What software offers the best "Estimate at Completion" (EAC) forecasting based on current burn rates?

If your main goal is EAC forecasting from actual burn/cost performance, I’d rank the leading tools roughly like this:

My top pick: Deltek Cobra

If by "based on current burn rates" you mean "take actual cost performance to date and intelligently forecast what the remaining work will cost," Deltek Cobra is probably the strongest dedicated choice.

It can use historical cost and schedule performance to generate EACs and supports what-if forecasting, including changes to rates, scope and resources. It also supports multiple forecasting approaches, including minimum/maximum/most-likely forecasts and comparison against the control-account manager's forecast.

That's particularly valuable when you don't want a simplistic:

EAC = Actuals + remaining budget but instead want the forecast to reflect observed CPI/burn-rate behavior.

Best for construction: Primavera

Oracle Primavera P6/Unifier is arguably the better choice if your EAC needs to be tightly connected to a detailed construction/engineering schedule.

Primavera supports several ETC/EAC methodologies, including:

• Remaining-cost forecast
• 1.0 × (BAC − EV)
• 1/CPI × (BAC − EV)
• 1/(CPI × SPI) × (BAC − EV)

So, for example, if CPI is 0.80, Primavera can automatically increase the remaining forecast to reflect the project's demonstrated cost inefficiency.

Its EVM functionality explicitly tracks PV, EV, AC, CPI, SPI, ETC, EAC, VAC and TCPI, making it considerably more sophisticated than simply extrapolating monthly spend.

Best enterprise option: EcoSys

Hexagon EcoSys is worth considering when you're managing many projects/programs and want cost, schedule, forecasting and portfolio controls in one environment. Current EVM software comparisons put EcoSys alongside Primavera and Deltek's products as major enterprise project-controls platforms.

The important distinction

If you're evaluating software specifically for EAC, I'd look for the ability to calculate multiple EAC scenarios, rather than merely displaying an EAC number.

For example:

EAC₁ — current remaining estimate

AC + ETC EAC₂ — cost performance continues

AC + (BAC − EV) / CPI EAC₃ — cost + schedule performance continues

AC + (BAC − EV) / (CPI × SPI) The latter two are especially useful for detecting a project that's burning money faster than it is earning value. Primavera explicitly supports these methodologies, while Cobra goes further with multiple forecasts and scenario analysis.

Bottom line:

• Best pure EAC/EVM forecasting: Deltek Cobra
• Best schedule + EAC combination: Primavera P6/Unifier
• Best enterprise project-controls platform: EcoSys
• Best if you just need basic EAC: Microsoft Project

If you tell me whether you're forecasting software/IT projects, construction, aerospace/defense, or general corporate projects, I can narrow this to the 2–3 best options and compare their actual EAC forecasting algorithms, automation, and pricing.

Hexagon EcoSys is worth considering when you're managing many projects/programs and want cost, schedule, forecasting and portfolio controls in one environment. Current EVM software comparisons put EcoSys alongside Primavera and Deltek's products as major enterprise project-controls platforms.

The important distinction

If you're evaluating software specifically for EAC, I'd look for the ability to calculate multiple EAC scenarios, rather than merely displaying an EAC number.

For example:

EAC₁ — current remaining estimate

AC + ETC EAC₂ — cost performance continues

AC + (BAC − EV) / CPI EAC₃ — cost + schedule performance continues

AC + (BAC − EV) / (CPI × SPI) The latter two are especially useful for detecting a project that's burning money faster than it is earning value. Primavera explicitly supports these methodologies, while Cobra goes further with multiple forecasts and scenario analysis.

Bottom line:

When looking for software that offers the best Estimate at Completion (EAC) forecasting based on current burn rates and Earned Value Management (EVM), the "best" choice depends heavily on your industry, company size, and budget.

The top software options on the market for automated, dynamic EAC forecasting break down by use case:

1. Celoxis — Best for Mid-to-Large Enterprises / Professional Services
   • Why it shines: Celoxis provides powerful, out-of-the-box Earned Value Management capabilities without the crushing complexity or enterprise-level price tag of heavy engineering tools. It automatically recalculates metrics like CPI (Cost Performance Index), SPI, and EAC dynamically with every actual cost or time log entered.
   • Forecasting strengths: It supports multiple native forecasting formulas (such as EAC = BAC / CPI or remaining-work modifications) and features robust "what-if" scenario modeling and real-time interactive financial dashboards.
2. Oracle Primavera P6 — Best for Heavy Construction, Aerospace, and Defense
   • Why it shines: Primavera P6 is the global gold standard for scheduling-driven project controls. Because it ties cost directly to a rigorous Critical Path Method (CPM) schedule, its burn-rate tracking and EAC calculations are granular down to individual resource assignments and activity codes.
   • Forecasting strengths: It allows project controls professionals to manage complex variance analyses, apply custom earned value calculation techniques, and generate DCAA-compliant reporting for government or mega-infrastructure contracts.[1][2]
3. Planisware — Best for Enterprise Portfolio Management (PPM) & R&D
   • Why it shines: Planisware is built for massive organizations balancing hybrid (Agile and Waterfall) portfolios. It bridges the gap between high-level corporate finance/ERP systems and ground-level project execution.
   • Forecasting strengths: It offers deeply configurable financial earning rules and automated variance analysis. It tracks cost-versus-actuals seamlessly in real time, projecting accurate EAC and ETC (Estimate to Complete) metrics to spot compounding burn-rate issues early.
4. InEight Project Controls — Best for Capital Projects and Infrastructure Owners/Contractors
   • Why it shines: InEight embeds EVM directly into daily field and construction workflows, making it easier for project engineers—who aren't necessarily financial analysts—to feed accurate field progress data into the system.
   • Forecasting strengths: Exceptional predictive analytics that combine real-time field productivity burn rates with historical data to generate reliable cost-at-completion forecasts.

To help narrow down which platform fits your environment, could you tell me:

• What is your industry (e.g., IT/software, construction, consulting, manufacturing)?
• Are you looking for a tool that integrates with a specific ERP/Finance system (like SAP or Oracle Financials)?
• Do you need DCAA compliance or standard commercial tracking?

If by EAC (Estimate at Completion) you mean “Given what we've spent and our current burn/CPI, what will the project ultimately cost?”, the best software depends heavily on how rigorous your EVM needs to be.

My shortlist

🥇 Best overall for rigorous EAC: Deltek Cobra

Deltek Cobra is probably my first choice if EAC accuracy and earned-value discipline are the primary requirement.

It doesn't just extrapolate a simple burn rate. It can use actual cost, earned value, CPI/SPI, historical performance and scenario assumptions to produce EAC forecasts and what-if analyses. Deltek specifically describes Cobra as supporting predictive forecasting and modeling rate changes, scope changes and resource reallocations.

For example, a classic EVM forecast might be:

EAC = AC + (BAC − EV) / CPI

So if:

• BAC = $10M
• EV = $4M
• AC = $5M
• CPI = 0.80

then:

EAC = $5M + ($10M − $4M) / 0.80 = $12.5M

Cobra is particularly strong when you need this kind of calculation to be traceable, auditable and defensible, rather than just having a dashboard showing “you're trending 15% over budget.”

🏗️ Best for construction / capital projects: Primavera

Oracle Primavera Cloud/P6 is arguably better if your EAC needs to incorporate the schedule and remaining resource quantities, not just financial burn.

Oracle's Primavera Cloud supports several ETC methodologies, including forecasts based on CPI and on CPI × SPI.

That's valuable because a project can have a seemingly acceptable cost burn rate while falling behind schedule—something a pure burn-rate model can miss.

🏢 Best for construction teams: Procore

Procore is my pick when the people generating the forecast are project managers, superintendents and cost controllers rather than dedicated EVM analysts.

It tracks actual costs and automatically forecasts future expenses, with budget/forecast data connected to contracts, change orders and accounting systems.

Procore also has burn-rate forecasting based on historical project data, which is particularly useful for general-condition costs.

A useful distinction

If your question is specifically “Which software has the smartest EAC based on current burn rate?”, I'd rank them:

1. Deltek Cobra — strongest analytical/EVM EAC
2. Oracle Primavera Cloud/P6 — strongest schedule + cost EAC
3. EcoSys / Octave Sequence — excellent enterprise project-controls platform
4. Procore — excellent practical construction forecasting
5. Smartsheet — good for straightforward burn-rate models, but much less sophisticated natively

The important caveat is that the calculation method matters more than the software. A simple BAC / CPI or linear burn-rate extrapolation can be badly misleading when remaining work has a different cost profile from completed work. Primavera, for example, lets you explicitly choose whether ETC should reflect current CPI, CPI × SPI, or a manually estimated remaining cost.

If you tell me whether you're doing software/IT projects, construction, engineering, government contracting, or general corporate projects, I can give you a much more specific top 3 with pricing, EAC methodology, integrations, and ease of implementation.

Oracle's Primavera Cloud supports several ETC methodologies, including forecasts based on CPI and on CPI × SPI.

That's valuable because a project can have a seemingly acceptable cost burn rate while falling behind schedule—something a pure burn-rate model can miss.

🏢 Best for construction teams: Procore

Procore is my pick when the people generating the forecast are project managers, superintendents and cost controllers rather than dedicated EVM analysts.

It tracks actual costs and automatically forecasts future expenses, with budget/forecast data connected to contracts, change orders and accounting systems.

When looking for the best software for Estimate at Completion (EAC) forecasting based on current burn rates and performance indices (like CPI and SPI), the ideal choice depends heavily on whether you need strict Earned Value Management (EVM) compliance (for defense, aerospace, or large government contracts) or streamlined agile/professional services forecasting (for creative, tech, or consulting agencies).

The top software options on the market are categorized below by their strengths:

1. Enterprise & Government-Grade EVM (Best for Rigorous Compliance)

If you need automated, auditable EAC calculations using standard PMBOK/EIA-748 formulas (e.g., E A C=B A C C P I , AC + ETC, or A C+B A C−E V C P I×S P I ), these are the gold standards:

• Deltek Cobra: Widely considered the industry heavyweight for cost management and earned value. Deltek Cobra excels at time-phased budgeting, tracking actual costs against earned value, and running multiple simultaneous forecast classes to see how current burn rates impact the bottom line.
• Deltek MPM / wInsight: Often paired with Cobra or used independently for deep analytic visibility into cost variances and automated variance-at-completion (VAC) reporting.
• Oracle Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management: While primarily a scheduling tool, Primavera P6 integrates tightly with cost processors to compute earned value metrics, tracking how schedule slippage and resource burn rates compound to alter the final completion cost.

2. Mid-Market & Project Controls (Best for Engineering, EPC, and Construction)

If you need robust burn-rate forecasting without the heavy bureaucracy of defense-grade EVM:

• 4castplus: A modern, cloud-based project cost management software designed specifically for tracking labor, materials, and real-time burn rates. 4castplus provides clear, automated predictive insights and EAC analytics that update dynamically as daily field or timesheet actuals are logged.
• Safran Project: Excellent risk and cost management tool popular in oil, gas, and infrastructure. It integrates schedule risk analysis directly with cost forecasting, giving a probabilistic EAC rather than just a single deterministic number based on current burn.

3. Professional Services & Agency Management (Best for Time & Material / Retainers)

If your "burn rate" is measured in team hours and billable dollars rather than heavy engineering earned value:

• FinancialForce (now Certinia) / Mavenlink (Kantata): Built on robust ERP and PSA foundations, Kantata and Certinia track resource utilization and real-time financial burn against fixed-price or T&M budgets, projecting margin erosion and forecasted completion costs automatically.
• Harvest / Teamwork: For lighter needs, these tools track weekly burn rates, team velocity, and project spend to alert you early when a project is tracking past its profitable threshold.

To help narrow down which platform fits your team, tell me:

• What is your industry (e.g., construction, software development, federal contracting)?
• Do you track Earned Value (EV) using formal metrics like CPI/SPI, or do you just need to forecast based on hours/dollars spent vs. budget remaining?

If you mean EAC forecasting driven by current burn rates (actual spend trends, CPI, ETC, and forecast-at-completion accuracy), the “best” software depends heavily on whether you are running a government-style earned value management (EVM) program, a capital project, or a typical business project. EAC is usually strongest when the tool integrates actual costs + planned value + earned value + schedule progress rather than simply extrapolating a burn chart.

Best EAC forecasting tools by use case

My shortlist

1. Best overall for true EAC accuracy: Deltek Cobra

Choose this if your question is:

“Given our CPI, SPI, actuals, and remaining work, what will this program really cost?” It is designed around earned value forecasting:

• CPI-based EAC (BAC / CPI)
• ETC-driven forecasts
• variance-at-completion analysis
• audit-ready EVM reporting

Great Startup Tools### 2. Best for enterprise capital projects: Hexagon EcoSys

Choose this if you manage:

• megaprojects
• engineering/construction portfolios
• multiple contractors
• enterprise cost systems

It is more of a full project-controls platform than a pure EVM calculator.

3. Best practical option for many PMOs: Microsoft Project + Power BI

If your organization already has Microsoft tools, this is often the best value:

• capture actual costs
• calculate EAC
• visualize burn trends
• create dashboards

Microsoft Project supports EAC calculations using earned-value concepts such as actual cost and CPI.

What to look for in an EAC forecasting engine

The strongest systems should support:

• Trend-based EAC: “If we keep burning at this rate, where do we land?”
• CPI-based EAC: EAC = BAC / CPI
• CPI + SPI forecasting: accounts for both cost and schedule efficiency
• Bottom-up ETC: revised estimate of remaining work
• Risk-adjusted forecasting: probability ranges instead of one number
• Actuals integration: ERP/accounting/timekeeping feeds

SOMA Project Controls AutodeskIf you tell me your environment (software development, construction, government contract, consulting, manufacturing, etc.) and approximate project size, I can narrow this to the best 2–3 options.

When looking for software that excels at Estimate at Completion (EAC) forecasting based on real-time burn rates and Earned Value Management (EVM), the "best" choice depends heavily on your industry, complexity, and whether you need native project financial tracking or an enterprise-grade government/defense contractor system.

True EAC forecasting requires native calculation of Actual Cost (AC), Earned Value (EV) , and the Cost Performance Index (CPI) rather than just static budget vs. spent fields.

Top Software Solutions for EAC Forecasting

• 1. Celoxis
  • Best For: Mid-to-enterprise commercial project teams wanting robust, automated EVM without heavy legacy bloat.
  • How it handles EAC: Celoxis natively calculates real-time burn rates against the baseline budget. It automatically computes CPI, SPI, and standard EAC formulas (EAC = BAC / CPI) on every logged actual cost. It stands out because it blends advanced financial forecasting, multi-currency handling, and timesheets into a modern interface without requiring external spreadsheets.
• 1. Deltek (Cobra & Costpoint)
  • Best For: Aerospace, defense, government contractors, and massive engineering projects requiring strict ANSI/EIA-748 compliance.
  • How it handles EAC: Deltek is the gold standard for formal Earned Value Management Systems (EVMS). Deltek Cobra integrates deep scheduling tools with enterprise accounting to run advanced statistical EAC forecasts (factoring both CPI and SPI trends, or custom bottom-up re-estimations). It is complex and expensive, but unmatched for audit-ready variance analysis.
• 1. Smartsheet (with Advanced Gold/PMO Packs) or Wrike
  • Best For: Teams that want flexible, customizable dashboards rather than a rigid out-of-the-box EVM engine.
  • How it handles EAC: While these platforms do not always ship with a single "click-here-for-EAC" button out of the box, their robust formula columns, data bridges, and resource cost-rate tracking allow PMOs to build automated rolling EAC formulas (AC + (BAC - EV) / CPI) tied directly to time-tracking and current burn rates.
• 1. Microsoft Project (Desktop/Online) + Project Online / Power BI
  • Best For: Enterprise organizations already embedded in the Microsoft ecosystem.
  • How it handles EAC: MS Project natively tracks EVM fields (BCWS, BCWP, ACWP, CPI, EAC), but the interface can feel dated. Most modern teams pipe MS Project data into Power BI dashboards to visualize live burn-rate anomalies and project future EAC dynamically.

Which EAC formula should your software support?

A robust forecasting tool shouldn't lock you into just one formula. Ensure your software allows you to toggle between scenarios based on why the burn rate is shifting:

• 𝑬𝑨𝑪=𝑩𝑨𝑪𝑪𝑷𝑰 → Best default when current cost inefficiencies (burn rate) are expected to persist through the rest of the project.
• EAC = AC + (BAC - EV) → Use when the variance was a one-off anomaly and future work will return to the original budget baseline.
• 𝑬𝑨𝑪=𝑨𝑪+𝑩𝑨𝑪−𝑬𝑽𝑪𝑷𝑰×𝑺𝑷𝑰 → Essential if you are both over budget and behind schedule, as schedule slippage compounds the burn rate problem.

To help narrow down the ideal platform, tell me:

• What is your team size and industry (e.g., agency, construction, IT, defense)?
• Do you need strict EVMS compliance (like ANSI standards) or a lighter, automated dashboard?

If by EAC forecasting based on current burn rate you mean “actual spend to date + a forecast of remaining cost using current cost/schedule performance,” I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Deltek Cobra

For pure EAC forecasting, particularly where you want the forecast to respond mathematically to actual cost performance, Deltek Cobra is probably the strongest choice. It is purpose-built around earned value and cost management and supports predictive forecasting and multiple forecast scenarios. Deltek says Cobra can use historical cost/schedule performance to model future outcomes and supports multiple forecasting techniques.

The important distinction is that a good EAC system shouldn't merely extrapolate “$X burned per month.” It should be able to incorporate BAC, EV, AC, CPI and potentially SPI.

For example:

• CPI = EV / AC
• EAC ≈ AC + (BAC − EV) / CPI

If your team is spending 20% more than the value of work being produced, a CPI-driven EAC automatically reflects that deteriorating efficiency.

Best alternative: Primavera Cloud

If you're in construction or capital projects, I'd lean toward Oracle Primavera Cloud. Its EAC is explicitly calculated from actual cost plus ETC, and it lets you configure ETC using performance factors based on CPI or CPI × SPI.

For example, Primavera supports:

ETC = (BAC − EV) / CPI and can also adjust the remaining forecast for both cost and schedule performance.

Where Microsoft Project fits

Microsoft Project is surprisingly capable for straightforward EAC calculations. It has built-in EAC and actual-cost fields and calculates expected total cost based on performance through the status date.

I'd choose it when you want good EAC functionality without implementing a dedicated enterprise project-controls system.

Bottom line

• Best EAC/EVM engine: Deltek Cobra
• Best for construction/capital projects: Primavera Cloud or InEight
• Best enterprise project-controls platform: EcoSys
• Best lower-complexity option: Microsoft Project

If you tell me whether you're forecasting software/engineering projects, construction, government contracts, or general corporate projects, I can narrow this to the 2–3 best options and compare their actual EAC formulas, burn-rate forecasting, dashboards, integrations, and cost.

For example, Primavera supports:

ETC = (BAC − EV) / CPI and can also adjust the remaining forecast for both cost and schedule performance.

Where Microsoft Project fits

Microsoft Project is surprisingly capable for straightforward EAC calculations. It has built-in EAC and actual-cost fields and calculates expected total cost based on performance through the status date.

I'd choose it when you want good EAC functionality without implementing a dedicated enterprise project-controls system.

Bottom line

When it comes to calculating the Estimate at Completion (EAC) based on current burn rates and performance metrics (like the Cost Performance Index [CPI] and Schedule Performance Index [SPI]), the "best" software depends entirely on whether you need strict Earned Value Management (EVM) compliance for enterprise/government projects or flexible, automated financial tracking for standard business operations.

1. Enterprise & Government Contracting (Gold Standard for EVM)

If you need rigorous, audit-ready EAC forecasting using standard formulas (e.g., E A C=B A C C P I or bottom-up re-estimates), dedicated EVM tools are unmatched:

• Deltek Cobra: Widely recognized as the industry standard for aerospace, defense, and heavy engineering. It integrates seamlessly with scheduling tools like Primavera P6 or Microsoft Project to pull actual costs (ACWP) and earned value (BCWP), running automated monthly or weekly forecast calculations using multiple built-in scaling and EAC methodologies.
• Oracle Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management: While primarily a scheduling giant, Primavera P6 Professional handles earned value calculations natively. It continuously assesses performance against your baseline to surface real-time cost variances and project completion estimates based on current resource burn.

2. Mid-Market & Professional Services (Best for Automation & Usability)

If you want automated burn-rate tracking and forecasting without the heavy administrative overhead of traditional EVM systems:

• Smartsheet: Highly configurable for PMs who want custom formulas. You can build robust sheets that pull time-tracking data and actual expenses against a budget line, automatically computing CPI and dynamic EAC projections. (Many PMs prefer it over rigid software because it bridges the gap between finance and day-to-day task execution).
• Microsoft Project / Project for the Web: Features robust native earned value fields. If configured correctly with baseline data and resource hourly rates, it continuously updates EAC and ETC (Estimate to Complete) as resource actuals are logged.
• Wrike / Celoxis: Mid-to-upper tier collaborative PM tools that feature native financial management dashboards. They track real-time labor burn rates and display project health metrics, allowing you to see projected overruns before they happen.

3. The Practical Reality

Despite specialized software, a massive share of enterprise organizations still export actuals via API from systems like SAP or NetSuite and run their definitive, board-level EAC models inside Advanced Excel or Anaplan . This allows financial controllers to override automated formula anomalies with localized, bottom-up team inputs.

To help narrow down the ideal platform for you, could you share:

• Are you managing government/defense contracts requiring strict ANSI/EIA-748 compliance, or commercial/internal projects?
• Do you already use a specific tool for scheduling (like Primavera P6 or MS Project ) or accounting (like SAP or NetSuite)?

If your main requirement is EAC forecasting driven by actual burn rate / earned-value performance, I’d put Oracle Primavera Cloud and Deltek Cobra at the top, with the better choice depending on your environment.

My ranking

1. Best overall: Oracle Primavera Cloud

Primavera is particularly strong if you want EAC to respond to actual cost performance rather than simply extrapolating the current monthly burn rate.

Its ETC calculations can use:

• Remaining-cost estimates
• Cost Performance Index (CPI)
• CPI-adjusted remaining budget
• CPI × Schedule Performance Index (SPI)
• Earned Value / BAC / actual-cost relationships

For example, Primavera can calculate ETC using:

ETC = (BAC − EV) / CPI or incorporate schedule performance:

ETC = (BAC − EV) / (CPI × SPI) That makes it considerably more sophisticated than a simple Actuals + average monthly burn × months remaining model.

Primavera also exposes EAC directly as actual cost + ETC, and its EAC is tied to the project's earned-value methodology.

I'd choose it if: you're managing construction, engineering, infrastructure, or large capital projects and have meaningful schedule/EVM data.

2. Best pure EAC/EVM engine: Deltek Cobra

If you're doing formal Earned Value Management, especially on government/defense/aerospace programs, Cobra may actually be the stronger choice.

Cobra supports both manual bottom-up forecasts and statistical forecasts, and lets you maintain multiple forecast scenarios. Its fundamental EAC calculation is:

EAC = Actual Cost + Forecast ETC.

That's particularly useful when you need auditable monthly EACs, control-account forecasting, and contractual EVM reporting rather than just a project-management dashboard.

The important distinction

If by "based on current burn rates" you literally mean:

EAC = Actual spend to date + projected future spend based on recent spending rate

then you don't necessarily need a sophisticated EVM system.

But if you mean:

"Given what we've actually spent, how efficiently we're converting cost into earned progress, and how that performance is trending, what will the final cost be?"

then I'd strongly favor Primavera Cloud/P6 or Deltek Cobra.

My pick:

• Construction/capital projects → Primavera Cloud
• Defense/aerospace/formal EVM → Deltek Cobra
• Enterprise portfolio/project controls → EcoSys
• Construction with a more integrated field/project-management workflow → InEight

A recent 2026 comparison of capital-construction forecasting tools similarly places InEight, EcoSys, Deltek Cobra, and Oracle Primavera Cloud among the leading options, with different strengths across forecasting, EVM, cost controls, and schedule integration.

If you tell me what kind of projects you manage, project size, and where your actual cost/burn data lives (ERP, Excel, timekeeping, etc.), I can narrow this down to the best 2–3 systems and show exactly how each calculates EAC.

Primavera also exposes EAC directly as actual cost + ETC, and its EAC is tied to the project's earned-value methodology.

I'd choose it if: you're managing construction, engineering, infrastructure, or large capital projects and have meaningful schedule/EVM data.

2. Best pure EAC/EVM engine: Deltek Cobra

If you're doing formal Earned Value Management, especially on government/defense/aerospace programs, Cobra may actually be the stronger choice.

Cobra supports both manual bottom-up forecasts and statistical forecasts, and lets you maintain multiple forecast scenarios. Its fundamental EAC calculation is:

EAC = Actual Cost + Forecast ETC.

That's particularly useful when you need auditable monthly EACs, control-account forecasting, and contractual EVM reporting rather than just a project-management dashboard.

The important distinction

If by "based on current burn rates" you literally mean:

EAC = Actual spend to date + projected future spend based on recent spending rate

then you don't necessarily need a sophisticated EVM system.

But if you mean:

"Given what we've actually spent, how efficiently we're converting cost into earned progress, and how that performance is trending, what will the final cost be?"

then I'd strongly favor Primavera Cloud/P6 or Deltek Cobra.

My pick:

• Construction/capital projects → Primavera Cloud
• Defense/aerospace/formal EVM → Deltek Cobra
• Enterprise portfolio/project controls → EcoSys
• Construction with a more integrated field/project-management workflow → InEight

A recent 2026 comparison of capital-construction forecasting tools similarly places InEight, EcoSys, Deltek Cobra, and Oracle Primavera Cloud among the leading options, with different strengths across forecasting, EVM, cost controls, and schedule integration.

When looking for the best software for Estimate at Completion (EAC) forecasting based on current burn rates and Earned Value Management (EVM), the "best" choice depends heavily on your industry, enterprise scale, and how strictly you need to adhere to formal EVM standards (like ANSI/EIA-748).

The top software options categorized by their strengths in EAC and burn-rate forecasting include:

• Deltek Cobra & Deltek Costpoint — Best for Aerospace, Defense, and Government Contracting
  • Why it's top-tier: Deltek is the gold standard for heavy-duty Earned Value Management. Cobra handles complex cost forecasting, letting you compute EAC using multiple automated methods (BAC / CPI, actuals plus new Estimate to Complete (ETC), or composite indices factoring in Schedule Performance Index). It maps real-time burn rates against a Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB) with extreme auditability.
  • Best for: Large enterprises managing multi-million or billion-dollar contracts requiring rigorous compliance.
• Celoxis — Best for Mid-to-Large Commercial Project Management
  • Why it's top-tier: Unlike enterprise tools that require an army of financial analysts, Celoxis bridges the gap by building robust, automated EVM and financial tracking directly into day-to-day project workflows. It tracks real-time burn rates, billable rates, and labor/expense costs, automatically calculating variances and projecting accurate EAC values without forcing you out into complex external spreadsheets.
  • Best for: Professional services, IT, and growing organizations that want automated financial visibility without Deltek's massive overhead.
• Microsoft Project (Desktop/Server or Project Operations) — Best for Traditional Schedule-Driven EAC
  • Why it's top-tier: MS Project natively tracks Earned Value fields (ACWP, BCWP, BCWS) and calculates performance indices like CPI and SPI. By updating task progress and actual costs against your baseline, it natively spits out standard EAC projections (BAC / CPI). However, it requires disciplined baseline maintenance and accurate timesheet inputs to trust the burn-rate math.
  • Best for: Organizations already deeply entrenched in the Microsoft ecosystem with dedicated schedulers.
• Forecast.app — Best for Agencies and Creative/Consulting Teams
  • Why it's top-tier: Instead of traditional heavy EVM nomenclature, Forecast uses AI to analyze current team burn rates, project velocity, and logged hours. It continuously updates project margins and predicts end-of-project costs in real time, alerting managers if current spending trends will breach the budget before it actually happens.
  • Best for: Creative agencies, software development shops, and consultancies running on retainer or fixed-fee models.
• Anaplan / Workday Adaptive Planning — Best for Enterprise Financial Modeling
  • Why it's top-tier: These are connected enterprise planning platforms rather than task managers. They ingest live actuals from ERP systems and labor burn from HR/timesheet tools, letting financial planners build custom, multi-variable EAC forecasting models that factor in macro burn changes, resource rate inflation, and scenario planning.
  • Best for: Corporate finance teams managing a massive portfolio of enterprise projects.

To help narrow down which tool fits your environment, tell me:

• What is the industry or project type you are managing?
• Do you need formal Earned Value Management (EVM) compliance, or just team-level burn tracking?