tools for a business plan

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9 Best AI Business Plan Generators (November 2024)

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In today's fast-paced business world, having a well-crafted business plan is essential for securing funding, guiding decision-making, and charting a course for success. However, creating a comprehensive and persuasive business plan can be a daunting task, especially for entrepreneurs and small business owners who may not have extensive experience in this area. Fortunately, the rise of AI tools has improved the creative process, making it more accessible, efficient, and effective than ever before.

We will explore the top AI business plan generators that can help you create a winning plan for your venture.

1. Upmetrics

How to Write a Business Plan? | Business Plan Tutorial | Step by Step Guide

Upmetrics is an AI-powered business plan tool that guides individuals and small businesses through the process of writing a top-notch business plan. With its user-friendly platform and step-by-step guidance, Upmetrics makes it easy for anyone to create a professional-quality plan, regardless of their level of business expertise.

The tool offers a wide range of features, including 400+ business plan samples, AI-assisted writing, and financial forecasting up to 7 years. Upmetrics also provides an AI-generated pitch deck feature, allowing users to create a compelling presentation in less than an hour. The platform's flexibility and adaptability make it suitable for various industries, from tech startups to retail stores and service businesses.

Key features of Upmetrics:

400+ business plan samples
AI-generated business plans (Entirely AI-generated)
Financial forecasting up to 7 years
AI to create pitch deck in less than an hour
Free guides and educational resources
Real-time cloud storage
Easy collaboration and sharing option

Read Review →

Visit Upmetrics →

Plus AI is an AI-powered tool that specializes in creating professional, well-designed presentations, making it an ideal choice for crafting business plans. The platform integrates seamlessly with Google Slides, allowing users to access built-in editing and collaboration features.

With Plus AI, users can generate a comprehensive business plan outline based on a brief description of their business, which can then be easily edited and rearranged to suit their specific needs. Plus AI offers the flexibility to generate slides one at a time or create an entire presentation in a single step, making it a versatile tool for businesses of all sizes. The platform also provides a free trial, allowing users to explore its features before committing to a paid plan.

Key features of Plus AI:

Direct integration with Google Slides for easy editing and collaboration
Customizable slides that can be edited, revised, and themed after generating a first draft
Slide-by-slide or full presentation generation options
Free trial available for users to try Plus AI before committing to a paid plan

Use discount code: UNITEAI10 to claim a 10% discount .

Visit Plus AI →

3. Storydoc

Storydoc is an AI-powered business plan generator that simplifies the creation of interactive and persuasive business plans, without requiring any design skills. The platform offers a user-friendly interface with a wide selection of interactive slides tailored for startups and new businesses, which can be easily customized to align with the user's vision and requirements.

Storydoc's AI Presentation Designer creates scroll-based, web-friendly, and mobile-optimized presentations, complete with performance analytics. The platform also ensures the security and privacy of user data, adhering to stringent security protocols and industry best practices. With Storydoc, users can create engaging presentations that capture the attention of investors and stakeholders.

Key features of Storydoc:

AI Business Plan Presentation Designer for scroll-based, web-friendly, and mobile-optimized presentations
Secure and reliable platform that ensures the security and privacy of user data
Interactive slides that can be customized to align with the user's presentation vision and requirements
Mobile-optimized presentations that look great on any device
Integrations with Calendly, Loom, YouTube, Typeform, and more for added functionality

Visit Storydoc →

4. 15minuteplan

15minuteplan

15minuteplan.ai is an AI-powered generator that streamlines the creation process, allowing entrepreneurs and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to produce effective documents in just 15 minutes. Designed to make business planning universally accessible, the platform caters to users of all levels of business or writing experience.

With its advanced AI algorithms, 15minuteplan generates comprehensive, up-to-date plans based on the latest market trends and best practices. The platform also features a unique ‘Talk To Plan' functionality, enabling users to dictate specific changes or additions, which are then seamlessly integrated by the AI. Additionally, 15minuteplan supports various languages, making it accessible to users worldwide.

Key features of 15minuteplan:

AI Creation based on the latest market trends and business best practices
Talk To Plan functionality for easy dictation of changes or additions
Multilingual support for 10+ languages, with more being added continuously
User-friendly interface for inputting essential business information
Downloadable Word document for easy sharing and modification

Visit 15minuteplan →

5. Notion AI

Notion AI is an AI-powered tool in Notion that simplifies the creation of comprehensive business plans, emphasizing an organized and structured approach to business strategizing. The platform offers a wide range of features designed to streamline the business planning process, including AI-driven content generation, rewriting, shortening, expansion, and tone adjustment.

Notion AI seamlessly integrates with the Notion platform, allowing users to access features such as database creation, organization, and management, as well as collaboration and sharing options. With Notion AI, users can create tailored content that aligns with their business objectives and voice, while significantly reducing their workload in crafting compelling narratives that secure buy-in from investors and stakeholders.

Key features of Notion AI:

AI-driven content generation, rewriting, shortening, expansion, and tone adjustment
Integration with Notion for database creation, organization, and management
Collaboration and sharing features for inviting team members and stakeholders
Real-time cloud storage for secure and accessible data
Streamlined business planning process for crafting compelling narratives

Visit Notion AI →

6. Beautiful AI

Beautiful AI

Beautiful AI is an AI-powered presentation software that enables users to create stunning business presentations and plans in no time, without requiring any design skills. With this platform, users simply need to add text, and Beautiful AI will transform the content into elegant presentation slides, eliminating the need for manual image resizing or content placement.

The business plan template can be accessed by logging in, and users will be prompted to fill out a few key details about their business. Beautiful AI offers a wide range of features, including 65+ smart slide templates, custom presentation themes for brand consistency, and hundreds of customizable starter templates, ensuring that users never have to start a presentation or business plan from scratch.

Key features of Beautiful AI:

65+ smart slide templates with pre-designed slide galleries
Brand consistency with custom presentation themes
Hundreds of customizable starter templates
Designerbot for creating first drafts based on user requirements
Effortless content transformation into elegant presentation slides

Visit Beautiful AI →

7. Wordkraft AI

Wordkraft AI is an AI-powered web application that generates optimized, authentic, and high-quality content for various needs. Utilizing the powerful large language model GPT-3.5, Wordkraft AI specializes in creating content tailored to specific requirements, including professional and well-organized business plans. This tool helps users efficiently develop strategic documents that meet their unique business goals.

The platform offers a template that can be used to create a draft by providing essential details about the business. Wordkraft AI's AI capabilities assist users in creating content that aligns with their business objectives and voice, while also supporting collaboration and sharing features. With real-time cloud storage and seamless integration with the Wordkraft platform, Wordkraft AI is a valuable asset for business planning and presentations.

Key features of Wordkraft AI:

Integration with Wordkraft for database creation, organization, and management
A template for creating drafts by providing essential business details

Visit Wordkraft AI →

Bit AI is an AI-powered platform designed to enhance the creation of interactive and collaborative strategic documents. It features powerful wikis and AI writing tools that help in crafting well-structured and engaging content. With Bit AI, users can produce visually appealing and informative documents that effectively communicate their strategic vision.

The platform supports real-time collaboration, allowing team members to work together seamlessly on documents and incorporate feedback efficiently. Bit AI also ensures that documents are fully responsive, adapting to different devices for optimal accessibility and readability. Moreover, users have the option to create private documents, enhancing data privacy and security.

Key features of Bit AI:

Interactive and collaborative business plans for fostering teamwork and creativity
AI writer features for crafting clear and coherent content
Real-time collaboration for seamless teamwork and feedback integration
Fully responsive documents that adapt to different devices
Private document sharing for data privacy and security

Visit Bit AI →

9. Simplified

Simplified is an all-in-one AI-powered platform that offers a comprehensive solution for managing marketing efforts and crafting engaging content, along with a unique feature for creating a business plan. The platform's AI Business Plan Generator is designed to assist entrepreneurs and small business owners in rapidly producing professional and detailed strategic documents.

With its advanced AI capabilities, Simplified provides accurate growth forecasts and investment strategies, enabling users to make well-informed decisions for their ventures. The platform offers customization options to ensure that the final output aligns with the user's vision and goals. Additionally, it supports collaboration, allowing team members to contribute effectively to the document. Integrated marketing tools further establish Simplified as a versatile solution for both strategic planning and marketing needs.

Key features of Simplified:

Efficient business planning with a professional and comprehensive plan created in just a few clicks
Accurate growth forecasts and investment strategies provided by AI capabilities
Customization options to align the business plan with the user's vision and goals
Collaboration features for working with team members on a comprehensive and accurate plan
Integrated marketing tools for a cohesive and effective marketing strategy

Visit Simplified →

Creating the Best Business Plans with AI

The rise of AI-powered business plan generators has changed the way entrepreneurs and small business owners approach the crucial task of planning for their ventures' success. By leveraging the top 10 AI generators discussed in this blog post, users can streamline the creation process, ensure professional-quality plans, and access valuable insights and forecasts.

From Upmetrics' user-friendly platform and step-by-step guidance to Simplified's all-in-one solution for business planning and marketing, these AI-powered tools cater to the diverse needs of businesses across various industries. By harnessing the power of AI, entrepreneurs can save time, effort, and resources while creating compelling and persuasive plans that attract investors and guide their decision-making processes.

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Alex McFarland is an AI journalist and writer exploring the latest developments in artificial intelligence. He has collaborated with numerous AI startups and publications worldwide.

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Writing a business plan can often feel like navigating through a dense forest without a map. You know your destination—securing investment, defining your business strategy, or setting clear objectives—but the path isn't always clear. Enter the AI-powered business plan generator, a tool designed to illuminate the way forward. This guide will walk you through the essentials of crafting a comprehensive business plan, touching upon the traditional elements that captivate stakeholders. In the final stretch, we'll introduce how an AI-powered business plan generator can streamline this process, making it more accessible and less time-consuming.

How to create a Business Plan

Now that you're familiar with the executive summary, let's tackle how you can create the rest of your business plan.

You can start manually by outlining your plan's structure and filling in the details step by step, or opt for a business plan generator to streamline the process.

Either method requires careful consideration of each section to ensure your plan is thorough and compelling.

Manual Methods for creating a Business Plan

You'll start with the Executive Summary, distilling your business idea into a compelling snapshot that captures attention.

Next, you'll outline your Company Overview, providing a clear picture of who you are and what you stand for.

Then, lay out your Business Objectives, Products and Services, and your Market Analysis Approach to build a solid foundation for your plan.

Executive Summary Essentials

Although it's often crafted last, the Executive Summary stands as the crucial opener of your business plan. It distills key aspects such as your mission, product highlights, and financial ambitions for quick investor insight. It encapsulates your company's essence for investors and maps out the business plan development milestones.

Ensure it crisply outlines your executive summary, underscoring the company's financial goals. This will help capture investors' attention right off the bat.

Company Overview

Begin your company overview by detailing your business's foundational elements, including its name, location, and the team driving its operations.

Here's what to include:

A clear description of your business structure and ownership.
The mission statement that defines your business's purpose.
An outline of the products or services you offer.
Background information that paints a picture of your company's history and objectives.

Business Objectives

To set your business on the path to success, start by defining clear and measurable objectives that reflect both your immediate and long-term aspirations.

Align your business objectives with strategic objectives to meet financial goals.

Conduct market research to fine-tune your target market strategies .

Ensure company goals are realistic and adaptable, setting a course for growth and market competitiveness.

Regular updates keep your plan relevant.

Products and Services

After setting clear business objectives, focus on articulating the core of your offering by detailing the products and services your business provides. Your description should also include:

Unique features and benefits of each product or service.
Specific products' competitive advantages.
Your strategy for sales, distribution, and supply chain.
Trademarks and market placement for your products and services.

Market Analysis Approach

A thorough market analysis is crucial for your business plan as it reveals the dynamics within your target market and guides your competitive strategy .

You'll identify potential customers, understand established market trends, and analyze how competitors differentiate themselves.

This knowledge shapes your sales plan and informs your marketing and sales efforts, highlighting opportunities in an otherwise crowded marketplace and showcasing your grasp of the competitive landscape.

Marketing and Sales Strategies

Crafting a marketing and sales strategy requires precise identification of your target customers to ensure your message resonates and spurs action. Here's how to proceed:

Define your target market for the new product.
Develop a pricing and sales channel approach.
Design a marketing plan with promotional tactics.
Analyze market trends to refine your strategy.

Stay focused on meeting customer needs and differentiating from competitors.

Financial Analysis and Projections

Diving into the financials, you'll need to gather historical data and conduct a thorough analysis of revenue streams , costs, and profit margins to inform your projections for the next three to five years.

Your financial plan hinges on these insights.

Operations Plan

To ensure your business runs like a well-oiled machine, start by mapping out your key operational processes and procedures. Your operations plan is a vital section of your business plan. Here's what to include:

Outline technology's role in business operations.
Develop a comprehensive staffing plan.
Establish a robust inventory management system.
Implement quality control measures to provide additional assurance of product or service excellence.

Funding Requirements

Having established the operational foundations of your business, let's now focus on determining the capital necessary to fuel your growth and operational needs.

Outline your funding requirements by presenting clear financial data, including projected income, balance sheets, and cash flows.

You'll need this to secure funding from venture capital firms or potential investors, ensuring they grasp how their capital will propel your business towards its targets.

Appendices and Exhibits

When crafting your business plan, don't overlook the appendices and exhibits; these sections provide the substantiating details that reinforce your proposal's integrity. Include:

Documents that outline key personnel qualifications and experience.

Details on intellectual property, such as patents.

Additional information for financial institutions, like credit histories.

Contracts, leases, or other legal documents relevant to your business.

Using a Business Plan Generator

You might wonder why you'd use a Business Plan Generator—these tools streamline the planning process, making it easier for you to focus on the core aspects of your strategy.

To get started, you'll follow a series of steps that help structure your executive summary, goals, and market analysis within a proven framework.

The benefits are clear: using a generator can save you time and provide you with a professional, investor-ready plan.

Steps to use the Business Plan Generator

To create a business plan using a generator, start by selecting a template that aligns with your industry and business type.

Here are the steps to use a business plan generator:

Identify Your Business Details : Start by providing the name of your business and the industry it operates in. This foundational step sets the stage for the tailored guidance the generator can offer.
Describe Your Offerings : Clearly articulate what products or services your business sells or offers. This will help the generator understand the value proposition of your business.
Define Your Target Audience : Specify who your ideal customers are, including demographic information. Understanding your target audience is crucial for creating a focused and effective business plan.
Outline Your Marketing Plan : Detail your strategies for promoting your business. This includes how you plan to reach your target audience and differentiate yourself from competitors.
Detail Your Operational Strategy : Explain how your business will operate on a day-to-day basis. Include information on your supply chain, logistics, and any other operational details.
Provide Financial Information : Input how much money you need to start your business and project how much revenue it will generate. This financial planning is critical for assessing the feasibility of your business idea.
Set Business Objectives : List what you aim to achieve with your business in the short term and the long term. These goals will guide the direction of your business strategy.
Click on Generate : After entering all the necessary information, click the "generate" button to create your personalised business plan. This plan will be tailored to the specifics of your business, providing a roadmap for success.

Benefits of using a Business Plan Generator

Harnessing a business plan generator can significantly streamline the process, saving you both time and effort as you craft a detailed blueprint for your venture.

Here are the benefits:

Provides a structured framework to write a business plan efficiently.
Helps identify opportunities in new markets.
Enhances financial literacy through budgeting and forecasting tools.
Clarifies business objectives, aiding in communication with stakeholders.

Tips for Creating a Business Plan

When crafting your business plan these tips collectively form a comprehensive business plan, providing a roadmap for your business and presenting a compelling case to investors and lenders.

Here are the tips for creating a business plan:

Articulate your mission and vision succinctly.
Outline your offerings and financial ambitions.
Provide a snapshot of your business's financial health and market potential.
Clarify the business structure ( sole proprietorship , partnership, corporation).
Highlight ownership details.
Showcase key employees, emphasizing their expertise.
Define short- and long-term goals for your business.
Align goals with your strategic direction.
Establish a direct link between financing needs and future growth.
Describe your offerings and emphasize how they meet market needs.
Support claims with market research.
Demonstrate a thorough understanding of your competition.

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10 Best Business Plan Software and Tools in 2024

Got a million-dollar idea but find yourself staring at a blank page when it comes to crafting a business plan?

Yes, a business plan. It’s essential for your company, just like it is for any other firm. No entrepreneur is new to the importance of the plan.

But does the thought of spending endless hours and resources on creating one seem daunting?

Here’s the game-changer—with business plan software , you can craft a solid, engaging plan that attracts investors in just days.

These platforms not only assist in writing your plan but also in creating financial projections, cover pages, and more. But with so many options available, finding the perfect fit for your company can be confusing.

To help you with that, we’ve compiled a list of the top 10 business plan software based on user interface, features, pricing, and more.

Let’s dive in and explore your best options!

Best Paid and Free Business Plan Software and Tools

Jump to section.

Before getting into detailed analyses of each tool, let’s take a look at them to understand their suitability, impressive features, and base price.

How do we analyze these business planning tools?

Following extensive research and evaluation, we’ve compiled a list of the top business planning platforms. We considered factors like user experiences, ratings and reviews from G2 and Capterra, cost, and scalability.

Additionally, we’ve assessed these tools based on their automation capabilities, integrations, and other features. This list is tailored for business owners and individuals looking to streamline and optimize their business planning process.

1. Upmetrics

About Upmetrics

Upmetrics is the leading AI-powered business planning and financial forecasting tool for business students, entrepreneurs, and small business owners.

Upmetrics’ AI assistance helps you draft an entire business plan within an hour; you only need to answer a few questions and refine the initial draft. The platform allows you to work with your partners, advisors, or consultants in real time, ensuring everyone’s on the same page.

Besides, if you have burning business questions, you can’t seem to find the answer, shoot. Upmetrics’ AI Assist will provide practical answers for them. It’s like a business coach or co-pilot working with you on your plan.

Wait. That’s not all! Besides all these features, Upmetrics offers an automated financial forecasting tool with a visual dashboard, an AI-powered pitch deck creator, an extensive library of 400+ sample plans, a strategic planning tool, and a lot more.

Here’s the cherry on top: All these features won’t cost you a fortune. Upmetrics is affordable, reliable, and best for beginners (no technical knowledge needed).

Let’s have a look at what more you get using Upmetrics:

AI business plan generator

With an AI business plan generator, you answer a few questions and your plan will be ready.

Automated financial projections

Our AI does all the hard work and provides realistic financial projections without any complex calculations.

400+ business plan templates

Upmetrics has a library of customizable business plan templates to give you a great start on your plan.

AI co-pilot

Our AI co-pilot is your research assistant & business advisor, answering questions and providing insights.

Integration

Integrate your actual financial data from Xero and QuickBooks directly for seamless financial planning.

Real-time collaboration

The tool lets teams work together on business plans simultaneously, enhancing efficiency.

Other key features of Upmetrics include:

AI pitch deck creator: With our AI business pitch builder, you can effortlessly auto-write sections, integrate business plan data, and create compelling presentations that capture investor interest.
Guided business plan builder: With practical tips and examples you get inspiration on what exactly to write. Besides that, our drag-and-drop builder ensures a clear and visually appealing design.
AI assistance: Enhance the business plan writing with AI assistant, through which you can auto-write, change the tone, alter the language, adjust the length, make financial statements, and more.
Create actionable business strategies: Simplify the creation, management, and execution of your business strategy with our powerful planning tools and business canvases.
Business resources: The tool offers various business resources like checklists, guides, and video tutorials to give you a great head-start for your business plan writing journey.
Scenario planning: Easily see how different decisions affect your finances by testing various scenarios. This helps you prepare for any future financial situation.

Upmetrics pricing

Upmetrics provides the most affordable plans, and it also offers a 15-day money-back guarantee. Here are the two plans that the tool offers:

Create winning Business Plans with ultimate

AI Business Plan Generator

Plans starting from $7/month

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2. Liveplan

About Liveplan

LivePlan is one of the best and most renowned business planning, budgeting, and performance-tracking tools for startups and small business owners.

Whether you’re a startup looking to attract potential investors or an established organization that needs help creating a forecast of your business’s financial future—LivePlan can help.

LivePlan simplifies the process of creating a professional business plan with its instruction manuals, tutorials, and expert guidance, whereas its automated financials built-in with formulas ensure precise financial forecasting.

LivePlan provides a wide range of features which may include:

AI-powered business plan creator: It helps you write your business plan and answer your business-related doubts. It also helps you change the tone and length. However, the price may be prohibitive for some users.
Budgeting and expense tracking: The tool helps you manage your finances with ease, providing real-time insights and detailed reports.
Online learning tools & resources: From tutorials to step-by-step guides and a library of templates, LivePlan provides the resources needed to create a successful business plan.
Collaborative planning: It enables teams to collaborate on business plans with real-time editing and commenting from anywhere.
Pitch deck creator: With a customizable template and easy-to-use tools, you can create professional pitch decks that effectively communicate your business idea and vision.

What I didn't like about LivePlan?

Compare Liveplan with Others

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About Enloop

Enloop is a business planning and financial forecasting tool. It helps business owners measure the strength of their business plan through their performance score feature to help them begin their venture with confidence.

Unlike Upmetrics and LivePlan—Enloop is designed for individuals with prior financial knowledge and business planning experience.

Understanding all of its functionalities can be tough since it’s not the most intuitive and user-friendly application in this space. So it may take a while to get used to it.

Enloop provides a wide range of financial tools and business planning features, which may include:

Business plan creation: Enloop's business plan creation feature guides you through the process of creating a professional business plan.
Automated financial forecasts: The tool automatically generates financial forecasts in your business plan, which you can edit later. Although, there aren’t many verified reviews to back their claims.
Collaboration features: It allows collaboration but lacks real-time editing and commenting. Members must save changes before others can access the plan.
Real-time performance score: The real-time performance score goes up as you complete each section helping you improve your plan.

What I didn't like about Enloop?

4. IdeaBuddy

About IdeaBuddy

IdeaBuddy is an innovative business planning tool that helps new-age entrepreneurs turn their ideas into successful business plans.

Customizable templates, industry-based guides, as well as streamlined idea and business plan creation, make it one of the most user-friendly applications on the list.

It’s designed on a principle where users can develop, test, and launch their business ideas—all in one place. While it’s great for idea creation, it may lack several comprehensive business planning features.

Financial forecasting is vital to a business plan, but IdeaBuddy may not provide all the necessary financial features for accurate projections.

So if your business is in the idea stage—choosing IdeaBuddy could be a fair call, but if you plan to build a comprehensive business plan, you need another tool.

IdeaBuddy provides a wide range of features, which may include:

Modern business plan builder: It compiles all the sections from the business guide to generate a modern business plan.
Mobile-friendly platform: It lets you manage your business plans from any mobile device with ease. You can collaborate in real-time and make quick edits and updates.
Customizable templates: IdeaBuddy’s customizable templates offer a flexible and professional framework for creating business plans, financial forecasts, and pitch decks. But it doesn’t offer extensive design customization features.
Test to score your idea: This feature evaluates your business concept's viability using a structured scoring system, competitive advantage, and financial feasibility.
Brainstorm ideas with your team: This feature facilitates collaborative idea generation and development. It allows members to contribute their insights in a shared environment.

What I didn't like about IdeaBuddy?

About Planful

Planful is a business planning and financial performance management cloud software. It provides a structured framework for industry-wide businesses to develop, track, and execute their plans.

The tool specializes in financial performance management with advanced features like—financial close management, reporting, and consolidation.

While the tool has numerous advanced features and functionalities—they all come with a high price tag as it’s mainly designed for medium and large-scale enterprises.

Let’s have a look at the extensive financial tools and features you may get with a planful subscription:

Budgeting and forecasting: With features like forecasts, driver-based planning, and what-if scenario analysis organizations can align budgets with business goals.
Financial consolidation: Real-time consolidation updates and detailed reporting capabilities offer insights into financial performance across the organization.
Scenario modeling: Users can create multiple scenarios and compare them to make informed decisions.
Anomaly detection: Planful helps you spot unusual or out-of-the-ordinary things in a company's financial information to improve data accuracy.
Data integration and connectivity: The platform integrates seamlessly with ERP, CRM, and other systems, ensuring that data is up-to-date and accurate.

What I didn't like about Planful?

6. iPlanner

About iPlanner

iPlanner is a business planning tool that has been helping entrepreneurs develop their business plans since 2007. It’s suitable for businesses looking to secure funding, better understand and manage risks, or communicate the company’s business model and strategy to the team.

Though this business planning tool has been around for over a decade now, it hasn’t seemed to cope with technological advancements, so it may not provide the most intuitive and visually appealing user interface.

But if you’re searching for an affordable business planning and performance tracking tool with KPIs, analytics, and reporting features, iPlanner can be a good investment.

Here’s an overview of the key features of iPlanner—a business planning tool:

Financial forecasting: There are tools to create comprehensive financial forecasts, including income statements, balance sheets, and cash flows.
Scenario analysis: The scenario analysis feature enables you to evaluate various business scenarios by adjusting key variables and assumptions.
How-to articles and guides: There are how-to articles and other resources to guide you in your business plan writing journey.
Collaboration and sharing: With real-time editing and commenting, team members can collaborate from anywhere, ensuring everyone is on the same page.

What I didn't like about iPlanner?

7. PlanGuru

About PlanGuru

PlanGuru is a business planning tool that helps entrepreneurs make better decisions, increase profits, and accomplish their business goals through strategic business planning and accurate forecasting.

Budgeting & financial analytics, rolling forecast, and strategic planning are three critical components of PlanGuru’s feature list.

PlanGuru specializes in forecasting financial statements, scenario analysis, budgeting, and gaining insights through reporting tools.

It offers many advanced financial forecasting features but is quite expensive— making it unsuitable for startups with limited investment capital.

PlanGuru provides a wide range of financial tools and business planning features to create business plans, which may include:

Business valuation tool: With advanced valuation methods and sensitivity analysis, it enables informed decision-making for strategic planning and investments.
20+ standard forecast methods: The platform offers over 20 standard forecast methods, empowering businesses to protect their financial performance.
Archive budget feature: This feature enables businesses to store and organize past budgets for easy reference and analysis.
Custom report builder for Excel: It allows users to create tailored financial reports within Excel, leveraging the platform's analytical and visualization tools.

What I didn't like about PlanGuru?

8. The Business Plan Shop

About The Business Plan Shop

The Business Plan Shop is a business & financial planning and analysis platform for small and medium-sized business owners and financial advisors.

Its industry-specific business plan templates make it easier for beginners to get started.

Despite its many features, the business plan tool specializes in financial analysis, forecasting, and KPI tracking. It surely has a few advanced features but can be expensive for startups and small businesses.

This business planning tool provides a wide range of features, which may include:

Financial forecasting: It automatically generates key financial metrics and allows for scenario commentary to explore different outcomes.
Sync accounting data: It seamlessly integrates with your accounting software to import financial data directly into your business plan.
Drag and drop templates and editor: This feature offers you a flexible way to create your plan. Users can easily customize templates by dragging and dropping sections.
Faster than Microsoft Word: Unlike the manual formatting required in Word, this platform automates many aspects of the process, significantly speeding up the process.

What I didn't like about The Business Plan Shop?

About Bizplan

Bizplan is a comprehensive business planning tool that helps startups, entrepreneurs, and small business owners create business plans with direct access to planning experts.

Financial tools help create detailed financial projections and financial and cash flow statements in no time, so entrepreneurs can spend more time growing and scaling their businesses.

The platform also has a fundraising tool to help startups connect with potential investors—which has already helped raise over $500 million for startups.

It has all the features to create a basic business plan but may lack industry-specific guidance or assistance.

Let’s have a look at the wide range of features that come with a Bizplan subscription:

Drag and drop functionality: Customizable templates with drag-and-drop functionality for easy organization and editing.
Financial modeling: It allows users to easily visualize financial data through charts and graphs, making complex financial information more understandable.
Reporting and presentation: Track progress and metrics with detailed reports, and easily create professional presentations to showcase your business plan.
Progress tracking: It enables users to monitor the development of their plan in real-time. It provides a visual overview of completed sections to stay organized.
Step-by-step guidance: The tool provides users with a structured framework for creating their business plans. It ensures that users cover all aspects of business plans.

What I didn't like about Bizplan?

About Brixx

Brixx is a financial forecasting tool for cash flow, budgeting, and financial planning. Apart from helping users create a basic business plan, the platform also helps them with financial modeling, scenario planning, and goal tracking.

Its interactive charts and graphs can help you present your financial data and cash flow statements for enhanced reader understanding.

Integrating Brixx and other accounting software automates the syncing of your actuals and forecasts, giving you a head start using Brixx.

The tool primarily focuses on financial projections and forecasting, so there are only a few features for other parts of the business plan.

Let’s have a look at some features that come with a Brixx subscription:

1-10-year financial forecasts: This tool enables businesses to create detailed projections for profit & loss, cash flow, and balance sheet statements for up to 10 years.
Automated tax forecasts: It simplifies tax planning by automatically calculating future-based and practical tax liabilities based on your financial data and projections.
Business resources: The tool includes step-by-step guidance, pre-built templates, and a library of sample plans to help users create professional plans. But if you need help beyond that, the technical support may not be as helpful.
Scenario planning: It allows users to create and compare multiple financial scenarios to understand the potential impact of different business decisions.

What I didn't like about Brixx?

How to choose the right business planning platform?

All the business plan tools on our list are credible and can help you create a winning business plan. However, it’s critical to understand each tool specializes in certain aspects of business planning.

Let’s understand which factors to consider while choosing the right tool to help you create a professional business plan:

The most obvious factor. Ask yourself how much you can afford to spend on a business plan maker.

A free or low-cost tool may provide only some necessary functionalities to create a detailed plan. So, figure out your budget and shortlist the tools that you can afford to invest in.

Your specific requirements

The next step. Learn your specific requirements. For instance, if your business is in the idea stage, you may not require a tool with advanced financial features like—PlanGuru; Ideabuddy may work.

Both tools cater to specific audiences; if you’re not sure, you may go with Upmetrics. It has pricing plans suitable for all business sizes.

Business plan templates

Custom designing a business plan can be tedious, so make sure the business planning tool you choose has industry-specific templates to help you get started.

AI assistance

Artificial Intelligence has revolutionized the way people get their things done. Make sure you select a platform that also provides AI assistance while creating a business plan.

With tools like ChatGPT and AI business plan generators , you can draft a business plan in a breeze.

Charts and graphs

Let’s face it, no one likes to read long paragraphs. The tool you choose must be able to turn your financial data and balance sheets into appealing and easy-to-understand charts and graphics.

Financial projections

The most critical section of a business plan. Understand your requirements regarding financial projections and the level of features the tool provides.

For instance, a large-scale organization may require a tool that can easily do business financials for ten or more years.

Contribution and sharing features

Make sure the tool you choose provides the contribution and sharing features so that you can work with multiple team members.

Convenience and user-friendliness

A no-brainer. Ensure the platform you choose has a user-friendly user interface and a manageable learning curve to understand all the working features.

Integrations

Some of the best business planning tools integrate with accounting software. This feature can be handy while importing your existing financial details into your business plan.

Step-by-step guides

These user guides and tutorials can help you easily outline and prepare the first draft of your business plan, so make sure you consider this as one of the factors while selecting a tool.

When you’re new to business planning tools, you may need help using some of its features. A responsive support team can help you get back on the right track.

Think of these factors as a checklist while researching the right business planning platform. Once you have checked off all the boxes, you will have the right business plan software by your side.

Pros and Cons of Using Business Plan Software

Undoubtedly, a business planning tool can be a worthwhile investment for your business, but it indeed has a few disadvantages too. Let’s get to that:

Time Saving: business plan software can be a big time-saving investment.
Step-by-step guidance: These guides make it easier to get started for beginners.
Accurate reporting: Good business plan software guarantee the accountability and accuracy of the reports generated.
Customizations: Business plan tools also offer options to personalize your reports.
Generic templates: These planning tools often provide generic templates that may not suit your requirements.
Limited flexibility: In terms of formatting, content, design, and layout.
Learning curve: Using these tools requires a learning curve to navigate the software.

There have to be a few disadvantages, but they are negligible when you look at the positive side of having a business plan software onboard.

And this section leads us to our conclusion!

That was the article for today with some of the best business plan software. Now over to you. Revisit the top business planning software on the list, do your research, and select the one that best suits your requirements.

Got any more burning questions in mind? The FAQ section starts right after we wrap this article up, feel free to explore. Happy business planning!

Other Business Plan Software Alternatives

Best Liveplan Alternatives
Best Bizplan Alternatives
Best Growthink Alternatives
Best Ideabuddy Alternatives
Best Enloop Alternatives

Say No to Expensive Business Planning Software!

Get Affordable and Feature-Packed Business Planning with Upmetrics

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best business plan software for startups.

We’ve already mentioned the best business planning tool in the blog post earlier; you may choose one amongst those depending on your specific needs.

However, Upmetrics can be a go-to business planning tool for startups as it only costs $7 per month to get started—which is worth it against the value you get.

Which tool is used as a one-page business plan?

There are many business plan software providing features to create one-page business plans like—Upmetrics and Ideabuddy. You can use Upmetrics’ canvas modeling feature to develop actionable and entrepreneur-focused one-page business plans.

Can I write a business plan myself?

Of course, you can. It’s easier than ever to write a business plan with the emerging use of tools like ChatGPT. Though you can write a business plan, you need assistance making it presentable for your investors.

And business planning tool providers like Upmetrics can help you do that. With 200+ sample business plans, you can easily write the first draft of your business plan.

What is the best way to write a business plan?

There can’t be a standard answer to this question. There are various business planning processes, which might not work for you. Still, considering the time-saving approach, using an industry-specific template and editing it as per your requirements can be an easy way to write a business plan.

Using ChatGPT for business plan writing can also be one of the best ways to write a business plan. As mentioned, there can’t be a specific answer to this question; find a way that best suits your needs.

Is there any free business planning platform available?

It’s really challenging to find the perfect business planning tool, that too, for free. IdeaBuddy from our list has a free plan, but it comes with very limited features, not so helpful for creating a business plan.

A Business planning platform like Upmetrics, Bizplan, and LivePlan also have free demos and trials, so you may try their features before purchasing.

Furthermore, you can get 30% off on an Upmetrics subscription if you’re a nonprofit or student.

How much does a business plan tool typically cost?

The cost of a business plan software can widely depend on the level of features and functionalities it provides. Still, the monthly subscription of a business plan tool can range anywhere between $5 to $300.

About the Author

Upmetrics Team

Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more

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Table Of Contents

1. Upmetrics

3. Storydoc

4. 15minuteplan

5. Notion AI

6. Beautiful AI

7. Wordkraft AI

9. Simplified

Creating the Best Business Plans with AI

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🤖 Free Business Plan Generator (AI-Powered)

How to create a Business Plan

Manual Methods for creating a Business Plan

Executive Summary Essentials

Company Overview

Business Objectives

Products and Services

Market Analysis Approach

Marketing and Sales Strategies

Financial Analysis and Projections

Operations Plan

Funding Requirements

Appendices and Exhibits

Using a Business Plan Generator

Steps to use the Business Plan Generator

Benefits of using a Business Plan Generator

Tips for Creating a Business Plan

10 Best Business Plan Software and Tools in 2024

Best Paid and Free Business Plan Software and Tools

1. Upmetrics

AI business plan generator

Automated financial projections

400+ business plan templates

AI co-pilot

Integration

Real-time collaboration

Upmetrics pricing

2. Liveplan

Compare Liveplan with Others

4. IdeaBuddy

6. iPlanner

7. PlanGuru

8. The Business Plan Shop

How to choose the right business planning platform?

Your specific requirements

Business plan templates

AI assistance

Charts and graphs

Financial projections

Contribution and sharing features

Convenience and user-friendliness

Integrations

Step-by-step guides

Pros and Cons of Using Business Plan Software

Other Business Plan Software Alternatives

Frequently Asked Questions

Which tool is used as a one-page business plan?

Can I write a business plan myself?

What is the best way to write a business plan?

Is there any free business planning platform available?

How much does a business plan tool typically cost?