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Choosing between Hives.co and InnovationCast? Both platforms help organizations turn employee ideas into real outcomes, but they are built for different contexts. InnovationCast is a Portuguese company with deep consulting roots and a workflow-heavy approach to innovation management. Hives.co is a Scandinavian platform built for mid-market simplicity and frontline accessibility. This comparison breaks down where each platform shines so you can make an informed decision.
What Is InnovationCast?
InnovationCast is a collaborative innovation management platform based in Portugal, operating as a sister company of Premium Minds, a software consulting firm. They position themselves as the tool that takes ideas through the full lifecycle: from collection through evaluation, validation, and implementation. Their platform is recognized by Gartner, Forrester, and MWD Advisors, and one of their clients (DHL) won Forrester's "Best Employee Innovation Program" award.
InnovationCast's pricing starts at $499/month according to GetApp, which positions them firmly in the mid-to-enterprise range. They emphasize configurable workflows ("clicks, not code"), innovation challenges, and project management capabilities. Key clients include DHL (500,000+ employees), and they are active in publishing comparison content that ranks well in search engines.
What Is Hives.co?
Hives.co is a Scandinavian idea management platform designed for mid-to-large organizations (500 to 5,000 employees) who want structured idea collection and implementation without enterprise-grade complexity. The platform focuses on getting ideas from everyone in the organization, including frontline workers who may not sit at a desk, through QR codes, mobile access, and anonymous submissions. Key clients include Volvo, Scania, Halfords, and VINCI Energies. Pricing starts at €695/month for up to 500 contributors.
Feature Comparison
Idea collection. Both platforms support innovation challenges (time-bound calls for ideas on specific topics). InnovationCast emphasizes "always on" collection alongside challenges. Hives.co adds QR code submissions and anonymous contribution options designed specifically for deskless workers on factory floors and in retail stores.
Workflows. InnovationCast's biggest differentiator is workflow configurability. They support multiple simultaneous workflows with automatic notifications, task assignments, and deadlines. This is genuinely powerful for organizations running several innovation programs in parallel. Hives.co offers customizable evaluation workflows and scoring criteria, but with less complexity. The tradeoff is simplicity: Hives.co workflows can be set up in days, while InnovationCast's configuration may take longer.
Portfolio and project management. InnovationCast extends beyond idea management into innovation portfolio management and project tracking. If you need to manage innovation as a portfolio with dashboards showing project status, budgets, and outcomes, InnovationCast has deeper tooling. Hives.co focuses on the idea-to-decision pipeline and does not aim to replace project management tools.
Analytics. Both platforms offer analytics dashboards. InnovationCast provides metrics on adoption, engagement, collaboration, and projected vs actual performance. Hives.co focuses on submission rates, implementation rates, contributor engagement, and cost savings tracking.
Innovation radar. InnovationCast includes an innovation radar feature for environmental monitoring: tracking competitors, industry trends, and emerging technologies. Hives.co does not currently offer this, but through the Findest merger, is building innovation intelligence capabilities that will combine internal idea management with external technology scouting.
Where Hives.co Wins
- Frontline accessibility. QR codes, anonymous submissions, mobile-first design, and Microsoft Teams integration make Hives.co significantly easier for deskless workers to use. InnovationCast's interface is more suited to knowledge workers at desks.
- Transparent pricing. Hives.co publishes pricing clearly (€695/month Core, €1,495/month Pro, €1,995/month Enterprise). InnovationCast starts at $499/month but specific tier details require contacting sales.
- Faster time to value. Hives.co clients typically launch their first idea challenge within the first week. InnovationCast's workflow configuration power comes with a longer setup period.
- Scandinavian design philosophy. Clean, minimal interface with a 4.5/5 ease-of-use rating on Capterra. Less is more when your goal is broad organizational participation.
Where InnovationCast Wins
- Workflow depth. If you run multiple innovation programs simultaneously with different stakeholders, evaluation criteria, and implementation paths, InnovationCast's workflow engine is more sophisticated.
- Innovation portfolio management. For organizations that need to track innovation as a strategic portfolio with project-level detail, InnovationCast extends further down the implementation lifecycle.
- Consulting heritage. InnovationCast grew from a consulting company, which means their onboarding includes strategic guidance on designing innovation processes, not just software configuration.
- SEO and content presence. InnovationCast has built a strong content library with comparison articles and buyer's guides. This means more publicly available information to evaluate before committing.
- Analyst recognition. Recognition from Gartner, Forrester, and MWD Advisors provides third-party validation that matters to buying committees.
Pricing Comparison
Hives.co uses flat-rate pricing: €695/month (Core, up to 500 contributors), €1,495/month (Pro), €1,995/month (Enterprise). This means you can invite your entire organization without per-seat multiplication.
InnovationCast starts at $499/month according to review sites. Specific pricing tiers are not publicly detailed, so you will need to contact their team for a custom quote based on your organization size and requirements.
Who Should Choose Which?
Choose Hives.co if: You are a mid-market organization (500 to 5,000 employees) that needs broad participation from frontline workers. You want a platform that is fast to deploy, simple to use, and transparent on pricing. You value getting ideas implemented quickly over managing a complex innovation portfolio.
Choose InnovationCast if: You run multiple innovation programs simultaneously and need deep workflow configurability. You want innovation portfolio and project management in the same tool. You value consulting-guided onboarding and want analyst-recognized credibility for your buying committee.
Want to see Hives.co in action? Book a 20-minute demo and we will show you how organizations like yours collect, evaluate, and implement ideas at scale.
