Limelight vs. Vena
Don’t Replace Excel with… Excel. Upgrade to Modern FP&A with Limelight
Vena is just Excel with extra steps. Limelight delivers seamless integration, multi-dimensional modeling, and dynamic planning—without the limitations of spreadsheets.
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
10%
Profitability Growth
18-Month
Forecasting Capability
See Why Teams
Choose Limelight Over Vena
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|
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---|---|---|
User Experience |
Modern, user-friendly, and intuitive
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Clunky Excel add-in, multiple interfaces
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Implementation |
Fast & seamless - deploy in weeks
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Slow & complex - takes months
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Excel Dependency |
Everything you love about Excel without the constraints
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100% dependent on Excel
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Modeling |
Multi-dimensional models, roll-ups, and hierarchies built by finance teams
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Requires IT support and Excel workarounds
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Maintenance & Support |
Minimal upkeep, built-in automation
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High maintenance, ongoing support required
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Sync Limelight with Your Current Tech Stack
Limelight offers real-time ERP integration and Power BI connectivity, ensuring finance teams work with live data—without manual updates.

Why Finance Teams Choose Limelight?
Excel is familiar, but it wasn’t built for modern FP&A. Limelight gives you the flexibility of spreadsheets with the power of automation, collaboration, and real-time insights—all in a platform designed to scale with your business.
Budget 3X Faster
Limelight streamlines your entire planning and forecasting process—no more version control issues, broken formulas, or hours lost to manual consolidation. Build and adjust budgets in real-time with driver-based forecasting, rolling forecasts, and what-if scenario modeling that help you stay agile and ahead of change.
Report from Summary to Detail
No more waiting for updated reports or chasing down files. Limelight connects directly to your ERP, giving you live access to your financial data. Instantly drill from high-level KPIs to transaction-level details in just a few clicks. You always have the latest numbers, so decisions happen faster—with confidence.
Real-time Dashboards
Finance teams shouldn’t have to dig for data. Limelight’s customizable dashboards give your team and stakeholders clear, visual access to key metrics, charts, and reports. Set up role-based views so everyone sees what they need—nothing more, nothing less. It’s financial visibility, simplified.
Plan Across Any Dimension
Limelight was built for finance, not as an Excel add-on. Unlike Vena, our multi-dimensional modeling engine lets your team create flexible, scalable models—define parent-child hierarchies, apply business rules, and manage your structures with ease.

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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Limelight integrates seamlessly with various systems and data sources, including ERP, CRM, and other financial software. We support real-time data sync and allow for easy configuration to ensure that your data flows smoothly between systems, helping you maintain accuracy and efficiency.
Limelight’s interface is designed with user-friendliness in mind, particularly for teams familiar with Excel. We’ve built it to mirror the Excel-like functionality you’re used to, making the transition smooth and straightforward. Our interface features customizable dashboards, drag-and-drop functionalities, and familiar modeling tools so your team can hit the ground running without a steep learning curve.
Limelight excels in customization and flexibility. You can tailor reports and dashboards to fit your needs, with full control over the layout, metrics, and visualizations. Our platform allows for dynamic adjustments and rule creation so you can adapt to changing business requirements and reporting standards. Whether you need standard templates or complex configurations, Limelight supports it all.
The implementation time for Limelight varies depending on the complexity of the organization’s requirements. On average, you can expect to be up and running within a few weeks. Our dedicated implementation team will guide you through each step, from initial setup to full operational readiness, ensuring a smooth transition.
We pride ourselves on offering comprehensive customer support and training resources. Our support team is available to assist with any issues or questions you may have, providing timely and effective solutions. Additionally, we offer a range of training materials, including live webinars, video tutorials, and user guides, to help your team get the most out of Limelight.
Don't settle for Excel 2.0. Upgrade to an FP&A platform built for the future.
See Why Companies Choose Limelight over Vena.