We Compared the 10 Best Idea Management Software on the Market - 2024 Edition

Brainstorming has been the go-to method for coming up with groundbreaking ideas for decades. The main premise of brainstorming is to come up with as many ideas as possible without discarding those that may initially seem bad or far-fetched. The more ideas you gather, the higher the chances of finding the one revolutionary idea. 

Although it may seem counterintuitive, the challenge here rarely is coming up with a large number of ideas. Instead, it’s managing those ideas from birth to implementation. To effectively manage all ideas, turn to an idea management platform that can help you streamline and automate the process. 

In this guide, we’ve compiled a list of the best idea management software and reviewed each one, with its pros, cons, and customer ratings. 

What Is an Idea Management Software?

There’s nothing more disappointing than seeing a great idea getting lost in the void due to a lack of a proper idea management process. But staying on top of all these ideas with manual processes becomes impossible when there are so many ideas to handle. 

That’s where idea management software comes into play. Idea management platforms provide a structured way to collect, evaluate, and manage ideas, eliminating the chaos of manual methods. They streamline the entire idea lifecycle, from submission to implementation, ensuring no idea gets lost or ignored. 

Benefits of Using an Idea Management Software

The benefits of using an idea management app span from saving you tons of time on manual processes to helping you make more informed decisions when selecting the best ideas. 

1. Shows your commitment to transparent problem-solving

Using an idea management platform demonstrates that you value your employees’ time and that all of their ideas matter to you. It signals to your employees that you’re committed to guiding the idea management process in a transparent way, where everyone’s ideas are treated equally. 

Plus, when you create a space for gathering ideas, every team member will feel encouraged to share their ideas, fostering a collaborative process for problem-solving. 

Even great companies like Ford use an idea management platform to collect and grow ideas. This results in hundreds and hundreds of patents and novel solutions they wouldn't have been able to come up with otherwise.

2. Streamlines processes and saves you time

Using an idea management app saves you time by eliminating manual work, streamlining your idea management processes, and making communication between team members much smoother. With idea management software, everything is in one place. 

Your employees and colleagues can easily share their thoughts, provide feedback, and collaborate without the hassle of searching through piles of messages or files, even across departments or overseas. 

This streamlined process not only boosts efficiency but also ensures that you can involve more people in the idea management process, keeping everyone on the same page. 

3. Encourages your employees to contribute ideas

An organized, easy-to-follow process for idea management encourages your employees and colleagues to contribute their ideas. With traditional methods, like the idea suggestion box, employees often feel like submitting their ideas is pointless. 

But with a clear process and a dedicated platform for idea management - especially one that allows for a collaborative process like Ideanote - employees feel like their ideas are listened to and carefully evaluated. 

Also, some people may be reluctant to share their ideas in a group due to social anxiety. With an idea management platform, you can skip time-consuming brainstorming meetings and make everyone feel comfortable and safe to share their ideas. 

4. Helps you gather and evaluate all ideas

Without a streamlined process for idea management, many great ideas get lost in the chaos or discarded without second thought. With an idea management platform, you can ensure that every idea falls into the idea pipeline, is properly evaluated, and given a chance to grow. 

Plus, many people get their best ideas while walking or showering. Without a way to write down these ideas immediately, they’ll slip into oblivion. Idea management software provides you with a tool that you can access anywhere, at any time, to share ideas that come to you spontaneously. 

Also read:
Take Your Ideation Sessions to the Next Level
Keys for Enabling Blue Sky Thinking in Your Business
How Idea Crowdsourcing Really Works
The 10 Best Crowdsourcing Tools on The Market
Idea Validation: How To Test Your Business and Product Ideas
Idea Meritocracy: The Way to Collective Decision-Making

5. Gives you a better outlook on ideas

Imagine jotting down an idea on a post-it note. It might end up in the trash sooner than later. However, sharing that idea on an idea management platform preserves it indefinitely, keeping it accessible for future use. 

An idea management platform allows you to structure ideas. It lets you group together different ideas into clusters and keep them organized. This makes it easier to see patterns, prioritize certain ideas, and leave others for later. 

What to Look For in an Idea Management Software?

When searching for the right idea management software, you should consider several important factors. To begin with, user-friendliness is key. The software should be easy for everyone on your team to use, regardless of their technical skills. It should also be quick and straightforward to implement, as you don't want to spend ages setting everything up. 

You also want your idea management platform to have customization options and integrations, so you can set it up in a way that aligns with your unique needs. You want the software to adapt to your workflow, not the other way around. 

Another thing to look for in an idea management platform is AI-based automation features. These can significantly reduce manual work and save you a lot of time. 

The 10 Best Idea Management Software: A Comparative Table

	✅ Pros	❌ Cons
Ideanote An idea management platform that takes ideas from collection to implementation.	- User-friendly interface - It makes idea management engaging - Quick implementation and scalability	- Lacks task management, and crowdsourcing features
Brightidea An idea management platform suitable for large enterprises.	- An extensive suite of tools for any stage of idea management. - Ability to create personalized idea workflows. - A native whiteboard feature.	- Outdated and not intuitive user interface. - You’ll need to purchase multiple Brightidea products to get your idea through its lifecycle.
Miro A collaboration platform and digital whiteboard that facilitates remote team collaboration.	- Intuitive and collaborative interface. - Hundreds of templates for different purposes. - Can be used for anything from brainstorming to managing projects.	- The boards can be slow and hard to navigate. - Limited board and file organization options.
Ideawake An innovation management tool that collects, evaluates, and implements ideas from various stakeholders.	- Real-time collaboration features. - A web app, browser extension, and mobile app. - Lets you take ideas through their lifecycle.	- Not that intuitive. - A basic set of tools for idea management.
Planbox An innovation management platform that integrates customer feedback and project management.	- Responsive and highly configurable. - Works with agile project management methods. - A tool suite that adapts to various industries.	- Outdated and not intuitive interface. - You may need to purchase various Planbox products to take your idea through various stages.
IdeaScale An innovation management platform suitable for large public idea collections and government campaigns.	- Flexible and configurable. - Allows users to collect opinions from various sources.	- Non-compliance with GDPR standards. - Complicated to use.
Viima A highly visual idea management platform for smaller and larger teams.	- Adapted to visual brainstorming. - Intuitive, dynamic, and easy to use.	- Some features have limited customization options. - Limited integrations.
Planview An innovation management tool that streamlines crowdsourcing and gamifies idea collection.	- Good for collaboration and progression of ideas. - Gamification features.	- No integrations. - Not very intuitive. - No brainstorming features.
ClickUp A task management tool with some idea management templates.	- Versatility. - User-friendliness. - Customization options. - Available on a mobile app.	- An overwhelming amount of features. - May take time to master.
Canny A customer feedback management platform for creating public roadmaps.	- Efficient customer feedback collection. - Integration with various tools. - Intuitive interface.	- Not suitable for more complex idea management needs.

Choose the Idea Management Software that Suits You

Selecting the right idea management app can make or break your idea management process.  In this section, we explore several idea management platforms, analyzing their pros, cons, customer reviews, and how they compare to Ideanote. 

Ideanote

Ideanote is the world’s #1 innovation-led growth platform. It's an idea management platform designed to take ideas through every stage of their lifecycle - from collection to implementation. 

Unlike other tools, Ideanote offers more than just idea collection – it provides a complete suite to select, evaluate, and implement ideas in an organized way. It's easy to use and implement for anyone, regardless of their tech skills. 

With Ideanote's all-in-one platform, you can create your own optimized innovation flow that continuously collects ideas from your people and makes sure the best ideas move forward. Backed by over 500 five-star reviews, Ideanote's support goes beyond software – it's your partner for innovation. 

➡️ Why Ideanote Is a Great Idea Management Software

Ideanote stands out due to its holistic approach to idea management. Unlike other platforms, it offers a comprehensive suite that covers the entire idea lifecycle – from collection to implementation. It's easy to use, quick to implement, and flexible. 

For companies looking to streamline their idea management processes, Ideanote is an excellent choice. It offers customization that lets you adapt the platform to your specific needs and AI-based automation features that can help you automate manual tasks and save time. 

💬 Customer Reviews 

G2: 4.7/5

Capterra: 4.9/5

💲 Pricing

• Pricing page
• Free plan available (limited to 10 members)
• Business plan starts at $49/month for 15 members and $289 for 100 members
• Free trial available for the business plan (no credit card required)

Brightidea

Brightidea allows you to manage innovation initiatives better. The platform lets users discover new ideas through crowdsourcing, prioritize and evaluate ideas, analyze their financial impact, and manage their implementation across multiple departments. 

✅ Pros 

• An extensive suite of tools for any stage of the idea management process.
• Ability to create personalized workflows for your ideas. 
• A native whiteboard feature for easy brainstorming.

❌ Cons 

• Outdated and not intuitive user interface. 
• You’ll need to purchase multiple Brightidea products to get your idea through its lifecycle.

💬 Customer Reviews 

G2: 4.3/5

Capterra: 4.4/5

💲 Pricing

• No pricing page available
• Free trial available
• Paid plan starts at $59.00/month according to GetApp

Miro

Miro is a digital collaboration tool and an idea management platform. It’s a real-time digital whiteboard that allows remote teams to collaborate seamlessly. With Miro, teams can brainstorm, collect ideas, outline processes, and visually represent their projects. It’s also an excellent tool for planning out how to implement the selected ideas. 

✅ Pros 

• Intuitive and collaborative interface. 
• Users can collaborate in real time. 
• Hundreds of pre-made templates for different purposes. 
• The platform can be used for anything from brainstorming to managing projects. 
• Integrations that allow you to combine different tools in one place. 

❌ Cons 

• The boards can be slow and hard to navigate. 
• Limited file export formats. 
• Limited board and file organization options. 

💬 Customer Reviews 

G2: 4.8/5

Capterra: 4.7/5 

💲 Pricing

• Pricing page
• Free plan available
• Paid plan starts at $8 per member/month billed annually

Ideawake

Ideawake is a user-friendly idea and innovation management software designed to gather, assess, and implement new ideas. With Ideawake, team members can vote on ideas to reach a group agreement. Its two standout features are customizable submission forms that streamline idea submission and custom scorecards that facilitate evaluating ideas. 

✅ Pros 

• Chat and crowd voting features that enable real-time collaboration.
• Great accessibility thanks to a web app, browser extension, and mobile app.
• It lets you take ideas through each stage of their lifecycle.

❌ Cons 

• It isn’t very intuitive to navigate and can take time to learn.
• It offers a basic set of tools to collect, evaluate, and implement ideas. 

💬 Customer Reviews 

G2: 4.6/5

Capterra: 4.8/5

💲 Pricing

• Pricing page
• No free trial
• Prices start at $300/month

Planbox

Planbox is a cloud-based, agile innovation management platform that helps companies manage innovation initiatives by implementing a repeatable and scalable process for idea generation, collaboration, evaluation, and proof of concept. Planbox was created to assist in handling innovation and agile product development processes. 

✅ Pros 

• It’s very responsive and highly configurable. 
• It works with agile project management methods like Scrum and Kanban. 
• It has a tool suite that adapts to various industries.

❌ Cons 

• Its interface is outdated and not intuitive.
• You may need to purchase various Planbox products to take your idea through various stages. 
• Can be costly and complicated to set up. 
• Doesn’t offer a mobile app.  

💬 Customer Reviews 

G2: 4.8/5

Capterra: 4.9/5 

💲 Pricing

• No pricing page available
• No free trial
• $6/user/month for up to 250 users and discounted for higher volumes according to GetApp.

IdeaScale

IdeaScale is a powerful innovation management platform that connects organizations to people with ideas. It’s a US-based platform that works mainly with enterprises, governments, and non-profits, and it focuses on large public idea collections like government campaigns. 

✅ Pros 

• Flexibility to configure the process to match the user’s needs.
• It makes it easy to collect opinions from various sources. 

❌ Cons 

• Non-compliance with GDPR standards.
• Finding the balance between public and anonymous interaction with the tool may be challenging.
• Limited flexibility for smaller or internal innovation needs.
• It may be complicated to use.

💬 Customer Reviews 

G2: 4.6/5

Capterra: 4.6/5 

💲 Pricing

• Pricing page
• Free trial available
• Customizable pricing plans only

Viima

Viima is one of the most widely used and highly rated idea management platforms. It offers a simple way to capture, manage, and develop ideas through the entire process, from idea generation to product or service development. Viima is flexible and can be customized to fit different processes. 

✅ Pros 

• It’s a highly visual platform that makes brainstorming easy. 
• It lets you collect, develop, analyze, and scale ideas. 
• It’s very intuitive, dynamic, and easy to use. 

❌ Cons 

• Some features have limited customization options, like ratings and idea funnels. 
• Ideas aren’t meant to be updated and followed on Viima. 
• Limited integrations with other platforms.

💬 Customer Reviews 

G2: 4.8/5

Capterra: 4.9/5 

💲 Pricing

• Pricing page
• Free plan available
• Free trial available for all paid plans
• Basic plan starts at 39€/month for 10 users

Planview IdeaPlace

Planview IdeaPlace is an innovation management tool that streamlines crowdsourcing to improve idea prioritization and development. With features like engagement gamification and social activity fees, Planview IdeaPlace creates a playful and engaging way to collect and evaluate ideas.

✅ Pros 

• Promotes collaboration and progression of ideas.
• Social activity feed and public comments to evaluate ideas.
• Gamification features like badges and points to drive engagement.

❌ Cons 

• It doesn’t integrate with other platforms. 
• It’s not very intuitive to use. 
• It doesn’t offer brainstorming features. 

💬 Customer Reviews 

G2: 4.0/5

Capterra: 4.4/5

💲 Pricing

• No pricing page available
• No free trial
• No pricing information available

ClickUp

ClickUp is an all-in-one project management platform that streamlines tasks, documents, goals, and communication. It offers a comprehensive range of features, like task management, goal tracking, time tracking, and document sharing. ClickUp is flexible and adapts to various workflows, boosting team collaboration and productivity. 

✅ Pros 

• A versatile platform that can be used for many different things. 
• User-friendly and intuitive interface. 
• You can customize the platform and the workflows to your needs.
• Available on a mobile app. 

❌ Cons 

• The massive amount of features can be overwhelming. 
• The platform is intuitive, but it may take time to master. 
• Its main focus is task management rather than idea management. 

💬 Customer Reviews 

G2: 4.7

Capterra: 4.7  

💲 Pricing

• Pricing page
• Free plan available
• Prices start at $7/month/member for annual plans

Canny

Canny is an AI-based customer feedback management platform that allows businesses to collect and prioritize customer feedback to inform product decisions and improvements. It's commonly used by companies to gather input from users, track feature requests, and engage with their customer base.

✅ Pros 

• Efficient feedback collection and prioritization for product improvements.
• Customizable boards and voting systems to engage users effectively.
• Integration with various tools like Slack, Trello, and Intercom for streamlined workflow.
• It’s intuitive and easy to use. 

❌ Cons 

• It may not be suitable for more complex idea management needs.
• Canny’s “Powered by” branding may be an issue for some.  

💬 Customer Reviews 

G2: 4.4/5

Capterra: 4.7/5 

💲 Pricing

• Pricing page
• Free plan available
• Free trial for paid plans available
• Starter plan for $79/month

Other Idea Management Tools You Can Look Into

In this section, we've compiled a list of other idea management tools that you might want to explore aside from the ones we’ve analyzed above.  

1. Qmarkets
2. Wazoku
3. Innosabi
4. Braineet
5. Sideways6
6. Spigit
7. Exago
8. Nectir
9. Itonics
10. Hives
11. Wide Ideas
12. ProdPad
13. Questel
14. RunPondr
15. Accept Mission
16. Open Idea
17. Inspire IP
18. Agorize
19. Forest Software
20. InnovationCast

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