Vendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. The largest vendors in workforce planning software
cannot hold places 1 to 3. Places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category,
wherever the category has them; the established names follow from place 4 in their ranked order. How it works: placement disclosure ·
editorial process.
The 11 tools, reviewed
#1 Runn
Capacity planning for project teams · New Zealand · runn.io
Published prices Capacity planning 30-day trial
Runn leads because a buyer can see what it costs, try it for 30 days without a card, and answer the staffing question within an afternoon. Its pricing page counts resource seats rather than logins, so only the people being scheduled are billed. Lite covers scheduling, tentative projects, utilization charts, skills and project financials, and Standard adds timesheets, custom fields, integrations and an API.
- Pricing: Per resource seat / month. Lite $7 and Standard $11 per resource seat per month, Advanced by quote; plans start at 20 resource seats. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Agencies and consultancies staffing projects
- Strengths: Resource scheduling; Tentative projects; Capacity and utilization charts.
Where it falls short
Runn plans project capacity, not corporate headcount. Approval chains for open positions, salary bands and long-range hiring budgets are not what the pricing page describes.
Wrong for
A finance team that wants a three-year headcount and compensation model tied to an HR system should look at ChartHop or Workday's Adaptive, because Runn centers on projects and people availability.
Visit Runn →
#2 Crunchr
Dutch people analytics with scenario modelling · Netherlands · crunchr.com
Amsterdam-based SOC 2 Type II EU reporting
Crunchr takes second place because its homepage describes things a European HR team must actually produce: pay transparency and pay gap reports, CSRD workforce disclosures and works council reporting. Scenario modelling prices the effect of structural changes such as severance and transfers. Each customer gets a data engineer and a customer success manager, with direct Slack access.
- Pricing: Quote only. No prices published; vendor offers a product tour and demo. Free plan: none.
- Best for: European employers with works councils
- Strengths: Headcount and FTE trends; Turnover and retention; Scenario modelling.
Where it falls short
Crunchr is an analytics platform first, and its planning is scenario modelling rather than a full position-budget workflow. No pricing is published and the homepage does not state where data is hosted.
Wrong for
A project-driven agency that needs weekly staffing by person should pick Runn, as Crunchr does not describe project scheduling or utilization.
Visit Crunchr →
#3 ChartHop
Org chart with headcount and pay planning · United States · charthop.com
Headcount Planning Modular Org chart
ChartHop earns third place because headcount planning is a named module on a platform that also holds the org chart, compensation and performance data. The pricing page says buyers choose ChartHop Core and then add modules, which fits a company that wants to start with planning and add pay reviews later. It also lists an HRIS, goals, engagement and security modules, so a smaller company can consolidate.
- Pricing: Quote only. No prices published; ChartHop Core plus modules priced through a custom proposal. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Growing companies planning hires and pay
- Strengths: Headcount Planning; Compensation; Performance.
Where it falls short
ChartHop publishes no prices, no plan tiers and no free trial; the only route is a demo. Because the platform spans HR, performance and engagement, the planning module can come wrapped in a bigger purchase than the finance team needs.
Wrong for
A consultancy that must see which consultant is free on which client project should choose Runn, since ChartHop is organized around people records and positions.
Visit ChartHop →
#4 Workday Adaptive Planning
Enterprise scenario planning inside Workday · United States · workday.com
Workday HCM link Org design Scenario modelling
Adaptive from Workday ranks fourth because major vendors cannot sit in the top three, and also because its logic is strongest for Workday HCM shops. Its product page describes unifying workforce and financial data to model scenarios across headcount, salaries, benefits, hiring timing, attrition and skills, then seeing the financial impact. Approved plans publish to Workday HCM, so HR and finance start from the same numbers.
- Pricing: Quote only. No prices on the product page; contact sales or request a demo. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Workday HCM customers
- Strengths: Organizational design and modeling; Work Intelligence; Strategic workforce planning.
Where it falls short
Workday publishes no prices on the page and sells through sales contact. The strongest integration story is with Workday's own HCM, so an organization on another HR system gets less from the pitch.
Wrong for
A fifty-person services firm without Workday should start with Runn or ChartHop, which reach a usable plan faster than an enterprise planning suite.
Visit Workday Adaptive Planning →
#5 Ingentis
Org charting and org design simulation · Germany · ingentis.com
Nuremberg-based Org design SAP integration
Ingentis fits a narrower job than the generic term suggests: designing and visualizing organizational structure. Its org.manager combines org charting, analytics and design simulation on one data foundation, with a data management module that cleans HR records first. The homepage names workforce modeling, succession planning, reorganization and mergers as use cases, and integration with SAP, Workday and Oracle.
- Pricing: Quote only. No prices published; free demo on request. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Large employers redesigning structure
- Strengths: Org chart software; Org analytics; Org design simulations.
Where it falls short
Ingentis does not describe project capacity, skills matching or hiring budgets, so it complements rather than replaces a headcount budget tool. No pricing is published, and the homepage does not state where its software is hosted. The wide data-management scope suggests an implementation project.
Wrong for
A small company that needs to know who has spare hours next week should choose a capacity tool like Runn, since Ingentis targets structure rather than scheduling.
Visit Ingentis →
#6 Visier
Workforce plans on a people analytics base · Canada · visier.com
Vancouver-based Scenario comparison Per-employee pricing
Visier Workforce Plans builds on the Visier workforce intelligence platform, so the plan starts from analyzed employee data rather than a blank grid. The product page describes comparing scenarios for structure, cost, skills and location side by side, consolidating planning input from HR, finance and operations, and modeling the cost of retaining versus losing critical talent. Pricing depends on employee count and modules.
- Pricing: Per employee + modules. Priced by number of employees and modules purchased; sales provides an estimate. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Mid-sized to large employers with analytics needs
- Strengths: Headcount and cost tracking; Side-by-side scenarios; HR, finance and operations inputs.
Where it falls short
Visier's planning product sits inside a larger analytics purchase, so a company that only wants a hiring plan pays for a platform. Its page offers a demo or sales contact but no trial and no price. The employee-count pricing rises with the entire workforce.
Wrong for
A company with fewer than a few hundred employees and no analytics team should look at Runn or ChartHop first, as Visier's value grows with data volume.
Visit Visier →
#7 Assembled
Forecasting and scheduling for support teams · United States · assembled.com
Published prices Forecasting Support teams
Assembled is the one product on the list built for a single department, and it does that department well. Its pricing page lists Core at $25, Pro at $45 and Enterprise at $75 per agent per month plus a platform fee. Forecasting offers N-week, N-week with momentum, seasonal and Prophet models, or an uploaded forecast. The page claims forecasts within 10% for all channels.
- Pricing: Per agent / month. Core $25, Pro $45, Enterprise $75 per agent per month plus a platform fee. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Customer support and contact-center teams
- Strengths: Forecasting models; Scheduling; Real-time adherence.
Where it falls short
Assembled covers support staffing only, so it does not plan corporate headcount, skills or budgets. The 10% accuracy figure is the vendor's own claim.
Wrong for
A company asking how many engineers or consultants to hire next year should choose a headcount or capacity tool, because Assembled plans shifts for support agents.
Visit Assembled →
#8 Ravetree
Work management with resource planning · United States · ravetree.com
Published prices Professional services Free trial
Ravetree puts resource planning inside a general work management platform for professional services, next to proposals, projects, billing and a CRM. Its pricing page lists $29 per user per month billed yearly, $34 quarterly and $39 monthly, with unlimited projects, onboarding and support included, and a free trial on every plan. A small firm that wants one system instead of three will find that attractive.
- Pricing: Per user / month. $29 per user per month billed yearly, $34 quarterly, $39 monthly. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Small professional services firms
- Strengths: Resource planning; Project management; Time and expense tracking.
Where it falls short
Ravetree's pricing page does not say which plan contains resource planning, and the trial length is not stated. A dedicated planner like Runn goes deeper on utilization charts, and Ravetree has no headcount budget or scenario tooling.
Wrong for
A company that already runs projects in another tool and only wants scenario-based headcount budgeting should look at ChartHop, since Ravetree replaces a whole operating stack.
Visit Ravetree →
#9 Fuel50
Skills intelligence and talent marketplace · United States · fuel50.com
Skills intelligence Talent marketplace Internal mobility
Fuel50 approaches planning from skills: a skills ontology, an inventory of what people can do, and insights that turn that into workforce decisions. Task Intelligence flags tasks to automate, augment or protect. The Talent Marketplace modules cover mobility, development, gigs and succession, and an Agentic Hub adds career and leader coaching agents. Its contact materials list Laguna Niguel, California, with offices in London, Auckland and Sydney.
- Pricing: Quote only. No prices on the homepage; talk to sales. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Large employers with reskilling goals
- Strengths: Skills ontology; Skills inventory; Insights.
Where it falls short
Fuel50 does not describe headcount budgets, hiring cost scenarios or capacity scheduling, so finance teams will not find their model. The value depends on employees keeping their skill profiles current, which is a habit rather than a feature.
Wrong for
A finance-led team that wants a hiring budget by department should choose ChartHop or Workday's Adaptive, since Fuel50 is built around talent mobility.
Visit Fuel50 →
#10 Gloat
Agentic HR with workforce intelligence · United States · gloat.com
AI agents Skill gaps Succession
Gloat describes itself as an AI-native system of action for workforce orchestration. Its strategic agents build succession plans, model future workforce capacity and flag skill gaps early, and a dashboard compares future skill demand against internal supply. Job design and headcount planning appear as use cases. It integrates with SAP SuccessFactors, Workday and Oracle HCM, with agents inside Microsoft Teams and Copilot.
- Pricing: Quote only. No prices on the homepage; get a demo or talk to sales. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Large enterprises on SAP, Workday or Oracle
- Strengths: Strategic agents; Succession planning; Skill demand forecast.
Where it falls short
Gloat's homepage shows planning as one of many agent use cases, alongside HR service tasks, so the depth of the headcount modelling is hard to judge. No pricing or headquarters street address appears on the site.
Wrong for
A company with no HR suite and a plain hiring plan should choose ChartHop or Runn, since Gloat is aimed at enterprises already running SAP, Workday or Oracle.
Visit Gloat →
#11 Draup
AI workforce transformation and talent data · United States · draup.com
AI task analysis Labor market data Enterprise
Draup's Etter product maps work against job descriptions and systems, scores each task for automation or augmentation, and models headcount, cost and capacity scenarios. Talent Intelligence adds labor market data on supply, cost and competitor movement by role and location, so a plan can be checked against talent that exists. Redesigned roles can be written into Workday or SuccessFactors, with data also by API and MCP.
- Pricing: Quote only. No prices published; book a demo or request the free AI Workforce Diagnostic. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Enterprises modeling AI impact on roles
- Strengths: Etter workforce transformation; Task automation scoring; Headcount and cost scenarios.
Where it falls short
Draup's claims, such as 20 to 30% of roles scoped for redeployment, are the vendor's own and not independently verified. The offering is aimed at enterprises, so a mid-sized firm gets little from it.
Wrong for
A mid-sized company that wants a department-level hiring budget should start with ChartHop, because Draup centers on AI-driven role redesign and labor market analysis.
Visit Draup →
Questions and answers
What is the best workforce planning software in 2026?
Runn ranks first of 11, best for agencies and consultancies staffing projects. Crunchr is second (european employers with works councils) and ChartHop third (growing companies planning hires and pay). Places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands, wherever the category has them.
What is the difference between workforce planning and workforce management?
Workforce planning decides how many people and which skills a company needs in the months or years ahead. Workforce management runs the present: shifts, time clocks, attendance and payroll inputs.
Which workforce planning software is best for a small business?
Small businesses usually need capacity planning, not strategic headcount modelling, and Runn fits best because it starts at 20 resource seats with published prices from $7 per seat.
How much does workforce planning software cost?
Published prices exist for three products. Runn charges $7 or $11 per resource seat per month, with custom pricing on Advanced. Ravetree lists $29 per user per month billed yearly.
Is there free workforce planning software?
None of the eleven products here has a free plan. Runn offers a 30-day Standard trial with no credit card, and Ravetree offers a free trial whose length its pricing page does not state.
Can workforce planning software replace Excel for headcount budgets?
It can once more than one person owns the numbers. Spreadsheets break when versions multiply, when planned hires need approval, and when finance and HR disagree about who is in the base.
Which workforce planning tools are built in Europe?
Crunchr is based in Amsterdam and Ingentis in Nuremberg. Both are European-headquartered, and Crunchr lists SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certifications and calls itself GDPR-by-design. Visier has a Berlin office, but its headquarters is in Vancouver.
Do I need workforce planning software if I already have an HRIS?
Often yes, because an HRIS records who works for you now but plans poorly for who should. Core HR systems store employees and positions; planning layers add scenarios, cost modelling and approvals.
How long does it take to implement workforce planning software?
Capacity tools can be running within days, since Runn and Ravetree start from people and projects entered directly. Headcount and analytics platforms take longer because HR data has to be mapped. Crunchr says its platform can go live in weeks.
What data does workforce planning software need to start?
The basic set is a list of employees with team, manager, location, role and cost, plus open positions with planned start dates. Capacity tools add skills, availability and project assignments.
Which tools plan around skills rather than headcount?
Fuel50, Gloat and Draup lean toward skills. Fuel50 pairs a skills inventory with a talent marketplace for internal mobility. Gloat describes agents that model future workforce capacity and flag skill gaps.
