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Proposals · head to head

Responsive vs SmartKarrot

Responsive logo

Responsive

Proposals

Strategic Response Management

From
$10000/year
Rated
-
SmartKarrot logo

SmartKarrot

Customer Success

Intelligent Customer Success Platform

From
$15000/year
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Responsive growth and Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales; SmartKarrot the entry Basic plan starts at $15,000 per year and includes only 5 users
  • They diverge on capability: Responsive covers AI content suggestions, SmartKarrot covers Customer 360.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Responsive and SmartKarrot actually diverge.

Attributes where Responsive and SmartKarrot differ
AttributeResponsiveSmartKarrot
Starting price$10000/year$15000/year
CategoryProposalsCustomer Success
Founded20152018

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), platforms (Web), 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 Responsive

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

Only in SmartKarrot

  • Customer 360
  • Health monitoring
  • Playbook automation
  • Success planning
  • Touchpoints tracking
  • HubSpot
  • Intercom

Both cover

  • Salesforce
  • Slack
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Responsive

  • Automated back-office administration for Canadian independent portfolio managersnot SmartKarrot
  • Client onboarding and compliance management for investment advisory firmsnot SmartKarrot

SmartKarrot

  • Tracking customer onboarding phases and account health for a SaaS businessnot Responsive
  • Segmenting accounts and users to target customer success playsnot Responsive
  • Reporting on customer success outcomes with embedded BI dashboardsnot Responsive

Where each one falls short

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

Responsive

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

SmartKarrot

  • The entry Basic plan starts at $15,000 per year and includes only 5 users
  • All plans are billed annually with no monthly option
  • Basic includes only 2 third party integrations, Growth 3 and Pro 4
  • Usage tracking is limited to 1 SaaS product on Growth and 3 on Pro
  • Growth, Pro and Enterprise plans are all Contact Sales with no published price
  • Basic support is email-based only, with a dedicated CSM starting at Growth
  • SmartKonversation call intelligence is a paid add-on rather than an included feature on Basic, Growth or Pro
  • SmartOps advanced AI trends is an add-on available only on the Enterprise plan
  • Additional Lite users are billed at $10 per user per month on top of the plan fee

Pricing, plan by plan

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

SmartKarrot

$15000/year
  • Basic$15000/year
    • 5 included users
    • CRM functionality
    • Email and calendar integration
  • Growth$null/year
    • 10 included users
    • All Basic features
    • 1 SaaS product tracking
  • Pro$null/year
    • 25 included users
    • All Growth features
    • 3 SaaS products
  • Enterprise$null/year
    • Custom user count
    • Unlimited customization
    • 3+ SaaS products

Which should you pick?

Choose Responsive if

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

Choose SmartKarrot if

  • You need customer 360.
  • You also want health monitoring.

Questions people ask

Is Responsive or SmartKarrot better?
Neither clearly leads. Responsive starts at $10000/year and SmartKarrot at $15000/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Responsive or SmartKarrot?
Responsive starts at $10000/year and SmartKarrot at $15000/year.
Does Responsive or SmartKarrot run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Responsive best used for?
Responsive is most often used for automated back-office administration for canadian independent portfolio managers, client onboarding and compliance management for investment advisory firms. Of those, automated back-office administration for canadian independent portfolio managers and client onboarding and compliance management for investment advisory firms are not what SmartKarrot is typically brought in for.
What can Responsive do that SmartKarrot cannot?
Responsive covers AI content suggestions, Response automation, Content library, Collaboration. SmartKarrot covers Customer 360, Health monitoring, Playbook automation, Success planning. Both handle Salesforce, Slack, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
SmartKarrot: How much does SmartKarrot cost?

SmartKarrot's Basic plan costs $15,000 per year for 5 included users with CRM, email and calendar integration, and 2 third-party integrations. Growth and Pro plans require contacting sales for pricing. Enterprise plans are customized based on organizational requirements.

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
SmartKarrot: What support is included in SmartKarrot plans?

The Basic plan includes email-based support only. Growth and Pro plans include a dedicated customer success manager. Enterprise plans offer premium support tier with customized support levels.

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
SmartKarrot: What are SmartKarrot's add-on services?

SmartKarrot offers optional enhancements including SmartKonversation (call intelligence), SmartOps (AI-powered trend analysis), and embedded business intelligence for reporting. These add-ons are available across plan tiers.

Source
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