5 Best EPM Software Solutions of 2026

Executive Summary

The Problem: Fragmented data across multiple transaction systems (ERP, CRM, HCM) creates non-forgiving complexities, leading to a lack of agility, visibility, and high disruption during system upgrades.
The Solution: EPM software acts as a management layer that unifies planning, budgeting, forecasting, and financial close processes into a single, audit-ready source of truth.
Top 2026 Contenders: OneStream is the leader for end-to-end unification; ideal for large enterprises wanting to eliminate multiple interfaces and data duplication. Alternatives include Oracle EPM, SAP EPM, Workday Adaptive Planning, and CCH Tagetik.
The Bottom Line: Implementing a unified EPM platform like OneStream allows finance teams to upgrade underlying systems without disrupting critical reporting, effectively transforming the department into a strategic engine for real-time decision-making.

Today, all organizations require robust systems and processes across all levels to drive performance improvement, achieve operational excellence and sustain competitive advantage in the dynamic environments they operate.

EPM software forms a management layer above all transaction systems, providing a level of agility and visibility now critical for any organization that wants to successfully handle the non-forgiving complexities of growth and change. With an effective management layer in place, organizations can upgrade or replace underlying ERP/GL systems. And it can be done without disrupting critical management processes, such as planning and reporting, during the transition period.

In this blog post, we review the 5 best EPM software solutions for 2026 using our own interpretation of their relative offerings. We only included software that meets the following non-negotiable qualifications:

Must be present in either or both of the Gartner Magic Quadrants for EPM in 2025.
Earned at least 4.3/5.0 stars on Gartner Peer reviews for either Planning or Financial Close & Consolidation.
Software offering includes full management of enterprise-wide consolidation, close, financial and operational planning & forecasting.

What is EPM software?

EPM software solutions are designed to help organizations effectively manage and analyze their performance data to achieve the strategic objectives they have set. An EPM solution integrates and analyzes data from many sources, including, but not limited to, ERP systems, HCM, CRM, and Supply Chain applications, data warehouses, and also cloud and external data sources. The typical management processes included in EPM solutions are: Goal Setting, Modelling, Planning, Financial Close & Consolidation, Reporting, and Analysis.

EPM solutions typically include the following capabilities:

Ultimately, EPM software provides management with data analytics and insights across multiple operational systems and processes. EPM solutions provide agility in forecasting and strategic planning, reporting, and decision-making. And they help organizations create alignment across the enterprise.

The 5 best EPM software solutions

This comparative analysis explores the features and functionalities of 5 leading EPM solutions: OneStream, Oracle EPM Cloud, SAP EPM, Workday Adaptive & Wolters Kluwer CCH Tagetik.

1. OneStream

OneStream is the only solution for EPM delivering end-to-end management of enterprise-wide consolidation, close, financial and operational planning & forecasting in a unified platform. This unified platform helps finance and operations teams collaborate by creating a single source of truth that eliminates the complexity of multiple solutions, interfaces and integrations, cost and duplication of data and metadata, time-consuming processes, and upgrades.

The built-in data quality engine and pre-built connectors put finance firmly in control. This provides a strong, flexible foundation that is both ERP and source system agnostic. Data is available in real-time with full drill-down and drill-back capabilities to any source. This ensures auditability across all processes, from closing and planning to reporting, delivering actionable insights behind every number.

Pros:

One uniquely unified EPM solution owned by finance for end-to-end management of enterprise-wide consolidation, close, financial and operational planning & forecasting, reporting & analysis.
Built in data quality engine, providing a strong flexible foundation in integration and data quality delivering confidence, trust and finally, a real one source of truth.
Built-in self-service reporting, dashboarding, adhoc analysis and deep integration with Microsoft Office in one platform, from balance to transactional details with seamless drill down and drill back to supporting details for transparency, auditability, and actionable details behind every number.

Cons:

While ideal for large-scale enterprise unification, the platform’s extensive feature set may provide more functionality than small-to-medium organizations require, leading to a steeper learning curve for teams not seeking an end-to-end solution.
Despite growing popularity, 100% customer success of over 1800+ customers, OneStream may have a smaller but growing market presence compared to a few other alternatives.

2. Oracle EPM

Oracle EPM is a suite of business applications designed for end-to-end management of enterprise-wide consolidation, close, financial planning & forecasting and performance reporting. Oracle is similar to SAP, with legacy solutions from their acquisition of Hyperion with end of support in 2035 for Hyperion HFM and Hyperion Planning. Their suite of applications is being redeveloped on the Cloud, consisting of individual best-of-breed solutions for each core management process.

Pros:

A comprehensive suite covering budgeting, planning, forecasting, and advanced analytics, providing the breadth of capabilities for EPM and is well known based on the reputation of Hyperion Solutions.
Integration with Oracle solutions (ERP, HCM, CRM…) and databases, and a robust solution for master data management, data integration and data quality.
A large customer base and global network ensure access to a pool of skilled professionals, services, partners and domain expertise.

Cons:

Lack of parity in the consolidation and close solution for consolidation capabilities exists compared to Oracle's legacy Hyperion HFM solution.
Fragmented, multiple solutions require multiple complex integrations across solutions to reconcile actuals with plans and to bring in financial and operational data to support the end-to-end consolidation, close, financial, and operational planning, and reporting processes.
Limited live references and few peer reviews/insights are available for the cloud EPM solutions.

3. SAP EPM

With the end of support of SAP's legacy EPM solutions - BPC and BFC (BusinessObjects Financial Consolidation) set for 2030, SAP's go forward solutions for EPM are a combination of SAP Group Reporting embedded in S/4HANA for consolidations and SAP Analytics Cloud for financial and operational planning.

SAP S4/HANA Group Reporting is an enterprise solution for consolidations, and since it is part of S4HANA, it leverages a combination of features of Group Reporting for consolidations and S/4HANA for core close capabilities. SAP Analytics Cloud is a cloud-based platform for planning, business intelligence (BI), and predictive analytics, enabling organizations to visualize, plan, and make data-driven decisions.

Pros:

Both solutions run on the same S/4HANA technology to streamline integration with SAP ERP systems, making it an ideal choice for organizations deeply embedded in the SAP ecosystem.
SAC offers flexibility in modeling and reporting, catering to diverse business needs.
SAP customers benefit from SAP's global footprint, ensuring access to a vast pool of skilled professionals and SAP domain knowledge.

Cons:

Customers will need to move to S4/HANA and upgrades can be challenging with known impacts on the agility Finance needs to change to Group Reporting for close and consolidation processes.
Although both Group Reporting and SAC are on S4/HANA, they are still separate solutions, technologies and tools that need to be implemented, integrated, and maintained.
Requires multiple complex integrations across solutions to reconcile actuals with plans and to bring in non-SAP financial and operational data to support the end-to-end consolidation, close, financial and operational planning, and reporting processes.

4. Workday Adaptive Planning and Consolidation

Workday Adaptive Insight was founded in 2003 as a planning solution with limited consolidation capabilities and acquired by Workday in 2018. It was rebranded initially as Adaptive Planning, but it is now being marketed as Adaptive Planning and Consolidation.

Workday Adaptive Planning covers planning, consolidation, analytics, and reporting functions. It is built on a proprietary in-memory database that enables collaboration and real-time updates. The browser-based interface feels familiar, similar to a spreadsheet, and supports seamless data integration from ERPs and other source systems.

Pros:

Similar to SAP and Oracle, Workday offers a full-stack ERP, Human Capital Management, Peakon Employee Voice, Strategic Source and Adaptive Planning for business process support and CPM/EPM.
End-to-end financial planning process support, covering budgeting, forecasting and strategic planning.
Intuitive and user-friendly interface, reducing the learning curve for users and facilitating easier adoption across different departments.

Cons:

While best known as a planning solution, its built-in consolidation capabilities are weak. This is particularly true for complex global consolidations. Furthermore, it offers limited close capabilities beyond what is already available within Workday Financials.
Fragmented, multiple solutions and technologies require multiple complex integrations across solutions to reconcile actuals with plans and to bring in financial and operational data to support the end-to-end consolidation, close, financial and operational planning, and reporting processes.
While positioned as a comprehensive set of capabilities, Workday Adaptive has a limited data model for all CPM/EPM processes and has limited data integration capabilities for managing multiple ERP and other source system data integrations needed for all EPM processes.

5. Wolters Kluwer CCH Tagetik

Tagetik was originally developed in 2005 to deliver trusted, comprehensive and scalable CPM solutions globally and was acquired by Wolters Kluwer in 2017. CCH Tagetik is marketed as an end-to-end financial close and consolidation solution for group and entity controllers. It is comprised of multiple solutions for financial consolidation and close, account reconciliation and transaction matching, financial and management reporting, disclosure management (via a partnership with CoreFiling), and ESG & sustainability performance management. It is available in both on-premise and cloud.

Of all the vendors in this article, they appear on the surface as the closest vendor to OneStream's unified platform. However, it's not until you get into the details of how the solutions work together that it becomes clear it still suffers from some of the same integration and solution complexities as the multiple application approaches of other vendors in the CPM/EPM market.

Pros:

Better platform approach than other multi-solution approaches like SAP and Oracle, in the CPM/EPM market.
Prebuilt connectors for SAP and SAP S/4HANA, and a data quality engine to integrate with ERPs and other data sources, both financial and operational.
Ability to combine balance and transactional data in the platform.

Cons:

Limited to one cube/model per application, affecting performance, scalability and in most implementations, results in the need to create multiple applications to support CPM/EPM processes – resulting in the same integration and solution complexities as the multiple application approach of other vendors in this article.
Limitations on data quality, assurance and drill back, resulting in additional steps, time and manual processes to resolve data issues, with no transparency to drill back to source.
The customer base is strongest in Europe, but lacks the footprint in North America of other vendors in this article.

Evolve to a modern EPM solution with OneStream

Choosing the right EPM Software is essential for organizations seeking to move away from unreliable, inadequate EPM applications and/or spreadsheets and to instead evolve to a modern EPM solution.

Each of the top five solutions featured in this blog post offers unique features and benefits, catering to the diverse needs of organizations across industries. Ultimately, however, if you're looking to streamline your key Finance processes and significantly increase confidence in your reporting, OneStream is the best EPM software to handle all your requirements, no matter how complex.

To learn more about how organizations are managing the complexity in their EPM processes, check out our whitepaper titled: Modernizing the Office of Finance

If you're ready to take the leap from spreadsheets or legacy EPM solutions and start your Finance Transformation with OneStream, request a demo today or let's chat!

FAQs about EPM software

What is enterprise performance management (EPM)?

Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) is a holistic framework designed to help organizations link their corporate strategy to daily execution. While it includes financial activities like budgeting and forecasting, EPM extends across the entire enterprise to incorporate global consolidation, financial close management, and operational planning. By integrating data from various departments—such as HR, Sales, and Supply Chain—EPM software provides a "single source of truth" to monitor and manage performance against key business goals.

How does EPM software differ from an ERP system?

While an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system focuses on the day-to-day transactional operations of a business (like processing orders and payroll), EPM software sits on top of the ERP to analyze and manage those results. Think of the ERP as the system that records what happened, while the EPM is the system used to plan what should happen next. EPM tools excel at complex reporting, "what-if" scenario modeling, and multi-entity consolidations that most ERPs aren't built to handle efficiently.

What are the core capabilities of a modern EPM solution?

In 2026, a top-tier EPM solution should offer more than just spreadsheets in the cloud. Key capabilities include:

Financial Consolidation and Close: Automating the month-end process and ensuring auditability across global entities.
Integrated Business Planning (IBP): Connecting financial plans directly to operational drivers like headcount and inventory.
Predictive Analytics: Utilizing AI and machine learning to identify trends and generate automated forecasts.
Reporting and Compliance: Streamlining the production of regulatory filings and internal management dashboards.

Who are the primary users of EPM software?

EPM software is a mission-critical tool for the Office of Finance, specifically CFOs, Controllers, and FP&A managers. However, because modern EPM is increasingly "integrated," it is also used by operational leaders in Sales, Marketing, and Human Resources. These stakeholders use the platform to align their departmental budgets with the overall corporate strategy, ensuring that every team is working toward the same financial targets.

What should you consider when choosing an EPM solution in 2026?

When evaluating EPM solutions, prioritize scalability and integration. The software must be "source-system agnostic," meaning it can pull data seamlessly from any ERP or CRM you use. You should also look for a platform that offers a unified user experience—where planning, closing, and reporting all happen in one interface. Finally, consider the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO); ensure the platform is "finance-owned," allowing your team to make changes and updates without constant, expensive reliance on IT or outside consultants.