Software · head to head
Canny vs Drift
The short version
- Only Canny has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Canny tracked user pricing model causes costs to balloon as product grows and engagement increases, creating perverse incentive where more successful feedback gathering means higher costs; Drift product is being sunset by Salesloft with successor service (1mind) recommended
- They diverge on capability: Canny covers Feedback boards, Drift covers Live chat.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Canny and Drift actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2015).
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 Canny
- Feedback boards
- Voting system
- Roadmap planning
- Changelog
- User segmentation
- Status updates
- Admin moderation
- Analytics
Only in Drift
- Live chat
- AI chatbots
- Meeting scheduling
- Email sequences
- Visitor intelligence
- Conversation routing
- Mobile app
- Analytics dashboard
Both cover
- Slack
- Salesforce
- SOC2
- GDPR
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Canny
- Feature request managementnot Drift
- Product roadmappingnot Drift
- Customer feedback collectionnot Drift
- Changelog communicationnot Drift
- User engagementnot Drift
Drift
- Lead qualificationnot Canny
- Meeting bookingnot Canny
- Customer supportnot Canny
- Account-based marketingnot Canny
- Sales accelerationnot Canny
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Canny
- Tracked user pricing model causes costs to balloon as product grows and engagement increases, creating perverse incentive where more successful feedback gathering means higher costs
- Limited integrations on Core plan; must upgrade to Pro to connect with Jira and Linear
- Lacks built-in analytics for identifying themes and patterns across hundreds of feedback requests without manual tagging
- Customizations limited for public-facing interfaces regarding branding and information presentation
- Autopilot AI cannot be linked to product knowledge bases to better understand products and improve function
- Slow response times reported by users, affecting feedback management efficiency
- Limited custom user fields and manual data updates require API access
Drift
- Product is being sunset by Salesloft with successor service (1mind) recommended
- Mandatory bundling within Salesloft increases cost
- No free tier available
- Customer support and knowledge base have been deprioritized
- Limited to enterprise B2B pipeline generation focus
Pricing, plan by plan
Canny
Free- FreeFree
- Up to 100 tracked users
- Unlimited feedback
- 1 board
- Starter$400/month
- 1,000 tracked users
- Unlimited boards
- Private boards
- Growth$900/month
- 5,000 tracked users
- API access
- SSO
- Business$undefined/month
- Unlimited tracked users
- White label
- SLA
Drift
$2500/monthNo published plan breakdown. See the Drift review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Canny if
- You need feedback boards.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Claude AI (MCP).
- You also want voting system.
Questions people ask
- Is Canny or Drift better?
- Neither clearly leads. Canny starts at Free and Drift at $2500/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Canny or Drift?
- Canny has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Canny and $2500/month for Drift.
- Does Canny or Drift run on more platforms?
- Canny runs on Web, Claude AI (MCP). Drift runs on Web.
- Can I use Canny for free?
- Yes. Canny has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Drift starts at $2500/month.
- What is Canny best used for?
- Canny is most often used for feature request management, product roadmapping, customer feedback collection, changelog communication. Of those, feature request management and product roadmapping are not what Drift is typically brought in for.
- What can Canny do that Drift cannot?
- Canny covers Feedback boards, Voting system, Roadmap planning, Changelog. Drift covers Live chat, AI chatbots, Meeting scheduling, Email sequences. Both handle Slack, Salesforce, SOC2, GDPR.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Canny: Does Canny offer a free plan?
Yes. Canny offers a free plan that allows collecting up to 100 feedback ideas. Free users get basic features without roadmap, changelog, or integrations.
SourceDrift: What is the current status of Drift in 2026?
On March 6, 2026, Clari and Salesloft announced the gradual sunset of Drift's conversational marketing solution, with 1mind named as its exclusive AI successor. Drift remains available but its future is limited.
SourceCanny: How is Canny priced?
Canny pricing scales based on tracked users. Core starts at $19/month (100 users, annual), Pro starts at $79/month (100 users, annual). Prices increase as tracked users grow.
SourceDrift: How much does Drift cost?
Drift pricing starts around $2,500/month ($30,000/year) for Premium chat-only capabilities, with Enterprise plans exceeding $80,000/year. Drift is bundled within Salesloft and billed annually only.
SourceCanny: What is a tracked user in Canny?
A tracked user is anyone who posts, votes, or comments on your Canny board or embedded widget. Each unique end user counts once and the count accumulates.
SourceDrift: What features come with Drift Premium?
Premium plans include live chat widget, custom chatbot flows, meeting scheduling with calendar integration, basic playbooks, email sequences, and standard integrations.
SourceCanny: What is Canny Autopilot?
Canny Autopilot is an AI feature that automatically captures feature requests from communication tools like Gong, Intercom, Slack, and Zendesk. It prioritizes requests by revenue impact.
SourceDrift: Does Drift offer a free plan?
No, Drift no longer publicly advertises a free plan as of 2026. All plans require annual billing through Salesloft.
SourceCanny: Does Canny have a public roadmap feature?
Yes. Canny provides a public roadmap where customers can see what is planned, building, and shipped. Customers can vote on features and watch their feedback progress.
Source