MinuteSmith vs. OnBoard
The minutes and the memory — not just board meetings.
OnBoard is a well-regarded board-management platform built around running the meeting: agendas, board books, voting, and document management for mid-market and enterprise boards. It is built for meeting logistics first.
MinuteSmith starts where the meeting ends. It turns notes, a transcript, or a recording into approved, compliance-checked minutes, then files them into a searchable institutional memory you can question across years — self-serve and priced per organization, with board members always free.
What governance memory looks like
- Annual Budget ReviewRaisedResidents flag complaints about AquaCare
- Reserve Study MtgRFP authorizedRFP issued; bids slow — flagged overdue
- Pool Bids & Town HallBids comparedAquaPro $1,850 vs CleanWater $1,950
- Town Hall RecapApproved 7–0AquaPro Services selected · $1,850/mo
The difference in one line: OnBoard runs the board meeting. MinuteSmith produces the record of it and remembers every decision across years.
Where OnBoard fits
A board that wants a full meeting-management suite — agenda building, board-book assembly, in-portal voting, and document libraries — and is ready to adopt a platform for the whole meeting lifecycle.
Where MinuteSmith fits
A board or organization whose real need is the record and the institutional memory: approved minutes generated for them, action accountability, and cited answers across the full history.
OnBoard is described at the category level (board management platform); this is not a feature-by-feature audit, and capabilities and pricing change — confirm current specifics on OnBoard’s own site. MinuteSmith details above are current.
Understand the category: What is governance memory? · Institutional memory for boards · How it works · Pricing
Other comparisons: vs. Diligent · vs. BoardEffect · all comparisons
MinuteSmith vs. OnBoard — FAQ
Is MinuteSmith an OnBoard alternative?+
If your priority is the minutes, the approved record, and a searchable institutional memory — rather than a full meeting-logistics suite — MinuteSmith is a focused, self-serve alternative. Some organizations run it for the record and memory alongside their existing meeting tools.
How does MinuteSmith's pricing compare?+
MinuteSmith publishes its pricing and bills per organization, not per director or per seat — invited board members are always free. Plans start at $149/month (Governance Essentials, one organization), with Professional at $349/month and Portfolio at $699/month, and a 14-day free trial (credit card required, cancel anytime). Enterprise board platforms are typically quote-based and priced per seat; confirm current figures on the vendor's own site.
Can MinuteSmith import our existing board history?+
Yes. Import past minutes — PDFs, Word documents, scanned pages, or Zoom transcripts — and years of history become searchable immediately, so Ask AI and continuity briefs work against your full record right away.
Does MinuteSmith generate the minutes itself?+
Yes. From rough notes, a Word doc, a PDF, a Zoom transcript, a recording, or even handwritten page scans, MinuteSmith produces formal minutes with motions, seconds, and vote counts in about a minute, then runs compliance checks before review.
See it with one of your own meetings.
Paste notes, drop a recording, or import a year of past minutes. Get a board-ready record — and a searchable memory — in minutes.
Start free trial →14-day trial. Credit card required. Board members always free.