In finance, the hard part isn’t actually the math.
It’s aligning cross-functional teams.
Most finance teams still lose up to 40% of their time to manual work: gathering actuals, cleaning spreadsheets, and hunting for version control, because their tools weren’t designed for the speed and messiness of modern planning.
This guide compares three different FP&A tools—Runway vs Liveflow vs Datarails—so you can match each one to the kind of planning problem you actually have.
Each one represents a different philosophy: a full modeling surface (Runway), a GL-to-spreadsheet sync layer (Liveflow), and an Excel-first consolidation and reporting platform (Datarails). Which one works best depends less on your size and more on who owns the model, and how often you need to change it.
What modern FP&A tools actually do
It’s easy to say they “replace spreadsheets” because they actually do. But the best platforms go further:
- They automate actuals, so your model updates as the business does.
- They make scenario planning real-time, so you don’t have to rebuild the file each time a plan changes.
- They give a model owner a single surface to ask "what if?" questions without duplicating files or rebuilding logic.
- They help teams collaborate, not just coordinate.
- They expose assumptions and decisions, not just outputs.
- They make forecasting continuous, not quarterly.
Three tools, three philosophies
- Runway is best for teams who need flexible, scenario-heavy planning, fast answers to "what if?" questions, and broad engagement from non-finance stakeholders. It’s designed for real-time planning and collaboration, with a modern, intuitive interface.
- Liveflow works well for teams whose planning already lives in Google Sheets and mainly need to sync GL data (like QuickBooks/Xero) into spreadsheets. It’s a lightweight pipeline, not a new modeling surface.
- Datarails supports finance teams that want to stay in Excel while centralizing data, consolidations, and reporting behind the scenes.
Feature-by-feature comparison
1. Data integration
Runway connects with over 750+ tools, such as ERPs, CRMs, HRIS tools, and your data warehouse, with real-time updates that let you model directly from data sources. Forecasts update as actuals flow in.
Liveflow is focused exclusively on QuickBooks/Xero to Google Sheets syncing. It’s fast for simple setups, but doesn’t handle multi-system models or cross-functional data flows on its own.
Datarails supports flexible data integrations, and offers sync options as frequent as hourly. It centralizes data in a cloud database, but linking spreadsheets back into that model requires learning Datarails-specific formula syntax.
2. Modeling and scenario planning
Runway gives you a clean, intuitive modeling environment that’s designed to be understood by finance, product, ops, and execs. Change a driver, and your entire model updates instantly. You can also create base, upside, and downside scenarios without rebuilding anything. It’s built so a finance owner can maintain a structured, multi-entity model without relying on IT or vendor consultants.
Liveflow relies on Sheets for modeling, which is fine for simple setups, but quickly fragile. You’re still doing all modeling in Sheets; Liveflow doesn’t add a governed modeling layer, so complex scenarios tend to become many parallel versions of the same file.
Datarails lets you use existing Excel models, which can be powerful for teams with complex logic, but as the model grows, maintaining sprawling workbooks and teaching others how to change them becomes a real cost.
3. Reporting and Dashboards
Runway builds reporting into the core workflow. Dashboards update in real time. Reports are built for teams, not just finance.
Liveflow works well for spreadsheet-native reports. It integrates with Google Data Studio for visuals, but most reports live in raw Sheets.
Datarails offers native, drag-and-drop dashboards. It’s customizable, but often requires technical setup to get it right.
4. Collaboration and workflow
Runway is built for collaboration, with human-readable formulas (in plain English), role-based views, approval flows, full audit trails, and automated version history.
Liveflow offers basic comments, but collaboration still happens in Sheets and email.
Datarails supports versioning and permissions inside Excel, but workflow features feel bolted-on or secondary.
5. User experience
Runway is designed to feel like modern software. The learning curve is relatively gentle, even for non-finance users. Most teams are building live forecasts within weeks. Teams are building live forecasts within weeks, without external consultants.
Liveflow is instantly usable for spreadsheet pros, but the interface becomes brittle as complexity grows.
Datarails feels familiar to Excel power users, but harder for the rest of the company to engage with.
Pros and tradeoffs
Runway
✅ Real-time forecasting
✅ Modern interface
✅ Designed for collaboration
✅ Fast setup
➖ Newer platform (not legacy enterprise)
➖ Works best with one or more model owners (people who understand the business, and can keep the model structured). It’s not plug-and-play, but doesn’t require consultants either.
Liveflow
✅ Familiar interface (Google Sheets)
✅ Low cost
➖ Limited modeling tools
➖ Doesn’t scale well for complex needs
➖ Best when success is "get GL data into Sheets quickly," not when you need a shared FP&A modeling surface
Datarails
✅ Strong Excel compatibility
✅ Flexible integration options and sync schedules
➖ Requires learning a proprietary formula syntax
➖ Higher maintenance
➖ Slower decision loops for cross-functional collaboration
Who should use what
- If most of your planning already happens in Google Sheets and your main pain is pulling accounting data in reliably, Liveflow is fast to set up and affordable.
- If you already have a working model and need modern workflows that can adapt to change, with finance owning the logic and stakeholders engaging directly in scenarios, Runway is the best fit, even as complexity grows.
- If you’re deeply embedded in Excel and prefer to stay there for the foreseeable future, Datarails is a solid option, especially for finance-led processes that don’t need broad, real-time collaboration.
Frequently asked questions
Does Runway replace spreadsheets completely, or can we still use Excel/Sheets?
Runway works as your primary planning surface. You don't have to abandon spreadsheets entirely. Teams often keep lightweight Excel or Sheets files for ad-hoc analysis. Runway acts as the source of truth for forecasts and reporting.
How should I think about Liveflow vs Datarails if we’re “all-in” on spreadsheets?
If you love spreadsheets, Liveflow serves as a Google Sheets add-on. It pipes GL data like QuickBooks directly into Sheets and provides reporting templates. Datarails functions as an Excel-native FP&A platform. It centralizes data from over 200 systems while letting you work inside Excel. It adds automation and AI-driven insights to your existing workflow.
Which tool is better for multi-entity consolidation and more complex structures?
Liveflow streamlines reporting for a few entities if you need to pull accounting data into Sheets. It isn't built as a full consolidation engine. Datarails focuses on automated consolidation and multi-entity reporting within Excel. Runway handles multi-entity scenarios by integrating underlying systems like ERP, CRM, and HRIS to model everything centrally.
What does onboarding and training look like across Runway, Liveflow, and Datarails?
- Runway emphasizes a modern user experience with guided onboarding. Cross-functional teams get to a live forecast quickly without consulting.
- Liveflow offers a lightweight path. You install the Sheets add-on, connect your QuickBooks companies, and learn the reporting workflows.
- Datarails uses a hands-on implementation with a customer success team. They work closely with finance to wire up Excel models and integrations.
Why Runway is different
Most FP&A tools fall into two camps. They either make you work inside rigid templates built for a different business, or they let you build anything, and leave you on your own.
Liveflow and Datarails sit closer to that second camp: spreadsheet-first, with more plumbing and controls, but still dependent on the underlying files.
Runway does something else: it gives you a structured surface to plan, model, and report, but it adapts to the way your business actually works.
- You don’t have to rebuild models every time leadership changes direction.
- You don’t have to teach the sales team how to read a spreadsheet.
- You don’t need to ask a consultant to update your headcount plan.
You make a change, and everything updates instantly: assumptions, charts, runway, everything.
Real companies are already working this way
At Superhuman, the finance team used to spend days just prepping scenarios for leadership. Now, they’re modeling outcomes 50–100x faster — and spending more time analyzing decisions, not formatting decks.
At Rootly, board reporting used to take a full week. Now it takes 10 minutes. They don’t rebuild anything — they just pull up Runway. Instead of chasing stale numbers, they’re running live reviews with sales and ops, directly in the model.
If you're building a company where decisions are made fast (and made together), Runway is the platform that lets finance lead without slowing anyone down.
Book a demo to see it in action.