Comparisons Of The Best Capacity Planning Tools: Which One Is Best For You?

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Ruth Hadari
Ruth Hadari
Agile Advocate, Engineering Ops Expert
Posted on
Apr 3, 2023
Updated on
Apr 22, 2023
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As businesses grow and their operations become more complex, the need for effective capacity planning becomes increasingly important. One of the key components of successful capacity planning is choosing the right tool for your team. In this article, we'll explore 5 of the leading capacity planning tools and deep dive into their product offerings, and tell you which one is best.

But first, for context...

What is Capacity Planning?

Capacity planning is the process of determining the resources required to meet future demand. This involves analyzing your current resources and forecasting what the future workload of your team looks like. The goal of capacity planning is to ensure that you have the right resources in place to meet customer demand while minimizing waste and reducing costs.

The Importance of Capacity Planning

Capacity planning is an essential part for any agile business. Here are some of the reasons why:

1. Maximizing Efficiency

Capacity planning allows you to identify potential bottlenecks in your operations and address them before they become a problem. This ensures that your team is working at maximum efficiency and that you're delivering projects on time and within budget.

2. Managing Growth

As your company grows, you'll need to scale your resources to meet the demand. Capacity planning helps you determine when it's time to hire new staff, invest in new equipment, or upgrade your technology. This ensures that you're prepared for growth and can continue to deliver high-quality services to your clients.

3. Minimizing Waste

By analyzing your resource requirements, you can identify areas where you're over- or under-utilizing your resources. This allows you to make adjustments to minimize waste and reduce costs.

4. Improving Customer Satisfaction

Capacity planning ensures that you're able to meet customer demand and deliver projects on time. This improves customer satisfaction and helps you build a positive reputation in the market.

Capacity Planning Alternative Comparisons

Choosing between which capacity planning tools is complicated; and often overwhelming. You've likely heard the names of all the tools, but don't know the key differences in what they offer. That's why we broke each tool down, showing you their key features, price offerings, usability, and security certifications.

Quick Table

We know you’re busy, and probably don’t have the time to deeply explore each option. You just want to know which tool to use. That’s why we compiled this whole review into the following table where we’ve ranked the alternatives amongst themselves:

Features Pricing Usability Security
monday.com
1st 2nd 3rd 3rd
Jira
5th 4th 5th 4th
ClickUp
2nd 1st 2nd 1st
Forecast 4th 5th 4th 5th
Resource Guru 3rd 3rd 1st 2nd

monday.com vs Jira
Monday vs Jira

Feature Comparison

monday.com

Monday.com’s Workload Management feature is a great way to see who on the team is under/over utilized, as well as tracking the item and effort workloads of team members. By seeing how much each team member has on their plate at a glance, a manager can make swift decisions that will maximize the efficiency and productivity of the team. For existing monday.com users, adding the resource management widget to your board is quick and easy.

monday.com’s Workload Management features:

  • Workload Dashboard
  • Item view
  • Effort view
  • Multiple-Project tracking
  • Holistic Dashboard
Jira 

Jira is a powerful tool for managing a team’s workload. You can see a team-by-team view side by side with the timeline for task completion.

A key advantage of using Jira for Capacity planning is that the Jira marketplace has a large range of third party apps that can boost the effectiveness of your planning. Apps like BigPicture can be used to transform the resource availability and capacity views of your Jira board. This benefit is however a double-edged sword. Without these apps, the capacity planning offered by Jira isn’t as extensive in insights or functionality as its competitors.

Price Comparison

monday.com

Monday.com offers a range of pricing and plans for their work management software. The plans cater to a diverse range of users, starting from the individual free plan to the large custom corporate enterprise account.

The pricing structure of monday.com is based on two primary factors - the feature plan and the number of users per month. Each plan is designed to meet different needs, and there is a plan suitable for everyone. The Basic plan offers a seat per month at $8, followed by the Standard plan at $10 and the Pro plan at $16. These plans come with additional views, automations, integrations, storage capacity, and enhanced customer support compared to the free plan.

All the paid plans have an annual billing cycle with a discount. compared to a monthly billing cycle. Monday.com offers student programs for university/college students, organizations, fraternities, and sororities. Additionally, qualified non-profits can avail discounted pricing.

Jira

Jira also offers monthly or annual payment options. The Free plan of Jira allows up to 10 users and includes scrum and kanban boards, backlog, agile reporting, customizable workflows, roadmaps, apps, integrations, and file storage.

Jira's paid plans include the Standard plan, starting at $7.50 per user per month, and the Premium plan, starting at $14.50 per user per month, for up to 35,000 users. The pricing structure of Jira is that of subscription tiers based on additional users added. With Jira, there is also a flat custom enterprise plan billed annually that includes unlimited storage.

Usability Comparison

monday.com

Monday.com’s Workload Management widgets are easy to use and easy to customize to the needs of your agile team. Current monday.com users can find the option to add the Workload Management by locating “Workload View” in the view center of your Board. Once started, you can easily change and update figures, and sift through different views easily. 

Jira

If you have a technical and logical background, and are able to read and understand documentation, then learning how to use Jira will be easy for you. It can be a valuable tool for keeping track of multiple tasks, particularly if you have various skills and often find yourself working on many urgent tasks simultaneously. In such situations, Jira or a similar trouble-ticket system can be essential.

However, if you're a developer who dislikes documentation and finds organizational tools obstructive to coding, then using Jira may be challenging and frustrating for you.

Security Comparison

monday.com

monday.com has achieved the following security frameworks, standards or certifications:

  • ISO/IEC - International Organization for Standardization ("ISO") certification for information security management
  • ISO/IEC - ISO certification for Protection of Personally Identifiable Information in cloud computing services
  • SOC 2 Type 2 by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA)
Jira

Atlassian (Jira's parent company) has achieved the following security frameworks, standards or certifications:

  • ISO/IEC 27001
  • SOC 2 Type 2

monday.com vs ClickUp
Monday vs ClickUp

Feature Comparison

monday.com

The Workload Management feature of monday.com presents an effective solution for managers to monitor their team's workload distribution. This feature enables managers to quickly identify which members of the team are overburdened or underutilized. Moreover, it facilitates the tracking of item and effort workloads of individual team members. By viewing each team member's workload at a glance, managers can make well-informed decisions to enhance team productivity and efficiency. Fortunately, existing users of monday.com can easily integrate the resource management widget to their board.

monday.com’s Workload Management features:

  • Workload Dashboard
  • Item view
  • Effort view
  • Multiple-Project tracking
  • Holistic Dashboard
ClickUp

ClickUp's workload view can help teams visualize, keep track, and plan their work capacity whilst making sure no team member is under or over utilized. The workload view can be added to any list, folder, or space which means you can always plan and balance your team's workload, no matter where or how you're choosing to work. The workload view can also be configured to be a "private view" which means you can be the only one to see and make changes to the board, which can be helpful if there's only one person managing the workload for your team.

Date ranges, filters, and different views can also be customized to fit your team and the timeframe of the project you're working on.

Price Comparison

Monday.com

Monday.com has a variety of pricing plans catering to a diverse range of users. The plans start with an individual free plan and go up to a custom enterprise account. The pricing structure is based on two primary factors - the feature plan and the number of users per month. Every plan is designed to meet different needs. The Basic plan starts at $8 per seat per month, followed by the Standard plan at $10 and the Pro plan at $16. The paid plans offer additional views, automations, integrations, storage capacity, and enhanced customer support compared to the free plan. Monday.com also provides student programs for university/college students, organizations, fraternities, and sororities. Furthermore, qualified non-profits can avail discounted pricing.

Clickup

ClickUp offers various pricing plans to cater to the needs of different users. For those on a tight budget, they have a free plan, which is a great starting point. The ClickUp Unlimited plan is priced at an affordable $5 per user per month, billed annually.

However, for growing companies that require advanced features, ClickUp offers the Business tier plan at $12 per user per month when paid annually. This plan offers a range of features that are useful for businesses that need to manage complex projects.

For businesses that require even more advanced features, the Business Plus plan is available for $19 per user per month, billed annually. This plan offers all the features of the Business plan and more.

If you're a large enterprise and require a customized plan, ClickUp has an Enterprise plan that can be tailored to meet your specific needs. However, the pricing for this plan is not publicly available and will require you to contact the ClickUp team directly.

Usability Comparison

monday.com

monday.com's Workload Management widgets can be customized to meet your team's specific needs, making it easier to manage workloads effectively. To access the widget, simply locate the "Workload View" option in the view center of your Board and take advantage of its flexible features, including the ability to modify values and switch between different views.

Clickup

The user interface is user-friendly, with clear and intuitive navigation. Almost all the elements on the interface can be tailored to meet the specific needs of any team, including color schemes, labels, and settings. This allows for a smooth and efficient adaptation to any team's workflow, and the setup process is unlikely to be time-consuming.

Moreover, the customization features are flexible and versatile, allowing for easy modifications to the interface's look and feel. The streamlined design and intuitive controls ensure that even those who are not tech-savvy can quickly adapt to the system and navigate it with ease.

Security Comparison

monday.com

monday.com has achieved the following security frameworks, standards or certifications:

  • ISO/IEC - International Organization for Standardization ("ISO") certification for information security management
  • ISO/IEC - ISO certification for Protection of Personally Identifiable Information in cloud computing services
  • SOC 2 Type 2 by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA)
ClickUp

ClickUp has achieved the following security frameworks, standards or certifications:

  • ISO 27001:2013
  • ISO 27017:2015
  • ISO 27018:2019

monday.com vs Forecast
Monday vs Forecast

Feature Comparison

monday.com

Monday.com's Workload Management feature offers a valuable solution for managers seeking to monitor their team's workload allocation. With this feature, managers can easily determine which team members are being overworked or underutilized. In addition, the feature allows managers to track the workload of individual team members in terms of items and effort. By being able to quickly review each team member's workload, managers can make informed decisions to improve team productivity and efficiency. The good news is that current monday.com users can effortlessly integrate the resource management widget into their board.

monday.com’s Workload Management features:

  • Workload Dashboard
  • Item view
  • Effort view
  • Multiple-Project tracking
  • Holistic Dashboard
Forecast

Forecast integrates with other tools such as Jira, Asana, and Trello to provide a comprehensive view of a company's resources and capacity. With Forecast, users can plan and manage their team's workload, track project progress, and forecast future resource needs - specifically for resource management, project budgeting, time tracking, and reporting. The software is designed for businesses of all sizes and can be customized to meet specific needs. 

Price Comparison

monday.com

Monday.com provides a variety of pricing options and plans for its work management software that caters to a diverse range of users. Their plans start from the free individual plan and go up to the custom corporate enterprise account for large organizations.

The pricing structure of Monday.com primarily depends on two factors - the feature plan and the number of users per month. Each plan has been designed to cater to specific needs, ensuring that there is a suitable plan for everyone. The Basic plan provides a seat per month at $8, followed by the Standard plan at $10, and the Pro plan at $16. These paid plans offer additional views, automations, integrations, storage capacity, and superior customer support as compared to the free plan.

Moreover, all the paid plans have an annual billing cycle that provides a discount when compared to monthly billing. Monday.com has also extended its student program to university/college students, and organizations. Qualified non-profits can also avail discounted pricing for Monday.com's services.

Forecast

Forecast offers three different subscription tiers to cater to the varying needs of its customers. The first and most economical offering is called "Forecast Lite," which is ideal for companies that want a unified solution to manage their projects and resources. This tier is priced at £25 per user per month, with a minimum requirement of 20 users. The key features of this tier include business intelligence and integrations, enabling companies to make data-driven decisions and streamline their operations effectively.

For companies that are keen on enhancing their operational and financial efficiency, the "Pro" tier is an excellent option. It offers advanced features such as financial portfolio reporting, retainer management, advanced project budgets, and expense management. These features provide companies with better control over their finances and enable them to optimize their resource allocation, resulting in better ROI.

The highest subscription tier offered by Forecast is "Plus," which is designed for companies that require more comprehensive features to manage their projects and resources. This tier includes custom permissions, audit logging, data migration, system integration, and single sign-on (SSO) capabilities. These features are critical for larger organizations that require enhanced security and control over their data.

It's important to note that all three subscription tiers are billed annually, providing customers with a more predictable and straightforward pricing structure.

Usability Comparison

monday.com

The Workload Management widgets offered by Monday.com are user-friendly and highly customizable to cater to the specific requirements of your team. Existing users of Monday.com can effortlessly access this feature by locating the "Workload View" option in the view center of their board. Once activated, it becomes extremely convenient to modify and refresh data and navigate through various perspectives seamlessly.

Forecast

Initially, the Forecast application may appear overwhelming and may require some initial adaptation. However, upon closer examination of its various features, one will quickly realize that it is a comprehensive tool that has everything one could possibly need and more.

While the initial experience may seem challenging, once you become familiar with the application's interface and functionality, you will discover that Forecast is brimming with an abundance of tools and capabilities that can meet all your requirements.

In fact, you may be pleasantly surprised to find that Forecast surpasses your expectations by offering additional features and functionalities that you may not have even considered. This level of attention to detail and customization is precisely what distinguishes Forecast as an exceptional tool.

Security Comparison

monday.com

monday.com has achieved the following security frameworks, standards or certifications:

  • ISO/IEC - International Organization for Standardization ("ISO") certification for information security management
  • ISO/IEC - ISO certification for Protection of Personally Identifiable Information in cloud computing services
  • SOC 2 Type 2 by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA)
Forecast

Forecast has achieved the following security frameworks, standards or certifications:

  • PCI-DSS Level 1 Service Provider
  • GDPR Compliant

monday.com vs Resource Guru
Monday vs ResourceGuru

Feature Comparison

monday.com

Monday.com's Workload Management feature is an effective solution for managers seeking to scrutinize the allocation of work among their team members. It provides a quick and easy way to determine which team members are underutilized or overworked, while also keeping track of the workload and effort expended by each team member. With this information readily available, managers can make informed decisions to enhance team productivity and efficiency. Existing users of monday.com can easily integrate the resource management widget onto their board, further streamlining the resource management process.

monday.com’s Workload Management features:

  • Workload Dashboard
  • Item view
  • Effort view
  • Multiple-Project tracking
  • Holistic Dashboard
Resource Guru

Resource Guru's capacity planning software allows businesses to plan and manage resources such as staff, equipment, and facilities, and ensure that they are used efficiently. The software includes features such as real-time availability tracking, drag-and-drop scheduling, and customizable reporting. Resource Guru can be used by businesses of all sizes and in various industries to streamline their capacity planning processes and optimize resource allocation.

Resource Guru comes equipped with a variety of tools like resource scheduling, resource management, leave management, project scheduling, capacity planning, and forecasting reports that help you streamline your resource allocation process. Scheduling and assigning tasks to your team members is easy, and keeping track of their progress in real-time is seamless.

Resource Guru also offers seamless integration with popular calendar apps like Outlook calendar, Calendly, and Google calendar. In addition, the software can be integrated with thousands of other apps through Zapier, making it a highly versatile and customizable solution for your resource management needs.

Price Comparison

monday.com

Monday.com offers a diverse range of pricing plans tailored to meet the needs of different users. These plans cater to a variety of needs, from an individual free plan to a custom enterprise account. The pricing structure is based on two primary factors: the feature plan and the number of users per month.

Each plan is designed to fulfill different requirements. The Basic plan starts at $8 per seat per month, followed by the Standard plan at $10 and the Pro plan at $16. Compared to the free plan, the paid plans provide additional views, automations, integrations, storage capacity, and enhanced customer support.

Monday.com also offers student programs for university and college students, organizations, fraternities, and sororities. Additionally, eligible non-profits can take advantage of discounted pricing.

Resource Guru

Resource Guru offers a range of pricing plans tailored to meet the needs of diverse teams. The first option is the "Grasshopper" tier, which provides unlimited resources and projects, drag-and-drop scheduling, a resource directory, a project timeline view, and personalized dashboards. This tier is ideal for small teams that wish to stay organized without incurring significant costs, as it costs only $4 per person per month.

The "Black Belt" plan, priced at $6.65 per person per month, includes all the features of the Grasshopper plan and offers reporting on utilization, billable hours, projects, clients, and the ability to export reports to CSV. This option is perfect for larger teams that need to track their progress and productivity accurately.

For more advanced features, the "Master" pricing plan is available at $10.00 per person per month. This plan includes everything in the Black Belt plan, along with single sign-on (SSO), approval workflows, and data imports. In addition, customers who choose the Master plan receive phone support from the Resource Guru team. This plan is recommended for large teams with complex workflows.

Usability Comparison

monday.com

The Workload Management widgets offered by monday.com are designed to optimize your team's efficiency and can be easily tailored to meet your specific requirements. Current users can access the "Workload View" option in the view center of their Board to modify figures and navigate through various views seamlessly.

Resource Guru

Resource Guru has developed an interface that is remarkably user-friendly. Its simplicity ensures that users can effortlessly obtain a clear and concise overview of the different boards.

One noteworthy feature is the dashboard, which allocates a separate workspace for each team member. This allows them to log in conveniently and quickly identify their assigned tasks. In addition, the platform offers valuable insights into business performance. Users have the ability to generate robust reports that aid in identifying over-serviced projects and clients. These reports also assist in tracking team utilization and contribute to future capacity planning, which is essential for effective resource management.

Security Comparison

monday.com

monday.com has achieved the following security frameworks, standards or certifications:

  • ISO/IEC - International Organization for Standardization ("ISO") certification for information security management
  • ISO/IEC - ISO certification for Protection of Personally Identifiable Information in cloud computing services
  • SOC 2 Type 2 by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA)
Resource Guru

Resource Guru is primarily hosted on Google Cloud Platform in the United States. This means they can rely on the security standards of Google Cloud for their user's security. Google Cloud is certified with:

  • ISO 27001
  • SSAE-16
  • SOC 1
  • SOC 2
  • SOC 3

ClickUp vs Jira
ClickUp vs Jira

Feature Comparison

ClickUp

The Workload View feature offered by ClickUp enables teams to visualize, monitor, and strategize their work capacity effectively while ensuring that no team member is over or under-utilized. This view can be incorporated into any list, folder, or space, providing the ability to balance and manage team workload regardless of the work setting. Additionally, the Workload View can be customized to become a "private view," which permits exclusive access and modifications by the designated manager, beneficial for teams managed by a single individual.

Moreover, ClickUp also allows for customization of date ranges, filters, and various views, making it adaptable to specific project requirements and team dynamics.

Jira

Jira is a powerful tool that efficiently handles workload management for teams. It offers a user-friendly interface that provides a team-by-team perspective, allowing team members to get a comprehensive understanding of the project's progress, including the timeline for task completion.

Jira enjoys a distinct advantage over its competitors in capacity planning, thanks to the wide range of third-party apps available in its marketplace. One such app is BigPicture, which significantly improves resource availability and capacity views on Jira boards, thereby enhancing planning efficiency.

It is essential to note, however, that this advantage also has a potential downside. Without access to these third-party apps, the capacity planning provided by Jira may not offer as many insights or functionalities as that provided by competing software.

Price Comparison

ClickUp

ClickUp provides a variety of pricing options to accommodate different users' needs. Those on a tight budget can benefit from the free plan, which is a great starting point. The ClickUp Unlimited plan is reasonably priced at $5 per user per month, billed annually.

Growing companies that require advanced features can opt for the Business tier plan, priced at $12 per user per month when paid annually. This plan offers a variety of features that are beneficial for businesses managing complex projects.

For businesses that need even more advanced features, the Business Plus plan is available for $19 per user per month, billed annually. This plan includes all the features of the Business plan, as well as additional ones.

If you are a large enterprise and require a customized plan, ClickUp offers an Enterprise plan that can be tailored to your specific needs. However, the pricing for this plan is not publicly available, and you will need to contact the ClickUp team directly.

Jira

The Free plan of Jira allows up to 10 users and includes scrum and kanban boards, backlog, agile reporting, customizable workflows, roadmaps, apps, integrations, and file storage.

Jira's paid plans include the Standard plan, starting at $7.50 per user per month, and the Premium plan, starting at $14.50 per user per month, for up to 35,000 users. The pricing structure of Jira is that of subscription tiers based on additional users added. With Jira, there is also a flat custom enterprise plan billed annually that includes unlimited storage.

Usability Comparison

ClickUp

The user interface is designed to be both easy-to-use and easy-to-navigate. Customization options are abundant and include color schemes, labels, and settings. As a result, it's simple to tailor the platform to fit the workflow of any team, and the setup process is quick and straightforward.

Not only are the customization features comprehensive, but they are also highly adaptable. The system's appearance and functionality can be modified with ease, allowing teams to make the platform their own. The interface's layout is clear and concise, making it simple for even non-technical users to operate.

Jira

If you have a technical and logical background, and are able to read and understand documentation, then learning how to use Jira will be easy for you. It can be a valuable tool for keeping track of multiple tasks, particularly if you have various skills and often find yourself working on many urgent tasks simultaneously. In such situations, Jira or a similar trouble-ticket system can be essential.

However, if you're a developer who dislikes documentation and finds organizational tools obstructive to coding, then using Jira may be challenging and frustrating for you.

Security Comparison

ClickUp

ClickUp has achieved the following security frameworks, standards or certifications:

  • ISO 27001:2013
  • ISO 27017:2015
  • ISO 27018:2019
Jira

Atlassian (Jira's parent company) has achieved the following security frameworks, standards or certifications:

  • ISO/IEC 27001
  • SOC 2 Type 2

ClickUp vs Forecast
ClickUp vs Forecast

Feature Comparison

ClickUp

The Workload View feature provided by ClickUp facilitates teams in visualizing, tracking, and planning their work capacity, ensuring equitable utilization of resources. This feature can be incorporated into any list, folder, or space, enabling teams to balance their workload and manage it effectively irrespective of the work environment. In addition, the Workload View can be customized to function as a "private view," granting exclusive access and control to a single manager, which is beneficial for teams that are managed by a single individual.

Furthermore, ClickUp allows customization of date ranges, filters, and different views, making it adaptable to specific project requirements and team dynamics.

Forecast

Forecast's resource management software provides a holistic perspective of a company's resources and capabilities. It seamlessly integrates with popular tools such as Jira, Asana, and Trello, empowering users with the ability to oversee and manage their team's workload effectively.

With Forecast, users can plan and track project progress, accurately forecast future resource requirements, and manage project budgets, all in one platform. This versatile software is suitable for companies of any size and can be tailored to meet specific business needs.

The software's primary focus is on resource management, project budgeting, time tracking, and reporting, making it an all-in-one solution for businesses. Additionally, it offers a range of customizable features that can be tailored to specific requirements.

Forecast includes a real-time reporting feature that provides a convenient summary of the essential statistics. Additionally, the Automated Learning Algorithm (ALA) consistently accumulates data on ongoing projects, allowing for greater insight and analysis. With this functionality, users can generate over 35 pre-designed reports covering a range of metrics, complete with built-in data visualization and analytics. Furthermore, the option to export reports to Excel (CSV) format is available for further customization.

Price Comparison

ClickUp

ClickUp provides a variety of pricing options to accommodate different users' needs. Those on a tight budget can benefit from the free plan, which is a great starting point. The ClickUp Unlimited plan is reasonably priced at $5 per user per month, billed annually.

Growing companies that require advanced features can opt for the Business tier plan, priced at $12 per user per month when paid annually. This plan offers a variety of features that are beneficial for businesses managing complex projects.

For businesses that need even more advanced features, the Business Plus plan is available for $19 per user per month, billed annually. This plan includes all the features of the Business plan, as well as additional ones.

If you are a large enterprise and require a customized plan, ClickUp offers an Enterprise plan that can be tailored to your specific needs. However, the pricing for this plan is not publicly available, and you will need to contact the ClickUp team directly.

Forecast

Forecast has three different subscription tiers, each catering to  various needs. The first offering is called "Forecast Lite," which is the most economical option and perfect for companies seeking a unified solution to manage their projects and resources. This tier is priced at £25 per user per month, with a minimum requirement of 20 users. The key features of this tier include business intelligence and integrations, which allow companies to make data-driven decisions and streamline their operations effectively.

For companies looking to improve their operational and financial efficiency, the "Pro" tier is an excellent choice. It offers advanced features such as financial portfolio reporting, retainer management, advanced project budgets, and expense management. These features give companies better control over their finances, enabling them to optimize resource allocation and ultimately achieve a better ROI.

Forecast's highest subscription tier is "Plus," designed for larger companies requiring more comprehensive features to manage their projects and resources. This tier includes custom permissions, audit logging, data migration, system integration, and single sign-on (SSO) capabilities. These features are critical for larger organizations that require enhanced security and control over their data.

It's worth noting that all three subscription tiers are billed annually, providing customers with a more predictable and straightforward pricing structure.

Usability Comparison

ClickUp

The interface boasts an intuitive design that is both user-friendly and easy to navigate. The extensive range of customization options, including color themes, labels, and settings, means that it can be easily tailored to meet the specific needs of any team. The setup process is quick and effortless, making it an excellent option for teams looking to save time.

The customization features are versatile and flexible, allowing teams to modify the platform to suit their preferences with ease. The streamlined design and straightforward controls make it accessible to users with different technical proficiencies.

Forecast

Initially, the Forecast application may appear overwhelming and require some adjustment. However, as you begin to explore its features, you'll quickly discover that it has everything you need and more.

Although it may seem daunting at first, once you become familiar with its interface and functionality, you'll realize that Forecast has an abundance of tools and capabilities that can meet all your requirements.

In fact, you'll likely find that Forecast surpasses your expectations by offering additional features and functionalities that you didn't even know you needed. This level of detail and customization is precisely what makes Forecast an exceptional tool.

Security Comparison

ClickUp

ClickUp has achieved the following security frameworks, standards or certifications:

  • ISO 27001:2013
  • ISO 27017:2015
  • ISO 27018:2019
Forecast

Forecast has achieved the following security frameworks, standards or certifications:

  • PCI-DSS Level 1 Service Provider
  • GDPR Compliant

ClickUp vs Resource Guru
ClickUp vs ResourceGuru

Feature Comparison

ClickUp

ClickUp's Workload View feature enables teams to visualize, track, and plan their work capacity efficiently, ensuring that no team member is overburdened or underutilized. This feature can be added to any list, folder, or space, allowing teams to manage their workload and resources effectively, irrespective of the work setting. Moreover, the Workload View can be customized to function as a "private view," granting exclusive access and control to a single manager, which is particularly beneficial for teams managed by one individual.

In addition, ClickUp offers the flexibility to customize date ranges, filters, and different views, making it highly adaptable to specific project requirements and team dynamics.

Resource Guru

Resource Guru provides businesses with the ability to effectively manage and plan the use of their resources, including staff, equipment, and facilities, ensuring optimal efficiency. With its capacity planning software, Resource Guru offers features such as real-time tracking of resource availability, drag-and-drop scheduling, and customizable reporting, which are applicable to businesses of all sizes and industries.

In addition to its capacity planning software, Resource Guru offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to streamline resource allocation processes. With features such as resource scheduling, resource management, leave management, project scheduling, capacity planning, and forecasting reports, businesses can easily assign tasks to team members and track their progress in real-time.

Resource Guru's integration with popular calendar apps like Outlook, Calendly, and Google Calendar further adds to its versatility, allowing for seamless scheduling across different platforms. Additionally, the software can be integrated with thousands of other apps through Zapier, making it highly customizable to meet any business's unique needs.

Price Comparison

ClickUp

ClickUp provides a variety of pricing options to accommodate different users' needs. Those on a tight budget can benefit from the free plan, which is a great starting point. The ClickUp Unlimited plan is reasonably priced at $5 per user per month, billed annually.

Growing companies that require advanced features can opt for the Business tier plan, priced at $12 per user per month when paid annually. This plan offers a variety of features that are beneficial for businesses managing complex projects.

For businesses that need even more advanced features, the Business Plus plan is available for $19 per user per month, billed annually. This plan includes all the features of the Business plan, as well as additional ones.

If you are a large enterprise and require a customized plan, ClickUp offers an Enterprise plan that can be tailored to your specific needs. However, the pricing for this plan is not publicly available, and you will need to contact the ClickUp team directly.

Resource Guru

Resource Guru's pricing plans range from a basic plan called "Grasshopper" teams to a moderate plan called "Black Belt" to an advanced plan called "Master."

The Grasshopper tier costs $4 per person per month and comes with Unlimited resources and projects, Drag-and-drop scheduling, Resource directory, Project timeline view and Personalized dashboards

The Blackbelt tier costs $6.65 per person per month and includes reporting on utilization, billable hours, projects, clients, and supports report exports to CSV

The final tier, Master, costs $10.00 per person per month and includes SSO, approval workflow, and data imports and phone support.

Usability Comparison

ClickUp

The interface is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, with easy-to-use navigation. Nearly every element on the interface can be customized, including color schemes, labels, and settings, making it easy to tailor to the workflow of any team. Furthermore, the setup process is quick and hassle-free, saving valuable time for busy teams.

The customization features are extensive and versatile, enabling users to modify the appearance and functionality of the platform according to their requirements. The clear and streamlined design, coupled with straightforward controls, makes it easy for users with varying levels of technical expertise to navigate the system.

Resource Guru

Resource Guru's interface is characterized by its remarkable user-friendliness, which contributes to the clear and straightforward visibility of the boards.

The platform's dashboard feature assigns each staff member their own workspace, making it easy for them to log in and promptly determine their task assignments. Resource Guru's powerful reporting capabilities enable users to gain valuable insights into their business performance, identifying areas where projects and clients may be over-serviced. This functionality also helps users to monitor their team's utilization and plan for future capacity needs, which are critical aspects of effective resource management.

Security Comparison

ClickUp

ClickUp has achieved the following security frameworks, standards or certifications:

  • ISO 27001:2013
  • ISO 27017:2015
  • ISO 27018:2019
Resource Guru

Resource Guru is primarily hosted on Google Cloud Platform in the United States. This means they can rely on the security standards of Google Cloud for their user's security. Google Cloud is certified with:

  • ISO 27001
  • SSAE-16
  • SOC 1
  • SOC 2
  • SOC 3

Forecast vs Jira
Forecast vs Jira

Feature Comparison

Forecast

Forecast is a resource management software that provides an all-in-one solution for businesses to manage their team's workload efficiently. It seamlessly integrates with other popular tools like Jira, Asana, and Trello to offer a comprehensive view of the company's resources and capacity. By leveraging Forecast, users can plan and allocate their team's workload, monitor project progress, and forecast future resource requirements.

This software is specifically designed to cater to businesses of all sizes and can be customized according to their unique requirements. Forecast's key features include resource management, project budgeting, time tracking, and reporting, which can significantly streamline business operations and improve overall productivity.

With Forecast, businesses can easily manage their resources and optimize their team's productivity, ensuring that they meet project deadlines while staying within budget. The software's intuitive interface and advanced features make it an ideal choice for businesses looking to boost their efficiency and profitability.

Jira

Jira is an impressive software solution that helps manage a team's workload efficiently. It provides a comprehensive overview of team activities and task timelines, making it easier to track progress and manage deadlines.

One of the significant advantages of using Jira for Capacity planning is the availability of a vast range of third-party apps in the Jira marketplace. These apps, such as BigPicture, offer powerful features that can enhance the effectiveness of your planning. With these apps, you can transform the resource availability and capacity views of your Jira board to better align with your team's objectives.

However, the effectiveness of Jira's capacity planning is somewhat limited without the use of these third-party apps. While Jira offers some useful insights and functionalities, its competitors provide more extensive insights and functionality.

Price Comparison

Forecast

Forecast has three different subscription tiers, each catering to  various needs. The first offering is called "Forecast Lite," which is the most economical option and perfect for companies seeking a unified solution to manage their projects and resources. This tier is priced at £25 per user per month, with a minimum requirement of 20 users. The key features of this tier include business intelligence and integrations, which allow companies to make data-driven decisions and streamline their operations effectively.

For companies looking to improve their operational and financial efficiency, the "Pro" tier is an excellent choice. It offers advanced features such as financial portfolio reporting, retainer management, advanced project budgets, and expense management. These features give companies better control over their finances, enabling them to optimize resource allocation and ultimately achieve a better ROI.

Forecast's highest subscription tier is "Plus," designed for larger companies requiring more comprehensive features to manage their projects and resources. This tier includes custom permissions, audit logging, data migration, system integration, and single sign-on (SSO) capabilities. These features are critical for larger organizations that require enhanced security and control over their data.

It's worth noting that all three subscription tiers are billed annually, providing customers with a more predictable and straightforward pricing structure.

Jira

The Free plan of Jira allows up to 10 users and includes scrum and kanban boards, backlog, agile reporting, customizable workflows, roadmaps, apps, integrations, and file storage.

Jira's paid plans include the Standard plan, starting at $7.50 per user per month, and the Premium plan, starting at $14.50 per user per month, for up to 35,000 users. The pricing structure of Jira is that of subscription tiers based on additional users added. With Jira, there is also a flat custom enterprise plan billed annually that includes unlimited storage.

Usability Comparison

Forecast

At first glance, the Forecast layout may seem intimidating and require some adaptation. But as you delve into its features, you'll soon realize that it has everything you require and beyond.

Even though it might seem overwhelming initially, once you become comfortable with its interface and operations, you'll discover that Forecast has an abundance of tools and capabilities that can fulfill all your needs.

In reality, you'll likely find that Forecast exceeds your expectations by providing additional features and functionalities that you didn't even realize you needed. This level of precision and personalization is what sets Forecast apart as an outstanding tool.

Jira

If you have a technical and logical background, and are able to read and understand documentation, then learning how to use Jira will be easy for you. It can be a valuable tool for keeping track of multiple tasks, particularly if you have various skills and often find yourself working on many urgent tasks simultaneously. In such situations, Jira or a similar trouble-ticket system can be essential.

However, if you're a developer who dislikes documentation and finds organizational tools obstructive to coding, then using Jira may be challenging and frustrating for you.

Security Comparison

Forecast

Forecast has achieved the following security frameworks, standards or certifications:

  • PCI-DSS Level 1 Service Provider
  • GDPR Compliant
Jira

Atlassian (Jira's parent company) has achieved the following security frameworks, standards or certifications:

  • ISO/IEC 27001
  • SOC 2 Type 2

Forecast vs Resource Guru
Forecast vs ResourceGuru

Feature Comparison

Forecast

Forecast is a versatile tool that seamlessly integrates with Jira, Asana, and Trello to provide companies with a comprehensive overview of their resources and capacity. By leveraging Forecast's capabilities, users can efficiently plan and manage their team's workload, track project progress, and forecast future resource requirements, all in one centralized location. This powerful software is specifically designed to address the critical aspects of resource management, project budgeting, time tracking, and reporting, making it an indispensable asset for businesses of all sizes. Moreover, Forecast's adaptability enables it to be tailored to meet the unique needs of any organization, ensuring a personalized and optimized user experience.

Resource Guru

Resource Guru is a valuable resource management tool for businesses of all sizes and industries. It allows businesses to manage their resources, including staff, equipment, and facilities, with ease, resulting in maximum efficiency. With its capacity planning software, Resource Guru provides businesses with features such as real-time tracking of resource availability, drag-and-drop scheduling, and customizable reporting, ensuring that resources are used optimally.

Aside from its capacity planning software, Resource Guru offers a complete suite of tools designed to simplify resource allocation processes. With features like resource scheduling, resource management, leave management, project scheduling, capacity planning, and forecasting reports, assigning tasks to team members and tracking their progress in real-time is now a breeze.

Resource Guru's integration with widely used calendar apps like Outlook, Calendly, and Google Calendar, adds to its versatility, allowing for seamless scheduling across different platforms. Furthermore, the software can be integrated with thousands of other apps via Zapier, making it highly customizable to meet the unique needs of any business.

Price Comparison

Forecast

Forecast has three different subscription tiers, each catering to  various needs. The first offering is called "Forecast Lite," which is the most economical option and perfect for companies seeking a unified solution to manage their projects and resources. This tier is priced at £25 per user per month, with a minimum requirement of 20 users. The key features of this tier include business intelligence and integrations, which allow companies to make data-driven decisions and streamline their operations effectively.

For companies looking to improve their operational and financial efficiency, the "Pro" tier is an excellent choice. It offers advanced features such as financial portfolio reporting, retainer management, advanced project budgets, and expense management. These features give companies better control over their finances, enabling them to optimize resource allocation and ultimately achieve a better ROI.

Forecast's highest subscription tier is "Plus," designed for larger companies requiring more comprehensive features to manage their projects and resources. This tier includes custom permissions, audit logging, data migration, system integration, and single sign-on (SSO) capabilities. These features are critical for larger organizations that require enhanced security and control over their data.

It's worth noting that all three subscription tiers are billed annually, providing customers with a more predictable and straightforward pricing structure.

Resource Guru

Resource Guru offers three pricing plans to fit the needs of different teams. The first tier is called "Grasshopper," and it comes with unlimited resources and projects, drag-and-drop scheduling, a resource directory, a project timeline view, and personalized dashboards. At only $4 per person per month, it's perfect for small teams who want to stay organized without breaking the bank.

The second tier, "Black Belt," costs $6.65 per person per month and includes everything in the Grasshopper plan, plus reporting on utilization, billable hours, projects, clients, and support for report exports to CSV. This plan is ideal for larger teams who want to keep track of their progress and productivity.

The third and most advanced tier is called "Master," and it costs $10.00 per person per month. This plan includes all the features of the Black Belt plan, as well as SSO (single sign-on), approval workflows, and data imports. In addition, customers who choose the Master plan also get phone support from the Resource Guru team.

Usability Comparison

Forecast

At first glance, the Forecast application might seem like a lot to handle and may require some getting used to. However, upon delving deeper into its features, you'll come to realize that it has everything you could possibly need, and more.

Even though the initial experience may seem daunting, once you become accustomed to its interface and functionality, you'll discover that Forecast is packed with an abundance of tools and capabilities that can fulfill all your requirements.

In fact, you may even be pleasantly surprised to find that Forecast goes above and beyond your expectations by providing additional features and functionalities that you didn't even know you required. This level of detail and customization is precisely what sets Forecast apart as an exceptional tool.

Resource Guru

Resource Guru boasts an interface that is remarkably user-friendly. The ease of use makes visibility over the boards clear and straightforward.

Its dashboard feature assigns each staff member their own workspace, enabling them to log in with ease and determine their task assignments promptly. Moreover, the platform offers valuable insight into business performance, allowing users to generate powerful reports that aid in the identification of projects and clients that are over-serviced. The reports also enable users to monitor team utilization and assist with future capacity planning, which are critical for effective resource management.

Security Comparison

Forecast

Forecast has achieved the following security frameworks, standards or certifications:

  • PCI-DSS Level 1 Service Provider
  • GDPR Compliant
Resource Guru

Resource Guru is primarily hosted on Google Cloud Platform in the United States. This means they can rely on the security standards of Google Cloud for their user's security. Google Cloud is certified with:

  • ISO 27001
  • SSAE-16
  • SOC 1
  • SOC 2
  • SOC 3

Resource Guru vs Jira
ResourceGuru vs Jira

Feature Comparison

Resource Guru

Resource Guru is a highly beneficial resource management solution that caters to businesses of all types and sizes. This tool enables companies to effortlessly manage their resources, which include staff, equipment, and facilities, resulting in optimal efficiency. Resource Guru offers a capacity planning software that provides real-time tracking of resource availability, drag-and-drop scheduling, and customizable reporting, all aimed at ensuring that resources are used optimally.

Apart from its capacity planning software, Resource Guru provides a comprehensive set of tools that streamline resource allocation processes. With features such as resource scheduling, resource management, leave management, project scheduling, capacity planning, and forecasting reports, assigning tasks to team members and tracking their progress in real-time is now incredibly effortless.

Moreover, Resource Guru has integration capabilities with widely used calendar apps such as Outlook, Calendly, and Google Calendar, enhancing its versatility and making scheduling seamless across different platforms. Additionally, the software's integration with thousands of other apps via Zapier makes it highly customizable to meet any business's unique needs.

Jira

Jira can be a useful tool that can effectively manage a team's workload. Its interface allows for a team-by-team view, enabling team members to have a comprehensive understanding of the project's progress, including the timeline for task completion.

When it comes to capacity planning, Jira has a distinct advantage due to the vast array of third-party apps available in its marketplace. These apps, such as BigPicture, can substantially enhance the resource availability and capacity views of your Jira board, thus improving planning efficiency.

However, it's worth noting that this advantage is also a double-edged sword. If you don't have access to these third-party apps, the capacity planning offered by Jira may not be as comprehensive in terms of insights or functionality as that provided by its competitors.

Price Comparison

Resource Guru

Resource Guru provides a variety of pricing plans that cater to different team needs. The first option is the "Grasshopper" tier, which offers unlimited resources and projects, drag-and-drop scheduling, a resource directory, a project timeline view, and personalized dashboards. This tier is an excellent choice for small teams who want to maintain organization without incurring high costs, at only $4 per person per month.

The second pricing plan, "Black Belt," is available for $6.65 per person per month and encompasses all the features of the Grasshopper plan. Additionally, this plan includes reporting on utilization, billable hours, projects, clients, and support for report exports to CSV. This option is perfect for larger teams who need to track their progress and productivity effectively.

The most advanced pricing plan, "Master," is available for $10.00 per person per month. This plan encompasses all the features of the Black Belt plan, as well as single sign-on (SSO), approval workflows, and data imports. Furthermore, customers who choose the Master plan receive phone support from the Resource Guru team. This plan is recommended for large teams with complex workflows.

Jira

The Free plan of Jira allows up to 10 users and includes scrum and kanban boards, backlog, agile reporting, customizable workflows, roadmaps, apps, integrations, and file storage.

Jira's paid plans include the Standard plan, starting at $7.50 per user per month, and the Premium plan, starting at $14.50 per user per month, for up to 35,000 users. The pricing structure of Jira is that of subscription tiers based on additional users added. With Jira, there is also a flat custom enterprise plan billed annually that includes unlimited storage.

Usability Comparison

Resource Guru

Resource Guru has created an interface that is exceptionally intuitive for users. This simplicity makes it easy to get a clear and straightforward overview of the various boards.

The dashboard feature is particularly noteworthy, as it assigns each team member their own workspace. This enables them to log in with ease and promptly determine their assigned tasks. Furthermore, the platform provides valuable insights into business performance. Users can generate powerful reports that help identify projects and clients that are being over-serviced. These reports also allow users to monitor team utilization and assist with future capacity planning, which is crucial for effective resource management.

Jira

If you have a technical and logical background, and are able to read and understand documentation, then learning how to use Jira will be easy for you. It can be a valuable tool for keeping track of multiple tasks, particularly if you have various skills and often find yourself working on many urgent tasks simultaneously. In such situations, Jira or a similar trouble-ticket system can be essential.

However, if you're a developer who dislikes documentation and finds organizational tools obstructive to coding, then using Jira may be challenging and frustrating for you.

Security Comparison

Resource Guru

Resource Guru is primarily hosted on Google Cloud Platform in the United States. This means they can rely on the security standards of Google Cloud for their user's security. Google Cloud is certified with:

  • ISO 27001
  • SSAE-16
  • SOC 1
  • SOC 2
  • SOC 3
Jira

Atlassian (Jira's parent company) has achieved the following security frameworks, standards or certifications:

  • ISO/IEC 27001
  • SOC 2 Type 2

Conclusion

In conclusion, capacity planning is a critical component of successful business operations. Choosing the right capacity planning tool is equally important, as it can help your team achieve greater accuracy in forecasting, identify potential bottlenecks, and improve overall operational efficiency. By carefully considering your team's specific needs and selecting a tool with the right features and capabilities, you can ensure that your team has the resources it needs to meet the demands of your business.

You should also know that GoRetro’s powerful AI platform provides a comprehensive end-to-end solution for capacity planning. This cutting-edge technology empowers companies to have an in-depth understanding of their current requirements while also predicting future demand. By utilizing Agile forecasting and intuitive analytics, GoRetro provides a clear view of forthcoming trends and changes, thus enabling teams to make informed decisions more efficiently.

About the author

Ruth Hadari
Agile Advocate, Engineering Ops Expert

Highly experienced in leading multi-organizational teams, groups, in-shore as well as off-shore. The go-to person who is able to simplify the complex. An agile advocate, experienced in all common methodologies. Responsible for the entire software development lifecycle process from development, QA, DevOps, Automation to delivery including overall planning, direction, coordination, execution, implementation, control and completion. Drives execution, and communicates on status, risks, metrics, risk-mitigation and processes across R&D.

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