Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

15Five VS ForthWrite

Compare 15Five VS ForthWrite and see what are their differences

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15Five logo 15Five

15Five software elevates the performance and engagement of employees by consistently asking questions and starting the right conversations.

ForthWrite logo ForthWrite

Email that sounds like you, and gets measurably more like you every week. Drafts in Gmail, Outlook, and the browser. Free to start.
Visit Website
  • 15Five Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-17
  • ForthWrite Landing Page
    Landing Page //
    2026-06-19
  • ForthWrite Dashboard
    Dashboard //
    2026-06-19
  • ForthWrite In Gmail
    In Gmail //
    2026-06-19
  • ForthWrite Pricing
    Pricing //
    2026-06-19

ForthWrite is an AI email writing assistant for Gmail and Outlook that learns your writing style from your real sent mail. The more you use it, the more it sounds like you. Get smart drafts in seconds, auto-draft replies before you open your inbox, and maintain your personal voice at scale. Free to start, no credit card required. Works inside Gmail and Outlook on the web.

How it works

ForthWrite captures your tone, sentence rhythm, and sign-offs from your actual sent emails, then uses that profile to generate drafts that match how you write, not a generic AI voice. Every draft you edit or send improves the model over time.

Key features

  • Auto-draft: replies waiting in Gmail before you open your inbox
  • Voice matching from your real sent mail, not templates
  • Recipient-aware drafts that adapt to who you are emailing
  • Prompt Lab for version-controlling and A/B testing your persona prompt
  • BYOK support: bring your own API key for Claude, OpenAI, Grok, Mistral, and more
  • Works in Gmail and Outlook on the web, plus a standalone browser widget
  • Training data export and full data portability

Who uses it

Professionals who send high volumes of relationship-critical email: lawyers, financial advisors, recruiters, account executives, founders, and anyone who wants their inbox handled without sounding like a chatbot wrote it.

Pricing

Free tier includes 10 drafts per week with no credit card required. Paid plans start at $12/month and include unlimited drafts, custom persona prompts, and auto-draft.

ForthWrite

$ Details
freemium $12.0 / Monthly (Standard plan)
Platforms
Web
Release Date
2026 June
Startup details
Country
United States
State
California
City
San Diego
Founder(s)
Curtis Boortz
Employees
1 - 9

15Five features and specs

  • Employee Feedback
    15Five allows employees to provide regular feedback, fostering open communication and addressing issues promptly.
  • Performance Tracking
    The platform helps track and evaluate employee performance, aiding in goal-setting and performance reviews.
  • Engagement Insights
    15Five offers insights into employee engagement levels, helping leaders to identify and address areas requiring improvement.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The software is designed with a user-friendly interface, making it easy for employees and managers to navigate and use the tools available.
  • Integration Capability
    15Five integrates with various tools like Slack, Salesforce, and G Suite, allowing for seamless workflow integration.
  • Employee Engagement
    Emplify helps organizations measure employee engagement through surveys and provides actionable insights to improve workplace culture.
  • Data-Driven Insights
    The platform utilizes data analytics to identify trends and areas for improvement, helping organizations make informed decisions.
  • Customizable Surveys
    Users can tailor feedback surveys to suit their specific needs, ensuring they gather relevant information for their organization.
  • Consultative Support
    Emplify offers expert guidance and support to help organizations interpret data and implement changes effectively.

Possible disadvantages of 15Five

  • Cost
    The pricing can be high for small businesses or startups with limited budgets.
  • Learning Curve
    Some users may find a learning curve initially, especially if they are not familiar with similar performance management tools.
  • Customization Limitations
    There may be limitations in terms of customization to fit specific organizational needs or unique workflows.
  • Reporting Features
    Some users have noted that the reporting features can be limited or less flexible compared to other dedicated reporting tools.
  • Mobile Experience
    The mobile application does not offer all the features available on the desktop version, which might be inconvenient for on-the-go users.
  • Implementation Time
    Setting up and fully utilizing the Emplify platform can take some time, which may be a drawback for organizations looking for quick solutions.
  • Dependence on User Participation
    The effectiveness of the platform heavily relies on employee participation in surveys, which can be variable.
  • Complexity of Data
    For organizations without a dedicated HR or data analytics team, interpreting the detailed data and insights may be challenging.

ForthWrite features and specs

  • Voice Matching
    Learns from your real sent mail, not templates
  • Auto-draft replies
    Replies waiting in Gmail before you open your inbox
  • Batch-drafting
    Draft replies for your entire inbox with one click
  • Works in browser
    Gmail, Outlook, and web browsers
  • BYOK support
    Claude, OpenAI, Grok, Mistral, and more
  • Prompt Lab
    Version control and A/B test your persona prompt
  • Free tier
    10 drafts per week, no credit card required

Analysis of 15Five

Overall verdict

  • 15Five is generally considered a strong choice for organizations looking to enhance their performance management processes. Its focus on continuous feedback and alignment with organizational goals makes it beneficial for promoting employee engagement and development.

Why this product is good

  • 15Five is a performance management platform designed to improve employee engagement and productivity through continuous feedback, OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), and performance reviews. It's known for its user-friendly interface, comprehensive features, and ability to foster a positive workplace culture. The platform encourages regular check-ins and communication between employees and managers, helping to identify issues early and facilitate personal and professional growth.

Recommended for

  • Small to medium-sized businesses looking to improve their performance review processes.
  • Organizations aiming to create a culture of continuous feedback and communication.
  • Managers seeking tools to set and track goals, support employee development, and increase engagement.
  • Remote or hybrid teams needing a platform to facilitate regular check-ins and updates.

15Five videos

How 15Five Soothed the Annual Review Grinch

More videos:

  • Review - Emplify Customer Review | Jill Lehman, VP & CPO at Ontario Systems
  • Review - 15Five Continuous Performance Management Software
  • Review - 15Five: Employee Engagement Software Overview

ForthWrite videos

No ForthWrite videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to 15Five and ForthWrite)
HR
100 100%
0% 0
Email
0 0%
100% 100
HR Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Email Productivity
0 0%
100% 100

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing 15Five and ForthWrite.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

ForthWrite's answer:

Next.js, React, Supabase, Anthropic Claude, OpenAI, Stripe, Vercel, Chrome Extensions API

What makes your product unique?

ForthWrite's answer:

ForthWrite learns your writing style from your actual sent mail, not a generic prompt. Every draft sounds like you wrote it because it was trained on how you actually write. It also auto-drafts replies before you open your inbox, so your email is partially handled before your day starts.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

ForthWrite's answer:

Most AI email tools give you a blank box and a "write for me" button. ForthWrite builds a voice profile from your sent history and gets more accurate with every draft you edit or send. Unlike ChatGPT or Gemini, it works natively inside Gmail and Outlook with no copy-paste. Unlike Lavender, it writes the draft, not just scores it.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

ForthWrite's answer:

Professionals who send high volumes of relationship-critical email and cannot afford to sound generic: lawyers, financial advisors, recruiters, account executives, consultants, and founders managing their own inbox.

What's the story behind your product?

ForthWrite's answer:

Built out of frustration with AI writing tools that produce text that sounds nothing like the person sending it, and as a way to handle large amounts of daily email. The core insight was that your sent mail is the best training data you already have, and no tool was using it.

User comments

Share your experience with using 15Five and ForthWrite. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare 15Five and ForthWrite

15Five Reviews

Top 10 15Five Alternatives You Need to Know in 2024
While 15Five is a widely recognized performance management tool known for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive features, companies might seek alternatives for several reasons. Some organizations may find that 15Fiveโ€™s features do not fully align with their specific needs or industry requirements. Others may be looking for a more cost-effective solution, better...
Source: engagedly.com
11 Best 15Five Alternatives & Competitors for USA
15Five is a powerful performance management tool that allows companies to streamline communication and feedback processes within their organization. With features like weekly check-ins, employee recognition, and goal tracking, 15Five helps teams stay aligned and engaged. Managers can easily provide constructive feedback to their team members through the platform, fostering...
Source: datalligence.ai
18 Best Culture Amp Alternatives and Competitors of 2024
Emplify offers an integrated Human Capital Management (HCM) solution designed to develop organizational capability and simplify daily operations. With a focus on performance management, learning, and organizational building, Emplify brings together essential elements to foster employee growth and streamline management processes.
Top 15Five Competitors & Alternatives To Consider For Engaging Employees
Unlock the secrets to enhancing employee engagement and performance with these top 15Five competitors and alternatives. Discover powerful platforms that can transform your workplace culture and drive success.
Source: perkupapp.com

ForthWrite Reviews

  1. curtisboortz
    ยท Founder at ForthWrite ยท
    I built ForthWrite to fix generic AI email, and I still use it every day

    I built ForthWrite because I kept sending emails that sounded like they came from the same generic AI as everyone else. After launching it, I still use it for my own inbox every day, which is about the most honest endorsement I can give.

    The Chrome extension lives inside Gmail and Outlook on the web. Open a thread, hit Alt+Shift+D, and a draft comes back in your voice, not a template. The free tier is real: 10 drafts per week, no API key, no credit card. Voice matching is included on free, because that is the point.

    What keeps it useful compared to Gemini or a chat tab: it learns from what you actually send. Every edit you make before hitting send becomes a signal. Over time the drafts drift closer to how you really write, and the dashboard shows the improvement curve so you can see it happening.

    The web compose surface lets you draft from forthwrite.ai without installing anything, useful for people who want to try before committing to the extension.

    Standard adds recipient-aware and intent-aware drafting plus AI coaching. Pro adds auto-draft (replies waiting when you open Gmail), batch replies, and Prompt Lab for version-controlling your prompts. Teams adds a shared persona and seat-level analytics.

    ForthWrite is not for everyone. If you just need quick replies and tone does not matter, Gemini is free and already in your inbox. ForthWrite is for people where tone does matter: client communication, relationship-driven threads, external correspondence where sounding off costs something real.

    Disclosure: I am the founder and use it daily. Happy to answer questions in the comments.

    ๐Ÿ Competitors: Jace.ai, Fyxer, Mailmeteor
    ๐Ÿ‘ Pros:    Drafts land inside gmail and outlook; no copy-pasting from a chat window|Voice matching is on the free tier, not paywalled behind paid plans|No api key, no credit card to start; free tier runs on a server-side proxy|Learns from every edit you make before sending; drafts improve over time|Full keyboard flow: alt+shift+d to draft in any thread, no mouse required|Byok on paid plans, 9 providers supported, keys encrypted at rest|Web compose at forthwrite.ai works without installing the extension at all
    ๐Ÿ‘Ž Cons:    10 free drafts/week is enough to evaluate, not enough for a heavy inbox|Auto-draft, batch replies, and prompt lab all require the pro tier|Early-stage product; fewer third-party integrations than mature inbox tools|No mobile app: the extension and add-in are desktop-only (chrome on web, or the outlook desktop add-in)

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, 15Five seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 2 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

15Five mentions (2)

  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (July 2021)
    15Five | Remote: US, Poland, & Ukraine | Full-time | https://15five.com Multiple engineering and design roles, all fully remote: - Remote: Poland or Ukraine - Backend Engineer: https://jobs.lever.co/15five/bf43681a-74b7-493e-a8c8-9b568af10c04 - Remote: Poland or Ukraine - Android Mobile Engineer: https://jobs.lever.co/15five/9d42917c-c5ed-483e-b807-3243a3617377 - US-based only, remote - Senior Quality Assurance... - Source: Hacker News / about 5 years ago
  • Migrating to Terraform: a retrospective
    At 15Five we migrated to Terraform in 8 months with a 3-person team. It went smoothly and gave us more confidence in our AWS infrastructure. When it came to setup a new VPC for a customer, the hours we invested returned to us in a speedy and simple setup, a process that would have been a massive pain if we had done it manually. - Source: dev.to / about 6 years ago

ForthWrite mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of ForthWrite yet. Tracking of ForthWrite recommendations started around Jun 2026.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing 15Five and ForthWrite, you can also consider the following products

Workleap - An employee survey platform with the mission of improving company culture. Measure and improve your culture in less than 5 minutes per month, with our simple surveys.

Superhuman - Superhuman is an email management tool.

Qualtrics Employee Experience - Qualtrics Employee Experience Management Platform helps improve the way people make decisions by creating amazing employee experiences.

Gemini - Gemini, formerly known as Bard, is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Google. Based on the large language model (LLM) of the same name, it was launched in 2023 in response to the rise of OpenAI's ChatGPT.

TINYpulse by WebMD Health Services - Increase Your Employee Engagement. Instantly.

Lavender - Realtime coaching for sales emails.