Lantern vs Scratchpad AI Sales Assistant

Side-by-side comparison — pricing, features, ratings, use cases. Find which AI Sales fits you best.

⚖️ Editor's verdict
🏆 Scratchpad AI Sales Assistant wins
Scratchpad's AI Sales Assistant is a solid choice for small to mid-sized sales teams already using Salesforce and wanting AI-powered outreach and conversation insights with flat-rate pricing
See why ↓
51/100
🔍 Independently researched · 📊 Data-driven
Lantern
Lantern
47/100
$49 starting
Mid-market sales teams that want AI-driven personalization and multi-channel outreach to improve response rates and clos

💰 Pricing

Starting at $49

🔧 Features

✓ Ai Model✓ Api Available✓ Mobile App✓ Team Collaboration✓ Browser Extension✓ Languages Supported✓ Gdpr Compliant✓ Integrations Count✓ Analytics Dashboard✓ Export Formats✓ Custom Templates✓ Workflow Automation

📋 Assessment

💪 Strengths

  • Adaptive AI personalization: Lantern's core strength lies in its ability to personalize every email dynamically. Instead of static merge fields, the AI analyzes recipient actions—opens, clicks, replies—and automatically adjusts follow-up messages. For example, if a prospect hasn't opened the first email, the second might switch subject lines entirely, increasing the chance of engagement. This reduces manual iteration and has shown tangible improvements in reply rates for users.
  • Multi-channel outreach: Pro plan and above include voice calling and SMS as native channels. This is crucial for modern outbound, where a single touchpoint is often ignored. Lantern allows you to sequence touchpoints across email, call, and SMS automatically, ensuring consistent and timely follow-ups. The ability to seamlessly move between channels without juggling separate tools is a significant time-saver.
  • CRM integrations: Native integrations with Salesforce and HubSpot are seamless, syncing contact data, activity logs, and outcomes both ways. This ensures that your CRM remains the single source of truth and eliminates manual data entry. The integration is robust enough to handle custom fields and workflows, making it easy to align with existing sales processes.
  • User-friendly interface: Lantern's UI is intuitive and modern, with drag-and-drop builders for sequences and a clean dashboard for tracking performance. New users can get up to speed quickly without extensive training. This is a stark contrast to more complex platforms like Outreach, which often require dedicated administrators to manage full effectiveness.

⚠ Watch out for

  • No free trial or freemium: Lantern requires a credit card upfront, with no free trial or free tier. This is a significant barrier for individual users or small teams who want to test the tool before committing $49/month. Competitors like HubSpot Sales Hub offer free plans, and even Salesloft provides a 14-day trial. Lantern's lack of a trial undermines confidence and makes it harder to evaluate value.
  • Low contact limits: The Starter plan caps at 1,000 contacts, and Pro at 5,000. For a growing team running multiple campaigns, this can be restrictive. Even a single SDR can easily exceed 5,000 contacts in a few months, necessitating an upgrade to the $200/month Scale plan. This pricing structure may make it more expensive than alternatives like Lemlist, which offers 12,000 contacts on a similar tier.
  • No SOC 2 compliance: Lantern does not have SOC 2 Type II certification, a standard for data security in B2B SaaS. This is a dealbreaker for many enterprise buyers, especially those in regulated industries like finance or healthcare. It also limits Lantern's viability as a vendor for organizations with strict vendor risk assessments.
  • Limited reporting depth: While basic performance metrics like reply rates and sequence success are available, the analytics lack the granularity of competitors. For instance, you can't drill down into individual prospect behavior over time or perform cohort analysis. This may frustrate sales leaders looking for deep insights to refine their strategies.

🎯 Best for

Mid-market sales teams that want AI-driven personalization and multi-channel outreach to improve response rates and close more deals.

🚫 Who should skip

Small startups on a tight budget or enterprises that require SOC 2 compliance and unlimited contact scalability.

💰 Hidden costs

Potential overage fees for exceeding contact limits on Starter (1,000) or Pro (5,000) plans; integration setup or custom features may incur additional charges not listed.

📚 Learning curve

Moderate - setting up multi-channel sequences and AI rules requires some initial configuration, but the interface is intuitive for sales professionals.

🧑‍⚖️ Verdict

Lantern is a strong contender for small sales teams and individual SDRs who prioritize adaptive personalization and multi-channel outreach without the complexity of enterprise platforms. Its AI-driven approach delivers tangible improvements in response rates, making it a valuable investment for outb

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Scratchpad AI Sales Assistant
Scratchpad AI Sales Assistant
51/100
Free tier
Small to mid-sized sales teams that need a budget-friendly, AI-powered assistant for personalized outreach and basic pip
★ Best

💰 Pricing

🆓 Free tier available
Starting at $30

🔧 Features

✓ Free Tier✓ Ai Model✓ Team Collaboration✓ Browser Extension✓ Gdpr Compliant✓ Integrations Count✓ Analytics Dashboard✓ Export Formats✓ Custom Templates✓ Workflow Automation

📋 Assessment

💪 Strengths

  • Scratchpad offers a genuinely free tier with core AI features like personalized outreach generation and lead capture. This is a major advantage for solo sales reps or small teams that want to test the platform's value without committing budget. The free tier includes access to the browser extension and standard pipeline views, which are substantial for a no-cost plan.
  • The pricing model is transparent and simple: Pro at $30/user/month and Business at $100/user/month, both with unlimited features and no hidden per-lead fees. This flat-rate approach contrasts favorably with competitors that charge per email or per contact, making budget forecasting straightforward for sales leaders.
  • The browser extension is a standout integration tool. It works with Gmail and Outlook to automatically capture emails, log activities to Salesforce, and generate AI-driven follow-up suggestions. This reduces manual data entry and ensures that every interaction is tracked, giving reps a comprehensive view of their communications.
  • AI-powered outreach personalization uses CRM data to craft individualized cold emails. The system pulls context like industry, past interactions, and product usage to tailor the message, which can improve response rates compared to generic templates. It integrates directly into the workflow, so reps can send with one click.
  • Conversation analysis automatically reviews recorded sales calls and provides coaching tips, sentiment analysis, and actionable next steps. This feature is useful for sales managers who want to scale coaching without listening to every call manually. The AI identifies areas for improvement and highlights successful tactics.

⚠ Watch out for

  • The lack of a mobile app is a significant drawback for sales reps who are frequently on the road or between meetings. While the browser extension covers desktop use, there is no way to access lead updates, AI suggestions, or pipeline changes from a smartphone. This forces reps to carry laptops or wait until they return to a desk, reducing responsiveness.
  • No API access means teams cannot build custom integrations or automate workflows beyond Scratchpad's built-in features. For organizations that rely on a tech stack with specialized tools (e.g., custom analytics, data enrichment, or proprietary CRM connectors), this limitation forces manual workarounds or prevents adoption altogether.
  • Lacking SOC2 certification is a serious concern for enterprise buyers in regulated industries (finance, healthcare, or government). Many procurement departments require this certification to ensure data security and compliance. Without it, Scratchpad may be automatically excluded from consideration, regardless of its features.
  • The tool is heavily integrated with Salesforce; while this is a strength for existing Salesforce users, it becomes a weakness for teams using other CRMs like HubSpot or Pipedrive. Those users may find the AI features underpowered or misaligned, as the system expects Salesforce's data model.

🎯 Best for

Small to mid-sized sales teams that need a budget-friendly, AI-powered assistant for personalized outreach and basic pipeline management without requiring mobile access or deep integrations.

🚫 Who should skip

Enterprise sales teams needing SOC2 compliance, mobile functionality, extensive CRM integrations, or API access for custom workflows should look elsewhere.

💰 Hidden costs

The free tier has unspecified usage limits; upgrading to Pro or Business is necessary for unlimited use. No additional per-contact fees are mentioned, but heavy usage may require a higher tier.

📚 Learning curve

Moderate: Setting up custom templates and workflows may take some initial effort, but the interface is designed for sales professionals and the browser extension reduces friction.

🧑‍⚖️ Verdict

Scratchpad's AI Sales Assistant is a solid choice for small to mid-sized sales teams already using Salesforce and wanting AI-powered outreach and conversation insights with flat-rate pricing. It falls short for remote-first reps needing mobile access or enterprises with strict security compliance. I

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📊 Use Case Suitability

Higher score = better fit. Scores from editorial review.

Use CaseLanternScratchpad AI S
Cold Email Outreach Campaigns90— Lantern's AI-powered personalization and workflow automation are ideal for craft
Multi-Channel Lead Nurturing85— With Pro plan's multi-channel capabilities, teams can combine email, phone, and
Sales Follow-Up Automation88— Automated workflows for timely follow-ups, schedule management, and reminders re
Account-Based Sales (ABS) Engagement80— Custom AI on Enterprise plan enables hyper-personalized outreach to target accou
Pipeline Acceleration for Mid-Market Deals82— Analytics dashboard and AI insights help prioritize high-intent leads, speeding
Personalized Cold Email Outreach—85 AI model and custom templates enable generating customized emails at scale, and
Lead Management and Pipeline Tracking—80 Team collaboration and analytics dashboard allow tracking leads and team perform
Automated Sales Conversation Analysis—70 Scratchpad's AI can improve sales conversations, but it may not offer the depth

🧭 Which One Should You Pick?

Choose Lantern if...

  • You are: Mid-market sales teams that want AI-driven personalization and multi-channel outreach to improve response rates and clos
  • 👍 AI-powered personalization that adapts to recipient behavior, improving response rates.
  • 👍 Multi-channel outreach (email, phone, SMS) is supported in the Pro plan and above.
  • 👍 Seamless integrations with popular CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot.
  • 💰 From $49/mo
  • ⚠ Trade-off: No free tier or free trial available; all plans are paid starting at $49/month.

Choose Scratchpad AI Sales Assistant if...

  • You are: Small to mid-sized sales teams that need a budget-friendly, AI-powered assistant for personalized outreach and basic pip
  • 👍 Offers a free tier with core AI and collaboration features, making it accessible for small teams or
  • 👍 Simple, transparent pricing: Pro at $30/user and Business at $100/user with unlimited features and n
  • 👍 Includes a browser extension for seamless integration with web-based tools and email platforms.
  • 💰 From $30/mo
  • ⚠ Trade-off: No mobile app, limiting usability for sales reps who work on-the-go or frequentl

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Does Lantern offer a free trial or free tier?

No, Lantern does not have a free tier. They offer a paid Starter plan at $49/month with a 1000-contact limit, but no free trial is mentioned.

What CRM systems does Lantern integrate with?

Lantern integrates with popular CRM systems like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Microsoft Dynamics, though specific integrations are not fully detailed on the website.

Is Lantern SOC 2 compliant?

No, Lantern is not SOC 2 compliant according to their feature list. They are GDPR compliant, which covers EU data privacy, but may be a limitation for enterprises requiring SOC 2.

Can I use Lantern for phone calls and SMS, or just email?

Lantern supports multi-channel outreach including email, phone, and SMS. The Pro plan unlocks multi-channel features, while the Starter plan is email-only.

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