Top 5 Business Plan Software Reviewed (2026)

According to Mordor Intelligence, the global business software market is on track to hit $660 billion by 2025, with growth toward $1.15 trillion by 2030. That scale alone indicates that serious businesses are moving their financial modeling and forecasting into systems designed to keep pace with how fast markets change.

The old routine—rewriting the same numbers in three different files or double-checking a calculation you swear you already fixed—can’t support a modern business anymore.

Ahead, you’ll find the five business plan software platforms that deliver in 2026.

What is business plan software?

Business plan software is a digital tool that helps users create detailed plans for launching, managing, and growing a business. It provides templates, financial forecasting, and guidance to simplify the business planning process. It also often includes tools for budgeting, market research, and visualizing your business goals.

Why use business plan software?

Business plan software gives entrepreneurs a clearer path from idea to execution. Here’s how:

• Instead of piecing together notes and spreadsheets, you work inside one system that shapes your concept into a full business model—whether you’re selling wholesale, dropshipping, running a service, or opening a brick-and-mortar store.
• These tools translate your assumptions into real financial forecasts: cash flow, revenue projections, startup costs, operating budgets. 
• Many platforms even generate financial statements automatically, so lenders, investors, and internal stakeholders can understand your numbers without digging through formulas.
• Templates play a huge role, too. Starting with a pre-built structure removes the pressure of the blank page and helps you stay aligned with what funders expect. You focus on the substance; the software handles the scaffolding.

And there’s a new shift underway: research shows that demand is rising for industry-specific planning tools designed for sectors like health care, technology, and manufacturing. These tools build in the nuances of each industry such as compliance expectations, operational requirements, specialized metrics, and terminology.

5 best business plan software platforms

1. Upmetrics

Highest rated business plan software overall. 

Upmetrics is an affordable, top-rated AI-powered business plan creation tool. Features include AI assistants, an AI business plan generator, financial forecasting, strategic planning assistance, and more.

• Money-back guarantee: 15 days.
• Integrations: QuickBooks and Xero.
• G2 rating: 4.8/5 ⭐

Pros:

• You get step-by-step guidance and pre-built templates: more than 400 sample business plan templates across industries. 
• Pitch deck creator plus the option to export to common formats such as PDF, DOC, and Excel—handy if you need to share with investors or partners.

Cons:

• For someone with zero business planning background, even guided templates and AI help may feel like a lot.
• If your business model is unusually complex (multiple products, multiregion, heavy regulatory compliance, custom financial scenarios), budgeting software or full-blown financial modeling tools may be a better fit.

Pricing: $19 per month with Premium and $49 per month with Professional. Save up to 25% with a yearly plan. 

2. LivePlan

Best software with a large library of business plan samples and templates.

LivePlan allows users to create unlimited business plans. The software offers more than 550 sample business plans and pages to help you begin. Get step-by-step guidance on how to write your plan and use templates for different types of business plans. 

This software also includes LivePlan’s powerful set of financial forecasting tools, which can help you convert financial data like cash flow statements into easy-to-read charts and graphs.

• Money-back guarantee: 35 days.
• Integrations: QuickBooks, Xero.
• G2 rating: 4.1/5 ⭐

Pros: 

• More than 550 sample plans across industries; ideal if you need a starting point instead of a blank screen.
• The AI assistance, including Help Me Write, speeds up drafting sections that usually take hours (executive summary, company description, etc.).

Cons:

• Advanced assumptions like multientity forecasting, custom financial logic, may require spreadsheets or third-party modeling tools.
• AI tools are lighter-weight than dedicated writing platforms; helpful, but not as sophisticated as newer LLM-integrated planners.

Pricing: The Standard plan is $20 per month, Premium is $40 per month, and annual discounts are available. 

3. Strategyzer

Best for designing and iterating business models.

Strategyzer is a full innovation management and business model design platform built around frameworks like the Business Model Canvas (BMC) and the Value Proposition Canvas (VPC).

You can sketch business models visually, test and iterate ideas, and map out how value flows—from resources and partners to value proposition, customer segments, revenue streams, costs, and more. 

• Money-back guarantee: Strategyzer doesn’t offer a published money-back guarantee. Refunds are handled case-by-case depending on subscription type and region.
• Integrations: No native accounting integrations. Strategyzer is intentionally standalone, focused on business model design rather than syncing financials.
• G2 rating: 4.3/5 ⭐

Pros: 

• The BMC/VPC approach forces you to visualize the core of your business model in a way that’s easier to understand and communicate than long business plan documents. 
• Paying annually for access to the platform (not per plan) can be more efficient for serial entrepreneurs, consultants, or anyone building multiple ideas.

Cons:

• If your business is already operational and what you need is a full-fledged business plan for investors or banks, this might feel incomplete.
• Because it’s more abstract—canvases, building blocks, business logic—it’s less plug-and-play for someone who wants a ready-made plan generated automatically.

Pricing: Individual access (Playbook) starts at $199 per year. Team pricing begins at $2,500 per year for up to five seats.

4. PlanGuru

Best business plan software for planning, forecasting, and scenario analysis.

If the focus of your business plan is your business’s financial picture and potential, PlanGuru is an excellent option. In addition to offering most of the basic business plan software features you’d expect, PlanGuru offers tools for budgeting, financial forecasts and reports, strategic planning, and scenario analysis.

• Money-back guarantee: 30 days.
• Integrations: Xero, QuickBooks, Microsoft Excel.
• G2 rating: 4.5/5

Pros: 

• PlanGuru builds out multiyear forecasts, cash flow analysis, balance sheets, and profit/loss projections without manually writing formulas.
• The ability to run different financial scenarios helps business owners stress-test assumptions (e.g., slower growth, cost increases, changing revenue streams).

Cons:

• If you need a polished business plan document or investor-ready deck, PlanGuru alone may not suffice.
• Because it’s designed for detailed forecasting and financial modeling, it can feel confusing or “feature-heavy” at first, especially if you’re used to simpler tools. 

Pricing: $83 per month (annual billing) or $99 per month (monthly billing) for the Single-Entity plan; $250 per month (annual) or $299 per month (monthly) for Multi-Department; additional users $25 per month.

5. GoSmallBiz

Best contract-free business plan software for new businesses.

GoSmallBiz’s solution is part of a larger business continuity planning software platform that includes tools for human resource management and corporate minute keeping. GoSmallBiz also offers industry-specific business plan templates to kickstart your business plan creation. This is especially helpful if your business idea is destined for a specific vertical market.

GoSmallBiz users can create financial statements and projections for multiple years, including income statements, cash flow statements, and balance sheets. GoSmallBiz also offers step-by-step guidance, prompts, and tutorials to help users get the most out of the platform.

• Money-back guarantee: None, but no contracts are required if you choose a per-month plan.
• Integrations: MailChimp. 
• G2: N/A

Pros:

• You can build multiyear financial projections (income, cash flow, balance sheet) even without Excel knowledge.
• If you later need legal, compliance, website, or HR support, you already have a platform to upgrade, without migrating tools.

Cons:

• The value proposition shines if you use more than just the plan builder; otherwise, simpler (or more specialized) tools might give you more bang for your buck.
• Focus is on utility and compliance rather than sleek presentations or investor-grade formatting.

Pricing: Plans start at $15 per month. Users can upgrade to the Essentials plan for $49 per month or the Assurance plan for $69 per month. There are additional one-time services and recurring subscriptions available. 

Recommended reading: 10 Business Plan Examples & Templates (2026 Update)

Benefits of business plan software

Business plan software can be a critical tool to ensure success, especially if you’re just at the beginning of opening an online store. 

Some of the major benefits of using business plan software include: 

Streamlined planning process

Startup planning tools do exactly what you’d expect: help you plan out what’s next. It sounds simple, but actually determining where to begin once you’ve decided to start a business is often the most daunting part. Rather than jumping between tutorials, supplier research, and an ever-growing to-do list, these tools create a more efficient step-by-step plan for you to follow.

Improved clarity and focus

Business planning tools can help guide entrepreneurs through the chaotic and often stressful early days of starting a business online. They provide structure with a clear path and process to getting started. Some platforms can even perform scenario analyses to predict different probable outcomes. These tools often lend the necessary directional clarity founders need to progress to the next steps and actually launch their store. 

Enhanced financial planning

Business plan software can double as financial forecasting software, helping business owners forecast costs like the price of materials, shipping and packaging, and ecommerce fees. They also provide insights into budgeting and revenue potential. For entrepreneurs who are starting a business with low funds and need to create a lean business plan, this type of software can be especially helpful. 

Easier collaboration with stakeholders

Business plans rarely live in isolation: investors want visibility, advisers want context, co-founders want alignment, and lenders want clarity. Instead of emailing attachments or chasing down “final_v7_really_final.pdf,” stakeholders can jump into the same plan and see the same numbers.

Many tools also bake in practical workflow features:

• Task assignments for sections that need input from finance, marketing, or operations
• Built-in commenting that replaces long email threads
• Activity logs so you know who changed what and when
• Secure sharing links for investors or lenders who want quick access without downloading anything
• Role-based controls to protect sensitive forecasts while still showing high-level plans

Simplified fundraising and investor outreach

Raising money moves faster when your story, your numbers, and your projections stay airtight. Business plan software helps you package all three without starting from scratch every time you talk to an investor.

Most modern platforms include pitch deck templates you can adapt to your business in minutes. 

Some tools also include investor-facing exports: clean PDFs, lender-ready plans, or one-page summaries you can share instantly. When you need to tailor a pitch to a particular firm or funding round, you duplicate the plan, adjust the scenario, and send a version that fits.

Beyond formatting, fundraising-focused platforms offer workflow features that lighten the lift:

• Investor lists and CRM-style tracking to manage outreach and follow-ups
• Shareable links with view permissions so investors can explore your plan securely
• Traction dashboards that highlight key metrics without digging
• Scenario modeling to answer the classic investor question: “What happens if growth slows, or accelerates?”
• Collaboration tools so advisers and mentors can refine your messaging before it’s in front of a VC

Potential drawbacks to consider

Business plan software streamlines a lot, but it isn’t perfect. Here are some factors to consider:

• Some platforms offer rigid templates, which can feel limiting if your business model doesn’t fit neatly into traditional boxes. If you’re building something multi entity, highly technical, or operationally complex, you may still need custom spreadsheets or financial modeling outside the software.
• Subscription costs can also add up. Many tools follow a tiered pricing model, and the most useful features like scenario analysis, team collaboration, and advanced forecasting tend to live behind higher-priced plans. 
• There’s also the learning curve. Tools built for deeper forecasting or multi department planning require time to set up correctly. You’ll get more accuracy and insight, but you may need to invest a few hours upfront to understand how everything fits together.

None of these drawbacks are dealbreakers in and of themselves, but they’ll shape your decision.

How to choose your business plan software

The best business plan software for you may be different than the best option for your fellow business owners. 

When shopping for business plan software, follow these steps to determine which features you’ll need most. This exercise will help you figure out which business plan software is right for your business. 

1. Establish your budget

This is perhaps the most obvious point, but it’s worth emphasizing: the business plan software you choose needs to fit within your budget. Basic business plan tools may not have all the functionality you’re looking for, but more advanced features typically mean a higher price tag. 

Take a good look at your budget to see if you need to (and are able to) move anything around so you can afford the planning software that’ll be most beneficial to your unique needs. 

2. Determine your must-have features

Business planning software products share many of the same features, but it’s the feature differences between each that make them stand out. Figuring out what you absolutely need in a business planning tool can help you narrow down your options to find the best one for you. 

Some features to consider include: 

Financial reporting

If having a tool for business financials and reporting is important to you, choose business plan software that excels in this area. Look for business planning tools that offer financial forecasting features beyond basic data reporting, including marketing and performance reports and data visualization through charts and graphs. If you need more extensive financial tools, consider investing in accounting software.

AI capabilities

Many modern business plan tools now include built-in AI assistants that can draft sections of your plan, refine your positioning, summarize research, or even generate a full first-pass business plan based on a few prompts.

AI adoption is rising fast: 78% of organizations used AI in 2024, up from just 55% the year before.

Founders use AI features to:

• Draft narrative sections like company descriptions, market overviews, or executive summaries
• Translate raw financial inputs into readable explanations for investors or lenders
• Brainstorm product ideas, revenue streams, or customer segments
• Refine tone and clarity to make the plan more compelling
• Create investor-ready summaries without manually condensing pages of text
• Run scenario analysis by asking the software to model best-case, worst-case, and expected outcomes

Easy-to-navigate interface

Choosing business planning software with a steep learning curve or difficult-to-navigate interface may make the process of creating a business plan more frustrating than it needs to be. Especially if you’re not particularly tech savvy, you might want to prioritize picking a user-friendly platform. 

Collaboration

If you’re collaborating on your business plan with a fellow founder, accountant, or legal counsel, you’ll want a business plan tool that supports collaboration between multiple team members. Some software also allows you to add users as viewers, which can be helpful for distributing the plan to shareholders, lenders, or potential investors.

Templates

One of the greatest advantages of using business plan software is access to business plan templates and examples. The best business plan software options offer a range of templates, enabling you to create business plans for multiple audiences and different contexts.

Software integrations

If you have a tightly connected tech stack, it would behoove you to find business plan software that can integrate seamlessly with other popular business tools, including QuickBooks and other popular platforms for marketing and accounting.

Integrations turn planning software from a static document into a living part of your workflow. They reduce manual work, cut down on errors, and help your business plan grow alongside your business, rather than becoming something you wrote once and never updated again.

Support

If you run into trouble with your business planning software, a great support team or library of business resources can help you get back on track. As a bonus, most business plan software providers also offer online learning tools to help you maximize your results, including video tutorials and built-in advice modules. 

3. Conduct research

Reading this post is a great first step. Aside from that, ask other entrepreneurs for their recommendations or opinions, peruse online forums like Reddit, or post on social media sites like LinkedIn to get a full idea of which platforms resonate most with other business owners. 

Once you narrow it down, try out a free trial if your favorite tool offers one. Getting hands-on experience with the software will give you a clearer sense of its functionality. Plus, you’ll find out whether or not you like the usability quality of its interface.

4. Choose your favorite tool and create your business plan

Now that you’ve narrowed down your favorites—and maybe even started a free trial—it’s time to choose a tool and create your business plan. 

Remember: You can always switch business plan tools as long as your subscription contract allows. Many of these tools have money back guarantees if you change your mind or the software isn’t what you were hoping for.