Cognism
Cognism's crawled feed is SEO blog content on data enrichment, not releases
Comparison · CRM
Act vs Thryv
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Act and Thryv — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Act vs Thryv: at a glance
What is Act?
Act! pivots from CRM-only to payment processor while modernizing its Cloud UX.
Act! is in the middle of a methodical Cloud modernization, rebuilding list views, navigation, and notifications to match the consistency users expect from modern CRMs. Alongside that polish work, Act! has just shipped Act! Payments via Propelr — turning the CRM into a place where credit card transactions close, not just leads. The product is still recognizably a small-business CRM, but its surface area is widening.
What is Thryv?
Thryv's feed is SEO content marketing, not a product changelog — SMB visibility advice on repeat.
Thryv's published stream is entirely top-of-funnel SMB marketing content: SEO guides for plumbers and electricians, 'best software' roundups, and customer success stories. There are no release notes here — the feed reflects Thryv's demand-generation engine, not its product surface. The recurring hook is small businesses losing jobs to faster-responding competitors.
Act vs Thryv: editorial side-by-side
Act
6.3CRM
Act! pivots from CRM-only to payment processor while modernizing its Cloud UX.
◆ Current state
Act! is in the middle of a methodical Cloud modernization, rebuilding list views, navigation, and notifications to match the consistency users expect from modern CRMs. Alongside that polish work, Act! has just shipped Act! Payments via Propelr — turning the CRM into a place where credit card transactions close, not just leads. The product is still recognizably a small-business CRM, but its surface area is widening.
◆ Where it's heading
The release cadence shows two parallel tracks: weekly UX rationalization (notification center, list parity, faster task editing) and category expansion through embedded financial services. Act! is following the same playbook HubSpot and Pipedrive have run — keep the legacy users happy with quality-of-life work while quietly bolting on revenue-bearing features that compete with Stripe-adjacent SMB tools. Payments is the most directional move in years.
◆ Prediction
Expect deeper payments integration next — recurring billing tied to opportunities, dunning workflows from the contact record, and likely a payments-driven pricing tier that monetizes transaction volume rather than seats.
Thryv
5.0CRM
Thryv's feed is SEO content marketing, not a product changelog — SMB visibility advice on repeat.
◆ Current state
Thryv's published stream is entirely top-of-funnel SMB marketing content: SEO guides for plumbers and electricians, 'best software' roundups, and customer success stories. There are no release notes here — the feed reflects Thryv's demand-generation engine, not its product surface. The recurring hook is small businesses losing jobs to faster-responding competitors.
◆ Where it's heading
The content is leaning hard into AI-era search visibility — 'answer engines,' AI marketing tools, and AI business-development advice — positioning Thryv as the SMB's antidote to being invisible in AI-summarized results. This is a marketing-narrative shift toward AEO/AI-search, not an observable product change.
◆ Prediction
Expect continued AI-search and answer-engine-optimization content aimed at local service businesses. Any actual product capability behind this positioning isn't visible from the blog feed.
Alternatives to Act and Thryv
Other CRM products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Act or Thryv.
Twenty
Twenty's v2.16 bundles a partner marketplace, AI workflow tooling, and a standalone UI package.
NetHunt CRM
NetHunt's feed is Gmail/CRM how-to and SEO content, not a product changelog.
Vendasta
Vendasta's tracked feed is an agency-marketing blog, not a product changelog.
ReachInbox
ReachInbox's tracked feed is cold-email SEO content, not a release log.
Clari
Clari folds Salesloft into one revenue platform as Copilot moves into automated call scoring.
Recent activity from Act and Thryv
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 2d agoThryvWebinar Recap Series: The New Small Business Growth Playbook for 2026
- 4d agoThryvBest Marketing Software for Small Business
- 8d agoThryvAI Tools for Business Development to Grow Small Service Businesses
- 9d agoThryvHow Interior Tropical Gardens Increased Leads, Saved Time, and Grew Their Business with Thryv
- 11d agoThryvWhy Your Local Marketing Isn’t Converting: Inconsistent Listings
- 13d agoThryvThe 8 Best Electrician Software Tools for Small Businesses (2026)
- 1mo agoActAccept Payments with Act! Advantage ⚡
- 2mo agoActAccept Payments with Act! Advantage
- 2mo agoActNotification Center and List Experience Enhancements
- 2mo agoActNotification Center and List Experience Enhancements Date of Release 02/27/26 This update enhances usability across Act!
- 2mo agoActNotification Center and Added Email Campaign Support
- 2mo agoActNotification Center and Email Campaign Support
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Act and Thryv?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Act is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Act better than Thryv?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Act is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other CRM products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Act?
Top Act alternatives in CRM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Act alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/act for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Thryv?
Top Thryv alternatives in CRM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Thryv alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/thryv for the full list with editorial commentary on each.