Sayr vs Canny
The Canny alternative that's also your project tracker
Canny collects feedback, then syncs it to a separate tracker. In Sayr, your users' posts are tasks on your team's board, so your roadmap and changelog are never out of date.
Updated
Custom domains for short links
We'd love our short links on our own domain, like go.ourbrand.com, instead of the default one.
Collect. Users post ideas and vote on your public board.
At a glance
Two different ideas of where feedback lives
Canny
A feedback board that syncs to the tracker your team works in.
- Collects posts and votes from your users
- Pushes them to Jira, Linear or GitHub, with sync rules
- Priced by tracked users: anyone who posts, votes or comments
Best for
Sales and customer success teams staying on Jira or Linear
Sayr
The tracker itself, with the feedback board, roadmap and changelog built in.
- Your backlog and your users' board are the same tasks
- Each task, label and comment is public or private
- Priced by team seat. Voters are never counted
Best for
Product teams, dev tools and open-source projects that work in public
Why switch from Canny
Why teams pick Sayr over Canny
Canny is good at collecting feedback. Sayr is built so the feedback and the work are the same thing.
1One backlog
No sync rules to babysit
With Canny, a request lives twice: the post your users see and the issue your team works on. In Sayr the post is the task. Name a branch after it, merge the pull request, and your users see it shipped.
Custom domains for short links #482
dor-214-custom-domainsCustom domains for short links
- Linked branch
dor-214-custom-domains - Linked pull request #482
- Pull request merged, status set to Done
- Public post now shows Shipped
2Public or private
Internal talk next to public replies
Each task, label and comment can be public or private. Your team discusses in the same thread your users read, and they only ever see what you made public.
We'd use this for every client link.
Needs the new hashing lib first, I'll pair on it.
3Built-in AIPro
Summaries and suggestions on every task
Sayr summarises long threads, suggests assignees, priority and related tasks, and drafts release notes from what you shipped. AI runs on Mistral in the EU.
4Own your data
Self-host it, or use our EU cloud
Sayr is source-available. Run the Community edition on your own servers for free with Docker Compose, or use Sayr Cloud, where workspace data stays on EU servers.
# 1. Get the compose file
$ curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dorasto/sayr/main/docker/self-host/compose.yml
# 2. Set your domain, Postgres, S3 storage and auth secret
$ nano .env
# 3. Start Sayr
$ docker compose up -d
✔ Container sayr-backend Started
✔ Container sayr-start StartedPricing
Pay for your team, not your community
The biggest difference isn't the price tag, it's what you're charged for.
Canny
Priced by tracked users
Anyone who posts, votes or comments counts, including feedback your team captures for them. Your bill grows as your community gets more active, and you still pay for your tracker.
- FreeUp to 25 tracked users
- $0
- ProBilled yearly, 100 tracked users
- From $79/mo
- BusinessCRM integrations and more
- Custom
Sayr
Priced by team seat
Only your team counts. The people who post, vote and comment on your public board are free, however many there are. Your tracker is included.
- FreeUp to 5 members, unlimited voters
- $0
- ProUnlimited members, releases, AI
- $3/seat/mo
- Self-hostedCommunity edition on your servers
- Free
Canny prices as of October 2026, from their pricing page. See Sayr's pricing for every plan.
Feature by feature
Sayr and Canny, side by side
| Feature | Sayr | Canny |
|---|---|---|
| Feedback and the public side | ||
| Public feedback board with voting | ||
| Public roadmap | ||
| Changelog | Pro plan | |
| Unlimited voters at no extra cost | ||
| Tracking the work | ||
| Built-in project trackerBoard and list views, priorities, assignees, releases | ||
| Sync to Jira or LinearSayr replaces the tracker rather than syncing to one | ||
| GitHub integrationSayr links branches, pull requests and issues; Canny pushes posts to issues | Partial | |
| Visibility and control | ||
| Public or private per task, label and commentCanny: private boards on paid plans | Partial | |
| Internal comments in the public thread | Partial | |
| Teams with granular permissions | Partial | |
| AI and integrations | ||
| AISayr: summaries, suggestions, release notes. Canny: Autopilot feedback capture | Pro plan | |
| CRM integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot) | Business plan | |
| Hosting and data | ||
| Self-hostable | ||
| Source-available | ||
The honest take
Which one is right for you?
Canny is a good product. Here's when we'd point you to it, and when Sayr fits better.
Choose Canny if…
- Feedback is mainly a sales and customer success tool for you, with CRM integrations.
- Your team is staying on Jira or Linear, and you want feedback synced into it.
- You need years of Canny data moved over today. Sayr has no Canny importer yet.
Choose Sayr if…
- You want one tool for your backlog, feedback board, roadmap and changelog, with no sync.
- You work in public: dev tools, open-source projects and indie SaaS.
- You want to self-host, or keep your data in the EU.
- Your community is growing and you don't want to pay for every voter.
Switching
Moving from Canny
There's no one-click Canny importer yet. Most teams start fresh with their open requests and point users to the new board.
- 1
Create your workspace
Sign up free, or self-host the Community edition.
- 2
Bring your open requests
Recreate them by hand, or script it with the Sayr CLI or REST API.
- 3
Share your new board
Link your public board from your app, site and Discord.
Would an importer help? Tell us on our public board.
$ sayr task create "QR code export"
✓ Created QR code export
$ sayr task update 209 --status done
✓ Updated QR code for every short linkFAQ
Sayr vs Canny: common questions
Is Sayr a good Canny alternative?
If you want feedback and your team's work in one place, yes. Canny is a feedback board that syncs to a separate tracker. Sayr is the tracker, with a public board, roadmap and changelog built in, so there's nothing to sync.
Do voters count towards Sayr's price?
No. Sayr is priced by team seat: Free covers up to 5 members, and Pro is $3 per seat per month. The people who post, vote and comment on your public board are never counted.
Can I keep using Jira or Linear with Sayr?
Sayr doesn't sync to Jira or Linear. It's designed to replace the tracker, so your backlog and your public board are the same tasks. If you're staying on Jira or Linear, Canny's sync is built for that setup.
Can I import my data from Canny?
Not with one click yet. You can recreate open requests by hand or script it with the Sayr CLI or REST API. If an importer would help you switch, tell us on our public board.
Does Sayr have AI like Canny?
Yes, on the Pro plan. Sayr summarises tasks, suggests assignees, priority, releases and related tasks, and drafts release notes. Self-hosted instances can turn AI on with their own API key.
One tool instead of Canny plus a tracker
Free for up to 5 members, with unlimited voters on your public board. Or self-host it for free.