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.

See Limelight in Action  ->

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

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

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

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

Arlene Barbieri

Corporate Controller - MEDICINAL GENOMICS

Trusted By CFOs and Leading Finance Teams

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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
Built on Excel, limited by spreadsheet constraints

Implementation

Fast & seamless – deploy in weeks
Complex & time-consuming – relies on Excel add-ins

Excel Dependency

Everything you love about Excel without the limitations
Fully dependent on Excel’s constraints

Multi-Dimensional Modeling

No-code modeling, built for finance
Limited customization – constrained by Excel functions

Collaboration & Reporting

Built-in workflows, dynamic, role-based access, automated insights
Basic reporting with limited drill-down capabilities and static reports
User Experience

Beautiful, modern, easy-to-use interface

Built on Excel, limited by spreadsheet constraints

Implementation

Fast & seamless – deploy in weeks

Complex & time-consuming – relies on Excel add-ins

Excel Dependency

Everything you love about Excel without the limitations

Fully dependent on Excel’s constraints

Multi-Dimensional Modeling

No-code modeling, built for finance

Limited customization – constrained by Excel functions

Collaboration & Reporting

Built-in workflows, dynamic, role-based access, automated insights

Basic reporting with limited drill-down capabilities and static reports

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.

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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

Interactive Dashboards

Multi-Dimensional Modeling

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Trusted by the Best Teams, Like Yours

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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

Company
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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

Company
Avatar
Avatar

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

Company
Avatar
Avatar

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

Company
Avatar

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.

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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.

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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.

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Trusted by the Best Teams, Like Yours

Trusted by the Best Teams, Like Yours

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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

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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

Company
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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

Company
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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

Company
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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

Company
Avatar

Frequently Asked Questions

How well does Limelight integrate with other systems and data sources?

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.

Is the user interface intuitive, especially for teams moving from Excel?

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.

What level of customization does Limelight offer for reports and dashboards?

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.

How long does it take to implement Limelight?

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.

What kind of customer support and training does Limelight provide?

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.

See Why Companies Choose Limelight over Datarails!