SaaS · head to head
Drift vs Canny
The short version
- Only Canny has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Drift product is being sunset by Salesloft with successor service (1mind) recommended; 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
- They diverge on capability: Drift covers Live chat, Canny covers Feedback boards.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Drift and Canny actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (SaaS), 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 Drift
- Live chat
- AI chatbots
- Meeting scheduling
- Email sequences
- Visitor intelligence
- Conversation routing
- Mobile app
- Analytics dashboard
Only in Canny
- Feedback boards
- Voting system
- Roadmap planning
- Changelog
- User segmentation
- Status updates
- Admin moderation
- Analytics
Both cover
- Salesforce
- Slack
- SOC2
- GDPR
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Drift
- Lead qualificationnot Canny
- Meeting bookingnot Canny
- Customer supportnot Canny
- Account-based marketingnot Canny
- Sales accelerationnot Canny
Canny
- Feature request managementnot Drift
- Product roadmappingnot Drift
- Customer feedback collectionnot Drift
- Changelog communicationnot Drift
- User engagementnot Drift
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
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
Pricing, plan by plan
Drift
$2500/monthNo published plan breakdown. See the Drift review.
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
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 Drift or Canny better?
- Neither clearly leads. Drift starts at $2500/month and Canny at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Drift or Canny?
- Canny has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $2500/month for Drift and Free for Canny.
- Does Drift or Canny run on more platforms?
- Drift runs on Web. Canny runs on Web, Claude AI (MCP).
- 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 Drift best used for?
- Drift is most often used for lead qualification, meeting booking, customer support, account-based marketing. Of those, lead qualification and meeting booking are not what Canny is typically brought in for.
- What can Drift do that Canny cannot?
- Drift covers Live chat, AI chatbots, Meeting scheduling, Email sequences. Canny covers Feedback boards, Voting system, Roadmap planning, Changelog. Both handle Salesforce, Slack, SOC2, GDPR.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Drift: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 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: 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: 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.
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