IBM Controller vs IBM Planning Analytics comparison

IBM Controller and IBM Planning Analytics are both solutions in the Business Performance Management category. IBM Controller is ranked #17 with an average rating of 8.0, while IBM Planning Analytics is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.4. IBM Controller holds a 0.3% mindshare in BPM, compared to IBM Planning Analytics’s 8.0% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of IBM Controller users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of IBM Planning Analytics users who would recommend it.

IBM Controller

Read 1 IBM Controller review

180 Views
63 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM Planning Analytics

Read 25 IBM Planning Analytics reviews

3,399 Views
1,360 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

IBM Controller

IBM Planning Analytics

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between IBM Controller and IBM Planning Analytics based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

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To learn more, read our detailed Business Performance Management Report (Updated: August 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Business Performance Management

August 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

IBM Controller

Ranking in Business Performance Management

17th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

IBM Planning Analytics

Ranking in Business Performance Management

4th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Business Performance Management category, the mindshare of IBM Controller is 0.3%, down from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Planning Analytics is 8.0%, down from 9.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Business Performance Management

Featured Reviews

Tom Runar Lauritzen

Enterprise Architect at Veidekke

User support and consolidation capabilities have strengthened financial reporting

We primarily use IBM Controller for the consolidation of all our company results and yearly reporting IBM Controller appeals significantly to our user group led by the Chief Financial Officer and the team under them. The strong user support and capability in consolidation are standout features.…

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Gnanavel-Chakkarapani

Junior Consultant at CMA CGM

Can easily create dashboards and helps businesses improve forecasting accuracy

The product has improved our company's forecasting accuracy since it serves as a very useful tool for our sales and controller teams as they easily get to enter the inputs using views in TM1, which gets loaded into our main database. If there are sales team members in different parts of the world, like in Hong Kong and Singapore, they may prefer to use IBM Planning Analytics, which is easy to use when compared to the Excel tool. Speaking about planning analytics and data analysis, I would say that our company used to use IBM Cognos Analytics for reporting, where we used to use Cognos Dynamic Cubes so that users can easily use its drag and drop features while getting to see the data for which the users had to wait for two to three minutes prior to its use. In our company, tons of data are loaded into the memory, and users can use Cognos Dynamic Cubes to analyze data and understand it. The AI capabilities of IBM have benefited our planning strategy as they are very useful for business. The tool allows the easy creation of dashboard reports using AI capabilities. No technical knowledge is required for business use cases. It is possible to integrate the product in scenarios where some new integrations are available. I remember that my company used Azure Data Factory to connect Azure, Oracle, and IBM WebSphere Application Server. When it comes to IBM Planning Analytics, it is complex to integrate it with LDAP and or any other authentication tool offered by Microsoft. In our company, some users like to integrate IBM Planning Analytics with the common LDAP or Microsoft AD, which we currently use for all our applications. The authentication part is difficult to configure with IBM Planning Analytics. The maintenance of the product is easy. My company has scheduled maintenance on the product every week, especially during forecast times, so that memories automatically lapse and users can freely access their servers. The use of the tool has had an impact on collaboration within our company's planning team since everyone knows how to easily access the data and publish the results. I recommend the product to those who plan to use it. I rate the tool a nine out of ten.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"IBM Controller appeals significantly to our user group led by the Chief Financial Officer and the team under them."

"The strong user support and capability in consolidation are standout features."

"The product's stability is good."

"The scenario modeling capabilities are frequently used to create different scenarios, compare them, and see which action leads to which result."

"A lot of the platform is in-memory, so Planning Analytics can run calculations quite fast. It also offers several user interfaces. And in the newest version of Planning Analytics, there is a new one called the Planning Analytics Workspace. Maybe it could be useful for the business side."

"The flexibility of IBM Planning Analytics is a great feature of this solution. The design flexibility with data rules and defining calculations The ability to combine online and offline calculations are a benefit. Additionally, the forecasting features and predictive analytics is very good."

"The most valuable features of IBM Planning Analytics for streamlining planning processes include a unified database where all data are centralized."

"Its stability helps controllers win time in their planning processes."

"Navigating through the data to make analysis is really quick."

"Planning Analytics' best features include automatic updates and slicing."

More IBM Planning Analytics pros

Cons

"I am uncertain about the delivery model of IBM Controller and the direction it is headed."

"Adding predefined templates could be beneficial."

"It's highly competitive right now, and all the vendors are in a race to put out new versions with additional features. IBM comes out with new versions too often, and it has an impact on quality."

"The dashboard is very poor and needs a lot of improvement."

"The new frontend Planning Analytics Workspace is not very good, it could be improved. I like the Planning Analytics functionality but it would be helpful if it could be more customizable. You can create a prediction and receive information but you cannot do feature engineering regarding the predictive models. If this was added it would be helpful."

"Extracting data is a little slow."

"The tool's transport layer could be improved when promoting development between environments."

"The workspace API should be improved and documented so we know better which objects are used."

"It would have been better if the solution was not just a tool kit."

More IBM Planning Analytics cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"IBM Planning Analytics is not the cheapest solution, but it's priced per the market standard for this type of solution. I rate the price at seven out of ten."

"It is a bit expensive, but you get what you are paying for."

"I would rate the tool's pricing a nine out of ten since it's expensive."

"The license of this solution is paid annually. Most of my customers choose a license that includes support."

"Compared with the other tools in the market, IBM Planning Analytics is a bit expensive."

"Our licensing cost is approximately $50,000.00 per year."

"IBM Planning Analytics is priced well, and licensing costs are yearly."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Financial Services Firm

16%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Retailer

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Controller?

I haven't provided a definitive opinion on pricing. However, knowing our CFO's cost-conscious nature, the pricing is likely very competitive and has never been an issue.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Controller?

I am uncertain about the delivery model of IBM Controller and the direction it is headed. While the delivery model includes both cloud and on-premises options, it causes confusion. A more straightf...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for IBM Controller?

We primarily use IBM Controller for the consolidation of all our company results and yearly reporting.

See all answers

What do you like most about IBM Planning Analytics?

The most valuable features of IBM Planning Analytics for streamlining planning processes include a unified database where all data are centralized.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Planning Analytics?

While IBM's solutions were costly before, the introduction of SaaS models has reduced prices significantly. Comparatively, IBM rates may be better than those of competitors, such as Hyperion ( /pro...

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Planning Analytics?

IBM is behind competitors like Tableau ( /products/tableau-reviews ) and Power BI in terms of visualization. Their visuals are less innovative and practical with fewer varieties. IBM's visualizatio...

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Comparisons

IBM Cognos vs IBM Controller

Compared 100% of the time

More IBM Controller Competitors

Microsoft Power BI vs IBM Planning Analytics

Compared 23% of the time

SAP Analytics Cloud vs IBM Planning Analytics

Compared 17% of the time

Anaplan vs IBM Planning Analytics

Compared 10% of the time

Jedox vs IBM Planning Analytics

Compared 7% of the time

IBM Cognos vs IBM Planning Analytics

Compared 7% of the time

More IBM Planning Analytics Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Business Performance Management

August 2025

Download IBM Controller product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM Planning Analytics

August 2025

Download IBM Planning Analytics product report

Also Known As

No data available

Cognos TM1, IBM Cognos TM1

Overview

IBM Cognos Controller supports the close, consolidation and reporting process with the agility and affordability of a cloud-based solution. It enables finance teams to automate and accelerate the financial close with minimal IT support. It also helps finance teams deliver financial results, create informative financial and management reports and provide the chief financial officer (CFO) with an enterprise view of key financial ratios and metrics.

IBM

IBM Planning Analytics is an integrated planning solution that uses AI to automate planning, budgeting, and forecasting and drive more intelligent workflows.

Built on TM1, IBM’s powerful calculation engine, this enterprise performance management tool allows you to transcend the limits of manual planning and become the Analytics Hero your business needs. Quickly and easily drive faster, more accurate plans for FP&A, sales, supply chain and beyond.

IBM

Sample Customers

California Franchise Tax Board, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, Mirle Automation Corp., Radware

ManpowerGroup, Convergys, AIG, Orchard Brands, Citibank, InterGen, Northwestern University, EF Education First, Ironside, Bazan Group, CSOB Insurance, Macquarie Group, Charles Stanley, SATO, Government of Sint Maarten, BMW Financial Services

Buyer's Guide

Business Performance Management

August 2025

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