Brainshark vs. Scratchpad

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Brainshark
Score 6.0 out of 10
N/A
Brainshark is a video presentation platform for sales enablement, now from BIgTinCan (acquired August 2021).N/A
Scratchpad
Score 9.7 out of 10
N/A
Scratchpad is a productivity tool for account executives, built for sales to update Salesforce, take sales notes, and daily todos. The software can be installed as a Google Chrome plugin or as a web application. It connects to Salesforce and provides an interface where sales professionals can keep all their notes, process workflows, spreadsheets, and tasks. Co-founders Pouyan Salehi and Cyrus Karbassiyoon started the company in San Francisco, California in 2019.
$0
user / month *up to five users per company
Pricing
BrainsharkScratchpad
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Free
$0
user / month *up to five users per company
Premium
$19
per user / month (billed annually)
Team
$39
user / month (billed annually)
Business
Custom pricing
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
BrainsharkScratchpad
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
BrainsharkScratchpad
Considered Both Products
Brainshark
Chose Brainshark
Much easier to learn, use, publish content. It does not have many advanced capabilities or support for HTML5 or VR
Chose Brainshark
Brainshark met all of our current needs, had an impressive roadmap for future integrations that aligned with ours and pricing was a good fit.
Chose Brainshark
I like the way Brainshark is organized better. I also like the layout better. The only issue with Brainshark is sometimes it is hard to find the items that you still need to complete.
Chose Brainshark
Mindtickle doesn't compare to Brainshark at all. Usability is incredibly low. I liked Gong.io, but our management team decided to go with Brainshark at the time. I was not disappointed. I used Gong.io at a previous place of business and it was easy to use and ramp up, but I …
Chose Brainshark
Brainshark is affordable and it's a simple tool to use. It further gives you the option to record the training sessions and use them later for further training activities. You are able to create your own content and use it to coach and train your staff in a reputable manner …
Chose Brainshark
Most systems we looked at only housed training you already had or bought... or you could buy their training, but they did not offer a way to build your own training AND keep it updated and house it in a logical way. I what we use in Brainshark as two parts (and we don't use it …
Chose Brainshark
The closest that I can think of that I can compare Brainshark too is Dropbox. I know Brainshark does have some other features that I do not utilize, such as a learning section.
Chose Brainshark
Nothing quite compares. It is a good niche product that plays to its strengths.

There is always a balance of powerful tools and ease of use for admins and users. Brainshark strikes a good balance with a lot of features but keeping it very easy for viewers to access content.
Chose Brainshark
Have not had to compare to any alternatives to date.
Chose Brainshark
I haven't found a tool that has the integrated content development and hosting tools that Brainshark has. We use Captivate for content development and did not have a standard hosting tool. Captivate requires advanced content development tools that limited use to training …
Chose Brainshark
That is a HUGE list of products. I have implemented 2 full LMS systems and a number of smaller systems and I have to say Brainshark is by far the best for easy content delivery.
Chose Brainshark
We run into competitors of Brainshark on a regular basis, Slideshare, ClearSide, QVidian, Captivate, Articulate and others but when someone is willing to look at the easy of use but even more importantly that Brainshark is a viable and cost effective end to end content creation …
Chose Brainshark
I have not evaluated any other - I've been using Brainshark at different companies for over 10 years. There is no better.
Chose Brainshark
At our company the only tool we had like this was to manually send PowerPoint presentations to each other, which are static and easily lost in your inbox. Brainshark has given us a great and interactive way to share this information so that our audience can better absorb, …
Chose Brainshark
They are not quite as robust and detailed in terms of capabilities in managing users as Blackbaud, but this is MUCH more user-friendly, and it feels like we, as a client, really matter to them and are a top priority. We have had nothing but good experiences with Brainshark and …
Chose Brainshark
We never used or looked at any other tools.
Chose Brainshark
So much better and easier to use for our administrators!
Chose Brainshark
There are a lot of sites that allow you to host/share content in the loud. What won for me was their tracking, analytics, and reporting. At the time there was nobody even close to Brainshark and I have not seen anything since that would make me want to switch. I look forward to …
Chose Brainshark
None recently
Chose Brainshark
More tracking available, better user interface, privacy controls, ability to record voice to presentation decks.
Chose Brainshark
We're currently evaluating Articulate Online as an alternate method of distributing our presentations, again simply because Brainshark is lacking some functionality when it comes to creating quizzes. If Brainshark could bridge the gap between what it does extremely well …
Chose Brainshark
While the UI of Prezi was "slick," people got a little seasick after watching it for too long. It seemed too much like a one-trick pony without enough flexibility.
Scratchpad
Chose Scratchpad
Scratchpad's pipeline views allow for better forecasting. This saves me time using multiple tools and views to get a better pulse of where I am at and where I need to be. I selected Scratchpad as it was recommended to me by a colleague, and once he showed me how he was using …
Chose Scratchpad
It doesn't. Scratchpad is more agile and much easier to use as a seller managing a large patch with lots of opportunities. SAP is robust but is far more complicated and involves a lot more inputs to get the same outputs that you can get with Scratchpad in half the time and …
Chose Scratchpad
I can't think of another tool similar to Scratchpad. The only other sales productivity tool that I've used in the past is Mixmax which is also an excellent tool. Mixmax has more features embedded in Gmail with the ability to view and edit Salesforce fields like Scratchpad, but …
Chose Scratchpad
Scratchpad is just a much more enjoyable way of interacting with Salesforce for the features it currently supports. It's not an alternative to Salesforce, it's an alternative UX for certain daily activities in SF, and it's great at that.
Chose Scratchpad
Before finding Scratchpad, logging account movements and mapping were done over OneNote (account management), Excel (pricing), and Word (call notes). Now I can get rid of the OneNote and Word aspects as they both sit on Scratchpad that links directly back to SF. This has helped …
Chose Scratchpad
I prefer the usage and benefit of Scratchpad over Coda, and easier & faster to use than Salesforce. I feel Coda has very little benefit (basically google page), but Scratchpad helps me stay organized for opportunities & discovery notes which is crucial. I highly suggest …
Chose Scratchpad
Scratchpad is far better and has way more ability to make changes than IQ does.
Chose Scratchpad
Scratchpad has more out-of-the-box features like centralized note-taking and the ability to pull in reports.
Chose Scratchpad
Scratchpad customizations stay within the margins of rules set by our organization. We didn't do a deep dive of Dooly and can mainly speak to the quality and effectiveness within Scratchpad. Currently, my entire team of 10 reps is using it, and we all have found usefulness. …
Chose Scratchpad
Before Scratchpad, I made all updates through Salesforce. Reports don't load super quickly and can be tough to change. Scratchpad makes this much easier.
Chose Scratchpad
I haven't ever used anything else other than your typical pen and paper or notes section on my Mac. I wouldn't have any info on how they stack up compared to the competition. I would venture to say they are the only ones trying to change sales reps' lives. It's just what they …
Chose Scratchpad
I selected Scratchpad because the depth of integration within Salesforce is very useful; I don't have to use a separate application than what I'm already using, Scratchpad is imbued within my Chrome and SFDC instances. Their free capabilities don't block you from viewing notes …
Chose Scratchpad
Only compared to Salesforce functionality
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User Ratings
BrainsharkScratchpad
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(0 ratings)
9.7
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.2
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.7
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
BrainsharkScratchpad
Likelihood to Recommend
Brainshark is very user-friendly and it’s very easy to create learning content, even a beginner could walk through it fairly easily. They also have a great support team and help site that can pretty much answer any question with video tutorials.
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I have over 250 accounts in my name, and it can be difficult to prioritize and find notes on past conversations my colleagues may have had. Scratchpad makes it super easy to reference past notes and add new ones to organize my book of business and make the best use of my time.
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Pros
  • You can Track who watched and how many times your presentation was watched through their tracking service.
  • Customer service is outstanding. They will walk you through any difficulties you encounter.
  • They are always working and expanding the product to give me ways to engage with my audience
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  • Scratchpad notes are super easy to use and link to Salesforce Opportunities.
  • Allows you to update all the necessary Salesforce opportunity fields without going into Salesforce.
  • Easy to use Task manager that helps you stay on track through the day.
  • Extremely easy to use and their CS team is always willing to provide training and help.
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Cons
  • It is not always the SME that wants to narrate so an easier way to invite guest narrators would make the creation process less painful.
  • More detailed description of report types. Depending on what output I am in search of, I find myself having select each option until I find what I need.
  • An option to insert a slide instead of just adding and having to move it up by repeatedly pressing the up arrow.
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  • When pulling in Salesforce reports, it doesn't have full ability to do grouping/sorting.
  • When looking at pipeline view there's not an ability to expand the default view to see more than 5 people per group.
  • It'd be nice if comments would go as a task rather than a buzz.
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Likelihood to Renew
Our customers (internal employees) have expressed desired for online learning and we have received positive feedback on the Brainshark modules used in eLearning and communications. We are also increasing usage at the project level as the word spreads about the benefits of using Brainshark.
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No answers on this topic
Usability
BrainShark is great for those with beginner and intermediate level software skills. It doesn't take a programming genius to get up and running with this application.
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Great functionality and a great intuitive tool
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Reliability and Availability
I'm always able to access Brainshark, whether it is to upload, record, share, download, or view presentations. Whenever I do need to contact someone at Brainshark, there is always someone there. I have never had a problem accessing a presentation and any updates to presentations are viewable immediately.
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
We've found a few glitches and needed some branding updated. Each time we've called, they were super responsive and cared about my issue as much as I did! They've even helped me (and another vendor) figure out how to have this other outside software integrate with theirs to achieve an even greater presentation. I'm super impressed with their Customer Service people.
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No answers on this topic
Online Training
The training is easy to use. You can take as little or as much as you need. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. There is a variety of training you can take. There are mini lessons, courses, and webinars. The folks at Brainshark truly want to help you have the best presentation possible.
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No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Their ongoing support after implementation is excellent and easy to access...
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No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Most systems we looked at only housed training you already had or bought... or you could buy their training, but they did not offer a way to build your own training AND keep it updated and house it in a logical way. I what we use in Brainshark as two parts (and we don't use it all - such as the Coaching module) one for creation and second for delivery... and delivery offers two parts. One off's... links that we can add to newsletters, websites etc, and then their Rapid Learning Portal for more formalized learning. Brainshark gives me what I need to create AND deliver trainings, webinars and even holiday wishes. Plus they are big enough to offer service and tech help to the field... I don't have to do it all myself... as well as a Customer Success Manager for quarterly updates, help and training, monthly reporting on usage, training webinars and an whole knowledge base and author and administrator training online. If you only have a person or hand full of people creating your training... it is easy to use and get lots of content out to the world!
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Scratchpad is just a much more enjoyable way of interacting with Salesforce for the features it currently supports. It's not an alternative to Salesforce, it's an alternative UX for certain daily activities in SF, and it's great at that.
Read full review
Return on Investment
  • Since we implement how Brainshark is used we have found several areas where it has a significant impact...the first is the ability for any three step distributor to build a supplier / manufacturer content library that can be utilized by their B2B sales group
  • Brainshark's survey and question tools are an excellent way to solicit feedback from both internal and external audiences...
  • Brainshark is a cost effective way for retailers and wholesalers to manage store and field level operations...
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  • I credit Scratchpad to saving me on average about 1 - 2 hours a day (what it used to take me) and about 5 - 6 hrs per week.
  • Scratchpad makes me feel better about where I stand in regards to my quota cause it gives me easy visualization into my pipeline making forecasting discussions easier with managers.
  • Scratchpad enables me to stay organized and helps me feel less overwhelmed with Admin work.
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ScreenShots