It's never been easier to answer a few questions about your business and generate a complete plan—we should know! Since making our own tool, we've looked at every other AI business plan generator out there.
Here are the ones we think are the best...
In the past, we developed our own business plan generator tool, helping countless entrepreneurs turn their ideas into actionable strategies. Recently, we made the decision to wind down that product as part of the exciting new direction for Hansa.
Because we've spent so much time helping entrepreneurs with their business plans, we know what works and what doesn’t. We've thoroughly explored the current landscape of business plan generators and collected our top picks for the best tools available today.
There is a standard best-practice for what sections your business plan should contain. If you're applying for an SBA loan, it is even required that your plan follow this structure. It's vitally important that the business plan generator you choose supports creating content for all of these sections.
Executive Summary — Think of the executive summary as the elevator pitch for your business plan. It’s a concise, high-level overview that highlights the most critical information, such as your business’s name, mission, and vision. You’ll also want to include a brief description of your product or service, your target market, and any funding requirements. This section sets the stage for the rest of your plan.
Business Description — Here’s where you dive deeper into the details of your business. Provide background information, explain your purpose, and share your goals. This section should also outline your business’s legal structure (e.g., sole proprietorship, LLC, or corporation) and offer an overview of your industry and its current trends.
Market Analysis — A strong understanding of your market and competitors is vital for a successful business. In this section, describe your target audience, including their demographics and preferences. Highlight the market size, growth potential, and key trends. Don’t forget to conduct a competitor analysis and explain your unique value proposition (UVP)—what makes your business stand out.
Organization and Management — Your team is a critical factor in the success of your business. Use this section to introduce the key players in your organization, share their backgrounds, and explain their roles. An organizational chart can help illustrate the structure of your team and any planned future hires.
Products or Services — This section focuses on what your business offers. Clearly describe your product or service, emphasizing its features and benefits. Explain how it meets your customers’ needs and outline your pricing strategy. If you have plans for future offerings, include those as well.
Marketing and Sales Strategy — How will you attract and retain customers? Your marketing and sales strategy section should cover your approach to promoting your business. Highlight the marketing channels you plan to use—such as social media, email marketing, or partnerships—and describe your sales strategy, including how you’ll convert leads into customers.
Financial Projections — For many, this is the most intimidating part of the business plan, but it’s also one of the most crucial. Investors and stakeholders will want to see a clear financial picture of your business. Include revenue forecasts, expense breakdowns, profit margins, and financial statements like cash flow projections and balance sheets. Don’t forget a break-even analysis to show when you expect the business to become profitable.
Operational Plan — What does your day-to-day business look like? The operational plan details the processes and systems that will keep your business running. Cover everything from key workflows and supply chains to your business location and production plans (if applicable).
Funding Request (if applicable) — If you’re seeking investment or loans, this section is essential. Be specific about how much funding you need, how it will be used, and what kind of return investors can expect. This transparency helps build trust and credibility.
Appendix — Lastly, use the appendix to include supporting documents that strengthen your plan. This might include market research data, team member resumes, legal documents, product samples, or visual prototypes. Think of it as your "evidence" section, providing extra validation for your ideas.
When it comes to AI business plan generators, a user-friendly interface is a must. A clean, intuitive design ensures that users of all technical skill levels—whether seasoned entrepreneurs or first-time business owners—can navigate the tool with ease.
One of the standout features to look for is step-by-step guidance, which simplifies the process and ensures no important details are overlooked. Even better, tools that offer industry-specific templates can save time and effort by tailoring the experience to match the unique needs of different business types.
A great interface doesn’t just make the process easier; it empowers users to focus on their vision without getting bogged down by technical complexities.
Every business is unique which means every business plan should also be unique. Entrepreneurs need the flexibility to tailor their plans to reflect their specific goals, industry, and vision. Features like industry-specific templates, adjustable content fields, and branding options ensure the plan aligns with market expectations and showcases the business’s individuality. Customization also allows users to update their plans as their business evolves, making the tool a valuable resource for ongoing growth and adaptation.
Export options are a critical feature in any business plan generator, as they ensure your final document looks professional and polished. Be sure to look out for multiple export formats, like PDF and .docx. PDFs preserve formatting and are perfect for sharing, while .docx files allow for easy editing and customization.
Customization options, such as choosing different cover designs and adding your company logo, are equally important. A sleek, branded cover creates a strong first impression, while including your logo enhances credibility and reinforces your business identity.
With robust export features, you can ensure your business plan is not only functional but also visually appealing—ready to impress investors and stakeholders in any setting.
ChatGPT is an excellent free option for generating business plans, primarily because it is truly free—there are no hidden upsell tactics or premium features to worry about. Unlike other business plan generators, it provides unlimited access without the pressure of upgrading. While it lacks the step-by-step inputs and structured templates of dedicated tools, ChatGPT knows exactly what a comprehensive business plan should include, covering all the necessary sections. It can write detailed content for each section, from executive summaries to financial projections, ensuring your plan is complete and well-organized.
One of the biggest advantages of using ChatGPT is its flexibility. Without the rigid structure of traditional business plan tools, you have the freedom to shape your plan exactly how you want it. ChatGPT can also help you brainstorm and refine ideas for your business, providing guidance and suggestions that can spark creativity and improve your strategy. However, since it lacks export features, you will need to manually copy the content into your preferred document or PDF format. Despite this, its ease of use and versatility make it a powerful tool for entrepreneurs looking to create a business plan without any cost.
Plannit.ai is our top choice for a paid business plan generator because it offers a rare pay-per-plan model that lets you pay only for the plans you need, without being locked into a subscription. This makes it an ideal choice for entrepreneurs who may only need to create one business plan one time.
Additionally, it offers a smooth, step-by-step interface that guides users through each section of the business plan, asking targeted questions to capture the necessary details. It covers all the essential sections to ensuring a comprehensive plan. This includes financial projections based on their proprietary financial modeling. Take it from some folks who built thier own tool—generating financial projections is easily the hardest part, so that is an excellent feature to have.
All-in-all, Plannit has a very strong offering, is easy to use, and won't try to lock you into a subscription you don't really need. This is why we recommend it for those who are okay paying. a little bit of money ($40) for a single, quality business plan.
Venturekit stands out as our top overall pick for a business plan generator due to its intuitive design and comprehensive features. The platform excels at getting you started with minimal input, allowing you to generate a comprehensive business plan by answering just a few questions about your business.
Its dashboard-style user interface is organized into sections that align with the required components of a complete business plan, enabling users to focus on one section at a time for greater refinement. This structured approach ensures that all critical components are addressed, including comprehensive financial projections, which are vital for securing funding and strategic planning.
Venturekit also offers robust export options, including customizable inputs for adding your company logo and various cover designs, ensuring a professional presentation. While it allows users to do quite a lot for free, accessing all features requires a $20/month subscription. This is more affordable than many alternatives, especially for those who need to create multiple business plans or for those who only need it for a month or two.
