Light vs Anaplan
Anaplan is a scenario planning and analysis platform used for connected planning across finance, sales, supply chain and workforce. It is strong at modelling large, multi-dimensional plans, rolling forecasts and scenario analysis, and it also offers financial consolidation and reporting. It is not a general ledger: it integrates data from ERP platforms and general ledgers. Light is the agentic ERP where budget, forecast and variance run on the posted ledger itself, so the plan is measured against the books rather than against a copy of them.
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Light and Anaplan, compared
| Feature | Light | Anaplan |
|---|---|---|
| General ledger and accounting system of record | ||
| Budget, forecast and budget-vs-actual reporting | ||
| Actuals come straight off the posted ledger, with no import step | ||
| Multi-entity consolidation | ||
| Accounts payable and accounts receivable ledgers | ||
| Corporate cards and spend management | ||
| Vendor payments on local rails |
Budget inside the ledger
Anaplan integrates actuals from your ERP and ledgers. Light runs budget, forecast and variance on the posted ledger, with every number drilling to its source documents.
Keep daily finance together
Light runs the general ledger, bills, invoicing, cards, payments and consolidation in one product. Agents complete routine work within your controls, with a record of every action.
Check the planning requirements
Anaplan covers scenario modelling, rolling forecasts, workforce planning and cross-functional plans. Light budgets and forecasts on the ledger, and its own FP&A and Management Reporting apps are free with your Light plan. If you need those, Light also connects to dedicated planning tools such as Abacum and Drivetrain.
When to choose Light
Budget against the books
Budget and forecast on the same keys as the ledger, with variance split into operational and FX.
Group reporting is always current
Every entity rolls up in real time, with drill-down to the source document and no exports.
One product for all of finance
Ledger, cards, bills, billing and consolidation share one data model, so nothing moves between systems.
“We evaluated several vendors. Light won because it covers our full finance stack, revenue, AR, AP, expenses, and consolidation, without stitching together a patchwork of point solutions.”
TanjaDirector of Finance, Omnea
Built for the daily work
Bills through to payment
Capture invoices, route approvals and pay vendors from the same system.
Room to grow
One ledger built to handle billions of transactions across your business.
Trace every number
Open a report and drill straight into the transactions behind it.
Spending, under control
Expenses, vendors and cards connected to your ledger.
Expenses
Collect receipts, approve expenses and track spend as it happens.
Vendors
Keep supplier details, bills and approvals together. Apply your purchasing rules as work moves through.
Cards
Issue cards for employees and vendors. Pay with Apple Pay or Google Pay. Send receipts through Slack, Teams or email.
Frequently asked questions
Is Anaplan a general ledger?
No. It plans and reports on data integrated from ERPs, ledgers and other systems.
Does Light do budgeting and forecasting?
Yes. Budget and forecast run on the same keys as the ledger, with variance split into operational and FX.
When does Anaplan fit?
When you need scenario modelling or workforce planning, or finance plans connected across the business.