Trainual vs Whale
We give Trainual a 2.4 GPA and Whale a 3.2, out of 4.0. Whale grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Whale
SOP documentation and employee training platform with AI
How we grade them
| 2.4GPATrainualFair | 3.2GPAWhaleVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo plan has a published price: you're quoted on a demo call by team size. What is on record is a one-time implementation fee of $1,000. And the useful extras climb the ladder, with training paths and the org chart on Pro, single sign-on on Premium and the API on Enterprise. | CScale is $249 a month billed yearly, or $399 monthly, and that includes just 3 creators, with extras from $29 each. That's well above where the SOP tools it competes with start. Enforced SSO and the video editor need Advance at $499. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing is free. There's no free plan and no self-serve trial. The only way to see Trainual working is to book a demo. | BFree forever for up to 10 members, with the step recorder, screen recorder, video-to-SOP converter and checklists. But it's 1 creator and 20 Playbook items across the whole workspace, with no PDF or Word export and no version history. |
| Features | AAn editor with AI drafting, more than 500 templates, built-in screen recording, and training assigned by role, department or location with due dates. AI-generated tests, e-signatures and completion reports show who actually read it. An AI search answers staff questions from your own docs. | AAI drafts and polishes SOPs and gives each one a health score, a recorder turns a process on screen into a step-by-step guide, and videos get transcribed into written SOPs. Training flows, AI quizzes and read assignments with due dates roll it all out. Alice answers questions from your own content. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record, and you can't just sign up and poke around: it starts with a demo call and a paid implementation. Once you're in, 500-plus templates and AI drafting mean you're not facing a blank page. | BNo rating on record to go by, so a B is as high as we go. You can import the PDF and Word documents you already have and turn them into editable SOPs, and staff can open one from a link or a QR code. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, iPhone, Android and a browser extension, so staff out in the field can train on their phones. It connects to Slack, Google Drive, Gusto, BambooHR, ADP Run and Zapier. API access is Enterprise only, mind. | AWeb, iPhone, Android and a browser extension. It connects to Slack, Zapier, Google Drive, OneDrive, HubSpot, Salesforce and BambooHR, and Scale adds Whale MCP access. API access is Enterprise only. |
| Best for | turning SOPs into training with tests | SOPs and staff training with an AI helper |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Trainual and Whale. How we grade
Where they differ
- Whale has a free plan. Trainual does not.
- Trainual also covers documents.
- Whale also covers wiki and reports.
At a glance
| Trainual | Whale | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | Not published | $249 per month, billed yearly ($399 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | Free Forever: up to 10 members, 1 creator and 20 Playbook items across the workspace, with 20 AI credits a month. No PDF or Word export, version history or insights. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Trainual, Inc. | Whale BV |
| Price read from | trainual.com | usewhale.io |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Trainual
- Companies of roughly 25 to 1,000 employees documenting how work gets done
- Onboarding new hires with role-based training and tests
- Field and multi-location teams that train on phones
Whale
- Companies documenting SOPs and training staff on them in one tool
- Frontline and warehouse teams opening instructions by QR code or phone
- Organizations with many readers and only a few content creators
- Nonprofits, which get a 20% discount
Worth knowing
Trainual
- Trainual lists no prices: plans are quoted on a demo call according to team size and the features needed.
- A one-time implementation fee of $1,000 applies, and there is no self-serve free trial; evaluation starts with a demo.
- Individual training paths, video hosting and the org chart need Pro; custom branding, a custom domain and single sign-on need Premium.
- API access and custom integration support are limited to the Enterprise plan.
Whale
- The Free plan is capped at 10 members, 1 creator and 20 Playbook items, and has no PDF or Word export, version history or insights.
- Paid plans start at $249 a month billed yearly with 3 creators; extra creators on Scale cost $29 each a month, or $39 on monthly billing.
- Enforced SSO and the video editor need Advance, and API access, SCIM provisioning and approval flows are Enterprise only.
- Vendor pages disagree on members: the plan cards say limited on Scale and Advance, while the machine-readable pricing file says unlimited.
Key features
Trainual
- Process docs and SOPs
- Processes, policies and SOPs are written in a built-in editor with AI drafting or uploaded from existing documents, and can include flowcharts, video, screen recordings and embeds.
- Role-based training
- Content is assigned by role, department or location and given due dates. Individual training paths that sequence content for each person start on the Pro plan.
- Tests, e-signatures and tracking
- AI-generated tests and e-signatures confirm that training was understood, and reports show completions and overdue assignments. Pro includes 300 e-signatures a year.
- AI knowledge search
- Employees ask a question and get an answer drawn from the company's own documented content, on the web and in the iOS and Android apps.
- Templates and courses
- More than 500 customizable templates are included. The FAQ describes a library of 400+ expert-built compliance and upskilling courses as a premium add-on.
- Roles and org chart
- A roles and responsibilities builder records who owns what and links each role to its training. The org chart and accountability chart start on Pro.
Whale
- AI SOP writer and importers
- AI drafts new procedures, polishes wording and gives each SOP a health score, and existing PDF and Word documents can be imported and turned into editable SOPs.
- Step and screen recorders
- The Step Recorder captures a process on screen as a visual step-by-step guide, and recorded or uploaded videos are transcribed by AI into written SOPs.
- Ask Alice
- Members put questions to Alice, an AI assistant trained on the workspace's own content, to find an SOP or learn how to do something. Asking Alice does not use AI credits.
- Training flows and quizzes
- Training flows assign content by team and role, and AI generates quiz questions from Whale content. Scale includes 5 flows and 15 quizzes; Advance removes the limits.
- Sharing where work happens
- SOPs are shared by link, QR code or read assignment with a due date, opened in the iOS and Android apps, and consulted from the CoPilot browser extension.
- Insights and access control
- Paid plans add knowledge-use and team performance insights, user groups, user roles and version history. Approval flows are limited to Enterprise.
Plans
Trainual
CoreCustom
AI-assisted documentation, AI knowledge search, 500+ templates, tests and tracking, built-in screen recording, 2 GB of video storage and 30-day version history.
ProCustom
Adds individual training paths, video hosting with 15 GB of storage, 300 e-signatures a year, an org chart and 90-day version history.
PremiumCustom
Adds unlimited video storage, version history and e-signatures, custom branding and domain, single sign-on and an MCP server for custom AI agents.
EnterpriseCustom
Adds API access and custom integration support, SOC 2 documentation, extended implementation and migration, and priority support.
Whale
Free$0
Up to 10 members, 1 creator and 20 Playbook items, with the step recorder, screen recorder, video-to-SOP converter and checklists.
Scale$249
per month, billed yearly ($399 billed monthly)
3 creators included, with extra creators from $29 each a month, unlimited documentation, 5 training flows, AI quizzes and Whale MCP access.
Advance$499
per month, billed yearly ($799 billed monthly)
5 creators included, with extra creators from $39 each a month, adding the video editor, AI voiceovers, enforced SSO and granular permissions.
EnterpriseCustom
Priced on request with yearly billing only. Adds approval flows, automatic redaction, SCIM user provisioning, HRIS integrations and API access.
Ways to pay less
Trainual
No public discounts listed.
Whale
- Annual discount
Save about 37% with yearly billing
The pricing page marks yearly billing as saving 37%: Scale is $249 a month instead of $399 billed monthly, and Advance $499 instead of $799.
- Nonprofit
20% off for nonprofits
Whale's pricing FAQ says nonprofits get a 20% discount on all of its subscriptions.
