Lilypad (now Fintech CRM) is a sales force automation tool built for beverage alcohol suppliers. It's been around since 2013, serves 200+ clients, and does a lot of things well — activity management, placement funnels, team collaboration, depletion data integration, and gamification to keep reps motivated.
InGauge is a field execution platform built around one principle: verification. GPS-verified visits. Photo-verified placements. Data-verified distributor accountability.
Both help beverage sales teams work in the field. The difference is what happens when the rep says "I visited 12 accounts today."
Lilypad logs it. InGauge proves it.
- ✓ Placement tracker (depletion-data driven)
- ✓ Activity management & scoring
- ✓ Cross-tier communication
- ✓ Gamification & leaderboards
- ✓ Digital asset manager
- ✓ Depletion data integration
- ✓ GPS-verified rep visits
- ✓ Photo-verified placements
- ✓ Cold account detection & alerts
- ✓ Distributor accountability scoring
- ✓ Return on Distributor (RoD) metrics
- ✓ Keg tracking in the market
The Verification Gap
Lilypad has an activity scoring system and an account map. Reps log visits, complete tasks, and their activity gets scored. Managers can see who's busy and who's not.
The problem: it's all self-reported.
A rep can log a visit from their car. They can mark an activity as complete without stepping inside the account. The activity score goes up. The manager sees green. But the tap handle might already be rotated off.
This isn't a knock on Lilypad — most CRMs work this way. But when you're paying 20-30% of gross revenue to distribution and managing reps you don't ride along with every day, "trust me, I was there" isn't a system. It's a hope.
Lilypad's activity scoring tells you who's logging the most. InGauge's execution scoring tells you who's executing the most. One measures compliance with the CRM. The other measures performance in the field. That's a meaningful difference when you're evaluating distributor reps you rarely see in person.
The Pricing Problem
Lilypad charges per user. InGauge charges per account — flat rate, unlimited users.
Per-Seat vs Flat Rate
The per-user model punishes growing teams.
| Scenario | Lilypad | InGauge |
|---|---|---|
| 5 users (minimum) | $65/user × 5 | Flat rate |
| = $325/mo + onboarding | $49/mo | |
| Add 3 distributor reps | $65/user × 8 | Still flat |
| = $520/mo | $49/mo | |
| Add 2 more field reps | $65/user × 10 | Still flat |
| = $650/mo | $49/mo |
Lilypad's per-user pricing means every distributor rep you want visibility into adds $65/month to your bill. InGauge's flat rate means you can add your entire distributor team without touching your costs. For a growing brand, that's the difference between scaling visibility and rationing it.
Feature Comparison
Lilypad and InGauge overlap in some areas and diverge sharply in others. Here's the honest breakdown.
| Capability | Lilypad | InGauge |
|---|---|---|
| GPS-Verified Check-ins | ✗ Map view, not verified | ✓ |
| Photo-Verified Placements | ✗ Depletion-data driven | ✓ |
| Cold Account Detection | ✗ | ✓ |
| Execution Score (verified) | ⚠ Activity score (self-reported) | ✓ |
| Return on Distributor (RoD) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Distributor Accountability Scoring | ✗ | ✓ |
| Keg Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cross-Tier Communication | ✓ | ✓ |
| Placement Tracker | ✓ (requires depletion data) | ✓ (photo-based) |
| Activity Scoring / Gamification | ✓ | ✓ |
| Digital Asset Manager | ✓ | ✗ |
| Depletion Data Integration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Route Optimization | ✗ | ✓ |
| Broadcast Messaging | ✗ | ✓ |
| Weekly Executive Recap | ✗ | ✓ |
| Unlimited Users | ✗ $65/user | ✓ Flat rate |
Lilypad's depletion data integration is a genuine differentiator — if your distributors provide depletion reports, Lilypad can pipe that data into placement tracking and account intelligence. InGauge takes a different approach: photo-verified placements and GPS-verified visits as leading indicators, rather than depletion data as a lagging indicator. Both have value. The question is which signal matters more to you.
Reported Activity vs Verified Execution
Tracks what reps report.
Activity management, task completion, placement funnels from depletion data. Strong for team motivation and sales process management. Trust-based — relies on reps to accurately log their work.
Verifies what reps do.
GPS-stamped check-ins, photo proof of placements, cold account alerts, distributor accountability scoring. Built for founders and managers who need to trust but verify — especially with distributor reps.
Who Should Use What
Lilypad is a better fit if you're a mid-size supplier with established distributor relationships, consistent depletion data feeds, and a sales team that needs motivation tools and placement pipeline management. It's built for the three-tier alcohol system and has 10+ years of refinement there.
InGauge is a better fit if you're a growing brand that needs to verify field execution — especially if you're working with new distributors, building accountability into those relationships, managing a mix of self-distributed and distributor-managed accounts, or operating outside traditional alcohol (functional beverages, kombucha, RTD, CBD). It's built around proof, not process.
Lilypad asks "did the rep complete their tasks?" InGauge asks "did the rep actually show up, is the product actually on the shelf, and is the distributor actually working our brand?" One measures compliance. The other measures execution. For a founder paying 20-30% of revenue to distribution, that distinction is worth $49/month.
Forget about trust. InGauge shows truth.
GPS-verified visits. Photo-verified placements. Distributor accountability. Unlimited users at one flat rate.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is InGauge different from Lilypad?
Lilypad is a sales force automation tool focused on activity management, placement funnels, and team collaboration. InGauge is a field execution platform focused on verification — GPS-verified visits, photo-verified placements, and distributor accountability. Lilypad tracks what reps report. InGauge verifies what actually happened.
Does Lilypad have GPS check-ins?
Lilypad has an account map view and tracks visits, events, and ride-alongs. However, its visit logging is rep-reported rather than GPS-verified. There's no geofenced check-in that confirms a rep was physically at the account location. InGauge requires GPS proximity to log a check-in.
How much does Lilypad cost vs InGauge?
Lilypad charges $65 per user per month with a 5-user minimum ($325/month floor, plus onboarding fees). InGauge is $49/month flat during beta with unlimited team members and no per-seat pricing. Adding distributor reps to Lilypad increases your bill; adding them to InGauge doesn't.
Does Lilypad track distributor accountability?
Lilypad has cross-tier communication features for recapping visits and placements to distributors. However, it doesn't offer distributor performance scoring, Return on Distributor metrics, incentive tracking with photo proof, or automated accountability recaps. InGauge is built around distributor accountability as a core feature.