# Vena vs Clockwork: which do AI models recommend for FP&A platforms, October 2026

Finance AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, FP&A platforms. Four of fourteen models named Vena first on the direct prompt; zero named Clockwork. Page: https://finance-ai-index.com/planning/fpa-platforms/vena-vs-clockwork/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vena | 13% | #3 of 18 | 20% | 60 | 14 of 14 |
| Clockwork | 4% | #8 of 18 | 0% | 10 | 8 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Gemini 3.5 Flash: vena first (first choices: Vena) (alternatives: Aleph, Bob Finance, Cube, Pigment, Planful)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: vena first (first choices: Vena) (alternatives: Centage, Cube, Datarails, Planful)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: vena first (first choices: Vena) (alternatives: Aleph, Cube, Planful)
- MiniMax M2.5: vena first (first choices: Vena) (alternatives: Drivetrain, Parse)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither first, one named (first choices: Planful) (alternatives: Pigment, Vena)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither first, one named (first choices: Abacum, Planful) (alternatives: Vena, Workday Adaptive Planning)
- Mistral Small: neither first, one named (first choices: Centage) (alternatives: Abacum, Drivetrain, Planful, Prophix, Vena)
- Kimi K2: neither first, one named (first choices: Cube) (alternatives: Aleph, Datarails, Drivetrain, Jirav, Vena)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither first, one named (first choices: Abacum, Drivetrain) (alternatives: Cube, Vena)
- GPT-6 Luna: neither first, one named (first choices: Abacum) (alternatives: Planful, Vena)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: neither first, one named (first choices: Pigment) (alternatives: Abacum, Aleph, Centage, Cube, Datarails, Planful, Vena)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither named (first choices: Aleph, Cube) (alternatives: Pigment, Prophix, Workday Adaptive Planning)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: neither named (first choices: Datarails, Drivetrain) (alternatives: Cube, Jirav, Planful, Prophix, Workday Adaptive Planning)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named

## What the models said about Vena

- "Strong negative quotes (e.g., "would rather eat a bullet than use it again"); 16-58% negative labels" (Grok 4.1 Fast, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "Options to Avoid on a Limited Budget ... Vena — Median contract ~$34,000/year" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, budget prompt, hard negative)
- "#1 in G2 Mid-Market Grid for Budgeting/Forecasting & Financial Analysis (Summer 2024)... For comprehensive planning: Vena or Planful (top G2 mid-market leaders)." (Grok 4.1 Fast, direct prompt, first choice)
- "Best For: Mid-market companies ($50M–$500M+ revenue) that are deeply committed to Excel and need enterprise-grade security and workflows." (Gemini 3.5 Flash, direct prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Clockwork

- "Clockwork is the best FP&A software in 2026 — it delivers forecasting, scenario planning, and an AI analyst at transparent SMB pricing" (Muse Glimmer 30B, budget prompt, first choice)
- "starting with one of the lower-priced options like Fathom or Clockwork is a practical choice" (Mistral Small, budget prompt, first choice)
- "consider alternative FP&A software tools that are more suitable for small businesses, such as Clockwork, LiveFlow, and Jirav." (Llama 4 Maverick, negative prompt, alternative)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.