Best Workforce Planning Software: 8 Tools Reviewed (2026)
Workforce planning software models what the workforce should look like next: how many people, in which roles and locations, at what cost, with which skills, and how to get there from here. The horizon decides the tool. Next quarter's openings and backfills are an org-chart problem (ChartHop). The annual headcount and cost plan that finance signs is a connected-planning problem (Anaplan, Pigment, Workday Adaptive). A five-year skills and location plan is a strategic workforce planning problem (SAP, Visier, Anaplan). A restructure is an organisation design problem (Orgvue). Buying a five-year tool for a quarterly problem is the usual mistake.
I reviewed eight tools with pricing checked in October 2026; all but ChartHop are quoted and I label estimates as such. The first three are starting points for the enterprise, mid-sized and connected-planning buyers; the rest follow alphabetically. The team capacity planning guide covers the team-level method these tools scale up.
Which planning tool fits
Four questions on horizon, headcount, the link to the financial plan and your core systems.
Orgvue surfaces only for restructures; the Workday, SAP and Visier modules only for their own customers; Anaplan only above about 500 people.
The 8 planning tools
Three starting points, then five alphabetically.
Anaplan for enterprises whose workforce plan must be the financial plan, ChartHop for mid-sized companies planning headcount on the org chart, Pigment for connected planning faster and cheaper than Anaplan.
Anaplan Workforce Planning
The connected planning engine
See the detail
ChartHop
Headcount planning and scenarios at a published entry price
See the detail
Pigment
Workforce and finance plans with an AI assistant
See the detailThe rest, alphabetically:
- One Model: planning on an open data layer.
- Orgvue: spans, layers, cost and scenario comparison.
- SAP SuccessFactors Workforce Analytics and Planning: strategic workforce planning by skill and location.
- Visier People: planning on the governed people model.
- Workday People Analytics and Adaptive Planning: adaptive Planning on native data.
Comparison at a glance
Pricing as published in October 2026 where it exists; quote-only vendors carry labelled estimates.
| Tool | Positioned for | Pricing checked October 2026 | Where it falls short |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anaplan Workforce Planning | Enterprises whose workforce plan must reconcile with finance | Quote only. Independent reports place the workforce planning module between roughly $80,000 and $250,000 a year by organisation size and model complexity, with implementation and modelling services on top | Six figures; modelling services |
| ChartHop | Mid-sized companies planning headcount on the org chart | Basic (org chart and directory) $2 per employee per month with no minimum; core modules from $8 per employee for the first and $4 for each additional, with a $9,000 minimum annual contract; implementation scoped separately | Modules add up |
| Pigment | Mid-to-large organisations wanting connected planning faster and cheaper | Quote only. Independent reports place entry deployments around $30,000 to $50,000 a year and typical mid-market deployments well above, with implementation and training separate | Quote only |
 One Model | Analytics teams planning from their own data | Quote only, per employee per month across Essentials, Data Mesh and Enterprise tiers; independent reports place annual contracts between roughly $30,000 and $150,000 depending on headcount and data scope | Quote only |
 Orgvue | Restructures and organisation design | Quote only. Independent reports place enterprise deployments between roughly $40,000 and $200,000 a year by organisation size and scope | Expensive project tool |
 SAP SuccessFactors Workforce Analytics and Planning | SAP SuccessFactors customers | Quote only, sold as a module of SAP SuccessFactors or standalone against other HR systems, priced per employee on annual contracts | SAP first |
 Visier People | Visier customers adding planning | Quote only. Priced by headcount and connected data sources on annual contracts; independent reports place typical mid-market deals above $50,000 a year and enterprise deployments with several modules well above that | Quote only; enterprise |
 Workday People Analytics and Adaptive Planning | Workday customers | Quote only. People Analytics and Adaptive Planning are priced as modules of a Workday HCM contract, per employee on payroll on multi-year terms | Workday only |
The tools in detail
Anaplan Workforce Planning
The connected planning engineWhat it is
Workforce planning on a connected planning engine linked to finance; quote only, six figures.
Why it is on this list
Anaplan leads workforce planning because the plan that matters is the one finance signs, and Anaplan's connected planning engine links headcount, cost, skills and scenarios to the financial and sales plans so that one change moves everything. It is quoted in six figures with modelling services, and it is the enterprise answer.
Where it is strong
- Links workforce plans to finance
- Flexible modelling engine
- Enterprise scenario planning
- Mature ecosystem
Where it falls short
- Quote only; six figures
- Modelling services required
- Overkill below large enterprise
ChartHop
Headcount planning and scenarios at a published entry priceWhat it is
Org chart, headcount planning and people analytics from $2 per employee published; modules per employee with a $9,000 minimum.
Why it is on this list
ChartHop is second because a company of three hundred also has to plan headcount, and ChartHop does it on the org chart: open roles, backfills, cost by team and scenario, compensation planning and the approvals around them, from a published entry price with modules per employee above a $9,000 minimum.
Where it is strong
- Published $2 entry price
- Visual org chart as the interface
- Headcount planning and comp reviews
- Reachable for mid-sized companies
Where it falls short
- Modules add up per employee
- $9,000 minimum above Basic
- Less predictive depth
Pigment
Workforce and finance plans with an AI assistantWhat it is
Connected workforce and financial planning with faster modelling and an AI assistant; quote only.
Why it is on this list
Pigment is third for mid-to-large organisations that want Anaplan's connected logic with faster modelling, an AI assistant and a lower quoted price for comparable scope.
Where it is strong
- Faster modelling than Anaplan
- Workforce and finance plans together
- AI assistant
- Lower cost for comparable scope
Where it falls short
- Quote only
- Younger ecosystem
- Still a planning platform, not HR analytics
One Model
Planning on an open data layerWhat it is
People analytics with an open data layer and explainable machine learning for analytics teams; quote only.
Why it is on this list
One Model is here for analytics teams that plan from their own data: headcount and cost scenarios on the open warehouse that holds their people analytics; quoted.
Where it is strong
- Open data layer you can query
- Explainable machine learning
- Any data source
- Flexible for analytics teams
Where it falls short
- Quote only
- Needs an analytics team to shine
- Interface less polished than Visier
Orgvue
Spans, layers, cost and scenario comparisonWhat it is
Organisational design and workforce planning for restructures; quote only.
Why it is on this list
Orgvue earns its place for restructures: modelling the organisation as it is and as it might be, spans and layers, activity and cost, and scenario comparison; quoted and expensive, for design projects rather than annual planning.
Where it is strong
- Org design and scenario comparison
- Spans and layers analysis
- Activity and cost modelling
- The restructure tool
Where it falls short
- Quote only; expensive
- Design projects, not daily reporting
- Steep learning curve
SAP SuccessFactors Workforce Analytics and Planning
Strategic workforce planning by skill and locationWhat it is
Standardised HR metrics, benchmarks and strategic workforce planning as a SuccessFactors module; quote only.
Why it is on this list
SAP SuccessFactors Workforce Planning is on the list for SAP customers: strategic planning for gaps by skill and location and operational headcount planning as a module.
Where it is strong
- Standardised metrics with benchmarks
- Strategic workforce planning
- Works with non-SAP HR systems
- Enterprise governance
Where it falls short
- Quote only
- Best for SAP customers
- Interface dated in places
Visier People
Planning on the governed people modelWhat it is
The reference people analytics platform: governed data model, hundreds of metrics, predictive attrition and planning; quote only, 1,000-plus employees.
Why it is on this list
Visier Planning is here for Visier customers who want headcount and cost planning on the same governed people model as their analytics.
Where it is strong
- Hundreds of pre-built metrics and questions
- Governed people data model across sources
- Predictive attrition and planning
- Natural-language assistant
Where it falls short
- Quote only; enterprise price
- Sized for 1,000-plus employees
- Implementation needs clean data
Workday People Analytics and Adaptive Planning
Adaptive Planning on native dataWhat it is
People Analytics stories and Adaptive Planning as Workday modules; Workday customers only.
Why it is on this list
Workday Adaptive Planning closes the list for Workday customers: headcount, cost and scenario planning on native HCM and financial data without an integration project.
Where it is strong
- Native to Workday data
- Narrative stories and anomalies
- Adaptive Planning on the same data
- No integration project
Where it falls short
- Workday customers only
- Quote only, multi-year
- Limited outside Workday data
Four horizons, four tools
| Horizon | Question | Inputs | Tools |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operational (next quarter) | Which openings, backfills and transfers, approved by whom | Org chart, attrition, approved budget | ChartHop, Workday, Rippling, HRIS planning modules |
| Annual budget | Headcount and cost by team and month that finance signs | Current roster and cost, hiring plan, attrition assumptions, pay changes | Anaplan, Pigment, Workday Adaptive, ChartHop, One Model |
| Strategic (3 to 5 years) | Skills, locations and roles needed against supply, and the gap | Demand drivers, skills inventory, labour market, attrition and retirement curves | SAP SuccessFactors, Visier, Anaplan, One Model |
| Design (a restructure) | Which structure, spans and layers, at what cost, and who moves | Roles, reporting lines, activities, cost | Orgvue, ChartHop (scenarios) |
The inputs that decide the plan
- Fully loaded cost per role, not salary: the employee cost calculator shows the 25 to 40 percent on top that plans routinely omit.
- Attrition by segment, not a company average; the turnover rate entry covers the calculation and the segments that matter.
- Time to fill and ramp time, which turn an approved headcount into a delivery date months later.
- Spans and layers, because every ten new hires implies a manager; the span of control entry has the ranges.
- Capacity, not headcount, for knowledge teams: the reporting capacity guide shows how to present it.
Reading a quote
Most of this category is quote-priced. Where I give a figure for a quote-only vendor it is the range independent buyer reports and procurement advisers describe, labelled as an estimate, not a price list; your quote will depend on headcount, data sources, modules and contract length. Published prices are stated as published.
How these tools were evaluated
I evaluated each tool against the same checklist: what it captures and how configurable that is, which platforms it runs on, how it treats the employee (visible or silent agent, access to their own data, screenshot blurring and private time), what the published pricing is and what the minimum commitment really costs, how long data is kept, where it can be deployed, and what the vendor's own documentation and verified user reviews say about reliability and support. Pricing was taken from each vendor's pricing page in October 2026; where a vendor publishes no price, the page says so rather than guessing. Free plans and trials were used where they exist. I did not run a formal benchmark, and the page does not claim one.
Disclosure. I have done work for Time Champ. It appears here because it belongs in this category, it is held to the same criteria as every other product, its drawbacks are listed like everyone else's, and it bought no placement. There are no affiliate or vendor links on this page.
Key takeaways
- The horizon decides the tool: org chart for next quarter, connected planning for the annual budget, strategic planning for skills and locations, design tools for a restructure.
- Anaplan for enterprises linking to finance, ChartHop for mid-sized headcount planning at a published price, Pigment for connected planning faster and cheaper; Orgvue for restructures; Workday, SAP and Visier modules for their own customers.
- Plan with fully loaded cost, segment attrition, time to fill and spans; a headcount plan without them is a wish list.
- All but ChartHop are quoted; figures here are labelled estimates.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best workforce planning software?
Anaplan for enterprises whose workforce plan must be the same model as the financial plan; ChartHop for mid-sized companies planning headcount, backfills and cost on the org chart at a published entry price; Pigment for connected workforce and financial planning with faster modelling and a lower quoted cost than Anaplan. Orgvue for restructures and organisation design, Workday Adaptive Planning for Workday customers, SAP SuccessFactors for strategic skills planning, Visier and One Model for planning on their analytics data.
What is the difference between headcount planning and strategic workforce planning?
Headcount planning is the operational and annual plan: how many people in which roles and teams, approved against a budget, usually a year out. Strategic workforce planning looks three to five years ahead at the skills, locations and roles the strategy will need against the supply the organisation will have after attrition and retirement, and plans how to close the gap through hiring, development, contingent labour or automation.
How much does workforce planning software cost?
ChartHop publishes $2 per employee for its Basic plan with planning modules priced per employee above a $9,000 annual minimum. Anaplan's workforce planning module is quoted; independent reports place it between roughly $80,000 and $250,000 a year plus modelling services. Pigment entry deployments are reported around $30,000 to $50,000. Orgvue is reported at $40,000 to $200,000. Workday Adaptive, SAP and Visier planning are priced within their platform contracts.
Can workforce planning be done in a spreadsheet?
For a company under a few hundred people with one entity and stable structure, yes, and the team capacity planning guide on this site shows the method. Spreadsheets fail when several teams plan at once, when the plan must reconcile with finance's model, when scenarios multiply, and when the org chart changes faster than the sheet; that is when ChartHop or a connected planning tool pays.
Should workforce planning live in the finance planning tool or the HR system?
If the plan must be the same model finance uses, a connected planning platform (Anaplan, Pigment, Workday Adaptive with Workday Financials) is the right home. If HR owns the plan and reconciles with finance periodically, an HR-side tool (ChartHop, Visier, SAP) is simpler and cheaper. Restructures belong in a design tool (Orgvue) whatever the system of record.
What inputs does a workforce plan need?
Fully loaded cost per role, attrition by segment rather than a company average, time to fill and ramp time, the implied management layer from spans of control, planned pay changes, and for knowledge teams capacity rather than headcount. The employee cost calculator, turnover rate and span of control pages on this site cover the first three.