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Software · head to head

Brainshark vs Friendbuy

Brainshark logo

Brainshark

Software

Sales Readiness Platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Friendbuy logo

Friendbuy

Software

Referral and loyalty platform for DTC brands

From
$249/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Brainshark user interface feels outdated with limited formatting customization options; Friendbuy no public pricing; requires sales call which makes it difficult to compare costs
  • They diverge on capability: Brainshark covers Content authoring, Friendbuy covers Referral programs.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Brainshark and Friendbuy actually diverge.

Attributes where Brainshark and Friendbuy differ
AttributeBrainsharkFriendbuy
Starting priceOn request$249/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb
Founded19992010

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Brainshark

  • Content authoring
  • Video coaching
  • Training
  • Assessments
  • Analytics
  • Salesforce
  • Microsoft Dynamics
  • Slack

Only in Friendbuy

  • Referral programs
  • Loyalty programs
  • A/B testing
  • Fraud detection
  • Attribution tracking
  • Shopify
  • Klaviyo
  • Attentive

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Brainshark

  • Customer Successnot Friendbuy
  • Sales Readinessnot Friendbuy
  • Content Authoringnot Friendbuy

Friendbuy

  • affiliate marketing managementnot Brainshark
  • Workflow automationnot Brainshark
  • Reportingnot Brainshark

Where each one falls short

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

Brainshark

  • User interface feels outdated with limited formatting customization options
  • Branching feature is very limited compared to competitors
  • Course catalog and transcript management in Salesforce are clunky and unintuitive
  • Administrative controls are complex and adjusting settings takes longer than expected

Friendbuy

  • No public pricing; requires sales call which makes it difficult to compare costs
  • Custom pricing can be expensive, especially for additional currencies or features
  • Low level of customization makes it difficult to implement seamlessly and maintain brand consistency
  • Customer support only available via email with slow response times
  • Rewards require manual processing and approval rather than automatic distribution
  • Tracking accuracy issues where referred customers sometimes marked as existing customers

Pricing, plan by plan

Brainshark

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Brainshark review.

Friendbuy

$249/month
  • Starter$249/month
    • Referral program
    • Basic analytics
    • Email support

Which should you pick?

Choose Brainshark if

  • You need content authoring.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want video coaching.
Brainshark review

Choose Friendbuy if

  • You need referral programs.
  • You also want loyalty programs.
Friendbuy review

Questions people ask

Is Brainshark or Friendbuy better?
Neither clearly leads. Brainshark starts at On request and Friendbuy at $249/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Brainshark or Friendbuy?
Brainshark starts at On request and Friendbuy at $249/month.
Does Brainshark or Friendbuy run on more platforms?
Brainshark runs on Web, Ios, Android. Friendbuy runs on Web.
What is Brainshark best used for?
Brainshark is most often used for customer success, sales readiness, content authoring. Of those, customer success and sales readiness are not what Friendbuy is typically brought in for.
What can Brainshark do that Friendbuy cannot?
Brainshark covers Content authoring, Video coaching, Training, Assessments. Friendbuy covers Referral programs, Loyalty programs, A/B testing, Fraud detection. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Brainshark: What is Brainshark primarily used for?

Brainshark is used for sales enablement, onboarding, and continuous training to prepare customer-facing teams with content, coaching, and certifications for buyer interactions.

Source
Friendbuy: What is Friendbuy's pricing model?

Friendbuy uses custom quote-based pricing with no publicly listed rates. Starting point is approximately $3,000 annually, with costs varying based on traffic volume, features needed, and onboarding requirements. Annual contracts are required.

Source
Brainshark: Does Brainshark integrate with PowerPoint?

Yes, Brainshark offers PowerPoint integrations along with a mobile app for on-demand training access and content authoring capabilities.

Source
Friendbuy: Does Friendbuy offer a free trial?

Friendbuy does not offer a free trial. Prospective customers must contact sales for a demo and quote. There is no self-serve signup or trial period available.

Source
Brainshark: Can Brainshark track employee training completion?

Yes, Brainshark provides training tracking, analytics, and scorecards for monitoring completion and engagement across your sales team.

Source
Friendbuy: Does Friendbuy offer referral and loyalty programs?

Yes. Friendbuy bundles both referral and loyalty program features together. You cannot purchase referral features alone and must pay for the complete suite.

Source
Friendbuy: What integrations does Friendbuy support?

Friendbuy integrates with major e-commerce platforms including Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce, plus marketing tools like Klaviyo, Braze, and Segment.

Source
Friendbuy: Are rewards processed automatically in Friendbuy?

Activity is tracked automatically, but rewards are processed manually, requiring administrator action to approve and distribute rewards to referrers.

Source
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Related pages

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