--- title: Datarails vs. Adaptive Planning description: Adaptive Planning requires partner-led implementations, Workday ecosystem lock-in, and enterprise IT involvement. --- [![Datarails](https://www.datarails.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/datarails-brigh-logo.png)](https://www.datarails.com/) Book a Datarails Demo # Datarails vs. Workday Adaptive Planning Connect Your Financial Data to AI. Keep Your Excel Models. Looking for Workday Adaptive Planning alternative for budgeting, forecasting, and reporting? Datarails connects your financial data through FinanceOS, supports your existing Excel models, and lets your team work with connected AI tools.   ![ratings-g2-4-6](https://lp.datarails.com/hubfs/Badges/ratings-g2-4-6.svg) Book a Datarails Demo ## Book Your Personalized Demo 1 2 Work email Next First name Last name Phone number Country Select your country...United StatesCanadaUnited KingdomIsraelAustriaBelgiumBulgariaCroatiaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkEstoniaFinlandFranceGermanyGreeceHungaryIcelandIrelandItalyLatviaLithuaniaLuxembourgMaltaNetherlandsNorwayPolandPortugalRomaniaSlovakiaSloveniaSpainSwedenSwitzerlandAfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAndorraAngolaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaAustraliaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelizeBeninBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazilBruneiBurkina FasoBurundiCabo VerdeCambodiaCameroonCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaColombiaComorosCongoCosta RicaCote d'IvoireCubaDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEswatiniEthiopiaFijiGabonGambiaGeorgiaGhanaGrenadaGuatemalaGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHondurasIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqJamaicaJapanJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKosovoKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMarshall IslandsMauritaniaMauritiusMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNorth KoreaNorth MacedoniaOmanPakistanPalauPalestinePanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesQatarRussiaRwandaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSouth SudanSri LankaSudanSurinameSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVatican CityVenezuelaVietnamYemenZambiaZimbabwe Company name Company size Please Select0-1011-5051-200201-500501-10001001-50005001-1000010001+ Job title Please SelectCEO / Owner / FounderCFO / VP of FinanceFinancial Controller / ComptrollerFinance Manager / Finance DirectorFP&A Manager / FP&A DirectorFinancial AnalystTreasurerAccounting / Finance OperationsFractional CFO / Financial ConsultantOther Finance RoleI'm not in the Finance department Datarails plans for SMBs start at $30K per year. Does that fit within your budget? Please SelectYesNoPotentially, if it’s the right fit How many clients are you currently managing or advising? Please Select1-56-1516-5051-100100+ How did you hear about Datarails? By submitting this form, you agree to receive communications from Datarails, including text messages, regarding your request, scheduling, and follow-up communications. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out of text messages. See our [Privacy Policy](https://www.datarails.com/privacy-policy/) and the [Website Terms](https://www.datarails.com/website-terms-of-use/) for more information. Back Submit Thank you! We'll be in touch shortly. ![Trusted by finance teams](https://lp.datarails.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/datarails-template-theme/assets/trust-faces.png) Join 2000+ FP&A teams already using Datarails Capability ![datarails dark logo-1](https://lp.datarails.com/hubfs/datarails%20dark%20logo-1.png) ![Workday\_Logo](https://lp.datarails.com/hubfs/Workday_Logo.png) Financial data foundation A governed foundation for AI. FinanceOS unifies financial data with permissions and audit trails. Maintains planning data and model context under platform permissions and access rules. AI connectivity Connect AI through FinanceOS. Use MCP to connect ChatGPT, Claude, or Microsoft Copilot. MCP server in preview Excel & Google Sheets connectivity Keep your existing Excel models and connect Excel and Google Sheets to your financial data workflows. Connects Excel through OfficeConnect and Excel Interface for Planning, with a separate Workday for Google Sheets add-on. Reporting & dashboards Excel reporting plus web dashboards. Give finance and stakeholders connected reporting views. Provides financial reporting with linked Excel, Word, and PowerPoint outputs. Data integrations Bring financial data together. Connect operational and financial sources in FinanceOS. Uses automated connections to bring enterprise data into the planning environment. Excel support on Mac Work directly in Excel on Mac with the NEW Datarails Excel add-in. OfficeConnect and Excel Interface for Planning require Windows; macOS is not supported. ## Take a *2-minute* self-guided tour ![Datarails Budget planning interface with scenario cycle selector](https://www.datarails.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/datarails-planning-budgeting.png) See it in Action ## See FinanceOS work with your finance workflow. Explore how Datarails can connect your systems, support your existing Excel models, and bring trusted financial data to your AI tools. ## Why consider Datarails as an Adaptive Planning alternative? ![Planning-1](https://lp.datarails.com/hubfs/Planning-1.svg) ### Keep the Excel models you trust Preserve your existing Excel models while adding connected data, version control, and collaboration. Give finance a familiar foundation for budgeting, forecasting, and reporting. ![book-open-text 1](https://lp.datarails.com/hubfs/book-open-text%201.svg) ### Get support from FP&A experts Work with Datarails’ in-house finance professionals during implementation and beyond. Get guidance on your models, reporting needs, and planning workflows from people who understand FP&A. ![Excel](https://lp.datarails.com/hubfs/Excel.svg) ### Coordinate budgets across departments Bring department budgets into one planning process. Collect inputs, track versions, and review changes with centralized visibility for finance and clearer collaboration across the business. ![Frame-1437253983-1-1](https://lp.datarails.com/hubfs/Frame-1437253983-1-1.svg) ### Connect your financial data Bring ERP, CRM, and spreadsheet data together for planning and analysis. Reduce manual data collection and give your team a consistent foundation for financial reporting. ![Frame-1437253983-2 (1)](https://lp.datarails.com/hubfs/Frame-1437253983-2%20(1).svg) ### Give leadership a clearer view Turn consolidated financial data into dashboards and management reports. Compare performance against budget, investigate variances, and bring clearer insights to business discussions. ![Frame-1437253983-3](https://lp.datarails.com/hubfs/Frame-1437253983-3.svg) ### Update forecasts as plans change Explore scenarios and adjust forecasts as business conditions evolve. Help leadership understand how changes in revenue, costs, and headcount affect the financial outlook. ## See how Datarails fits your finance operations ### Give AI a connected financial foundation FinanceOS brings financial data together with permissions, governance, and audit trails. Connect tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, or Microsoft Copilot through MCP, and explore how connected financial data can support your team’s analysis and reporting. ![Frame-1437254026@2x](https://lp.datarails.com/hubfs/Frame-1437254026@2x.png) ### Get started with guidance from FP&A experts Work with Datarails’ in-house FP&A experts to connect your data, configure your models, and establish reporting workflows. Build an implementation plan around your systems, priorities, and planning needs, with guidance to help your team manage the platform confidently. ![Datarails@2x-2](https://lp.datarails.com/hubfs/Datarails@2x-2.png) ### Support the way your finance team works Connect budgeting, forecasting, and reporting through Excel-based models and web-enabled workflows. Give finance and department stakeholders a shared planning process, with version control and visibility into changes. ![Connect-8 (1)](https://lp.datarails.com/hubfs/Connect-8%20(1).png) ### Manage complexity as your company grows Bring results from multiple entities and currencies into a consolidated view. Datarails helps finance teams manage reporting across the business, investigate variances, and adapt planning as organizational needs evolve. ![Group-1410115999](https://lp.datarails.com/hubfs/Group-1410115999.webp) ![Frame-1437254026@2x](https://lp.datarails.com/hubfs/Frame-1437254026@2x.png) ![Datarails@2x-2](https://lp.datarails.com/hubfs/Datarails@2x-2.png) ![Connect-8 (1)](https://lp.datarails.com/hubfs/Connect-8%20(1).png) ![Group-1410115999](https://lp.datarails.com/hubfs/Group-1410115999.webp) ## Learn why finance teams choose Datarails Book a Datarails Demo ![G2BestSoftware2026-Badge-Persona-AccountingFinance-3](https://lp.datarails.com/hubfs/G2BestSoftware2026-Badge-Persona-AccountingFinance-3.webp) ![Badge](https://www.datarails.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/medal-9.png) ![Badge](https://www.datarails.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/medal-10.png) ![Badge](https://www.datarails.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/medal-7.png) ![capterra shortlist 2026](https://lp.datarails.com/hubfs/Badges/capterra%20shortlist%202026.svg) ![2a342f76-15b8-465c-8cea-0dccab62c157 (3)](https://lp.datarails.com/hubfs/2a342f76-15b8-465c-8cea-0dccab62c157%20(3).svg) ![90c31432-a1f3-47f6-81a8-5440f506d8ee (2)](https://lp.datarails.com/hubfs/Badges/90c31432-a1f3-47f6-81a8-5440f506d8ee%20(2).svg) ## Don’t just take our word for it “ ” “Without Datarails, I would’ve needed to double my current team of three just to produce what we’re delivering today” Steven Carkey VP Finance Operations, 100% ![100logo\_2021-01-22-10-57-34-1](https://lp.datarails.com/hubfs/100logo_2021-01-22-10-57-34-1.png) “ ” “Thank goodness we went with Datarails, because there’s no way we’d be where we are as a team.” Charlotte Kelly Head of FP&A, Butternut Box “ ” “Datarails gives us a single source of truth. That kind of visibility changes everything.” John Smith CFO, CDG ## See FinanceOS Work for Your Finance Team Explore your data connections, existing Excel models, and AI workflows in a personalized demo. Get clear answers about implementation, product fit, and pricing. Book a Datarails Demo