Honest comparison
Zelos AI vs Crayon
Crayon: ~$20K–$40K/year · Zelos AI: $0–$349/mo
Crayon is the broadest competitive intelligence platform on the market: hundreds of monitored signal types, AI summaries (Sparks), an in-CRM assistant, and sales-call scanning. It is built for dedicated PMM or CI teams at companies that can invest $20K+ a year and weeks of implementation. Zelos covers the go-to-market signals that matter to a startup — pricing, hiring, product, reviews, funding — and delivers the analysis as a Monday-morning brief for a hundredth of the price.
FeatureZelos AICrayon
Price$0–$349/mo, no contract~$20K–$40K/yr, annual contract
Setup10 minutes, self-serve1–2 weeks with onboarding team
Weekly analysisAI-written strategic brief every MondayDashboards + Sparks AI summaries
Sources monitored18 go-to-market sources, nightlyHundreds of signal types
BattlecardsAI-generated from live signalsRich editor, versioning, approvals
Sales-call insightsNot offeredGong/Chorus call scanning
AI chat over your dataAI chat with citations over your signalsAnswers assistant (in sales tools)
Analyst requiredNo analyst needed — Claude writes the analysisDesigned for a dedicated CI function
Free tierYes — 2 competitors foreverNo
Pick Zelos if
- You are a Series A/B startup without a dedicated CI analyst
- You want insight delivered to your inbox, not another dashboard to check
- You need to start today, not after a procurement cycle
Pick Crayon if
- You have a dedicated PMM/CI team covering 20+ competitors at depth
- You need sales-call scanning and in-CRM battlecard delivery
- Budget above $20K/year is already approved
The verdict
Crayon is the right tool for a staffed CI function. If your "CI team" is you, on a Monday morning, before your standup — that is exactly what Zelos is built for.
Start free — no credit card