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CRM · head to head

Capsule vs Scratchpad

Capsule logo

Capsule

CRM

Visual CRM for small teams

From
$19/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Scratchpad logo

Scratchpad

CRM

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Scratchpad has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Capsule the free plan is capped at 2 users, 250 contacts, 5 custom fields and a single pipeline; 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: Capsule covers Contact management, Scratchpad covers Spreadsheet pipeline views.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Capsule and Scratchpad actually diverge.

Attributes where Capsule and Scratchpad differ
AttributeCapsuleScratchpad
Starting price$19/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer user per month
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Chrome extension
Founded2008Unknown

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

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 Capsule

  • Contact management
  • Deal tracking
  • Task management
  • Email sync
  • Activity timeline
  • Slack
  • Zapier
  • Google Apps

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.

Capsule

  • Simple contact and pipeline CRM for a small teamnot Scratchpad
  • Tracking deals and follow-up tasksnot Scratchpad
  • Linking emails and notes to contact recordsnot Scratchpad
  • Multiple sales pipelines on the paid tiersnot 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 Capsule
  • A rep who wants to update twenty opportunities in a grid rather than opening twenty Salesforce recordsnot Capsule
  • A sales manager wanting stale and incomplete pipeline records flagged automatically instead of chased by emailnot Capsule
  • A revenue operations lead trialling AI notetaking that writes back to CRM fields before committing budget, using the free tiernot Capsule

Where each one falls short

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

Capsule

  • The free plan is capped at 2 users, 250 contacts, 5 custom fields and a single pipeline
  • Contact ceilings gate every tier, from 30,000 on Starter to 120,000 on Advanced
  • Per-user prices are not shown as figures on the pricing page, only as tier names
  • Ultimate is quote-only

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

Capsule

$19/month
  • Starter$19/month
    • Contact management
    • Task tracking
  • Professional$39/month
    • Everything in Starter
    • Pipeline management
    • Reporting
  • Enterprise$99/month
    • Everything in Professional
    • Custom fields
    • API access

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 Capsule if

  • You need contact management.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want deal tracking.
Capsule 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 Capsule or Scratchpad better?
Neither clearly leads. Capsule starts at $19/month and Scratchpad at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Capsule or Scratchpad?
Scratchpad has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $19/month for Capsule and Free for Scratchpad.
Does Capsule or Scratchpad run on more platforms?
Capsule runs on Web, Ios, Android. 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. Capsule starts at $19/month.
What is Capsule best used for?
Capsule is most often used for simple contact and pipeline crm for a small team, tracking deals and follow-up tasks, linking emails and notes to contact records, multiple sales pipelines on the paid tiers. Of those, simple contact and pipeline crm for a small team and tracking deals and follow-up tasks are not what Scratchpad is typically brought in for.
What can Capsule do that Scratchpad cannot?
Capsule covers Contact management, Deal tracking, Task management, Email sync. Scratchpad covers Spreadsheet pipeline views, Call recorder and notetaker, AI field updates, Deal and account agent.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Capsule: How long is the free trial for Capsule CRM paid plans?

Capsule CRM offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. None of the paid plan features are limited during the trial period.

Source
Scratchpad: Does Scratchpad work with HubSpot?

No. It is Salesforce-only.

Capsule: What is the maximum number of contacts included in Capsule's free plan?

The free plan allows up to 250 contacts and supports a maximum of 2 users with 1 sales pipeline.

Source
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.

Capsule: Does Capsule CRM offer annual billing discounts?

Yes, when you choose annual billing instead of monthly, Capsule CRM offers up to 15% discount on your subscription.

Source
Scratchpad: Does it replace Salesforce licences?

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

Capsule: Can I cancel my Capsule CRM account anytime or are there long-term commitments?

You can cancel your Capsule account at any time, and there are zero setup fees when opening an account.

Source
Scratchpad: What are AI credits spent on?

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

Capsule: Does Capsule CRM support importing data from spreadsheets or other tools?

Yes, Capsule CRM supports data migration from spreadsheets and select integrations like Xero and Zendesk.

Source
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