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Head-to-head · Idea Management Software

Sideways 6 vs Brightidea

  • Updated Nov 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score Sideways 6 #2 in Idea Management Software 9.2/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Sideways 6
Brightidea #6 in Idea Management Software 8.6/10 Pricing on request ✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Brightidea

Sideways 6 leads on 0 checks, Brightidea on 0, and 6 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreSideways 6 · 9.2/10
  • Free planonly Sideways 6
  • Free trialonly Sideways 6

Sideways 6 scores higher on our rubric for idea management software: 9.2 against 8.6 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #6.

Sideways 6 is the better fit for microsoft-centric teams on a tight budget. Brightidea is the better fit for large enterprises needing integrations and campaigns.

  • Sideways 6 fits best

    Microsoft-centric teams on a tight budget

  • Brightidea fits best

    Large enterprises needing integrations and campaigns

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Side by side

Feature Sideways 6 9.2/10 Visit ↗ Brightidea 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.2 8.6
Ranking #2 in Idea Management Software #6 in Idea Management Software
Best for Microsoft-centric teams on a tight budget Large enterprises needing integrations and campaigns
Pricing model Free plan + paid Paid
Starting price $3/user/mo Pricing on request
Free plan ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Free trial 14 days —
Deployment Cloud, Browser extension Cloud, Mobile
Platforms Web Web
Support Email, Community Email, Community, Docs
Compliance ISO 27001, SSO/SAML SOC 2, ISO 27001, SSO/SAML
Integrations 5 integrations 14 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Sideways 6 5/5 · Brightidea 5/5
Evaluation workflow ✓ ✓
Idea scoring ✓ ✓
Idea voting ✓ ✓
Custom idea fields ✓ ✓
Duplicate detection ✓ ✓
Specs
Submission sources Mixed Mixed
Idea limit Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Free Lite plan for up to 10 users
  • Microsoft Teams, intranet, web-form, and API submission options
  • AI-assisted improvement and similar-idea detection
  • Configurable workflows, scorecards, voting, and ranking
  • Broad integrations including Teams, Jira, Slack, and ServiceNow
  • Campaigns, ROI tracking, mobile collaboration, and AI capabilities
Cons
  • Advanced workflows and automations are reserved for Enterprise
  • Analytics and business-impact tracking are Enterprise features
  • The Lite plan is centered on Microsoft Teams
  • Main-platform pricing requires contacting sales
  • Its broad enterprise scope may exceed simple team needs
  • Multiple program types require careful product-fit selection
Our verdict

Sideways 6 is an employee idea management platform for organizations that need to collect, evaluate, prioritize, and implement ideas. It supports idea campaigns, customizable questions, voting, comments, shortlisting, configurable stages,…

Read the review →

Brightidea is a cloud-based idea and innovation management platform for organizations running employee ideation, customer feedback, crowdsourcing, hackathons, innovation labs, and transformation programs. It brings idea collection,…

Read the review →
  1. Sideways 6Idea Management Software 9.2Free plan · 14-day trial
  2. BrightideaIdea Management Software 8.6Pricing on request

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Sideways 6 — where it wins

    • Free Lite plan for up to 10 users
    • Microsoft Teams, intranet, web-form, and API submission options
    • AI-assisted improvement and similar-idea detection

    Where it doesn't

    • Advanced workflows and automations are reserved for Enterprise
    • Analytics and business-impact tracking are Enterprise features
    • The Lite plan is centered on Microsoft Teams

  • Brightidea — where it wins

    • Configurable workflows, scorecards, voting, and ranking
    • Broad integrations including Teams, Jira, Slack, and ServiceNow
    • Campaigns, ROI tracking, mobile collaboration, and AI capabilities

    Where it doesn't

    • Main-platform pricing requires contacting sales
    • Its broad enterprise scope may exceed simple team needs
    • Multiple program types require careful product-fit selection

More comparisons

All idea management software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Nov 2026

Last updated · How we research and update