4PLAN HR

Demo 4PLAN HR for staff cost plans, but check the edition

A named customer reports closer plans, and your team makes changes

• 4PLAN HR does not predict or flag anything about a named employee. In the EU, GDPR treats predicting a named employee's performance as profiling. If you have EU staff, ask Software4You to confirm in writing that 4PLAN HR predicts nothing about named employees.
• Westfalen Weser Netz used 4PLAN HR to plan job cuts before it knew which jobs they would hit. Westfalen Weser Netz, a utility with about 1,100 staff, reports a significantly smaller gap between planned and actual staff costs. Ask Software4You for a customer you can call.
• Software4You says its aim during setup is that your team can make later changes on its own. An admin tool lets your team change formulas, permissions and roles without IT skills. Ask Software4You to show the admin tool in your demo.

4PLAN HR is for large firms, and LIGHT is for smaller ones

• Software4You sells 4PLAN HR to large firms and groups of firms from about 500 employees. It sells a smaller edition, 4PLAN HR LIGHT, for about 80 to 500 employees.
• For a quick one-off report, a helper called 4PLAN Buddy turns a typed question into a search of your data.

LIGHT plans budgets only, and 4PLAN HR names no outside data source

• LIGHT, the smaller edition, plans a headcount budget, not a strategic workforce plan. Software4You says customers who need more than LIGHT's template can discuss an upgrade to 4PLAN HR. If you need a workforce plan, check that your quote names 4PLAN HR.
• Software4You names no outside labour-market, pay or skills data source for 4PLAN HR. If you want to compare your pay or staffing with the market, plan for a separate market data source.
• If you have a works council in Germany, you must inform and consult the works council on personnel planning. Software4You's pages do not mention works councils. Build the works council consultation into your rollout plan.
• Since 2025, Software4You has been part of the Nordic Timegrip Group. Software4You says its name, management and sales and consulting contacts stay the same. A change of owner is one more reason to fix price and exit terms in your contract.

Get a written quote, because only LIGHT has a published price

Without a written quote, you cannot compare 4PLAN HR with a tool that has a list price. Dayforce, for example, lists its planning tool at $54.00 per employee per year, plus the Dayforce Platform.

LIGHT costs from €349 a month for one user, before VAT. Two days of onboarding with training are added to LIGHT's price.

Software4You publishes no contract term or notice period for either edition. It publishes nothing on how you get your planning data back when a contract ends. Until you ask, you cannot tell how long you are tied in or what leaving involves.

What to ask Software4You before you sign

1. What would 4PLAN HR cost us, since you only quote it on request? Good answer: a written quote scaled to our headcount, with the one-time implementation project priced on its own.
2. Will our implementation finish in 2 to 3 months, or take longer? Good answer: a dated project plan in writing, not just "typically 2 to 3 months."
3. How will you help us inform and consult a works council before we start? Good answer: a named process and a named contact for that step, in writing.
4. If we leave, what data do we get back, in what format and by when? Good answer: a written export format and a deadline, added to our contract.
5. What minimum term and notice period will you put in our agreement? Good answer: a stated length and notice period, not left open.
6. At our headcount, would you quote us 4PLAN HR LIGHT or the full 4PLAN HR, and why? Good answer: a reason tied to what each edition plans, not just our headcount.
7. Which of our HR, payroll and finance systems will 4PLAN HR read from the start? Which need custom work first? Good answer: a named list for each system, not a general "yes, we connect to that."
8. Now that you are part of the Nordic Timegrip Group, will our contract, consultants and support contact stay the same? Good answer: a written commitment naming the people and terms that do not change.

Alternatives to 4PLAN HR

Alternatives to 4PLAN HR include Nakisa, Crunchr, Neobrain and a spreadsheet model.

Nakisa sells a fixed planning method for large organisations, from assessment to scenarios. Nakisa's assessment covers headcount, staff costs, skills, workforce mix and org structure. Nakisa's scenarios mix hiring, contractors, automation, training, role cuts and retention. Nakisa is worth a demo if you want skills assessed alongside headcount and cost.

Crunchr's planning tool runs on the same data as its people analytics product. Its wizards help you turn your strategy into the number and type of people you need. A 2022 press release calls Crunchr the people analytics platform "for Enterprise HR teams." Consider Crunchr if you want planning and people analytics on one set of data.

Neobrain's Talent Planner is one of several products on Neobrain's skills platform. Talent Planner covers people reviews, succession plans and a target headcount. Neobrain aims Talent Planner at companies with 1,000 or more employees. Neobrain fits better if skills and succession matter more to you than staff costs.

A spreadsheet model also works while one person on your team owns it and keeps it up to date.