BriefSmith vs FirstSlate
BriefSmith
briefsmith.io
FirstSlate
firstslate.coSide by side
| Figure | BriefSmith | FirstSlate |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $29/mo | $15.83/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 3 |
| Spec score · AI Proposal Generators | 8.3 (#8) | 8.0 (#12) |
| Support | The site offers direct contact with the founder and lists [email protected] for questions and support. | The Studio plan includes priority support, and FirstSlate says its team reads every help message and replies fast. |
Plans
BriefSmith
- Founding Member$29 a month
- Standard rate$79 a month
- Scope Audit$1,500, paid once
In their own words
BriefSmith
BriefSmith is web-based proposal software for agencies that drafts proposals and checks their scope before they reach clients. It creates structured documents with an executive summary, approach, deliverables, timeline, investment, payment terms, and scope limits. Its checks flag vague deliverables, missing limits, scope gaps, and over-promises. Teams can set shared proposal structure, tone, and scope limits, then export proposals as branded PDFs or individual proposals as Word documents. BriefSmith tracks proposal status, client opens, and win-rate trends. Its free Scope Check requires no signup and flags scope risks; BriefSmith says submitted text is read once and discarded. The 14-day trial with a card includes the full product without a proposal limit; the no-card option includes three generated proposals. The Founding Member plan is $29 a month, billed at $29/month, with a founding rate locked while subscribed for the first 50 agencies. Briefs are processed by Anthropic, and BriefSmith says content is not used to train AI models.
FirstSlate
FirstSlate is a web-based client workflow platform for independent video producers and creative agencies. It brings client intake, AI proposal drafting, call sheets, crew paperwork, a teleprompter, delivery, invoicing and payments into one workflow. Clients and crew can use links without creating FirstSlate accounts or passwords. Clients can pay invoices by card or ACH through Stripe; FirstSlate says it charges 0% platform fees. The AI assistant drafts proposal content from a project brief using Google Gemini. Pro and Studio workspace owners can connect MCP clients such as Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini to read data and create drafts. Every new account starts with a 14-day Pro trial without a credit card, then returns to Free unless upgraded. The Free plan allows five active projects, 20 archived projects and three clients. Paid plans start at $15.83/mo equivalent, billed annually. Studio is listed at $66 a year, billed annually at $790/yr, and includes three team seats and priority support.