The best sales and operations planning software with AI in 2026 are Datup, RELEX, Anaplan, John Galt Solutions (Atlas), SAP IBP, Kinaxis and o9 Solutions.
Which vendor fits your supply chain team depends on three things: how much you bill, how many SKUs and locations you plan, and whether your S&OP cycle needs consensus between sales, marketing and operations or just a better forecast.
These seven are the AI platforms for sales and operations planning (S&OP) we see most often in real selection processes. Below you have what each one is good at, what its users complain about on G2, how long it takes to implement and how it charges.
The 7 best S&OP software vendors in 2026: comparison table
Which S&OP software fits your company size?
This is the question we get most often, and almost no comparison answers it head-on.
What criteria should you consider before choosing Sales and Operations Planning Software?
Not all sales and operations software they are the same, even if you find that they claim to have 'similar' functionalities. We'll tell you what criteria you should take into account and how you can know which is the best alternative for your company.
1. Advanced predictive analytics
This is about the depth of data analysis in the software. A tool that uses AI and advanced predictive analytics has greater accuracy in the data and improves decision-making. Artificial intelligence and analytics have transformed demand planning and S&OP processes. Companies can now use predictive forecasts that give them a clear view of the future, anticipating instead of speculating in collaboration sessions.
2. Integration with multiple data sources and systems
Choose a tool with direct connections to ERPs and other systems that centralize information in real time. This is essential, and it avoids manual extraction processes that increase operational load and reduce efficiency.
It's not enough to rely solely on transactional sales data. It is now essential to integrate multiple variables that impact demand, both internal (sales, marketing, prices and costs) and external (currencies, weather, holidays and inflation).
Many companies can also take advantage of sell-out data provided by their customers and cross-reference it with sell-in information. This integration lets you understand real demand more precisely, optimizing planning and anticipating market needs with greater certainty.
3. Inventory optimization features and scenarios
The best S&OP tools with artificial intelligence don't just generate forecasts: they also optimize inventory, aligning demand with operational capacity to achieve effective and cost-effective execution.
To do this, you need to consider critical variables such as:
- Lead times and replenishment times, to avoid stockouts.
- Reorder points, ensuring an adequate safety stock.
- Optimal fill rate, minimizing the impact of stockouts and excess inventory.
An effective S&OP process should allow the simulation of dynamic scenarios that help answer strategic business questions: how far could demand grow in a growth scenario? Or how do you reduce demand in a controlled way without hurting profitability?
4. Analysis of innovation and new products
Managing new products and innovation is one of the biggest challenges in the modern supply chain. Prefer solutions that analyze similar products to better project the demand for innovations or launches with no historical data.
S&OP software with artificial intelligence lets you automatically cross data, comparing the performance of products with similar characteristics to generate a more accurate initial forecast.
Implementing S&OP software with AI not only improves forecast accuracy: it also lets you quickly evaluate which products have the greatest potential for success.
5. Ease of implementation: highly consultative processes vs. customized yet intuitive tools
Evaluate whether the solution adapts quickly to your current processes without relying on lengthy consultancies or complex implementations. Unlike highly consultative approaches, which can take years to implement, flexible and intuitive S&OP software lets companies take advantage of their data quickly and adjust the strategy based on the information obtained.
Top 7 S&OP software with AI in 2026
1. Datup: our choice for the best S&OP software with AI in 2026
If your company bills more than $10 million annually, has a defined demand planning area and holds collaborative meetings, but those meetings aren't effective or take too long, you need to change your approach.
With Datup, you can optimize those meetings thanks to an intelligent solution that integrates advanced AI, improves forecast accuracy and delivers quick, data-based consensus.
What makes Datup different?
- Automatically classifies your portfolio with advanced analysis, identifying which products to prioritize based on sales, profitability and stability.
- Automatically incorporates your marketing campaigns into the predictive models, avoiding manual adjustments and saving you time.
- Proactive WhatsApp and email alerts for strategic actions in planning, forecasting and inventory distribution, based on advanced analysis.
- Integrates the annual budget, AI-generated forecasts, real demand and real-time collaboration with sales reps into a single view, so you know at a glance how aligned you are with your sales plan.
- Lets you collaborate at the level you need, and lets the sales team contribute both in units and in money — avoiding resistance and making sure valuable commercial information makes it into the process.
- Takes collaboration inputs from Commercial, Marketing and Product and charts them in one place, so planning can compare scenarios against neural-network forecasts built on historical data and hundreds of alternatives, and settle on the 3 most likely scenarios: base, upside or downside.
- Collaboration module between sales, marketing and supply chain integrated with demand planning scenarios and interactive filters.
- Delivers dynamic forecasting scenarios instead of static numbers.
- Integrates external variables such as inflation, weather and regulatory changes.
- Has an AI assistant specialized in supply chain.
Datup Benefits
- End-to-End Supply Chain Solution that aligns the entire process with data and artificial intelligence.
- Centralized information so that all areas work with the same data and make consistent decisions.
- Actionable insights that allow you to make quick, data-based decisions.
- Evaluate the results of the collaboration against real demand, identify deviations and adjust at each meeting, avoiding subjective decisions.
- Forecast accuracy greater than 95% using deep learning.
- Reduction of excess inventory by up to 2.5 times.
- Decrease in stock bankruptcies by up to 4 times.
- Savings of 100 hours in operating tasks per month.
- Integration with more than 200 data sources, including ERP, CRM, WMS and TMS.
- Implementation in just 5 weeks, much faster than other solutions.
- Flexible pricing model, with no additional costs per user.
Only 25% of companies in LATAM have achieved an active implementation of digital technology in the supply chain, demonstrating the urgency of solutions such as Datup that accelerate the process.
Features and benefits
Datup is an End-to-End Solution for the Supply Chain, designed to easily and effectively align the entire Demand Planning and S&OP process based on advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) data and models, which facilitate strategic and collaborative decision-making.
- Strategic portfolio classification: One of Datup's great strengths compared to other demand planning and S&OP software is its ability to carry out a strategic classification of the product portfolio, helping companies focus their efforts on what really matters.
- Automatic demand scenarios: Datup's AI models generate automatic demand scenarios, including the impact of historical data, trends, seasonalities, marketing campaigns and product launches, without teams having to manually adjust forecasts
- Easy collaboration of S&OP teams: Datup is its focus on facilitating collaboration between all areas involved in the S&OP process. It allows Commercial, Marketing, Financial and Planning teams to work collaboratively, either reviewing and adjusting each product individually (SKU by SKU), or also grouping products by categories, families or channels.
- Intuitive and easy to use: Datup stands out because it is an intuitive and easy to use tool, which does not require advanced technical knowledge or AI experts. It is designed so that users can focus on business decisions, always having reliable and aligned data.
In the words of their customers:
”... a solution tailored to the needs of businesses and changing supply chains that require tools such as DATUP.ai which allows, with a competitive price, to monitor market behavior and to have analysis for timely decision-making”.
Andrés Felipe Trujillo, Global Director of Supply Chain Juan Valdez.
In the words of their customers:
“I personally appreciate the great impact of reducing the tedious task of preparing forecasts with a high level of detail in spreadsheets. Datup allows us to make agile, strategic and high-value decisions, allowing us to be at the forefront of an increasingly competitive market.”
Julian David Jimenez. Demand Planning Analyst - Agricola Himalaya
Datup's solutions for supply chain teams include
- S&OP software with AI for supply chain, sales and marketing teams
- Demand planning software or demand forecasting software
- Inventory and purchasing management software
- Portfolio optimization software
- AlaiA: conversational assistant with AI, specially trained for your business
Disadvantages of Datup
- It's not ideal for companies that make less than $10M annually.
- Requires minimum 2 years of historical data to train AI models.
- You must have the process defined, Datup is a tool that delivers data to feed your process, but if you don't have the process it won't work for you.
Implementation
The Datup implementation process usually lasts eight weeks and consists of integrating with all of your company's relevant data sources, such as: ERP, WMS, CRM, exportable files, and other data sources.
During this process, you have an account manager and the technology team that is responsible for extracting data via API, Web Service, Cloud Data Warehouse, Databases with and without VPN.
Then, that data is cleaned and structured, and the first models are built that are trained with your data and are structured with the level of granularity that your company needs at the location - item level.
The different modules are tested with your data, and the team is trained to learn to use them in a simple and integrated way in their demand planning, inventory management, portfolio purification and, of course, S&OP and S&OE meetings.
In the words of their customers:
” They understood our specific needs in demand planning and inventory management, they provided us with support in the integration of the platform with the other systems that we already have in the company, they involved us in the development and currently provide us with a solid support and retraining service.”
Ana Maria Gonzalez Arias - Head of Logistics and Supply Chain at L'Occitane.
2. RELEX: S&OP software for retail and consumer goods
RELEX is a platform that provides multiple solutions for supply chain management and planning in the consumer goods sector. It ranges from demand planning to inventory management, supply chain management and the entire product distribution process.
What makes Relex different?
One of its great differentials is its focus on consumer goods businesses, from manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, Relex can adapt quickly and flexibly. Its interface is also pleasant for the user experience, which allows customization on its dashboards. It also has adaptations to specific needs in its dashboards for users.
Benefits of Relex
- Speed and performance: it has a good cloud infrastructure that allows fast data processing, which together with customized dashboards, makes it possible to take advantage of this speed to optimize operations without delays.
- Customization and flexibility: The flexible interface and its adaptation to the user makes it easy to adapt to the tool, since it adapts to the specific needs of planning.
- Integrated multichannel data: It manages efficient integration with data platforms, being able to integrate purchasing, sales and inventory data in one place, which improves the experience when starting with this platform.
- Fluid S&OP and S&OE decisions: Relex makes it easy to align sales and operations teams using a digital twin. A model that allows us to visualize the impact of business decisions and planning on all operations, thus helping decision-making between departments.
Disadvantages of Relex:
- Sloped learning curve in advanced features: Although the platform is easy to use for basic functions, some users point out that certain advanced features require a deeper knowledge of the system, in addition to the fact that there are users who comment that their information regarding its functionalities is not clear.
- Not an option for non-consumer goods companies: being ultra specialized for consumer goods, it presents a limitation for companies outside this sector, such as automotive, heavy industry, fashion and textiles, among others.
In the words of their customers:
“It's difficult to evaluate how their product portfolio compares to other solutions in the market.”
Relex customer, 2023.
Features:
- Automatic inventory adjustment: automatic adjustment of changes in demand and supply, with “pick to zero” tactics and forced departures.
- Better use of distribution capacity: Optimizes inventory flow autonomously, reducing bottlenecks, improving operational performance and making more efficient use of available capacity in distribution centers and stores.
- Synchronization of demand, inventory, and distribution: provides a complete view of current and future demand, along with inventory, capacity, and resource needs.
- Possible scenarios to mitigate risks: it allows us to compare different scenarios in an agile way to identify the best plan of action in the face of important events, such as seasons of high demand or shortage of supplies, anticipating problems before they occur.
Implementation
Relex has an implementation flexible, designed to adapt to specific company processes. A key advantage is the progressive integration option: you can start with essential functionalities, such as inventory optimization, and scale up to more advanced planning and automation modules as your operation requires it.
3. Anaplan: S&OP software for large, multi-region enterprises
Anaplan is a cloud-based business planning tool characterized by integrating financial, operational and strategic data on a collaborative platform. It was designed to align teams, people and organizational planning with clear real-time data, increasing decision-making efficiency and, downstream, business growth.
What Makes Anaplan Different?
Anaplan is one of the first platforms to develop solutions for cooperation between work teams, was designed for large companies with complex operations, being able to collect information from multiple countries and centralize insights in a single tool. In addition, it also includes AI in its predictive analysis, and offers an interactive chat to deepen the data provided.
Benefits of Anaplan
- Interactive executive boards: Anaplan offers executive dashboards with fully customizable key indicators that allow you to visualize deviations between what is planned and what is real, adjust strategies quickly and improve both operational control and accountability, all from an intuitive interface that facilitates continuous performance monitoring.
- Simulation of multiple scenarios: The platform allows you to simulate different scenarios such as supplier changes, opening new facilities or drops in demand, visualizing their immediate impact, helping to reduce risks and anticipate possible disruptions before they materialize in real problems.
- Multi-region adaptability: Anaplan stands out for its ability to automatically translate metrics, efficient exchange rate management, compliance with local regulations and global data consolidation, allowing you to manage international operations from a single centralized platform.
- Secure cloud collaboration: As a cloud platform, it allows all users to see and edit the same plan in real time regardless of their location, automatically reflecting changes made by one area (such as finance) in others (such as supply chain), maintaining a complete history of modifications for audits.
In the words of their customers:
“Its computing power allows you to produce real-time simulations of various scenarios based on complex sets of hypotheses.” Anaplan customer, 2024.
“The history feature where you can see any changes in a specific cell has been incredibly useful.” Anaplan customer, 2024.
Disadvantages of Anaplan
- Learning Curve: Its level of customization and capabilities can be difficult for new users to adopt. According to some customers, “the tool is quite difficult to change to suit individual needs,” which involves investing significant time in training before obtaining results.
- High price: The billing model is designed for large companies, which may not be so friendly for SMEs or companies looking to scale progressively.
- Specialized configuration unit: Implementation and maintenance often require certified consultants or advanced technical support. This creates additional costs and external dependence for significant adaptations or changes in the models.
- It's not plug-and-play: It requires integration with multiple data sources and detailed definition of models before showing their value. Unlike solutions that offer default configurations, Anaplan needs significant prior work to properly connect with your existing systems and reflect your organization's specific processes.
In the words of their customers:” The tool itself has a learning curve that can take end users longer than expected.” Anaplan customer, 2024.
“Anaplan's biggest weakness is the lack of integration and data manipulation options without buying an additional license.” Anaplan customer, 2024.
Anaplan Features
- Multidimensional Planning and Modeling: allows you to create complex financial and operating models adapted to your company, being flexible as operations grow.
- Predictive Analysis with Artificial Intelligence: Anaplan includes advanced analytics with AI to detect future trends and behaviors. This means that your forecasts will be more accurate, allowing for much more informed and strategic decision-making.
- Data Integration and Management: Anaplan connects to a variety of data sources, including ERP, CRM, financial systems, and other business platforms.
Implementation
The implementation of Anaplan is usually fast and adaptable, allowing companies to build models from scratch according to their specific processes. However, users have commented that it usually involves a number of resources that they did not consider when deciding to implement Anaplan in their companies.
Their customer says:
“Anaplan's biggest weakness is the lack of integration and data manipulation options without buying an additional license for its data orchestration tool or acquiring a third-party ETL tool with connectors to Anaplan. This limitation results in a longer time to obtain value and a reduced overall value as a result of the additional investment of money and time.” Anaplan customer, 2024.
4. John Galt Solutions: S&OP software for mid-market manufacturers and distributors
John Galt Solutions is a supply chain planning vendor whose product, the Atlas Planning Platform, is an AI-driven SaaS platform that connects demand planning, supply and inventory optimization, collaborative S&OP, production planning and order fulfillment in a single environment.
What makes John Galt different?
Its main differentiator is how far you can configure it without writing code. Atlas runs on a low-code/no-code environment, so planning teams can shape workflows, dashboards and inventory policies around their own process instead of adapting the process to the tool. It's also one of the few platforms on this list that runs the full IBP cycle off the same live data, with the financial impact of each decision calculated as you model it.
Benefits of John Galt
- Configurability without consultants: inventory policies, forecasting rules and replenishment logic can be adjusted by the planning team, which reduces the dependency on external consulting that weighs on enterprise suites.
- Strong forecasting engine: ensemble forecasting and probabilistic planning, plus reinforcement learning for decision support, so the demand number that reaches the supply side is one the team trusts.
- Scenario planning tied to financials: models operational and financial implications across multiple time horizons, letting you compare demand and supply trade-offs before committing.
- Consistently rated on usability: 4.9/5 on Gartner Peer Insights (59 ratings) and 4.9/5 on Capterra (35 reviews), and Nucleus Research has positioned it highest in usability among supply chain planning solutions for five consecutive years.
In the words of their customers:
"The forecasting is outstanding and makes us confident that good information is flowing from demand side to supply side." Ryan H., Director of Demand Planning, Food & Beverages, Capterra, 2023.
"Ease of use and the customisable dashboards." Michelle B., Head of Sales and Operations Planning, Logistics, Capterra, 2024.
Disadvantages of John Galt
- The configurability cuts both ways: because almost everything can be configured, you have to get the setup right the first time. Users report that initial configuration and maintaining resources and BOMs is where the effort concentrates.
- Implementation leans on your team: several reviewers point to the integration phase demanding significant internal effort, not just vendor hours. If your IT and planning bandwidth is thin, that's the constraint to plan around.
- Learning curve on its own vocabulary: the platform uses its own language and configuration logic, and users say adapting to it takes real time.
- No published pricing: John Galt doesn't publish rates. Everything is quote-based, which makes budget comparison slower than with a vendor that states its model up front.
In the words of their customers:
"The setup can be a challenge, along with maintaining resources and BOMs." Ryan H., Director of Demand Planning, Food & Beverages, Capterra, 2023.
"Implementation/integration phase presented certain challenges due to significant reliance on organization's effort." Jaqueline P., Head of Planning, Consumer Goods, Capterra, 2023.
"Users have to adapt to the new language and configurations, which can take significant time." Joe H., Supply Chain Controls Analyst, Capterra, 2021.
John Galt features
- Collaborative S&OP and IBP: consolidates internal and external data, gives every stakeholder visibility and supports multi-enterprise collaboration on the same plan.
- Demand planning with ensemble forecasting: combines multiple models rather than betting on one, plus probabilistic planning for demand that doesn't behave.
- Inventory and supply optimization: right-sizes inventory and balances supply against the approved demand plan.
- What-if scenario modeling: simulates operational and financial outcomes across time horizons before you commit to a plan.
- Trade promotion management: evaluates promotional strategies and models their impact, relevant if you're in consumer goods and promotions distort your baseline.
- Automated intelligent workflows: thresholds and rules that surface open decisions and priorities instead of making planners hunt for exceptions.
- Cloud deployment: SaaS, and available through the Microsoft Azure Marketplace.
Implementation
John Galt doesn't publish an implementation timeline, and the reviews explain why: the duration depends heavily on how much you configure and how much internal effort you can put in. The platform's low-code environment shortens the build, but the setup phase (data model, resources, BOMs) is where projects stretch. Budget for real involvement from your own planning and IT teams, not just the vendor's.
In the words of their customers:
"Very easy to configure and customize. There are so many options and ways of working." — Toni P., Supply Chain Planning Analyst, Capterra, 2021.
"Amazing customer service. John Galt is a partner to work with long term." — Miguel G., Demand Analyst, Capterra.
5. SAP IBP: S&OP software for the SAP ecosystem
SAP offers the Integrated Business Planning solution, which offers cloud data integration for demand planning, inventory, supply chain, sales, and operations. It offers advanced analytics and real-time collaboration between departments for better decision-making.
What Makes SAP Different?
SAP is primarily distinguished by integrate financial and operational planning in a single S&OP process. It offers a collaborative and real-time approach that allows strategic plans to be aligned with operational plans, providing a unified picture that ranges from senior management decisions to daily execution.
Benefits of SAP
- Real-time planning: SAP allows you to constantly balance supply and demand, not just in static monthly cycles. This means that you can respond immediately to changes in the market, adjusting your plans without waiting for the next planning cycle.
- Advanced scenario simulation: The platform allows you to create and compare multiple scenarios to evaluate the impact of different decisions or strategy changes. You can visualize how events such as price changes, new competitors or logistics interruptions would affect your supply chain.
- Real interdepartmental collaboration: SAP allows the simultaneous collaboration of finance, sales, marketing and supply chain teams, creating a space where everyone works with the same data and towards the same objectives. This eliminates information inconsistencies and conflicts that often arise when each department manages its own projections and priorities.
- Comprehensive KPI monitoring: The solution connects metrics from the operational to the strategic level, allowing you to see how tactical decisions impact long-term business objectives. This continuous monitoring makes it easier to detect early deviations and take corrective action before they affect financial results.
Disadvantages of SAP
- Limitations on customization: Although SAP IBP is a robust tool, some users have reported difficulties when trying to automate repetitive tasks. The platform may be slow in certain processes and lack consistency in its attributes, which complicates the configuration of customised automations and repositories. This limits operational efficiency in environments that require greater agility and customization. (SAP customer, 2023)
- Integration difficulties: One of the points to consider is that integration with systems external to SAP can be complex and require additional efforts in testing and validation. This represents a challenge for companies that operate with a mixed technology ecosystem and require agile integration between platforms.
- Lack of training and documentation resources: Several users highlight the need for additional training to familiarize themselves with the tool and operate fluently in its different modules.
In the words of their customers:
” More user training is required to use the tool.” SAP client, 2023.
Features and benefits of SAP
- 360° view of the supply chain: SAP integrates tools, data and reports that encompass what you need to plan your supply chain from start to finish.
- S&OP Real-Time Planning: this tool provides KPIs, forecasts and dashboards for different teams based on the same data, allowing real collaboration between departments and alignment in management decision-making.
- Simulation and comparison of scenarios: this tool allows you to operate with changing scenarios such as changes in supply and demand, scarcity of resources and suppliers, and many other variables, to facilitate decision-making and planning.
In the words of their customers:
“It includes master production planning, inventory calculation and DRP in a single environment” SAP customer, 2023.
“A complete tool, it allows comprehensive chain planning and financial simulation” SAP customer, 2023.
Implementation:
SAP offers a relatively fast implementation, where in a few weeks the data can be visualized in the tool. It also has an interface similar to Excel, which makes it easier to adopt, however, it requires a great dependence on technical teams for the configuration of customized projects and intensive training to use it fluently. Other users have shared that predefined KPIs may initially be missing for a full predictive analytics function (SAP customer, 2023)
6. Kinaxis: S&OP planning software for concurrent planning
Kinaxis is a tool for supply chain management, which also offers solutions for S&OP planning, making aligned data available to different sales, finance, operations and supply chain teams. All of this from a single platform.
What makes Kinaxis different?
Kinaxis is distinguished from the rest by its capabilities of concurrent planning, which allow for real-time adjustments and promote collaboration between various departments. This provides a comprehensive view of the supply chain, enhanced by artificial intelligence and machine learning for a more accurate forecast.
Kinaxis Benefits
- Real-time agility: It allows immediate adjustments to changes in demand or supply, improving responsiveness and accelerating decision-making.
- Simulation of advanced scenarios: It offers instant simulations of scenarios, allowing multiple options and their impacts to be evaluated quickly and reliably.
- Strategic Alignment: It connects long-term strategies with short-term operations, ensuring that the S&OP process bridges the gap between general objectives and daily execution.
- Reducing costs: By integrating key financial data into supply chain planning, sustainable cost reduction and profitable growth are driven.
In the words of their customers:
“Real-time planning, scenario analysis and collaborative space are great.” Kinaxis customer, 2023.
“We can simulate changes in the supply chain and assess impacts in minutes.” Kinaxis customer, 2021.
Disadvantages of Kinaxis
- Slow information performance: when processing large volumes of data, this leads to a slowness in the response of information.
- Sometimes inconsistent data: users have reported that the data load is not consistent with the above, hindering the operation.
In the words of their customers:
” It's not as “fast” as I've heard others say, it's quite heavy and takes some time to update.” Kinaxis customer, 2021.
“Sometimes, the report isn't generated automatically, leading to mistrust.” Kinaxis customer, 2022.
Kinaxis features and benefits
- Demand planning software and S&OP: Kinaxis offers S&OP planning solutions that combine demand planning, supply chain, sales forecasts, financial KPIs and more to measure progress and detect data gaps that may harm company decision-making.
- Demand Planning: Kinaxis has tools for demand planning, allowing demand forecasting in different scenarios, and even taking into account other variables for its prediction.
- Supply Planning: provides full visibility of supply chain-related data, ensuring complete, feasible and executable supply planning. Kinaxis uses AI-based models that allow us to anticipate bottlenecks, analyze compensations and optimize decisions.
- Inventory Management: allows you to simulate inventory policies and evaluate their impact in real time, helping to balance service levels, costs and risks. This allows companies to optimize their strategy and make informed decisions before executing changes.
Implementation
Kinaxis stands out for its implementation agile and scalable that fits your business perfectly. Your methodology RapidStart allows you to have the system fully operational in 12 weeks.
A key advantage of Kinaxis is that the platform is fully expandable, so you can start with the essential modules and add additional functionality as your company's needs evolve.
7. o9 Solutions: S&OP planning software for enterprise AI and ML
o9 Solutions is a planning platform for supply chain and S&OP which focuses on improving strategic decision-making through the use of AI and machine learning. Focused on mid-to-large companies, the platform connects planning processes and functions into a comprehensive cloud-based solution.
What makes o9 Solutions S&OP different?
O9solutions stands out for its advanced integration of AI and ML, allowing for more precise planning and simulation of demand and supply scenarios. The platform adapts to the specific needs of each industry, offering pre-designed workflows for sectors such as retail, reducing the need for extensive consulting.
Benefits of o9 Solutions
- Real-time planning: Provides continuous visibility of plans, forecasts and process gaps, allowing for quick adjustments and decisions based on current data.
- Advanced AI and ML capabilities: Artificial intelligence and machine learning improve the accuracy of forecasts and make it possible to simulate more complex business scenarios.
- Flexibility and scalability: o9 adapts to the changing needs of companies, providing a scalable platform that grows with the organization.
- Operational Efficiency: The integration of pre-configured workflows and process automation reduces the time and costs associated with traditional planning.
In the words of their customers:
“We chose o9 Solutions for its enterprise-level AI and ML features, which improve our decisions over different time horizons.” o9 Solutions Customer, 2025.
“It allowed me to see revenues and losses holistically, which helped us maintain budgets and have a more efficient supply chain.” o9 Solutions Customer, 2022.
Disadvantages of o9 Solutions
- Not suitable for small businesses: Small and medium-sized businesses may find the platform complex and costly, especially in terms of implementation and training.
- High costs: Its price can be prohibitive for companies with limited budgets, especially those that don't need an enterprise-level solution.
- Limited ecosystem: Despite being a robust tool, O9solutions does not have as broad an ecosystem of consultants as that of other, more established competitors.
In the words of their customers:
” Knowledge management in o9 isn't as deep as that of other software, and the user interface can be confusing.” o9 Solutions Customer, 2022.
“The cost was an obstacle for us, limiting access to some of its features.” o9 Solutions Customer, 2025.
Features and benefits of o9 Solutions S&OP
- Unified planning: Integration of data and processes to provide a holistic view of the supply chain.
- Simulation of scenarios: Advanced simulation capabilities to evaluate different situations and forecasts.
- Real-time collaboration: Improves collaboration between teams and functions through a shared digital platform.
- Predictive and prescriptive analytics: Uses AI and ML to provide recommendations based on current and future data.
- Real-time visibility: Provides up-to-date and detailed information on the status of plans, inventories and operating performance.
In the words of their customers:
“The visibility of business processes through graphical views and tables allowed us to make faster and better informed decisions.” o9 Solutions Customer, 2022.
“The S&OP simulator is one of the best features of o9, as it allows you to easily test different scenarios.” o9 Solutions Customer, 2025.
Implementation
The implementation of o9 Solutions begins with a detailed analysis of customer needs and the customization of the platform to fit the company's specific workflows. Although the platform is designed to be flexible and scalable, the implementation can be complex and resource demanding, especially for companies that require deep integration with other systems or for those that have unique planning processes.
In the words of their customers:
“The implementation was complex and required a significant amount of resource effort, which can be a challenge for less experienced teams.” o9 Solutions Customer, 2022.
“The speed of implementation allowed us to quickly move from implementation to business benefits, which was positive.” o9 Solutions Customer, 2022.
Which tools are commonly used for S&OP?
Most teams still run S&OP on spreadsheets plus their ERP planning module. The dedicated tools most commonly used are Datup, RELEX, Anaplan, John Galt (Atlas), SAP IBP, Kinaxis and o9 Solutions. The difference is that a dedicated S&OP tool generates the forecast, the inventory plan and the cross-area consensus in one place, instead of consolidating files before every meeting.
How do you choose an AI platform that supports S&OP?
Check five things, in this order: the depth of its predictive analytics; whether it integrates directly with your ERP, WMS and CRM; whether it optimizes inventory and simulates scenarios, not just forecasts; how it handles new products with no history; and how many weeks until the first forecast in production. Then check the two commercial factors that decide most selections: how the vendor charges, and what verified users say on G2, Capterra and Gartner Peer Insights.
What is the most affordable S&OP software for SMBs and mid-market companies?
None of the seven platforms in this comparison targets small businesses under $10M in revenue. In the mid-market range, the most affordable option is usually the one that does not charge per user: Datup uses a flexible subscription with no per-user cost, so adding sales, marketing and finance to the S&OP cycle does not raise the bill. Anaplan, SAP IBP, Kinaxis and o9 Solutions price per user or per module, which is where total cost grows fastest.
Conclusion: What is the best S&OP software with AI in 2026?
After analyzing the different solutions of S&OP software available in 2026, it can be seen that each platform offers benefits that, depending on the particularity of your company, can be adapted to your needs, here are some final comments on each solution in summary form:
- Datup.ai is the best option for mid-market companies looking to transform their S&OP planning in 2026. Its pricing model with no additional cost per user and its integration with more than 200 data sources make it the most accessible and complete solution in that range. Its collaboration module between sales, marketing and supply chain integrates demand planning scenarios with interactive filters, so every area works with unified data — and teams report up to 2.5x less excess inventory and 4x fewer stockouts, which is what moves fill rate and working capital.
- RELEX offers real strengths for retail and consumer goods companies, with its processing speed and interface customization. Its multichannel data integration and digital twin model make it easy to visualize the impact of business decisions.
- Anaplan stands out for its interactive executive dashboards and multi-scenario simulation, especially useful for multinationals that need multi-region adaptability and cloud collaboration.
- SAP Integrated Business Planning offers a 360 degree view of the supply chain with real-time planning and advanced scenario simulation, ideal for companies already inside the SAP ecosystem.
- Kinaxis provides advanced concurrent planning and scenario simulation that let you evaluate multiple options quickly.
- John Galt Solutions (Atlas Planning Platform) is the most configurable option on this list: a low-code environment that lets your own team shape workflows and inventory policies, with strong ensemble forecasting and a 4.9/5 rating on both Gartner Peer Insights and Capterra.
- o9 Solutions is a solid option for large companies looking for advanced AI and ML capabilities in S&OP planning. It offers an integrated platform with real-time collaboration, ideal for sectors such as retail.
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