Top 7 Canny Alternatives in 2024

So you've decided Canny.io just isn't cutting it for your customer communication needs anymore. We get it—maybe their UI feels outdated, the reports are lackluster, or it's gotten a bit too pricey for what they offer. Whatever the reason, it's time to start shopping around for a replacement. But with so many options out there, how do you know which ones are worth your time?

Don't worry, we've got you covered. We scoured the web to find 10 of the top alternatives to Canny.io. For each one, we'll give you a quick rundown of what they do best and how they compare on price, features, and user experience. By the end of this roundup, you'll have a shortlist of new solutions that can take your customer engagement to the next level. So buckle up—it's time to find a customer communication tool that actually meets your needs. The hunt for a Canny.io replacement begins now!

What Is Canny.io and Why Look for Alternatives?

Canny.io is a popular customer feedback and roadmapping tool, but are a few reasons why you might want to look beyond Canny.

Canny’s idea board creates bias

People have a tendency to cast their votes in favor of features already riding the popularity wave. Plus, when they're sifting through existing feature requests, they typically kick off from the top of the list and gradually work their way down. As a result, features boasting high vote counts or occupying top positions on the list tend to garner even more votes.

Canny doesn’t let you close the loop

Canny has a changelog feature, so you can post updates about new features. And you can send notifications that a new feature was built to your customers. But Canny does't make it easy to close the loop with the people who requested a feature.

Canny branding

Not only do Canny boards all look the same (we are sure you've come across a couple), but they also display very prominent branding. And it appears that branding even exists on the expensive paid plans.

Canny isn't perfect, but it's important to acknowledge that no tool can claim absolute perfection. The key is finding the tool that aligns most effectively with your requirements. Here, we present a compilation of the top Canny alternatives, each boasting their unique advantages and drawbacks. Empowering you to make an informed choice tailored to your particular situation.

Released

The #1 choice for crafting and publishing release notes and Roadmaps when you're using Jira.

Released is a revolutionary entry in the product communication tools market, offering a unique approach to managing release notes and public roadmaps. Released reduces the time and effort to craft updates by taking Jira tickets and generating release notes by leveraging AI. Its seamless integration with Jira makes it the fastest and easiest tool on this list.

Unlike other contenders, it functions as an add-on for Atlassian's Jira, providing tight integration and several benefits. While it simplifies the process and enhances usability, the main drawback is its dependency on Jira.

Pros:

• Takes minutes to set up and is extremely easy to use.

• Deep integration with Jira Software and Jira Product discovery.

• AI copywriter automatically generates release notes from Jira tickets.

• Beautifully designed embeddable pages and widgets.

• Providing SSO and Enterprise Security even for small teams through Jira.

Cons:

• Requires Jira.

• No feedback collection.

Released has a generous free tier for up to 10 users. Pricing starts at $0.90 / user /month with progressive discounts as the number of users grows.

Headway

Headway, one of the early entrants in the changelog tools market, offers a straightforward updates page and a single widget. It provides essential features like custom branding, scheduled posting, integrations, and team management.

Designed for small startups and tech companies looking for simple user communication. However, Headway's limitations include minimal control over the updates page's appearance, lack of advanced features like segmentation and feedback, and support for only a limited number of languages.

Pros:

• One of the first Changelog tools in the market.

• Provides the basics like custom branding, scheduled posting, integrations, team management, and private feeds.

• Simple Pricing

Cons:

• The last major update was released in 2021.

• Limited control over the updates page's appearance.

• A less technical audience might find the markdown editing experience daunting.

• No integration with work management solutions.

Headway has a free plan and a Pro plan priced at $29 / month.

ReleaseNotes.io

ReleaseNotes is a good tool for those seeking a traditional release notes solution. It is particularly beneficial for more technical users as the theming options are powerful, but do require coding experience.

One notable feature of ReleaseNotes is the Global bucket, where you can store drafts and notes. This is useful for developers who may forget about the bugs they have fixed throughout the month, facilitating better communication within developer teams.

One downside to releasenotes.io is their editing experience. Image handling is awkward, text boxes are small and non-resizable, and the overall UI has plenty of room for improvement.

Pros:

• Powerful theming options for technical users.

• Notes bucket Convenient for storing drafts and tracking changes (although it's now deprecated).

Cons:

• The #1 complaint from users is about the poor editing experience.

• Lack of control over how images are handled in content.

• Integrations, Reactions, or CSS customization is only available in the highest tier plan.

• Limited integration with work management solutions.

The pricing for ReleaseNotes is a mix of base fees and subscribers. Starting at $29.00 / month + $10 / month per 1,000 subscribers for the Standard tier. A free option is available with a maximum of 5 releases.

Beamer

Beamer is one of the more comprehensive changelog software solutions available. It offers a range of features, including push notifications, and advanced analytics.

However, Beamer is also one of the most expensive solutions. For example, even Feedback & Emoji Reactions fall into a Business plan ($99/mo). Moreover, if you need to Segmentation it costs $249/mo. It can feel like every other feature you are trying to use presents you with an upsell screen.

Comprehensive Features: Beamer provides a wide array of features, such as push notifications and advanced analytics, making it a robust changelog software solution.

Pros:

• A wide array of features, such as push notifications and advanced analytics.

• Feedback & Emoji Reactions.

• A paid NPS module can be added to collect additional customer feedback.

Cons:

• Outdated editing experience.

• Expensive with features like appearance settings only available in paid plans.

• The app can be slow to load.

• Limited customization of templates and pages

• Limited integration with work management solutions.

Pricing starts at $49 / month for the "Starter" tier and the "Custom" enterprise tier starts from $499.

AnnounceKit

AnnounceKit is a reliable and user-friendly changelog service that offers a range of useful features for product communication. One of the standout advantages of AnnounceKit is its ease of setup. The in-product widgets provided by AnnounceKit have plenty of customization options and also support multiple languages. AnnounceKit recently added basic AI features to their editor.

Regrettably, much like Beamer, users on lower-tier pricing plans may discover that specific advanced features and integrations are exclusively available in higher-priced plans, which can be restrictive for those with budget constraints.

Pros:

• Reliable and user-friendly changelog service.

• Easy setup process.

• Customizable in-product widgets with plenty of options.

• Supports multiple languages.

• The recent addition of basic AI features to the editor.

Cons:

• Advanced features and integrations are limited to higher-priced plans, potentially restricting users to lower-tier pricing plans with budget constraints.

• AI integration feels like an afterthought.

• Limited integration with work management solutions.

Pricing starts at $79 / month for the Essential plan and Enterprise starts at $599.

ProductBoard

If you're looking for an all-in-one product management solution, ProductBoard is a great option to consider.

On the plus side, ProductBoard has a simple yet attractive interface, integrates with many project management and customer support tools, and offers robust reporting features. The downside is that it can be pricey, especially for larger teams, and overly complex if all you are after is improve how you communicate with your customers. However, for serious product managers, the cost may well be worth it.

With powerful features for gathering input, prioritizing requests, and sharing roadmaps, ProductBoard aims to be the only product management tool you'll ever need. If Canny was too basic but other options seem overly complex, ProductBoard could be the "just right" solution for your product team.

Pros

• Powerful feature set for gathering feedback from various sources in one place

• Intuitive interface is approachable for a wide range of team members

• Integrates with many common project management and customer service tools

• Robust reporting helps track progress and ROI

• Roadmapping capability aids in transparent product planning

Cons

• Higher pricing than some alternatives, especially for larger deployments

• Steeper learning curve than more focused tools

• Frequent complaints about Search and finding information.

Nolt

Nolt is a simple yet effective tool for gathering and organizing customer feedback. It provides an easy way to create customized feedback boards where users can submit and vote on ideas.

If you're looking for an uncomplicated solution focused specifically on gathering and prioritizing customer feedback and input, Nolt is worth considering as an alternative to Canny.

Pros

• Users can easily submit feedback anonymously which may encourage more honest feedback

• Feedback boards provide a transparent way to showcase the feedback process and priorities to users

Cons

• No built-in project management capabilities beyond feedback

• Limited collaboration tools for discussing feedback within teams

Conclusion

So there you have it, 7 great Canny alternatives to explore. Whether you're looking for a simple solution to gather customer feedback or want an enterprise-level product experience management platform, you've got options. Don't feel locked into any one tool - you should use what works best for your needs and budget. At the end of the day, what really matters is that you're actively listening to your customers and using their input to build a better product. If Canny's no longer cutting it, ditch it and find something that helps you achieve that goal. You owe it to yourself and your users to provide the best experience possible. Now get out there, explore the alternatives and make the switch - your customers will thank you for it!