Aside vs Gong: 5 Critical Differences in Top AI Tools for Sales Teams in 2025

Table of Contents

• Difference 1: Real-Time In-Call Coaching vs Post-Call Analysis
• Difference 2: Knowledge Source Integration and Data Accessibility
• Difference 3: Implementation Complexity and Time-to-Value
• Difference 4: Coaching Model: Scalable AI vs Manager-Dependent Coaching
• Difference 5: Pricing Model and ROI Calculation
• Feature Comparison Table
• When to Choose Aside vs Gong
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Conclusion and Next Steps

Quick Comparison: Aside vs Gong at a Glance

Why Sales Teams Are Choosing Between These Platforms

Sales teams are drowning in data but starving for insight. With 61% of sales teams already using AI-powered tools to improve their sales processes, choosing the right platform is no longer optional. It is essential1. Two leading players often show up in these evaluations: Aside and Gong. Both use AI to change how sales teams operate, but they take very different approaches.

The choice between these platforms is more than a software decision. It reflects how your organization believes salespeople should be enabled. This comparison breaks down five critical differences that will help you decide which platform matches your team’s needs and revenue goals.

Difference 1: Real-Time In-Call Coaching vs Post-Call Analysis

The biggest difference between Aside and Gong is about timing and delivery. Aside is built for real-time assistance during live sales calls. When a rep needs an answer about pricing, security, technical specs, or contract terms, Aside surfaces instant answers from your knowledge base, HubSpot, and past calls. This in-the-moment support lets reps handle questions without losing the flow of the conversation.

Gong focuses on what happens after the call. Its AI transcribes calls, analyzes patterns, and highlights coaching opportunities for managers to address later. In practice, Aside helps prevent problems while they are happening. Gong helps diagnose them after the fact.

Real-time guidance lets reps handle objections and technical questions with confidence2. Post-call analysis depends on managers taking the time to review calls and then coach, which can be hard to scale8. Teams that implement real-time guidance often see faster adoption and higher rep confidence in the first 30 days.

Difference 2: Knowledge Source Integration and Data Accessibility

How each platform finds and surfaces information has a big impact on daily workflow. Aside connects to three core knowledge sources: your documentation, your CRM (especially HubSpot), and historical call transcripts. When a rep is on a call, Aside quickly queries these sources and shows relevant answers without forcing the rep to leave the conversation.

Gong is built around call recordings and transcripts as the main data source. Insights flow into dashboards and coaching views. While this gives strong analytics for leaders and managers, reps often need to move into a different interface to see suggestions, which adds friction during fast-moving calls.

This difference matters because 77% of sellers say finding the right content at the right time is critical to performance1. Integrated knowledge platforms can cut search time by up to 40%3. When reps spend less time searching and more time selling, conversion rates usually improve.

Difference 3: Implementation Complexity and Time-to-Value

Sales teams feel constant pressure to show results. How fast you can deploy a platform and see impact is a major factor in buying decisions. Aside’s architecture focuses on simplicity, with minimal setup needed before you start seeing real-time answers in calls. It fits into existing workflows and usually does not require heavy IT involvement.

Gong’s broad feature set requires a deeper implementation. Teams need to set up call routing, CRM integrations, custom dashboards, and reporting. This depth unlocks powerful analytics, but it also stretches time-to-value by months in many cases.

82% of sales teams say quick integration with their existing tech stack is a top priority10. Real-time solutions often go live in 2–4 weeks, while more complex platforms take 8–12 weeks7. Faster implementation tends to correlate with about 25% higher user adoption16.

Difference 4: Coaching Model: Scalable AI vs Manager-Dependent Coaching

Sales managers want to coach more, but time is limited. Many reports show that a large share of managers would like to spend more time coaching, while a similar share openly say they do not have enough hours for consistent sessions. That gap creates an opportunity for tools that can scale coaching without exhausting leadership.

Aside is designed to make every rep sound like a top performer by giving them instant access to answers. When a complex or technical question appears, the rep gets a clear response in the moment. This spreads top-performer knowledge across the team without requiring a manager to join every call.

Gong’s coaching model is built around managers. They review calls, identify coaching moments, and then follow up with reps. This can create very personalized coaching, but it is difficult to scale for larger teams, especially once you have 20 or more reps.

Real-time guidance can reduce ramp time for new sales hires by 30 to 40 percent4. Managers who spend at least a few hours each month on structured coaching see about 25 percent higher revenue per rep8. Scalable AI coaching helps deliver a baseline of consistent support, so manager time is used where it has the biggest impact 13.

Difference 5: Pricing Model and ROI Calculation

Pricing is always part of the decision, especially in mid-market and enterprise environments. Aside usually offers a clear per-user, per-month subscription that scales predictably as the team grows. The value story focuses on time saved while searching for information and on faster deal cycles.

Gong pricing often starts around $1,200 to $1,500 per user per year, which matches its enterprise positioning and broad feature set. Many teams report that they only use a portion of those features, which means the effective cost per actively used capability can be high. If your organization will use the full set of analytics, forecasting, and reporting, Gong’s model can make sense. If your main priority is in-call coaching and knowledge access, Aside’s focused product often leads to better ROI.

Organizations report an average 353% ROI from sales enablement platforms within 12 months11. At the same time, enterprise pricing in the $1,200 to $1,500 per user range can be hard for mid-market teams to justify14. Focused platforms tend to deliver ROI 30 to 40 percent faster because they are easier to implement and adopt15.

When to Choose Aside vs Gong

Your decision should reflect your priorities, team size, process complexity, and biggest pain points.

Choose Aside if: Your reps often do not have answers during calls, you lose deals when technical questions come up, onboarding takes too long, or you need quick deployment with visible impact. Aside is a strong fit for teams that care most about rep enablement, knowledge access, and fast time-to-value.

Choose Gong if: You care most about pipeline visibility, forecasting accuracy, and a structured coaching program built on deep analytics. Gong is a strong match when you are building a mature revenue operations function with heavy reporting needs for executives and multiple stakeholders.

Mid-market teams with 20 to 100 reps often see about 40 percent faster deployment when they choose focused solutions9. Large enterprises with hundreds of reps tend to benefit from platforms that aggregate data and provide broad reporting across functions16.

Frequently Asked Questions

How quickly can we expect ROI from implementing Aside?

Most organizations see measurable ROI within 30 to 60 days. Early signs include shorter calls because reps are not scrambling for answers, faster deal progression, and higher first-call resolution. Full ROI views usually stabilize within 90 days, once you have enough trend data.

Can we use both Aside and Gong together?

Yes. Some companies use Aside for real-time guidance during calls and Gong for deep analytics and forecasting afterward. This can work, but it also increases both complexity and cost. Most teams pick one primary platform based on their most important needs.

How does Aside integrate with our existing CRM?

Aside integrates directly with HubSpot. It pulls account context, deal history, and customer information during the call. It also connects to your internal knowledge base and call archives, so reps see a unified view of helpful information without leaving the conversation.

What is the typical team size for Aside implementation?

Aside supports small teams with a handful of reps and also scales to organizations with hundreds of sellers. Implementation time stays fairly stable because the platform is simple. The main variable is how much data you bring in and how complex your integrations are.

How does Aside handle data privacy and compliance?

Aside is built for enterprise security. It follows standards such as SOC 2 Type II, encrypts data in transit and at rest, and complies with GDPR and CCPA requirements. Call data and documents are stored and processed in line with modern data protection expectations5760.

Making Your Decision: Choosing the Right Platform for 2025

The choice between Aside and Gong reflects how you think about sales enablement. Both platforms can deliver strong ROI when matched to the right context. The key question is not which one is absolutely better. The question is which one solves your most important problems.

Aside is the better fit when you value speed, simplicity, and immediate improvement in rep performance on calls. Gong is the better fit when you want advanced forecasting and analytics, and you are ready to invest in a more complex rollout.

Look at both platforms through the lens of your team’s real daily challenges, your IT and operations maturity, and how quickly you need value.

If you want to see what real-time, in-call coaching feels like in practice, try a demo of Aside. You will see how surfacing answers from your knowledge base, HubSpot, and past calls can help reps sound like your top performers on every call.