Awesome Forecast

Awesome Forecast is an Excel-based forecasting system for finance professionals who need cash, profit and loss, and balance sheet projections in one linked model. It is particularly suited to accountants, finance directors, advisers, and transaction teams comfortable working in Microsoft Office. The decisive question is whether your organisation wants that spreadsheet-based depth and can accept Windows-only operation.

Overview

Awesome Forecast builds forecasts in Microsoft Excel using double-entry bookkeeping, with the model designed to balance. Rather than presenting cash as an isolated dashboard, it connects cash flow projections to profit and loss and balance sheet forecasts. That makes it a serious planning tool for businesses that need financial statements to move together.

The software is aimed at company accountants, finance directors, business sellers, accounting firms, banks, and management-buyout or private-equity users. Its Surrey-based maker, Awesome Forecast Limited, also provides access to a qualified Chartered Accountant through email, telephone, and video call. That level of support is more relevant to users building or reviewing formal financial models than to someone seeking a lightweight personal cash tracker.

Key features

Forecasts can run for up to five years, or 60 months, while daily and 13-week cash flow views address short-term liquidity management. The combination is useful when a finance team needs both a long-range plan and a detailed view of upcoming receipts and payments.

Users can customise the chart of accounts, account codes, and reporting structure. This flexibility should help organisations preserve an established finance structure instead of forcing every forecast into a fixed template. Scenario analysis supports comparing possible outcomes, while budgets, year-to-date actuals, and rolling year-end estimates connect forward planning with current performance. Daily cash flow drilldown adds more granularity when a short-term variance needs investigation.

Tutorials cover importing data into a forecast, exporting forecasts, and linking to another data file. Those workflows are valuable for teams already managing source data in spreadsheets. They also underline the product's central trade-off: Awesome Forecast extends Excel rather than replacing it with a standalone browser application.

Pricing

A free 14-day trial is available without entering bank details. Paid plans are billed annually:

• Single License — £250.00 per year: one user and one licence. It is the entry point for an individual accountant or adviser, but it does not provide the unlimited-user or unlimited-forecast allowance of the Full plan.
• Unlimited Email/Telephone Support Package — £250.00 per year: unlimited email and telephone support. This is a support add-on rather than a broader forecasting licence, so it makes most sense where an existing licence holder needs ongoing assistance.
• Full – Unlimited — £675.00 per year: unlimited users, unlimited forecasts in any currency, forecasts up to five years, daily and 13-week forecasts, and scenario analysis. A support package is available for an additional £250. This is the strongest fit for finance teams, accounting practices, and organisations producing multiple forecasts.
• Full Set Up Service — £900.00 per year: the full unlimited version plus forecast setup by a qualified accountant and entry of previous years' history. The extra cost is justified for organisations that want professional model preparation rather than handling the initial build themselves.

Every listed paid option is annual, so buyers should budget for a yearly commitment rather than a monthly subscription. The free trial is the practical way to confirm that the Excel workflow and model structure suit the intended team before paying.

Platforms

Awesome Forecast runs with Microsoft Excel and requires Microsoft Office to be installed. It supports 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems, but it will not run on an iMac. In practice, Windows users with Office are the intended audience; Mac users and teams seeking a browser-first service should look elsewhere.

Who it's for

This is a strong match for accountants, finance directors, accounting firms, banks, business sellers, and MBO or private-equity users who need custom account structures, balanced statements, and scenario-based planning. It is less suitable for organisations standardised on macOS, or for users who want a simple web or mobile cash dashboard without Excel dependencies.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Linked financial statements: double-entry modelling connects cash flow, profit and loss, and balance sheet forecasts in a balancing structure.
• Broad planning horizon: forecasts up to five years support strategic planning while daily and 13-week views handle near-term cash control.
• Adaptable modelling: custom chart of accounts, account codes, and reporting structures can reflect an organisation's existing approach.
• Professional support option: qualified Chartered Accountant assistance is available by email, telephone, and video call, with a separate unlimited support package.

Cons

• Windows and Office dependency: Microsoft Office is required and iMacs are unsupported, excluding some teams before features are considered.
• Annual pricing: the paid plans are billed per annum, which is less flexible for buyers wanting a monthly commitment.
• Setup cost: professional setup and historical data entry require the £900 Full Set Up Service, while the £250 single licence is limited to one user.

Alternatives

Cash Forecasting Software is the broader category list for comparing other forecasting products. Dibein is worth choosing when a freemium, API- or web-based service with a free rolling 13-week forecast and up to two seats is preferable. Predict.ai suits buyers seeking a freemium platform available through API, self-hosting, or the web, with a permanent free tier.

Cashflow CaFE is an alternative for Android, iOS, and web users who want a paid product with a free trial. Kyriba is a paid, multi-platform treasury option sold on custom pricing. Agicap offers a paid annual subscription with a minimum 12-month term and a free trial across Android, iOS, API, and web.

Calxa is a web alternative with a free trial and monthly plans starting at $18.00 for one organisation and unlimited users. CashAnalytics uses custom pricing with a demo and quotation process. Nomentia Cash Flow Forecasting is another paid web-based option.

Verdict

Choose Awesome Forecast if you need a customisable, double-entry Excel model that links long-range financial statements with detailed daily and 13-week cash planning. Its main reason to avoid is equally clear: organisations without Windows and Microsoft Office, especially iMac users or teams demanding a browser-native workflow, will be better served by another platform.