Brainshark (Bigtincan) Review 2026

Sales Coaching & Training

Last updated: 2026-04-12

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The Bottom Line

Brainshark is a stable, mature platform that does content authoring and structured training well. If your primary need is building professional training modules in-house and tracking completion through readiness scorecards, Brainshark delivers. The content creation tools are among the best in the category, and the platform's reliability reflects 15+ years of production use.

The honest assessment is that Brainshark is living on its reputation. The Bigtincan acquisition slowed innovation at a time when competitors were accelerating. Mindtickle's AI role-play, advanced analytics, and modern UX have opened a significant gap. Allego's peer learning model offers a fresher approach to coaching. And Gong's data-driven coaching raises the bar for what insights-driven coaching should look like. Brainshark hasn't kept pace.

Consider Brainshark if you're an existing customer who's satisfied with the platform and doesn't want migration disruption. For new deployments, evaluate Mindtickle first. If Mindtickle's price or complexity is too high, SalesHood offers a simpler, more affordable alternative that's more modern than Brainshark. The coaching category has moved forward, and Brainshark hasn't moved with it.

What is Brainshark (Bigtincan)?

Brainshark (Bigtincan) is a sales coaching & training tool. Now part of Bigtincan. Established coaching and content platform with readiness scorecards. Solid but not innovating as fast as newer competitors.

Best for: Existing Brainshark/Bigtincan customers or teams wanting established tools

Best For

Existing Brainshark/Bigtincan customers or teams wanting established tools

Brainshark (Bigtincan) Overview

Brainshark has been in the sales readiness space longer than most of its current competitors. Acquired by Bigtincan in 2021, the platform offers content authoring, training delivery, coaching assessments, and readiness scorecards. For years, Brainshark was the default choice for organizations building sales training programs. The platform's strength is its content creation tools, which let enablement teams build interactive presentations, video-based training modules, and knowledge assessments without design skills or external tools.

Readiness scorecards are Brainshark's analytics backbone. The platform tracks training completion, assessment scores, coaching activity, and content engagement, then rolls everything into a readiness score for each rep. Managers can see at a glance who is prepared and who has gaps. This is useful for onboarding (tracking new hire progress) and for ongoing readiness (ensuring reps stay current on product updates, competitive intel, and methodology). The scorecards provide the kind of structured accountability that informal coaching methods lack.

The Bigtincan acquisition introduced both opportunity and uncertainty. On the opportunity side, Brainshark gained access to Bigtincan's content management and sales engagement capabilities, creating a broader platform. On the uncertainty side, the acquisition raised questions about product direction, investment priority, and long-term roadmap. Some long-time Brainshark customers have reported slower feature development since the acquisition, and the competitive gap with Mindtickle has widened in areas like AI role-play and advanced analytics.

Brainshark remains a solid choice for organizations that prioritize content authoring and structured training delivery. The platform is mature, stable, and well-understood. But it's lost its innovation edge. Mindtickle's AI capabilities, Allego's peer learning model, and even Gong's data-driven coaching have pushed past Brainshark in terms of modern coaching approaches. Organizations evaluating coaching tools in 2026 should consider Brainshark if they have specific content authoring needs, but should compare it head-to-head with Mindtickle before committing.

Pros & Cons

Strong content authoring toolsBrainshark's content creation capabilities are among the best in the category. Enablement teams can build interactive presentations, add voiceover narration, embed quizzes, and create branching scenarios without design skills. This makes it easy to produce professional training content in-house without relying on external agencies or complex tools.
Readiness scorecards provide structured accountabilityThe scorecard system gives managers a single view of each rep's readiness across training completion, assessment scores, and coaching activity. This is particularly useful during onboarding, where tracking progress across dozens of training modules is otherwise manual. Scorecards turn readiness from a subjective judgment into a measured metric.
Mature, stable platform with a long track recordBrainshark has been in production for over 15 years. The platform is reliable, well-documented, and has established integrations with major CRMs and LMS platforms. Organizations prioritizing stability and low risk will appreciate that Brainshark's core functionality is battle-tested.

Innovation has slowed since the Bigtincan acquisitionLong-time customers report fewer product updates and slower feature development since Bigtincan acquired Brainshark in 2021. The competitive gap with Mindtickle has widened, particularly around AI-powered features. Organizations evaluating long-term platform investment should weigh this trend carefully.
Lacks modern AI coaching capabilitiesBrainshark doesn't offer AI role-play simulations, AI-driven coaching recommendations, or the kind of machine learning-based insights that Mindtickle and Gong provide. In 2026, the absence of AI-powered features is a significant gap that affects coaching effectiveness and competitive positioning.
UI feels dated compared to newer competitorsThe interface shows its age. Navigation patterns, visual design, and workflow organization lag behind the modern UX standards set by competitors like Mindtickle and SalesHood. This affects adoption, particularly among younger reps who expect consumer-grade software experiences.
Post-acquisition uncertainty about product directionBigtincan's broader platform strategy includes content management, engagement, and readiness. How Brainshark fits into that long-term vision isn't always clear to customers. Some buyers hesitate to invest heavily in a platform whose strategic priority within a larger company is uncertain.

Use Cases

Enablement Team Building Internal Training Content

A sales enablement team at a manufacturing company needs to create 40 training modules covering product specifications, competitive positioning, pricing models, and industry regulations. Using Brainshark's authoring tools, the three-person enablement team builds all 40 modules in 8 weeks, including interactive presentations with embedded quizzes, voiceover narration, and knowledge checks. Each module takes 2-3 hours to create versus the 8-10 hours estimated with external content tools. The completed curriculum is assigned to 200 field reps with completion deadlines and readiness scorecard tracking.

New Hire Onboarding with Readiness Tracking

A financial services firm onboards 15-20 new sales reps per quarter through a 6-week Brainshark-based program. The program includes 25 training modules, 5 video coaching assessments, and 3 certification exams. Managers monitor each new hire's readiness scorecard weekly, intervening when scores drop below thresholds. The structured approach ensures compliance training is completed (regulatory requirement) while also covering sales methodology and product knowledge. Average time to first deal dropped from 11 weeks to 8 weeks after implementing the Brainshark program.

Quarterly Product Update Distribution

A technology company releases product updates every quarter. The enablement team creates a Brainshark training module for each update, including a 10-minute video overview, a technical deep-dive presentation, updated competitive positioning, and a 15-question assessment. All 150 reps must complete the module within two weeks of release. Brainshark's readiness scorecard tracks completion rates, and managers follow up with non-compliant reps. Completion rates average 94% within the two-week window, compared to 62% when updates were distributed via email and Slack.

Key Features

Video coaching
Content management
Readiness scorecards
Training
Analytics
Certifications

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Brainshark still a good option in 2026?

Brainshark is still a functional and stable platform, but it's lost its competitive edge. Mindtickle has surpassed it in AI capabilities, analytics depth, and user experience. Brainshark remains a reasonable choice for organizations prioritizing content authoring tools and structured training delivery, but evaluate it against Mindtickle before committing.

What happened to Brainshark after the Bigtincan acquisition?

Bigtincan acquired Brainshark in 2021 and integrated it into its broader sales enablement platform. The core product remains available, but some customers report slower innovation and unclear product roadmap. Brainshark's coaching and content capabilities are now part of Bigtincan's larger suite.

How does Brainshark compare to Mindtickle?

Brainshark is stronger in content authoring and has a longer track record. Mindtickle is stronger in AI capabilities (role-play simulations, adaptive learning), advanced analytics, and modern UX. For new deployments in 2026, Mindtickle is the more future-proof choice. Existing Brainshark customers should evaluate migration costs before switching.

Can Brainshark handle compliance training?

Yes. Brainshark supports mandatory training assignments with completion deadlines, certification exams, and audit-ready completion reports. Financial services and healthcare organizations use Brainshark for both sales training and regulatory compliance. The readiness scorecard tracks compliance completion alongside sales-specific training metrics.

Does Brainshark integrate with Salesforce?

Yes. Brainshark integrates with Salesforce to surface readiness data alongside CRM records. Managers can see rep readiness scores in Salesforce. Content links can be embedded in Salesforce for easy access. The integration is mature and well-documented given Brainshark's long history in the market.

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Reviewed by the B2B Sales Tools Editorial Team. Last verified 2026-04-12.

Pricing, features, and ratings are based on vendor documentation, public filings, product demos, and feedback from sales teams using these tools in production. We update reviews when vendors ship major releases or change pricing.