Read Our G2 Reviews
Having a tool like Xactly where we can put in all the little complicated pieces that we have and still have it automated...that really makes Xactly stand out.
Xactly allows us to scale and motivate our reps properly no matter how much or fast we grow.
If you’re still doing work on Excel or homegrown, I would highly encourage you to look at an automated system. Not only will you have better reporting and analytics to understand where you are spending your money, but it will definitely help with the work-life-balance. Compensation is pretty complicated. You have people coming, you have people going, you’ve got quotas changing, people getting promoted…you need to have a system of record to manage all that. If you are doing it homegrown or you are doing it [by] managing it manually, it is going to get to the point where the scalability is not there.
How Xactly Helps You Overcome Varicent Pitfalls
| |
| VARICENT |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Architecture | One platform, one data model, one experience. A change made once applies everywhere with no sync, and AI works across all of it.One Platform, Actually | Separate systems held together by integrations and separate UIs. Changes wait on a sync, and AI can't see across the whole.Platform In Name Only |
| Configurability & Change | Prebuilt logic plus extensibility, with guardrails. Your team changes plans without gambling the engine and without a consultant.Change Without the Gamble | A blank canvas. Flexible on Day 1, but by the third plan change, one logic edit can cascade through the system, so changes need specialist or consultant hours.Too Tangled To Touch |
| AI Capabilities | AI across every workflow. Out-of-the-box agents or configure your own in Intelligence Studio, connected to each other and your stack through Intelligence Connect, grounded in 21+ years of unmatched benchmarking data.AI That Plays Well With Others | Assistants for specific processes (Sales Planning, Designer, ELT), not connected across the revenue lifecycle or the tech ecosystem. No benchmarking data, and a unique data model per implementation.Assistants Stuck in Silos |
| AI Packaging | Agents are included in your deployment, so you have AI from Day 1.AI Included, Day 1 | A premium price, with AI as an extra on top, limited to what Varicent chooses to ship.Pay Extra for AI |
| Time to Value | 71-day average time to value, one vendor and one team, no sync costs, and a 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ Leader in SPM.No Fine Print Surprises | Specialist dependency, renewal increases, delays and overruns, and the opportunity cost of staying on a legacy provider as you move toward agentic. Hidden Costs |
Faster Time to Value. Smarter AI. One Platform.
Varicent asks you to stitch together separate tools and wait longer to see results. Xactly gets you live faster, with data-rich AI that's embedded, configurable, and explainable at every step. Our platform’s not a bundle of point solutions. It's one intelligent platform empowering you to orchestrate revenue throughout every motion.
= Faster ROI
X>V
Awards & Recognition
Varicent Records What Happened. Xactly Influences What Happens Next.
One Platform, One Data Model
- Unified, not just integrated
- No engine-to-engine syncing
- Change once, live everywhere
Insight That Acts This Cycle
- Signals mid-quarter, not after
- Fix the plan you’re running
- AI across the full lifecycle
- 21+ years of benchmarking data
Flexibility, Minus the Exposure
- Guardrails, not a blank canvas
- Adapt plans without breaking them
- Governed, auditable AI at scale
- High payee counts, complex crediting
Manage engines with Varicent. Orchestrate sales performance with Xactly.
Integrated Isn’t Unified
Multiple engines brought together still pass data between them, so every change waits on a sync. Xactly runs on one unified data model — change it once, and it lives everywhere, with nothing to reconcile.
AI at the Core, Not Bolted On
“AI-native” can mean a process here, a process there — faster, but not better, and only on the vendor’s own rules. Xactly puts AI at the core: configure your own agents your own way, on 21+ years of proprietary data no one else has.
Flexibility With Guardrails
A blank-canvas build feels powerful on Day 1 and risky by the third plan change, when one logic edit can break the whole system. Xactly pairs real configurability with guardrails — adapt plans without gambling the engine.
A Sales Performance Management Leader in a 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™
We've been named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner®️ Magic Quadrant™️ for Sales Performance Management. Want to learn why?
Xactly Is Built for Every Team That Runs Commissions
Finance
Audit-ready commission accuracy and faster close cycles mean no comp surprises when the quarter ends.
Sales Operations & RevOps
Plan territories and quotas natively, instead of managing coverage changes in a tool built only to track what's already been paid.
Sales Leadership
Give reps real-time commission visibility and performance dashboards that reduce disputes and keep reps focused on selling.
HR
Gain compensation compliance, governance, and pay equity analytics in a single governed system.
IT & CIO
Replace three systems with one platform, where enterprise-grade security, explainable AI, and data sovereignty are built in.
Xactly: 20+ Years Leading Sales Performance Management
Xactly is the original innovator in Sales Performance Management (SPM), with more than 21+ years helping enterprise revenue teams get compensation right. That experience shows up in everything we build: research-backed benchmarks, expert guidance, and a platform designed to grow with your business.
See how Xactly can simplify commissions, sharpen forecasting, and move your business forward with confidence.
Xactly vs. Varicent FAQs
Is Xactly a good alternative to Varicent?
Yes, especially for organizations looking to take control of their sales performance and move from a reactive system of record to an outcome-oriented system of action.
What are the key differences between Xactly and Varicent?
Xactly is a true Intelligent Revenue Platform, with a unified data model. Varicent is a combination of disparate point solutions with data synchronization required. Xactly empowers customers with AI across the platform. Varicent provides AI to limited processes. Xactly is a system of action. Varicent is a system of record.
Is Xactly or Varicent better for sales performance management?
Both do Sales Performance Management well, but Xactly is redefining revenue performance by moving beyond management to autonomous, AI-driven Sales Performance Orchestration (SPO). Only we can provide the capabilities that empower organizations to move beyond managing what already happened and start driving what happens next.
How does incentive compensation management differ between Xactly and Varicent?
Xactly combines pre-built logic with extensibility to give customers faster time to value and better long-term ROI. Varicent is a blank canvas with a longer time to value and a more specialized skill set required to operate and make changes.
How is sales forecasting different between Xactly and Varicent?
Xactly includes native sales forecasting fueled by an unmatched data model. Varicent does not.
How long does it take to switch from Varicent to Xactly?
It depends on your specific setup and requirements, but Xactly averages a time to value of 71 days from start to go-live.
Is Xactly or Varicent better for enterprise companies?
Enterprise companies striving to build the best go-to-market teams look to Xactly because our platform delivers true Sales Performance Orchestration (SPO). As the global leader in AI-driven SPO, Xactly empowers enterprise teams to focus their time and energy on strategic thinking to deliver predictable revenue outcomes, unlike legacy SPM solutions such as Varicent, which act only as systems of record for what already happened.