Productboard Software In-Depth Review 2025
In my career, I have used many product management tools, including Productboard. Let me tell you about Productboard’s pricing, pros and cons, target audience, and more in this thorough review.
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In this detailed product review, I’m going to share the results of my hands-on experience with Productboard. I've spent time learning to use the tool, chatted with product managers who use it in their work, and connected with tool experts to help you identify if this is the right platform for you.
But first, if you’re just beginning your search for the best product management tools, check out my picks for the best product management software. You probably already know that Productboard is among the most popular product management tools out there, but you need to better understand what’s good (and not so good) about it.
This in-depth Productboard review will walk you through the tool's pros and cons, features and functionality, and more to help guide you to better understand its capabilities and its suitability for your needs.
Productboard Software Product Overview
Productboard is a customer-driven product management tool. Its focus is on empowering teams to deliver products to market faster, with customer insights as the driving force.
Productboard serves as a centralized platform for product managers to prioritize new features and gather insights. Its primary users are product managers and product teams aiming to align their work with market demand.
Product teams can struggle to understand user needs, prioritize what to build next, align everyone on the roadmap, and engage with their customers. Not to mention, it can be challenging to incorporate feedback into one place, especially if it’s captured through multiple sources like support chats, forums, emails, and sales conversations.
The tool bridges the gap between understanding customers and crafting solutions, alleviating the challenge of disjointed feedback and unclear product roadmaps. Standout features include the user feedback portal, feature prioritization matrix, and integration capabilities.
After all, there’s a lot of work that goes into capturing, documenting, informing, and validating insights, so it might sound like music to a product manager’s ears discovering something like this exists. Its a complete solution—but only if you’re planning to use it.
If your team relies heavily on infusing customer insights into your daily to-do’s and roadmap planning, you’ll definitely want to explore Productboard. As a product management tool, its relatively easy to use, enables company-wide collaboration, and integrates into existing workflows. Over 3,500 organizations around the world use Productboard to build digital products.
Based on the core features, continuous improvements made by Productboard, and the overall functionality of this insights-driven product management tool, I gave this Productboard review a 4.5 star rating out of 5. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Expert Opinion
Having looked at various product management tools, I can say that Productboard holds a distinct place in the ecosystem. Its functionality, primarily in feedback gathering and prioritization, truly shines. And based on conversations with product managers, this element of the tool stands apart by giving customer feedback a place to live.
The selling point was largely the portal… we needed an inbox for ideas. It gave customers more of a voice because they could specifically see what was on our roadmap.
I like how Productboard is a customer-driven product management system that empowers teams to get the right product features to market, faster. Product managers are constantly coping with information from all angles, so by having a single source of truth, it enables product teams to make educated decisions that impact their entire organization.
However, there are areas, like customization and collaboration, where it doesn't quite match some of its peers. When choosing a product management tool, it's essential to weigh these factors. For larger teams or those with a keen eye on customer insights, Productboard stands out. However, teams looking for deep customization, Productboard may like some of the flexibility you might come to expect from a product management tool.
Why You Can Trust The CPO Club
We’ve been testing and reviewing product management software since 2021. As product managers ourselves, we know how critical, and difficult it is to make the right decision when selecting software.
We invest in deep research to help our audience make better software purchasing decisions. We’ve tested more than 2,000 tools for different product management use cases and written over 1,000 comprehensive software reviews. Learn how we stay transparent & our product management software review methodology.
Productboard Overview
Pros
- A well-designed User Feedback Portal: Productboard's customer feedback automation portal gathers insights directly from the source, streamlining the feedback process.
- Plenty of Integrations: Productboard seamlessly links with other popular tools, bolstering its utility in diverse tech ecosystems.
- Prioritization Matrix: This feature ensures product teams focus on high-impact tasks, guiding effective resource allocation.
Cons
- Learning Curve: New users might find an initial hurdle in familiarizing themselves with the platform's wide array of features. PMs working cross-functionally may appreciate the flexibility offered by productboard.
- Customization Limits: While adaptable, there are constraints to how much one can tailor Productboard to niche use-cases. For larger teams or those with a keen eye on customer insights, Productboard is a formidable tool. However, teams looking for deep customization or robust collaboration might need to leverage other tools to reach their expectations.
- Collaboration Features: When set against some competitors, Productboard's team collaboration tools can seem somewhat basic. Communicating can be a challenge with many competing priorities and Productboard aims to change this.
Is Productboard the right fit for your team?
Who would be a good fit for Productboard?
- Productboard shines in environments where user feedback is pivotal. For example, teams developing new software offerings in a competitive market will see plenty of value in leveraging Productboard. As this tool can help ensure deliverables and features are closely aligned with customer demands and market needs.
- Productboard is ideal for gathering and organizing customer feedback from various channels, giving product teams the ability to prioritize features based on customer insights and competitive analysis.
- Plus, there's the added bonus of communicating the product roadmap to stakeholders as plans shift, helping to keep everyone aligned and informed.
- Loyal users are often product managers in mid-sized to large tech companies.
- There needs to be a consistent influx of feedback to maximize value from this tool. Productboard is well-suited for teams looking to align their strategies with market demand.
- It helps with infusing user feedback into company strategy and deliverables.
Who would be a bad fit for Productboard?
- Small teams or individuals seeking a way to manage daily tasks and personal to-dos, including scheduling meetings, tracking time, or managing personal productivity, there are more cost-effective for these needs.
- Teams with limited resources might find Productboard overwhelming. And, it may be too feature-rich for an early-stage startup. The only exception would be one where beta testing and consistent customer feedback are pivotal, and truly integrated into a team workflow.
- Teams needing heavy customization or robust collaborative features might find it lacking in some areas. So, you'll want to dedicate to learning the tool, to realize the same value as others who invest in learning the platform.
How We Test Software
We apply a method that combines practical first-hand experience and compliment it with research through user interviews with SMEs and consultants. We know each company has different needs, and that the software you choose will depend on a variety of factors, all of which are taken into account in our stringent set of review criteria, outlined below.
Reviewing the best product management tools requires a detailed analysis of its features and how well it meets specific use cases. My approach is rooted in extensive personal experience, having explored and used a number of product management tools. Here’s how I evaluate these solutions, using specific criteria, each with its own set of weightings to reflect their importance in the overall selection process.
Core Functionality (25% of final scoring)
We test core features to see how well the software can perform the key functions and jobs to be done, required for a tool of its type. This allows us to discount and discard tools that advertise for a specific use case but don't have the functionality to back it up.
Selection Criteria
Our selection criteria allow us to provide an unbiased evaluation of the software that we get our hands on. For product management software, the core functionalities we test and evaluate are:
1. Core Features (25% of final scoring)
We consider the five elements that make the software a good fit for its category. The core features tell us if the software can perform the basic functionality required for a tool of its type. Additionally, it means we have a way of discarding tools that advertise for a specific use case but might not have the functionality to back it up.
Collaboration (5%) - We look at how the tool helps to bring teams closer. This can include commenting, in-app chats, ease of sharing, and options for gathering key information. Collaboration also factors in whether users can upload files, view imported documents, and the ability to work asynchronously with teammates on various projects.
Roadmapping (5%) - This section includes the tool's ability to outline features, ideas, and various views for roadmaps, in addition to assessing the UI of the roadmap.
Idea Management (5%) - The ease with which you can create tasks, subtasks, dependencies, and milestones. Also, the ability to track tasks, adjust assignees and due dates, and create custom fields.
Task Management (5%) - The tool's capacity to show you the people in your team, the tasks they are assigned to, in addition to interactions and mentions in comment sections, and collaborative docs. Therefore, this part of the evaluation looks at a combination of effort setup, time tracking, and reporting through workload views.
Reporting & Analytics (5%) - We factor in the tool’s ability to report on team adoption, various elements of the tool’s functionality, and accounting for data that users house in the platform.
3. Ease of Use (10% of final scoring)
We consider the impact of navigation and feature accessibility in how quick and easy it is for the primary user to execute the tasks defined in the core features. We consider easy-to-navigate and well-organized information will typically receive a higher score. Software needs to be well designed, intuitive to use, with the option of a mobile applications, in addition to providing templates and making relatively complex tasks seem simple. A low score means the product management software is difficult to use.
4. Standout Features (15% of final scoring)
This criterion helps us discover features that make your job easier. In this part of the evaluation, we analyze the latest development of features from each tool. We specifically look for features that go beyond traditional functionality. For example, if a tool has incorporated a new technology to make the user experience better or if the software has created or made improvements to a core feature.
We evaluate uncommon, standout features that go above and beyond the core features defined, and typically found in the category. A high score reflects standout features that will make work faster, more efficient, or offer additional value.
5. Onboarding (10% of final scoring)
We know how important rapid team adoption is for a new platform, so we evaluate how easy it is to learn and use the software with minimal training. We evaluate how quickly a team member can get set up and start using the software with no experience. High scoring software indicates little or no support is required.
6. Customer Support (10% of final scoring)
We review how quick and easy it is to get unstuck and find help by phone, live chat, or knowledge base. Software that provides real-time support scores best, while chatbots score worst.
7. Integrations (10% of final scoring)
We evaluate how easy it is to integrate with other tools typically found in the tech stack to expand the functionality and utility of the software. Software offering plentiful native integrations, and API access to build custom integrations, score best, those with no integrations score worst.
8. Customer Reviews (10% of final scoring)
Beyond our own testing and evaluation, we consider the net promoter score from current and past customers. We review their likelihood, given the option, to choose the software again for the core functionality. A high scoring software reflects a high net promoter score from current or past customers.
9. Value for Money (10% of final scoring)
Lastly, in consideration of all the other criteria, we review the average price of entry level plans against the core features and consider the value of the other evaluation criteria. Software that delivers more, for less, will score higher.
Through this comprehensive approach, focusing on core functions, standout features, general usability, onboarding, customer support, value, and customer reviews, I aspire to identify product management solutions that deliver on their promises, ensuring product teams have the tools they need to succeed.
Productboard Deep Dive
Below, we do a deep dive into Productboard's evaluating core features, calling out best use cases, outlining pricing, grading customer support, and accounting for other factors you might want to consider if seeking a product management tool.
Productboard Feature Overview
Collaboration
4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This tool allows and encourages multiple users to contribute to the product roadmap and planning process. Of course, this is especially beneficial in larger teams where cross-functional collaboration is critical—for instance, your product, development, leadership, marketing, and sales teams can all benefit from clear and cohesive communication.
I find Productboard's collaboration functionality to be generous, and simple for most users. When stacked against some competitors, Productboard's team collaboration tools can seem a bit basic, but when it comes to communication, ease of use, and simple navigation are paramount.
Communicating can be a challenge with many competing priorities. Productboard's approach to collaboration can be seen in their share links, commenting, and email notification—all functionalities that support asynchronous teams.
Idea Management
4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall, I like how Productboard prioritizes a user-centric experience. With thoughtful collaboration, solid functionality, as far as the feature prioritization, and overall workflow management, Productboard delivers a pretty robust option for the product planning phase.
But, before you can get to this phase you need to have a way to house your ideas. This is where the insights live. Productboard has a public portal that gives the best view of this, as we’ll see [insert public portal screen flow]. TheInsights board helps users track all feedback and requests related to product features, helping to outline next priorities by highlighting what needs attention based on user demand.
You can consolidate all your user feedback, research, and feature requests in one place making it easier to understand what your users really need. While Productboard is designed for product management and roadmapping, the way it’s set up makes it easier for teams to manage ideas before they hit the roadmap.
Roadmapping
5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
In Productboard, you have a number of options for viewing roadmaps. Choose between three different perspectives for viewing releases, upcoming launches, and various features in consideration.
Tailor your roadmap view for specific viewing experiences by configuring the details at the top navigation bar and by adjusting timeline milestones to reflect granular or high-level detail.
I appreciate how Productboard has versatility built into their roadmap offering. Users can change the view to reflect stakeholder needs, or tailor it to plot different features on the roadmap. It's also easy to view insights and tie them to different features that can be reflected on the roadmap.
Productboard works in tandem between different boards, allowing you to keep a backlog of ideas, while prioritizing features, collecting feedback, and creating flexible, visual roadmaps. Understandably, a roadmap will need a high degree of visibility, especially with multiple stakeholders looking to this as the single source-of-truth, and this is one area that Productboard excels.
Task Management
4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Productboard enables you to categorize all product ideas for future reference and action under your feature board. This is also how you can assign different team members to various tasks using the commenting functionality with the tool.
Often Product teams will float ideas before committing to them. Therefore, ability to comment on different topics helps to keep the information nested under each idea, improving organization and visibility.
Team members can add comments to features and tasks, allowing for ongoing discussion and timely updates. Tags can be used to categorize tasks by teams, sprints, release versions, or other custom categories, improving visibility across the board.
Tasks are managed under individual features Built-in email notifications and alerts help to keep teams updated on changes, feedback, or important milestones. Users can tag others, and update features with comments to facilitate a smooth workflow.
Reporting and Analytics
4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
There are two ways to view Analytics in Productboard. First, you can navigate to the Reports tab on the left side panel. And, the second is by toggling to the Insights tab at the top navigation bar, and reflecting on the type of feedback that's coming in .
Whether you’re trying to improve team adoption or better understand the frequency and variety of feedback you're receiving, Productboard has certainly invested in it's built-in reporting functionality. Plus, the reports tab on the left side panel make it easy to see how different users interact with the tool.
Customizable dashboards allow you to create specific views that focus on task progress, team workload, or other key metrics important to your product management process.
It’s helpful to understand the different options for reporting and analytics in Productboard, while recognizing that they can integrate with some more specific tools if this doesn’t meet your team’s needs. Reporting can be divvied up by the following categories:
- Members - Adoption at a glance
- Notes - Notes and feedback
- Roadmaps - Visitors and visits
- Efficiency - How quickly teams can deliver customer value from start to finish
- Allocation - Understand Where and how you are investing your resources
- User Feedback Portal: Allows product managers to gather insights directly, creating a reservoir of actionable feedback.
- Feature Prioritization Matrix: Enables teams to allocate resources to high-impact tasks and focus on what truly matters.
- Third-party Integration: Enhances Productboard's functionality, connecting it with a broad array of popular tools.
- Roadmapping: Facilitates a clear, visual representation of product strategy and planned developments.
- Team Collaboration Tools: Creates a cohesive environment for teams to share ideas, feedback, and tasks.
- Analytics and Reporting: Drives data-informed decisions with insightful product metrics.
- Task and Workflow Management: Streamlines product tasks, ensuring timely delivery and progress tracking through project management.
- Idea Management: Houses and categorizes all product ideas for future reference and action.
- Notifications and Alerts: Keeps teams updated on changes, feedback, or important milestones.
- User Segmentation: Enables understanding of different customer categories, tailoring features to their needs.
Standout Functionality
Productboard offers a handful of standout tools that set it apart from competitors, including:
- User Feedback Portal: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Unlike many platforms, Productboard places heavy emphasis on direct user insights, ensuring the voice of the customer remains central.In addition, Productboard emphasizes the importance of customer insights in their product, and this is made visible in all areas of the tool. They’ve also taken it one step further with a public-facing roadmap, showcasing their own plans to update their tool. This also makes it easier to centralize customer insights and bring it into the product management tool.
- Feature Prioritization Matrix: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ While some tools offer prioritization, Productboard's matrix is deeply integrated with feedback, ensuring market-driven decisions. Priority Matrix essentially gamifies prioritization and task management, making it easier for teams to make calculated decisions about the features they choose to tackle. It’s a way of weighting and voting on specific ideas that then lead to them earning a spot on the roadmap. Given the demands placed on product managers, there’s a good chance that feature prioritization is dependent on different things at different times. With a matrix, or way of voting on features, there can be more data-based decision making paired with customer insights. In addition, users can adjust drivers which effectively determine the weight of a feature, giving them more incentive to move forward with a specific idea or keep it in backlog.
- Interactive Product Roadmaps: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Many tools offer static roadmaps, but Productboard provides a dynamic interface, making roadmaps more engaging and easier to understand. In 2023, they released Productboard AI, allowing PMs to analyze customer feedback at scale, make better-informed decisions, reduce the risk of failures, streamline routine tasks, and collaborate more effectively.
Integrations
5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Productboard offers native integrations with tools like Jira, Slack, Zapier, and various customer feedback tools. An open API is also available, allowing for custom integrations tailored to unique needs.
The added benefit of multiple integrations makes it possible to use this tool alongside existing roadmapping software, especially if the Dev team has another platform they prefer to use.
Their wealth of integrations helps in maintaining a synchronized and efficient workflow across different platforms. Additionally, there are numerous add-ons and extensions that expand Productboard's capabilities, catering to diverse product management needs.
Onboarding
4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Using Productboard, I find its interface intuitive, especially as I spent more time in the tool. For instance, the onboarding process is smooth, with a built-in helper guide, and a clean layout. You can sign on with your email and password, or use Google SSO for a speedier entrance to the platform.
What I particularly like about Productboard, is how you're able to access the tool without having to enter payment information upfront during a trial. This means you can try out the tool without committing to a paid subscription at the end of the trial period. Part of this is strategic, as it fast-tracks your familiarity with the platform, helping to create stickiness.
Ease of Use
4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Productboard offers a tidy user interface with left-panel navigation, and option to toggle between personal and team workspaces.
The experience in the trial version is very similar to what paying users receive, giving an indication of whether it's the right tool for your team, though some of the beta features are only available to enterprise customers. While some trials put a full stop on your use of the platform, Productboard offers a freemium, limited version of their platform with the Essentials plan.
To optimize your use of the tool you'll want to dedicate some time to learning the key features to leverage for a holistic product management experience.
Users will need to determine whether Productboard will work in tandem with an existing product management software, or replace existing customer insights platforms.
Customer Support
4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Productboard provides quality support, with resources such as documentation and tutorials readily available. While response times are generally good, some users find limited channels a hindrance, wishing for expanded support options.
Users are offered support from 12am-5pm PST, covering a range of timezones. You can email them directly using support[at]productboard or message from within the app itself.
However, with any tool that offers a wide array of features, there's an initial learning curve. What Productboard does well is offer a variety of resources to learn their platform, including Productboard Academy, a built-in template library, community forum, and detailed help documentation.
In my experience, Productboard has a team of dedicated implementation specialists and customer support advisors who offer onboarding and ongoing support to help you realize the benefit of their tool early on.
Value for Pricing
5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
One of the reasons I think Productboard is worth the cost, is because it happens to be a product management tool that keeps on getting better.
Productboard doesn’t require any payment information to start using their platform. This is a smart tactic since it allows users to get in and explore the tool, first. And, without the commitment of automatic transition to a paid subscription at the end of the trial period, you have access to some of the worthwhile features in the paid tiers.
By the end of the 15-day trial, you should be in a position to evaluate whether Productboard meets your needs. Consider factors such as ease of use, integration with other tools, effectiveness in managing and prioritizing product features, and overall impact on your product management process. If you decide to continue, you’ll need to choose a subscription plan and provide payment details.
Productboard has tiered pricing which provides additional features as you jump from Starter (their freemium plan), Essentials, Pro, and Enterprise.
- Essentials - $25/maker/month (billed annually): For individuals.
- Pro Plan - $75/maker/month (billed annually): For small teams.
- Enterprise - Pricing upon request.
Productboard: The Bottom Line
When it comes to Productboard's unique positioning, its commitment to bridging feedback with product action is commendable. While many tools offer feedback mechanisms, Productboard's emphasis on tying this directly into feature prioritization makes it a noteworthy contender.
Productboard is consistently making improvements to its platform, and prioritizes user feedback, as demonstrated on their public-facing roadmap.
Moreover, its integration capabilities ensure it's not an island but can fit comfortably into a broader tech stack. For teams focused on truly understanding and acting on user needs, Productboard brings a strong offering to the table. It may not be the strongest all-in-one product management platform, but for those seeking insights capture and delegation, it's a leading contender.
Productboard FAQs
What is Productboard primarily used for?
Productboard is primarily used for product management, helping teams prioritize features, collect feedback, and create visual roadmaps.
Does Productboard support third-party integrations?
Yes, Productboard offers integration with various third-party tools to streamline workflows and improve team collaboration.
Is there a feature for collecting user feedback directly in Productboard?
Yes, Productboard has a User Feedback Portal where teams can gather insights directly from their user base.
Can I customize the user interface and workflows in Productboard
While Productboard comes with a set user interface, customization in terms of workflows is limited.
How does Productboard facilitate team collaboration?
Productboard offers Team Collaboration Tools, notifications, and alerts, making it easier for teams to work together and stay updated.
Is there a way to analyze product performance within the software?
Yes, as a matter of fact, Productboard includes Analytics and Reporting features to help team members evaluate product performance and make informed decisions.
How does Productboard handle feature prioritization?
Productboard has a Feature Prioritization Matrix that assists teams in ranking features based on user feedback and strategic importance.
Can I manage the entire product lifecycle using Productboard?
Yes, Productboard offers Product Lifecycle Management, from ideation and planning to release and analysis.
Alternatives to Productboard
Perhaps you've found through this Productboard review that this software won't work for your particular needs. Looking for a Productboard alternative? Here are a few of the most popular software alternatives and why they stand out.
- Aha!: Wondering about Aha! vs Productboard? Aha! is more suitable for extensive roadmap visualizations.
- Trello: Suitable for teams seeking a simple, card-based layout.
- Jira: Ideal for those deeply embedded in the Atlassian ecosystem.
If you're still unsure which Productboard alternative to choose, check out our article on the top Productboard alternatives.
Productboard Company Overview & History
Productboard focuses on helping companies craft products loved by users. Notable companies using it include Microsoft and Zendesk. Headquartered in San Francisco, this venture-backed firm stands out in the product management space.
Key personnel include CEO Hubert Palan. The company's mission revolves around creating tools that bridge users and creators. Founded in 2014, Productboard has seen rapid growth, with frequent feature updates and expansion.
Productboard Review Summary
In conclusion, Productboard offers a comprehensive suite for product management, emphasizing user feedback. While it excels in many areas, like all tools, it has its nuances. Therefore, I encourage potential users to weigh its features against their needs.
For those who've used Productboard, please share your experiences below.
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