# Best Customer Feedback Tools for Indie Makers (2026 Prices) > Customer feedback tools for indie makers in 2026: Canny, Featurebase, Frill, Upvoty, Fider, Sleekplan, UserJot and free DIY options, with verified prices. - Canonical: https://zeroraised.com/blog/best-customer-feedback-tools-for-indie-makers - Published: 2026-11-07T09:37:12Z - Author: ZeroRaised Team (https://zeroraised.com/blog/authors/zeroraised) - Publisher: ZeroRaised (https://zeroraised.com/) - Section: Building - Tags: tools, customer-feedback, roundup, saas **Short answer:** Most indie makers should start on a free plan and only pay when they need a custom domain or want the vendor's branding gone. UserJot's free plan is the most complete starting point we found, Sleekplan is the cheapest paid step at $13/mo billed yearly, and Fider is the pick if you want open source you can host yourself. Hold off on per-tracked-user tools like Canny until you know how many people will vote. Prices come from each vendor's own pages, checked 7 Nov 2026. Advice is ours and marked. ## TL;DR - **Best free plan:** [UserJot](https://userjot.com/pricing) Free gives 2 boards, 3 team members, a public roadmap and a public changelog, with unlimited users and posts. - **Cheapest flat paid plan:** [Sleekplan](https://sleekplan.com/pricing) Starter at $13/mo billed yearly, or [Upvoty](https://upvoty.com/pricing) Power at $15/mo billed monthly. - **Open source:** [Fider](https://fider.io/pricing) is free to self-host (AGPL-3.0), free on its cloud up to a 250 feedback item fair-use limit, and $25/mo for Pro. - **Most features, highest price:** [Canny](https://canny.io/pricing) Pro starts at $79/mo billed yearly for up to 100 tracked users. - **$0 DIY:** GitHub Discussions for developer audiences, a Tally form for everyone else. - **Dropped:** Nolt and Bettter. We could not load either pricing page today, so we left them out rather than guess. **Disclosure:** ZeroRaised is a launch site for bootstrapped products. It has no commercial relationship with any tool listed here and earns nothing if you sign up. ## Comparison table | Tool | Entry paid price | Free plan | Pricing model | Main paywall | Best for | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | UserJot | $29/mo (Starter) | Yes: 2 boards, 3 team members | Flat per plan | Custom domain (Starter), branding removal (Professional) | Solo founders who want board, roadmap and changelog in one free tool | | Sleekplan | $13/mo billed yearly (Starter) | Yes: Indie, single admin | Flat per workspace | Custom domain and branding removal (Business, $38/mo yearly) | Cheapest paid upgrade, in-app widget and announcements | | Fider | $25/mo (Pro) | Yes: cloud with 250 item fair use; self-host free | Flat, or free self-hosted | Unlimited items, moderation, SEO indexing (Pro) | Open source fans and anyone happy to run a server | | Upvoty | $15/mo (Power) | No, 14-day trial | Flat per plan, by projects | Changelog and all integrations (Super, $25/mo) | One product, simple voting board, small fixed bill | | Frill | $25/mo (Startup) | No, 14-day trial | Flat, Startup capped at 50 ideas | Unlimited ideas (Business, $49/mo) | Polished widget with roadmap and announcements | | Featurebase | $29 per seat/mo (Growth) | Yes: 1 seat, 1 board, 1 roadmap | Per seat | Integrations, API, surveys (Growth); branding removal $69/mo add-on | Makers who also want a help center and support inbox | | Canny | $79/mo billed yearly (Pro) | Yes: 25 tracked users | Per tracked user | PM integrations, custom domain, changelog emails (Pro) | Funded or larger teams that need Jira, Linear and CRM links | | GitHub Discussions | $0 | Yes | Free with GitHub | None for basic use | Developer tools and open source projects | | Tally | $24/mo (Pro) | Yes: unlimited forms and submissions under fair use | Flat per plan | Branding removal, custom domains (Pro) | Pre-launch feedback and one-off surveys | ## The tools, one by one ### UserJot: best free plan UserJot's pricing line is "Pay for features, not seats", and every plan, including Free, has "unlimited users and unlimited posts" ([UserJot pricing](https://userjot.com/pricing)). Free includes 2 feedback boards, 3 admin roles, 3 team members, guest posting, a public roadmap, a public changelog, a REST API and an MCP server. - **Starter, $29/mo:** adds a custom domain, moderation, automatic login, private boards, one integration and 5 boards. - **Professional, $59/mo:** adds unlimited boards, single sign-on, unlimited integrations and removal of UserJot branding. - Paid plans have a 14-day free trial. Our read: the free plan already has the three things a solo founder needs (board, roadmap, changelog). The main reason to upgrade is putting it on `feedback.yourdomain.com`. ### Sleekplan: cheapest paid step Sleekplan's Indie plan is "Free forever" with "Unlimited feedback & subscribers", a single-admin workspace, a feedback board and changelog, 1,000 announcement views and 500 email sends a month ([Sleekplan pricing](https://sleekplan.com/pricing)). Pricing is "per workspace", and tracked users are unlimited on every tier. - **Starter, $13/mo billed yearly:** 3 team seats, CSAT and NPS, 1,000 AI credits, SSO, API access and webhooks, standard integrations. - **Business, $38/mo billed yearly:** 10 team seats, 5,000 AI credits a month, surveys, branding removal and a custom domain. - Paid plans have a 30-day trial with no card. If you do not upgrade, you move back to Indie. Our read: good for an in-app widget, but a custom domain needs Business. ### Fider: open source Fider says "Fider is free!" on its cloud, under a fair-use policy of 250 feedback items, with unlimited customers, voting and members ([Fider pricing](https://fider.io/pricing)). Pro is $25 USD a month and adds "content moderation and unlimited feedback items", plus SEO indexing according to the FAQ. The source code is on [GitHub](https://github.com/getfider/fider) under the AGPL-3.0 license, and the README says self-hosting is "totally free, but of course you're responsible for everything." Our read: if you already run a server, self-hosting costs an afternoon. ### Upvoty: simple flat board Upvoty has no free plan but offers a "14-day free trial on every plan. No credit card required" ([Upvoty pricing](https://upvoty.com/pricing)). Every tier lists unlimited boards and unlimited tracked users, so you pay by product, not by voter. - **Power, $15/mo:** one project. Upvoty pitches it "For solo founders validating product ideas", and the card lists a public roadmap, custom domain and no Upvoty branding. - **Super, $25/mo:** adds a changelog and all integrations. - **Hyper, $49/mo:** unlimited projects, SAML SSO, API and webhooks, and an Upvoty MCP. - Annual billing saves 10%. ### Frill: polished widget Frill's headline is "Plans from $25/mo. Unlimited admins and unlimited widgets on every paid tier" ([Frill pricing](https://frill.co/pricing)). Startup is $25/mo with 50 ideas and 1 survey, Business is $49/mo with unlimited ideas and 3 surveys, then Growth at $149/mo and Enterprise at $349/mo. There is no free plan, but there is a "14-day free trial. No credit card required." Privacy (private boards) and white labeling are listed as add-ons, and their prices were not shown. Our read: the 50-idea cap on Startup is the thing to watch. A launch can fill that in a week. ### Featurebase: feedback plus support desk Free is "$0 forever" with 1 seat, 1 feedback board, 1 roadmap, 50 help articles and unlimited end users ([Featurebase pricing](https://www.featurebase.app/pricing)). Growth is $29 per seat a month and adds integrations, the API and webhooks, surveys and 5 boards. Professional is $59 per seat a month. Removing Featurebase branding is a $69/mo add-on, available on Professional and Enterprise. Annual billing saves 20%, there is a 10-day free trial, and Featurebase advertises 86% off for startups that meet its criteria (founded under 2 years ago, fewer than 6 employees, raised under $3M). Our read: per-seat pricing is fine while you are the only seat. ### Canny: the incumbent Canny Free covers "25 tracked users", 5 managers and unlimited feedback ([Canny pricing](https://canny.io/pricing)). Pro "starts at $79 / month billed yearly" for 100+ tracked users, and Canny's help center gives the month-to-month price as "$99/mo for up to 100 tracked users" ([Canny billing plans](https://help.canny.io/en/articles/9131812-canny-s-billing-plans)). A tracked user is "any user associated with feedback." What is gated, per that help article: - "Every plan includes a public roadmap and a changelog", but "Changelog emails are not sent on the Free plan." - "Custom domains are NOT included on the Free plan." - Free can connect only feedback and notification integrations. Project management integrations (Jira, ClickUp, Linear, Asana, GitHub) need Pro. The pricing page FAQ warns that without a monthly spend limit, "we'll automatically upgrade you to the next tier once you exceed your limit." Our read: tracked-user pricing punishes what you want, more users giving feedback. Set the spend limit on day one. ### Free DIY options **GitHub Discussions.** GitHub's docs say discussions live in "user-defined categories", that you can "Mark comments as answers in question-and-answer categories" and "Gauge community opinion using polls" ([About discussions](https://docs.github.com/en/discussions/collaborating-with-your-community-using-discussions/about-discussions)). Users can "Upvote discussions and top-level comments" and "sort discussions to see which have been upvoted the most" ([Participating in a discussion](https://docs.github.com/en/discussions/collaborating-with-your-community-using-discussions/participating-in-a-discussion)). An admin has to enable it per repository. It is ideal for developer tools and useless if your customers have no GitHub account. **Tally.** Tally gives "unlimited forms and submissions, completely free, as long as you stay within our fair usage guidelines" ([Tally pricing](https://tally.so/pricing)), with Notion, Airtable, Google Sheets and webhook integrations on the free plan. Pro is $24/mo and adds branding removal and custom domains. A three-question form piped into a Notion table is a perfectly good system for your first users. ## How to choose by stage This section is our editorial advice. ### First 20 users: do not buy a board Twenty users will not produce meaningful vote counts, and a board full of zero-vote posts looks empty. Use email, a Tally form and calls. Our guide to [running customer discovery interviews](https://zeroraised.com/blog/how-to-run-customer-discovery-interviews) covers what to ask so that you get behaviour, not wish lists. Pick: Tally free, or GitHub Discussions for a developer product. ### Around 100 users: open a free board Patterns start to show, and a public board saves you answering the same request twice. Keep the board and changelog in one tool. Pick: UserJot Free or Sleekplan Indie. Choose Fider (cloud free or self-hosted) if you want open source and are happy to post release notes elsewhere. ### Around 1,000 users: pay for flat pricing Now a custom domain, removed branding and an issue tracker integration are worth money. Choose flat pricing so a busy month does not change your bill. Pick: UserJot Starter ($29/mo) or Professional ($59/mo) if you want the branding gone, Upvoty Super ($25/mo), or Sleekplan Business ($38/mo billed yearly). Look at Canny only if you need its CRM and project management integrations and can budget for tracked users. ## How to run a feedback loop solo The habit matters more than the tool. About an hour a week: 1. **Capture everywhere, store in one place.** Support emails, DMs and call notes go onto the board, posted by you on the user's behalf if needed. 2. **Merge and tag weekly.** Merge duplicates so votes add up, and tag by theme (onboarding, billing, integrations). 3. **Weight by who is asking.** Ten votes from free users and two from your best-paying customers are not the same signal. 4. **Move a few items to the roadmap.** No more than three things in "Planned" at a time. Our [SaaS product roadmap template](https://zeroraised.com/blog/saas-product-roadmap-template) shows a Now/Next/Later layout for a team of one. 5. **Ship, then close the loop in public.** Mark the post complete, link it from a changelog entry and notify everyone who voted. Our guide on [writing a changelog that drives upgrades](https://zeroraised.com/blog/how-to-write-a-changelog-that-drives-upgrades) shows how to make those entries sell paid features too. 6. **Say no out loud.** Mark requests you will not build as "Not planned" with a one-line reason. Our read: this is why we favour tools that keep board and changelog together. UserJot and Canny include a public roadmap and changelog on every plan, Sleekplan Indie has a board and changelog, and Upvoty adds a changelog on Super. ## Our read: the pick list - **Best overall free plan:** UserJot Free. - **Cheapest paid plan with a custom domain:** Upvoty Power at $15/mo, if one product is enough. - **Best open source:** Fider, self-hosted. - **Best for an in-app widget on a budget:** Sleekplan. - **Best if you also want a help center:** Featurebase. - **Best for larger or funded teams:** Canny. - **Best $0 option for developer tools:** GitHub Discussions. - **Best for your first 20 users:** a Tally form and your inbox. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the best free customer feedback tool for indie makers? For most solo founders, UserJot's free plan is the most complete: 2 feedback boards, 3 team members, a public roadmap and a public changelog, with unlimited users and posts. Sleekplan's free Indie plan is a close second if you want in-app announcements too. If you prefer open source, Fider is free to self-host under the AGPL-3.0 license. ### Is Canny worth it for a bootstrapped SaaS? Usually not at the start. Canny's free plan covers 25 tracked users, and Pro starts at $79/mo billed yearly or $99/mo month to month for up to 100 tracked users. Canny counts any user associated with feedback as a tracked user and upgrades you automatically past the limit unless you set a monthly spend limit. It makes more sense once you need its project management and CRM integrations. ### What does tracked users pricing mean? It means you pay based on how many end users leave feedback, vote or comment, not on how many admins you have. Canny defines a tracked user as any user associated with feedback. It suits companies with predictable, paying audiences. For an indie product with a big free tier or a launch spike, flat pricing such as UserJot, Upvoty or Frill is easier to budget. ### Can I use GitHub Discussions as a feedback board? Yes, if your users are developers. GitHub's docs say you can organise discussions in categories, mark answers in Q&A categories, run polls, upvote discussions and sort to see which have been upvoted the most. An admin has to enable Discussions on the repository first. It is a poor fit if your customers do not have GitHub accounts. ### When should I pay for a feedback tool? Our read: pay when one of three things happens. You need the board on your own domain, you want to remove the vendor's branding from a customer-facing page, or you need an integration that pushes requests into your issue tracker. Before that, a free plan plus a changelog does the job. ## Turn feedback into a launch Shipped the feature everyone voted for? That is a launch. [Submit your product to ZeroRaised](https://zeroraised.com/submit) for free, and [join the ZeroRaised newsletter](https://zeroraised.com/newsletter) for more roundups. ## Sources - [UserJot pricing](https://userjot.com/pricing), last checked 7 Nov 2026 - [Sleekplan pricing](https://sleekplan.com/pricing), last checked 7 Nov 2026 - [Fider pricing](https://fider.io/pricing), last checked 7 Nov 2026 - [Fider on GitHub](https://github.com/getfider/fider), last checked 7 Nov 2026 - [Upvoty pricing](https://upvoty.com/pricing), last checked 7 Nov 2026 - [Frill pricing](https://frill.co/pricing), last checked 7 Nov 2026 - [Featurebase pricing](https://www.featurebase.app/pricing), last checked 7 Nov 2026 - [Canny pricing](https://canny.io/pricing), last checked 7 Nov 2026 - [Canny's billing plans (help center)](https://help.canny.io/en/articles/9131812-canny-s-billing-plans), last checked 7 Nov 2026 - [GitHub Docs: About discussions](https://docs.github.com/en/discussions/collaborating-with-your-community-using-discussions/about-discussions), last checked 7 Nov 2026 - [GitHub Docs: Participating in a discussion](https://docs.github.com/en/discussions/collaborating-with-your-community-using-discussions/participating-in-a-discussion), last checked 7 Nov 2026 - [Tally pricing](https://tally.so/pricing), last checked 7 Nov 2026 ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the best free customer feedback tool for indie makers? For most solo founders, UserJot's free plan is the most complete: 2 feedback boards, 3 team members, a public roadmap and a public changelog, with unlimited users and posts. Sleekplan's free Indie plan is a close second if you want in-app announcements too. If you prefer open source, Fider is free to self-host under the AGPL-3.0 license. ### Is Canny worth it for a bootstrapped SaaS? Usually not at the start. Canny's free plan covers 25 tracked users, and Pro starts at $79/mo billed yearly or $99/mo month to month for up to 100 tracked users. Canny counts any user associated with feedback as a tracked user and upgrades you automatically past the limit unless you set a monthly spend limit. It makes more sense once you need its project management and CRM integrations. ### What does tracked users pricing mean? It means you pay based on how many end users leave feedback, vote or comment, not on how many admins you have. Canny defines a tracked user as any user associated with feedback. It suits companies with predictable, paying audiences. For an indie product with a big free tier or a launch spike, flat pricing such as UserJot, Upvoty or Frill is easier to budget. ### Can I use GitHub Discussions as a feedback board? Yes, if your users are developers. GitHub's docs say you can organise discussions in categories, mark answers in Q&A categories, run polls, upvote discussions and sort to see which have been upvoted the most. An admin has to enable Discussions on the repository first. It is a poor fit if your customers do not have GitHub accounts. ### When should I pay for a feedback tool? Our read: pay when one of three things happens. You need the board on your own domain, you want to remove the vendor's branding from a customer-facing page, or you need an integration that pushes requests into your issue tracker. Before that, a free plan plus a changelog does the job.