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Customer Support · head to head

Balto vs Scratchpad

Balto logo

Balto

Customer Support

Real-time guidance that prompts contact centre agents mid-call rather than scoring them afterwards

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Scratchpad logo

Scratchpad

CRM

Faster workspace over Salesforce for sales reps to update pipeline, take notes and manage deals

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Scratchpad has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Balto the prompts only work if agents read them, and on floors with fast handle-time targets agents learn to ignore the panel, which turns an expensive live system into an ordinary after-the-fact scorer.; Scratchpad scratchpad works with Salesforce and nothing else, with no HubSpot support, so it is off the shortlist entirely for any company on a different CRM regardless of how good the interface is.
  • They diverge on capability: Balto covers Real-time prompts, Scratchpad covers Spreadsheet pipeline views.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Balto and Scratchpad actually diverge.

Attributes where Balto and Scratchpad differ
AttributeBaltoScratchpad
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotePer user per month
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Windows, macOSWeb, Chrome extension
CategoryCustomer SupportCRM

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Balto

  • Real-time prompts
  • Real-Time Coaching
  • Playbook builder
  • Automated scoring
  • Balto AI Suite
  • Compliance checklists
  • Dialler and CCaaS integrations

Only in Scratchpad

  • Spreadsheet pipeline views
  • Call recorder and notetaker
  • AI field updates
  • Deal and account agent
  • Hygiene monitor
  • Notes linked to records
  • Custom prompts
  • Kanban and forecast views

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Balto

  • A debt collection floor that must read a required disclosure on every call and wants the prompt to fire rather than a scorecard to record the failure afterwardsnot Scratchpad
  • An insurance enrolment team where a missed eligibility question means the application is rejected and the call has to be made againnot Scratchpad
  • A high-turnover outbound floor where new starters need on-screen scaffolding for the first eight weeks instead of a supervisor sitting beside themnot Scratchpad
  • A healthcare intake centre that needs auditable evidence that specific consent language was spoken on every recorded callnot Scratchpad

Scratchpad

  • A 60-rep Salesforce team whose forecast is unreliable because opportunity fields are updated once a week in a panic before the pipeline callnot Balto
  • A rep who wants to update twenty opportunities in a grid rather than opening twenty Salesforce recordsnot Balto
  • A sales manager wanting stale and incomplete pipeline records flagged automatically instead of chased by emailnot Balto
  • A revenue operations lead trialling AI notetaking that writes back to CRM fields before committing budget, using the free tiernot Balto

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Balto

  • The prompts only work if agents read them, and on floors with fast handle-time targets agents learn to ignore the panel, which turns an expensive live system into an ordinary after-the-fact scorer.
  • Playbooks are trigger-phrase driven and need continuous maintenance as products, scripts and objections change, so the tool quietly degrades unless someone owns it as a standing job.
  • Real-time transcription on noisy lines and strong accents misfires, producing prompts that fire on the wrong cue and train agents to distrust the panel entirely.
  • It is voice-first, so a contact centre where most volume has moved to chat and messaging gets far less from it than the per-agent price implies.
  • No pricing is published and there is no self-serve tier, so evaluating it means a sales cycle plus a technical integration into your telephony before you can judge whether agents will actually use it.

Scratchpad

  • Scratchpad works with Salesforce and nothing else, with no HubSpot support, so it is off the shortlist entirely for any company on a different CRM regardless of how good the interface is.
  • AI credits are metered per user per month at 400 on Solo and 800 on Team, which means heavy notetaking use pushes teams towards Enterprise for capacity rather than for features.
  • There is no proper native mobile application, so representatives who wanted to update records from a car park between meetings are back in a mobile browser.
  • Sync with Salesforce and call processing can lag, and a pipeline view showing yesterday state during a forecast call undermines the exact meeting the tool was bought to improve.
  • It creates a second notes surface alongside native Salesforce notes, so organisations end up with deal history split across two places unless they explicitly ban one of them.

Pricing, plan by plan

Balto

On request
  • Balto$undefined/year
    • Real-time agent guidance
    • Real-Time Coaching for supervisors
    • Automated call scoring

Scratchpad

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Workspace limited to 3 views
    • 10 hours a month of call recording and notetaking
    • AI field updates
  • Solo$19/month
    • Unlimited views with sheets and notes
    • Call recorder and notetaker
    • AI field updates
  • Team$49/month
    • Everything in Solo
    • 800 AI credits per user per month
    • Gong integration
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Unlimited AI credits
    • White-glove agent services included
    • Enterprise security and administration

Which should you pick?

Choose Balto if

  • You need real-time prompts.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want real-time coaching.
Balto review

Choose Scratchpad if

  • You need spreadsheet pipeline views.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Chrome extension.
  • You also want call recorder and notetaker.
Scratchpad review

Questions people ask

Is Balto or Scratchpad better?
Neither clearly leads. Balto starts at On request and Scratchpad at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Balto or Scratchpad?
Scratchpad has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Balto and Free for Scratchpad.
Does Balto or Scratchpad run on more platforms?
Balto runs on Web, Windows, macOS. Scratchpad runs on Web, Chrome extension.
Can I use Scratchpad for free?
Yes. Scratchpad has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Balto starts at On request.
What is Balto best used for?
Balto is most often used for a debt collection floor that must read a required disclosure on every call and wants the prompt to fire rather than a scorecard to record the failure afterwards, an insurance enrolment team where a missed eligibility question means the application is rejected and the call has to be made again, a high-turnover outbound floor where new starters need on-screen scaffolding for the first eight weeks instead of a supervisor sitting beside them, a healthcare intake centre that needs auditable evidence that specific consent language was spoken on every recorded call. Of those, a debt collection floor that must read a required disclosure on every call and wants the prompt to fire rather than a scorecard to record the failure afterwards and an insurance enrolment team where a missed eligibility question means the application is rejected and the call has to be made again are not what Scratchpad is typically brought in for.
What can Balto do that Scratchpad cannot?
Balto covers Real-time prompts, Real-Time Coaching, Playbook builder, Automated scoring. Scratchpad covers Spreadsheet pipeline views, Call recorder and notetaker, AI field updates, Deal and account agent.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Balto: How is this different from Gong or Chorus?

Those analyse calls after they end. Balto changes the call while it is happening by prompting the agent live, which matters for compliance and much less for post-hoc coaching.

Scratchpad: Does Scratchpad work with HubSpot?

No. It is Salesforce-only.

Balto: Does it need my telephony vendor to cooperate?

Yes. It needs a live audio stream, so it integrates at the CCaaS or dialler layer with Five9, Genesys, Amazon Connect and similar. An unsupported platform is a blocker, not a config change.

Scratchpad: Is the free plan usable in production?

Yes for an individual: full workspace with three views, 10 hours of recording and 100 AI credits a month. Teams outgrow it on views and credits.

Balto: What does it cost?

Balto does not publish pricing. Expect a quoted per-agent annual contract, with the rate depending on seat count and which modules you licence.

Scratchpad: Does it replace Salesforce licences?

No. Every user still needs their own Salesforce licence; Scratchpad is an interface on top.

Balto: Will it work for chat teams?

Not well. The product is built around live voice, and text channels are not where its strength is.

Scratchpad: What are AI credits spent on?

Notetaking, summarisation, field update suggestions and agent queries. Enterprise removes the cap.

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