FeatureShark vs Productboard: Why Pay Enterprise Prices for Feedback Management in 2026?

Productboard has long positioned itself as the go-to product management platform for enterprise teams. But for solopreneurs, startups, and growing SaaS companies, is it really the right fit—or are you paying enterprise prices for features you don't need?

In this comprehensive comparison, we'll break down how FeatureShark and Productboard stack up on features, pricing, and value. If you're evaluating feedback tools, you may also want to read our customer feedback software ultimate guide and our comparison with Canny.

The Bottom Line: Which Tool Should You Choose?

If you want transparent, affordable feedback management without talking to a sales team, FeatureShark wins hands down. FeatureShark gives you feedback collection, public roadmaps, changelogs, a help center, surveys, and support tools—all starting at $9/month flat. Productboard's Spark AI starts at $15/maker/month, and the full platform requires a sales call with no public pricing.

Let's break it down.

Quick Comparison Overview

Feature	FeatureShark	Productboard
Free Plan	✅ Generous free tier	❌ No free plan (14-day trial only)
Lowest Paid Plan	$9/month flat	$15/maker/month (Spark AI only)
Full Platform Pricing	$9/month (all features)	❌ Contact sales required
Pricing Model	Flat rate, unlimited users	Per-maker seat pricing
Self-Serve Signup	✅ Instant, no credit card	⚠️ Spark only; platform needs sales call
Best For	Solopreneurs, startups, SMBs	Enterprise product teams (100+ employees)

Understanding the Pricing Models

FeatureShark: Transparent Flat-Rate Pricing

FeatureShark keeps it simple. One flat monthly rate gives you access to everything:

• Unlimited end users — your entire customer base can submit feedback at no extra cost
• Unlimited feedback boards — organize feedback across products, features, or teams
• All core features included — feedback portal, roadmaps, changelog, help center, surveys, and support
• No per-seat charges — invite your whole team without cost surprises

At $9/month, you get professional-grade feedback management. During early access, it's just $5/month. That's less than the cost of a single lunch.

Productboard: Per-Maker Pricing + Sales-Gated Platform

Productboard splits into two products with very different pricing:

• Spark (AI Agent): $15/maker/month (annual) or $19/month (monthly) — an AI tool for drafting PRDs, analyzing feedback, and competitive research. Limited to 250 AI credits per maker per month.
• Productboard Platform: No public pricing. You must contact their sales team, sit through a demo, and negotiate. Historically, plans start around $20/maker/month for Essentials and scale to $80+/maker/month for Enterprise.

The per-maker model means costs multiply with every product manager, designer, or team lead you add. A team of 5 makers on the platform could easily run $400–$1,000+/month.

Detailed Feature Comparison

Free Tier

FeatureShark Free Plan:

• Feedback boards with voting
• Public roadmap
• Changelog with embeddable widget
• Help center with article editor
• Built-in authentication
• No artificial user caps

Productboard Free Plan:

• ❌ No free plan exists
• 14-day free trial of Spark only
• Must provide business email
• Trial ends, you must pay or lose access

Verdict: FeatureShark lets you get started and stay for free. Productboard doesn't even offer a free tier.

Entry-Level Paid Plans

FeatureShark Starter ($9/month):

• Everything in Free, plus:
• Custom domain (feedback.yourcompany.com)
• Custom branding and statuses
• Private boards for internal feedback
• Vote on behalf of customers
• Export voter lists as CSV
• User segmentation and customer profiles
• Embeddable feedback widget
• Team collaboration with role-based permissions
• Email notifications and user mentions

Productboard Spark ($15/maker/month):

• AI agent for drafting product specs
• Feedback analysis with AI
• Competitive research
• 250 credits/maker/month
• ⚠️ This is only the AI tool — not the full feedback management platform
• No feedback boards, no roadmap, no changelog

Verdict: FeatureShark's $9/month plan is a complete feedback platform. Productboard's $15/maker/month is just an AI writing assistant. Apples and oranges — except FeatureShark's apple costs less.

Mid-Tier and Platform Comparison

FeatureShark (still $9/month or next tier up):

• Everything above, plus:
• NPS and CSAT surveys
• Custom surveys with conditional logic
• Unified support inbox with ticket management
• Live chat embedded in your app
• SLA tracking and canned responses
• Smart sorting and similar feedback detection
• Markdown support, private comments, admin badges

Productboard Platform (contact sales, ~$20–80+/maker/month):

• Centralized feedback repository
• Feature prioritization with customer insights
• Dynamic roadmaps (timeline, release views)
• Strategic planning and OKR alignment
• Customer engagement portal
• 85+ integrations
• SOC 2 Type II, SAML SSO, RBAC

Verdict: If you need enterprise governance features (SAML SSO, audit logs, compliance certifications), Productboard delivers — at enterprise prices. For everything else, FeatureShark covers the same ground at a fraction of the cost.

Who Should Choose Each Tool?

Choose FeatureShark If You Are:

• A solopreneur or indie hacker who needs pro feedback tools without the enterprise price tag
• An early-stage startup that can't afford to spend $400+/month on product management software
• A growing SaaS team that wants pricing that doesn't punish adding team members
• Self-serve oriented and prefer signing up instantly over sitting through sales demos
• Looking for an all-in-one tool that covers feedback, roadmaps, changelog, help center, surveys, and support

Choose Productboard If You Are:

• An enterprise product organization with 50+ product managers and complex workflows
• Well-funded with $20K+/year budgeted specifically for product management tooling
• Already integrated with Productboard and switching costs outweigh savings
• Compliance-driven and require SOC 2, SAML SSO, and formal audit trails
• Needing AI-powered product specs and competitive analysis at scale

Real-World Cost Scenario: Growth Over 12 Months

Let's compare costs for a growing B2B SaaS startup:

Month 1: Solo founder, 100 users submitting feedback

• FeatureShark: $9/month
• Productboard: $15/month (1 maker, Spark only) or ~$20+/month (platform, if you can get it)

Month 6: Team of 3 product people, 1,000 users

• FeatureShark: $9/month (same flat rate, unlimited users)
• Productboard: $45–$240/month (3 makers × $15–$80/maker)

Month 12: Team of 5, 5,000 users

• FeatureShark: $9/month (still the same)
• Productboard: $75–$400+/month (5 makers × $15–$80/maker)

12-month total:

• FeatureShark: $108
• Productboard: $540–$3,600+ (5–33× more expensive)

That's $432–$3,492 saved in the first year alone. Money better spent on product development, marketing, or hiring.

Feature-by-Feature Breakdown

Feedback Collection

Capability	FeatureShark	Productboard
Feedback boards	✅ Unlimited	⚠️ Platform only (sales-gated)
User voting	✅ Included	⚠️ Via engagement portal
Vote on behalf	✅ Included	⚠️ Platform only
Custom statuses	✅ Included	✅ Included
Merge duplicates	✅ Automatic	⚠️ Manual consolidation
Embeddable widget	✅ Included	⚠️ Platform only
User segmentation	✅ Included	✅ Included
Private boards	✅ Included	❌ Not available

Roadmap & Changelog

Capability	FeatureShark	Productboard
Public roadmap	✅ Included	⚠️ Platform only
Private roadmap	✅ Included	✅ Included
Drag & drop	✅ Included	✅ Included
Customizable columns	✅ Included	✅ Included
Release notes / changelog	✅ Full changelog system	❌ No built-in changelog
Scheduled publishing	✅ Included	❌ Not available
Embeddable changelog widget	✅ Included	❌ Not available

Support, Surveys & Help Center

Capability	FeatureShark	Productboard
Help center / knowledge base	✅ Built-in	❌ Not available
NPS & CSAT surveys	✅ Included	❌ Not available
Custom surveys	✅ Conditional logic	❌ Not available
Unified support inbox	✅ Included	❌ Not available
Live chat	✅ Included	❌ Not available
Ticket management	✅ Included	❌ Not available

Integrations & AI

Capability	FeatureShark	Productboard
Native integrations	✅ Growing catalog	✅ 85+ integrations
AI insights	🔜 Coming soon	✅ Spark AI ($15/maker)
API access	✅ Available	✅ Available
SSO/SAML	❌ Not yet	✅ Enterprise only

Making the Right Choice

Questions to Ask Yourself

1. Do you need a full PM suite or a feedback platform? Productboard is a product management tool with feedback features bolted on. FeatureShark is purpose-built for feedback, roadmaps, and customer communication.

2. Can you afford per-maker pricing? If every new hire multiplies your tool cost, that's a growth tax. FeatureShark's flat rate eliminates this.

3. Do you need to talk to sales? If you want to sign up and start collecting feedback in 5 minutes, FeatureShark is the clear choice.

4. Do you need changelog, help center, and surveys? FeatureShark includes all of these. Productboard doesn't offer any of them.

5. What's your 12-month budget for feedback tools? At $108/year, FeatureShark is hard to beat.

Getting Started with FeatureShark

Ready for professional feedback management without the enterprise price tag?

1. Sign up for free — no credit card required, generous free tier
2. Set up your first feedback board — takes less than 5 minutes
3. Add your custom domain — feedback.yourcompany.com on the $9/month plan
4. Invite your team — unlimited collaborators, role-based permissions
5. Share with customers — start collecting insights immediately

Explore our features overview and pricing page to see everything FeatureShark offers.

Conclusion: Don't Overpay for Features You Don't Need

Productboard is a powerful enterprise tool — and priced like one. If you're a large organization with dedicated product ops teams and budget to match, it can serve you well. But for the vast majority of founders, startups, and growing teams, it's overkill.

FeatureShark delivers everything you need to collect feedback, build public roadmaps, publish changelogs, run surveys, manage support, and maintain a help center — all for $9/month. No sales calls. No per-seat surprises. No hidden costs.

The best feedback tool is one you can afford to keep using as you grow. FeatureShark is built with that philosophy at its core.

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Want to explore more comparisons? Check out our guides on FeatureShark vs Canny, FeatureShark vs Pendo, FeatureShark vs UserVoice, and FeatureShark vs Featurebase. Also read our best customer feedback tools for SaaS and feature request tools for solopreneurs guides.