The best ad spend forecasting tools in 2026, from month-end projections to what-if budget plans
By the PlanConversion Strategy Team.
To forecast where each campaign’s spend, conversions and cost per conversion will land at month end across Google Ads, Microsoft Ads and LinkedIn Ads, Pacing Console updates the projection hourly, free for the first month and then $49 USD per workspace a month on Pro. For what-if budget planning inside Google Ads, Google’s free Performance Planner is the better pick; Optmyzr (from $209 a month) projects spend as a range across search, social and Amazon. Large advertisers that want forecasts tied to automatic budget allocation should look at Search Ads 360, Skai (from $114,000 a year) or Marin.
We make Pacing Console, so read the ranking with that in mind.
Pacing Console at a glance
- What it is
- A budget pacing tool from PlanConversion: hourly pace for every campaign, month-end forecasts and the daily budget that lands the month
- Platforms
- Google Ads, Microsoft Ads and LinkedIn Ads
- CRM
- HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, or any CRM by CSV or API: lifecycle stage counts by campaign (Pro)
- Pipeline and revenue
- Enterprise: opportunities, pipeline value, average deal size, won revenue, customers, win rate, pipeline-to-spend, ROAS and CAC for every campaign, credited to the campaign that first brought in the contact
- 1 month free
- First month free at any spend, for up to 3 users. Then Pro, or the workspace pauses with its data kept
- Pro
- $49 USD per workspace a month, or $490 USD a year (12 months for the price of 10); 10 users included, then $5 USD per extra user
- Enterprise
- $1,500 USD a month, billed annually, 10 users included, then $20 USD per extra user a month
- With Link Console
- Pro: add Link Console for $39 USD a month, so both products are $88 USD per workspace a month ($880 USD a year); Enterprise adds Link Console for $199 USD a month for all users. One account for both products: the same login, team and billing
- Start and sign-in
- First month free, no credit card; Google or Microsoft sign-in
At a glance
| Tool | Best for | Starting price (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pacing Console | B2B teams and agencies that want a month-end forecast per campaign across Google Ads, Microsoft Ads and LinkedIn Ads, next to the daily budget that lands it | First month free for up to 3 users at any spend; then Pro $49 USD per workspace a month ($490 USD a year) with 10 users |
| 2. Google Ads Performance Planner | Google Ads advertisers that want free what-if forecasts of how budget and bid changes affect results | No fee listed; built into Google Ads |
| 3. Optmyzr | Agencies that want spend projections, pacing alerts and automatic pausing across search, social and Amazon in one PPC suite | Essentials from $209 a month (annual billing, up to $25K spend); Premium from $272; tiered by ad spend |
| 4. Search Ads 360 | Large search advertisers on Google Marketing Platform that want budget plans, pacing charts and ML budget allocation across engines | Not listed on the pages we checked |
| 5. Skai | Enterprise advertisers spending millions a year across search, social and retail media that want forecasts to drive automatic allocation | Standard $114,000 a year (up to $4M annual spend); Advanced $276,000; higher tiers by spend |
| 6. Marin Software | Advertisers on many search, social and retail publishers that want strategies to pace and reallocate budget automatically | Connect from $500 a month (month to month); Ascend and One custom (table lists from $1,000 and $2,000) |
The tools, ranked by fit
1. Pacing ConsoleOur product
Best for: B2B teams and agencies that want a month-end forecast per campaign across Google Ads, Microsoft Ads and LinkedIn Ads, next to the daily budget that lands it
Starting price: First month free for up to 3 users at any spend; then Pro $49 USD per workspace a month ($490 USD a year) with 10 users
Strengths
- Month-end forecast of spend, conversions and cost per conversion on every plan, refreshed with hourly data
- Pro Forecast page: month and quarter end, with a P10 to P90 range from the last seven days
- The daily budget needed to land the month, shown next to the platform setting
- Flat price per workspace that does not grow with ad spend
Limits
- Forecasts current budgets; it does not model what-if bid or budget scenarios the way Performance Planner does
- Three platforms: Google Ads, Microsoft Ads and LinkedIn Ads (no Meta)
- Scenarios and target back-solve are on Enterprise ($1,500 USD a month, billed annually)
2. Google Ads Performance Planner
Best for: Google Ads advertisers that want free what-if forecasts of how budget and bid changes affect results
Starting price: No fee listed; built into Google Ads
Strengths
- Plans for Search, Shopping, Performance Max, Demand Gen and App campaigns, up to 10,000 campaigns per plan
- Forecasts refreshed daily from the last 7 to 10 days, adjusted for seasonality
- Apply suggested budget or bid changes to live campaigns in one step; works in manager accounts
Limits
- Google Ads only
- Display and Video campaigns no longer supported as of March 9, 2026
- Campaigns must meet eligibility rules, such as no bid strategy change in the last 10 days and recent conversions
3. Optmyzr
Best for: Agencies that want spend projections, pacing alerts and automatic pausing across search, social and Amazon in one PPC suite
Starting price: Essentials from $209 a month (annual billing, up to $25K spend); Premium from $272; tiered by ad spend
Strengths
- Spend Projection predicts spend for each remaining day as an expected, minimum and maximum range
- Covers Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Meta, LinkedIn, Amazon and Yahoo! Japan Ads
- Budget alerts for overpacing and underpacing, and automatic pause near the target, including on LinkedIn
Limits
- Price grows with ad spend, from $209 a month at $25K to $671 at $500K on Essentials
- Its Spend Projection guide does not say how often projections refresh
- More suite than you need if forecasting and pacing are the only jobs
4. Search Ads 360
Best for: Large search advertisers on Google Marketing Platform that want budget plans, pacing charts and ML budget allocation across engines
Starting price: Not listed on the pages we checked
Strengths
- Budget plans by week, month, quarter, year or custom, with projection graphs and a pacing chart of estimated, target and actual spend
- Campaign groups can include Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, Yahoo! JAPAN Ads and Baidu campaigns
- Performance plans use machine learning to model the best budget allocation across a campaign group
Limits
- Search and Shopping campaigns only; social engine campaigns cannot join campaign groups
- A conversion or conversion value is required to create a plan
- No public price on the pages we checked
5. Skai
Best for: Enterprise advertisers spending millions a year across search, social and retail media that want forecasts to drive automatic allocation
Starting price: Standard $114,000 a year (up to $4M annual spend); Advanced $276,000; higher tiers by spend
Strengths
- Budget Navigator “what-if” engine estimates returns on a given budget by portfolio, publisher, geo or product
- Forecasts regenerate daily and bids and budget allocations adjust automatically to your KPI targets
- Always-on monitoring of how the plan is pacing
Limits
- Starts at $114,000 a year
- Its forecasting pages do not list the supported channels
6. Marin Software
Best for: Advertisers on many search, social and retail publishers that want strategies to pace and reallocate budget automatically
Starting price: Connect from $500 a month (month to month); Ascend and One custom (table lists from $1,000 and $2,000)
Strengths
- Covers Google, Bing, Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, Amazon, Walmart and more on one platform
- Once targets are set, it paces strategies, rolls leftover budget forward and pauses campaigns that hit their goal
- Free 30-day trial linked from the pricing page
Limits
- Its pricing table marks automated budget pacing and AI forecasting as “Preview” (view-only in dashboard)
- Ascend and One need a 12-month contract; CRM integrations carry a one-time setup fee
How we ranked
We ranked tools by fit for a B2B in-house team or agency that needs to know, every day, where spend and results will land by month end on Google Ads, Microsoft Ads and LinkedIn Ads, then by price transparency. A forecast that you check once a quarter is a different job from one you act on daily, so we separated month-end projection tools (Pacing Console, Optmyzr) from what-if planners (Performance Planner, Search Ads 360, Skai).
Teams that plan budgets mainly inside Google Ads would rank Performance Planner first, since it is free and lets you apply changes in one step. Enterprise advertisers that want forecasts to move budgets automatically across many publishers would rank Skai, Search Ads 360 or Marin higher. Each entry says who it is best for.
Every fact about another tool comes from its own public pricing, product or help pages, checked on November 11, 2026, and listed under Sources. Prices are in USD as published that day; where a vendor publishes only another currency or no price, we say so. PlanConversion makes Pacing Console, so we are not neutral: we say where other tools are the better pick.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free ad spend forecasting tool?
Google Ads Performance Planner has no listed fee and forecasts Search, Shopping, Performance Max, Demand Gen and App campaigns. Pacing Console’s first month is free and forecasts month-end spend, conversions and cost per conversion for Google Ads, Microsoft Ads and LinkedIn Ads; after that, Pro is $49 USD per workspace a month.
What is the difference between a spend forecast and a what-if forecast?
A spend forecast projects where your current budgets will land by month end, so you can fix pace before it is too late. A what-if forecast estimates what a different budget or bid would return. Pacing Console and Optmyzr Spend Projection do the first; Performance Planner, Search Ads 360 performance plans and Skai Budget Navigator do the second.
Which forecasting tools cover LinkedIn Ads?
Pacing Console forecasts LinkedIn Ads with Google Ads and Microsoft Ads. Optmyzr Spend Projection lists LinkedIn Ads among its platforms, and Marin lists LinkedIn among its social publishers. Performance Planner is Google Ads only, and Search Ads 360 campaign groups cover search engines.
How accurate are ad spend forecasts?
No forecast is exact, which is why the better tools show a range. Optmyzr shows expected, minimum and maximum projected spend; Pacing Console Pro shows a P10 to P90 range from the last seven days; and Google advises planning weekly rather than monthly when markets are volatile.
Which tools change budgets automatically from the forecast?
Skai adjusts bids and budget allocations automatically after daily forecasts, Search Ads 360 does so when a budget bid strategy manages spend, and Marin paces strategies once targets are set. Performance Planner applies changes when you click, and Pacing Console queues a change only when a person accepts it, applied by your own script on Google Ads and Microsoft Ads.
Sources
Competitor pages checked on .
- Google Ads Performance Planner pricing (support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9230124?hl=en)
- Optmyzr pricing (www.optmyzr.com/pricing)
- Search Ads 360 pricing (marketingplatform.google.com/about/resources/search-ads-360-budget-management-feature-brief)
- Skai pricing (skai.io/pricing)
- Marin Software pricing (marinsoftware.com/pricing)
- Optmyzr help: Spend Projection user guide (help.optmyzr.com/en/articles/3075395-spend-projection-user-guide)
- Optmyzr pricing (markdown version) (www.optmyzr.com/headless-pricing-v2/index.md)
- Search Ads 360 help: About Bidding and Planning (support.google.com/sa360/answer/10058344?hl=en)
- Search Ads 360 help: About performance plans (support.google.com/sa360/answer/10058345?hl=en)
- Skai: media budget forecasting (skai.io/media-budget-forecasting)
- Skai Budget Navigator (skai.io/capabilities/manage-budgets-better)
- Marin Software: budget pacing (www.marinsoftware.com/capabilities/budget-pacing)
