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Planning Software Cost Calculator: The Cost of Running It, Not Only Buying It
A software licence is the part of the cost that arrives as an invoice. The rest arrives as a person who keeps the models working, a consultant who changes them, and an integration that needs a fix. Most tools still need people to run them, and those people are rarely in the business case.
Enter the licence, the implementation, what it takes to keep running, and the hours you expect it to save. The calculator shows the all-in annual cost, how much is not licence, the total over your horizon, and how many hours a month it must save to break even. The example values are illustrative; replace them with yours.
The tool you are weighing
What it takes to keep it running
What you expect to get back
Your results
All-in cost per year
$235,000
Licence $100,000, people and support $105,000, implementation spread $30,000 a year. That is 2.4 times the licence fee.
Share of the running cost that is not the licence
51%
Admin time, consultants and integrations. This is the labour of keeping a tool honest.
Total over 3 years
$705,000
About $9,400 per user per year, all-in.
Hours saved per month to break even
245
You entered 40. The gap between those two numbers is the question to answer before you buy or renew.
Net per year at your expected hours
-$196,600
Benefit $38,400 against all-in cost $235,000. Counts time saved only. It leaves out better decisions and risk reduced, which are real but hard to price. Weigh them separately.
This compares your own cost structure and says nothing about any specific product. Use the same inputs for the spreadsheet-and-routine option you are comparing it with.
Illustrative example values are prefilled; replace them with your own. Everything is calculated in your browser, and Performis does not store what you enter. Our analytics record which calculator was used and a few summary figures, such as a rounded result.
The formulas
- Admin cost per year
- Admin FTE × loaded cost per FTE
- People and support per year
- Admin cost + consultants + integrations and data upkeep
- Running cost per year
- Licence + people and support
- All-in cost per year
- Running cost + implementation ÷ years
- Total over the horizon
- Implementation + running cost × years
- Break-even hours per month
- All-in cost per year ÷ (12 × value of an hour)
- Net per year
- Hours saved × 12 × value of an hour − all-in cost per year
How to interpret your result
Look at the multiple of the licence
If the all-in cost is two or three times the licence, the licence was never the real price. That is not a reason to decline a tool, only a reason to budget for the whole.
Compare break-even hours with your claim
If the tool must save 245 hours a month to pay for itself and the case says 40, the case is missing something. Either the cost is lower than entered, or the benefit is not time.
Run the same inputs on the alternative
A spreadsheet with a well-run routine has costs too: analyst hours, review time, error risk. Put those through the same fields so the comparison is fair.
Ask who keeps it honest
Every model needs an owner. If nobody can name theirs, the admin time is not zero; it is unplanned, and it will land on whoever notices first.
Revisit at renewal
Costs drift. Re-enter the actual admin time and support spend before each renewal and compare them with the year before.
Frequently asked questions
What does a planning or FP&A tool really cost?
More than the licence. Add the time someone spends maintaining models and access, any consultants or managed support, integrations and data upkeep, and the one-time implementation spread over its life. For many teams the non-licence part is as large as the licence. Enter your own figures; this calculator shows the total and the multiple of the licence fee.
How do I estimate admin time?
Ask the people who own the models how many hours a month go to fixing, updating and supporting them, rather than building new analysis. Convert to full-time equivalents (about 160 hours a month is one). Half a person is 0.5. Include the time of the person who covers when they are out.
What hours should I count as saved?
Only time that actually disappears: a monthly reforecast that took three days and now takes one, for example. Do not count time that moves into maintaining the tool or into reconciling its output with the numbers people trust. Be conservative and review after two cycles.
Does this compare specific products?
No. It compares your own cost structure, so you can put the same inputs against a spreadsheet and routine option and see the difference. It says nothing about any vendor.
What does the calculator leave out?
Better decisions, faster answers, fewer errors and lower risk. They can be worth more than the hours, and they are hard to price. Weigh them separately and be honest about which you can evidence.
Is my data stored or sent anywhere?
No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser, collects no personal information, and does not save what you type.
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