In today's competitive business landscape, accurate sales forecasting is a superpower.
The best sales forecasting software helps your sales team predict revenue more accurately and make informed decisions. Also, given the often ambitious sales targets, reliable forecasting capabilities can go a long way in helping the sales managers set their teams up for success by giving them access to key data in real time that they can use to optimize their sales strategies.
However, every business has unique forecasting needs. To help you make the right choice for your company, we have rounded up the top six sales forecasting software solutions.
Whether you are a growing SaaS startup or an established enterprise, our comprehensive breakdown will simplify your decision-making process and help you find a software that aligns with your specific requirements and business goals.
The best sales forecasting software compared
We’ll cover each of the following tools in depth in this article. But first, let’s look at a summary table to quickly see how they stack up against each other. Our comparison highlights their key features and capabilities to give you a bird's-eye view of six best solutions on the market today.
| Software/ Platform | Drivetrain | Clari | Gong | BoostUp | Anaplan | Salesforce |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $$ | $$ | $$$ | $$ | $$$ | $$$ |
| Best for | SMB to Mid-Market | Mid-market to Enterprise | Mid-Market to Enterprise | Mid-Market | Enterprise | Enterprise |
| Scalability | High | High | High | Moderate | Scalable with upgrades | High |
| Native Integrations | 200+ OOTB integrations + custom integrations | 34 OOTB integrations | 25 OOTB integrations | 21 OOTB integrations | 15 OOTB integrations | 16 OOTB integrations |
| Custom forecasting & triangulation | ||||||
| Scenario planning & modeling | ||||||
| Connected planning & modeling | ||||||
| Collaboration with access control | ||||||
| Dynamic dashboards & reporting templates | ||||||
| Ease of use |
Drivetrain
Drivetrain is a cutting-edge financial planning and analysis (FP&A) platform with robust sales and revenue forecasting capabilities that enable highly accurate, real-time forecasting with ease, giving sales teams the insights they need to close more deals.
With more than 200 business applications integrations, including CRM, ERP, and HRIS systems, Drivetrain ensures that your sales forecasts are always based on the most up-to-date and relevant data. This real-time data flow eliminates the tedious and often error-prone manual data collection and consolidation process, allowing RevOps teams to focus on strategic analysis and decision-making.
Drivetrain's ability to provide a very granular view of the data allows teams to identify bottlenecks, spot opportunities, and make data-driven decisions to optimize the sales process. The platform's advanced scenario planning and ‘what-if’ analysis capabilities enable teams to model various outcomes and prepare for different market conditions, enhancing the accuracy and reliability of sales forecasts.
Drivetrain also has a user-friendly interface and customizable dashboards, making it easy for finance and non-finance stakeholders to collaborate effectively. The platform's role-based access controls protect sensitive information like sales quotas and compensation while allowing for easy collaboration between teams.
$$
Small and Mid-market
200+ integrations, including CRM, ERP, HRIS, and others
Sales capacity planning capabilities
Automated reporting with interactive dashboards
Customizable reports
Highly intuitive UI
Flexible, easy-to-use model templates
Not well suited for enterprise-scale companies
Integrations make data available in real time for agile forecasting and decision-making
Full pipeline visibility across different regions, sales teams, and individual sales reps through CRM integration
Advanced scenario planning and what-if analysis to support forecasting
Ability to drill down into sales and other data in any dimension
Collaboration features with granular role-based access controls
Clari is a revenue operations platform that emphasizes sales forecasting and pipeline management. Leveraging artificial intelligence, Clari aims to provide sales teams and revenue leaders with accurate, data-driven forecasts.
The platform aggregates and analyzes data from various sources to comprehensively view the sales pipeline and potential outcomes.
Clari also offers sales coaching and performance management features, enabling managers to guide their teams based on real-time data and predictive analytics.
$$
Mid-market to Enterprise
AI-powered forecasting for increased accuracy
Real-time visibility into sales pipeline and deal progress
Integration with CRM and other business tools
Steep learning curve for new users
Limited customization options for reports and dashboards
Some users report sync issues with CRM data
Predictive analytics
Pipeline management
Real-time data integration
Collaboration features
Gong is a revenue intelligence platform that uses sales forecasting with its data analysis. By capturing and analyzing customer interactions across various channels, Gong provides sales teams with contextual data to inform their forecasts.
The platform uses AI to identify patterns in sales conversations, email exchanges, and other touchpoints, offering insights into deal progress, potential risks, and likelihood of closure. This data-driven approach allows sales leaders to make more accurate predictions and adjust strategies in real-time.
For organizations looking to enhance their sales forecasting with interaction insights, Gong can be a useful addition to their tech stack.
$$$
Mid-market to Enterprise
AI-powered analysis of customer interactions for use in forecasting
Real-time insights into deal progress and pipeline health
Integration with major CRM platforms
Primarily focused on conversation intelligence, which may limit comprehensive forecasting capabilities
Can be expensive for smaller teams or organizations
Privacy concerns related to call recording and analysis
AI-driven insights
Real-time data integration
Opportunity-level analysis
BoostUp leverages AI and machine learning to analyze sales data, customer interactions, and market trends. The platform offers a holistic view of the sales pipeline, allowing sales leaders to identify risks, opportunities, and areas in real time.
Customizable dashboards in BoostUp cater to different roles within the organization, from sales representatives to C-suite executives, ensuring that everyone has access to relevant forecasting data.
BoostUp can be a good choice for mid-market companies looking to improve their sales forecasting accuracy and gain deeper insights into their pipeline, particularly for those willing to invest the time required to master its features.
$$
Mid-Market
AI-driven sales forecasting with good accuracy
Deal and pipeline analytics
Flexible, customizable dashboards for different roles
May have a steeper learning curve for less tech-savvy users
Some users report occasional data sync issues with CRM
Limited analytics features
Rigid settings that may require technical assistance to configure
Customizable dashboards
Opportunity-level data matching
Predictive analytics and AI
Collaboration across teams
Anaplan is an enterprise-grade planning and forecasting platform designed to handle large-scale forecasting needs. Anaplan provides a flexible environment where sales leaders can create models that account for multiple variables and scenarios. The platform can integrate sales forecasting with other business planning processes, offering a holistic view of how sales predictions impact overall business performance.
Anaplan's real-time data integration and scenario planning enable decision-making in response to market changes. However, many organizations might need dedicated Anaplan experts to fully leverage its capabilities. While Anaplan can significantly enhance sales forecasting accuracy, its complexity and cost may be a bit too much for smaller organizations or those with simpler forecasting needs.
$$$
Enterprise
Comprehensive sales forecasting with advanced modeling capabilities
Highly scalable for large, complex organizations
Strong integration with various enterprise systems
Steep learning curve and complexity may require dedicated resources
High cost may be prohibitive for smaller organizations
Implementation can be time-consuming and resource-intensive
Some users report performance issues with large data sets
Advanced scenario planning
Real-time data integration
Customizable reports
Scalability
Salesforce leverages its repository of sales data to provide a sales forecasting solution that integrates well with its CRM functionalities. The platform's Einstein Analytics uses AI to deliver predictive forecasts based on historical data and current sales pipeline information.
Salesforce provides a unified view of customer interactions, deal progress, and overall sales performance. This integration allows for real-time updates and adjustments to forecasts when new data becomes available.
However, it often requires significant time, expertise, and resources to become fully optimized for an organization's specific forecasting needs. Hence, smaller organizations or those seeking a more focused forecasting solution might find other alternatives more suitable.
$$$
Enterprise
Integration with Salesforce CRM for comprehensive sales data
AI-driven forecasting with Einstein Analytics
Customizable to fit specific business needs
Can be complex and overwhelming for new users
Requires significant investment in time and resources for optimal setup
Higher price point compared to standalone forecasting tools
May require additional costs for advanced forecasting features
CRM integration
Customization and flexibility
Collaboration features
AI-driven insights
Drivetrain vs. the field: Why Drivetrain is the best sales forecasting solution
Drivetrain offers robust features and ease of use, striking an optimal balance. This makes it an ideal choice for businesses seeking to enhance their sales forecasting capabilities.
One of Drivetrain's key strengths is its integrated approach to planning, real-time monitoring, and advanced analysis. This can be accessed through an intuitive, user-friendly interface, allowing sales leaders and teams to leverage powerful tools without getting bogged down in complexity or needing the help of IT to maneuver them.
The platform's ability to scale while maintaining simplicity enables more team members to engage, fostering proactive decision-making and better strategic impact.
Drivetrain's data handling capabilities also set it apart from the competition. The platform can seamlessly integrate data from any system or application without the limitations often found in other tools. This flexibility makes the data truly business-ready, ensuring it's accessible and useful to all stakeholders for timely analysis and decision-making.
The platform's intelligent multi-dimensional modeling architecture is both powerful, yet simple and intuitive. It allows users to build complex models in a fraction of the time required by other tools. With plain-English formulas and a very shallow learning curve, Drivetrain enables modeling at speed and scale.
Some of the tools in our comparison are built specifically for sales forecasting while others offer it as part of a broader suite of features. Drivetrain uniquely combines the best of both worlds. It provides a focused, powerful sales forecasting solution within a more comprehensive strategic finance platform. This approach ensures that your sales forecasts are not isolated but integrated with other critical business processes and data.
Elevate your sales forecasting: Try Drivetrain today!
How to choose the right sales forecasting software for your business
What is sales forecasting?
Sales forecasting is the process of estimating future sales revenue over a specific period. It involves analyzing historical data, current market trends, and other relevant factors to predict future sales performance. Accurate sales forecasting is crucial for businesses as it informs strategic decision-making, resource allocation, and financial planning.
6 key benefits of modern sales forecasting tools
Modern sales forecasting tools have revolutionized the way businesses predict and manage their revenue streams. These tools offer significant advantages over traditional forecasting methods by leveraging advanced technologies and data-driven insights. Here are six benefits that highlight the transformative power of modern sales forecasting software:
1. Improved forecast accuracy
Modern sales forecasting tools analyze historical data, current market trends, and other factors to predict more accurately and thereby provide a reliable view of future sales performance.
With their real-time data integration, these software can also significantly reduce the margin of error in predictions, thereby allowing businesses to make more informed decisions. This improved accuracy enhances financial planning and boosts resource allocation, inventory management, strategic planning, and stakeholder confidence.
2. Enhanced decision-making
The ability to quickly model different scenarios and understand their potential impact on sales and revenue is crucial in today's fast-paced business environment. This capability helps companies remain agile and responsive to market changes, economic shifts, or other external factors.
Sales forecasting tools enable scenario planning and ‘what-if’ analysis to do just that.
3. Increased efficiency
One of the most significant benefits of modern sales forecasting tools is the automation of manual processes. By eliminating time-consuming data entry and analysis tasks, these tools free up sales teams to focus on what they do best – selling.
Advanced forecasting systems can drastically reduce the time and effort by automating everything from data collection, data integration, analysis, to report generation.
By streamlining these processes, sales teams can produce more frequent and accurate forecasts, and also spot trends, issues, and opportunities, ultimately driving better sales performance and business growth.
4. Better sales pipeline management
Modern forecasting tools provide a clear view that allows companies to track deals at every stage, identify potential risks or opportunities, and manage their pipeline more effectively.
This level of insight enables sales teams to prioritize high-probability opportunities, leading to higher conversion rates and more efficient use of resources.
5. Enhanced collaboration across teams
Sales forecasting software provides a single source of truth for sales data and forecasts. This ensures better alignment and collaboration across sales, marketing, finance, and other departments.
This alignment also leads to more cohesive strategies and improved overall business performance. In addition, many platforms offer role-specific insights and customized dashboards, helping each team member focus on the metrics that are most relevant to their role.
6. Enhanced ROI
Sales forecasting tools enable better resource allocation by providing more accurate forecasts, whether for marketing budgets, inventory management, or staffing decisions.
The ability to track actual performance against forecasts in real time allows businesses to identify gaps quickly and make necessary adjustments. This agility and precision in decision-making lead to cost savings, increased profitability, and a higher return on investment
The problem with using spreadsheets for sales forecasting
While spreadsheets have long been a go-to tool for sales forecasting, they come with significant limitations that can hinder the accuracy and efficiency of the forecasting process. The manual entry of data makes them inherently prone to errors, which can significantly impact the reliability of sales predictions.
Given that multiple team members often contribute to forecasts and data is constantly changing, spreadsheets can quickly become unwieldy making version control increasingly difficult.
Another problem is that different sales reps or managers might use their own methods and separate spreadsheets for forecasting, which leads to inconsistencies and makes it challenging to consolidate data into a unified, accurate forecast. By the time all this information is gathered and reconciled, some of the data is often already outdated, compromising the forecast's relevance.
Moreover, spreadsheets lack real-time updating capabilities, making it difficult to maintain an up-to-date view of the sales pipeline. They also can’t provide the advanced analytics, scenario planning, and collaborative features crucial for modern sales forecasting.
These limitations have driven the development and evolution of specialized sales forecasting software. All of the solutions we have included here are web-based applications that replace the need for spreadsheets and offer one or more features that significantly improve the sales forecasting process. Examples include centralized data management, real-time updates, advanced analytical capabilities, scenario planning, and other collaborative features.
Real-world use cases for a sales forecasting software like Drivetrain
LambdaTest, a leading cloud-based unified testing platform, was using a combination of Zoho CRM and Google Sheets to track its revenue generating activities. However, as the company expanded and grew into new markets, this arrangement could no longer support its burgeoning sales forecasting needs.
The company struggled with a lack of granularity in CRM reports, a burdensome process for annual planning, and poor visibility into sales pipelines across different channels, teams, and geographies. These limitations were hindering their ability to make data-driven decisions and plan effectively for their fast-paced growth.
Drivetrain revolutionized LambdaTest's sales forecasting capabilities by providing a unified platform that addressed these challenges. With Drivetrain, LambdaTest was able to create detailed annual plans in a fraction of the time previously required and continuously track actuals against these plans.
The platform's ability to handle complex sales operations allowed for quick comparisons of multiple metrics across various dimensions, including channels, teams, and time periods.
This enhanced visibility enabled LambdaTest to identify and respond rapidly to issues in their sales operation and changing market conditions. Drivetrain's customizable dashboards made data easily accessible and understandable for different teams, fostering cross-functional collaboration and empowering teams with a single source of truth.
As a result, LambdaTest reduced the time required for data analysis from 4-5 hours to 15 minutes, significantly improving decision-making agility and increasing their overall competitiveness by becoming more data-driven in their sales forecasting approach.
Features
1. Native integrations
Native integrations are a crucial feature of modern sales forecasting software, enabling seamless data flow between various business systems. These integrations ensure that sales forecasting is based on the most current and comprehensive data available.
By automatically pulling data from these sources, sales forecasting software eliminates manual data entry, reduces errors, and provides a real-time view of the sales pipeline. This feature is especially valuable for businesses using multiple systems, as it creates a single source of truth for sales data.
Drivetrain offers robust integration capabilities – more than 200 – including connections with popular CRM systems, ERP software, HRIS platforms, and BI tools. These integrations enable businesses to leverage their existing technology stack while enhancing their sales forecasting capabilities.
| Software/ Platform | Drivetrain | Clari | Gong | BoostUp | Anaplan | Salesforce |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Integration with CRM | ||||||
| Integration with ERP, HRIS, Billing and BI | ||||||
| Integration with Excel and Google Sheets | ||||||
| Excel/CSV upload |
2. Custom forecasting & triangulation
Custom forecasting and triangulation capabilities are essential features in advanced sales forecasting software. These tools allow businesses to create and apply multiple forecasting methodologies tailored to their specific needs and market conditions. By enabling the use of various forecasting models - such as judgmental forecasts, probability-weighted methods, driver-based forecasts, and statistical methods - companies can triangulate results to achieve more accurate predictions.
This multi-model approach helps mitigate the limitations of any single forecasting method and provides a more comprehensive view of potential sales outcomes.
Drivetrain's platform supports a wide range of forecasting methodologies, allowing businesses to create custom models that align with their unique sales processes and market dynamics. This flexibility is crucial for adapting to changing business environments and improving forecast accuracy over time.
| Software/ Platform | Drivetrain | Clari | Gong | BoostUp | Anaplan | Salesforce |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custom models & forecasts | ||||||
| Multi-dimensional modeling | ||||||
| Judgmental forecasting | ||||||
| Probability-weighted forecasting | ||||||
| Driver-based forecasting | ||||||
| Statistical forecasting | ||||||
| ARR snowball- or waterfall-based revenue modeling | ||||||
| Rolling forecasts | ||||||
| Best-in-class templates |
3. Scenario planning & modeling
Scenario planning and modeling are critical features that enable businesses to prepare for various potential futures in their sales. These tools allow companies to create and analyze multiple ‘what-if’ scenarios, helping them understand how different factors might impact their sales performance.
By modeling various scenarios – such as changes in market conditions, customer demand, pricing strategies, competitor product launches, or shifts in sales strategies – businesses can develop more robust and flexible sales plans. This feature is particularly valuable in today's volatile business environment, where agility and foresight are key to success.
Drivetrain's scenario planning capabilities enable businesses to quickly model different scenarios and understand their potential impact on sales and revenue, fostering more informed and proactive decision-making.
| Software/ Platform | Drivetrain | Clari | Gong | BoostUp | Anaplan | Salesforce |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple scenario planning | ||||||
| Sensitivity Analysis | ||||||
| What-If / Scenario Analysis |
4. Connected planning & modeling
Connected planning and modeling is a feature that links sales forecasts with other critical business plans, metrics, and models.
This integration ensures that sales forecasts are not created in isolation but are aligned with broader business strategies and financial projections (cashflow, P&L/income statement). By connecting sales forecasts with other areas, such as finance, operations, and marketing, businesses can create more holistic and accurate plans.
This feature ensures automatic updating of related plans when changes are made to sales forecasts, ensuring consistency across the organization. Drivetrain's platform excels in this area, providing a unified environment where sales forecasts can be seamlessly integrated with other business plans.
| Software/ Platform | Drivetrain | Clari | Gong | BoostUp | Anaplan | Salesforce |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Integrated planning & modeling | ||||||
| Metrics tracking |
5. Collaboration with access control
Collaboration features with robust access control are essential for modern sales forecasting software. These tools enable team members across different departments to work together on forecasts while maintaining data security and integrity.
Features like role-based access, dimensional-level access control, and data masking ensure that sensitive information is protected while still allowing necessary collaboration. This collaborative approach improves the accuracy of forecasts by incorporating insights from various stakeholders and ensures that all team members are aligned on sales goals and strategies.
Drivetrain's platform offers advanced collaboration features with granular access controls, fostering teamwork while maintaining data security.
| Software/ Platform | Drivetrain | Clari | Gong | BoostUp | Anaplan | Salesforce |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Role-based access | ||||||
| Dimensional-level access control | ||||||
| Slack notifications | ||||||
| Data masking | ||||||
| In-app threaded comments | ||||||
| Audit logs |
6. Dynamic dashboards and reporting templates
Dynamic dashboards and reporting templates are crucial for visualizing and communicating sales forecast data effectively. These features allow users to create customized, interactive visualizations that provide real-time insights into sales performance and forecast accuracy.
Advanced capabilities such as drill-down functionality, multi-dimensional analysis, and global/ chart-level filters, enable users to explore data in depth and gain actionable insights quickly. Reporting templates streamline the process of creating standardized reports, saving time and ensuring consistency.
Drivetrain's platform offers powerful dashboard and reporting capabilities, significantly enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of sales forecasting processes.
| Software/ Platform | Drivetrain | Clari | Gong | BoostUp | Anaplan | Salesforce |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variance analysis | ||||||
| Ability to drill down to transaction level | ||||||
| Ability to drill down to any dimension | ||||||
| Global- and chart-level filters | ||||||
| Text callouts/notes in dashboards | ||||||
| Intuitive UI | ||||||
| Flexible, customizable reporting templates |
7. Ease of use
Ease of use is a critical feature in modern sales forecasting software, ensuring that both finance professionals and non-finance users can effectively leverage the tool without extensive training.
An intuitive user interface, drag-and-drop functionality for reports and dashboards, and natural language formula writing capabilities are key aspects that lower the barrier to entry and encourage wider adoption.
Drivetrain emphasizes user experience with its spreadsheet-inspired UI, plain-English formulas, and modeling templates.
This accessibility enables diverse teams to collaborate effectively on sales forecasts, make data-driven decisions, and respond swiftly to market changes, helping organizations become more agile and data-driven in their sales planning and execution.
| Software/ Platform | Drivetrain | Clari | Gong | BoostUp | Anaplan | Salesforce |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| User-friendly UI | ||||||
| Natural language formulas | ||||||
| Drag-and-drop visualization |
FAQ
1. What is a sales forecasting tool?
A sales forecasting tool is a software application designed to predict future sales performance based on historical data, market trends, and other relevant factors. It uses various analytical methods and algorithms to generate accurate sales projections, helping businesses make informed decisions about resource allocation, inventory management, and strategic planning.
2. How can I forecast my sales?
You can forecast your sales by analyzing historical sales data, considering current market trends, and using various forecasting methods.
Modern sales forecasting tools, like Drivetrain, automate this process, integrating da
3. Who uses sales forecasting software?
Sales forecasting software is used by a wide range of professionals across different departments in an organization.
This includes sales managers and reps who use it to set realistic targets and manage their pipelines; finance teams who rely on it for budgeting and financial planning; executives who use it for strategic decision-making; and operations teams who use it for resource allocation. Marketing teams may also use it to align their strategies with sales projections.
4. What problems does sales forecasting software solve for companies?
Sales forecasting software addresses several key challenges for companies. It improves forecast accuracy by reducing human error and bias, saves time by automating data collection and analysis, enhances decision-making through data-driven insights, and facilitates better resource allocation.
It also helps in identifying potential risks and opportunities in the sales pipeline, improves collaboration between different departments, and provides real-time visibility into sales performance against targets.
5. How easy is it to integrate sales forecasting software with CRM, ERP, HRIS and other tools?
The ease of integrating sales forecasting software with other business tools largely depends on the specific software and the existing systems in place.
Many modern sales forecasting tools, including Drivetrain, offer native integrations with popular CRM, ERP, and HRIS systems, making the process relatively straightforward. These integrations are often designed to be user-friendly, with step-by-step guides and support from the vendor.
However, for more complex software platforms, technical expertise may be required.
