Firstup vs. Politemail: Features, Pricing and AI Capabilities
How do Firstup and Politemail compare? And what does Broadcast offer as an alternative?
What is the best internal communication software for your business?
The High-Level Comparison
About Firstup
Firstup is a workforce communication platform focused on delivering messages across multiple channels, including email and mobile apps. It aims to engage diverse, dispersed teams with a consistent communication experience but relies on predefined segmentation to reach audiences, which may limit deeper personalization.
About Politemail
PoliteMail is an email measurement and optimization plugin for Microsoft Outlook. It focuses on helping organizations improve employee engagement through email analytics, templates, and campaigns. This enables communication teams to measure the effectiveness of their email efforts directly from Outlook.
About Cerkl Broadcast
Cerkl Broadcast differentiates itself by utilizing AI to deliver personalized, relevant content to employees. It integrates with channels like email, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and mobile apps, allowing dynamic engagement through automated content delivery. Cerkl Broadcast uses behavioral data to customize content, ensuring employees receive the most relevant information while boosting overall engagement. Get started with a free chat with our expert!
Firstup
What Firstup Offers:
Firstup is designed as an employee experience platform that supports communication across multiple mediums to reach diverse and distributed teams, including email, mobile apps, and other channels. This approach works well for organizations that prioritize consistent messaging to large groups using predefined audience segments, such as roles or departments.
Where Firstup Falls Short:
Firstup’s segmentation lacks the flexibility of mass personalization, as it does not adapt content based on individual behaviors or engagement. For companies needing communication tailored to each employee’s unique interaction history or preferences, Firstup’s predefined segmentation may be too rigid, making it less effective for those seeking a personalized communication experience at scale.
For a more detailed analysis of Firstup vs. Cerkl Broadcast, check out our dedicated 1-on-1 analysis.
Politemail
What Politemail Offers:
PoliteMail integrates directly with Microsoft Outlook, allowing organizations to manage internal communications within their existing email base. It provides pre-built templates for consistent messaging and audience segmentation, along with detailed analytics on open rates, click-throughs, and read time. These features give organizations insights into the effectiveness of their email communications.
Where Politemail Falls Short:
PoliteMail’s email-only focus limits it to a one-size-fits-all approach. This lacks the multi-channel flexibility needed for comprehensive internal communication. Built as an Outlook plugin, it relies on older, antiquated technology that Microsoft plans to phase out by discontinuing addon support. This reliance on a user’s personal computer to send thousands of emails introduces significant challenges. For example, if the computer crashes, reboots, or encounters errors, the user must manually troubleshoot issues, including verifying what was sent, to whom, and when.
For large organizations, this setup becomes particularly problematic. Sending critical messages, such as a company-wide email to the Japan office from the U.S., requires the user to be awake at nebulous times, monitoring the process for several hours depending on the size of the list. Combined with the lack of AI-driven personalization, automation, and mobile support, PoliteMail cannot always meet the needs of modern, large-scale internal communication strategies.
For a more detailed analysis of Politemail vs. Cerkl Broadcast, check out our dedicated 1-on-1 analysis.
What Sets Cerkl Broadcast Apart
Cerkl Broadcast is designed to automate and personalize internal communications using advanced AI. Its AI-powered News Digests dynamically personalize content based on each employee’s behavior, preferences, and engagement history stand out. Cerkl Broadcast’s multi-channel delivery system, which can incorporate Email Blasts, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and mobile apps, ensures that employees receive the right message at the right time, improving engagement and communication efficiency. At the same time, internal communicators have total control over all the variables associated with News Digest set up. This applies to every imaginable parameter from design to segmentation and the time of delivery.
Feature Comparison
Firstup Differentiation
Firstup positions itself as an employee experience platform delivering consistent, multi-channel messaging to segmented groups (e.g. by role or department). This approach aligns with a one-size-fits-all model, as its segmentation is predefined and does not adapt based on individual behaviors. For organizations aiming for mass personalization, Firstup may fall short due to its limited flexibility for tailoring communication at an individual level.
Politemail Differentiation
PoliteMail’s strength lies in its ability to integrate with Outlook. It doesn’t require IT oversight for installation and it provides solid email analytics. This makes it a practical option for smaller organizations focused solely on email communications without needing IT involvement. However, its narrow focus on email measurement and lack of multi-platform support limits its adaptability as a comprehensive internal communication platform. With Microsoft poised to phase out aspects of its compatibility, PoliteMail may face diminishing viability, making it a short-term solution when businesses are seeking long-term, scalable communication tools.
Cerkl Broadcast Differentiation
Cerkl Broadcast’s AI capabilities are a standout feature. The platform uses behavioral data to segment audiences and personalize content, ensuring that each employee receives relevant communication. Its ability to automate content distribution across multiple channels (email, Slack, and mobile apps) and dynamically adjust based on engagement makes Cerkl Broadcast a highly efficient tool for internal communications.
AI Capabilities
Firstup AI Capabilities:
AI Content Creation
The First Up Creator Studio uses AI to streamline content creation, helping users generate text, summaries, and visuals quickly. Predictive analytics optimize delivery timing, though segmentation is predefined.
Audience Customization
Allows customization using natural language prompts to define segments. Personalization is limited to predefined criteria rather than individualized behavior.
Politemail AI Capabilities:
Cerkl Broadcast AI Capabilities:
Dynamic Personalization
Cerkl AI used to power Broadcast is centered on delivering highly personalized communication. It tailors content to each employee based on their behavior, preferences, and engagement history, ensuring that messages are relevant and impactful for each individual.
Advanced Analytics
The platform’s AI offers detailed insights into employee engagement and content effectiveness, allowing communication teams to optimize their strategies in real-time.
Behavioral-Based Content Delivery
Cerkl AI continuously learns from employee interactions, refining how and when content is delivered to enhance relevance and engagement. It ensures that Broadcast communication is timely and tailored to individual preferences.
Cerkl AI stands out by offering deeply customized communication through dynamic personalization and behavioral-based content delivery. In contrast to Firstup and Politemail, Cerkl Broadcast provides more granular AI-driven insights and personalization tailored to individual employees.
Pricing Comparison: Cerkl Broadcast vs. Firstup vs. Politemail
Cerkl Broadcast Pricing:
- Starting Price: $799 per month, scalable based on the number of employees included in the plan.
- Features: All Cerkl Broadcast capabilities are available from the start, providing access to core features like personalized Email Blasts and News Digests.
- Mobile App: Available for an additional 20% of the total cost.
- Transparent Pricing: Cerkl Broadcast offers clear, upfront pricing, making it easier for companies to plan their budget.
Firstup Pricing:
- Three Pricing Tiers: Essential, Professional, and Premier options are tailored to different organizational needs.
- Variable Costs: Pricing depends on the number of employees and selected features.
- Intranet Add-On: Full intranet functionality is available only as an add-on, potentially increasing overall expenses.
Politemail Pricing:
- Professional Plan: $0.50–$0.20 per employee per month, supporting up to 5,000 employees.
- Corporate Plan: $0.35–$0.20 per employee per month, for up to 20,000 employees.
- Enterprise Plan: $0.20–$0.10 per employee per month, for more than 20,000 employees.
- Licenses and Services: Pricing includes user licenses and services such as SSO integration and data security compliance.
Both Cerkl Broadcast and Politemail offer a straightforward pricing model, with a clear base price and predictable add-ons (such as a mobile app). In contrast, Firstup requires customized quotes.
Determine Which Capabilities and Features Matter Most
What are Customers Saying?
See what our clients have to say about working with Cerkl Broadcast
Kristina Stamper
Partnering with Cerkl has been a game changer. Their innovative email communications have streamlined our internal messaging and significantly boosted open and click through rates, and given us the ability to measure the success of our communication strategies.
Chad Schwalbach
Since implementing Cerkl Broadcast, our readership, our clicks, and our opens, are all up. It is satisfying for me as a communicator, to know we're reaching people, we're giving them information that engages them, and it makes it easier to go up the chain.
Tamara Palmer
The Cerkl platform lends itself to intuitive and engaging content creation with a ‘have it your way’ mantra in the manner in which you can design your communications. Drafting, scheduling, and sending are easy and allow for planning at all scales.
Olivia Groth
Honestly, I've never had a more streamlined implementation process! ... the team has been so amazing to work with!
Lore Otto
You have no idea how much better [Cerkl's] support is than our last provider... I love the chat feature.
Kristen Spilane
From quick troubleshooting to bigger problem solving... I've always felt really supported and valued as a Cerkl customer.
Cerkl gives you white glove service.
Every step of the way.
- Talk live with our US-based team. Average response time is only three minutes.
- 99% Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT), far above industry average of 78%.
- Work with dedicated customer success managers for personalized strategic guidance.
The internal communication software broadcasting to over 5.5 million engaged employees per month
Ready to Transform Your Internal Communications?
Experience the power of AI-driven personalization, intelligent automation, and a no-code platform designed to elevate your internal communications. Whether you’re looking to boost employee engagement or streamline your content delivery, Cerkl has the tools you need to succeed.
