Plan A Alternative
Seedling is a robust carbon accounting tool built to be straightforward to run without a specialist team.
We’ll explain where Seedling is a great fit, where Plan A works better, and how to choose between them.
Seedling: Plan A, without the complexity
Plan A is a comprehensive sustainability platform built for organisations that want deep environmental insights, broad ESG coverage, and structured reporting aligned with major frameworks.
Seedling is similar, but designed to be more approachable. It enables teams - even without specialist sustainability expertise - to measure emissions accurately, build credible Net Zero plans, and make progress quickly, all with human support when needed.
Seedling may be the better fit if:
- Your organisation has up to ~2,000 employees
- You want a practical carbon solution that doesn’t require a dedicated team
- Your main goal is understanding and reducing your carbon footprint
See the detailed comparison below to understand how the platforms differ.
Scope 1, 2 and 3 accuracy
Both platforms follow recognised carbon accounting standards and produce comprehensive Scope 1, 2, and 3 inventories. The typical starting point is financial data - analysing spend across suppliers and categories to identify major emission sources. From there, organisations refine results using activity-based data such as energy consumption, fuel use, or travel metrics to increase precision.
Platform ease-of-use
Seedling prioritises simplicity and accessibility. It’s designed for busy teams where carbon accounting is one responsibility among many, not a full-time role. Plan A offers a more feature-rich environment with extensive functionality and reporting depth. While powerful, this can require more time to learn and manage, particularly for organisations without dedicated sustainability staff.
Time to results
With Seedling, most clients can generate a robust footprint in a short timeframe. Built-in integrations with accounting platforms (including Xero, Sage, and QuickBooks), employee and supplier surveys, and automated data processing reduce manual effort. Plan A’s broader scope and setup requirements typically mean a longer implementation period before actionable insights are available.
1:1 data guidance
Both Seedling and Plan A provide access to sustainability experts who support clients throughout the data collection and calculation process. This guidance helps ensure inputs are accurate and that organisations understand their results.
Reporting granularity
Plan A supports highly detailed reporting structures, which can be valuable for complex organisations needing analysis across entities, business units, or regions.
Seedling supports companies with multiple subsidiaries as well, but maintains a streamlined process by aggregating data in ways that reduce administrative overhead while preserving decision-useful insights.
Integrations and real-time monitoring
Plan A connects with a wide range of enterprise systems and data sources, enabling ongoing monitoring and automated reporting - particularly useful for large organisations with complex data ecosystems.
Seedling focuses on integrations most relevant to small and mid-sized businesses, especially accounting tools and operational data sources that enable fast, reliable footprint calculations without heavy IT involvement.
Decarbonisation support
Both platforms extend beyond measurement to help organisations reduce emissions. Each includes modelling tools, recommended reduction actions, and expert support to guide implementation and track progress toward Net Zero goals.
Broad sustainability reporting
Plan A covers a wide spectrum of sustainability topics, including ESG disclosures and alignment with major regulatory frameworks. This makes it suitable for organisations with extensive reporting obligations beyond carbon.
Seedling concentrates specifically on carbon management - delivering high-quality Scope 1, 2, and 3 data and practical reduction planning without the added complexity of full ESG reporting suites.
Bespoke consulting
Seedling provides hands-on support to help clients succeed within the platform but does not typically undertake large custom consulting projects.
Plan A offers more tailored advisory services, including custom analyses, reports, and workshops. This approach reflects the needs of larger organisations that often require highly customised solutions.
What our clients say
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The Seedling platform
Measure, reduce, and report your carbon footprint with confidence, using our intuitive carbon accounting software and expert guidance.
Measure an accurate, full-scope carbon footprint
With our intuitive carbon footprint measurement software, plus support from an expert, measuring an accurate footprint is straightforward. Use integrations to pull business data and share our in-built employee and supplier surveys to easily collect accurate data.
Your expert gets to know your businesses and helps build a plan to handle nuance and complexity.
Easily identify your emission hotspots
Your Seedling dashboard automatically segments footprint data the way you and your clients need it.
See reporting by Scope 1, 2 and 3, GHG Protocol categories, as well as granular breakdowns to understand your hotspots and plan to decarbonise.
Build your business's pathway to Net Zero
Work with a carbon expert to model your bespoke Net Zero roadmap in line with the SBTi framework. Using our hotspot analysis to focus your efforts, you can quantify the impact of a wide range of initiatives and take into account feasibility, cost and resource allocation.
Test and compare multiple roadmap scenarios to inform your level of ambition.
Fund verified climate action projects
Invest with confidence in projects verified to reduce or remove carbon, alongside a range of other benefits - like supporting local communities and improving biodiversity.
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Produce key compliance-ready emission reports in a click
Share your plans to decarbonise with Seedling's digital toolkit. Reports are automatically generated in the compliant format you need. Simply tweak, sign if needed, and export, or link to the report hosted by Seedling.
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Become a Seedling Certified Business
Seedling's certification recognises businesses that have established a robust plan to reduce carbon emissions, backed by data and climate science.
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One-to-one expert support to manage your emissions
Unlike many carbon accounting platforms, at Seedling we guide you through your climate action journey.
Each clients has a dedicated, named carbon expert. They're on hand from day one - from supporting with queries on data, to helping finalise and share your Net Zero strategy.
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Book a demo with one of our experts today, or get started right away for free.
FAQs
Your questions answered
How does Seedling compare to Plan A for small / mid-market teams?
Seedling is built for organisations without large sustainability departments. Plan A offers broader functionality, which can be valuable for complex reporting needs but may require more internal capacity to manage.
Which platform is faster to implement: Seedling or Plan A?
Seedling is designed for rapid setup, often producing a usable footprint quickly. Plan A’s wider scope and reporting features can mean a longer onboarding period.
Do Seedling and Plan A provide the same level of carbon accuracy?
Both follow recognised standards for Scope 1, 2 and 3 accounting. The main difference is operational complexity, not the credibility of the results.
When might Plan A be a better choice than Seedling?
Organisations needing extensive ESG reporting or alignment with multiple frameworks may benefit from Plan A’s broader capabilities.
How does pricing compare between Seedling and Plan A?
Plan A pricing is typically tailored to organisation size and reporting scope. Industry benchmarks suggest mid-market platforms like Plan A often start in the tens of thousands per year and scale upward with complexity, whereas Seedling focuses on providing strong carbon coverage without enterprise-level cost.
Still have questions?
Book a demo or get in touch and we'll be happy to help. Or follow this step-by-step guide to measuring your business's carbon footprint.
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