Feature request comparison
In-app feedback board or public idea portal?
This is a category fit check. Buy a public feedback portal when public collection and a marketing-facing ideas site are the job. Buy Bootstrapware Feedback when you need an embeddable React board inside your authenticated product at small-company pricing.
Both help people submit ideas and vote. The overlap ends there. Public portals sell collection and SEO-facing sites. Bootstrapware sells the boring embed: list, submit, vote, statuses, host-asserted user.id, no public board URL.
Pricing shape
Public portal and CRM-adjacent idea products package seats, portals, and marketing suites differently. Treat the vendor's pricing page as source of truth; packaging changes.
Bootstrapware Feedback lists Free (local/demo + test keys), BYO $9.99 / workspace / month (live config; posts on your backend), and Hosted $19.99 / workspace / month (we store posts/votes). No seat tax. Stack discount with other Bootstrapware products.
What each approach optimizes for
A public feedback portal optimizes for idea collection outside the product: anonymous or lightly authenticated visitors, SEO, and an external ideas site as a product surface. That is a deliberate marketing and community channel.
Bootstrapware Feedback is a React component (@bootstrapware/feedback) plus optional hosted board config and Hosted store. Your app asserts identity from the existing session. See privacy, identity, and embed-only boards.
Feature and fit table
| Dimension | Public feedback portal | Bootstrapware Feedback |
|---|---|---|
| Primary job | Public idea / feedback site | Embeddable in-product board |
| Public board URLs | Yes (core) | No (embed-only) |
| Visitor model | Often anonymous / public | Signed-in host users |
| End-user auth | Portal accounts / SSO | Host-asserted user.id |
| Own your store | Typically hosted portal | BYO adapter ($9.99) or Hosted ($19.99) |
| Workspace list price | Verify on vendor site | Free / $9.99 / $19.99 |
When a public portal wins
- Public ideas site is a deliberate marketing surface
- You want anonymous visitors to browse and vote outside the product
- SEO and a standalone ideas site are part of the job
When Bootstrapware wins
- Embed-only by design inside the authenticated product
- Host-asserted identity from your existing auth
- Free / BYO $9.99 / Hosted $19.99 without seat tax
- Optional BYO store so post title/body never leave your backend
Honest framing
“Public feedback portal” is a category, not a single SKU. Verify the specific vendor's current plans. Bootstrapware is not trying to replace every public portal workflow, only the in-product board many bootstrapped SaaS products need first.
FAQ
What is a public feedback portal?
A marketing-facing ideas site where visitors browse, submit, and vote outside your product. Bootstrapware Feedback has no public board URLs; the widget lives in your authenticated app.
Is Bootstrapware a HubSpot Ideas alternative?
Only when the job is an in-product embed with host-asserted identity. Public portals optimize for collection on a standalone site. Different default buyer; verify current portal packaging on the vendor’s site.
Does Bootstrapware offer public board URLs?
No. Feedback is embed-only. Customers use the widget inside your authenticated app.
Can I keep posts on my own database?
Yes with Bootstrapware BYO ($9.99): pass a FeedbackAdapter. Hosted ($19.99) stores posts on Bootstrapware. Public portal products are typically hosted sites; confirm on their site.
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