You
Decision report · Workflow software
Four tools.
One honest shortlist.
Plainly is the best fit for teams that value fast setup, predictable pricing, and clear ownership. It is not the winner on every line. This report shows the trade-offs.
The evidence board
Feature-by-feature
“Best” means strongest published offer for this criterion—not a universal verdict. Pricing shown before tax.
strongest offer where Plainly loses Swipe table →
| Buying criterion | You Plainly $39 per workspace / month | Competitor 01 Orbit $29 per seat / month | Competitor 02 Stackform $49 per workspace / month | Competitor 03 Metricly $24 per seat / month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Unlimited collaborators Cost control · No per-seat penalty as the team grows. | Strongest offer: Included | Per-seat | Up to 15 | Per-seat |
| 02 Guided setup Onboarding · A usable first workflow without paid consulting. | Strongest offer: 45 minutes | 1–2 days | 3–5 days | 2 hours |
| 03 Native integrations Ecosystem · Direct connections maintained by each vendor. Where we lose | 38 | Strongest offer: 120+ | 64 | 27 |
| 04 Reusable workflow templates Workflow · Save and share repeatable team processes. | Strongest offer: Unlimited | 10 on base plan | Unlimited | 5 on base plan |
| 05 Approval stages Governance · Control review and sign-off before work moves. | Strongest offer: All plans | Business plan | All plans | Not available |
| 06 Audit history Governance · A searchable record of changes and decisions. | 24 months | 12 months | Strongest offer: Unlimited | 6 months |
| 07 Custom dashboards Reporting · Build role-specific views without code. | Included | Included | Included | Strongest offer: Advanced |
| 08 Data export Ownership · Leave with complete, usable copies of team data. | Strongest offer: CSV + JSON | CSV | CSV + API | CSV + PDF |
| 09 Human support Service · Talk to a person without buying an enterprise plan. | Strongest offer: All plans | Business plan | Email only | All plans |
| 10 Annual price increase cap Cost control · Contractual limit on renewal price changes. | Strongest offer: 5% | Not published | Not published | 8% |
Competitor 01
Orbit
Broad integrations for teams that can absorb setup time.Competitor 02
Stackform
Deep automation with a steeper learning curve.Competitor 03
Metricly
Reporting-first toolkit for analytics-heavy teams.Questions before commitment
The fine print,
made readable.
Procurement likes details. So do we.
01 Who is Plainly best for?
Plainly is built for teams of 5–100 people that want repeatable workflows without per-seat pricing or a long implementation project.
02 Is this comparison independent?
No. Plainly publishes this page. We show the criteria, mark areas where competitors lead, and recommend verifying current pricing and features before buying.
03 Can we migrate our existing data?
Yes. Plainly accepts CSV and JSON imports. The team provides a field-mapping review on every paid plan.
04 Why does Orbit win on integrations?
Orbit lists more maintained native integrations than Plainly. If a specific native connector is essential, Orbit may be the better fit.
05 Can we try Plainly before committing?
Yes. Email the team for a guided 14-day workspace with your own workflow and no credit card.
Decision made?
Put Plainly against
your real workflow.
Bring one process, five teammates, and fourteen days. We will help with setup. No credit card. No sales maze.
Start by email Replies from humans · usually within one workday