Limelight vs. Datarails
Don’t settle for Excel 2.0
Growing finance teams need more than an Excel add-on. Limelight delivers modern FP&A with best-in-class UX, automation, and finance-owned models.
Trusted by the Best Teams, Like Yours
Allows considerable flexibility to drill down.
Very user-friendly and similar to Excel, our team felt comfortable using Limelight right away.

Drew Knight
CFO - MEDICINAL GENOMICS

I frankly always feel skittish when I approach Excel.
I have to double and triple-check what I am doing. But when I am in Limelight, I have far more confidence in what I am doing. I just do it once and I know that it's right.

BEN DANIEL
Director of Financial Planning and Analysis - CS

Gives Us Power to Make Smarter Decisions
With Limelight, we now can forecast 18 months in the future. The platform has saved us over $400,000 by correcting broken formulas we were previously unaware of and eliminating hundreds of hours on manually collecting, consolidating, and reviewing spreadsheets.

Chris Parriott
BI Specialist at GSW Manufacturing - GSW

Limelight has been a game-changer for our budgeting process.
We used to spend 3 months wrangling spreadsheets, but now we complete our budget in just under a month. That's a 66% reduction in time - a huge win for our team.

Arlene Barbieri
Corporate Controller - MEDICINAL GENOMICS

Trusted By CFOs and Leading Finance Teams




What Choosing Limelight Can Help You Achieve
98%
Time Savings Per Report
$400,000
Cost Savings
18-Month
Forecasting Capability
Limelight vs. Datarails: Which One Is Right for You?
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User Experience |
Beautiful, modern, easy-to-use interface
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Built on Excel, limited by spreadsheet constraints
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Implementation |
Fast & seamless – deploy in weeks
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Complex & time-consuming – relies on Excel add-ins
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Excel Dependency |
Everything you love about Excel without the limitations
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Fully dependent on Excel’s constraints
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Multi-Dimensional Modeling |
No-code modeling, built for finance
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Limited customization – constrained by Excel functions
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Collaboration & Reporting |
Built-in workflows, dynamic, role-based access, automated insights
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Basic reporting with limited drill-down capabilities and static reports
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Connect your entire finance tech stack seamlessly
Limelight offers real-time ERP integration and Power BI connectivity, ensuring finance teams work with live data—without manual updates.

With Limelight You Get the Ease of Excel and So Much More
Dynamic Planning & Forecasting
With real-time data syncing, your budgets and forecasts always reflect the latest numbers. Easily build and adjust models using driver-based forecasting, rolling updates, and scenario planning—all in one place, without manual work.
Real-time Reporting
Unlike spreadsheets, Limelight pulls real-time data from your ERP, so everything stays current. Instantly drill down from top-level KPIs to detailed transactions or sub-ledgers—all in just a few clicks. No manual updates. No version chaos. Just fast, accurate insights when you need them.
Interactive Dashboards
See all your KPIs, charts, graphs, reports, and quick links in one place with real-time dashboards—everything you need, always up to date and easy to explore.
Multi-Dimensional Modeling
Excel wasn’t built for modern financial modeling—Limelight was. Easily build and adjust financial models, create parent-child relationships, and set business rules in just a few clicks.

Trusted by the Best Teams, Like Yours


Allows considerable flexibility to drill down.
Very user-friendly and similar to Excel, our team felt comfortable using Limelight right away.
Drew Knight
CFO - MEDICINAL GENOMICS




I frankly always feel skittish when I approach Excel.
I have to double and triple-check what I am doing. But when I am in Limelight, I have far more confidence in what I am doing. I just do it once and I know that it's right.
BEN DANIEL
Director of Financial Planning and Analysis - CS




Gives Us Power to Make Smarter Decisions
With Limelight, we now can forecast 18 months in the future. The platform has saved us over $400,000 by correcting broken formulas we were previously unaware of and eliminating hundreds of hours on manually collecting, consolidating, and reviewing spreadsheets.
Chris Parriott
BI Specialist at GSW Manufacturing - GSW




Limelight has been a game-changer for our budgeting process.
We used to spend 3 months wrangling spreadsheets, but now we complete our budget in just under a month. That's a 66% reduction in time - a huge win for our team.
Arlene Barbieri
Corporate Controller - MEDICINAL GENOMICS


With Limelight You Get the Ease of Excel and So Much More
Innovative Version Control
Unlike Vena's Excel-based versioning, Limelight's sheet-by-sheet version control tracks every change automatically. No more emailing spreadsheets or wondering which version is current. One central platform, complete audit trail, zero version conflicts.
Customizable Dashboards
Move beyond Vena's basic Excel views with interactive dashboards built for modern FP&A. Create role-specific views, add custom widgets, and set granular access controls. Every team gets exactly what they need, when they need it.
Advanced Financial Modeling
While Vena constrains you to Excel's modeling limits, Limelight's modeling engine handles complex scenarios effortlessly. Build parent-child hierarchies, create sophisticated business rules, and modify models on the fly – all without touching a spreadsheet.
Detailed Analytics
Excel's basic drill-downs can't match Limelight's analytical power. Instantly dive from top-level metrics to transaction details, explore sub-ledgers, and uncover insights across your entire financial dataset – all in real time.
Real-Time Data Orchestration
Leave Vena's manual data updates behind. Limelight synchronizes data automatically across all your systems, from ERPs to CRMs. Every number is current, every insight is fresh, and every decision is based on real-time data.
Trusted by the Best Teams, Like Yours
Trusted by the Best Teams, Like Yours


Right Choice for Our Team!
We were able to create forecasts and new metric reports that better guide our business decisions.
Megan Koren
VP of Finance




Adds Tremendous Value for Us
Users find it easier to adopt the system and we now have a centralized place for budgets, expenses and reports.
Benny Chan
Senior Project Manager




Time Savings
Successfully written 30+ reports for 100+ users. With the time saved we can now leverage the time for other business endeavours.
Noel Bernens
Director of FP&A




Everything in One Place
Limelight lets us put everything in one place. We can get our budgets and reports done much faster now.
Jane Murphy
VP of Finance & Admin




Allows considerable flexibility to drill down.
Very user-friendly and similar to Excel, our team felt comfortable using Limelight right away.
Drew Knight
CFO - MEDICINAL GENOMICS


Frequently Asked Questions
Our platform connects seamlessly with your ERP, CRM, and financial software through real-time data syncing. Setting up these connections is straightforward, ensuring your data flows automatically between systems without manual intervention. This keeps your information accurate and your teams efficient.
If your team knows Excel, they'll feel right at home with Limelight. We've designed our interface to feel familiar while adding powerful new capabilities. You'll find the same modeling tools you're used to, plus customizable dashboards that make your data more accessible and actionable. Teams typically start working productively from day one.
You have complete control over how your reports and dashboards look and work. Create the exact layouts you need, choose your key metrics, and design visualizations that tell your story. As your business needs change, you can easily adjust your reports and business rules to match. From basic templates to complex configurations, you decide what works best for your team.
Implementation varies based on your organization's needs, but most teams are up and running within a few weeks. We guide you through each step, from initial setup through to daily operations, making sure you have everything you need to succeed with the platform.
You're never alone in your Limelight journey. Our support team is ready to help whenever you need assistance, with quick responses to keep your work moving forward. We also provide comprehensive training resources to help your team master the platform and get the most value from its features.