Cash Flow Forecasting Tools for Small Businesses, Compared

Short Answer: It depends on the cash problem. If you need to see your bank balance week by week from clean Xero or QuickBooks books, Float ($105 a month billed yearly) is the dedicated tool, and Cash Flow Frog ($33 a month billed yearly) is the budget option. If cash is short and you need to know why and what to change (payment terms, a purchase, your draw), that's the analysis a finance consultant does, and for an owner-run business we think Occam's Model is the best fit, from $82.50 a month billed yearly.

We make Occam's Model, so weigh our first place accordingly. It ranks first here for a specific kind of cash problem, and we say plainly below when a dedicated forecasting tool is the better buy. Every competitor price was checked on the vendor's own pricing page in September 2026.

Two Different Cash Questions

"What will my bank balance be on the 15th?" is a forecasting question. It needs your invoices, bills and bank balance, updated often, projected forward day by day or week by week. Tools built for this connect to accounting software and do it well.

"Why am I always short when the business is profitable?" is a diagnosis question. The answer usually sits in a handful of decisions: payment terms, stock bought ahead, equipment paid in cash, loan principal, or the owner's draw. See Profit Is Not Cash for the walk from one to the other.

A forecast shows the dip coming. A diagnosis tells you which decision causes it and what changing that decision is worth. Owners with a recurring cash squeeze usually need the second one first.

How We Picked

• Does it explain the gap between profit and cash, or only project the balance?
• Can you test a change (new terms, a financed purchase) and see the cash effect?
• Does it need a live accounting connection, and clean books behind it?
• How far ahead does it see, and at what level of detail?
• What does it cost next to a consultant or CFO doing the same work?

The Options at a Glance

1. Occam's Model: Best for Finding and Fixing the Cash Gap

Occam's Model reads the books you already keep (up to three .csv, .xlsx or .xls exports, as they are) and builds the walk from revenue down to cash, so you can see where profit goes before it reaches the bank. That view is free. On paid plans it breaks down cash conversion and cash timing in detail, and, once you've entered your payment terms, lets you test a cash-timing change against a frozen copy of today's business, showing current, change and result over a year. For a new business or a next stage, it builds a 24-month forecast that shows how long starting cash lasts.

• Price: free tier with no card; $82.50/mo billed yearly or $99 monthly; with a finance expert who answers within 24 hours, $416/mo billed yearly or $499 monthly.
• Pick it if: the business is profitable and cash is still tight, and you want the causes and the fixes, the way a consultant would lay them out.
• Skip it if: you need a week-by-week bank balance forecast from a live feed. We work from uploaded files, not a bank or accounting connection. Use Float or Cash Flow Frog for that.

2. A Consultant or Fractional CFO: A Person Watching the Cash

A consultant can diagnose a cash problem in a few sessions; a June 2026 CPA firm guide puts most engagements at $100 to $400 an hour. A fractional CFO will run a rolling 13-week forecast and manage lender conversations; a 2025 guide puts retainers at $3,000 to $12,000 a month.

• Pick one if: cash is tight enough that you're negotiating with a lender or a large supplier.

3. Float: Best Dedicated 13-Week Forecast

Float connects to Xero or QuickBooks Online and projects your bank balance, with a 13-week view, a 12-month forecast and up to eight scenarios on its entry plan.

• Price: $105/mo billed yearly or $130 monthly for businesses under £2 million in revenue; 14-day trial, no card.
• Pick it if: your books are clean and current, and knowing the balance weeks ahead is the whole job.
• Skip it if: your books lag by a month or more (the forecast inherits the lag), or you need the diagnosis rather than the projection.

4. Cash Flow Frog: The Budget Forecasting Tool

Cash Flow Frog forecasts cash up to 36 months with scenario planning, and connects to QuickBooks Online and Desktop, Xero, Zoho Books, FreshBooks and others.

• Price: $33/mo billed yearly or $55 monthly for businesses up to $1 million in revenue; 30-day money-back guarantee.
• Pick it if: you want a connected forecast at a third of Float's price.

5. Xero's Built-In Forecast

Xero's US plans include a short cash flow forecast: 30 days on Early ($25/mo), 60 on Growing ($55/mo), 180 on Established ($90/mo). Xero says prices rise on October 1, 2026.

• Pick it if: you already use Xero and only need the next month or two in view.

6. QuickBooks Online's Planning Features

QuickBooks lists AI-assisted scenario planning and budgets (in beta) from its Plus plan, $140 a month, and more planning tools on Advanced, $340 a month.

• Pick it if: you're already on Plus or Advanced. Check what your plan includes before buying a separate tool.

7. A 13-Week Spreadsheet

A 13-week cash forecast is a simple grid: opening balance, expected receipts, expected payments, closing balance, one column per week. Many owners keep one by hand.

• Pick it if: you'll update it every week. A cash forecast that's three weeks stale is worse than none, because it looks trustworthy.

Common Questions

What is a 13-week cash flow forecast?
A week-by-week projection of cash in, cash out and your closing bank balance for the next quarter. It's the standard short-term view lenders and CFOs use.

Do I need cash flow forecasting software?
If your cash swings with the season or with large customer payments, a forecast helps. If cash is tight every month despite a profit, start by finding out why, since the cause is usually a decision you can change.

What's the cheapest cash flow forecasting tool?
A spreadsheet is free. Among connected tools, Cash Flow Frog starts at $33 a month billed yearly, and Xero includes a short forecast on every US plan.

Can I forecast cash flow without clean books?
Not reliably. Connected forecasts inherit whatever is wrong in the books. Reconcile first, or work from a recent export you've checked.