Plooto vs IBM Planning Analytics

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Our analysts compared Plooto vs IBM Planning Analytics based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Accounting Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Plooto Software Tool
IBM Planning Analytics Software Tool

Product Basics

Plooto is an automated accounts payable and receivable software that helps its users collect one-time or recurring payments and pay the vendors on time. It can integrate with QuickBooks and Xero. Businesses can reduce AR and AP processes with robust modules like pre-authorized debit agreements, customizable approval workflows and more. It allows payment approvals from the designated person from anywhere. With it, users can eliminate data entry problems and keep a complete audit trail of all transactions.
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IBM Planning Analytics is a multidimensional in-memory database for analytics and planning. Part of the IBM Analytics Suite and powered by TM1, it provides forecasting, budgeting and reporting at an enterprise scale through data compression. With all data connected to a central hub, it enables collaborative planning with workflow approvals and review protocols in place. Enterprises perform OLAP analysis faster through in-memory technology.

Integrating with Microsoft Excel, it gives businesses the ease and familiarity of working with spreadsheets with the power of an enterprise database. With automated time-series modeling, it enables self-service predictive analysis. The vendor offers a 30-day free trial.
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$25 Monthly
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$825 Monthly
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Tailored to your specific needs
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Product Insights

  • Faster Payment Approval: Start approval processes immediately after account creation. Approve payments with a single click for one person or multiple people via the cloud. 
  • Seamless Money Transfer:: Send forms through emails to receiving parties to fill up their bank details and make payments after that. 
  • Automatic Invoice Reconciliation: Integrate with different accounting software. Mark payments as paid automatically after the transfer is complete. 
  • Flexible Payment Options: Provide various payment options. Clients can pay via credit cards or set up pre-authorized debits with an automatic withdrawal feature. 
  • Track Payments: Set up alerts for clients to notify about emails and get faster payments. Create reminders for nearly due or overdue payments. 
  • Network: Add vendors and suppliers quickly. Integrate business payments by credit cards, checks, e-transfers or ACH/EFT into a single platform. Gain real-time visibility into financial data and cash flows and reduce the overall cost. 
  • Security: Ensure the safety of sensitive bank details with its robust security feature. Offer comprehensive protection with the Automatic Clearing House and Electronic Funds Transfer Payment features. 
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  • Maximize ROI: Save time for analysis of trends, business performance and results by creating project plans faster. Reallocate budget and resources by leveraging deep insights into business performance and market trends. Collaborate with others on a single, unified platform with total transparency and visibility into business data, available for all plans. 
  • Boost Sales: Win more business opportunities – boost annual sales quotas and deal sizes through end-to-end sales workflows. Grow revenue and reduce time to insight with robust sales analytics. Track campaigns for performance monitoring in real time and deep dive into data for buying behavior and customer churn analysis. 
  • Financial Planning and Analysis: Optimize the business’ performance through valuable financial insights. Ensure the business is on track by creating and managing plans, budgets and forecasts. Simplifies the budgeting process through real-time calculations with automatic application of business rules. 
  • Optimize Supply Chain: Create more accurate demand forecasts, get a clearer view of the resources and budget required to fulfill projected demand and update production plans accordingly. View historical data and drill down into summaries for deep-dive analysis and add visuals to spot key KPI trends. 
  • Workforce Planning: Increase the workforce’s efficiency by acquiring and retaining skilled employees at the right time. Effectively manage staff schedules, task assignment and performance tracking through workforce analytics and HR planning tools. 
  • Deploy Anywhere: Access the same data from everywhere with the flexibility to deploy on-premise, in the cloud or as a combination of both. 
  • Scalable: Build and change plans flexibly in real time to match business requirements. Scales with increasing data volumes, number of users and planning models, without impacting existing workflows and performance. 
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  • Accounts Receivable: Import invoices and minimize authorization time with pre-authorized debit and recurring payments. Track invoices and get information on client payments. Gain complete visibility into pending, completed and new receivables from one place. 
  • Accounts Payable: Automate AP processes and control spending, time and efficiency. Import bills from the accounting software. Get notifications for requesting and receiving approvals. Add vendors, suppliers and billers in two clicks. Automate, route and personalize payment approvals using custom rules. Avoid lost invoices, manual AP tasks and paperwork. Obtain early payment discounts and ensure better cash management. 
  • International Payment: Transfer money within the US, Canada and other countries to run an international business. Make cross-border and international payments with a $9.99 fee. Get competitive exchange rates and manage different payment types on a single platform. 
  • CRA Payments: Make remittances to the Canadian Revenue Agency anywhere and anytime in one click. Facilitate touch-less government transfers with electronic workflows. 
  • Online Check Payment: Ensure faster and safer AP automation through electronic methods and traditional checks. Enable users to set up online payments and manage printing and shipping procedures. Allow automatic reconciliation with physical checks. Provide a complete audit trail of payments. 
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  • Architecture: Leverage a three-tier client-server architecture that includes a database, application server and front end, with data stored centrally in the OLAP server. 
    • TM1: Employs an efficient data compression algorithm to enable faster planning and analytics. Create business models by combining multiple data sources with manual input for effective decision-making. 
  • Workspace: Create and access all plans and forecasts through its web-based interface. Grant role-based access to team members down to cell-level granularity. Collaborate on plans through chats and cell comments in the workspace. 
    • Data Visualizations: Choose from a rich library of visualizations to apply that includes bullet charts, waterfall charts, treemaps, word clouds and more. Input data intuitively to specific slots through drag-and-drop actions, and customize fonts and styles for personalized branding. 
    • Books and Views: Access related data in the form of web sheets, scorecards, videos and embedded web pages from a single interface. Leverage defined selections of a data cube — views — for analysis and data exploration, and export as an Excel worksheet. 
  • Performance Tracking: Compare targets with actual results, and with actual performance over time. Quickly find the desired metrics and create visually compelling scorecards such as impact diagrams, strategy maps and custom diagrams. Add existing scorecards to books and analyze data over different periods, metrics and dimensions. 
  • Data Modeling: Autonomously build a financial model by converting business requirements into cubes, dimensions, hierarchies and calculations. Transform and load data easily into a financial model, without the need to code. 
  • Sandbox Environments: Work in a sandbox to manipulate data as needed in real time without impacting actual data. Compare different scenarios and test assumptions to see the impact of potential decisions. 
  • Microsoft Excel Integration: Go beyond what spreadsheets can do – perform multi-dimensional analysis and big data exploration within the Excel interface, retaining its full functionality and formatting. Find answers to business questions by creating reports from Cognos TM1 through interactive drag-and-drop actions. 
  • AI-Based Automation: Speed up planning cycles and get more reliable results. Create plans, forecasts and budgets through automated model creation, natural language processing and cognitive analytics. 
  • On-Demand Module: Generate dynamic dashboards from existing Excel spreadsheets through autonomous data exploration. Move from annual planning to rolling forecasts based on real-time information by identifying variances in plans caused by external data. 
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Product Ranking

#187

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#335

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User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 442 reviews
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88%
of users recommend this product

Plooto has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 88% when considering 442 user reviews from 2 recognized software review sites.

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4.35 (221)
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4.4 (221)
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Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Streamlined Accounts Payable: Plooto simplifies the entire bill payment process, from data entry and approvals to scheduling payments and syncing with accounting software.
Enhanced Accounts Receivable: Plooto enables businesses to get paid faster by offering convenient payment options to their customers, such as credit cards and ACH transfers.
Improved Cash Flow Management: Plooto provides real-time visibility into cash flow, allowing businesses to make informed decisions about their finances.
Reduced Manual Data Entry: Plooto automates many of the tasks associated with accounts payable and receivable, such as data entry and reconciliation, which can save businesses time and money.
Increased Security and Compliance: Plooto uses bank-level security measures to protect financial data, and it is compliant with industry regulations.
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Flexible Modeling: Users praise the software's ability to handle complex planning scenarios with ease, such as building detailed driver-based models for budgeting and forecasting.
Improved Collaboration: The platform facilitates better communication and data sharing among teams, streamlining the budgeting and forecasting process.
Powerful Reporting and Analytics: Users appreciate the robust reporting features, allowing them to generate insightful reports and dashboards for data visualization and analysis.
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Limited International Payment Support: Plooto primarily focuses on the Canadian market, with limited support for international payments, which can be a significant drawback for businesses with global operations.
ACH Payment Processing Time: ACH payments through Plooto can take several business days to process, potentially causing delays in vendor payments and impacting cash flow management.
Customer Support Challenges: Some users have reported difficulties reaching Plooto's customer support, particularly during peak hours, leading to frustration and delays in resolving issues.
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Steep Learning Curve: Users have reported that IBM Planning Analytics can be difficult to learn, especially for those without prior experience with similar tools. Its interface and terminology can feel overwhelming initially.
Limited Reporting Capabilities: Some users have expressed frustration with the reporting functionality within Planning Analytics, finding it less intuitive and flexible compared to dedicated reporting tools. They desire more advanced formatting and customization options for presenting financial data.
Performance Issues: Users have occasionally encountered performance issues, particularly when dealing with large datasets or complex calculations. This can slow down budgeting and forecasting processes, impacting overall productivity.
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Plooto has garnered significant attention for its ability to simplify the often complex world of business finances. Users frequently highlight its user-friendly interface and affordability as key strengths, making it a popular choice for small businesses seeking an efficient accounting solution. The software's comprehensive features, including automated invoicing, payment processing, and international transaction capabilities, further enhance its appeal. Plooto's seamless integration with popular accounting software like QuickBooks and Xero eliminates the need for manual data entry, saving time and reducing errors. However, some users have pointed out that Plooto's initial setup can be challenging, and occasional slowdowns can occur. Security concerns have also been raised, prompting Plooto to continuously improve its safety measures. While Plooto excels in streamlining payment processes and basic accounting tasks, businesses requiring more advanced accounting functionalities or those with stringent security requirements may need to explore alternative options. In conclusion, Plooto is an excellent fit for small to medium-sized businesses seeking an affordable and user-friendly solution to manage their accounts payable and receivable processes. Its automation capabilities and integration with existing accounting software can significantly improve efficiency and reduce manual workload. However, businesses with complex accounting needs or heightened security concerns should carefully evaluate whether Plooto fully meets their requirements before committing. Remember, the software landscape is constantly evolving, so it's always wise to check for the latest updates and reviews to make an informed decision.

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User reviews from the past year suggest IBM Planning Analytics is a powerful tool for businesses seeking to streamline their financial planning and analysis processes. Users praise its robust features, particularly its budgeting, forecasting, and reporting capabilities. One standout feature is its ability to handle complex "what-if" scenarios, allowing businesses to model different outcomes based on various factors, which is crucial for making informed decisions in a volatile market. However, users also point out some drawbacks. The learning curve can be steep, especially for those unfamiliar with similar software. Some users find the interface less intuitive than competitors like Anaplan or Cube, and the pricing can be a significant investment for smaller businesses. Despite these weaknesses, users generally agree that IBM Planning Analytics offers a comprehensive solution for businesses needing advanced planning and analysis capabilities. Its ability to integrate with other IBM products and handle large datasets makes it particularly well-suited for larger enterprises with complex financial operations.

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