Softwr

Sales Enablement · head to head

Brainshark vs Responsive

Brainshark logo

Brainshark

Sales Enablement

Sales Readiness Platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Responsive logo

Responsive

Proposals

Strategic Response Management

From
$10000/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Brainshark user interface feels outdated with limited formatting customization options; Responsive growth and Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales
  • They diverge on capability: Brainshark covers Content authoring, Responsive covers AI content suggestions.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Brainshark and Responsive actually diverge.

Attributes where Brainshark and Responsive differ
AttributeBrainsharkResponsive
Starting priceOn request$10000/year
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb
CategorySales EnablementProposals
Founded19992015

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Brainshark

  • Content authoring
  • Video coaching
  • Training
  • Assessments
  • Microsoft Dynamics
  • Highspot
  • Ios support
  • Android support

Only in Responsive

  • AI content suggestions
  • Response automation
  • Content library
  • Collaboration
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Google Workspace

Both cover

  • Analytics
  • Salesforce
  • Slack
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Brainshark

  • Customer Successnot Responsive
  • Sales Readinessnot Responsive
  • Content Authoringnot Responsive

Responsive

  • Automated back-office administration for Canadian independent portfolio managersnot Brainshark
  • Client onboarding and compliance management for investment advisory firmsnot 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  • User interface feels outdated with limited formatting customization options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

Responsive

  • Growth and Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales
  • Three-component pricing model (platform fee, per-user licenses, add-ons) may make budgeting complex

Pricing, plan by plan

Brainshark

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Brainshark review.

Responsive

$10000/year
  • Emerging Edition$10000/year
    • Unlimited response projects
    • AI & automation studio
    • Unlimited content collaboration
  • Growth Edition$null/contact sales
    • All Emerging features
    • Intake requests
    • LookUp & eSignature
  • Enterprise Edition$null/contact sales
    • All Growth features
    • Flexible custom AI
    • Enterprise security controls

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 Responsive if

  • You need ai content suggestions.
  • You also want response automation.
Responsive review

Questions people ask

Is Brainshark or Responsive better?
Neither clearly leads. Brainshark starts at On request and Responsive at $10000/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Brainshark or Responsive?
Brainshark starts at On request and Responsive at $10000/year.
Does Brainshark or Responsive run on more platforms?
Brainshark runs on Web, Ios, Android. Responsive 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 Responsive is typically brought in for.
What can Brainshark do that Responsive cannot?
Brainshark covers Content authoring, Video coaching, Training, Assessments. Responsive covers AI content suggestions, Response automation, Content library, Collaboration. Both handle Analytics, Salesforce, Slack, 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
Responsive: How much does Responsive cost?

Responsive's Emerging Edition starts at $10,000/year. Growth and Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales. Pricing comprises three components: annual platform fee, per-user license costs, and optional add-ons for professional services and integrations.

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
Responsive: What is included in the Emerging Edition?

The Emerging Edition at $10,000/year includes unlimited response projects, AI & automation studio, unlimited content collaboration, integrations, and admin support. It is designed for early-stage proposal teams with low-to-moderate RFP volume.

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
Responsive: When do I need Growth or Enterprise editions?

Growth Edition is for organizations with weekly RFP volume and cross-functional collaboration needs. Enterprise Edition is for complex multi-team operations with dedicated proposal teams and global or multi-region requirements. Both require custom quotes.

Source
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