FloQast offers checklist-based workflows tailored to Excel-heavy teams. Numeric introduces basic AI capabilities and enhanced reporting visibility. For finance teams that need real-time ERP sync, scalable automation, and audit-grade controls, Nominal delivers the only AI-native platform purpose-built for modern close operations.
In today’s finance environment, closing the books is not just a deadline-driven activity. It’s a strategic process that determines how quickly and confidently a company can report, analyze, and plan. Finance teams are under pressure to accelerate close cycles, improve accuracy, and deliver timely insights, all while managing fragmented systems and lean staffing.
That’s why many teams evaluating close software start by comparing two adopted options: FloQast and Numeric. Both platforms offer practical improvements over spreadsheets, especially for teams still living in Excel or just beginning to formalize their close process. They reduce disorganization, provide task visibility, and help align collaboration.
But for modern, scaling finance teams, checklist-based tools alone often don’t go far enough. Manual reconciliations, disconnected reporting, and limited ERP integration can introduce new bottlenecks, even when workflows are centralized. This is where the distinction between task managers and intelligent automation platforms becomes critical.
In this guide, we’ll break down the strengths and tradeoffs of FloQast and Numeric, and then introduce Nominal, a third option built for AI-powered financial operations.
Why FloQast Works for Spreadsheet Centric Teams
FloQast was built to organize and simplify the close process for finance teams that still rely heavily on Excel. Its value lies in enabling collaboration and checklist driven task management without requiring teams to abandon the tools they already use.
The platform integrates with cloud storage providers and links directly to spreadsheet files, allowing teams to build structured close checklists, assign responsibilities, and track completion across entities. For accounting leaders looking to bring basic visibility to a previously siloed and spreadsheet-heavy process, this can be a meaningful first step.
Implementation timelines are short, on average around 1.7 months, and G2 reviews consistently highlight the platform’s ease of use, strong support, and fast time to value. FloQast is especially useful for mid-market companies with straightforward ownership structures, limited IT resources, and a desire to improve without overhauling.
However, the strengths of FloQast are also its limitations. It does not automate core accounting tasks like reconciliations or variance explanations. Reporting capabilities are largely dependent on Excel, and ERP integration is limited to file-based workflows. As finance teams grow in complexity, many find that FloQast creates an additional layer of documentation but does not fundamentally accelerate or improve the close.
You might also like: BlackLine vs FloQast: Which Financial Close Platform Fits Your Team in 2025?
How Numeric Levels Up with Reporting and Audit Visibility
Numeric is often seen as the next step beyond FloQast. While it still focuses on task tracking and checklist management, it adds AI-assisted features for reporting, anomaly detection, and commentary. Its appeal lies in helping small to mid-size teams create structure and surface insights without needing to build everything manually in Excel.
Where FloQast maintains a dependency on spreadsheets, Numeric moves closer to becoming a system of record. The platform offers customizable dashboards, native variance explanations, and an intuitive UI that G2 reviewers consistently rate higher than FloQast. Its audit trail features and real-time updates help controllers and accountants maintain accuracy and oversight without toggling between systems.
Numeric also scores well for quality of support, rapid onboarding, and simplicity. For fast-moving companies that want better reporting without investing in a full-blown close automation suite, it presents a compelling value.
Still, Numeric falls short in a few key areas. It does not support complex multi-entity structures out of the box. It does not deeply integrate with ERPs in real-time, which limits how effectively it can serve growing or global finance teams. Most importantly, it does not offer agentic automation, meaning the platform can surface insights but does not act on them.
Numeric vs FloQast: Which Is Better for Close?
Choosing between Numeric and FloQast depends on where your team is in its financial maturity. Both offer advantages for early-stage or mid-market organizations that need more structure than spreadsheets but aren’t ready for enterprise systems.
FloQast is ideal if:
- Your team relies heavily on Excel and wants a better way to manage tasks
- You need fast onboarding and lightweight process improvement
- You prefer minimal change to existing workflows
Numeric is a better fit if:
- You want deeper reporting capabilities and anomaly detection
- You value customizable dashboards and a more modern UI
- You need to prepare for future audit demands and team growth
That said, both platforms stop short of automating the close. They document it, organize it, and offer visibility, but they do not eliminate the manual work that slows teams down.
Helpful resource: The 5 Best BlackLine Alternatives to Streamline Your Close in 2025
Nominal vs Numeric vs FloQast: Why Finance Teams Are Choosing a Third Option
As finance teams grow more complex, the limitations of checklist-based tools become clearer. Real close automation requires more than task assignments and shared folders. It requires intelligent execution, deep ERP connectivity, and built-in compliance.
Nominal fills that gap.
It’s the only platform in this group purpose-built for AI-native automation, capable of executing core close tasks like reconciliations, variance analysis, and reporting without requiring migration or heavy IT support. Unlike Numeric and FloQast, which assist with tracking and commentary, Nominal acts.
It integrates with ERPs like QuickBooks, NetSuite, SAP, and Oracle, syncing data in real-time and delivering audit-ready visibility across entities. Security comes standard with SOC 1 Type II certification, and companies can start with a 60 to 90-day proof of concept.
What Makes Nominal Different
Nominal is not just a faster tool, but a fundamentally smarter one. Its architecture is built from the ground up to support real-time, AI-driven automation for close operations across any ERP setup. While other platforms surface data, Nominal acts on it with agentic intelligence.
That means reconciliations are completed proactively, anomalies are flagged before they become errors, and reports are generated with narrative context, not just numbers. The platform handles multi-entity logic, foreign currency, intercompany eliminations, and flux commentary with audit-ready traceability built in.
Unlike checklist-based platforms, it doesn't require workarounds or bolt-on integrations to scale. It works within your current ERP stack and adapts as your business grows. Backed by security leaders who pioneered DSPM, and certified with SOC 1 Type II, Nominal is designed to serve mid-market to enterprise teams who demand confidence, compliance, and speed, not compromises.
Which Close Platform Should You Choose?
Each platform has its strengths depending on your team's size, maturity, and infrastructure. Before making a decision, it’s important to consider your existing workflows, scalability needs, and how much automation your team requires to move faster with confidence.
- Choose FloQast if your team lives in Excel and needs lightweight process tracking.
- Choose Numeric if you want better visibility, audit readiness, and light AI assistance.
- Choose Nominal if you’re ready for real automation, multi-ERP scale, and audit-grade control without the complexity of legacy systems.
Finance leaders no longer have to choose between spreadsheets and systems that simply document spreadsheets. There’s now a better way, one that accelerates close, reduces risk, and gives your team time back.
Numeric and FloQast both serve valuable roles for finance teams at different stages of growth. FloQast makes the move from Excel easier. Numeric enhances visibility and reporting with smart features. But neither solves the deeper problems of speed, fragmentation, and manual effort that hold finance teams back.
Nominal was built to solve those problems from day one. With AI-powered workflows, real-time ERP integration, and embedded compliance, it transforms the close from a monthly burden into a strategic advantage.
Ready to move beyond checklists? Book a demo and see how Nominal accelerates your close, eliminates manual work, and keeps you audit-ready from day one.
