprehensive outlook

Feasibility

Your feasibility business plan is sort of a pre-business plan—many refer to it as simply a feasibility study. This plan essentially lays the groundwork and validates that it’s worth the effort to make a full business plan for your idea. As such, it’s mostly centered around research:

Nonprofit business plans are used to attract donors, grants, and partnerships. They focus on what their mission is, how they measure success, and how they get funded. You’ll want to include the following sections in addition to a traditional business plan:

• Organization description
• Need statement
• Programs and services
• Fundraising plan
• Partnerships and collaborations
• Impact measurement

Set yourself up for success as a business owner

Building a good business plan serves as a roadmap you can use for your ecommerce business at launch and as you reach each of your business goals. Business plans create accountability for entrepreneurs and synergy among teams, regardless of your business model .

Kickstart your ecommerce business and set yourself up for success with an intentional business planning process—and with the sample business plans above to guide your own path.

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Business plan examples FAQ

How do i write a simple business plan.

To write a simple business plan, begin with an executive summary that outlines your business and your plans. Follow this with sections detailing your company description, market analysis, organization and management structure, product or service, marketing and sales strategy, and financial projections. Each section should be concise and clearly illustrate your strategies and goals.

What is the best format to write a business plan?

The best business plan format presents your plan in a clear, organized manner, making it easier for potential investors to understand your business model and goals. Always begin with the executive summary and end with financial information or appendices for any additional data.

What are the 4 key elements of a business plan?

• Executive summary: A concise overview of the company’s mission, goals, target audience, and financial objectives.
• Business description: A description of the company’s purpose, operations, products and services, target markets, and competitive landscape.
• Market analysis: An analysis of the industry, market trends, potential customers, and competitors.
• Financial plan: A detailed description of the company’s financial forecasts and strategies.

What are the 3 main points of a business plan?

• Concept: Your concept should explain the purpose of your business and provide an overall summary of what you intend to accomplish.
• Contents: Your content should include details about the products and services you provide, your target market, and your competition.
• Cash flow: Your cash flow section should include information about your expected cash inflows and outflows, such as capital investments, operating costs, and revenue projections.

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The 7 best free website builders

• September 2, 2024
• by steven-austin

The 10 Best Free Website Builders in 2023

If you want to create an online presence, a website is essential. But hiring a professional web developer is out of reach for many small business budgets. That‘s where free website builders come to the rescue.

These DIY website creation platforms allow anyone to build a site with no coding required. Thanks to intuitive drag-and-drop editors and pre-made templates, you don‘t need design experience to craft a custom online space tailored to your needs.

I tested over a dozen top-rated free website builders hands-on, evaluating them across several key criteria:

• Ease of use: How intuitive is the interface for beginners vs. experts?
• Customization: What design tools and template options are available?
• Built-in SEO: Does the platform help optimize sites for search engines?
• Value of free plan: Are core features truly free or locked behind paywalls?
• Focus: Is website building the core offering or an add-on feature?

Based on my extensive testing, I recommend the 10 best free website builders below for all skill levels and use cases.

Best Free Website Builders

1. Google Sites – Best for basic websites like blogs and portfolios

2. Weebly – Best for simple, straightforward sites

3. GetResponse – Best for email-focused businesses

4. Wix – Best all-purpose website builder

5. Dorik – Best for semi-experienced creators wanting design freedom

6. HubSpot CMS – Best for growing small businesses

7. Webflow – Best for experienced designers

8. Site123 – Best for ecommerce sites

9. Strikingly – Best for one-page sites

10. Jimdo – Best for portfolios and online stores

Now let‘s explore the top recommendations in more detail.

1. Google Sites

With Google Sites, the tech giant enters the free website builder ring. As you‘d expect from Google, the editor feels instantly familiar. The workflow resembles Google Docs: build your pages in the browser, then access and share your site right from Google Drive.

Key Features:

• Choose from 12 templates or design your own responsive site
• Easily embed Google apps like Maps, YouTube, and Calendar
• Collaborate with teammates to build and manage your site
• Personal portfolios
• Small business sites
• Internal team sites
• Extremely easy to use
• Deep integration with other Google services
• Completely free with unlimited storage and bandwidth
• Very limited design customization options
• No built-in SEO settings aside from page paths

If you want an ultra-simple site and already live in Google‘s ecosystem, their official website builder is tough to beat—especially given the free price tag. But expect minimal customization capabilities.

Used by over 50 million people worldwide, Weebly is a popular choice for free website building. It shines when it comes to ease of use thanks to an intuitive drag-and-drop editor.

• 100+ professional templates
• Easy drag-and-drop editor
• Mobile optimization tools
• Built-in SEO settings
• Personal sites
• Extremely easy to edit pages visually
• Quality templates for blogs, stores, portfolios, and more
• Less design flexibility than Wix or Webflow

For straightforward sites like online portfolios, Weebly empowers beginners to build a polished online presence with minimal effort. While more advanced users may crave more customization capabilities, it nails the basics.

3. GetResponse

GetResponse may seem like an odd inclusion given it‘s primarily an email marketing platform. But its free website builder stands toe-to-toe with many dedicated site creation tools.

• AI-powered builder customizes sites as you edit
• Mobile editor to optimize sites for any device
• Email capture and newsletter sign up forms
• Basic SEO settings
• Businesses focused on email marketing and lead gen
• Powerful free website building capabilities
• Deep email marketing integrations
• Fairly basic SEO options

For solopreneurs and small teams who rely on email, GetResponse allows you to gather contacts and promote your newsletter straight from your site—all without paying a dime.

Boasting over 200 million users, Wix remains the standard-bearer for free website builders. It earns such popularity by packing an incredible amount of capability into its free tier.

• 500+ designer-made templates
• Drag-and-drop editor with extensive customization options
• Built-in image and video galleries
• SEO app and site analytics
• All-in-one website building
• Sites of any type and complexity
• Extremely customizable without coding
• Asset libraries for images, videos, fonts, and more
• Generous free plan
• Interface has a learning curve for beginners

Whether you‘re showcasing travel photography or launching a small business online, Wix empowers you to realize your web design ambitions without spending a dime. Novices may face a few hurdles scaling the learning curve, but the payoff is immense creative control.

Dorik differentiates itself from other DIY website builders through AI assistance. As you customize design aspects like color schemes, it suggests complementary changes to match your vision.

• AI assistant for design suggestions
• Custom brand kit builder
• Easy own domain connection
• Built-in analytics
• Beginner and intermediate designers
• Brand-forward sites and online portfolios
• AI guidance makes design approachable
• Brand kit builder defines visual identity
• Domain purchase/connection included free
• Less structure than Wix or Webflow

Dorik strikes an ideal balance between customization and ease of use. While not packing as many complex capabilities as some builders, its AI assistant empowers users of any skill level to craft beautiful, on-brand sites.

6. HubSpot CMS

Well-known for its inbound marketing platform, HubSpot also offers a free CMS for building sites. And the quality flies in the face of “you get what you pay for.”

• Flexible framework grows with your business
• Integrates neatly with other HubSpot tools
• Built-in form and pop-up builder
• SEO recommendations
• Businesses outgrowing beginner site builders
• Creates sites primed for scaling
• Lets you build more complex funnels and landing pages
• Trusted brand used by 100,000+ businesses
• Steeper learning curve than Wix or Weebly

If you’ve maxed out the basics of website builders like Wix, HubSpot CMS empowers the next stage of growth with powerful marketing tools baked in.

While not the most beginner-friendly tool, Webflow offers pro-caliber site building capabilities—and brand-new users can join for free.

• Complex animations and interactions
• Extensive design customization
• Built-in CMS for managing site content
• SEO metadata customization
• Experienced website designers
• Sites with advanced functionality
• Professional-quality web design
• Granular control over site elements
• Generous free plan option
• Steeper learning curve than other builders

Webflow delivers almost unprecedented creative control, helping expert users craft complex, interactive sites for free. But expect to invest serious effort mastering its vast toolset.

Site123 differentiates itself by specializing in ecommerce sites for small businesses plus packing expansive customization into its free plan.

• 100+ industry-specific templates
• Built-in online store capabilities
• Email marketing integration
• SEO optimization
• Online stores and ecommerce sites
• Specialized ecommerce design and features
• Custom domains and email included free
• Less all-purpose than some competitors

For fledgling online retail endeavors, Site123 helps you get the basics of ecommerce websites and marketing in place without spending a cent.

9. Strikingly

Strikingly adopts a boldly minimalist approach. As its name suggests, the Strikingly editor lets you publish stylish one-page sites in minutes.

• Tailored one-page site templates
• Simple and distraction-free editing
• Built-in SEO suggestions
• Site analytics dashboard
• One-page portfolios
• Landing pages
• Create basic one-page sites with incredible ease
• Interface prioritizes clarity and simplicity
• Geared exclusively toward one-page designs

Sometimes less truly is more. For compact, focused sites promoting your work, passion projects, or personal brand, Strikingly is my top recommendation thanks to its purpose-built simplicity.

Last up is Jimdo, which stands out for blending ease of use with powerful ecommerce capabilities…even for free members.

• Drag-and-drop store builder
• List unlimited products
• iPad & iPhone app for editing
• SEO features like metadata customization
• Small online stores
• Portfolios with online sales
• Hybrid online retail sites
• Intuitive, beginner-friendly interface
• Robust free ecommerce and blogging builder
• Some useful features require paid tiers

Jimdo strikes an admirable balance: offering beginners a streamlined editing experience while packing in advanced functionality like online selling—capabilities typically reserved for premium site building platforms.

Find the Best Website Builder for You

All the user-friendly website creation platforms above allow you to make a custom, mobile-friendly site for free. Each takes a slightly different approach, but nails the basics of fuss-free DIY web design.

I aimed to showcase a diversity of options fit for complete beginners and expert users alike. The builders toward the top boast the greatest ease of use, while the bottom pack more complex but powerful features.

Review the list to decide which platform best aligns with your skill level and site needs. Fortunately, committing to a specific free website builder doesn‘t lock you in forever. If you outgrow your initial choice, you can easily export your content to transfer to another option later.

Here‘s wishing you the best of luck bringing your web presence vision to life. Let me know in the comments if you have any favorite free website builder discoveries of your own!

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• Marketing The 10 Best AI Sales Assistant Software Options for Your Business

The 10 Best AI Sales Assistant Software Options for Your Business

• Matthew is a marketing expert focusing on the SEO & martech spaces. He has written over 500 marketing guides and video scripts for the WebFX YouTube channel. When he’s not striving to put out some fresh blog posts and articles, he’s usually fueling his Tolkien obsession or working on miscellaneous creative projects.

We’ve all heard about artificial intelligence (AI) tools . They seem to have proliferated throughout the business world ever since late 2022, with seemingly every company trying to jump on board the AI train. What not every business is as clear on, though, is exactly how they can use AI.

One of the main things that AI can help with is sales, one of the most fundamental parts of any business. In fact, there are a wide range of different AI sales assistant software options out there that you can take advantage of. The question is, what are these tools, and which ones should you choose?

On this page, we’ll cover the following:

What is an AI sales assistant tool?

What features should you expect from ai sales assistant software, 10 best ai sales assistant software options.

Keep reading to find out more about each of those topics. Then be sure to subscribe to Revenue Weekly , our email newsletter, to get more helpful marketing and sales info sent straight to your inbox!

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An AI sales assistant is a type of tool that uses machine learning to help you optimize some aspect of your sales processes. AI sales assistants often automate specific tasks, analyze existing data or processes, or generate new content for your sales efforts.

Not all AI sales assistant tools do the same thing. As noted above, some of them are used in analytics or content creation, while others are used for automating routine tasks. They can serve a variety of purposes. That said, these tools are commonly used when creating and managing sales emails. They also help with phone calls or virtual meetings.

So, what should you look for in these tools? Again, it depends on what type of AI sales tool you want. However, no matter what type of tool you’re looking for, you should pay attention to the results they drive for other businesses.

Read reviews and assess whether the tool made sales reps’ jobs easier or not. Then see how those reviews stack up against the price to determine if it’s a worthwhile investment for your sales team.

Now that you know what an AI sales assistant tool is and what to look for in one, let’s look at some of the top AI sales assistants out there. There are a lot of options to choose from, but here are 10 of the best ones:

• watsonx Assistant
• My AI Front Desk

Here’s a summary of each of those tools:

Keep reading to find out more about each tool!

• 1. Regie.ai

Price: $59+ per month (free plan available)

Regie.ai is possibly the most comprehensive platform on this list. It has a huge array of AI sales tools, both generative and analytical, and it can help you do everything from editing written content to managing outreach campaigns. Considering all of those features, it comes at quite an affordable price.

Other things it can do include:

• Generating social media posts
• Personalizing emails to specific recipients
• Generating call scripts
• Generating images

As you can see, this tool has a wide range of automation capabilities that make it well worth the investment for many businesses.

Price: $149+ per month

Clay is an AI lead prospecting tool. It integrates primarily with LinkedIn, from which it pulls data on users who fit your target audience. That means Clay is ideal for business-to-business (B2B) companies, whose prospects — specifically, decision-makers at their target businesses — are often likely to be on LinkedIn.

You can get a variety of information about these prospects, from their names and positions at their companies to their contact information (particularly their email addresses). You can then use Clay to easily organize that info and reach out to the prospects.

Price: $24+ per month (free plan available)

Avoma is a go-to AI sales assistant software for virtual meetings. It can help you keep track of contacts, schedule meetings with them, and integrate with your customer relationship management (CRM) platform .

More than that, though, Avoma can analyze the meetings themselves. It can do things like:

• Identify the topic of a meeting
• Transcribe the whole meeting
• Analyze how agents perform during calls
• 4. Pipedrive

Price: Free

If you’ve heard of Pipedrive , you may be wondering what it’s doing on this list. After all, Pipedrive is a CRM, right? While that’s true, Pipedrive also offers a top AI sales assistant. It’s a free tool, though you do need to have a Pipedrive account to access it.

Since Pipedrive’s CRM is all about gathering customer data, it makes sense that its AI sales assistant exists to help you analyze that data. It can find valuable insights for you and provide recommendations for how to improve your sales efforts. Needless to say, this tool is at its most beneficial if you use it in conjunction with the CRM.

Price: $99+ per seat

Another of the best AI sales assistant software options is Suede . This tool helps you generate cold emails, and the highlight is that it generates them using your unique brand (or personal) voice. Just feed it some samples of your cold emails, and it will learn how to write like you.

From there, it’s just a matter of telling Suede what you want an email to say or do. It’ll generate three different variations for you to choose from, and just like that, you have a cold email to send out to your prospects.

6. watsonx Assistant

Price: $140+ per month (free plan available)

Offered by IBM Watson, watsonx Assistant is a top AI sales assistant for businesses. It has multiple uses, but as a conversational AI tool, it’s best used for customer support. You can use this tool to create a helpful service chatbot on your website, helping to take some of the load off of your real-life customer service reps.

The watsonx Assistant gives you plenty of customization options, so to a large extent, the effectiveness of this tool is whatever you make it. You can even use it as an internal human resources chatbot, so it has applications even outside the realm of sales.

Price: $99+ per month

Postaga is among the best AI sales assistant software options for email outreach. The way it works is that you get to choose from a range of different campaign types and presets, and then you provide a bunch of information about your business and your target audience. Based on that, Postaga will then scrape the Internet for potential contacts.

It doesn’t stop there, though. Based on what it finds, Postaga will also help you generate email copy and a strategy for sending out your emails on a particular timeline. Throughout the process, it provides you with plenty of customization options for all your email outreach needs.

• 8. Lavender

Price: $29+ per month (free plan available)

Lavender is a browser extension that serves as the perfect email writing assistant. To start with, it can help you write whole emails from scratch. Similarly, it can take single lines of text and expand them into whole email messages.

Even if you don’t like using AI to write entire emails, though, Lavender can still be useful. It can analyze emails you’ve written and give you tips on how to optimize them for better engagement. It also provides a dashboard that shows you data that it tracks on your email activity, giving you a clear picture of how engaging your emails are. It will also tell you any common problems it spots in your emails.

Price: $69+ per seat per month

Winn.ai isn’t the only AI meeting assistant out there, but it’s one of the best. It can do all the usual things, like creating transcripts of your meetings and noting which topics were addressed. It offers more than that, though.

Winn.ai can monitor your virtual meetings in real time, assisting you as you’re actively participating in the meeting. One of the coolest things it can do is help you hit all your main talking points — you can outline those points in advance, at which point the tool will track what you talk about during the meeting and check off talking points as you address them.

• 10. My AI Front Desk

Price: $34.99 per month

My AI Front Desk (MAIFD) is what you could call an AI sales receptionist. That is, it’s an interactive bot that you can set up to answer phone calls for your business. This is handy for when your sales staff isn’t available to answer a call. You can program the bot to ask (and answer) specific questions and to speak to callers in a particular way.

MAIFD may not be a replacement for an actual human agent, but it does a decent job at filling in for them when absolutely necessary.

We foster and form long-term partnerships so that your business has long-term results .

Get more help managing your marketing and sales efforts with webfx.

Automation tools can be really helpful when it comes to upping your sales. But sometimes a tool isn’t enough. Many businesses find that they need the help of a professional agency that has years of experience optimizing marketing and sales efforts to drive more revenue.

If that sounds like you, WebFX is the perfect partner. We’ve been helping businesses drive more revenue for over 28 years, so we know how to upgrade your sales. By wielding our digital marketing services alongside the right AI tool, you can’t lose.

Interested in partnering with us? Just give us a call at 888-601-5359 or contact us online today!

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Table of Contents

• What is an AI Sales Assistant Tool?
• What Features Should You Expect from AI Sales Assistant Software?
• 10 Best AI Sales Assistant Software Options
• 6. Watsonx Assistant
• Get More Help Managing Your Marketing and Sales Efforts with WebFX

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Inside the Plan To Save Denver’s Central Business District

After Mayor Mike Johnston laid out his plan to revitalize downtown Denver, our reporter spent 18 consecutive hours in Union Station to better understand the post-pandemic obstacles the Mile High City still faces.

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As the A-line from Denver International Airport pulls into Union Station, the train’s cars screech and shudder to a stop. The brakes’ sharp hiss echoes off the glass-and-concrete buildings overlooking the platform. Train doors open simultaneously, and a phalanx of passengers step into the sunlight.

It’s 7:04 a.m. on Thursday, June 13, and Union Station is one of downtown Denver’s liveliest spots. Morning travelers and office workers line up at Pigtrain Coffee Co. to order cappuccinos and vanilla lattes. The concierge at the $500-a-night Crawford Hotel waits expectantly at the front desk inside the station’s Great Hall. A security guard holds the door for an elderly couple heading to the trains.

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Bethani Wells walks across the station’s concrete platform with her roller bag. A former Denverite, the 29-year-old left with her now husband for West Palm Beach, Florida, during the pandemic and hadn’t been back for a couple of years. During her time away, she’d heard about the post-COVID-19 troubles in Denver that had also taken hold in so many American cities: rising crime, homelessness, closed businesses, and opioid misuse. Despite then Mayor Michael Hancock’s optimistic outlook for the Mile High City (“ Denver’s reputation is one of never giving up ,” he wrote in the Denver Post in 2022), almost no one would deny that a malaise had overtaken the Mile High City’s downtown.

Wells planned to see friends and visit her old haunts: restaurants and apartments and familiar streets in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. For Wells, like many twentysomethings who settled in Denver after college, this was far more than a place to live—it represented a dream, a lifestyle, a city that would make visiting friends jealous. “It’s impossible not to love Denver,” she says.

I agree with Wells. I was raised in suburban Denver, went to high school here, got married here, and returned to my hometown, Parker, after college and a few jobs in different parts of the country. I’ve raised my children here and, since late 2000, have held jobs at the Denver Post , the Rocky Mountain News , and this magazine. I’ve seen the best and worst the city has to offer.

These days, it’s difficult to put a neat label on Denver. It’s true Denver will never be New York City or Los Angeles, both coastal, 24-hour cities; Denver is a so-called 18-hour city, a lively, midsize town with cultural amenities that rival larger urban centers and that typically runs from sunup until around midnight. Like many post-pandemic American cities today, it has tent encampments, late-night violence, and empty storefronts. On the other hand, the city has Michelin-starred restaurants , a jewel of a ballpark in Coors Field, hip bars , and an inviting anchor in Union Station , all nestled into LoDo, which has fared better than greater downtown since the end of the pandemic.

LoDo wasn’t always a booming part of downtown. The area started to flourish in the late 1990s and early aughts, but it was the redevelopment of Union Station in 2014 that spurred the full blossoming of the neighborhood. That is, in large part, why Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, in May, harked back to the successful overhaul of Union Station and laid out how a revamped Downtown Development Authority (DDA)—which was used to fund the Union Station renovation—could help bring all of downtown Denver out of its post-pandemic doldrums.

The mayor’s plan was met with cautious optimism, but I had a question. Could Union Station and LoDo really be a road map for the rest of the city center? To find out, I wanted to spend 18 hours—from 7 a.m. until 1 a.m.—wandering between Wynkoop and Grant streets to better understand the current state of downtown.

On that June morning, people with backpacks and leather satchels are carrying paper coffee cups as they walk past the fountain in front of the station. As Wells and I chat, she says her visit is a chance to collect some of her past, an opportunity to reacquaint herself with a place that might not be exactly as she remembered it. “This city was a great chapter in my life,” she tells me. She’d met her husband in Capitol Hill during the pandemic’s peak. She paused for a moment. “I hope there’s still something magical about it.”

A century and a half ago, Denver was also looking for a revamp. A frontier city built during Colorado’s gold rush, Denver’s post–Civil War population stagnated at about 4,500 residents as the lack of goldfield success led to hundreds of “gobacks,” as Rocky Mountain News publisher William Byers called those who returned home.

Denver was a dusty, inhospitable place. Homes and businesses periodically washed away in floods. Shanties popped up along streets, creating the city’s first slums. “[T]oo dead to bury,”  Thomas Durant, the Union Pacific Railroad vice president, declared of Denver in the 1860s.

When Cheyenne, Wyoming, was made a primary stop on the east-west rail line nearly a decade before Colorado’s statehood in 1876, Denver’s fate appeared sealed. Fearing financial ruin—and a further exodus that would decimate what remained of the community—residents banded together to fund a rail spur from Wyoming. The spur became a link for Denver and helped turn the city into a viable commercial epicenter at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.

In time, hotels, mills, lumberyards, a brass foundry, and a cracker factory opened in what is now LoDo. Four railroad companies had offices in the city, and each had its own station, forcing travelers to traverse dusty or muddy roads to catch different trains. That began to change in 1880, when the city created plans to consolidate the stations into a single building at the corner of 17th and Wynkoop streets.

Union Depot, as it was called, would cost $525,000 (about $17 million today) and would house trains under a massive structure “of brick, with stone trimmings,” the Rocky Mountain News reported at the time. It would be a grand edifice: 180 feet tall, 500 feet long, and 60 feet wide, constructed in the High Victorian Eclectic style popularized in New York City in the mid- to late 1800s. Leading the development was William E. Taylor, a Kansas City architect. By June 1881, construction was complete: Denver now had the tallest building west of the Mississippi River and a hallmark development that helped legitimize the city.

On a gray morning this past May outside that building—renamed Union Station following a massive remodel in 1914 that created its celebrated central facade—Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, a Democrat, described the aftermath of post-pandemic American cities as a way to explain what had happened to one of the West’s great economic centers. “The COVID-19 pandemic left our downtowns deserted,” said Johnston, a former educator and state representative who’d won the mayoral election in summer 2023 . Work-from-home and hybrid work schedules reduced demands for commercial office space in downtown Denver. A domino effect ensued. Without foot traffic, many businesses struggled, and some closed permanently. Crime increased: Aggravated assaults in the Central Business District jumped 52 percent from 2018 to 2021. Burglaries nearly doubled during the same time period (but saw a substantial decrease in 2022). A “doom loop,” Johnston called it.

Although the city center is home to 40 percent of Denver’s jobs, post-pandemic visitor recovery rates in the urban core are among the lowest of the 26 largest downtowns in the country, according to a study from Philadelphia’s Center City District. Year-to-date sales of commercial properties in Denver are also below that of most major cities across the West. City subleases were up 53.7 percent, year over year, in December 2020—a sign that office tenants were already re-examining the need for physical space for workers.

Early this year, the Denver Post reported commercial vacancies downtown were at 31.5 percent—the highest level since the early 1990s oil bust. Avison Young, a global commercial real estate services firm with an office downtown, reported this summer that vacancy rates in the city continued to climb from previous months, most notably downtown. “I have six or seven tenants downtown, and all of them have given me a mandate that basically says, ‘We want out of here,’ ” says Howard Schmidt, an Avison Young vice president who expected a post-pandemic real estate rebound that has yet to materialize. “Everyone loves Denver,” he adds. “I figured people would be flocking back downtown. But that’s not been the case at all.”

These are strange times for a downtown that had been the envy of so many American cities for the previous decade. Cutting-edge companies such as Ibotta and Palantir Technologies located their headquarters in the city center as technology businesses challenged the oil and gas industry that had dominated downtown Denver development for generations. Construction cranes became fixtures on the skyline. There was arts and culture, locally made craft beer and spirits, banking and finance, professional sports, and outdoor recreation.

Nowhere was the city’s transformation more noticeable than at Union Station, whose $500 million renovation turned a nearly deserted building into a catalyst for development across LoDo. Much of the project’s funding came from the DDA, part of a Colorado statute that authorizes municipalities to collect a portion of incremental taxes within a designated development zone and reinvest that money into economic expansion within the same area.

The DDA that funded Union Station’s renewal began in 2008, becoming one of more than 20 DDAs across the state. In Denver, the DDA financed bonds that paid for part of the Union Station redevelopment, a project that included upgraded rail tracks and platforms, a new Regional Transportation District (RTD) bus depot, and preservation and renovations inside the existing historical building.

This was done through something known as Tax Increment Financing (TIF). A TIF doesn’t raise taxes but rather reallocates tax-revenue increases; in this case, the DDA allowed the city to borrow money to help fund the redevelopment based on the increase in future property and sales taxes the project was expected to generate. In other words, as the revamped Union Station increased economic activity, it generated more tax revenue. That money then was used to pay off the bonds.

The DDA encompassed the station and several blocks surrounding it and was a massive success. Tax revenue ended up being so much higher than projections that the TIF will pay off the $400 million in bonds this year, 14 years earlier than expected.

And so, as Johnston stood outside Union Station on that spring day, he unveiled a new plan for the city—an ambitious project called Vibrant Denver that would expand the original, now expiring DDA to the rest of downtown. From LoDo, through the city’s core, and all the way to the state Capitol, $500 million would be spent over the next 15 years as part of a massive, more-than-85-block transformation.

Using the station’s redevelopment as a road map, Johnston said, the revamped DDA would act as a multiplier of sorts to attract and aid privately funded projects, potentially delivering billions of dollars in additional investment. “Denver refuses to walk away from our downtown as the vibrant center of financial, cultural, social, athletic, and artistic activities,” the mayor said. Downtown Denver has been an economic driver for the rest of the city, which propelled the state’s fortunes and, by extension, helped determine the fate of the Rocky Mountain West. Said Johnston: “The economic recovery of 10 states starts in this neighborhood.”

On this June Thursday, the sidewalks around Union Station are lively and crowded. People in dress pants and button-down shirts brush past each other with their takeout lunches. A group of friends chat on concrete steps in front of the Wynkoop Brewery. The fountain splashes giggling children whose parents record the moment on their phones. Ubers and Lyfts line up along Wynkoop Street. A small party of travelers with suitcases walks up 17th Street to the Oxford Hotel.

As a whole, the city of Denver has relatively low rates of violent crime and one of the lower homicide rates, when compared with similarly sized cities. But since the pandemic, downtown has become notorious for crimes such as car break-ins, assaults, and public drug use. Data prove the reputation is earned. In June and July, there were at least five burglaries with forced entry in LoDo. Eight serious assaults were reported in an eight-day period throughout downtown in late June. There was an armed carjacking during the day on June 30, and two people were shot two blocks from Union Station in early July.

The idea that such a vibrant neighborhood can feel so unmoored at times is a contradiction that’s difficult for even longtime residents to comprehend. “You get a beautiful summer evening when there’s a game at Coors Field and people are on restaurant patios with friends and you can’t think of a better place,” says Lynda “Elle” Baker, 57, a former salon owner who lives in the Ice House Lofts next to Union Station and serves on the homeowners’ association board. “A few nights later, you’re dodging open-air drug users and wondering if anyone’s going to help if you’re attacked. Denver can be amazing and frustrating, sometimes in the same hour.”

Just before noon that day, I meet Andrew Mueller, an assistant professor at the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business, for lunch at a restaurant near Track 7, behind Union Station. The area is teeming with activity. Downtown workers wander about. A group of women hug hello outside a newly arrived train, near a man experiencing homelessness who’s shading himself from the heat.

Mueller studies urban environments and development and how people interact within those things. Denver, like most cities, is a complicated place, he says. What’s unique to the Mile High City, however, is that its current predicament can be traced to development decisions that date back nearly 60 years.

In 1967, Denver voters overwhelmingly approved the Skyline Urban Renewal Project, a plan that demolished 120 acres of prime downtown real estate in favor of office towers and vast parking lots that accommodated workers who’d taken part in the flight to the suburbs over the previous decade. “The en vogue planning at the time was all about building skyscrapers and creating a city of the future,” Mueller says. More than 1,500 mostly poor downtown residents were displaced during the teardown, and many of those people ultimately found homes in public housing outside the city center. “Denver had these beautiful, old, five-story buildings everywhere, high density and good mixed-use,” Mueller says. “And then the city turned that into parking lots.”

Despite Union Station’s much-heralded 2014 renovation, other, more recent redevelopment projects haven’t gone particularly well. The 16th Street Mall—now undergoing a $170 million overhaul that has faced multiple delays—has been reimagined twice in the past two decades, but neither project has proved successful. Downtown’s Skyline Park, a modernist icon built in the early 1970s, fell into neglect and was remodeled in 2004 but continues to be a hub for drug use and people without housing. Part of the park today is cordoned off.

The idea behind the mayor’s DDA expansion proposal follows an emerging consensus around the United States that major cities can reinvent themselves by taking a page out of the old playbook—essentially, turning the city center back into a neighborhood where people want to spend time, regardless of where they might work. Case in point is LoDo. The neighborhood encapsulates the concept of the “work, live, play” ethos Johnston wants to expand to the rest of downtown, a sentiment repeated by nearly every politician, developer, and resident I spoke with for this story. “If you create a cool, safe, welcoming place people want to visit, then you’re creating a place where people are going to want to work, and then they’re going to start looking for a home,” says Susan Chong, a real estate agent who sells properties downtown and lives three blocks from Union Station. “It’s a pretty obvious solution.”

As the theory goes, a city center should have affordable residences filled with families, which then attract businesses like restaurants, daycare centers, and grocers. “If that can be the norm again in a place like Denver, then that’s a really exciting road map for the rest of the country,” Mueller says. In essence, the concept is a throwback to a time when store owners could live above their businesses, shop for daily staples, and go out to dinner all within a few blocks of home.

The question today is whether Denver can accomplish that vision. “We have to be optimistic about the possibilities,” Walter Isenberg, the president and CEO of the Sage Hospitality Group, told me later on that warm June day at the Oxford Hotel. Isenberg operates more than 90 hotels across the country, including four in LoDo. The Oxford—his crown jewel—has returned to its pre-pandemic numbers, he says, as have Sage’s three other hotels nearby. That Sage properties have lagged elsewhere is proof, Isenberg says, that the DDA that funded Union Station’s revitalization worked and can succeed as an expanded entity to drive other development in the city center. “People want to be in LoDo because there’s a high quality of life, there’s always something going on,” says Isenberg, who also helped create projects for both McGregor Square and the Dairy Block—two developments that are examples of modern, dense, mixed-use gathering spots in LoDo.

As part of a downtown revamp, he says, there needs to be an expansion and yet another remodel of Skyline Park. Abandoned ground-floor retail spaces throughout the city center need to be reoccupied. “And that’s going to take time, but it’s absolutely important. Energize the ground floors downtown, and you’re going to get residents and office tenants and visitors,” Isenberg says. “We need to look at this downturn as an opportunity to dig in and roll up our sleeves and say, ‘What should downtown be?’  ”

From his third-floor office at the City and County Building, the mayor can see the terminus of the future DDA, across East Colfax Avenue from Civic Center Park. Right now, it’s the yin to Union Station’s yang, an imperfect bookend. “Some cities are looking at these issues and saying the idea of downtowns is dead; it’s a 20th-century notion, and don’t try to revive it,” Johnston tells me. “We feel the opposite. We’re doubling down on the idea that downtowns can be vibrant and are a must for cities to survive.”

Along a wall near the mayor’s desk is an eight-foot-long map of the renovations along the 16th Street Mall. Before Union Station’s rebirth, the mall had been the centerpiece of a downtown that didn’t have much to offer residents, office workers, or visitors. It was, in many ways, downtown’s most distressed—and disappointing—asset. With the mall now scheduled to reopen next summer, Johnston believes it can be a lively spine that will link LoDo to the rest of downtown, a renewed commercial district where boutiques and big-box retailers and restaurants co-exist within a walkable 15-block stretch.

This is all critical to Johnston, who took office more than a year ago on a platform that emphasized safe streets and a promise to pull Denver out of its post-pandemic listlessness. In the first 10 months of his administration, more than 1,000 people previously experiencing homelessness in the city were moved to residences away from LoDo and the city center. “It’s like someone flipped the ‘on’ switch and gave us back part of the city,” says Chong, the real estate agent.

Johnston has now turned his attention to the DDA. Under Colorado statute, each of the state’s cities is allowed only one authority. “Downtown needs to be the economic priority for the city,” the mayor says. As Johnston tells it, Gretchen Hollrah, the city’s former deputy chief operating officer, brought the DDA expansion idea up in a meeting shortly after he took office. “I said, ‘This is brilliant,’ ” Johnston says. “Exactly what we’ve done for Union Station, we can do for all of downtown. This is our chance.”

The City Council could approve the DDA expansion as early as this fall. After that, the Denver Economic Development & Opportunity office will create guidelines for projects. The first funding tranche would follow, perhaps as early as next summer, though there are no concrete plans for spending the $500 million over the next 15 years. Johnston and others have mentioned the need to restructure Skyline Park and have visited Boston to study the ways it uses Boston Common to activate the neighborhoods surrounding the 50-acre public park.

Denver Councilman Chris Hinds, whose district encompasses the entirety of the proposed DDA, says there’s been zero opposition to the plan so far. “There’s a lot of excitement for this,” he says, adding that the biggest debates will center on which projects get funding. Hinds has already advocated for a 5.280-mile walking and biking path—dubbed the 5280 Trail—that connects Union Station, the Auraria Campus, the Golden Triangle, Capitol Hill, and other neighborhoods. The city has also extensively researched commercial-to-residential conversions on multiple buildings, paying for a study last year that singled out 16 structures downtown that have potential for residential conversions, most of them mid-rises that can offer enough interior natural light to make the projects viable.

This spring, members from the nonprofit Downtown Denver Partnership traveled to Calgary, which used a $200 million startup fund to offer developers sped-up approvals and square-footage incentives to convert empty offices into residential apartments. Thirteen conversion projects are active, and four others are in the pipeline—a project that will convert roughly 2.3 million square feet of space. Ultimately, the Canadian city wants its fund to spur another $1 billion in private investment.

Johnston believes an even larger multiplier could happen in Denver. “I think it’s very reasonable to say we can get two times, five times what the city’s going to put in it if we do this the right way,” he says. “We can help make the math work” for private investors. Johnston adds: “In a lot of these projects, we can be the placemaker. We can help create a public space that attracts commerce and business and residents. We can be a co-investor in a residential unit or in a new development. We can be a partner and make public dollars go further to give a broader sense of ownership.”

Schmidt, the Avison Young vice president who worries about the future of commercial space in the Central Business District, says he favors the DDA expansion, as do developers in the area. But, Schmidt adds, “I would like to know the details behind it, time frames, who’s accountable, who’s paying, and the benefits of doing it. So far, little has been shared.”

For the mayor’s part, he says the city’s urban core can’t survive with a bunch of one-bedroom apartments that cost $2,000 or more a month. Johnston envisions a downtown replete with living spaces for working-class families, not just dual-income couples without kids and wealthy retirees looking to downsize.

With a diverse crop of residents, the mayor says, demand for grocery stores and daycares will become inevitable. Denver “can’t just be the place where you work from 9 to 5 and then go home,” he says. “We need people living there, walking their dogs there, taking their kids to school there. And all that is predicated on saying everyone should have a stake in the future of downtown, because it will always be the heart of this city.”

It’s nearing midnight, Denver’s final wind-down. Cars make their way up East Colfax Avenue, along the far edge of the proposed DDA, near the state Capitol. Lightning flashes to the west. Storm clouds pull a gray canopy over downtown.

Two men are stretched out in a bus shelter near the Capitol. A man sleeps on the sidewalk. Two blocks up, near Grant Street, a couple of men are slumped against each other on a concrete stoop. Another man is screaming into a cell phone. Make a left and there’s a pile of feces on the sidewalk. A light rain begins to fall.

Seventeen blocks away, the Union Station fountain shuts off for the night. The building is illuminated in blue light and casts dark shadows across the sidewalks. Groups of men and women in T-shirts and shorts head for a bar across the street. A security guard aggressively follows a man who hustles along the walkway between the station and the Ice House Lofts.

Inside the station, empty glasses clink at the Terminal Bar near the Wynkoop Street entrance to the Great Hall. A server sits on a bench and wraps newly cleaned silverware in black cloth napkins. A guard pulls back trash cans and checks hideaway corners for overnight sleepers. Outside, on the train platform, the 12:27 a.m. A-Line rolls into the station. The passengers getting off the train ignore a man dancing on the concrete. “Jesus Christ is in my bloodline!” he sings repeatedly.

Above the underground bus terminal, three RTD police officers pass through the glass-encased entrance and take the escalator downstairs. Men and women are scattered about, resting upright in chairs or staring out darkened windows toward the empty docks where buses load. Signs on flat-screen monitors affixed to the walls flash warnings: “No Trespassing, No Loitering, No Lying Down.”

During the pandemic, the underground passage was a microcosm of the city’s ills. Three years ago, the RTD union president called Union Station a “lawless hellhole.” In 2022, RTD hired Joel Fitzgerald Sr., a former suburban police chief in Texas, as the district’s chief and head of emergency management. More security was brought to Union Station, and people began getting arrested.

Tonight, at least, things are quiet. “Two years ago, there was no control,” says Ian Galgano, 32, who’s been on the RTD force since the beginning of this year. “These days, I feel like this is a real policing win.” He walks with his partners tonight—sergeant Kris Stevenson and a trainee, officer Rebecca Sinclair. It’s the trio’s second time down here in the past half hour, a small show of force, they say, that results in less aggression, fewer drug-related crimes, and an overall safer environment.

“Presence is 90 percent of the job, and we’re showing, night after night, that we’re here,” deputy chief Glyn Horn Jr., who helps oversee the bus terminal patrol, told me later. The terminal, he says, needed to become a bunker to protect. “We took back the hub, and then we deploy outward from that,” Horn says. “We’ve taken back our base.”

In the underground terminal, officers are both police and social workers. “It’s rewarding, because you’re a problem-solver in this job,” says Galgano, who’s originally from Long Island. “Maybe I get to direct someone to a place that’s going to help them with an addiction issue. Maybe I’m going to be able to offer them a safe place to sleep.”

Galgano points to a man in a seat near one of the windows. The last bus pulled out of the station about 15 minutes ago. “The station’s closed,” the officer says, and the man gets up and leaves.

No one puts up a fight tonight. As LoDo nears the end of this 18-hour day, there are no conflicts inside the RTD terminal, no calls for backup, no arrests. The officers head topside. At the glass doors that lead outside, a security guard stops a man with some bags who tries to enter. “Closed,” the guard says in a firm voice.

The guard locks the glass doors while the man watches. The RTD police officers know the man, who sets his bags on the ground and smiles at the trio from behind the glass. Officer Galgano gives a smile and a little wave. The man waves back and nods his head. He turns away from Union Station and disappears into the night.

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Canva Says Massive Subscription Price Increase Is Due to New AI Features Canva hiked fees on some subscriptions by 300%.

By Sherin Shibu Edited by Melissa Malamut Sep 3, 2024

Key Takeaways

• Canva, the popular design-software service worth $26 billion, is increasing membership prices.
• Some users are reporting team subscriptions increased from $120 to $500 per year.
• Subscribers were frustrated by the price increase and noted that small businesses could feel the impact of the price change the most.

Is AI worth paying four times as much for a Canva subscription?

Design software service Canva is increasing membership prices for users globally, with some U.S. users reporting on X that the cost of five-person team subscriptions has gone up from $120 per year to $500 per year. Canva reportedly told users in an email that it would discount the higher price by 40% for the next year, bringing it down to $300 — still a $180 increase.

The company is worth $26 billion , has 185 million global monthly users , and may be preparing to go public .

Canva is justifying the price hikes by touting its new AI features.

"Our suite of products has grown significantly in the last couple of years with the launch of new offerings like the Visual Suite and Magic Studio," a Canva spokesperson said in a statement .

Visual Suite includes features like AI-powered writing, slideshows from a prompt, and AI turning documents into websites; Magic Studio uses AI to turn written concepts into social posts, videos, and slideshows.

Related: From Bailing on College to Billionaire: 5 Entrepreneurial Lessons From Canva Co-Founder Melanie Perkins

Even if the new features got an AI, subscribers took to social media to express frustration over the price increase. One user on X noted that small businesses could feel the impact of the pricing change the most.

Canva renewed a multi-year partnership last month to give its customers access to Getty images and videos and also acquired AI startup Leonardo.ai in July to bolster its AI offerings. Leonardo's full 120-person team joined Canva's 4,000-person workforce as part of the acquisition.

"With every single AI feature that we introduced into Canva, we really think it's helping to cut down that time between A and B of getting the idea into an actual product," Canva CEO Melanie Perkins said in July .

Incorporating AI into a business isn't cheap and comes with a significant environmental cost, too.

AI models currently cost over $100 million to develop, with the price tag only expected to rise over the next couple of years. AI researchers also estimate that it takes 30 times as much energy to have AI generate text instead of taking it directly from the source.

Related: New Google Report Reveals the Hidden Cost of AI

Entrepreneur Staff

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12 Best Agile Project Management Software of 2024 [Tested]

We've tested and evaluated countless agile project management tools, diving deep into their features and usability. Through hands-on experience, we've found the ones that truly streamline our workflow, enhance team collaboration, and keep projects on track. Let's share what we've discovered to help you find the perfect fit for your team's needs.

Our team independently evaluates software. If you make a purchase through our links, we may earn a commission, which helps fund our testing process. Learn more about our review standards and transparency.

Feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of agile project management tools out there? You’re not alone; we’ve all been there, staring at countless options and wondering which one will best streamline our workflow. Finding the best agile project management software can be a game-changer for your team, enhancing collaboration and ensuring project success.

We’ll explore some of the top contenders that cater to different team needs and industries. Each tool has its unique strengths, so stick with us as we break down the features, pricing, and benefits to help you make the best choice for your agile projects. It’s time to get your team working smarter, not harder.

12 Best Agile Project Management Software of 2024

• Jira : Best for Agile Project Management
• Quickbase : Best for Customizable Business Apps
• Monday.com : Best for Team Collaboration
• FigJam by Figma : Best for Online Whiteboarding
• Miro : Best for Visual Collaboration
• Zoho Sprints : Best for Scrum Teams
• Confluence : Best for Documentation and Collaboration
• Asana : Best for Task Management
• Wrike : Best for Project Scheduling
• Kintone : Best for Workflow Automation
• Forecast.app : Best for Resource Planning
• Smartsheet : Best for Work Management and Automation

These tools focus on project tracking, integration, and reporting, enhancing productivity and collaboration among teams. They offer various features, such as dashboards, task management, and automation, to suit different agile methodologies, such as Scrum and Kanban.

Jira is a powerful tool designed for agile project management. It helps software development teams plan, track, and manage their work with features like Scrum and Kanban boards, backlogs, and integrations.

Pros & Cons

• Suitable for all skill levels
• Effective for software development
• Scrum and Kanban boards available
• Strong integration options
• Good free plan
• Navigation can be confusing
• Some features are only available in higher-tier plans

Our Experience

We’ve found Jira to be a solid tool for managing agile projects. It offers extensive features such as dashboards, sprints, and customizable workflows, making it highly adaptable to various team needs.

Using the Kanban and Scrum boards, our team could easily break down projects and track progress visually. The ability to integrate with other Atlassian products like Confluence and Bitbucket significantly boosted our productivity.

However, we did encounter some difficulties with the terminology and navigation, especially for team members who were new to the platform. Despite this, the learning curve was manageable, thanks to the comprehensive guides and tutorials provided.

One area where Jira truly excels is in its automation capabilities, which allowed us to streamline repetitive tasks and focus on more critical aspects of our projects. The reporting features, although limited in the basic plans, provided valuable insights into our project progress and team performance.

Pricing Plan

Jira offers a range of pricing plans to suit different needs:

• Free Plan: Available for up to 10 users, with basic functionality.
• Standard Plan: $7.50 per user per month, includes advanced features like project roles and permissions.
• Premium Plan: $14.50 per user per month, adds features such as advanced roadmaps and 24/7 support.
• Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing for large organizations with additional features like data residency and premium support.

These pricing options make Jira accessible for teams of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises. The free plan is particularly generous, allowing smaller teams to benefit from many of Jira’s powerful features without any cost.

Quickbase is known for its customization options, making it ideal for easily managing complex projects. This agile project management tool supports project tracking and offers a user-friendly interface.

• Highly customizable
• Excellent for complex project management
• User-friendly interface
• Strong project tracking features
• Integrates well with other tools
• Pricing can be high for small teams
• Learning curve for advanced features
• Limited offline capabilities

Using Quickbase, we found its customization options incredibly beneficial. We could tailor our dashboards and workflows to fit our specific project needs, which made managing complex projects smoother. The user-friendly interface allowed our team to quickly adapt and start using the tool efficiently.

Although learning the more advanced features took some time, it was worth it for the depth it added to our project tracking capabilities. Integrations with other tools in our workflow, such as Slack and Google Drive, were seamless and boosted our productivity.

On the downside, the lack of offline capabilities is a bit limiting for team members who need to access it without internet.

Quickbase offers several pricing plans to accommodate different team sizes and requirements.

• Team Plan: $600 per month for up to 50 customizable apps.
• Business Plan: $2,000 per month, offering advanced governance and unlimited customizable apps.
• Enterprise Plan: Pricing available upon request, tailored for large organizations requiring extensive customization and security features.

While the pricing might be a bit steep for smaller teams, the value it provides for managing complex projects makes it a worthwhile investment.

Monday.com is a great platform offering an attractive interface and collaborative features tailored to enhance team workflow and task management. With various pricing plans and tools like kanban boards and automation, it provides flexibility for different team needs.

• User-friendly interface with a modern design
• Supports customization of boards and columns
• Effective for team collaboration and communication
• Automation and integration features available
• Offers kanban board views for visual task management
• Multiple templates to help get started
• Prices can be high, especially for larger teams
• The free plan is limited in features
• A complex pricing structure can be confusing
• Some advanced features are restricted to higher plans

In our experience using Monday.com, we’ve found it to be an excellent tool for managing team tasks and projects. Setting up boards and customizing them with specific columns and statuses is straightforward. The customizable templates are handy, offering a quick way to begin a new project.

The collaboration tools and feedback loops are very effective. Team members can easily update their progress, ensuring everyone stays in the loop. The automation and integration capabilities save a lot of time by reducing manual, repetitive tasks.

Despite its substantial feature set, navigating the pricing and understanding which features are available at each tier can be challenging. We also noticed that the free plan is quite restrictive, making it less useful for growing teams.

Nonetheless, the platform’s flexibility and comprehensive toolset make it a solid choice for many businesses.

Monday.com offers several pricing tiers:

• Free: Available for up to two team members with limited features, including only three boards and no automation or integrations.
• Basic: Starts at $36 per month for three users. It includes unlimited boards but limited storage (5GB) without advanced views like Timeline or Calendar.
• Standard: Begins at $42 per month for three users. Provides 20GB storage, Timeline, Calendar, and Map views, as well as limited integrations and automations (250 actions per month).
• Pro: Priced at $72 per month for three users. This plan includes 100GB storage, all views, and significantly higher integration and automation allowances (25,000 actions per month).
• Enterprise: Custom pricing with all features, 1TB storage, and high limits for automations and integrations (250,000 actions per month).

These plans offer a range of options, and monthly or annual billing is available, with discounts for annual payments.

FigJam by Figma

FigJam by Figma offers a unique approach to agile project management. It integrates seamless collaboration tools with real-time design feedback and insights. Teams can brainstorm, plan, and execute projects efficiently while enjoying a user-friendly interface.

• Excellent integration with Figma.
• Real-time collaboration features.
• Interactive tools like stamps and animated emojis.
• User-friendly interface.
• Limited functionalities compared to some competitors.
• Some advanced features require a learning curve.
• It can be somewhat pricey for smaller teams.

We found FigJam to be an engaging and interactive tool for team collaboration. The integration with Figma design workflows allowed us to align our design and project management processes seamlessly.

The ability to use widgets, plugins, and built-in templates streamlined our meetings and brainstorming sessions.

On the downside, some features felt limited when compared to other agile project management tools. For example, while FigJam is great for brainstorming, more detailed project tracking requires additional tools.

The interactive elements like stamps and emojis kept the team engaged, making remote teamwork feel more dynamic. We appreciated the clean interface, but some advanced features took a bit of getting used to.

FigJam offers several pricing plans to suit different team sizes and needs. The  Free  plan includes basic features and is suitable for small teams or individual users.

The Professional plan costs $3 per month per editor , billed annually, providing more advanced tools and features.

For larger organizations, the Enterprise plan is available at $5 per month per seat , billed annually. This plan offers additional functionalities, enhanced security, and dedicated support.

By choosing the right plan based on team size and requirements, organizations can effectively leverage FigJam for agile project management while maintaining budget control.

Miro combines various tools to help teams collaborate on projects, brainstorm ideas, and manage tasks visually. It’s designed to be user-friendly, making it easy for groups to work together in real time with tools like screen sharing, video calls, and more.

• Easy to use
• Real-time collaboration
• Supports multiple integrations
• Ready-made templates
• Video conferencing features
• Limited offline functionalities
• Higher cost compared to some competitors
• It can be overwhelming for new users

Using Miro has been a game-changer for our team. Setting up an account was straightforward, with helpful onboarding tutorials and videos. The interface is clean and intuitive, with a dashboard and tabs for easy navigation.

Collaborating in real-time is seamless thanks to built-in video calls and screen sharing. We particularly like the variety of templates available. Templates for mind maps, flowcharts, and Kanban boards make it easy to start new projects.

One downside is that Miro relies heavily on an internet connection. Offline work is severely limited, and you can’t create or edit boards without being online.

Despite this, the Smart Drawing feature and extensive icon libraries help create professional-looking diagrams and presentations effortlessly.

Miro offers a range of pricing plans to cater to different needs. The Free plan allows users to create and edit up to three boards with basic features and unlimited collaborators.

The Starter plan costs $10 per person per month or $96 per person per year. It includes unlimited boards in a single workspace, high-resolution exports, Talktracks, voting tools, and video chat capabilities.

The Business plan, priced at $20 per person per month or $192 per person per year, adds unlimited workspaces, advanced diagramming tools, and Jira integration.

For larger organizations, the Enterprise plan offers custom pricing and provides advanced administrative controls, premium support, and personalized onboarding.

Miro’s pricing may be higher compared to some competitors, but it offers a comprehensive suite of tools for project management, team collaboration, and visual brainstorming.

Zoho Sprints

Zoho Sprints offers intuitive project management tools designed for agile teams. It provides various features such as collaboration tools, adaptable project views, and comprehensive backlog management.

• Great for collaboration: Integrates well with other Zoho apps.
• User-friendly: Simple, clutter-free interface.
• Adaptable project views: Offers detailed scrum boards.
• Affordable plans: Reasonable pricing structures.
• Limited integrations: Fewer third-party integrations.
• Basic customization: Limited options for custom workflows.

We found Zoho Sprints to be a highly intuitive tool for agile project management. The app’s user interface is clean and easy to navigate, which makes organizing user stories and managing product backlogs straightforward.

Real-time collaboration tools integrate seamlessly, enabling our team to communicate effectively. We appreciated being able to interact through Zoho Chat within the app.

The adaptability of the project views, including scrum boards and other visualization tools, helped us maintain a clear overview of our project’s progress.

While the tool excels in many areas, we did find that third-party integrations are somewhat limited. Additionally, customization options for workflows are basic compared to some competitors.

Zoho Sprints offers competitive pricing plans.

• Free Plan: Supports up to 3 users and 2 projects.
• Standard Plan: Costs $12 per user/month and includes advanced features like bug tracking and custom profiles.
• Premium Plan: At $24 per user/month , it includes extra features such as advanced analytics and integration capabilities.
• Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing tailored for larger organizations with more complex needs.

These options make Zoho Sprints accessible whether you are a small startup or a large enterprise. Each plan is designed to offer scalable features according to user needs, enabling effective project management at different levels.

For more detailed information about the plans, visit Zoho Sprints subscriptions and pricing .

Confluence is a powerful tool for project collaboration, document sharing, and maintaining a centralized platform for team efforts.

• Great tool for shared collaboration work
• Integrates all the pages and information
• Offers a large number of templates and macros to simplify tasks
• Better access control and permissions options
• Advanced functionalities can get pricey
• Some needed features are only available as paid plugins
• Users may find it difficult to adjust and adapt to the software interface

Using Confluence has significantly improved how we handle team collaboration and document sharing. The platform’s ability to create and organize content in a centralized way saves us time and keeps everyone on the same page.

Thanks to its extensive templates and macros, we can easily customize pages to fit our needs, making project management more efficient.

However, we noticed that some features, such as advanced search capabilities and certain integrations, are only accessible through paid plugins. This can add to the overall cost, especially for larger teams.

While the interface is feature-rich, it does have a learning curve, and it took us a bit of time to become fully comfortable navigating and utilizing all the features.

Free Plan: This plan is ideal for small teams or those just starting. It includes up to 10 users with unlimited spaces and pages, best practice templates, and page versioning.

Standard Plan: Priced at $5.75 per user per month, this plan caters to growing teams. It includes page and space permissions, data residency, anonymous access, and page insights. Local business hours support is also provided.

Premium Plan: Designed for larger teams, it costs $11 per user per month. This plan includes advanced tools such as analytics, team calendars, and a sandbox environment. Users also benefit from 24/7 Premium support.

Enterprise Plan: Tailored for larger organizations, the pricing is custom. It offers unlimited sites, centralized security features like Single Sign-On (SSO) and SCIM, 24/7 Enterprise support, and a high uptime Service Level Agreement (SLA).

Asana is a popular tool for managing tasks and fostering team collaboration. It’s designed to help teams plan projects and track their progress with ease.

• Easy to use with a clean interface
• Great for team collaboration
• Customizable task views
• Extensive integration options
• Good for Agile and Scrum processes
• Limited features in the free tier
• It can be overwhelming to new users
• No built-in budgeting tools
• Higher pricing compared to some competitors

We have found Asana to be a powerful tool for managing our team’s projects. Its flexibility allows us to tailor it to our specific needs, whether we’re handling a marketing campaign or a product launch. The interface is user-friendly, and the project templates are highly beneficial.

On the flip side, Asana can be quite daunting for new team members. There is a learning curve associated with setting up and using the tool effectively. Also, the lack of integrated budgeting and resource management features can be a stumbling block for more complex projects.

Despite these challenges, the extensive collaboration tools and Agile-friendly features make Asana a strong contender in the project management space.

Asana offers four pricing plans to accommodate different needs:

• Basic (Free): Limited to 15 users. This tier includes basic task management features but lacks advanced tools like timeline view and custom fields.
• Premium ($13.49 per user/month): Adds features such as timeline view, advanced search, and reporting. This plan includes administrative controls and private projects.
• Business ($30.49 per user/month): Designed for larger organizations. It includes portfolio management, workload insights, and integrations with tools like Salesforce.
• Enterprise: Pricing is available upon request. This plan provides enhanced security features and customization options tailored for large enterprises.

A discount is available for annual subscriptions, and nonprofits can apply for a 50% discount.

Wrike is a comprehensive project management tool designed to streamline workflows, automate tasks, and enhance team management. Its notable features cater to collaborative work environments, allowing for efficient communication and organization.

• AI-driven task creation
• Real-time collaboration tools
• Unlimited tasks and subtasks
• Extensive software integrations
• Dynamic Gantt charts with drag-and-drop interface
• Higher cost compared to other tools
• Financial management options only in higher-tier plans
• Permissions are limited to project or folder level, not task level

Working with Wrike has been a seamless experience. The platform’s interface is modern and user-friendly, making it easy for our team to quickly pick up and use.

One standout feature is the AI-driven Work Intelligence suite, which automates task creation and helps predict project risks. This has saved us a considerable amount of time and reduced potential issues.

We also appreciate Wrike’s collaboration tools. Being able to mention team members in tasks using Wrike ensures that everyone stays informed and can contribute effectively. All documents and communications are stored within project threads, making it straightforward for new team members to get up to speed.

That said, the higher cost of Wrike can be a deterrent for mid-sized teams, especially when budget-friendly alternatives exist. Furthermore, some advanced features, like financial management, are only available in the higher-end plans, which may limit its attractiveness.

Wrike offers several pricing tiers to cater to different needs:

• Free Plan: Basic functionalities suitable for small teams; capped at 200 active tasks.
• Team Plan: Starts at $9.80 per user per month for teams of 2-25 members, includes Gantt charts.
• Business Plan: Offers advanced work management tools for larger teams; pricing is available upon request.
• Enterprise Plan: For teams needing advanced security and administration, customized pricing.
• Pinnacle Plan: Tailored for teams requiring business intelligence and advanced reporting; contact for pricing.

These pricing tiers provide flexibility, but the costs can add up quickly for mid-sized to large teams, making the higher-tier plans more suitable for those who need specific advanced features.

Kintone offers an easy-to-use platform for agile project management, team collaboration, and extensive customization options. With its ability to create custom workflows and integrate various tools, teams can efficiently manage tasks and projects.

• Customizable workflows
• Strong team collaboration features
• No-code app development
• Good process visibility
• Learning curve for new users
• Limited integrations compared to competitors
• Occasional performance issues
• Higher cost for larger teams

We found Kintone to be a powerful tool for agile project management. Its no-code application development was particularly useful. We could build custom workflows without needing technical expertise. This allowed us to tailor the platform to our specific needs.

The team collaboration features stood out. The ability to create custom reminders and notifications kept everyone on the same page. This increased efficiency noticeably. However, some team members found the initial setup challenging due to the learning curve.

Occasional performance slowdowns were observed, but these were infrequent. Kintone’s interface is intuitive, improving our workflow over time. We appreciated the centralization of tasks and data, reducing dependency on multiple tools.

Our overall experience was positive, despite a few minor drawbacks.

Kintone offers flexible pricing plans to accommodate different team sizes. The basic plan starts at $24 per user per month. For organizations needing more features, the Enterprise plan costs $34 per user per month. There is also a custom plan option for larger teams or specific needs.

These plans include essential features such as no-code application building, custom workflows, and team collaboration tools. Kintone also offers a free trial, allowing potential users to explore its capabilities before committing.

For more information about Kintone pricing , visit their detailed pricing page.

Forecast.app

Forecast.app is a comprehensive project management tool known for its AI-powered features and flexibility.

• AI Work Automation: Reduces manual task and resource planning.
• Real-time Insights: Provides valuable data for quick decision-making.
• Customizable Workflows: Allows adaptability to unique project needs.
• Learning Curve: This can be difficult for newcomers.
• Integration Depth: Some third-party integrations are limited.
• Cost Efficiency: This may be expensive for smaller teams.

We found Forecast.app to be a suitable solution for project management, especially for mid to large-sized teams. Its AI features greatly enhance resource allocation and automate many repetitive tasks, freeing up our team to focus on more critical aspects of projects.

The real-time insights feature offers continuous updates on project health and resource usage. This transparency boosts decision-making and helps us stay ahead of potential issues.

However, the learning curve proved steep for some of our team members. Getting accustomed to all features took time, and additional training was necessary. The integration with other tools worked, but some required extra configuration to function smoothly.

Forecast.app pricing varies based on the size of the team and required features. The plans are structured to accommodate different operational needs:

• Essential Plan: Priced at approximately $29/user/month with a minimum of 10 seats. This includes basic project and resource management features.
• Professional Plan: Around $49/user/month, also with a minimum of 10 seats. It offers advanced features, including financial management and business intelligence tools.
• Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing for large organizations. This plan includes all features from the Professional Plan plus additional security and premium support options.

The cost may seem high for smaller teams, but the advanced features and automation capabilities can justify the expense for larger, more complex projects.

Smartsheet is an online spreadsheet app for managing and tracking collaborative projects. With tools like Gantt charts and resource management, it’s ideal for both traditional project management and task tracking.

• Integrates with various tools
• Team collaboration features
• Gantt charts for project planning
• Workflow automation
• Comprehensive templates
• It can be complex to learn
• No real-time updates
• Limited time tracking
• Requires periodic manual saves

Using Smartsheet has been a mix of ease and complexity. The platform’s spreadsheet foundation makes it highly customizable, allowing us to create detailed project plans with Gantt charts and manage resources efficiently.

Its ability to integrate with other tools enhances the collaboration experience, making it easy to bring together people, processes, and technology.

We especially appreciate the template library for projects, tasks, and reports. The automation features save a lot of manual work. However, the platform’s complexity can be overwhelming at first. It takes time to master its full potential, but once you do, it’s incredibly powerful.

One drawback is the lack of real-time updates. While notifications are timely, manual page refreshes are needed to see changes. Another issue is the absence of built-in time tracking, which requires additional tools for comprehensive project management.

Despite these minor setbacks, Smartsheet remains a valuable tool for managing projects and workflows.

Smartsheet offers several pricing tiers:

• Free Plan: Limited to one user and two editors, includes basic features like dashboards, sheet views, 500MB attachments, and 100 automations per month.
• Pro Plan: Costs $9 per person per month or $84 per person per year. Supports up to 10 users with additional features like unlimited sheets, reports, dashboards, 250 automations per month, and 20GB attachment storage.
• Business Plan: Costs $32 per person per month or $300 per person per year. Includes advanced features such as unlimited editors, baselines, proofing, activity logs, 1TB attachment storage, and a full resource management suite.
• Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing for large organizations, offering extensive administrative and security controls.

The 30-day free trial provides a good opportunity to explore the Business plan’s full capabilities before committing.

Final Verdict

In our search for the best agile project management software, we considered various factors like continuous improvement , real-time updates , incremental progress, and outcome-driven features. Among popular tools, one product consistently stands out.

Jira by Atlassian is our top pick. It shines with its user-friendly interface and comprehensive features. Here’s a quick breakdown:

• Ease of Use: Simple, intuitive design that helps teams across different skill levels.
• Features: Supports Scrum, Kanban, and hybrid models, offering real-time updates and detailed reporting.
• Flexibility: Highly customizable workflows and dashboards to match unique project needs.

We found that Jira excels in promoting continuous improvement with its backlog management and sprint planning tools. It supports real-time updates , ensuring team members are always in sync. Its capabilities to handle incremental project delivery help teams stay focused on delivering value consistently.

Jira also supports an outcome-driven approach by providing clear visibility into project progress, bottlenecks, and outcomes through its wide range of reporting tools. The real-time updates feature is especially helpful in keeping everyone on the same page and facilitating quick adjustments when needed.

Jira offers a reliable and effective solution for anyone serious about agile project management. You can read more about its benefits and features here .

In conclusion, Jira consistently proves to be a superior choice for agile project management, catering to diverse team requirements and enhancing project outcomes.

Our Selection Criteria

We scoured the market to find the best agile project management software. We identified popular and highly-rated tools available in 2024, applying a set criteria to ensure transparency in our process.

Market Research

We first compiled a list of tools from trusted sources. This included options like ClickUp , Trello , Asana , and Wrike .

Criteria for Evaluation

Our criteria for testing included:

• Features: Available tools and functionalities.
• Ease of Use: How user-friendly the interface is.
• Cost: Pricing and available plans.
• Customer Support: Availability and quality of customer service.
• Scalability: Ability to grow with your needs.

Testing Methodology

We put each software head-to-head by using them in real-world scenarios. We created similar projects in each tool to test their capabilities and performance.

Key Points Considered:

• Project templates and customization.
• Workflow automation.
• Task management and Kanban boards.
• Team collaboration and communication tools.
• Reporting and project tracking features.

Transparency in Testing

We maintained transparency by documenting every step of our process, from initial setup to assessment. This ensured that our results were based on best practices and unbiased usage.

By following this methodical approach, we were able to determine which tools excel in agile project management and recommend the best options for different needs and team sizes.

What is an Agile Project Management Software?

Agile project management software helps us break down large tasks into smaller, manageable ones. It allows us to follow the agile methodology, focusing on flexibility and fast delivery.

With these tools, we can manage  sprints and  short, time-boxed periods where a set amount of work is completed. This helps us deliver features quickly and adjust priorities based on feedback.

Some key features of agile project management software include:

• Task Boards: Visualize work with boards like Kanban .
• Backlogs: Keep track of pending tasks and features.
• Sprint Planning: Schedule and allocate tasks for upcoming sprints.
• Collaboration Tools: Enhanced communication among team members.
• Reporting: Generate progress and performance reports.

This software can improve team collaboration, streamline workflows, and ensure we meet project goals efficiently. Some of the best agile project management tools include Atlassian’s Jira , which is widely used for its features. Another option is Asana , which is known for its user-friendly interface.

Integrating these tools into our workflow allows us to react quickly to changes and deliver high-quality work in shorter time frames. This boosts our productivity and ensures that we stay aligned with our project objectives.

Agile project management software assists in managing shifting priorities effectively, making it essential for teams that aim for continuous improvement and customer satisfaction.

Overall, employing agile project management software can make our team more productive, adaptable, and efficient in handling complex projects.

How to Choose the Best Agile Project Management Software

When choosing agile project management software, we need to first understand our requirements. Do we need it for a small team or a large organization? Identifying user needs is essential because different tools offer various features that may or may not fit our needs.

User Requirements

It’s crucial to list all the features we need. For example, if we need workflow automation , Forecast might be a good choice. For those focusing on custom workflows, Kintone would be a strong contender.

Market Comparison

Comparing different options in the market helps us see what each tool offers. For instance, Wrike is known for its suitability for medium-to-large teams. By placing software side-by-side, we can better understand their strengths and weaknesses.

Customer Support

Effective customer support can make a huge difference. We should look for software that offers 24/7 support or has a responsive customer service team. Good support can assist us quickly when issues arise, saving time and maintaining productivity.

User Experience

A tool with an intuitive user interface (UI) ensures team members can use it easily. If the software is too complex, it can slow down our workflow. We should look for software praised for its easy-to-navigate UI, like Asana, which is known for its drag-and-drop features.

Scalability

We need software that can grow with us. Our teams and projects may expand, so finding a scalable solution is essential. Tools like Trello or ClickUp are flexible and can handle increasing loads and additional users without switching to new software.

By focusing on these factors, we can select agile project management software that aligns with our needs, ensures team productivity, and supports our growth.

Benefits of Agile Project Management Software

Using agile project management software brings several key benefits to our teams.

First, it boosts our productivity . With tools like Trello and ClickUp , we stay organized and manage tasks more efficiently. We can prioritize what needs to be done right away and track progress easily.

Efficiency also improves with agile tools. By automating repetitive tasks and using platforms such as Forecast , we save time and reduce errors. The software makes sure we follow the right steps at the right time.

Team collaboration also becomes smoother. Tools like  Asana  allow us to share updates in real-time, keeping everyone on the same page and reducing miscommunication. We can discuss issues, share files, and get feedback quickly, all in one place.

These tools support the agile methodology by allowing us to work in short cycles, often called sprints. This method encourages continuous improvement and adaptability. Platforms like Wrike help us review our processes regularly, ensuring we are always improving.

We create a more productive, efficient, and collaborative environment by leveraging these software tools. They help us make better use of our time and enhance the overall workflow of our projects.

Frequently asked questions

Which is the best agile software project management tool.

The best Agile project management tool depends on your specific needs. Trello is great for Kanban boards. Forecast is known for workflow automation. Jira excels in task and workflow automation, making it a strong choice for many teams.

Which agile project management tools are most recommended by users on platforms like Reddit?

Users on platforms like Reddit often recommend Jira for its comprehensive features. Trello is also popular due to its user-friendly interface. We also see Asana frequently mentioned, especially for small teams and freelancers.

How do agile project management tools differ from traditional project management software?

Agile project management tools focus on iterative progress and flexibility. They allow teams to respond quickly to changes. Traditional project management software, on the other hand, often follows a more linear approach, focusing on long-term planning and rigid structures.

What projects are best for Agile project management?

Agile is best for projects that require frequent changes and updates. Software development is a prime example. Agile is also useful for projects with ongoing user feedback, such as product development or marketing campaigns that need regular adjustments.

Is agile good for small projects?

Yes, Agile can be very effective for small projects. It allows teams to quickly adapt to changes and prioritize tasks efficiently. Tools like Asana make it easy for small teams to manage their workflow without getting bogged down by complex features.

Is Jira good for Agile?

Jira is an excellent choice for Agile project management. It offers real-time visual status updates and workflow automation. These features help teams stay on track and adapt to changes effectively.