LivePlan
LivePlan is a cloud-based SaaS business planning platform, operated by Palo Alto Software in Eugene, Oregon, that helps small business owners and advisors build plans, financial forecasts, pitch decks, and market research via AI-assisted tools and QuickBooks/Xero integrations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersEugene, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What LivePlan does
LivePlan, operated by Palo Alto Software, Inc. (headquartered in Eugene, Oregon), is a cloud-based SaaS business planning platform that serves small business owners, startups, and a broad ecosystem of advisors, lenders, educators, and accountants. The product centers on a Business Plan Builder augmented by AI-assisted writing (LivePlan Assistant), an interconnected three-statement financial model (income statement, cash flow, balance sheet) with scenario planning, an AI Plan Review, an AI-powered Market Research feature, an Idea Canvas for pre-launch validation, a Pitch Deck Creator, and a Plan vs Actual performance dashboard that ingests data from QuickBooks and Xero. Pricing is delivered through two self-serve subscription tiers (Standard and Premium), an annual billing option with a 35-day money-back guarantee, plus paid LivePlan Expert 1:1 sessions and Professional Services for hands-on plan writing.
The company follows a product-led growth model supported by a content-marketing distribution engine built around the Bplans.com sister site, a sample business plan library, webinars, and an affiliate/referral program. Premium-tier differentiation is anchored by a data partnership with VerticalIQ that supplies bank-grade industry benchmarks covering approximately 97% of GDP/industries, layered with AI-driven market research synthesized from 50+ verified sources. LivePlan reports having served over 1 million entrepreneurs, maintains 4.8/5 ratings across Google, G2, ShopperApproved, and Trust Radius, and operates as a privately held, apparently bootstrapped business with no disclosed funding rounds, M&A activity, or parent company.
LivePlan firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- LivePlan
- Legal name
- Palo Alto Software, Inc.
- Website
- https://liveplan.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- LivePlan is a cloud-based SaaS business planning platform, operated by Palo Alto Software in Eugene, Oregon, that helps small business owners and advisors build plans, financial forecasts, pitch decks, and market research via AI-assisted tools and QuickBooks/Xero integrations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where LivePlan is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Eugene
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
LivePlan business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- SaaS Subscription (Standard & Premium): Monthly or annual subscription model with two tiers. Standard tier includes core planning features; Premium adds market research, industry benchmarks, and accounting integrations. Annual subscriptions offer savings vs monthly.
- LivePlan Expert Service: Paid support service providing up to four 1:1 video sessions per month with priority support. Additional paid tier above standard subscription.
- Professional Services: Full business plan writing, financial forecast creation, and plan review services delivered by professional business plan writers. Customized to specific scope and requirements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Standard subscription starting price |
| Subscription | Monthly | Premium subscription |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual subscription discount |
| Subscription | Monthly | 35-day money-back guarantee |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels9 records
LivePlan product offering
Product offeringCore offering
LivePlan is a cloud-based SaaS business planning platform that helps small business owners and entrepreneurs write professional business plans, build interconnected three-statement financial forecasts, validate business ideas, run AI-powered market research against industry benchmarks, generate investor-ready pitch decks, and track actual performance against plan via QuickBooks and Xero integrations. It is sold in two subscription tiers (Standard and Premium), with paid add-on services including Professional Services for hands-on plan writing and the LivePlan Expert 1:1 video advisory service.
Product overview
LivePlan is a cloud-based business planning software platform offered in two subscription tiers: Standard and Premium. The platform centers on the Business Plan Builder with integrated AI assistance (LivePlan Assistant) for writing professional business plans. Financial management is handled through the Financial Forecasts & Scenarios feature with interconnected three-statement modeling. Premium tier adds Market Research (AI-powered deep research from verified sources), Industry Data benchmarks from VerticalIQ, and accounting integrations with QuickBooks and Xero for Plan vs Actual tracking. Additional AI-powered features include Idea Canvas for concept validation, Pitch Deck for investor presentations, AI Plan Review (Beta) for plan quality assessment, and Plan Reference Files (Beta) for document context. The platform includes human support options ranging from free onboarding to paid LivePlan Expert 1:1 sessions and Professional Services for hands-on plan writing assistance.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- LivePlan Business Planning Platform
- LivePlan Professional Services
- LivePlan Expert
Quantifiable outcome
- Companies that plan and track against their plan grow 30% faster than those that don't
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use LivePlan
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
LivePlan technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability8 records
Feature8 records
LivePlan partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- QuickBookscoreNative integration allowing users to connect QuickBooks Online account to LivePlan. Enables import of actual accounting data for plan vs actual tracking, automated Monthly Review analysis, and building forecast scenarios from real accounting data.
- XerocoreNative integration allowing users to connect Xero account to LivePlan. Enables import of actual accounting data for plan vs actual tracking, automated Monthly Review analysis, and building forecast scenarios from real accounting data.
- VerticalIQcoreIndustry data provider supplying bank-grade industry benchmarks covering approximately 97% of GDP/industries. Provides profit metrics, cash metrics, productivity metrics, and spending benchmarks for realistic financial projections.
- 50+ Verified Research SourcescoreMarket research pulls from 50+ verified real-world sources specific to user's geography and industry. Includes publicly available data for TAM, SAM, SOM calculations, demographics, firmographics, and competitive analysis.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
LivePlan competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Upmetrics: AI-powered business plan and financial forecasting SaaS for SMBs. Closest direct competitor to LivePlan, with overlapping plan builder, forecasting, and pitch deck features; explicitly named in LivePlan's comparison pages.
- Venturekit: AI business plan generator targeting entrepreneurs and small businesses. Overlaps directly with LivePlan on AI-generated plans and is named in LivePlan's comparison pages as a competitor.
- Bizplan: Business planning software aimed at startups seeking funding, offering step-by-step plan builders and investor-focused features. Directly comparable to LivePlan's funding-oriented SMB use case.
- Enloop: Automated business plan writing SaaS that generates financial forecasts and narrative plans. Competes in the same SMB business planning category as LivePlan with similar self-serve motion.
- PlanGuru: Financial forecasting, budgeting, and reporting software for SMBs and nonprofits. Overlaps with LivePlan's three-statement modeling and scenario planning capabilities.
- LiveFlow: Financial planning and reporting SaaS built on top of QuickBooks and Xero, with cash flow forecasting and scenario modeling. Competes with LivePlan on QuickBooks-native financial planning for SMBs.
- Float: Cash flow forecasting and budgeting SaaS for SMBs and finance teams. Overlaps with LivePlan's financial forecasting, scenarios, and cash-low-point indicators.
- Fathom: Financial analysis and reporting tool that pulls data from accounting platforms (QuickBooks, Xero) to produce management reports and forecasts. Adjacent competitor serving accountants and advisors — a key LivePlan segment.
Broad incumbents
- Intuit QuickBooks: Dominant SMB accounting platform with growing native forecasting, reporting, and now AI-assisted planning features. Key integration partner for LivePlan and the most significant broad incumbent that could disintermediate LivePlan's premium tier.
- Sage: Established accounting, payroll, and financial management software provider for SMBs. Competes indirectly via native planning and forecasting capabilities within its broader ERP-style stack.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
LivePlan social profiles
Digital presenceLivePlan financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
LivePlan leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
LivePlan funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
LivePlan M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about LivePlan
What does LivePlan do?
LivePlan is a cloud-based SaaS business planning platform that helps small business owners and entrepreneurs write professional business plans, build interconnected three-statement financial forecasts, validate business ideas, run AI-powered market research against industry benchmarks, generate investor-ready pitch decks, and track actual performance against plan via QuickBooks and Xero integrations. It is sold in two subscription tiers (Standard and Premium), with paid add-on services including Professional Services for hands-on plan writing and the LivePlan Expert 1:1 video advisory service.
Is LivePlan a public or private company?
LivePlan is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was LivePlan founded?
LivePlan was founded in 2000. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is LivePlan based?
LivePlan is headquartered in Eugene, United States, in the North America region.
How does LivePlan make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. SaaS Subscription (Standard & Premium) is the primary driver. The others are livePlan Expert Service and professional Services.
Who are LivePlan's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Upmetrics, Venturekit, Bizplan, Enloop, PlanGuru, LiveFlow, Float and Fathom. Broad incumbents are Intuit QuickBooks and Sage.
Does LivePlan have an API?
No public API is recorded for LivePlan.