Spreadsheet or Software for Your Financial Projections?

Short Answer: A free spreadsheet template is enough when the business is simple, you're comfortable in Excel, and someone will check the formulas. Software earns its price when the projections have to answer real decisions: taxes, owner pay, how long cash lasts, and what changes if a price or a hire changes. For an owner-run business facing those decisions, we think Occam's Model gives the closest thing to a finance consultant's model, from $82.50 a month billed yearly. Brixx is the cheapest structured alternative at $20 a month billed yearly.

We make Occam's Model, so weigh our first place accordingly. Competitor prices below were checked on each vendor's own pricing page in September 2026.

What a Template Actually Costs

A template is free to download. The cost shows up later, in three places.

Your time. A projections workbook asks for dozens of assumptions, and a first-time user spends hours learning which cell drives which. Every change of plan means re-reading the workbook.

Missing logic. Most templates stop at pre-tax profit. They don't know that a sole proprietor pays 15.3% self-employment tax on 92.35% of profit, or what an S-Corp election changes. For a business making $114,000 before owner pay, self-employment tax alone is about $16,100 a year, which a template can leave out entirely.

Errors nobody catches. A range that stops one row short, a growth rate typed as 5 instead of 5%, a month that doesn't roll into the next. Spreadsheets fail without warning, and a projection that looks finished can still carry an error on the first page.

None of these costs matter much for a simple business with one revenue line. They matter a lot when you're deciding whether to hire, raise prices or quit a job.

How We Picked

• Does it include tax and owner pay, or stop at pre-tax profit?
• Can you change one assumption and see the effect without rebuilding anything?
• Does it read your real books, or start from a blank page?
• How easy is it to make a silent mistake?
• What does it cost next to paying a consultant to build it?

The Options at a Glance

1. Occam's Model: Best When the Projections Drive a Decision

Occam's Model starts from what your household needs after tax and works out the income the business has to provide. For a running business it reads the books you already keep (up to three .csv, .xlsx or .xls files, as they are) and lets you change one thing, such as a price or a cost, against a frozen copy of today. For a new business or a next stage, you design the business at month 24 and shape the path into a 24-month forecast that shows how long starting cash lasts. Tax is built in for sole proprietorships, S-Corps and C-Corps.

• Price: free tier with no card; forecasts and results on paid plans, $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: your projections have to answer a question about your pay, your taxes or a decision, and you'd rather not build that logic yourself.
• Skip it if: you want to see and edit every formula. A spreadsheet is more transparent, and our model's structure is fixed.

2. A Consultant-Built Spreadsheet: Custom and Yours to Keep

A finance consultant can build a workbook around your business and hand it over. A June 2026 CPA firm guide puts most engagements at $100 to $400 an hour.

• Pick one if: the business has an unusual structure no tool fits, and you want a file you own outright.
• Skip it if: you'll need it updated often. Each round of changes is billed time, or it falls to you.

3. Brixx: Cheapest Structured Forecast

Brixx is a visual forecasting tool where you lay out revenue, costs and scenarios yourself. Every plan includes unlimited users and all features; the tiers differ by number of plans and forecast length.

• Price: $20/mo billed yearly or $25 monthly for one plan up to one year; $40/mo billed yearly for three plans up to three years.
• Pick it if: you know what a forecast should contain and want sturdier structure than a spreadsheet.
• Skip it if: you want tax and owner pay handled for you. You build the model.

4. LivePlan: Projections Inside a Plan

LivePlan builds a full forecast (profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow) inside a business plan, with up to 10 what-if scenarios and industry benchmarks.

• Price: $15/mo billed yearly or $20 monthly; 35-day money-back guarantee.
• Pick it if: the projections are going into a plan for a lender.

5. ProjectionHub Templates: Built for a Loan

ProjectionHub's industry templates are free individually, or $499 one-time for all of them; custom projections cost $750.

• Pick it if: you need SBA-style projections once.

6. A Free Spreadsheet Template

Plenty of free projection workbooks exist, from small-business nonprofits and bank websites.

• Pick it if: your business has one or two revenue lines, you know Excel well, and someone will review the formulas.
• Skip it if: you need taxes, owner pay or cash timing, and you'd be building them yourself.

When a Spreadsheet Is Enough

Honestly, often. A solo service business with steady clients, no staff and no loans can project its year in a spreadsheet in an afternoon. Move to software when one of these is true:

• You have staff, inventory or loans, and cash timing matters.
• You're choosing between sole proprietorship and S-Corp taxation.
• You'll revisit the projections every month, not once a year.
• The decision in front of you would cost more to get wrong than a year of software.

Common Questions

Is Excel good enough for financial projections?
For a simple business, yes. It becomes risky when the model needs taxes, owner pay and cash timing, and nobody else checks the formulas.

What should financial projections include?
Revenue by stream, direct costs, overhead, owner pay, taxes and cash. For a new business, also the startup investment and how long starting cash lasts.

How far ahead should a small business project?
Twelve months for running the business, 24 months for a new venture or a major change. Beyond three years, treat the numbers as direction, not a forecast.

Are free financial projection templates accurate?
The template is only as accurate as its formulas and your assumptions. Check that revenue minus costs ties to profit every month, and that taxes are included.