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Best AI FP&A software (2026)

A sourced shortlist by team size. Every pick shows what it costs and which AI assistants it really connects to. Hands-on scores are coming; we won't fake them.

Reviewed by a corporate finance practitioner, 11+ years at one of the largest US private companies and a public company Updated Oct 19, 2026 19 cited sources How we research
How this list works. This is a research shortlist, not a scored ranking — yet. Tools are grouped by the team they fit and ordered by how much verified information we have. Scores will be added only after our reviewer tests each tool on the same FP&A tasks (budget build, variance commentary, capex business case). Methodology.

Mid-market, Excel-first

  1. Datarails — Excel-native, read-only MCP connector for Claude and ChatGPT; Vendr median $33,300/yr.
  2. Vena — Excel-native with GA MCP for Claude, ChatGPT and Copilot Studio; Vendr median $34,286/yr.
  3. Cube — Lowest Vendr median of the planning group ($22,098/yr) and AI write-back behind a permission.

Enterprise planning

  1. Pigment — MCP for Claude, ChatGPT and Copilot Studio with opt-in write tools; Vendr median $74,000/yr.
  2. Anaplan — AI Gateway for Claude and Copilot, read-only to start; Vendr median $114,609/yr.
  3. Planful — FP&A plus consolidation; Vendr median $40,352/yr. Read-only MCP server for Claude (Jul 2026); ChatGPT and Copilot announced as next.

AI in the spreadsheet

  1. Claude for Excel — GA for Claude Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise; edits while preserving formulas.
  2. ChatGPT for Excel — GA on all ChatGPT plans since May 5, 2026; asks before changing a workbook.
  3. Microsoft Copilot in Excel — Built in for Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses ($18/user/mo Business add-on promo through Dec 31, 2026).
  4. Shortcut — Dedicated Excel/Sheets modeling agent; public pricing from free to $100/mo Pro (annual).

Startups and SMB

  1. cfo.ai (formerly Runway) — Published pricing from $375/mo (annual), per a third-party summary of its pricing page.
  2. Jirav — Published business plans at $10,000 and $15,000/yr.
  3. Fathom — Reporting and forecasting for advisors; Pro $450/mo including 25 companies.

What "AI FP&A" should mean in 2026

Every planning vendor now claims AI. The useful questions are narrower:

  1. Can my assistant reach the data? Official connectors for Claude, ChatGPT or Copilot — see the tracker.
  2. Read or write? Most planning connectors are read-only. That's fine for variance commentary and Q&A; it's not "AI builds the forecast."
  3. Is it GA and included? "Coming soon" and usage-metered features belong in the contract, not the pitch deck.
  4. Does it hold up on a real task? That's what our practitioner takes are for.

Practitioner take

Scores coming soon

Hands-on scores on budgeting, forecasting and business-case tasks will be published here as testing completes.

Sources

  1. Vendr — Datarails — www.vendr.com/marketplace/datarails
  2. Vendr — Vena — www.vendr.com/marketplace/vena-solutions
  3. Vendr — Cube — www.vendr.com/marketplace/cube
  4. Vendr — Pigment — www.vendr.com/marketplace/pigment
  5. Vendr — Anaplan — www.vendr.com/marketplace/anaplan
  6. Vendr — Planful — www.vendr.com/marketplace/planful
  7. Anthropic — Claude for Excel docs — claude.com/docs/office-agents/excel
  8. OpenAI — Introducing ChatGPT for Excel — openai.com/index/chatgpt-for-excel/
  9. Microsoft — Microsoft 365 Copilot pricing — www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-copilot/pricing
  10. Shortcut — Pricing — shortcut.ai/pricing
  11. Aleph — Runway alternatives (cites cfo.ai pricing) — www.getaleph.com/answers/runway-alternatives-financial-planning
  12. Jirav — Business pricing — www.jirav.com/business-pricing
  13. Fathom — Pricing — www.fathomhq.com/pricing
  14. Vena Developers — Connect external AI systems — developers.venasolutions.com/docs/connect-external-ai-tools
  15. Datarails — FinanceOS MCP docs — support.datarails.com/hc/en-us/articles/25849710214556
  16. Cube Help — MCP server — help.cubesoftware.com/hc/en-us/articles/45569561283092-Connect-Cube-to
  17. Pigment KB — MCP supported tools — kb.pigment.com/docs/supported-tools
  18. Anaplan — AI Gateway — www.anaplan.com/platform/anaplan-ai-gateway/
  19. Planful — MCP Server — planful.com/platform/mcp/

Benchmarks are third-party estimates of what buyers paid, not list prices. Your quote depends on users, entities, modules and negotiation. Spot an error? Email hello@fpastack.com and we will fix it and note the correction.

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