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

Finance AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition, FP&A platforms. Zero of twelve models named Clockwork first on the direct prompt; one named Cube. Page: https://finance-ai-index.com/planning/fpa-platforms/clockwork-vs-cube/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clockwork | 15% | #3 of 16 | 0% | 13 | 10 of 12 |
| Cube | 8% | #6 of 16 | 8% | 37 | 12 of 12 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

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

## What the models said about Clockwork

- "Clockwork is the best FP&A software for a limited budget due to its balance of features, ease of use, and transparent pricing" (Mistral Small, budget prompt, first choice)
- "Clockwork is highlighted as a leading option that delivers forecasting, scenario planning, and an AI analyst from $149/month" (Claude Haiku 4.5, budget prompt, first choice)
- "The best FP&A software for a company with a limited budget is Clockwork, which is a strong overall option" (Llama 4 Maverick, budget prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Cube

- "Avoid pricier ones like Jirav (~$10K/year), Cube/Datarails ($1K+/month)" (Grok 4.1 Fast, budget prompt, hard negative)
- "you quickly hit "guardrails"... still prone to broken formulas, version-control friction, and performance lag" (Gemini 3.5 Flash, negative prompt, soft negative)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all twelve 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.