Finance
10 Minutes

Best Compass AI Alternative in 2025: Why CFOs and Founders Choose Knolli

Published on
September 19, 2025
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Finance leaders in 2025 have no shortage of AI-powered tools promising to simplify planning, forecasting, and reporting. Two of the most talked-about solutions are Compass AI and Knolli. Both aim to act as a “CFO co-pilot,” but they take very different approaches. Compass AI focuses on dashboards and intelligence, while Knolli delivers full workflow automation from data to investor-ready outputs.

What Is Compass AI & What Does It Offer?

Compass AI positions itself as a “24/7 AI CFO” for startups and small to mid-sized businesses. It tracks income, expenses, and cash flow, producing forecasts and surfacing risks or cost-saving opportunities. Fractional CFOs are a key audience, since Compass allows them to manage multiple clients through portfolio dashboards.

Key features include:

  • Automated financial forecasting and cash runway projections

  • Benchmarking client KPIs against industry peers

  • Portfolio view for fractional CFOs handling multiple companies

  • AI-generated reports and insights for presentations

Compass AI starts around $49/month, with higher tiers or quote-based pricing for multiple entities. While affordable for single-entity startups, costs can rise quickly for CFOs managing several clients.

See More: Best Pilot Alternative in 2025: Why CFOs Are Choosing Knolli

Why Finance Teams Outgrow Compass AI

Despite its strengths, many finance leaders run into Compass AI’s limitations:

  • Dashboard-first, not workflow-first – insights stay in the app; turning them into board decks or investor emails is still manual.

  • Narrow focus – excels at forecasting, but struggles with variance analysis and cash flow strategy.

  • Scaling costs – per-seat or per-entity pricing makes multi-client use expensive.

  • Learning curve – some users report difficulty adopting an AI-driven finance assistant from scratch.

See More: Top AI Tools for CFOs and Fractional CFOs in 2025

Meet Knolli: The Smarter Compass AI Alternative

Knolli is built as a full CFO workflow automation studio. It doesn’t just show you metrics, it helps you act on them instantly. With Knolli, you can upload financials, generate rolling forecasts, and in just two clicks have a board-ready Google Slides deck and a draft investor email in Gmail.

Key Capabilities

  • Budget & Scenario Builder – compare best, base, and worst-case side by side

  • KPI Mapper – auto-calculates CAC, LTV, burn multiple, liquidity ratios

  • Cash Flow Strategist – maintains continuous rolling forecasts

  • Variance & Ratio Analysis – flags shifts in revenue, expenses, profitability

  • Workflow Automation – income statement → analysis → 1-click Slides deck → 1-click Gmail update

See More: Best AI Cash Flow Forecasting Agents

Knolli’s Advantages

  • Cuts reporting from 8 hours to 20 minutes

  • Deep Google Drive, Slides, Gmail integrations

  • Flat $39/month (no per-seat fees)

  • 10 entities per plan, perfect for fractional CFOs

The Smarter Compass AI Alternative

Why settle for dashboards alone? Knolli turns your financials into rolling forecasts, KPI maps, variance analysis, and investor-ready board decks — all in minutes, not hours. At just $39/month, it’s the better choice for fractional CFOs, founders, and finance teams managing multiple entities.

Try Knolli Free

Compass AI vs Knolli: Feature Comparison

Feature Compass AI Knolli
Core Focus AI forecasting dashboards Full CFO workflow automation
Scenario Planning Forecast builder Side-by-side Budget & Scenario Builder
KPI Tracking Limited investor KPIs Auto CAC, LTV, burn, liquidity ratios
Workflow Integration Dashboards only Google Drive, Slides, Gmail automation
Multi-Entity Support Per-seat pricing 10 entities included
Reporting Automation Manual exports 1-click decks & investor emails
Pricing $49+/month $39/month flat

Real-World Scenario: CFO Speed with Knolli vs Compass AI

Imagine a fractional CFO preparing quarterly updates for five clients:

  • With Compass AI: Forecasts and benchmarks come fast, but final board decks and investor emails require manual assembly. Hours saved, but still multi-tool work.

  • With Knolli: Upload financials, generate rolling forecasts, and in 20 minutes produce a board-ready deck and Gmail draft. End-to-end automation, not just dashboards.

See More: Best Zeni Alternative in 2025: Why CFOs Are Choosing Knolli

The Verdict: Knolli as the Best Compass AI Alternative

Compass AI delivers strong dashboards and insights. But Knolli goes further, automating the entire CFO workflow, from scenario planning to board presentations.

For fractional CFOs, founders, and finance teams that value speed, affordability, and investor-ready outputs, Knolli is the clear Compass AI alternative in 2025.

FAQs: Compass AI vs Knolli

Is Knolli cheaper than Compass AI?
Yes. Knolli is $39/month flat, while Compass AI starts at $49/month and charges more per entity.

Does Knolli replace Compass AI’s forecasting?
Yes, and more. Knolli covers forecasting, KPI tracking, and variance analysis, and automates reporting.

Who should use Knolli instead of Compass AI?
Fractional CFOs, startup founders, and finance teams managing multiple entities.

Why switch from Compass AI to Knolli?
If you want end-to-end automation, multi-entity support, and affordable pricing, Knolli is the more intelligent choice.