Thinking about investing in business plan software but baffled by all the options out there? Unsure of what you need in terms of features? Worry not, we have researched and reviewed the most popular options in the industry and are here to share our discoveries.
In this Business Plan Pro vs. Enloop comparison, we’ll discuss similarities, differences pricing, popular features, customer reviews and more. It’s about helping you find the best fit, because let’s face it, business planning software is a necessity today for serious entrepreneurs.
Common Features
- Both are designed to keep you organized, proactive, and on-track toward your financial goals without bogging you down or being too much of a distraction.
- Both offer more than one package option depending on the level of complexity you’re looking for. It can range from simple, to comprehensive.
- Both can be tested risk-free. Business Plan Pro offers a 60-day money back guarantee with their packages, and Enloop has a free version you can experiment with as long as you want.
What Sets Them Apart
We could go on and on about their common features and accounting solutions, but it’s the differences that really help you make a decision, right? So let’s take a look at what sets them apart.
Business Plan Pro
The first thing you should know about Business Plan Pro is that it must be downloaded to your computer, which limits your accessibility and collaboration potential. Furthermore, It’s only compatible with Windows, so if you’ve got a Mac, Business Plan Pro isn’t in the cards.
- It’s a one-time payment rather than a monthly or annual fee. This could be more or less financially viable depending on how long you actually use the software.
- 25+ years of experience and 1,000,000+ businesses under its belt. The software came out in 1991, while Enloop opened its doors in 2008.
- Founder and renowned businessman Tim Berry created a step-by-step video guide to help users get accustomed to the software. Enloop has a pretty decent Knowledge Base section for troubleshooting purposes, but no video tutorials yet.
- Business Plan Pro comes with a money-back guarantee. Enloop doesn’t currently offer any refunds, returns or guarantees.
- They’ve got more customer service options with live chat, email, and phone support.
Enloop
- Enloop is cloud-based, so you can access it anywhere. No need to download anything onto your computer and take up hard drive space or slow down your system.
- It’s compatible with any OS, which means you can use it on your Android, Mac, PC, etc.
- They offer month-to-month and annual plans rather than a single upfront payment. This is a much cheaper option for folks just experimenting and research different platforms.
- AutoWrite™ and TextSync™ are totally unique to Enloop. AutoWrite generates the basic text for your business plan, and TextSync automatically keeps your plan up-to-date with any data changes.
- Their customer service is only reachable via their contact form, unless you buy their Professional package which comes with personalized phone support.
- Enloop has a free package, which is a risk-free way to explore and see if it’s your style - although its features are somewhat limited. Business Plan Pro doesn’t offer any free version or trial period.
Customer Reviews
Business Plan Pro
Business Plan Pro was made by Palo Alto software, the same company that developed LivePlan. Because the two software options are advertised alongside one another, their reviews are a bit mixed together on their website and it can be difficult to discern which software is being assessed. However, there are quite a few that are clearly BPP-specific, like this one:
"I have used Business Plan Pro to get my business started off right, pitch to investors and to design a 3 year plan for my company. It is an incredibly easy to use, yet powerful tool. I would recommend it to everyone writing a business plan."
Business Plan Pro Premier is also available on Amazon, so they’ve got a some less biased reviews there. Most are 4-5 stars, but there are definitely a handful of complaints.
First and foremost, we can chalk this up to the fact that Amazon buyers don’t seem to get the 60-day money back guarantee along with their purchase. Most of the negative reviews are from folks who feel like they wasted money on a program that doesn’t meet their needs. This risk is eliminated if you buy it through the Business Plan Pro website.
Regardless, the complaints about the program’s drawbacks are valid, and Palo Alto is well-aware that it’s not right for every user - that’s why they created LivePlan as a more streamlined alternative.
Enloop
Enloop features a few customer testimonials on their website, but that’s the only place you can currently find them. None on Shopper Approved, TrustPilot, or any other review sites yet. This bums us out because it’s always encouraging to be able to reference past user experiences on unbiased platforms - even if some of those experiences are negative.
That said, Enloop runs a legit operation, so you can trust that the testimonials they promote are authentic. Here are a couple:
“I don't know how to write all that stuff that the business types want to see, so having it generated was very useful! I even recommended this site to a friend who is a business consultant!”
“Love that it saves time and gets the basic points down and then it just takes minor tweaking. Amazing.”
Pricing Differences
Business Plan Pro
Business Plan Pro offers two package options, Standard and Premier. See the pricing model and features below:
Initially they come with a higher price tag, but, your cost per month could be significantly lower depending on the duration of use. For instance, the cost of the Standard package ($99.95) stretched over three years comes to less than $3/mo. However, it could also end up being much more expensive than Enloop - if you only use the software for 3 months, you’ll have paid over $30/mo.
If you’re just looking for a software to help you write a business plan and not to track your financials and other data long-term, you’re probably not going to be actively using it for longer than a few months. In this case, BPP might burn an unnecessarily large hole in your pocket.
For an in-depth look at their pricing and features, check out our Business Plan Pro Review!
Enloop
Enloop has four packages, Free, Basic, Advanced and Professional. Each of them can be paid for monthly or annually. Take a look:
Enloop’s small, recurring payments are the best approach for many entrepreneurs, especially those who are only going to use the software for a couple months. As you can see, their annual rates are considerably cheaper, but they require committing to a full year. Depending on the package you choose, a year of Enloop could end up costing more than lifetime access to Business Plan Pro.
To sum it up, it’s not as simple as “one’s cheaper than the other.” It completely depends on how you intend to use the software. Enloop’s month-to-month payments are perfect for short-term use, while Business Plan Pro’s one-time payment is great for multi-year use.
Check out our Enloop Review for more details on their pricing and features!
Which Should You Choose?
Business Plan Pro and Enloop are both highly-regarded in the business planning software industry, and each is someone’s perfect match.
That said, based on our research, we prefer Business Plan Pro for its wealth of educational content, impressive customer service, decades of experience, and 60-day money back guarantee. However, it's totally up to you!
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