Canny vs Featurebase

Canny and Featurebase each give a product team a board where customers post and vote on ideas, yet they package it differently. Canny is a dedicated feedback product that meters tracked users and says it has been bootstrapped and profitable since 2017, operated from California. Featurebase folds feedback into a helpdesk subscription charged per seat, run from Estonia with hosting primarily in the EU. The decision rests on how many people answer customers and where you want your supplier registered. Canny's free tier covers 25 tracked users, and Featurebase's free plan covers one seat and one board. Both vendors publish prices openly, so a buyer can compare before talking to anyone.

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Both are reviewed in full in our customer feedback software ranking: Canny and Featurebase.

1. 01

   Jurisdiction and company origins

   On its About page Canny says it has been bootstrapped and profitable since 2017, and its terms name Canny Inc under the laws of California in the United States. Featurebase trades as CORDNET OÜ at an address in Viimsi, Estonia. Its own about page gives Tallinn as home base and also describes the company as bootstrapped, while its privacy policy cites an Estonian registry code and GDPR compliance. A buyer who wants to shortlist European suppliers first will find Featurebase the clearer match, and ownership style is a wash between them. Check which jurisdiction your contract must name before comparing features.

   Edge: Featurebase

2. 02

   How a tracked user adds up

   Canny's free tier covers 25 tracked users, and a tracked user is anyone associated with feedback, meaning anyone who posts, votes or comments. Without a spend limit, the account moves to the next tier on its own once that cap is passed. A busy public board makes this a real risk, though the remedy is simple: set the limit on day one. Featurebase does not meter voters in this way, because it bills per seat, so a lively public board adds nothing to the invoice at that vendor. Canny's Business plan covers the tier above 5,000 tracked users, for much larger boards.

   Edge: Featurebase

3. 03

   Seats, boards and what the helpdesk adds

   Featurebase lists Free with 1 seat and one feedback board, Growth at $29 with five boards, Professional at $59 with ten boards and 20 free Lite seats, and Enterprise at $99. Each card includes feedback, yet plans are charged per seat per month, so a team that wants only a board may fund helpdesk seats it never opens. The pack does not name a currency for these figures. Canny sells the board by itself, which keeps the purchase narrower and the comparison fairer to a buyer with a single need. Featurebase's Growth and Professional tiers differ in boards, five against ten.

   Edge: Canny

4. 04

   Getting feedback in from support conversations

   Canny's Autopilot captures feedback from Intercom, Zendesk, Freshdesk, Gong and Zoom conversations, and the About page lists a public API and an MCP server. HubSpot and Salesforce integrations belong to the Business plan, which also covers the tier above 5,000 tracked users. For Featurebase, our reading found nothing resembling conversation capture, and its helpdesk is a product of its own. A team whose signal already sits in other support tools will copy less by hand with Canny. Neither product is designed around scored surveys. The public API on Canny's About page gives a route for custom feeds beyond those named sources.

   Edge: Canny

5. 05

   Trials, extras and per-resolution charges

   Featurebase states a 10-day trial of paid plans without a credit card. Its Fibi AI agent costs $0.49 per resolution on paid plans, and removing branding is a $69 monthly add-on on Professional and Enterprise. Canny's free tier needs no card either, and we saw neither a per-resolution fee nor a branding add-on there. Both let you try before you pay, yet Featurebase carries more optional items that lift the final bill above the headline tier, so read the plan card closely first. Featurebase also offers a free plan limited to one seat and one board, which makes a gentler trial.

   Edge: Canny

6. 06

   Gaps to plan around

   Canny gathers requests and votes, so a team wanting NPS or CSAT surveys must add another product, and its CRM integrations and largest tracked-user tier sit in a custom plan. Featurebase gives the free plan 500 survey shows a month, yet its paid tiers add per-seat and per-resolution costs, and large enterprises wanting survey-scored programmes will look elsewhere. Neither is a contact-centre suite. Choose according to whether your gap is revenue context or a bundled helpdesk, and treat Featurebase's survey allowance as small but real. The free plan at Featurebase allows one board and one roadmap, so test whether that fits before upgrading.

   Depends on the buyer

Could my Canny invoice rise without anyone choosing a higher plan?

Yes, when no spend limit is set. Canny upgrades the account to the next tier once the tracked-user cap is passed. Setting the limit when you open the account prevents it. Check the figure again after any public launch.

Do I have to buy a helpdesk at Featurebase to run only a feedback board?

Every plan card lists feedback as included, even the single-seat free plan. Paid tiers charge per seat, so the helpdesk arrives with the price. The free plan allows one board and one roadmap. Open the plan card before choosing a tier.

Which vendor fits a procurement rule that favours EU suppliers?

Featurebase, since the company is CORDNET OÜ in Estonia and its terms state hosting primarily in the EU. Canny Inc is governed by Californian law.

Both describe themselves as bootstrapped, so that detail will not separate them. Both describe themselves as bootstrapped, so that detail will not separate them.

• Canny pricing page: free tier of 25 tracked users, the automatic upgrade without a spend limit and the Autopilot conversation sources.
• Canny about page: bootstrapped and profitable since 2017, plus the public API and MCP server.
• Canny terms of service: Canny Inc as operator and Californian governing law.
• Featurebase pricing page: Free, Growth, Professional and Enterprise seat prices, 10-day trial, $0.49 Fibi resolution fee and $69 branding add-on.
• Featurebase terms of service: CORDNET OÜ in Viimsi and hosting primarily in the EU.
• Featurebase about page: Tallinn as home base and the bootstrapped statement.