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CRM · head to head

Gong vs Scratchpad

Gong logo

Gong

CRM

Revenue intelligence platform

From
$1600/user-per-year
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: Gong pricing not published; custom quotes and high platform fees make budget forecasting difficult; 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: Gong covers Call recording, Scratchpad covers Spreadsheet pipeline views.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Gong and Scratchpad actually diverge.

Attributes where Gong and Scratchpad differ
AttributeGongScratchpad
Starting price$1600/user-per-yearFree
Pricing modelUnknownPer user per month
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Cloud-based SaaSWeb, Chrome extension
Founded2016Unknown

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 Gong

  • Call recording
  • AI transcription
  • Deal intelligence
  • Market intelligence
  • Team coaching
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • Zoom

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.

Gong

  • Call analysisnot Scratchpad
  • Deal forecastingnot Scratchpad
  • Sales coachingnot Scratchpad
  • Win/loss analysisnot 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 Gong
  • A rep who wants to update twenty opportunities in a grid rather than opening twenty Salesforce recordsnot Gong
  • A sales manager wanting stale and incomplete pipeline records flagged automatically instead of chased by emailnot Gong
  • A revenue operations lead trialling AI notetaking that writes back to CRM fields before committing budget, using the free tiernot Gong

Where each one falls short

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

Gong

  • Pricing not published; custom quotes and high platform fees make budget forecasting difficult
  • Built for sales calls only; limited contact center and multi-channel conversation coverage
  • Forecasting and Engage modules use keyword-based analysis with 20-30 minute processing delay, not generative AI
  • Conversation analysis cannot capture internal buyer meetings or decision-making discussions

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

Gong

$1600/user-per-year

No published plan breakdown. See the Gong review.

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 Gong if

  • You need call recording.
  • You work on Web, Cloud-based SaaS.
  • You also want ai transcription.
Gong 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 Gong or Scratchpad better?
Neither clearly leads. Gong starts at $1600/user-per-year and Scratchpad at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Gong or Scratchpad?
Scratchpad has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $1600/user-per-year for Gong and Free for Scratchpad.
Does Gong or Scratchpad run on more platforms?
Gong runs on Web, Cloud-based SaaS. 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. Gong starts at $1600/user-per-year.
What is Gong best used for?
Gong is most often used for call analysis, deal forecasting, sales coaching, win/loss analysis. Of those, call analysis and deal forecasting are not what Scratchpad is typically brought in for.
What can Gong do that Scratchpad cannot?
Gong covers Call recording, AI transcription, Deal intelligence, Market intelligence. Scratchpad covers Spreadsheet pipeline views, Call recorder and notetaker, AI field updates, Deal and account agent.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Gong: How much does Gong cost?

Gong pricing starts around $1,600 per user per year, with a mandatory platform fee of $5,000-$50,000 annually. Exact pricing is custom and requires a sales consultation.

Source
Scratchpad: Does Scratchpad work with HubSpot?

No. It is Salesforce-only.

Gong: Does Gong integrate with Salesforce?

Yes. Gong integrates with Salesforce via REST API to import account data and export conversation summaries, enabling searchable calls by CRM fields.

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.

Gong: What conversations can Gong capture?

Gong was built primarily for sales call analysis and captures calls through integrations with major dialer systems. Coverage for contact center and multi-channel conversations is limited.

Source
Scratchpad: Does it replace Salesforce licences?

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

Gong: Does Gong have an on-premise option?

Gong is a cloud-based SaaS platform without an on-premise deployment option. All conversation analysis and storage occurs in Gong's cloud infrastructure.

Source
Scratchpad: What are AI credits spent on?

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

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