Vena vs Drivetrain

by Gralio Feb 11, 2025

Vena and Drivetrain are both financial planning and analysis platforms, but they cater to different needs. Vena excels with its Excel-like interface and Microsoft 365 integration, making it ideal for businesses already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem. Drivetrain, with its real-time data analysis and AI-powered features, is a better fit for businesses prioritizing advanced forecasting and flexible integrations with various business systems.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 460 reviews and 60 websites, saving 3 hours, 3 minutes of reading.

Vena

Website LinkedIn Twitter

Drivetrain

Website LinkedIn Twitter

About

Vena is a cloud-based financial planning and analysis (FP&A) software designed to help mid-sized to large businesses manage their budgeting, forecasting, and reporting processes. Built to be intuitive, Vena has a familiar Microsoft Excel interface while offering more advanced features like a centralized database, automated workflows, and data integrations. This means teams can work with data from different sources in one place, reducing errors and improving accuracy. Vena also offers pre-built templates and industry-specific solutions for easier implementation.

Drivetrain is a financial software platform designed for mid-sized businesses. It helps your teams create budgets and financial forecasts, and then track performance against these targets. It pulls data from your existing tools like QuickBooks or Salesforce to present a single, clear view of your finances. Drivetrain offers real-time data analysis, helps identify potential financial roadblocks, and makes it easier to adjust your financial plans with its AI-powered features.

Summary

Main difference

Vena is better for you if you need a familiar Excel-like interface for financial planning and analysis and require seamless Microsoft 365 integration. Drivetrain is better for you if you prioritize real-time data analysis, AI-powered forecasting, and integrations with various accounting and CRM systems like QuickBooks and Salesforce.

Relative strengths of Vena (compared to Drivetrain)

Strong Excel integration, making it easy for users familiar with Excel to transition and utilize the platform.
Seamless integration with Microsoft 365, streamlining collaboration and data sharing.
Offers pre-built templates and industry-specific solutions, simplifying implementation and setup.

Relative weaknesses of Vena (compared to Drivetrain)

Initial setup can be time-consuming for complex workflows and integrations.
Limited mobile dashboard functionality compared to Drivetrain.
Pricing may be a concern for some businesses, especially compared to alternatives.

What companies are using Vena and Drivetrain?

No data

Who should use Vena VS. Drivetrain

Vena is a cloud-based FP&A software empowering mid-sized to large businesses to optimize financial planning. Its Excel-like interface simplifies budgeting, forecasting, and reporting. Users praise Vena's ease of use and Microsoft 365 integration, while some note the initial setup can be time-consuming.

Drivetrain is a financial planning and analysis platform built for mid-sized SaaS and subscription businesses. Users praise its intuitive interface, robust integrations, and powerful forecasting features, leading to significant time savings. However, some users mention slow data synchronization and limited self-service data transformation capabilities. Drivetrain helps streamline financial processes, offering real-time data analysis and AI-powered adjustments to financial plans.

Best fit for mid-sized to large businesses.
Ideal for finance-heavy sectors like banking, insurance, and e-commerce.

Best for mid-sized businesses looking to streamline financial planning.
Ideal for SaaS and subscription businesses.

Vena and Drivetrain features

Supported

Partially supported

Not supported

Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

Financial Consolidation

Supported

Vena supports financial consolidation and integrates with various ERP systems.

Supported

Drivetrain consolidates financial data from various ERP systems in real time.
Excel Integration

Supported

Vena is a complete FP&A platform built for Microsoft 365, amplifying Excel's power.

Supported

Drivetrain allows importing and exporting data and models to and from Excel.
Workflows

Supported

Vena supports workflow automation, including approvals, to streamline key processes.

Partially supported

Drivetrain supports automated workflows for headcount reconciliation.
Drill-down capability

Supported

Vena supports drill-down functionality in their operational reports and with Power BI integration.

Supported

Drivetrain supports drill-down capability via interactive charts in reports and dashboards.
Reporting and Dashboards

Supported

Vena supports creating reports and dashboards to visualize progress and performance.

Supported

Drivetrain offers interactive and dynamic dashboards, custom reports, and automated financial statements.
Visual pipeline

Unknown

Vena offers robust visualization tools, but Kanban-style board is not explicitly mentioned.

Partially supported

Drivetrain AI supports sales pipeline visualization but the exact format is not specified.

Qualities

Value and Pricing Transparency

+0.56

Rather positive sentiment

No data
Customer Service

+0.65

Rather positive sentiment

+1

Strongly positive sentiment
Ease of Use

+0.91

Strongly positive sentiment

+0.92

Strongly positive sentiment
Reliability and Performance

+0.61

Rather positive sentiment

+0.43

Rather positive sentiment
Ease of Implementation

+0.43

Rather positive sentiment

+0.23

Neutral sentiment
Scalability

+0.56

Rather positive sentiment

No data

Vena and Drivetrain Pricing

No data

User sentiment

Rather positive

+0.56

See full Pricing page

No pricing information found.

See full Pricing page

Vena and Drivetrain review insights

460 reviews analysed from and

Users love

It is easy to use as it seamlessly integrates with Microsoft Excel, allowing users to work in a familiar environment while benefiting from advanced financial planning and analysis tools.
Vena's integration with Microsoft 365 has been a game-changer.
Vena was easy to integrate between products and to customize with our different brands.
Its user-friendly interface makes complex financial modeling and budgeting more accessible.

Highly praised customer support, known for responsiveness and willingness to go above and beyond.
Intuitive and user-friendly interface, making it easy for both finance and non-finance users to navigate and generate reports.
Robust data integration capabilities, seamlessly connecting with various accounting, CRM, and other business systems.
Powerful and flexible forecasting features, enabling scenario planning, what-if analysis, and budget variance analysis.
Significant time savings achieved through automated reporting, data consolidation, and streamlined workflows.

Users dislike

The initial setup of complex workflows and integrations can take some time, especially for large organizations.
There may be a little room for improvement on the mobile dashboard.
The pricing could be looked upon.
Some functions with cash flow model are hard to master, it needs detailed and highly specific knowledge in IT to manage efficiently this product.

Data synchronization times can be slow, ranging from minutes to hours depending on the source and volume.
Limited self-service functionality for data transformations, requiring reliance on customer support for tasks like joins and data mapping.
Occasional performance lags and UI/UX glitches reported, especially during updates.
Documentation and training resources are improving but could be more comprehensive for some features.
Limited customization for data visualization, with requests for more advanced charting and formatting options.

Vena and Drivetrain Ratings

G2

4.5/5

(292)
Capterra

4.6/5

(101)
Glassdoor

4.2/5

(318)

G2

4.9/5

(85)

Company health

Employee growth

5% decrease in the last year

25% increase in the last year

Web traffic

6% increase in the last quarter

9% increase in the last quarter

Financing

January 2021 - $273M

October 2022 - $15M

How user-friendly is Drivetrain's interface for non-Excel users?

Drivetrain is highly praised for its intuitive and user-friendly interface, making it easy for both finance and non-finance users to navigate and generate reports. While it lacks the direct Excel integration of Vena, its ease of use suggests that non-Excel users should find it relatively straightforward to learn and utilize.

Which product offers better real-time data consolidation capabilities?

Drivetrain offers superior real-time data consolidation capabilities. While Vena offers data integration, Drivetrain explicitly states real-time consolidation from various ERP systems, suggesting a more immediate and comprehensive approach to data unification.

What are the advantages of Vena?

Vena's advantages include its familiar Microsoft Excel interface, making it easier to adopt for teams already using Excel. It offers a centralized database, automation, and integrations for improved accuracy and efficiency. Vena also provides pre-built templates and industry-specific solutions, simplifying implementation. It caters to a broader range of industries compared to Drivetrain and boasts higher user ratings across multiple platforms.

What are the disadvantages of Vena?

Vena's initial setup can be time-consuming, especially for complex workflows and integrations in larger organizations. Some users find certain cash flow modeling functions difficult to master, requiring specific IT knowledge. While generally considered user-friendly, there's room for improvement in the mobile dashboard and some users have noted the pricing could be more competitive. Finally, Vena experienced negative LinkedIn employee growth, which may signal potential future challenges with support or product development.

Alternatives to Vena and Drivetrain

Salesforce Sales Cloud

Salesforce Sales Cloud is a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) platform designed to help businesses of all sizes increase sales productivity. It offers a range of tools for managing contacts, tracking leads, forecasting sales, and analyzing sales data. Salesforce Sales Cloud stands out for its robust features, including AI-powered insights, automation capabilities, and integrations with other business applications. It can be customized for various industries, making it a flexible solution for managing customer interactions and driving sales growth.

AchieveIt

AchieveIt is a strategic planning and execution software designed for mid-size to large organizations. It helps businesses move away from manual plan management by providing a central platform to track progress, automate updates, and analyze results in real-time. AchieveIt aims to improve team accountability, enhance visibility into strategic initiatives, and connect information across departments, ultimately increasing the likelihood of achieving company goals. It is used by a variety of industries, including healthcare, government, education, and commercial businesses.

Vareto

Vareto is a cloud-based financial planning and analysis (FP&A) platform designed for mid-sized and growing businesses. It provides tools for budgeting, forecasting, reporting, and data visualization all within a single platform. Vareto aims to replace spreadsheets with its intuitive and collaborative interface that connects to your existing business systems. Key features include real-time data integration, customizable reporting, and easy collaboration for teams to build, analyze, and share financial plans. Vareto prides itself on a quick implementation process and dedicated customer support to help businesses get started quickly.

Planful

Planful is a cloud-based financial software platform designed for mid-sized to large businesses. It helps your finance team streamline financial planning, budgeting, and reporting processes. Planful aims to speed up tasks like closing the books, provide clearer financial insights, and improve data accuracy for better decision-making across the company. Features like scenario analysis and rolling forecasts help you adapt to changing business conditions.

Varicent

Varicent is a software platform designed to help businesses manage and improve sales performance. It provides tools for setting sales goals, designing territories, and creating effective incentive programs to motivate sales teams. Varicent aims to provide data-driven insights to optimize revenue generation throughout the sales process. Its suite of solutions includes sales planning, incentive compensation management, and performance analytics, all within a single platform. Varicent is suitable for mid to large companies across industries like financial services, high-tech, insurance, and more.

Rhythm

Rhythm is software designed to help businesses create and achieve their strategic goals. Its features help you track objectives and key results, create strategic plans, and improve team alignment. Rhythm uses AI for goal setting and offers performance benchmarking against your industry. While they offer coaching services, the core product is software aimed at improving how your company executes its plans.

Page co-authored by

Michal Kaczor

CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

Tymon Terlikiewicz

CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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