Dovetail
Dovetail is a customer insights platform that helps you centralize, analyze, and share user research data to make better product decisions based on real evidence.
Smaply
Smaply is a visual journey mapping software that helps you centralize customer insights, create detailed personas, and map complex ecosystem maps to improve your overall customer experience strategy.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Dovetail | Smaply |
|---|---|---|
| Website | dovetail.com | smaply.com |
| Pricing Model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting Price | Free | Free |
| FREE Trial | ✓ 14 days free trial | ✓ 14 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✓ Has free plan | ✓ Has free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2017 | 2012 |
| Headquarters | Sydney, Australia | Innsbruck, Austria |
Overview
Dovetail
Dovetail is a centralized hub for your customer research that helps you transform raw data into actionable insights. You can import video recordings, interview notes, and survey responses directly into the platform to create a searchable repository of customer knowledge. The software uses automated transcription and powerful tagging tools to help you identify patterns across hundreds of sessions in minutes rather than days.
You can build a collective memory for your organization by turning scattered documents into a structured insights library. It allows you to create highlight reels from video clips and share evidence-based findings with stakeholders through interactive reports. Whether you are a solo researcher or part of a global product team, the platform ensures your customer's voice remains at the center of every design and development decision.
Smaply
Smaply is a dedicated journey mapping tool designed to help you visualize and manage your customer experience in one central place. Instead of scattered spreadsheets or static slide decks, you get a dynamic environment where you can build detailed journey maps, develop rich user personas, and visualize stakeholder relationships through ecosystem maps.
You can use the platform to identify pain points in your current service delivery and collaborate with your team to design better future-state experiences. It is particularly effective for UX researchers, service designers, and CX managers in mid-market to enterprise organizations who need to transform raw qualitative data into actionable visual insights that stakeholders can actually understand.
Overview
Dovetail Features
- Automated Transcription Convert your video and audio recordings into searchable text automatically so you can find key moments instantly.
- Video Highlighting Select specific segments of your interview footage to create powerful highlight reels that bring customer pain points to life.
- Flexible Tagging Apply consistent themes and codes across all your research data to identify recurring trends and customer behaviors.
- Insights Repository Build a searchable library of all your past research so your team never has to answer the same question twice.
- Canvas View Visualize your qualitative data on a flexible board to map out journeys and brainstorm connections between different insights.
- AI Summarization Generate instant summaries of long interviews and notes using built-in AI to speed up your analysis process.
Smaply Features
- Journey Map Editor. Create multi-layered journey maps with text, images, and storyboard icons to visualize every step of your customer's experience.
- Persona Editor. Build detailed profiles of your target users to ensure your team stays focused on real human needs and behaviors.
- Ecosystem Maps. Visualize the complex relationships between stakeholders, processes, and technologies that happen behind the scenes of your service.
- Live Collaboration. Invite your teammates to edit maps in real-time and leave comments to speed up your design and approval process.
- Dynamic Data Linking. Link personas directly to your journey maps so you can see how different segments experience the same service differently.
- Export Options. Generate high-resolution PDF, PNG, or Excel files of your maps to share professional reports with your stakeholders.
Pricing Comparison
Dovetail Pricing
- 1 manager seat
- Unlimited viewers
- 7 days of history
- Basic analysis tools
- Community support
- Everything in Free, plus:
- Unlimited history
- 100GB storage
- Automated transcription
- Video highlight reels
- Advanced tagging
Smaply Pricing
- 1 active project
- 3 journey maps
- 3 personas
- 1 ecosystem map
- Basic export options
- Everything in Free, plus:
- 3 active projects
- Unlimited journey maps
- Unlimited personas
- Unlimited ecosystem maps
- Premium export formats
Pros & Cons
Dovetail
Pros
- Intuitive interface makes qualitative coding much faster
- Excellent video clipping and highlight reel creation
- Centralizes research so insights don't get lost
- Free unlimited viewer seats for stakeholders
- Powerful search functionality across all projects
Cons
- Steep learning curve for complex tagging systems
- Mobile experience is limited compared to desktop
- Transcription accuracy varies with heavy accents
- Pricing can scale quickly for large teams
Smaply
Pros
- Intuitive drag-and-drop interface for quick mapping
- Professional export quality for stakeholder presentations
- Specialized tools for personas and ecosystem maps
- Generous free tier for individual practitioners
Cons
- Learning curve for complex multi-lane maps
- Limited integrations with external data sources
- Performance can slow down with very large maps