# Clockwork vs Fathom: 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; zero named Fathom. Page: https://finance-ai-index.com/planning/fpa-platforms/clockwork-vs-fathom/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clockwork | 15% | #3 of 16 | 0% | 13 | 10 of 12 |
| Fathom | 10% | #5 of 16 | 0% | 10 | 10 of 12 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither named (first choices: Planful) (alternatives: Pigment, Prophix, Vena)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither named (first choices: Planful, Vena) (alternatives: Cube, Datarails)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither named (first choices: Drivetrain) (alternatives: Bob Finance, Cube, Planful)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither named (first choices: Planful) (alternatives: Aleph, Centage, Pigment, Prophix, Vena)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither named (first choices: Cube, Vena) (alternatives: Datarails, Pigment)
- 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)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither named (first choices: Pigment) (alternatives: Aleph, Centage, Cube, Datarails, Planful, Prophix, Vena, 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 Fathom

- "Fathom (cheapest) or Clockwork (best overall for forecasting + AI) are your strongest picks" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, budget prompt, first choice)
- "Fathom – Best Value for Money ... Fathom is the most cost-effective professional solution" (Kimi K2, budget prompt, first choice)

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.