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CRM · head to head

Really Simple Systems vs Scratchpad

R

Really Simple Systems

CRM

Easy CRM for small businesses

From
$15/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: Really Simple Systems the vendor's own pricing page as captured by the Internet Archive on 22 October 2019 listed four CRM tiers billed annually: Free at $0 for up to 2 users, Starter at $14 per user per month, Professional at $30 per user per month, and Enterprise at $46 per user per month (each roughly 7 to 10 percent higher if billed monthly); the Marketing add-on was $22 per month for up to 5,000 emails and Advanced Marketing scaled to 50,000 emails per month, though this capture is over five years old; 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: Really Simple Systems 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 Really Simple Systems and Scratchpad actually diverge.

Attributes where Really Simple Systems and Scratchpad differ
AttributeReally Simple SystemsScratchpad
Starting price$15/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer user per month
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Chrome extension
Founded2009Unknown

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 Really Simple Systems

  • Contact management
  • Sales pipeline
  • Task management
  • Email integration
  • Reporting
  • Zapier
  • Google Workspace
  • GDPR

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.

Really Simple Systems

  • Sales managementnot Scratchpad
  • Contact trackingnot 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 Really Simple Systems
  • A rep who wants to update twenty opportunities in a grid rather than opening twenty Salesforce recordsnot Really Simple Systems
  • A sales manager wanting stale and incomplete pipeline records flagged automatically instead of chased by emailnot Really Simple Systems
  • A revenue operations lead trialling AI notetaking that writes back to CRM fields before committing budget, using the free tiernot Really Simple Systems

Where each one falls short

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

Really Simple Systems

  • The vendor's own pricing page as captured by the Internet Archive on 22 October 2019 listed four CRM tiers billed annually: Free at $0 for up to 2 users, Starter at $14 per user per month, Professional at $30 per user per month, and Enterprise at $46 per user per month (each roughly 7 to 10 percent higher if billed monthly); the Marketing add-on was $22 per month for up to 5,000 emails and Advanced Marketing scaled to 50,000 emails per month, though this capture is over five years old

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

Really Simple Systems

$15/month
  • Essential$15/month
    • Contact management
    • Task tracking
  • Professional$25/month
    • Everything in Essential
    • Sales pipeline
    • Reporting
  • Professional Plus$35/month
    • Everything in Professional
    • Advanced customization

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 Really Simple Systems if

  • You need contact management.
  • You also want sales pipeline.
Really Simple Systems 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 Really Simple Systems or Scratchpad better?
Neither clearly leads. Really Simple Systems starts at $15/month and Scratchpad at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Really Simple Systems or Scratchpad?
Scratchpad has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $15/month for Really Simple Systems and Free for Scratchpad.
Does Really Simple Systems or Scratchpad run on more platforms?
Really Simple Systems runs on Web. 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. Really Simple Systems starts at $15/month.
What is Really Simple Systems best used for?
Really Simple Systems is most often used for sales management, contact tracking. Of those, sales management and contact tracking are not what Scratchpad is typically brought in for.
What can Really Simple Systems do that Scratchpad cannot?
Really Simple Systems covers Contact management, Sales pipeline, Task management, Email integration. Scratchpad covers Spreadsheet pipeline views, Call recorder and notetaker, AI field updates, Deal and account agent.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Scratchpad: Does Scratchpad work with HubSpot?

No. It is Salesforce-only.

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.

Scratchpad: Does it replace Salesforce licences?

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

Scratchpad: What are AI credits spent on?

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

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