# Best Idea Management Software - Page 2 *By [Neeraja Prakash](https://research.g2.com/insights/author/neeraja-prakash)* Idea management software structures the process of gathering and developing ideas around business focus areas, including product development, day-to-day processes, customer feedback, market trends, and competitive insights, with the goal of organizing and managing those ideas for improvement or development. Idea management tools allow users to solicit feedback from both internal and external stakeholders. Idea management software enables companies of all sizes to continuously innovate and grow by deliberately leading the ideation process. Idea management software provides users with custom permissions settings, allowing the user to select the level of transparency and confidentiality required for any given project. Ideas can be collected from all areas of the organization, beyond specialized departments such as R&D, product management, and marketing. These products can integrate with various collaborative tools, such as [employee engagement software](https://www.g2.com/categories/employee-engagement), [employee intranet tools](https://www.g2.com/categories/employee-intranet), and [enterprise feedback management software](https://www.g2.com/categories/enterprise-feedback-management), allowing users to manage both internally and externally sourced recommendations. To qualify for inclusion in the Idea Management category, a product must: - Engage customers, employees, stockbrokers, etc., via web-based applications and forms - Gather solicited ideas and feedback onto a central database - Allow for collaboration, edits, and input on collected feedback - Have an organized search functionality within the database to select and reject ideas - Provide a white-label platform that can be branded per customer requirements - Enable custom workflows to progress ideas through an evaluation funnel - Include custom reporting and analysis features for full management of the ideation process ## How Many Idea Management Software Products Does G2 Track? **Total Products under this Category:** 153 ### Category Stats (May 2026) - **Average Rating**: 4.45/5 - **New Reviews This Quarter**: 20 - **Buyer Segments**: Mid-Market 41% │ Small-Business 37% │ Enterprise 22% - **Top Trending Product**: Yumana (+0.3) *Last updated: May 31, 2026* ## How Does G2 Rank Idea Management Software Products? **Why You Can Trust G2's Software Rankings:** - 30 Analysts and Data Experts - 4,300+ Authentic Reviews - 153+ Products - Unbiased Rankings G2's software rankings are built on verified user reviews, rigorous moderation, and a consistent research methodology maintained by a team of analysts and data experts. Each product is measured using the same transparent criteria, with no paid placement or vendor influence. While reviews reflect real user experiences, which can be subjective, they offer valuable insight into how software performs in the hands of professionals. Together, these inputs power the G2 Score, a standardized way to compare tools within every category. ## Which Idea Management Software Is Best for Your Use Case? - **Leader:** [Mural](https://www.g2.com/products/mural/reviews) - **Highest Performer:** [Ideawake](https://www.g2.com/products/ideawake/reviews) - **Easiest to Use:** [Aha!](https://www.g2.com/products/aha/reviews) - **Top Trending:** [Ideawake](https://www.g2.com/products/ideawake/reviews) - **Best Free Software:** [Ideanote](https://www.g2.com/products/ideanote/reviews) ## What Are the Top-Rated Idea Management Software Products in 2026? ### 1. [HYPE Boards (formerly Viima)](https://www.g2.com/products/hype-boards-formerly-viima/reviews) HYPE Boards is an agile innovation tool designed to decentralize and accelerate innovation across your organization. Built for agility and intuitive use, HYPE Boards empowers teams to innovate at the speed of change. Our platform streamlines idea collection, automates workflows, and supports the validation of hypotheses, all within one user-friendly interface. Whether you're hosting brainstorming sessions, running workshops, working on incremental improvements or want to iterate on your next big idea by testing assumptions, HYPE Boards equips your team to drive innovation faster and more effectively. HYPE Boards shines in its ability to support bottom-up innovation, making it perfect for organizations eager to speed up their innovation processes. HYPE Boards breaks down silos and creates a dynamic, transparent environment where every team member can contribute to meaningful innovation, no matter their role or location, shaping a true culture of innovation. What sets HYPE Boards apart is our dedication to empowering teams through flexibility, accessibility and transparency. Our easy-to-set-up boards enhance communication and collaboration, integrating effortlessly with the other tools in the HYPE Suite, as well as the likes of Microsoft Teams and Jira, while maintaining the flexibility to visualize your processes in the most engaging ways, through Kanban boards, fun colorful bubbles or structured lists. HYPE Boards makes it simple to stay organized and on top of every aspect of your innovation initiatives. **Average Rating:** 4.8/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 15 **How Do G2 Users Rate HYPE Boards (formerly Viima)?** - **Ease of Use:** 9.1/10 (Category avg: 9.0/10) - **External Idea Generation:** 8.8/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10) - **Ranking:** 8.8/10 (Category avg: 8.7/10) - **Forums:** 8.3/10 (Category avg: 7.9/10) **Who Is the Company Behind HYPE Boards (formerly Viima)?** - **Seller:** [Viima Solutions](https://www.g2.com/sellers/viima-solutions) - **Year Founded:** 2013 - **HQ Location:** Espoo, Finland - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/viima/ (4 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Top Industries:** Information Technology and Services - **Company Size:** 47% Enterprise, 41% Mid-Market ### 2. [Interact](https://www.g2.com/products/interact/reviews) Interact is an all-in-one employee experience platform for People, Comms, and IT to enhance every aspect of the employee journey. Our platform equips enterprise organizations with tools to provide clear communication, efficient self-service, access to essential workplace applications, knowledge sharing, employee recognition, clarity around org-wide goals, and community building. Interact’s employee experience solutions creates meaningful, connected experiences for employees starting on day one. Stop tolerating irrelevant content, broken searches, and endless frustration. Our cloud-based, intranet empowers organizations to deliver personalized news, amplify culture, and foster engagement no matter where people work. From onboarding to recognition, turn everyday moments into impactful employee experiences that drive retention and performance. Integrated AI accelerates content creation, personalizes delivery, answers employees' questions, and breaks down barriers with real-time translation into over 150 languages. Internal communicators don’t need another app disconnected from their intranet. The mobile intranet app and digital signage make it easy to reach every employee whether they are at a desk, in the field, or on the frontline. Extend the reach of company news, policy updates, and more across all locations, without the redundant work of managing multiple tools. End the copy/paste into different systems, wrestling with clunky HTML editors, or recreating employee email lists. Create, send, and measure internal emails from one integrated employee newsletter software. Don’t let morale suffer due to employees' achievements going unnoticed. Make recognition visible and accessible with rewards and recognition software that fosters a culture of appreciation. Stop guessing what employees are really thinking. Interact’s employee survey tools make it easy to create anonymous surveys that auto summarize sentiment for actional insights. Headquarters doesn’t always know the best ways to reduce waste, streamline costs, and improve efficiency, but frontline employees do. Make sure recommendations are heard, acted on, and tied directly to measurable ROI with employee ideas Ditch the disconnected tech stack by surfacing the tools, dashboards, and systems employees need from one place. With 100+ integrations, Interact serves as one centeral place where your employees find everything they need to do their best work and connect with one another. Over 1,000 organizations globally including Subway, Dominos, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and New York Life trust Interact’s employee experience software to inform, equip, and connect their greatest asset – their employees. **Average Rating:** 4.5/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 65 **How Do G2 Users Rate Interact?** - **Ease of Use:** 8.7/10 (Category avg: 9.0/10) - **External Idea Generation:** 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10) - **Ranking:** 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.7/10) - **Forums:** 8.3/10 (Category avg: 7.9/10) **Who Is the Company Behind Interact?** - **Seller:** [Interact](https://www.g2.com/sellers/interact-3a697118-7e31-465b-aae1-a3e00778f9f2) - **Company Website:** https://www.interactsoftware.com - **HQ Location:** Manchester, United Kingdom - **Twitter:** @IntranetExperts (5,056 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/1473063/ (233 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Top Industries:** Hospital & Health Care, Non-Profit Organization Management - **Company Size:** 43% Enterprise, 43% Mid-Market #### What Are Interact's Pros and Cons? **Pros:** - Ease of Use (16 reviews) - Customer Support (12 reviews) - Features (10 reviews) - Setup Ease (7 reviews) - Communication (6 reviews) **Cons:** - Lack of Features (5 reviews) - Missing Features (5 reviews) - Difficulty in Navigation (4 reviews) - Layout Issues (4 reviews) - Organizational Challenges (4 reviews) ### 3. [MangoApps](https://www.g2.com/products/mangoapps/reviews) MangoApps is a leading intranet platform and employee hub that brings together your people, knowledge, tools, and AI in one secure, unified digital workplace. Whether you’re managing desk-based teams, frontline employees, or a mix of both, MangoApps replaces disconnected apps and outdated systems with a single source of truth—accessible anytime, anywhere, on any device. The platform combines a modern intranet, a frontline employee app, and an AI-powered knowledge experience to make work simpler, faster, and more connected. Employees can find information instantly, collaborate in real time, complete training, manage tasks, and engage with company culture—all in one place. Trusted by global brands across retail, healthcare, finance, manufacturing, and more, MangoApps helps organizations boost employee communication, strengthen employee engagement, and create a better overall employee experience. By reducing app overload and bridging the digital divide, MangoApps empowers every worker to focus on what matters most—getting work done. Key Highlights: - AI-powered search and chat for accurate, role-based answers - Mobile-first experience for frontline employee engagement - Streamlined communication and collaboration tools - Enterprise-grade security (HITRUST, ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II) - Proven adoption rates of 90%+ in companies from 300 to 300,000+ employees Why Choose MangoApps? Organizations choose MangoApps because it delivers a digital workplace that works for everyone—desk, remote, and frontline employees alike. Instead of juggling multiple tools for intranet, chat, file sharing, training, and workflows, MangoApps gives you one integrated platform that’s easy to use, highly secure, and built for enterprise scale. With MangoApps, you can: - Centralize communications so every announcement, update, and resource is seen - Drive measurable gains in employee engagement with personalized, targeted content - Give frontline employees mobile access to schedules, tasks, and training in real time -Connect AI to your company’s knowledge for instant, reliable answers - Scale effortlessly from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of employees without losing performance or usability From replacing outdated intranets to creating a mobile-first employee communication platform, MangoApps is the employee experience solution that grows with your organization. It’s not just software—it’s a smarter way to connect people, knowledge, and work. **Average Rating:** 4.2/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 118 **How Do G2 Users Rate MangoApps?** - **Ease of Use:** 8.4/10 (Category avg: 9.0/10) - **External Idea Generation:** 8.0/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10) - **Ranking:** 8.6/10 (Category avg: 8.7/10) - **Forums:** 8.3/10 (Category avg: 7.9/10) **Who Is the Company Behind MangoApps?** - **Seller:** [MangoApps](https://www.g2.com/sellers/mangoapps) - **Year Founded:** 2008 - **HQ Location:** Issaquah, WA - **Twitter:** @mangoappsinc (1,270 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/83913/ (171 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Who Uses This:** Project Manager - **Top Industries:** Hospital & Health Care, Information Technology and Services - **Company Size:** 57% Mid-Market, 22% Enterprise #### What Are MangoApps's Pros and Cons? **Pros:** - Ease of Use (4 reviews) - Intuitive (4 reviews) - Features (3 reviews) - Team Collaboration (3 reviews) - Collaboration (2 reviews) **Cons:** - Complex Features (1 reviews) - Complexity (1 reviews) - Complex Usability (1 reviews) - Confusion (1 reviews) - Difficult Learning (1 reviews) ### 4. [COMPASS Quality Management System](https://www.g2.com/products/compass-quality-management-system/reviews) For a 5-minute demonstration of COMPASS, go to www.creato.com/compass COMPASS is a project portfolio management system that collects and ranks ideas, allows management to engage in feedback with employees to improve ideas, rescore ideas, and approve ideas. Once ideas become projects, COMPASS will guide the end user with just-in-time tools and training. Tools are extensive and include descriptive and inferential statistics in addition to simple brainstorming tools. Training is derived from the ASQ Lean Body of Knowledge. COMPASS will always recommend the best tools and best training based on the status of the project. Reporting is extensive and includes the ability to send alerts to staff based on projects approaching milestones, running behind, or missing data. COMPASS also includes full integration with SharePoint including single sign on, for purposes of indexing work and accommodating a variety of file formats. Finally, COMPASS promotes collaboration by sending project updates automatically to all stakeholders. Finish more projects, finish more projects faster and finish projects with greater returns with the COMPASS Quality Management System. COMPASS was recognized by CIO Magazine as one of the "Top Quality Management Systems" of 2017 and 2018. **Average Rating:** 4.2/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 48 **How Do G2 Users Rate COMPASS Quality Management System?** - **Ease of Use:** 7.9/10 (Category avg: 9.0/10) - **External Idea Generation:** 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10) - **Ranking:** 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.7/10) - **Forums:** 10.0/10 (Category avg: 7.9/10) **Who Is the Company Behind COMPASS Quality Management System?** - **Seller:** [Creato Performance Solutions](https://www.g2.com/sellers/creato-performance-solutions) - **Year Founded:** 1998 - **HQ Location:** Del Mar, CA - **Twitter:** @Cre8tvOutcomes (373 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/18002565/ (6 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Top Industries:** Hospital & Health Care - **Company Size:** 44% Enterprise, 40% Mid-Market ### 5. [Zeda.io](https://www.g2.com/products/zeda-io-zeda-io/reviews) Zeda.io is an AI-powered product discovery and strategy platform that helps product leaders identify problems to solve for customers, decide what to build next based on actionable product intelligence, and create product strategies to drive business outcomes. **Average Rating:** 4.3/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 31 **How Do G2 Users Rate Zeda.io?** - **Ease of Use:** 8.6/10 (Category avg: 9.0/10) - **External Idea Generation:** 9.7/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10) - **Ranking:** 9.6/10 (Category avg: 8.7/10) - **Forums:** 10.0/10 (Category avg: 7.9/10) **Who Is the Company Behind Zeda.io?** - **Seller:** [Zeda.io](https://www.g2.com/sellers/zeda-io) - **Year Founded:** 2021 - **HQ Location:** Bay Area, US - **Twitter:** @Zedaio (1,131 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/zedaio/ (8 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Top Industries:** Information Technology and Services - **Company Size:** 52% Mid-Market, 42% Small-Business ### 6. [ThinkTank](https://www.g2.com/products/thinktank/reviews) ThinkTank is a cloud-based Digital Engagement system that transforms how leaders engage and align distributed teams. **Average Rating:** 3.8/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 16 **How Do G2 Users Rate ThinkTank?** - **Ease of Use:** 8.6/10 (Category avg: 9.0/10) - **External Idea Generation:** 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10) - **Ranking:** 9.2/10 (Category avg: 8.7/10) - **Forums:** 8.9/10 (Category avg: 7.9/10) **Who Is the Company Behind ThinkTank?** - **Seller:** [ThinkTank](https://www.g2.com/sellers/thinktank) - **Year Founded:** 2005 - **HQ Location:** Springfield, OH - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/think-tank-inc./ (35 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Company Size:** 44% Small-Business, 31% Enterprise ### 7. [Glint Innovation](https://www.g2.com/products/glint-innovation/reviews) Glint Innovation is a collaborative innovation platform that brings your employees, customers and focus groups together to generate value for your business. Their valuable ideas can be an immense source of inspiration toward enhancing services, developing products and improving processes. Glint Innovation is used worldwide by many organizations including governments looking for new ways to connect, collaborate, engage and generate value. Glint Innovation is Available on Web, iOS and Android. **Average Rating:** 4.3/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 10 **How Do G2 Users Rate Glint Innovation?** - **Ease of Use:** 7.7/10 (Category avg: 9.0/10) - **External Idea Generation:** 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10) - **Ranking:** 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.7/10) - **Forums:** 10.0/10 (Category avg: 7.9/10) **Who Is the Company Behind Glint Innovation?** - **Seller:** [Glint Innovation](https://www.g2.com/sellers/glint-innovation) - **Year Founded:** 2011 - **HQ Location:** Toronto, ON - **Twitter:** @glintinnovation (50 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/9239896/ (1 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Company Size:** 40% Enterprise, 40% Small-Business ### 8. [Nolt](https://www.g2.com/products/nolt/reviews) Nolt is a platform that enables anyone to collect crowdsourced feedback from customers, employees, friends or any group that can provide the feedback you need. Prioritize feedback, create a roadmap with just a few clicks and keep everyone up-to-date with automated updates. **Average Rating:** 4.9/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 17 **How Do G2 Users Rate Nolt?** - **Ease of Use:** 9.6/10 (Category avg: 9.0/10) - **External Idea Generation:** 9.2/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10) - **Ranking:** 7.8/10 (Category avg: 8.7/10) - **Forums:** 8.9/10 (Category avg: 7.9/10) **Who Is the Company Behind Nolt?** - **Seller:** [Nolt](https://www.g2.com/sellers/nolt) - **Year Founded:** 2018 - **HQ Location:** N/A - **Twitter:** @TryNolt (1,212 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/nolt/ (2 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Top Industries:** Computer Software - **Company Size:** 59% Small-Business, 12% Enterprise ### 9. [Output](https://www.g2.com/products/output/reviews) Manual processes to engage employees can kickstart a culture of innovation in your company, but they come with huge limitations. Gathering ideas at scale across time zones and departments, keeping processes and decisions transparent, documenting everything in one place, and measuring engagement so you can optimize it next time -- it all takes more of your time than it should. When you’re ready to scale and empower your efforts, Output's flexible, user-friendly engagement platform and best practices can help. Inspired by lessons learned doing employee engagement the "old fashioned way", Output has helped innovation teams from a broad range of industries engage the right people and get quick wins more efficiently than they ever thought they could. Innovation programs don’t have to feel time-consuming for you and obscure for everyone else. Turn ideas into better outcomes efficiently with Output. **Average Rating:** 4.8/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 10 **How Do G2 Users Rate Output?** - **Ease of Use:** 10.0/10 (Category avg: 9.0/10) **Who Is the Company Behind Output?** - **Seller:** [Output Services](https://www.g2.com/sellers/output-services) - **HQ Location:** Vancouver, BC - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/No-Linkedin-Presence-Added-Intentionally-By-DataOps (1 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Company Size:** 50% Mid-Market, 20% Enterprise ### 10. [Crowdworx Idea & Innovation Engine](https://www.g2.com/products/crowdworx-idea-innovation-engine/reviews) CrowdWorx is a world-class Innovation Management software designed to streamline the entire innovation and idea management process for large enterprises. Trusted by over 300 global innovation leaders, including T-Mobile, ABB, Nestlé, SHL Medical, TotalEnergies, Qualcomm, and Swisscom, CrowdWorx accelerates the ROI of innovation activities and helps companies stay ahead of their competitors. At the heart of CrowdWorx is its ability to unify your entire innovation process, supported by native AI tools that optimize, automate, and accelerate all phases from ideation to delivery. ● Advanced Tech & Trend Scouting capabilities allow users to search a comprehensive database of trends and technologies and incorporate them into their innovation strategy. ● Our platform enables organizations to crowdsource ideas from employees or external sources (customers, suppliers, partners) and ensure the best ideas always win through advanced data tracking and management. ● It manages and fast-tracks the implementation of the best ideas with a structured and automated process. ● Advanced analytics and project management tools optimize and enhance your innovation portfolio, ensuring precise resource allocation and budget control. With comprehensive support, personalized training, and adherence to the highest data security standards, CrowdWorx is your partner in achieving sustainable innovation success. Find out more information here: https://www.crowdworx.com/en/ **Average Rating:** 5.0/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 7 **How Do G2 Users Rate Crowdworx Idea & Innovation Engine?** - **Ease of Use:** 10.0/10 (Category avg: 9.0/10) - **External Idea Generation:** 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10) - **Ranking:** 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.7/10) - **Forums:** 10.0/10 (Category avg: 7.9/10) **Who Is the Company Behind Crowdworx Idea & Innovation Engine?** - **Seller:** [CrowdWorx](https://www.g2.com/sellers/crowdworx) - **Year Founded:** 2007 - **HQ Location:** Berlin, DE - **Twitter:** @crowdworx (394 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/crowdworx/ (26 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Company Size:** 100% Enterprise #### What Are Crowdworx Idea & Innovation Engine's Pros and Cons? **Pros:** - Ease of Use (2 reviews) - Easy Setup (2 reviews) - Customer Support (1 reviews) - Customization (1 reviews) - Daily Use (1 reviews) ### 11. [GroupMap](https://www.g2.com/products/groupmap/reviews) Real-time online collaborative brainstorming and decision making. Start from over 60 brainstorming templates, or design your own. Templates include SWOT, 6 Thinking Hats, Perceptual Maps, Stakeholder Maps, Risk Maps, Mind Maps, the Lean Business Canvas and many more… **Average Rating:** 4.0/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 8 **How Do G2 Users Rate GroupMap?** - **Ease of Use:** 8.3/10 (Category avg: 9.0/10) **Who Is the Company Behind GroupMap?** - **Seller:** [GroupMap Technology Pty Ltd](https://www.g2.com/sellers/groupmap-technology-pty-ltd) - **Year Founded:** 2012 - **HQ Location:** Victoria Park, WA - **Twitter:** @GroupMapApp (491 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/2726734/ (6 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Company Size:** 60% Small-Business, 30% Enterprise ### 12. [iEnabler](https://www.g2.com/products/ienabler/reviews) iEnabler is a company that specializes in helping organizations of all sizes to grow and transform by offering new possibilities and navigating business complexities in novel ways. **Average Rating:** 4.7/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 6 **How Do G2 Users Rate iEnabler?** - **Ease of Use:** 7.7/10 (Category avg: 9.0/10) **Who Is the Company Behind iEnabler?** - **Seller:** [Innovation Enabler](https://www.g2.com/sellers/innovation-enabler) - **Year Founded:** 2015 - **HQ Location:** Chino Hills, US - **Twitter:** @ienabler (250 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://in.linkedin.com/company/ienabler (2 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Company Size:** 67% Mid-Market, 33% Small-Business ### 13. [Nova](https://www.g2.com/products/novatools-org-nova/reviews) Nova is the first guided collaboration space for effective thinking. It's the space where teams go to think and where organizations can take advantage of their collective intelligence effectively. **Average Rating:** 4.3/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 6 **How Do G2 Users Rate Nova?** - **Ease of Use:** 9.6/10 (Category avg: 9.0/10) - **External Idea Generation:** 6.7/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10) - **Ranking:** 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.7/10) **Who Is the Company Behind Nova?** - **Seller:** [Novatools.org](https://www.g2.com/sellers/novatools-org) - **Year Founded:** 2017 - **HQ Location:** Toronto, CA - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://linkedin.com/company/novatoolsorg (12 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Company Size:** 50% Mid-Market, 33% Small-Business ### 14. [Co:tunity](https://www.g2.com/products/co-tunity/reviews) Co:tunity is a smartphone and web application for collaborative problem solving that can easily gather, share and develop trends and ideas, analyze and report in the same digital platform. **Average Rating:** 4.4/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 5 **How Do G2 Users Rate Co:tunity?** - **Ease of Use:** 9.7/10 (Category avg: 9.0/10) **Who Is the Company Behind Co:tunity?** - **Seller:** [Kairos Future](https://www.g2.com/sellers/kairos-future) - **Year Founded:** 1993 - **HQ Location:** Stockholm, SE - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/kairos-future/ (47 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Company Size:** 80% Mid-Market, 20% Enterprise ### 15. [ideaPoint](https://www.g2.com/products/ideapoint/reviews) Software that improves the efficiency of identifying, evaluating, tracking, and managing innovation opportunities from internal and external partnerships and collaborations. **Average Rating:** 4.5/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 5 **How Do G2 Users Rate ideaPoint?** - **Ease of Use:** 9.2/10 (Category avg: 9.0/10) **Who Is the Company Behind ideaPoint?** - **Seller:** [Anaqua](https://www.g2.com/sellers/anaqua) - **Year Founded:** 2004 - **HQ Location:** Boston, MA - **Twitter:** @Anaqua (9,726 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/51084/ (765 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Company Size:** 40% Enterprise, 40% Mid-Market ### 16. [innosabi](https://www.g2.com/products/collaboration-ai-innosabi/reviews) innosabi is for those who believe that better is always possible. For those who seek to push boundaries, embrace innovation, and shape the future of their industries. At innosabi we provide the platform that makes this mindset a reality. Built to adapt. Designed to scale. Engineered for those exploring, engaging with, and embedding innovation. Our Innovation Management Platform (IMP) enables organizations to drive innovation. innosabi is for those who believe that better is always possible. For those who seek to push boundaries, embrace innovation, and shape the future of their industries. At innosabi we provide the platform that makes this mindset a reality. Built to adapt. Designed to scale. Engineered for those exploring, engaging with, and embedding innovation. Our Innovation Management Platform (IMP) enables organizations to drive innovation. Companies like Coca-Cola, Danone, AstraZeneca, BASF, and Deutsche Telekom rely on innosabi to accelerate progress and create lasting impact. Our platform works around your needs, seamlessly integrating into existing workflows while offering enterprise-grade security, compliance, and scalability. With dedicated support and a user-first approach, we ensure that innovation flows effortlessly. Innovation is not just a process – it’s a mindset. And with innosabi, it becomes an integral part of your company’s DNA. As part of the Questel Group, innosabi is more than just an Innovation Management Platform. We link innovation and intellectual property, offering organizations a seamless path from ideation to protection and commercialization. **Average Rating:** 4.5/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 7 **How Do G2 Users Rate innosabi?** - **Ease of Use:** 8.6/10 (Category avg: 9.0/10) - **External Idea Generation:** 9.0/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10) - **Ranking:** 9.3/10 (Category avg: 8.7/10) - **Forums:** 7.7/10 (Category avg: 7.9/10) **Who Is the Company Behind innosabi?** - **Seller:** [Collaboration.Ai](https://www.g2.com/sellers/collaboration-ai) - **Year Founded:** 2016 - **HQ Location:** Minneapolis-Saint Paul, US - **Twitter:** @CollaborationAi (451 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/10787168 (36 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Company Size:** 57% Enterprise, 29% Small-Business #### What Are innosabi's Pros and Cons? **Pros:** - Customer Support (2 reviews) - Ease of Use (2 reviews) - Collaboration (1 reviews) - Collaboration Efficiency (1 reviews) - Communication (1 reviews) **Cons:** - Poor UI (1 reviews) - Poor Usability (1 reviews) - UX Issues (1 reviews) ### 17. [Medallia Ideas](https://www.g2.com/products/medallia-ideas/reviews) Crowdicity provides a management software that empowers organisations to harness the idea and creativity of their people to discover new perspectives, insights and opportunities. **Average Rating:** 3.9/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 5 **How Do G2 Users Rate Medallia Ideas?** - **Ease of Use:** 8.3/10 (Category avg: 9.0/10) **Who Is the Company Behind Medallia Ideas?** - **Seller:** [Medallia](https://www.g2.com/sellers/medallia) - **Year Founded:** 2001 - **HQ Location:** San Francisco, CA - **Twitter:** @Medallia (12,232 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/49697/ (1,917 employees on LinkedIn®) - **Phone:** 650-321-3000 **Who Uses This Product?** - **Company Size:** 60% Small-Business, 40% Mid-Market ### 18. [smartcrowds Innovation Management](https://www.g2.com/products/smartcrowds-innovation-management/reviews) smartcrowds is an innovation management platform that addresses the 360 challenge of organizational innovation, turning great ideas into lasting business change time and time again. **Average Rating:** 4.5/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 5 **How Do G2 Users Rate smartcrowds Innovation Management?** - **Ease of Use:** 8.3/10 (Category avg: 9.0/10) - **External Idea Generation:** 6.7/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10) - **Ranking:** 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.7/10) - **Forums:** 10.0/10 (Category avg: 7.9/10) **Who Is the Company Behind smartcrowds Innovation Management?** - **Seller:** [smartcrowds](https://www.g2.com/sellers/smartcrowds) - **Year Founded:** 2015 - **HQ Location:** Glasgow, GB - **Twitter:** @smartcrowds (53 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** http://www.linkedin.com/company/smartcrowds (4 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Company Size:** 80% Small-Business, 20% Mid-Market ### 19. [UseResponse](https://www.g2.com/products/useresponse/reviews) UseResponse is a powerful Customer Support & Feedback Suite that combines the functionality of Omni-channel Support Ticketing Center, Feedback Community Forum, Live Chat , and Knowledge Base. UseResponse helps companies to improve customer support by introducing better customer self-service with the help of smart automation, chatbots, public communities, and embeddable knowledge base functionality. The system is highly customizable and can be used as SaaS & Self-Hosted solution with 100 % open code. **Average Rating:** 4.5/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 22 **How Do G2 Users Rate UseResponse?** - **Ease of Use:** 9.0/10 (Category avg: 9.0/10) - **Ranking:** 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.7/10) **Who Is the Company Behind UseResponse?** - **Seller:** [UseResponse](https://www.g2.com/sellers/useresponse) - **Year Founded:** 2014 - **HQ Location:** Long Beach, NY - **Twitter:** @Use_Response (183 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/No-Linkedin-Presence-Added-Intentionally-By-DataOps (1 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Top Industries:** Information Technology and Services - **Company Size:** 45% Mid-Market, 41% Small-Business ### 20. [Yumana](https://www.g2.com/products/yumana/reviews) Yumana is the European leader in innovation management software. We help Innovation Directors to effortlessly build, orchestrate, and scale innovation programs from ideation to industrialization. The platform centralizes everything you need to oversee innovation portfolios, engage the right partners in your growth, and streamline every step of startup relationship management with great flexibility. Yumana enables not only innovation teams, but also HR, operations, and sustainability leaders to mobilize communities, structure portfolios, and engage employees in continuous improvement. More than software, you get a complete innovation operating system, combining proven methodologies, configurable workflows, AI-powered insights, and expert support to generate sustainable, scalable impact. Break down silos, align stakeholders, and prove ROI all along the way! Trusted by global leaders such as L’Oréal, Michelin, Airbus, Safran, and VINCI. Join the Yumana community and give your innovation programs the reach they deserve. **Average Rating:** 4.8/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 5 **How Do G2 Users Rate Yumana?** - **Ease of Use:** 9.7/10 (Category avg: 9.0/10) - **External Idea Generation:** 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10) - **Ranking:** 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.7/10) - **Forums:** 10.0/10 (Category avg: 7.9/10) **Who Is the Company Behind Yumana?** - **Seller:** [Yumana](https://www.g2.com/sellers/yumana) - **Year Founded:** 2020 - **HQ Location:** Paris, FR - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/yumana/ (29 employees on LinkedIn®) - **Ownership:** Céline Degreef & Ofer Attali - **Phone:** +33 7 44 09 82 14 **Who Uses This Product?** - **Company Size:** 80% Enterprise, 20% Mid-Market #### What Are Yumana's Pros and Cons? **Pros:** - Convenience (1 reviews) - Ease of Use (1 reviews) - Easy Access (1 reviews) - Easy Setup (1 reviews) - Features (1 reviews) **Cons:** - Learning Curve (1 reviews) - Time-Consumption (1 reviews) ### 21. [Brainstory](https://www.g2.com/products/brainstory/reviews) Make decisions, not meetings with Brainstory. Brainstory is an async collaboration tool that removes the cognitive overhead of giving, collecting, and aggregating feedback. **Average Rating:** 4.3/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 4 **How Do G2 Users Rate Brainstory?** - **Ease of Use:** 10.0/10 (Category avg: 9.0/10) - **External Idea Generation:** 9.4/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10) - **Ranking:** 8.9/10 (Category avg: 8.7/10) - **Forums:** 7.2/10 (Category avg: 7.9/10) **Who Is the Company Behind Brainstory?** - **Seller:** [Contenda](https://www.g2.com/sellers/contenda) - **Year Founded:** 2021 - **HQ Location:** Philadelphia, US - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/contendaco/ (15 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Company Size:** 100% Small-Business ### 22. [FeatureOS](https://www.g2.com/products/skcript-technologies-featureos/reviews) featureOS: AI-Powered User Feedback & Roadmap Management featureOS transforms user feedback into actionable insights with AI-driven analysis and seamless integrations. Say goodbye to scattered feedback—our platform aggregates, organizes, and prioritizes insights from multiple sources like Intercom, Zendesk, and support tickets, empowering teams to build better products, faster. With featureOS, you can: ✅ Collect feedback effortlessly via boards and multiple integrations. ✅ Analyze sentiment with AI to understand user needs at scale. ✅ Prioritize product roadmaps based on real customer insights. ✅ Communicate updates effectively with automated release notes. ✅ Enhance team productivity with deep integrations into Jira, ClickUp, Salesforce, Intercom, and Zendesk. Why Choose featureOS? 🔹 AI-Powered Summarization: Extract key insights from thousands of feedback points in seconds. 🔹 Advanced Search & Filters: Find relevant feedback without the clutter. 🔹 Seamless Collaboration: Align product, engineering, and customer success teams effortlessly. 🔹 Affordable & Scalable: Tailored to fit businesses of all sizes. 🔹 Boost Customer Engagement: Build a transparent feedback loop with users. 🚀 Start making data-driven product decisions today! 🔹 Sign up for a free account: https://portal.featureos.app/auth/signup 🔹 Book a demo: https://featureos.app/request-demo **Average Rating:** 4.9/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 6 **How Do G2 Users Rate FeatureOS?** - **Ease of Use:** 9.7/10 (Category avg: 9.0/10) - **External Idea Generation:** 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10) - **Ranking:** 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.7/10) - **Forums:** 9.2/10 (Category avg: 7.9/10) **Who Is the Company Behind FeatureOS?** - **Seller:** [Skcript Technologies](https://www.g2.com/sellers/skcript-technologies) - **Year Founded:** 2013 - **HQ Location:** Chennai, IN - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://linkedin.com/company/skcript (14 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Company Size:** 83% Small-Business, 17% Mid-Market #### What Are FeatureOS's Pros and Cons? **Pros:** - Customer Insights (1 reviews) - Customer Support (1 reviews) - Data Management (1 reviews) - Easy Management (1 reviews) - Experience Improvement (1 reviews) ### 23. [IdeasMine](https://www.g2.com/products/al-consulting-group-ideasmine/reviews) IdeasMine - The Power of Collaborative Ideas. Powerful Ideas and Innovation Management Software. **Average Rating:** 3.9/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 4 **How Do G2 Users Rate IdeasMine?** - **Ease of Use:** 8.9/10 (Category avg: 9.0/10) - **External Idea Generation:** 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10) - **Ranking:** 7.5/10 (Category avg: 8.7/10) - **Forums:** 6.7/10 (Category avg: 7.9/10) **Who Is the Company Behind IdeasMine?** - **Seller:** [AL Consulting Group](https://www.g2.com/sellers/al-consulting-group) - **Year Founded:** 1991 - **HQ Location:** Paris, FR - **Twitter:** @IdeasMineSystem (1,711 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/ideasmine-l'innovation-participative-en-2-clics (1 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Company Size:** 80% Small-Business, 20% Mid-Market ### 24. [Innovation Cloud Enterprise](https://www.g2.com/products/innovation-cloud-enterprise/reviews) Innovation Cloud is end-to-end innovation management software, compatible with all of your business processes and fully configurable to meet your organization 's needs. Innovation Cloud consists of a comprehensive set of features and cutting-edge software applications enabling you to accelerate the execution of your innovation management processes. We provide a systemic and structured approach to realize durable organic growth driven by enhanced organizational innovation capabilities. **Average Rating:** 4.0/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 4 **How Do G2 Users Rate Innovation Cloud Enterprise?** - **Ease of Use:** 8.9/10 (Category avg: 9.0/10) - **External Idea Generation:** 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10) - **Ranking:** 6.7/10 (Category avg: 8.7/10) - **Forums:** 8.3/10 (Category avg: 7.9/10) **Who Is the Company Behind Innovation Cloud Enterprise?** - **Seller:** [DataStation Innovation Cloud](https://www.g2.com/sellers/datastation-innovation-cloud) - **Year Founded:** 2007 - **HQ Location:** Sofia, BG - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/datastation-innovation-cloud/ (10 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Company Size:** 50% Small-Business, 25% Enterprise ### 25. [Nextinit](https://www.g2.com/products/nextinit/reviews) Transform your business, your people know how **Average Rating:** 4.3/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 4 **How Do G2 Users Rate Nextinit?** - **Ease of Use:** 7.9/10 (Category avg: 9.0/10) **Who Is the Company Behind Nextinit?** - **Seller:** [Nextinit, S.L.](https://www.g2.com/sellers/nextinit-s-l) - **Year Founded:** 2013 - **HQ Location:** Redwood City, US - **Twitter:** @Nextinit (545 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/3492682 (6 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Company Size:** 50% Mid-Market, 25% Enterprise ## What Is Idea Management Software? [Collaboration & Productivity Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/collaboration-productivity) ## What Software Categories Are Similar to Idea Management Software? - [Enterprise Feedback Management Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/enterprise-feedback-management) - [Product Management Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/product-management-software) - [Strategy And Innovation Roadmapping Tools](https://www.g2.com/categories/strategy-and-innovation-roadmapping-tools) - [Hackathon Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/hackathon-software) --- ## How Do You Choose the Right Idea Management Software? ### What You Should Know About Idea Management Software ### What is Idea Management Software? Idea management software, also called innovation management software, structures the process of gathering insights on products and then organizing and managing those ideas for improvement or development. Feedback can be solicited from employees, stakeholders, customers, or multiple groups with the aim of improving a product or brainstorming.  Idea management software is a step up from the traditional office suggestion box. It enables companies of all sizes to continuously innovate and grow by deliberately leading the ideation process. Idea management software facilitates the full transparency of a company, as anyone who has access to the database can track ideas from inception to implementation. Ideas are collected from all areas of the organization, beyond specialized departments such as R&D, product management, and marketing. These products can integrate with enterprise feedback management software to allow users to manage both internally and externally sourced recommendations. ### What are the Common Features of Idea Management Software? Innovation management software can vary widely in how much structure it provides to the idea generation and collection process. Some products provide rigid scaffolding to every step of the innovation process. Others offer more open-ended methods and tools for users to develop ideas more organically. Below are some examples of features commonly found in idea management software from across the spectrum. **Ranking:** Most idea management software allow users to vote on the ideas they like best, either within a given idea campaign or of those presented from a suggestion box. This will then rank the ideas, letting the strongest or most popular float to the top for consideration. **Commenting:** Some solutions offer commenting capability, which allows users to provide feedback on ideas in real time. Comments can lead to more in-depth discussions about ideas, refining and polishing them into viable options. **Idea campaigns:** Idea campaigns are often a staple feature in idea management tools. Users can create a dedicated campaign to rally ideas for a particular goal or challenge, and others can respond with their ideas within a given campaign. This consolidates ideas for a given topic in one centralized space where they can be evaluated and weighed against one another. **Suggestion box:** While some idea management tools are essentially dedicated suggestion boxes, some will offer a suggestion box as an additional feature. These suggestion boxes can be internal, external, or both. **Gamification:** Gamification features are sometimes utilized in idea management software to increase employee engagement and incentivize employees to get involved in the brainstorming process. **Templates:** Some products will offer a variety of templates, sometimes customizable, to help launch a brainstorming or whiteboard session. Templates can help to provide structure to the idea management process, which is particularly useful for large enterprises. **Project planning:** Some products will allow users to build out project plans and tasks natively inside the software based on generated ideas. Other software will provide the same functionality by integrating with an outside project management software. **Surveys:** Surveys are a great method to take the pulse of an organization, and many innovation management solutions employ a survey feature so users can quickly gauge how their employees feel about recent changes. **Forums:** Forum discussions can serve as an excellent space for the discussion and deliberation of ideas. Some idea management tools provide features akin to an online forum where ideas can be discussed more in depth internally. **Mind mapping:** Mind mapping tools enable individuals or groups to diagram their thought process, allowing them to track and visualize their brainstorming sessions from start to finish. ### What are the Benefits of Idea Management Software? Innovation management software can benefit nearly any company with employees or external stakeholders. By allowing more individuals to contribute to an ideation session, a company can crowdsource ideas and recommendations for ways to improve processes, solve business issues, and enhance a company’s performance. Below are some of the key benefits of idea management software: **Promote efficiency and transparency:** Idea management software allows users to track the progress of an idea from inception to its final form. This software assists with managing ideas and preventing information from getting lost amongst clutter. It can also help reduce the duplication of already-suggested ideas. **Prioritize innovation:** Innovation management software assists an organization with achieving its strategic goals by identifying new products and services, discovering new markets for existing products, and acting on consumer feedback. Overall, these benefits will assist an organization in achieving a competitive advantage. **Empower stakeholders:** Innovation management software supplies organizations with the ability to empower their customers and employees alike. By prioritizing internal and external communication, organizations can promote the application of "wisdom of the crowd" expertise to business operations. Additionally, by encouraging innovation and transparency within an organization, employees are empowered to proactively improve their work processes. Organizations can also utilize idea management software to validate and reward employee engagement, creativity, and inspire the cultivation of innovative ideas. **Reduce costs:** Idea management software can be used to reduce costs by finding ways to eliminate waste or improve existing processes. Additionally, utilizing stakeholder perspectives is a great way to avoid the costs of outsourcing. ### Who Uses Idea Management Software? From a startup to a large corporation, the appeal of innovation management software is that it can be implemented in any type or size of business. Whether it be an externally or internally facing product, rigid or freeform, companies benefit from having a space where insiders can make recommendations. Employees and external stakeholders, such as customers or investors, will have a unique perspective on the products and services they contribute to or purchase, and businesses would be wise to harness their input to improve their offerings. **Employees:** There is an advantage to considering employee perspectives when it comes to decision making. Employees contribute knowledge, skills, and experience—all of which are invaluable to a company. Allowing employees to partake in brainstorming and decision making processes can save a company time and money. By leveraging internal insight, a company may reduce outsourcing previously needed for assisting with business concerns. Additionally, inviting employees to participate in collaborative decision-making processes can lead to feelings of empowerment, boosted morale, and overall higher employee satisfaction.  **External stakeholders:** Whether an individual is a customer or an investor, they are affected by a company’s decisions. Allowing external stakeholders to provide feedback and ideas directly is a great way to get an outside perspective as well as ensure stakeholders feel valued. Outside perspectives can shed light on overlooked concerns and offer a novel problem-solving approach.  #### Software Related to Idea Management Software Related solutions that can be used together with idea management software include: [Knowledge management software](https://www.g2.com/categories/knowledge-management) **:** Knowledge management software and idea management systems have some overlap in functionality, in that both facilitate the collection and organization of internally and externally sourced information. However, innovation management tools handle feedback to bolster company transparency and innovation, while knowledge management offers a knowledge base for teams to reference and retrieve documentation regarding company information or answers to common questions. [Note-taking management software](https://www.g2.com/categories/note-taking-management) **:** Note-taking management software often offers some of the same features found in idea management solutions. Some note-taking tools will provide mind mapping functionality or more structured workflows for penning down ideas. However, note-taking management tools are more freeform in their offering and are much less structured. Additionally, note-taking software usually cannot support the same number of collaborators that idea management software can. ### Challenges with Idea Management Software Software can come with their own set of challenges. Below are some examples of issues a buyer may face when utilizing idea management software: **Identifying relevant ideas:** With a large influx of submissions, it’s always possible that some relevant and useful information may be overlooked. Some idea management software products may not allow the user to limit the number of submissions or may not provide filtering and searching features. If this is a potential concern, it’s important to look into products that offer advanced searching functionality. **Assessing feedback:** When idea management software is utilized to gather feedback, some systems may have an idea ranking feature to arrange comments based on popularity. Popularity could be calculated by the level of engagement the user’s idea gets among collaborators and their historical participation. Typically, the higher their engagement and participation, the more popular their submission may be. This can misrepresent the value or relevancy of the feedback. The best way to avoid this is to choose a product that features an intuitive voting or ranking system. **Customization:** Some idea management platforms don’t offer extensive customization options. This can make it difficult for users to tailor the tool to suit their industry, simplify ideation sessions, or personalize privacy settings.  **Integration:** Limited integration capability within other software platforms has been a pain point for some buyers of innovation management software. Buyers looking to incorporate this type of software into their existing systems should thoroughly explore the integration functionality of a product before purchasing. ### How to Buy Idea Management Software #### Requirements Gathering (RFI/RFP) for Idea Management Software Regardless of where a company is at in the purchasing process, G2.com can help inform buyers of the market and assist them in selecting the best software for their needs. The first step in deciding which kind of innovation management software to consider is to assess the needs of the business as a whole. Does the organization already use this kind of software? If so, what works and what doesn’t? Is this the first time the organization will be using idea management software? If that’s the case, buyers will need to determine how they plan to implement this software and what features the organization will need. Some points to consider are given below: **External vs. internal idea generation:** Does the organization plan on using this tool internally, externally, or both?  **Company size:** Buyers will need to ensure that the products they are looking at will suit the size and need of the organization. When purchasing software, it’s important to ensure the product has the appropriate scalability to adapt to changing needs. #### Compare Idea Management Software Products **Create a long list** The first step to finding the perfect software is to create a preliminary list of products that fit the buyer’s general needs. The next step is to narrow down the list by selecting specific features that are must-haves or requirements for the buyer. G2.com provides information about the best idea management software, allowing buyers to filter options as well as user reviews to help narrow down the product list to a more relevant selection. **Create a short list** Creating a short list of software products is an important step in the buying process. While it may be daunting to filter through various products, users can get help by utilizing G2’s “Compare” feature. This feature will take products of choice and display them side by side so the buyer can easily determine which software ticks the important boxes on the list.  **Conduct demos** Once the buyer has narrowed down the product list, the next step is to conduct a demo. Demos allow buyers to see a product and its features in more detail. To ensure a buyer gets the most out of a demo, it’s important to go in prepared. Buyers should have a business scenario ready that will fully test each product in consideration. Additionally, buyers should inquire about cost, vendor support, and any concerns they have about the product. Adequate preparation will make it easier for a buyer to compare products after demos have been completed. #### Selection of Idea Management Software **Choose a selection team** Idea management software can be utilized by employees, management, and external stakeholders. Therefore, it’s important to choose a selection team that will be able to assess a product from each standpoint. A good starting point would be to select three to five team members with different roles to participate in this process. The more varied a selection team is, the better a company can assess how well a product will meet their needs. **Negotiation** Once the selection team has narrowed down their software picks, it’s time to discuss customization options, pricing, and the type of support needed from the vendor. It’s always important to address pricing options, even when they are listed on a vendor’s website. Many software vendors will provide discounts and custom pricing options based on what the buyer is looking to purchase. **Final decision** Once a buyer has made the final decision on a product and is ready to move forward with a purchase, it is recommended to conduct a final demo, inquire about a trial run, and determine what the next steps are if the product doesn’t ultimately fit their needs. These steps can provide a buyer with an additional sense of security and confidence when making a final decision. ### Idea Management Software Trends **Remote workforce** Digital collaboration software has been increasing in popularity over the past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With many teams working remotely, companies are looking at ways to innovate and enhance their remote workspace. Utilizing idea management software is a great way for a company to drive employee engagement, enhance visibility, and ensure that employees are feeling connected and valued while working virtually. **Consumer expectations** As outlined above, idea management software is an excellent tool for maintaining employee engagement and satisfaction. Moreso, it’s a resourceful way for a business to stay connected with its customer base. Since the start of the pandemic, consumers have become more aware of their purchasing decisions. For example, many consumers are now invested in the way a business is handling safety measures and treating their employees during COVID-19.  Aside from ethics, consumers have changed their purchasing habits to prioritize the health and safety of themselves and their families. Companies can utilize idea management software to crowdsource ideas from their customers to ensure they are meeting their expectations. Additionally, crowdsourcing ideas and suggestions from customers can help a business with its continuous improvement strategy and fuel a culture of innovation.