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Best Employee Rewards Programs

15+ Best Employee Rewards Programs (2024)

The best employee reward programs - reviewed, rated and compared by our HR software experts. See pros and cons, pricing info & more below.

Huda Idris
Written by
Huda Idris
Tech Editor, Content Ops Manager, and Software Advisor
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Last Updated: Sep 23, 2024
TOP
A gamified rewards platform that’s ideal for growing businesses
Nectar
4.1
Popularity Score
4.5
User Score
4.2
Product  Score
Visit Website
TOP
A gamified rewards platform that’s ideal for growing businesses
Nectar
4.1
Popularity Score
4.5
User Score
4.2
Product  Score
Learn More
TOP
For companies seeking a rewards platform with community-building tools
Motivosity
4.1
Popularity Score
4.7
User Score
4.4
Product  Score
Visit Website
TOP
For companies seeking a rewards platform with community-building tools
Motivosity
4.1
Popularity Score
4.7
User Score
4.4
Product  Score
Learn More
TOP
For companies seeking a rewards platform with an extensive catalog
Bucketlist
4.2
Popularity Score
4.8
User Score
4.4
Product  Score
Visit Website
TOP
For companies seeking a rewards platform with an extensive catalog
Bucketlist
4.2
Popularity Score
4.8
User Score
4.4
Product  Score
Learn More
Over 3 million HR leaders trust our advice

Best Employee Rewards Programs

Nectar

: A gamified rewards platform that’s ideal for growing businesses

Motivosity

: For companies seeking a rewards platform with community-building tools

Bucketlist

: For companies seeking a rewards platform with an extensive catalog

Cooleaf

: A well-rounded employee experience platform for remote teams

Mo

: Designed for orgs wanting to cultivate positive habits among their teams

Workstars

: An affordable rewards platform designed for US and UK-based businesses

Connecteam

: Rewards, time off, and training in one app, free plan available

Guusto

: Excellent rewards platform for businesses with frontline employees

Vantage Circle

: Suitable for global organizations operating in many countries

Matter

: Rewards program works within Slack and MS Teams

Kudos

: Rewards platform tailored for enterprises with 500+ employees

Bonusly

: Suitable for teams wanting a clear and easy rewards process

Assembly

: A rewards and recognition platform designed with SMBs in mind

Reward Gateway

: Great for companies seeking varied rewards and branded mobile apps

Awardco

: For teams preferring personalized gifts like memory books and keepsakes

WorkTango

: Ideal for companies seeking a rewards & performance management system

Terryberry

: For US and UK-based companies wanting to create and give branded merch

Introduction to Employee Rewards Programs

Employee rewards programs help companies motivate staff and attract new talent. They facilitate the distribution of various types of rewards, bonuses, and perks to staff who achieve certain goals.

As with employee recognition software, the best employee rewards platforms can lead to increased employee engagement and significant time savings through automated processes.

Our team of HR experts has years of combined experience both working in HR roles for companies that use rewards programs and reviewing them for SelectSoftware Reviews.

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Our Criteria: Here's How We Chose The Best Employee Rewards Programs

To select the best employee rewards software, we chatted with HR thought leaders, gathered user feedback, grilled vendors on demos, and dug into the feature set of each product.

The most important criteria for employee reward programs to excel on are flexibility and customization, reporting and analytics, and peer-to-peer engagement:

Flexibility and Customization: The strength of many workforces lies in their diversity, and that means not everyone wants the same perks and rewards. We looked specifically for employee reward platforms that offered good customization options.

Reporting and analytics: When rolling out software solutions, it’s critical that outcomes are tracked and the data analyzed so that adjustments and improvements can be made. It’s no different with employee rewards programs - the best platforms provided the end user with intuitive analytics dashboards displaying actionable data.

Peer-to-peer engagement: Employee rewards shouldn't simply be something doled out by bosses. The recipients should have some input on the process, too. Features like voting and polls help employee reward platforms stand out.

The key criteria are similar to those of employee recognition software. Vendors with great employee rewards platforms often excel on both fronts.

We are thorough in our research, vetting, and selection process. Read more about how we evaluate HR tech here.

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Compare the Best Employee Rewards Programs

Popularity Score
Best for
Key Differentiator
Pricing
Free Trial
Customers
Users Score
Product Score

Nectar

Most Popular
4.1
SMBs and remote-first teams who want peer-to-peer rewards
Tailored, peer-to-peer rewards
Starts at $5/mo
No
N/A
4.5
4.2

Motivosity

Most Popular
4.1
Mid-market teams on the verge of expansion
Focuses on employee-driven engagement culture
Starts at $4/user/month
No
N/A
4.7
4.4

Bucketlist

Most Popular
4.2
English-speaking companies of all sizes
Activity-based rewards with simple competition creation
Starts at $2/user/month
Yes
N/A
4.8
4.4

Cooleaf

Most Popular
4.1
SMBs with 250+, particularly remote and hybrid
Employee sentiment to motivate and engage employees
Custom Pricing
No
N/A
4.7
4.2

Mo

Most Popular
4.1
Companies of all sizes focused on engagement
Strengths-based engagement, rewards, and recognition
Starts at $2.25/mo
No
58,000+ companies
4.6
4.4

Workstars

Most Popular
4.0
US and UK companies with 100-10,000 employees
Flexible employee engagement software
Starts at $1.81/user/mo
Yes
N/A
4.7
4.1

Connecteam

Most Popular
4.1
Teams with deskless/remote/hourly employees
Rewards, recognition, training, and time off in one hub
Starts at $29/mo
Yes
36,000+ companies
4.6
4.3

Guusto

Most Popular
4.0
US and Canada companies looking for plug-and-play simplicity
Rewards and recongition, offers humanitarian donations
Starts at $40/user/month
Yes
N/A
4.7
4.2

Vantage Circle

Most Popular
4.1
Companies of all sizes
Rewards platform in over 100 countries and in 16 languages
Custom Pricing
No
700+ companies
4.4
4.1

Matter

Most Popular
4.1
SMBs already using Slack and Teams
Rewards and recognition inside Slack and Teams
$3/mo
Yes
4,700+ companies
4.6
4.3

Kudos

Most Popular
4.1
SMBs wanting a platform with a high-touch expereince
Matches company values to rewards
Custom Pricing
No
N/A
4.8
4.2

Bonusly

Most Popular
4.1
Remote and hybrid teams wanting flexible reward options
Offers an international rewards catalog of gift cards
Starts at $2.70/user/month
Yes
3,300+ companies
4.8
4.2

Assembly

Most Popular
4.1
Free for teams of 5 or less, affordable SMBs
Intranet comms platform with rewards and recognition
Starts at $2.80/employee
Yes
N/A
4.7
4.1

Reward Gateway

Most Popular
4.1
Multi-national teams wanting a multi-functional tool
Enterprise-scale engagement, rewards, and recognition
Starts at £6/user/month
Yes
N/A
4.3
4.4

Awardco

Most Popular
4.1
Teams wanting full-service rewards & easy automation
Comprehensive rewards platform with Amazon integration
$2500 minimum annual fee
No
N/A
4.7
4.4

WorkTango

Most Popular
4.2
Small and mid-size teams in knowledge worker industries
Intuitive rewards tool with useful analytics
Custom Pricing
No
1,000+ companies
4.5
4.4

Terryberry

Most Popular
4.0
Companies with deskless workers in the US and UK
Feature-rich worldwide rewards platform
Custom Pricing
No
40,000+ companies
4.6
4.1
Phil Strazzulla
HR Tech Expert, Harvard MBA, Software Enthusiast

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Detailed Reviews of the Best Employee Rewards Programs

Nectar

Visit Website
Nectar
Learn More
Popularity Score
4.1 / 5
User Score
4.5 / 5
Product Score
4.2 / 5

Why we picked Nectar

Nectar's catalog covers an extensive range of rewards, from company swag to Amazon goods, gift cards, and charity donations. If that’s not enough, you also have the option to add custom rewards that are tailored to the relevant recipient(s).

PROS

  • Transparent pricing.
  • Volume discounts are available for organizations with 500+ employees.
  • You only pay for the used rewards – unused pointed allowances won’t cost a dime.
  • Regularly releases user-driven features and product updates.
  • New AI-powered internal communications tool with drag-and-drop editor and templates for quick announcements.
  • Regularly introduces new features and enhancements to its products.
  • Volume discounts available for organizations with 500+ employees.
  • You pay for the rewards that are claimed. Points and allowances that remain unused won’t cost you a dime.

CONS

  • No longer offer a free plan. No free trial available.
  • The rewards selection could feel limited to some teams, especially those looking for more experiences.
  • Requires a minimum annual commitment of $4,000.
  • The priced plans are not available to start off as a self-service process. You’d have to book a demo and pay to access some of the premium features.
  • The rewards selection could feel limited to some teams, especially those looking for more experiences in offer.
  • No longer offer a free plan.
Nectar's Employee Rewards Software dashboard screenshot

Nectar Review

Nectar’s employee rewards platform is comprehensive, customizable, and easy to use. We were particularly impressed by its variety of employee reward options. Through a direct integration with Amazon Business, employees can choose from Amazon's vast product catalog for their rewards. For those who prefer gift cards, Nectar offers access to ones from hundreds of different brands all over the world. Employees can also opt to receive company-branded swag shipped directly to their door or donate their rewards to charity. For a more personal touch, you can add custom rewards to Nectar’s catalog like tickets to local events or lunch with the CEO. With this many options, there’s definitely something for everyone and the best part is, if we haven’t clarified this already, employees get to pick their own rewards!

Nectar also automates service awards and birthdays, eliminating the need to manually send gifts for employee milestones. We were able to quickly set up automated birthday and anniversary point awards and social feed shoutouts. Another way to see upcoming events is through Nectar’s calendar, which we’ve found quite straightforward and tells you what’s happening on a given day if you hover over it.

Beyond rewards, you can create challenges aligned with goals or values, have employees self-report completion, and approve submissions. Plus, a new feature for internal communication has been added to the platform, which lets you create an announcement within minutes right within Nectar.

All in all, if you’re looking for a platform to boost engagement and show appreciation to your employees, we think Nectar is worth considering.

Nectar Customers

Nectar is used by many known brands including Redfin, Golden State Warriors, Major League Baseball, and SHRM.

Nectar Pricing

Nectar offers three plans with an annual agreement of $4,000.

  • Plus plan: $5 per employee per month when billed annually.
  • Premium plan: $6 per employee per month when billed annually.
  • Custom plan: Quote-based pricing.

Best For

Organizations with 50-2,000 employees seeking to build a lasting culture of appreciation.

Nectar in action
Reviewer's Rating
8/10

We have managers give recognition at least once a week. Employees use it to get items with their points. They also like to have another way to communicate with each other.

What do you like about this tool?

We like the user-friendly platform. They have great customer service. Our employees are able to use their points towards stuff they enjoy.

Why did your organization buy this tool, and how long have you used it for?

We purchased it to engage employees and give recognition. We love the idea of employees giving positive feedback to each other. Our employees wanted to be able to give each other recognition as well. We used it for 2.5 years.

What do you dislike about this tool?

Nectar took a while to implement. Our employees would like to see additional / new options to purchase with points. Notifications to employees didn’t always work.

How is this tool different than their competitors?

They are very similar to competitors. Their gift selection seems smaller then others.

What Instructions should people think about when buying this type of tool?

Consider time of implementation. Make sure that your team uses it on a regular basis. Give incentives for employees to give each other recognition.

How has this tool changed or evolved over time to meet users needs?

They are always making updates to improve. They have improved the overall design of the app.

What specific type of user or organization is this tool very good for?

Larger companies that aren’t able to recognize and acknowledge every employee all the time.

What specific type of user or organization would this tool not be a good fit for?

Small companies that interact every day.

Motivosity

Visit Website
Motivosity
Learn More
Popularity Score
4.1 / 5
User Score
4.7 / 5
Product Score
4.4 / 5

Why we picked Motivosity

Motivosity lets employees choose personalized, exciting rewards; automates service awards and birthdays; and leverages gamification to drive engagement in company initiatives.

PROS

  • Motivosity is mobile-friendly. Users can access the platform via phones, desktops, and collaboration apps like Teams and Slack.
  • The company offers free software (namely Connect) with fundamental features for employee engagement.
  • The free trials are available for all paid subscriptions.
  • In addition to rewards, it’s easy to give a shout-out or recognition to another colleague through the platform.
  • The built-in reporting provides helpful insights around potential attrition, most recognized employees, and performance highlights.
  • Employees can access this system from their phones, desktop, and apps they are in at work such as Teams/Slack
  • One platform that combines rewards, recognition, employee engagement, and more
  • Built in reporting with insights around potential attrition, most recognized employees, managers that need coaching, etc.

CONS

  • Lack of rules to regulate the distribution of points. For example, a team member could give 100% of their monthly rewards to a friend.
  • Performance management features, like 1:1s and coaching, are no longer available.
  • Only has dollar (not points) based rewards.  Their research shows dollars is more effective, but many companies want points.
  • Some users claimed sometimes it can be a bit buggy connecting to Slack to notify people that an appreciation came through.
  • It would have broadened the number of gift card options for users to choose from.
  • There could have been an easier way to integrate the software with swag stores. For now, you have to transfer funds to a card and then link that card with the swag store, which slows down a bit the process to cash in funds.
Motivosity's employee rewards program dashboard screenshot

Motivosity Review

Motivosity helps companies move beyond the standardized and often underwhelming rewards. Through the platform, employees can choose rewards that actually excite them from a customizable online store, containing hundreds of digital and physical gift cards to national brands and local businesses.

We’ve given it a shot and it was easy to add custom rewards to the store. It was also easy to create and set the parameters for custom competitions (these can be a wellness program, book club, or anything you can challenge employees to do, consensually of course) as well as make badges and define awards for those who win. To ensure integrity through competitions, Motivosity lets employees upload proof like steps count and book reviews.

Finally, and like a best-in-class employee rewards software should, Motivosity automates service awards and birthday shoutouts. Recipients get a customized gift and message, and colleagues can add public comments to celebrate coworkers on their special days.

Motivosity Customers

Health Catalyst, Cotopaxi, Health Equity, Instructure, Ivanti

Motivosity Pricing

Motivosity’s core product of Recognition and Rewards is $4 per employee per month. This includes all of their tools for internal communication, rewards, awards, milestones, social connection features, etc. For a comprehensive list of features included in each pricing option, refer to Motivosity's dedicated pricing page.

Best For

Motivosity is best for companies from 10 to 10,000 employees that can drive engagement and improve morale through the platform.

Motivosity in action
Reviewer's Rating
8/10

I use Motivosity on a daily basis, as it is a part of my routine and habit. Here are some key workflows I use it for:

Every morning, I check the social feed to see the recognitions that my colleagues and managers have sent and received. I like to read the comments and reactions, and join the conversation by adding my own.

Throughout the day, I send and receive recognitions, points, and badges for the work that I do and the work that others do. I try to align the recognitions with our core values and goals, and be specific and sincere in my messages.

Every week, I redeem my points for gift cards, perks, or donations. I like to treat myself or others with something that I or they enjoy, or support a cause that is cared about.

Every month, I review the analytics and reports that Motivosity provides. I like to see the impact of recognition on my performance, engagement, and retention. I also like to see the trends, patterns, and insights of the recognition and rewards activities.

What do you like about this tool?

Some of the main reasons why I like Motivosity are:

It helps me feel appreciated and valued by my colleagues and managers for my work and contributions.

It allows me to redeem my points for gift cards, perks, or donations that I enjoy or care about.

It integrates with my other tools such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, and ADP making it easy to access and use.

Why did your organization buy this tool, and how long have you used it for?

My organization bought Motivosity because we wanted to improve our employee engagement and retention. We had a problem with low morale, high turnover, and lack of recognition among our staff. We needed a tool that could help us create a culture of appreciation and motivation in our workplace.

I have personally used Motivosity for about six months, and I have seen a positive change in our workplace culture. I feel more appreciated and valued by my colleagues and managers. I also enjoy recognizing and rewarding others for their work. I think Motivosity is a great employee engagement platform that helps us achieve our goals and grow as a team.

What do you dislike about this tool?

Some of the main ways that Motivosity can improve or I wish it were different are:

It could offer a free trial for the upper tiers, so that potential customers can evaluate the features and benefits of the platform before purchasing.

It could improve the Android app, so that it is more stable and reliable, and has the same functionality and user experience as the iOS app.

It could provide more direct support options, such as chat, phone, or email so that customers can get faster and better assistance for their questions, issues, or feedback.

How is this tool different than their competitors?

Motivosity is different from its competitors in a couple of ways. Here are some of the main differences and how it stacks up:

Motivosity has a unique feature called MVTV, which is a live stream of recognition that can be displayed on TVs, monitors, or screensavers. This feature enhances the visibility and impact of recognition in the workplace. I have not seen this feature in any other platform, and I think it is a great way to celebrate and inspire employees.

Motivosity has a flat pricing model that charges per user per month regardless of the number of users. This makes it easy to budget and scale the platform as the organization grows. Most of the other platforms have tiered pricing models that charge different rates based on the number of users or features. I prefer Motivosity's pricing model because it is affordable, transparent, and easy to use.

What Instructions should people think about when buying this type of tool?

Employee engagement software is a type of tool that helps organizations measure and improve the engagement and satisfaction of their employees. When buying this type of tool, people should think about the following criteria:

The tool should offer features and functionality that match the organization's goals and needs for employee engagement. The tool should also be easy to use, customize, and scale.

It should have a high user adoption and feedback rate which means that most of the employees who are invited to use the tool actually use it regularly and provide feedback on their experience. This indicates that the tool is engaging, fun, and valuable for the employee.

Lastly, the tool should have a transparent and affordable pricing model that fits the organization's budget and expectations. The tool should demonstrate a clear and positive return on investment (ROI), which means that the tool helps the organization achieve its desired outcomes, such as improved performance, retention, and culture.

How has this tool changed or evolved over time to meet users needs?

I have noticed two ways in which Motivosity has changed or evolved over time to meet users needs:

It has introduced new features and functionality to enhance the user experience and provide more value to the customers. For example, some of the recent additions are MVTV, a live stream of recognitions that can be displayed a number of ways; ThanksMatters Card which is a Visa card that allows users to use their Motivosity Bucks anywhere Visa is accepted; and 1 on 1's, a tool that helps managers and employees have effective and meaningful conversations.

Motivosity has expanded the integrations and partnerships to make it easier for users to access and use the platform from different platforms and tools. For example, some of the recent integrations and partnerships are Microsoft Teams, a chat and collaboration tool that allows users to send and receive recognitions, points and badges from within the app; Covver, a swag provider that allows users to redeem their points for branded merchandise; and Sweeteners, a perk provider that allows users to redeem their points for discounts and deals.

What specific type of user or organization is this tool very good for?

Motivosity is suitable for teams of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises, across various industries and sectors. It is especially beneficial for remote or hybrid teams, as it helps them stay connected, engaged, and motivated.

What specific type of user or organization would this tool not be a good fit for?

Motivosity might not be a good fit for users or organizations that:

Prefer more customization and flexibility for the recognition and rewards features, such as creating their own badges, points, or gift cards.

Require more direct support or contact options from the Motivosity team, such as chat, phone, or email, for their questions, issues, or feedback.

Bucketlist

Visit Website
Bucketlist
Learn More
Popularity Score
4.2 / 5
User Score
4.8 / 5
Product Score
4.4 / 5

Why we picked Bucketlist

With its vast rewards catalog, easy fulfillment, collaborative team challenges, and more, Bucketlist boosts employee satisfaction and retention. They also offer dedicated support to help you optimize your incentive programs.

PROS

  • Numerous rewards are available. Some users have even mentioned that it’s hard to pick one.
  • Known for adding customer suggestions to its product roadmap and delivering on them.
  • Web and mobile versions are easy to use.
  • A pilot program is available.
  • Available in English, Spanish, and French.
  • Vast number of rewards available, some users have even mentioned that it’s hard to pick one
  • The Bucketlist team has been known for adding customer suggestions to their product roadmap and delivering on them 
  • When it comes to pricing, they offer to match another offer if you find a better price elsewhere

CONS

  • Rewards in the form of experiences are quite limited compared to cash rewards.
  • Some users found shoutouts, tokens, and goal setup features challenging to use.
  • Only available in English 
  • Little information is available as to the particularities of their concierge service for experience rewards.
Bucketlist dashboard screenshot

Bucketlist Review

Bucketlist’s rewards and incentives platform has all the features you need to boost employee satisfaction, engagement, and retention. For starters, it features a comprehensive catalog of over 2,500 rewards employees can choose from, ranging from gift cards to merchandise to unique experiences. Reward fulfillment is fairly simple, with no markup on rewards.

The UI was easy to navigate in our testing. It was also simple to create different competitions which can be tied to sales goals, community service hours, or any important metric. The progress team members make can be tracked on a leaderboard, and winning members or teams receive the incentives you’ve previously defined. There are also detailed analytics and reports that give you plenty of insight into which incentives or awards resonate most with your employees.

On top of its robust features, Bucketlist also offers dedicated support to optimize your setup and training for all users. The implementation process is quick and easy with seamless integrations with platforms your team already uses like G-Suite and Office 365. Overall, we think Bucketlist is a fantastic platform to streamline and enhance your rewards initiatives while checking all the boxes: easy setup, impactful features, and excellent service.

Bucketlist Customers

The platform has over 470,000 users from 100+ countries. Some of them are First Bank, RBC, Interac, Chick-fil-A, 1-800-GOT-JUNK, Stamford Health, Danone, Majesco, and Applebee’s.

Bucketlist Pricing

Bucketlist plans are priced on a tiered pricing model based on company size. Typically, the range is $2 - $4 dollars per employee per month.

Best For

Bucketlist works best for medium to enterprise-size businesses (200 to 5,000+ employees).

Bucketlist in action
Reviewer's Rating
8/10

I use Bucketlist a minimum of 3 times a week. I use it to set reminders for birthdays and anniversary milestones. This allows my staff to feel valued and part of a team. Being able to send a quick message or an actual reward has made this program valuable to the company. Having motivational tools increases productivity as well as office morale.

What do you like about this tool?

I feel the ease of sending employees rewards is my number one pro of the program. Keeping my team excited and motivated is great. Also, not having to use multiple programs for each task is wonderful. I feel remembering milestones and birthdays is important to my staff and this has very little room for error.

Why did your organization buy this tool, and how long have you used it for?

My company was using other software programs to set reminders of anniversaries and birthdays. We then would have a separate email program to send recognition awards. It was a hassle and very time-consuming. It was also easy to make errors because of not having a streamlined program.

What do you dislike about this tool?

I feel that sometimes, the number of options in awards can be overwhelming. The news feed could be organized by department, which would make it geared to that area of the company. I also think being able to make the recognition public to all staff could be motivating to everyone.

How is this tool different than their competitors?

Bucketlist was incredibly easy to use, and I feel it is one of the better programs out there. It also is cost-effective and great for time management. I feel that fewer steps taken daily increase HR productivity and keep my team hyped up to do better. It is a great way to encourage staff members to do their best while feeling valued.

What Instructions should people think about when buying this type of tool?

I would recommend doing their own research as to whether this program fits their company's needs. They offer a free trial, which I highly recommend utilizing. I feel this program is a wonderful tool, and my advice would be to purchase it.

How has this tool changed or evolved over time to meet users needs?

They are constantly updating their system, adding new tools, and making it easier to navigate.

What specific type of user or organization is this tool very good for?

Tech companies and really, any office with staff members.

What specific type of user or organization would this tool not be a good fit for?

Companies such as a restaurant since staff members are not always on a computer.

Cooleaf

Visit Website
Cooleaf
Learn More
Popularity Score
4.1 / 5
User Score
4.7 / 5
Product Score
4.2 / 5

Why we picked Cooleaf

What’s cool about Cooleaf is that you can automate work anniversary rewards and make your own catalog from a variety of international reward offerings. Plus, the employee rewards app has an option for employees to use reward points to send a gift card to a peer or loved one.

PROS

  • Very user-friendly. Easy to upload, create content, and redeem rewards.
  • A complete platform for employee engagement, not just rewards and recognition.
  • The Slack integration is seamless– posts and recognitions are gathered within the team’s Slack channel.
  • Various rewards include a team store, donations, entertainment, travel experiences, merch, products, and restaurant coupons.
  • Available on both Apple Store and Google Play.
  • Full platform for all things employee engagement, not just rewards and recognition. 
  • The Slack integration is very seamless. Challenges, posts, and recognitions can all be gathered within dedicated channels in your team’s Slack workplace, if you want to. 
  • Wide variety of rewards including a team store, donations, entertainment, travel experiences, merch, products, and restaurant coupons.

CONS

  • Users cannot create workplace culture-building challenges and activities.
  • Support is limited to an online form.
  • Undisclosed pricing.
  • No free plan or free trial.
  • Login and single sign-on issues were reported with app use.
  • For some of the workplace culture-building features, like challenges and activities, you can’t create your own, so you rely on how often Cooleaf’s team makes them available. 
  • We found the support center’s documentation to be somewhat limited in comparison to similar tools. Also, it seems like support is only done through an online form, no other channels are available.
Cooleaf dashboard screenshot

Cooleaf Review

Cooleaf offers a seamless and effective way to reward deserving employees. We’ve poked around the platform and found it easy to navigate through its different modules. It was particularly easy to set up rewards and shoutouts for defined goals and milestones. Rewards can range from digital badges to merchandise, gift cards, and swag, so there are options to fit any budget.

You can define a budget for managers to reward performance and incentivize stakeholders as they see fit. This autonomy helps managers surprise and delight their teams with experiences and gifts tailored to what would be most meaningful. From the employee POV, we really like how it’s easy for them to give shout-outs to one another. Beyond just a thank you, these thoughtful recognitions boost morale.

With Cooleaf's customized service awards, manager autonomy, frictionless peer recognition, and data-driven insights, you can successfully build a lasting culture of appreciation. For any organization looking to improve retention and performance, we believe Cooleaf is worth checking out.

Cooleaf Customers

Shipt, SalesLoft, Toyota, Synovus Bank, Kids2

Cooleaf Pricing

Cooleaf offers custom pricing via a monthly subscription model based on the number of employees included in the program. Contact their Sales team for a quote.

Best For

Cooleaf is best for small and mid-sized businesses with an average workforce of 250+ people. Cooleaf is also a good choice for remote or hybrid teams looking to boost employee satisfaction.

Cooleaf in action
Reviewer's Rating
8/10

I use Cooleaf weekly to check on health and reporting within my clients' companies. It improves social and cultural collaboration. The platform is an easy to use employee management system. Cooleaf makes employee communication fun for the team. Recognizing employee accomplishments through Cooleaf has helped my clients understand employee performance and perspectives.

What do you like about this tool?

Cooleaf is very employee friendly. It can be difficult for larger teams to keep track of accomplishments, birthdays etc but this platform eliminates that concern. It has been instrumental in improving engagement for remote team members post-pandemic.

Why did your organization buy this tool, and how long have you used it for?

I have used Cooleaf to manage employees for clients since 2021. The service allows HR to track employee engagement and handle employee reporting. Cooleaf allows me to send surveys, improve peer recognition, and offer rewards for staff. It integrates with other software that we use easily. Cooleaf has a fun interface that enables the HR team to keep track of important changes on the go.

What do you dislike about this tool?

There are sometimes issues with the mobile app sending push notifications. Cooleaf’s voucher program can be tedious to track if the employee does not use their points. The voucher system could use an update with more exciting redeemable options.

How is this tool different than their competitors?

Cooleaf is a fun platform. The service is affordable and user friendly. Other platforms like Guusto have slightly better features and redeemable options.

What Instructions should people think about when buying this type of tool?

How many employees need Cooleaf access? Do you have a remote staff and will any rewards be applicable in their location?

How has this tool changed or evolved over time to meet users needs?

I have used Cooleaf since 2021 and since that time, they have improved their customer service response and engagement surveys.

What specific type of user or organization is this tool very good for?

Cooleaf is good for small-medium sized organizations that focus on employee engagement. It is a customizable service that can get expensive if you have budgetary constraints.

What specific type of user or organization would this tool not be a good fit for?

I would not recommend Cooleaf to large companies because the cost can increase as you expand but it is a solid service.

Mo

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Mo
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Popularity Score
4.1 / 5
User Score
4.6 / 5
Product Score
4.4 / 5

Why we picked Mo

With Mo, you can design and automate your employee rewards program with its easy-to-manage peer-to-peer appreciation, budget controls, and reporting functionalities.

PROS

  • User-friendly UI with a wide range of gift card options.
  • Transparent and reasonable pricing, no rewards fees.
  • Available in twelve languages and growing.
  • Free software onboarding and implementation support for all plan users.
  • Mobile apps are available for both Android and iOS users.
  • UI is easy to navigate, and users seem to appreciate the varied choice of gift cards they can offer through the platform.
  • Transparent pricing starting from $2.25/user/month with no rewards fees.
  • Free onboarding and implementation support for all users.
  • Robust and feature-rich mobile applications.
  • Available in 12 languages and growing.

CONS

  • No HRIS integration in Base plan. Potential implementation fee for Slack and Microsoft Teams integrations.
  • The customer support hours are limited to weekdays, 9 AM - 5 PM GMT.
  • No free trials or free plans.
  • HRIS integration absent in Base plan. Possible implementation fee for Slack and Microsoft Teams integrations.
  • The customer support hours are limited to weekdays, 9 AM - 5 PM GMT.
Our reviewer took screenshot of Mo's Employee Engagement Platform Software during the review

Mo Review

Mo makes rewarding employees incredibly simple, meaningful, and fun. We put it to the test and found the UI quite intuitive. It’s easy to grant credits to deserving employees, which they can redeem from Mo’s extensive rewards marketplace of major brands like Amazon, Nordstrom, and Tesco.

Colleagues can post public or private appreciative “Moments” and react with comments, emojis, and GIFs, nurturing a culture of appreciation from the bottom up. Managers can also use Mo’s unique “Boosts” to regularly prompt team members to recognize one another for day-to-day wins.

We like a lot of things about Mo but if we had to choose just one, it’d definitely be their automated Assistant. The Assistant automatically reminds managers to recognize employees on their special days like birthdays, work anniversaries, and other special occasions. It also nudges managers and employees to share appreciation if someone has not been recognized in a while, which is something we’ve not seen on other platforms.

Mo Customers

Mo has more than 58,000 users. Some top customers are SGN, The O2, NHS, Aspen, William Hill, and SHL.

Mo Pricing

Mo has three plans, billed annually:

  • Appreciate costs $2.25 per user per month.
  • Engage costs $4.5 per user per month.
  • Transform has custom pricing – contact Mo's team for a quote.

Best For

Mo works exceptionally well for distributed teams who want to connect and motivate employees within established internal communications platforms like MS Teams and Slack.

Mo in action
Reviewer's Rating
10/10

We use Mo every day across my remit which is back office Operations. We have roughly 1100/1200 people on the platform and an average of 1500 moments shared on it a month. The key processes we use it for are:

  • P2P points scheme - We give everyone in the departments a small financial amount at the start of each month. They can't spend it on themselves, they can only give it to colleagues when sharing moments. It encourages them to recognize each other for things like training, help with a tricky problem or account, support as a friend/colleague, advice or generally being a good egg. This is the most popular activity we use Mo for and has the biggest impact on the shift in culture and engagement.
  • All leadership groups have additional ad-hoc pots that they can reward from which focus more on performance-based recognition.
  • We use the platform for our quarterly awards. The award categories are sent out and everyone nominates their colleagues for different awards. Last month we had 283 nominations from a department of 400. It's then easy to shortlist and pick winners there. The winners can then be celebrated through Moments on Mo, and rewarded at the same time. It's also 1 click of a button to then send out the nominations to every nominee for each award category.
  • More recently we've started using Boosts which are automated triggers set once a week, in line with our agile sprint work. They prompt people to celebrate their weekly wins in a shared setting for everyone to engage with. This also makes it much easier for senior leadership to have a presence on the platform when their time is so limited. We also use it for the start of the week's focusses and goals to keep everyone connected on our objectives.
  • As the budget master I then also use the platform for any additional ad-hoc activity I run such as monthly non-performance-based incentives to further build our culture and connect people.
  • I don't know if I'm allowed to share how much has been cashed in by our colleagues at the inhouse store in Mo over the last 2 years but suffice to say it's an astounding figure and all of it is people saving up what they receive from various things and spending it on exactly what they want as the store is so extensive. It gives them autonomy and choice and makes it really easy which they love. It's been particularly appreciated during the cost of living crisis to go towards supermarket shops or school shoes from Clarks, house renovations from B&Q, as well as AirBnB staycations and so, so much more.
What do you like about this tool?
  • It saves me SO MUCH TIME!
  • It's so simple to use and for other people to pick up
  • Its use grows organically once people start using it
  • The variety of the store gives our people huge autonomy and variety
  • It makes rewarding easy and fun
  • It helps drive a positive culture, a culture of recognition and appreciation
  • I love just how much everyone else loves it
  • The team that works there is so helpful and works with you to always deliver improvements
  • It continues to deliver extra value, we're always finding new ways to get more out of it.
  • It's made my life a million times easier. I could never go back.
Why did your organization buy this tool, and how long have you used it for?

We initially bought it to automate the plethora of manual processes that I was trying to execute manually myself beforehand. This includes managing the general reward and recognition schemes, all nomination processes, awarding, and the peer-to-peer R&R scheme we ran. All purchasing of vouchers, prizes, etc in a hybrid world which requires getting people's addresses, etc.

This range of activities took up almost all of my time and left very little to work on bigger strategic projects. It couldn't continue.

Mo automated all these processes, for example sending out the nominations sent in for our quarterly awards to each nominee. This took the best part of a day to manually send all of these emails for every nomination. Now it takes no more than 30 seconds, I click one button for each category and they all go out. This is a time saving that is replicated across multiple processes and has completely changed the scope of what my role can deliver because of the time it saves.

However, the real value has come since then. With my free time, I've been able to develop our use of Mo to be the centerpiece that everything is built around. We've learned much further on the peer-to-peer scheme and the overarching objectives of engagement are about bridging the gap and connecting people to feel part of a team where community is our culture and fun is in our DNA. Mo allows us to drive this culture shift, connecting people all over the country through positive interactions on the platform, strengthening working relationships and our sense of broader identity. We've been using it for 2 years now, and are averaging 1500 moments shared on the platform a month (each being a recognition, thank you, or award) with c1100 users. It's helped drive a 1.9 increase in our engagement score in Peakon in 1 year.

What do you dislike about this tool?
  • I really can't call out things I dislike. The only feedback I get is:
  • You can't edit a moment once you've sent it (but I understand why that's the case).
How is this tool different than their competitors?

It wraps everything up into one easy-to-use and comprehensive platform. At the same time, it's not cluttered with useless extras. The service you get for the price is extremely good, the customer service is exceptional and the team is an absolute pleasure to work with.

It was the only platform I found that facilitated the peer-to-peer scheme I was running. I was able to completely replicate the model in Mo but have the entire thing automated. Nothing else allowed that level of autonomy for the user but control for the admin too. The store is extremely comprehensive too which makes a massive difference. Others were good but the Mo one is bang on with variety and caters to a wide range of preferences. Once or twice at the start, I had people ask if other stores could be added but I've never had it since.

The Boost functionality and how it helps support our agile ways of working has been a real leap forward and their manager assistant is a really helpful tool for our leadership population. It seems as time goes on, the more and more we can align how we work and what we do to utilize the platform to support us.

What Instructions should people think about when buying this type of tool?

Think about what you really need, and what problem are you directly trying to solve. That's the first question. The second is what's possible. My view shifted so much once we got Mo to all these other possibilities that I hadn't considered before. Ask the what-if questions, challenge what you are doing, and think what would be the dream scenario. Also, think of it from a bigger cultural piece. What attitudes, behaviors, and cultures are you wanting to drive within your business and what's going to best support you in doing that. Also, does it automate for you? The more it automates, the more time you have to dig deeper into the bigger issues/questions.

How has this tool changed or evolved over time to meet users needs?

Since we started using it 2 years ago. It introduced the Boost function and the manager's assistance. These two upgrades more specifically target the leadership population as we/they'd identified that they were the harder population to get engaged with the platform. These upgrades build in routine and simple triggers which are easy for leaders to respond to. The assistant also gives all the key information you need in one easy place (budgets, team activity, etc) but also great in-house articles to get people thinking about management approaches with a more modern and progressive approach which I know has been really well received.

What specific type of user or organization is this tool very good for?

I would say a more modern organization or one that wants to modernize. It's probably not good for a traditional working environment so much. It works for big businesses and small businesses too. Its functionality allows you to manage the view in a way that means you can scale as large as you like and not lose the personal touch it offers.

What specific type of user or organization would this tool not be a good fit for?

As explained above, a traditional working organization that doesn't really want to modernize in how it treats its employees or thinks about things like culture and engagement.

Workstars

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Workstars
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Popularity Score
4 / 5
User Score
4.7 / 5
Product Score
4.1 / 5

Why we picked Workstars

Workstarts gives you the choice to gift employees from its online rewards and prepaid cards or to create your own catalog of incentives and perks that meet your employees’ liking, redeemable at both a local and global scale.

PROS

  • Pretty simple to launch and navigate.
  • Pricing is transparent—no fees for setting up the system.
  • Cost-effective when compared to similar platforms.
  • Culturally aware, while based mainly in the UK and the US, the Workstars team has been known to go the extra mile to adapt to the customs, expectations, and cost of living adjustments of clients in other parts of the world.
  • 30-day trial with a dedicated support agent.
  • Custom rewards like service awards, top performer awards, nominations, voting, etc
  • Cost-effective when compared to similar platforms. 
  • Culturally-aware; while based mostly in the UK and US, the Workstars team has been known to go the extra mile to adapt to the customs, expectations, and cost of living adjustments of clients in other parts of the world.

CONS

  • No HRMS integrations. To upload employee data, the user must either make do with XML/CSV files or set up the API integrations.
  • No free plan.
  • No HRMS integrations. To upload people data, you’d have to make do with XML or CSV files, or try to have IT set up an integration with an API. 
  • No free plan or free trial
workstars dashboard

Workstars Review

Workstars can help you deliver an exceptional employee experience with its global flexibility, seamless integrations, actionable insights, and strong security. Through the platform, you can access an online catalog of rewards and prepaid cards to incentivize employees, locally or globally. In our testing, we were quite impressed by how the platform let us add and change languages, countries, currencies, and cost of living adjustments without extra fees. It’s got a level of flexibility we’ve not seen on other platforms.

We are also fans of Workstars’ analytics capabilities, giving users valuable insights into workforce engagement trends, undercover achievers, and corporate value effectiveness. It also provides the reports you need for finance, IT security audits, and more.

Workstars also integrates with popular tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Salesforce, and prioritizes security, with robust protocols around data storage, GDPR compliance, and penetration testing. To top it all off, the platform is fully responsive on mobile devices, ensuring employees can access Workstars anywhere.

Workstars Customers

TT Electronics, Trac, and AstraZeneca are some of the many companies that use Workstars.

Workstars Pricing

Workstars offers three subscription plans, billed monthly: Entry, Pro, and Global. The pricing for these plans ranges from £1.50 - £4 per user depending on the number of user seats you need and whether you need to use the platform in multiple languages/currencies.

Best For

Workstars is great for scalability. Their clients have a range of 50-10,000 employees. The bigger the team, the better the price.

Workstars in action
Reviewer's Rating
10/10

We use it to say happy birthdays. We use it to wish each other happy work anniversaries. We use it to create a positive environment for our employees. It has helped increase overall morale.

What do you like about this tool?

I really like the design of emails. I like that you can custom-make emails that are sent to employees. I like to provide employees with a fun tool.

Why did your organization buy this tool, and how long have you used it for?

They decided to use workstars as an additional resource for employee recognition for birthdays. They also wanted to recognize employees for anniversaries. They wanted to be able to give each other props on a regular basis.

What do you dislike about this tool?

Thought it was expensive for the platform. Wish it was more user-friendly. Wish we had one dedicated rep.

How is this tool different than their competitors?

They are very similar to other platforms out there.

What Instructions should people think about when buying this type of tool?

How often you plan to use it. How many employees you will have using it.

How has this tool changed or evolved over time to meet users needs?

I haven’t noticed changes while we used it.

What specific type of user or organization is this tool very good for?

Hybrid organization that has employees all over the world.

What specific type of user or organization would this tool not be a good fit for?

It’s good for all organizations

Connecteam

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Connecteam
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Popularity Score
4.1 / 5
User Score
4.6 / 5
Product Score
4.3 / 5

Why we picked Connecteam

Connecteam is an all-in-one workforce management hub for businesses, big and small with simple yet effective rewards and recognition features.

PROS

  • Intuitive, mobile-friendly user interface.
  • Customizable badges and recognition.
  • Purchased tokens never expire and are refundable.
  • A single platform for rewards and recognition, job scheduling, time management, team communication, and more.
  • Free to use for teams with 10 users or fewer.
  1. One of the only fully-mobile HR tech tools for deskless workers
  2. Very adequately-priced for all it entails, SMB-friendly
  3. Quite open to feedback, having implemented user suggestions as features in the past.

CONS

  • Fewer reward options than specialized rewards and recognition brands.
  • Limited peer-to-peer features.
  • Third-party integrations limited to 4 payroll software providers.
  • API access is for Enterprise plan only.
  • No phone support.
  1. In the communication hub, the app offers no confirmation that messages were sent and/or seen. 
  2. Certain features that some teams consider essential, such as GPS-tracking, are only available in the higher-tier pricing plans.
Connecteam employee rewards tool screenshot

Connecteam Review

Instead of taking the spotlight, Connecteam's rewards and recognition are designed to complement other features this workforce management software offers. And we must say, they totally nailed it.

Unlike Assembly, the tokens you buy from Connecteam never expire, and you can get a refund if you need to. There are fewer gift card options than with competitors like Bonusly or Motivosity, but popular brands like Amazon, Apple, and Best Buy are available.

Unsurprisingly, transaction fees are applied—10% for any purchased gift card in the U.S. and 15% for other countries. What we do appreciate here, though, is that the vendor has always been upfront about its prices. It always informs users about the cost of purchasing tokens and the price of the gift cards so they know the difference before buying.

Connecteam gives you different ways to show appreciation for your employees. You can send recognition messages to individuals, select multiple users to send to everyone, or filter recipients based on specific criteria. Plus, you can create your own customized recognition badges to add a personal touch.

However, Connecteam doesn’t seem to give peer-to-peer recognition the attention it deserves. At the time of writing, there’s no way for employees to gift tokens to others. To give a colleague a shout-out, they either have to rely on the comment section on the admin’s recognition posts or use the chat feature.

Integration is another area this vendor falls short. It can connect natively with just 4 payroll solutions, while its API access is only available on the Enterprise plan.

Connecteam Customers

36,000+ companies, including Siteline, EnviroCon, and Copernicus.

Connecteam Pricing

  • Small Business Plan: Free for up to 10 users.
  • Basic Plan: $29 per month for the first 30 users, $0.5 per additional user.
  • Advanced Plan: $49 per month for the first 30 users, $1.5 per additional user.
  • Expert Plan: $99 per month for the first 30 users, $3 per additional user.
  • Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing with features like personal account managers, SSO, 2FA, biometric lock, and API access.

Best For

Non-desk or distributed teams to celebrate achievements and show employee appreciation.

Connecteam in action
Reviewer's Rating
8/10

Connecteam is a user-friendly software for managing employees, facilitating communication, and enhancing collaboration. It is especially valuable for businesses with many non-desk employees. Connecteam helped us streamline communication, improve daily operations, and develop professional skills. It allowed us to schedule shifts, monitor employee work hours, and send automated reminders. The software was accessible on both desktop and mobile platforms, allowing us to use it anytime, anywhere.

What do you like about this tool?
  • One standout feature of Connecteam is its user-friendly design, offering various options to customize team collaboration.
  • Users can easily upload their own documents and files from any device, making resource sharing simple.
  • The intuitive interface allows you to manage your team from a single dashboard, where you can view the status of tasks at a glance, reducing miscommunication and boosting productivity.
  • Tasks can be assigned directly from the dashboard, eliminating the need for additional communication methods.
Why did your organization buy this tool, and how long have you used it for?

I used Connecteam for three months while on contract with my previous employer. As of late 2024, I believe they are still using the platform. We chose Connecteam because it is a comprehensive employee app designed to streamline communication, optimize daily operations, and boost professional skills. It allowed us to schedule shifts, monitor employee work hours, and send automated reminders, all within a single platform.

What do you dislike about this tool?
  • While Connecteam offers a flexible pricing structure, some users find frequent upgrade prompts frustrating.
  • For smaller teams with fewer than 30 members, the pricing can be relatively high, which might discourage some users.
  • The costs can add up depending on the desired features and team size, so businesses should carefully assess their needs and budget before committing to the platform.
How is this tool different than their competitors?

Connecteam stands out for its ease of use, featuring an intuitive and user-friendly interface. The layout is clean, with clearly labeled tabs for each function, making navigation straightforward.

For example, team members can easily create individual profiles with personal information, promoting better collaboration and engagement within the organization. The app’s simplicity ensures that even users with limited technical skills can navigate it effectively, fostering team integration and productivity.

What Instructions should people think about when buying this type of tool?

Connecteam offers a flexible pricing structure compared to other employee scheduling tools. The software includes three distinct hubs, each offering five unique plans: Free, Basic, Advanced, Expert, and Enterprise.

Pricing is fixed for the first 30 users, making it affordable for small teams, but as your team grows, additional charges apply. This tiered structure allows businesses to choose a plan that fits their needs while accommodating future growth.

How has this tool changed or evolved over time to meet users needs?

Connecteam has evolved by empowering managers to automate business processes, allowing them to focus on growth strategies while helping employees enhance productivity, professionalism, and job satisfaction. By streamlining tasks and reducing administrative burdens, the platform creates a more engaged and efficient work environment, ultimately driving better results for the organization.

What specific type of user or organization is this tool very good for?

Connecteam is ideal for teams of 30-50 employees, especially those with non-desk workers who need streamlined communication and scheduling tools.

What specific type of user or organization would this tool not be a good fit for?

Connecteam may not be suitable for teams that frequently change personnel or those that constantly restructure their workflow, as it might be challenging to manage frequent adjustments.

Guusto

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Guusto
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Popularity Score
4 / 5
User Score
4.7 / 5
Product Score
4.2 / 5

Why we picked Guusto

We are big fans of Guusto’s inclusive approach to rewards, with features that enforce a culture of appreciation across all employees - from the frontline to the executive suite. The platform is also easy to set up, has a straightforward redemption process and a free plan for SMBs.

PROS

  • Guusto is remote-friendly and planet-conscious: All gift cards are digital, so no plastic waste and no shipping.
  • The gifts are real dollar value – no confusing points.
  • You can use the platform on mobile devices thanks to its Android and iOS apps.
  • The subscription fee is for reward givers only. You can add unlimited recipients for free.
  • Guusto partners with One Drop Foundation: the platform donates one day of clean drinking water for every gift sent.
  • International rewards have grown a lot recently, with over 4,000 options available as of Spring 2023.
  • They partnered with the One Drop Foundation to donate 1 day of clean drinking water for every gift sent.
  • All gift cards are actually digital, meaning there’s no plastic waste. This also makes it a very remote-friendly product. 
  • Guusto is not a points program. All the gifts within the platform are real dollar value.
  • As of early 2023, their global rewards options have grown to the thousands.
  • In the process of becoming more international, gift redemptions can now be done in almost any currency within the regions they operate in.

CONS

  • Accounts can only be funded with USD or CAD, although gift redemptions can be made in a variety of currencies.
  • For subscriptions, there is a minimum of $40/month for the Lite tier, $80/month for the Essential tier, and $400/month for the Premium tier.
  • Accounts can only be funded with USD or CAD
Our reviewer took screenshot of Guusto's dashboard during the review

Guusto Review

Guusto makes rewards and recognition seamless for dispersed workforces with its inclusive and automated software. We appreciate a simple approach to rewards and Guusto offers just that. Rather than point systems which can be confusing to understand, Guusto uses real dollar value rewards that can be sent to any employee, even if they aren't in the system yet. To make things even better, you only need to pay for users that send recognitions; recipients can be added for free, without any limit.

Another thing we love about Guusto is its focus on frontline and deskless workers, ensuring they’re not left out of any appreciation efforts. These employees are often on the move, and many of them don’t have corporate email access. Their rewards and shoutouts can be sent to them via SMS text messages and physical cards.

The software empowers managers with custom budgets to consistently recognize achievements, reinforce values, and automate milestone rewards. Peer-to-peer shoutouts boost morale across locations, automated drawings help randomly issue rewards and incentives, and employees can redeem their recognitions for hundreds of digital gift cards from top brands worldwide, company swag, donations, and more.

Guusto Customers

Staples, Compass One Healthcare, The Body Shop, Fairmont, Rexall Pharmacies

Guusto Pricing

Guusto has scalable pricing: 

  • Free - $0/month (single user sending rewards)
  • Lite - $40/month (single user sending/scheduling bulk rewards)
  • Essential - $120/month (30 seats included, additional seats cost $4/month)
  • Premium - $400/month (80 seats included, additional seats cost $5/month)

Note: Only recognition senders need user seats. There are no limits on how many recognition receipts there are in the system. Guusto also offers volume discounts for enterprise customers. Contact Guusto's Sales team for more details.

Best For

Guusto is best for companies with frontline employees, particularly in the Healthcare, Retail, Financial Services, and Hospitality industries. They’ve also been actively updating their offering with features to suit the needs of companies with deskless workers.

Guusto in action
Reviewer's Rating
10/10

We use Guusto all the time for different reasons. Most of the time it is used to reward employees for milestones and customer referrals. Another way we use it is to reward customers that refer their friends or family to a specific service provider. We use Guusto all the time for these types of reasons.

What do you like about this tool?
  1. It's very easy to use making rewards easy to redeem
  2. customer support is very responsive and supportive, they try to find solutions as easily as possible.
  3. They offer many different ways to redeem rewards and are always adding more as time passes.
Why did your organization buy this tool, and how long have you used it for?

My organization bought Guusto to reward employees and customers for referrals and milestones in our company. I have personally been using Guusto for a little while but it's always been a very easy and painless process to redeem those rewards. For things like payroll, it makes it very easy for my organization to process payments without having to worry about it during tax season. It's easy to get started and the pricing is very appealing to many different types of small businesses. Would recommend Guusto to anyone!

What do you dislike about this tool?
  1. Some different reward options don't give you the choice for specific dollar amounts.
  2. There is no way to automatically pay people on payroll who aren't in the company.
  3. It's hard to pay out bonuses and have everything integrated into tax filing programs.
How is this tool different than their competitors?

Other types of payroll programs are very hard to use and take a long time to get new users setup, and also make you pay for one year of service upfront without letting you try out the service for a short period. With Guusto you can try it out and if you don't like it you can stop your service. Also the ease of use of Guusto makes it way more appealing to many different companies.

What Instructions should people think about when buying this type of tool?

When purchasing this type of service you should consider whether it can accommodate international payroll. Thinking of this before you purchase the service can come in handy when you need to go to the US or other parts of the world and be able to pay contractors or other employees abroad. Also the price of the service can be low if a very small number of employees or more expensive if you need to accommodate more people.

How has this tool changed or evolved over time to meet users needs?

At first Guusto didn't have any type of features for the organization's employees. But as time has passed they have introduced different features like benefits for employees and even a HR type environment for employee reviews ETC.

What specific type of user or organization is this tool very good for?

I believe any type of user that has a small to mid size company can benefit from Guusto services. They make things for payroll easy to use and hassle free.

What specific type of user or organization would this tool not be a good fit for?

I feel like bigger companies like enterprises would not benefit as much as smaller companies would. With them needing more options for payroll they might find using bigger payroll services like ADP would be more effective.

Vantage Circle

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Vantage Circle
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Popularity Score
4.1 / 5
User Score
4.4 / 5
Product Score
4.1 / 5

Why we picked Vantage Circle

Vantage Circle offers a wide range of peer and manager rewards to boost engagement, with the flexibility to support global teams through localized redemption options in over 100 countries and in 16 languages.

PROS

  • Vantage Circle features an excellent user interface that’s modern, clean, simple, and easy to navigate.
  • There’s a wide selection of gift cards and shopping discounts to redeem points.
  • The process for redeeming points for gift cards and vouchers is quick and straightforward. 
  • Users praise Vantage Circle’s support team for being quick to respond and resolve issues. 

CONS

  • There’s a learning curve due to the platform’s feature breadth. The clean and easy-to-navigate interface does make up for it though. 
  • The conversion rate of points to monetary rewards is low according to users. 
  • The mobile app can sometimes be slow or buggy. Reports include occasional technical issues with logging in or displaying points accurately.
Our reviewers took screenshot of Vantage Circle's Employee Rewards Platform during the review

Vantage Circle Review

Vantage Circle offers a comprehensive and user-friendly employee rewards platform that makes it easy to appreciate and engage your workforce. 

The platform stands out for its massive rewards catalog, containing gift cards, merchandise, and curated experiences accessible in over 100 countries. What’s also great about it is that it takes the Standard of Living Index (SOLI) into account, adjusting reward points for international teams to redeem in a fair manner. 

There’s a host of features around peer-to-peer recognition. Employees are empowered to recognize one another's accomplishments via custom awards and badges. There’s also a social feed that showcases all the recognition passed around and a leaderboard that not only tracks but gamifies everyone’s efforts. 

Milestones like birthdays and work anniversaries are never forgotten with Vantage Circle’s automated messages. The platform also helps you create a digital yearbook and service catalog for long service awards. 

With its comprehensive feature set, focus on user experience and powerful administrative capabilities, Vantage Circle ticks all the boxes for an effective employee rewards solution. Companies looking to delight their global workforce should consider this well-thought-out platform.

Vantage Circle Customers

Vantage Circle is used by over 700 companies including Bosch, Tata, and DHL.

Vantage Circle Pricing

Vantage Circle’s pricing depends on the number of employees you have. SMBs with up to 1000 employees can access the Grow plan at a starting price of $200 per month. The other two plans, i.e. Transform and Enterprise have custom pricing. Contact Vantage Circle’s Sales team for an estimate based on the size and needs of your company.

Best For

Companies of all sizes can benefit from Vantage Circle’s employee rewards and recognition offering. Generally though, the more employees you have, the more value you derive out of platforms of its kind.

Vantage Circle in action
Reviewer's Rating
8/10
  • Sharing brand gift cards during birthdays and anniversaries.
  • Allocating Vantage points for receiving client appreciation.
  • Facilitating peer-to-peer appreciation for support.
  • Sending meal gift cards on work anniversaries.
  • Providing a platform for sharing feedback for managers.
What do you like about this tool?
  • All our local brands are available in the gift card section.
  • The platform operates extremely fast; gift cards are generated within seconds.
  • Customer support is excellent; any issues we have are addressed promptly and with priority.
Why did your organization buy this tool, and how long have you used it for?

We were looking for a solution to appreciate our talent and provide them with necessary benefits and perks during remote work mode. Vantage Circle offers a complete solution that helps us celebrate our employees in remote and hybrid environments. We have the option to send gift cards for birthdays and have also implemented a points system where employees can accumulate points through appreciation and strong performance.

What do you dislike about this tool?
  • We are still waiting for some Indian brands that we requested some time ago.
  • Currently, there are no dine-out related offerings.
  • We are also waiting for a joint team-based appreciation mechanism to be implemented.
How is this tool different than their competitors?

Vantage Circle is more affordable compared to similar tools. The solutions are regionally customized, allowing us to deal in INR and engage with locally present brands. Additionally, the customer support team is exceptionally responsive and helpful.

What Instructions should people think about when buying this type of tool?

Consider the need for employee appreciation in remote or hybrid work environments. Evaluate the presence of relevant brands for gift card options. Look into subscription plans; for example, Vantage Circle creates customized plans based on the number of users.

How has this tool changed or evolved over time to meet users needs?

Not sure about the changes they made.

What specific type of user or organization is this tool very good for?

This tool is very suitable for organizations operating in remote or hybrid modes with globally distributed teams.

What specific type of user or organization would this tool not be a good fit for?

It may not be a good fit for small organizations where everyone is working from the office and direct, in-person appreciation is feasible.

Matter

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Matter
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Popularity Score
4.1 / 5
User Score
4.6 / 5
Product Score
4.3 / 5

Why we picked Matter

It's rare to find a vendor that can so effectively integrate rewards and recognition within tools we're already using daily. So seeing Matter automate global reward delivery, birthdays, work anniversaries, and employee surveys, all inside Slack or Teams—and it does so beautifully—is truly impressive.

PROS

  • One app for rewards, recognition, and surveys working right inside your Slack or Teams.
  • Gift cards, donations, and prepaid card rewards in 100+ countries.
  • Visually appealing and user-friendly software design.
  • Transparent, affordable plans with discounts for non-profits and educational institutions.
  • Free plan offers unlimited users, customizable notifications, and kudos.
  • 200+ HRIS integrations available.
  • Option to reward survey completions with redeemable Matter coins.
  • Pulse Survey delivered and responded to right in Slack or MS Teams.
  • Pulse Surveys use real-time data from a library of 100 questions to provide insights on cultural categories.
  • Survey recipients won't see the same question twice within 90 days.
  • Real-time anonymous feedback with custom notifications.
  • Affordable and transparent plans with discounts for non-profits and schools.

CONS

  • You have to use either Slack or Microsoft Teams to be able to use Matter.
  • Coin allowance resets weekly if not fully used. (Kudos coins don't expire though.)
  • Free plan only support 30 days of analytics history.
  • To use Matter, you must have either Slack or Teams installed.
  • At this time, the vendor doesn't allow the Pulse Survey questions to be editable.
  • Pulse surveys are only available on the highest-priced plan.

Matter Review

We love the fact that Matter automates the delivery of global rewards, celebrates birthdays and work anniversaries, and even conducts employee surveys—all within the familiar interfaces of communication platforms Slack and MS Teams. As a remote team that uses Slack daily, it felt natural and incredibly efficient to incorporate the tool into our workflow.

Navigating the software, it became apparent to us that the vendor has paid close attention to their product’s user experience. Matter’s app not only possesses an elegant design but also a straightforward set of functionalities. It only took a few minutes to set everything up: we selected the rewards categories we wanted, used the built-in Rewards Calculator to figure out how many coins to allocate to each team member given our budget, and tweaked the default coin allocation accordingly. Then, all that was left was to approve or reject incoming rewards requests, either in bulk or one by one.

Matter allows companies to reward employees within Slack

The pricing structure is another aspect we found quite reasonable. At $3 per month, it didn't feel like a significant investment, and the fact that there's a free trial and a free plan available made it an even easier decision for small teams like us to give Metter a go.

However, the requirement to use Slack or Microsoft Teams means it wouldn't be suitable for every organization. While we’re aware that Matter does have some very large teams in its customer base, its offerings seem to be most valued by small-to-medium-sized companies with less than a thousand employees.

A bit of a letdown for those looking to start with Matter’s free plan: there’s a 30-day limit on analytics history. Yet, considering the other benefits, it’s something we trust most budget-minded teams would be willing to work around.

Matter Customers

4,700+ companies, including Petco, Shell, and JiffyLube.

Matter Pricing

Matter offers four pricing plans, ranging from free to $5 per month. All features are accessible during a 30-day free trial.

Best For

SMBs that are using communication platforms Teams or Slack and are open to incorporating their rewards programs within these apps.

Matter in action
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Kudos

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Kudos
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Popularity Score
4.1 / 5
User Score
4.8 / 5
Product Score
4.2 / 5

Why we picked Kudos

Kudos’ employee rewards storefront is highly configurable, allowing you to tailor rewards that speak to your brand and employees’ needs. Extra support is also provided during and after the tool’s launching phase.

PROS

  • Kudos possesses a set of unique, company culture-oriented features that are present all across the platform.
  • Users love how easy Kudos is to navigate.
  • It has all the bells and whistles out-of-the-box, both on the web and mobile versions.
  • Available in 11 languages.
  • Unique, company culture-oriented features are present all across the platform, such as in the way they approach analytics, or on the actual Culture Accelerator module. 
  • Excellent relation of mobile / desktop functionality. You basically get all the bells and whistles on both versions.

CONS

  • An insider's help is needed to get a good idea of the Kudos app from the website, so a demo is necessary.
  • The UX/UI could be improved: some users reported issues with attaching images, .gifs, and emojis.
  • No free version and no trial version.
  • Unless you get a demo and start exploring the tool with the help of an insider, we’d say it’s somewhat hard to get a good idea of what features are like, how they work, and even what they do, just from their website alone. 
  • From our research, we could gather that the points system and how this works can get a bit confusing for some users.
Kudos dashboard screenshot

Kudos Review

Kudos offers an engaging employee rewards platform that amplifies recognition and supports stronger company culture. One of the features that stood out for us is its customizable online storefront where employees can redeem their points. We’ve gone through the catalog, which includes popular rewards like gift cards, merchandise, charitable donations, travel experiences, and company swag. It’s also easy to add custom rewards to the storefront and tailor it to what your employees like.

As an employee using the system, it’s easy to rack up points through peer-to-peer shoutouts, manager recognitions, completing learning modules, hitting key milestones, and more. From the employee interface, it’s also easy to track points balance and redeem them for rewards.

Kudos also provides dedicated program management support to ensure seamless execution. Their team helps handle reward sourcing, point tracking, reporting, and communication to drive program success. With their help, you are guaranteed to run effective employee recognition and rewards programs your people will love to be part of.

Kudos Customers

ATCO, Bulgari, Arch Insurance, KidsPeace

Kudos Pricing

Kudos offers a starting price of $3.25 per user per month, catering to organizations with a minimum of 500 employees. The actual pricing is flexible and determined by factors such as the number of users and the duration of the contract.

Best For

Kudos is best for businesses with over 500 employees looking for a rewards-focused program that supports multiple languages and diverse forms of recognition, from shout-outs to gift cards, experiences, and charity.

Kudos in action
Reviewer's Rating
8/10

My company uses Kudos on a monthly basis to recognize our employees. Some of the key features include access to a comprehensive library of review templates designed to cover every possible review scenario. We have the flexibility to customize each template or create our own to fit specific needs. Additionally, we are able to tailor questions and formats to ensure that our reviews are thorough and aligned with our strategic goals.

What do you like about this tool?

It's easy to navigate and a fantastic way to show appreciation for colleagues' hard work. I love how points can be converted into real gift cards for employees. There's no need to wait until mid-year or year-end to recognize people with Kudos.

Why did your organization buy this tool, and how long have you used it for?

We use Nectar for staff and management to reward employees for exceptional work with points. This tool is also valuable for keeping employees connected and interested in each other's work, as it allows them to engage in a manner similar to social media. Additionally, it helps management identify areas of staff success that might otherwise go unnoticed, which is particularly beneficial for formal evaluations. With staff able to comment on each other's posts, Nectar facilitates ongoing positive interactions, enabling team members to engage daily, learn more about each other, and collaborate more effectively. Moreover, it allows management to incentivize positive behaviors with tangible rewards.

What do you dislike about this tool?

I wish the Kudos I receive each month to award to team members weren't limited to a certain amount. It would be great to have more Kudos to recognize the various departmental workers I collaborate with. As it is, I have to choose carefully who to recognize each month.

How is this tool different than their competitors?

This is the only recognition software I have used.

What Instructions should people think about when buying this type of tool?

People should think about price, usability, and user-friendliness, as well as reviews from other companies.

How has this tool changed or evolved over time to meet users needs?

The Kudos system continues to expand its features to recognize all types of situations. They actively incorporate client feedback and implement their needs into the system.

What specific type of user or organization is this tool very good for?

Kudos is good for managers and frontline employees in small and medium sized companies.

What specific type of user or organization would this tool not be a good fit for?

Kudos is not beneficial much for executive leadership. While it's beneficial for executives to recognize certain performance and behaviors, they don't need to use the system regularly.

Bonusly

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Bonusly
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Popularity Score
4.1 / 5
User Score
4.8 / 5
Product Score
4.2 / 5

Why we picked Bonusly

Bonusly’s specialty lies in its reward catalog: it packs an impressive number of gift cards that work in dozens of countries. Teams with 50-5000 employees, remote or in-office, can make great use of the tool. Bonusly’s discounts also make it a sound option for nonprofits.

PROS

  • Bonusly has an intuitive user interface where both admin and employee users find it easy to navigate through.
  • The platform is available in German, English, French, and Spanish.
  • There are Android and iOS apps for on-the-go access.
  • Nonprofits and educational organizations get discounted pricing from Bonusly.
  • There is a 14-day, full-featured free trial that anyone can sign up for.
  • Intuitive user interface.
  • Available in German, English, French, and Spanish.
  • Supports Android and iOS.
  • Discounts for nonprofit and education organizations.
  • 14-day, full-featured free trial.

CONS

  • The Core plan which is marketed for small businesses is capped at 50 users.
  • The analytics and reporting capabilities are relatively limited in functionality and customization.
  • The reward options are centered around gift cards, cash, and donations rather than experiences.
  • Features like requiring hashtags or showing top receivers were unnecessary according to a few users.
  • Unused bonus money does not carry over; you use it or lose it.
  • The starter plan is for small businesses that cap out at 50 users.
  • Analytics and reporting features are relatively underdeveloped.
  • The reward catalog lacks in-person experience and physical goods, and options and focuses on gift cards, cash, or donations.
  • Unused bonus funds don’t roll over: users use it or lose it.
bonusly software homepage

Bonusly Review

Bonusly’s full-featured and flexible employee rewards platform prioritizes choice, meaning, and connection. We’ve gone through their rewards catalog and liked what we saw: 1,200+ gift cards from popular vendors, redeemable in over 200 countries. Employees have abundant options to choose from across apparel, F&B, travel and more.

We find Bonusly’s approach to giving branded company swag quite unique. Through an integration with AXOMO, employees can browse and order company-branded items themselves. We also like how Bonusly gives employees the option to take their rewards in cash, with points redeemable for PayPal transfers, Visa gift cards, and prepaid Mastercards.

Customizable reward options are yet another advantage to Bonusly. You can get creative with experiential rewards like lunch with the CEO, local sports tickets, paid time off, and more. The platform is also connected to over 50 charitable causes, allowing employees to accept rewards in the form of donations to causes that matter to them.

Besides tangible rewards, Bonusly helps you set up automated awards for milestones like work anniversaries and birthdays to foster a culture of continuous appreciation. These public messages encourage social connections, praise, and gratitude between coworkers. You can also tie awards to business goals, driving performance and morale simultaneously.

Bonusly Customers

Bonusly is used by over 3,250 companies, including Cerebral, Baxter, Headspace, and InVision.

Bonusly Pricing

Bonusly has 3 plans. When billed annually, they cost as follows:

  • Core: Designed for small businesses, this plan costs $2.70 per user per month for up to 50 users.
  • Pro: For $4.50 per user per month, this plan can be used by teams looking for more flexibility with reporting, permissions, and integrations.
  • Custom: This plan has custom pricing and is made for larger businesses needing premium SLA and implementation support.

Best For

Bonusly works well for companies ranging from 50 to 5,000 employees looking to build a culture of appreciation.

Bonusly in action
Reviewer's Rating
10/10

We use Bonusly through the desktop and mobile version, and the team uses it on average about once a week. The team can use Bonusly to recognize their teammates for great work, or for their alignment with our core values. We also use it to give larger quarterly recognitions for client compliments or large wins.

What do you like about this tool?

It has an easy to use interface. It is easy to set up team members on it. It can be customized to align with our core values.

Why did your organization buy this tool, and how long have you used it for?

We were looking to integrate recognition into our workflows. We wanted it to be distributed across the organization, so it wasn't leadership only but everyone participated. We also wanted to align recognition with our core values. We've been using Bonusly for just over a year, and it has helped our team pause each month and recognize people for their efforts.

What do you dislike about this tool?

While Bonusly offers several beneficial features, there are areas that could be improved to enhance user experience and functionality. One of the drawbacks is the clunky and challenging nature of the Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) process, particularly when using it on mobile devices. Simplifying and streamlining the 2FA procedure would make it more user-friendly and accessible. Another area of concern is the Signals feature, which falls short when it comes to conducting employee surveys. The limited scale options of 1-5 restrict the ability to capture nuanced feedback, as some questions may require a more extensive rating scale. Providing customizable scales would allow for greater flexibility in survey design. Moreover, the lack of customization options for survey questions itself is a drawback. Enabling users to personalize and tailor questions to their specific needs and objectives would enhance the effectiveness of data collection. Lastly, improving the process of extracting and integrating survey results into analysis systems would facilitate data analysis and reporting. By addressing these cons and implementing the suggested improvements, Bonusly could offer a more seamless and customizable experience, enhancing its usability and value as an employee engagement tool.

How is this tool different than their competitors?
What Instructions should people think about when buying this type of tool?

One of Bonusly’s key strengths is the ability to customize company awards and rewards, allowing organizations to tailor recognition programs to their specific needs and culture. This flexibility ensures that employees feel appreciated in meaningful and personalized ways. Additionally, Bonusly has a user-friendly mobile interface, enabling seamless access and participation on the go. This makes recognition accessible anytime, anywhere. Another standout feature is its integration with Google Chat, which streamlines use within our team’s workflow. When searching for an employee engagement software, these qualities—customization, mobile interface, and integration—should be top considerations, and Bonusly excels in all these areas, making it an ideal choice for fostering a culture of recognition and appreciation.

How has this tool changed or evolved over time to meet users needs?
What specific type of user or organization is this tool very good for?

It has worked great for our small company

What specific type of user or organization would this tool not be a good fit for?

People who are not tech savvy, and I can see it getting expensive for larger companies.

Assembly

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Assembly
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Popularity Score
4.1 / 5
User Score
4.7 / 5
Product Score
4.1 / 5

Why we picked Assembly

Assembly makes rewarding employees effortless with seamless integrations, peer nominations, personalized incentives, and templates that turn appreciation into a habit.

PROS

  • Offers a free version and free trials for their paid plans, with no need for a credit card or demo.
  • Feature-rich for the price point.
  • Customize rewards and set up a points system with automated incentives.
  • Month-to-month plan or a long-term contract (12-month minimum agreement). A large team with a long-term contract can get a custom deal.
  • Explore the platform for free, no need for a credit card or demo
  • Great set of features for the price point
  • Make your own rewards and even set up a points system with automated incentives
  • You have the option to go with a month-to-month plan or a long-term contract. For the latter, you can reach out to their team for a custom deal if it’s a larger team. However, keep in mind that the minimum agreement is 12 months. 

CONS

  • Coins and points expire and do not roll over.
  • SSO is not standard for all plans. In some cases, it must be purchased as an add-on.
  • iOS and Android apps are available, but this information is hard to find on the site.
  • Only supports English.
  • Coins and points do expire, so sometimes they’ll expire by the end of the month before you can use them, although you get more the next period.
  • SSO is only included with some plans. For others, it can be purchased as an add-on.
Our reviewer took screenshot of Assembly's dashboard during the review

Assembly Review

Assembly makes rewarding and recognizing employees effortless. Its seamless integrations with Slack and Microsoft Teams mean you never have to leave your workflow to show appreciation. These social apps are also where team members can publically nominate one another for recognition and rewards. The personalized points system enables employees to redeem rewards tailored to what makes them feel valued, whether that's gift cards, donations to charity, or experiences that enrich company culture.

With Assembly, you can align rewards to core values, ensuring they resonate with what truly matters to your team. Milestones like birthdays, work anniversaries, and achievements big or small are never missed. The software proactively surfaces these moments and prompts personalized messages of appreciation.

The wide variety of reward options ensures there’s something that’ll appeal to everyone, while the variety of built-in templates and automated reminders for milestones empower managers to turn recognition into a lasting habit, driving engagement and retention.

Assembly Customers

Over 2,400 use Assembly, including Casper, Keck School of Medicine, and Perforce.

Assembly Pricing

  • Starter is free for businesses with up to 10 employees.
  • Paying customers are charged between $2.80 and $6.00 per employee per month, depending on the features and monthly vs. yearly pricing plan.
  • ‍The premium plan requires a custom quote.

Best For

With its free version, scalable plans, and vast feature set, Assembly can serve companies both big and small.

Assembly in action
Reviewer's Rating
9/10

Assembly is such a fantastic platform for sharing gratitude with your colleagues, across the organization as a whole, as well as internally and externally between departments. It is straightforward, easy, and fun to use! This tool is especially good for nurturing culture across a remote team. The integration with Slack makes it seamless for the team to use and engage with, and Assembly engages senior leadership with ease.

What do you like about this tool?

Simple, fast platform. Easy set-up and free trial version prior to transition to paid version. Easy implementation and great reporting options and support.

Why did your organization buy this tool, and how long have you used it for?

In the age of remote, work-from-home, and hybrid models, and all of the inherent challenges it presents, Assembly has allowed us to continue to celebrate business culture and monetize the value of success within our organization. We are able to easily recognize team members and their accomplishments so that those ambiguous moments can become tangible for the entire company to see. Acknowledgements of birthdays, anniversaries, work anniversaries etc. are seamlessly built in, never to be forgotten or overlooked. Coins can be exchanged for gifts, donated to charity, traded in for company-branded gifts, or cashed in for rewards. Our engagement rate is over 90% on the Assembly platform and we are very excited to see how they can continue to evolve its value proposition.

What do you dislike about this tool?

Coins expire if not used in time. UX could be more user-friendly. Larger tiered allotments would be a great improvement.

How is this tool different than their competitors?
What Instructions should people think about when buying this type of tool?

When considering any employee recognition platform, functionality and reporting should always be heavily weighted in the final decision. Recognition platforms go hand-in-hand with engagement surveys; some platforms do not offer this feature or offer. Limited version of this feature. Mobility and accessibility are primary concerns, especially where remote and global teams exist. Also, goal/challenge creation, tracking and attainment features are wonderful enhancements to include.

How has this tool changed or evolved over time to meet users needs?

There have been consistent upgrades to the platform and Assembly is very open to feedback and suggestions.

What specific type of user or organization is this tool very good for?

Assembly is ideal for small and mid-market organizations.

What specific type of user or organization would this tool not be a good fit for?

Assembly would not be a good fit for large/enterprise organizations.

Reward Gateway

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Reward Gateway
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Popularity Score
4.1 / 5
User Score
4.3 / 5
Product Score
4.4 / 5

Why we picked Reward Gateway

We love Reward Gateway's multiple offerings in a single platform. Keeping rewards, recognition and surveys within each other's reach is just plain smart.

PROS

  • Excellent customer support thanks to their 24/7 help desk team and multiple communication channels
  • Varied rewards, including products from Amazon, customizable ecards, and experiences.
  • Employees will receive the reward budget's total value without processing or admin fees, as all rewards are provided at market pricing.
  • A vast number of employee engagement modules can be purchased separately.
  • Branded mobile apps are available for both Android and IOS users.
  • Remarkably good customer support due to their 24/7 help desk team and multiple communication channels
  • Varied rewards including products from Amazon, customizable ecards, and experiences
  • You can purchase modules separately if you prefer it

CONS

  • No free plan at this time.
  • The reporting side of the platform could be enhanced to provide deeper insights.
  • With mobile being so prevalent now, the lack of a mobile app to access Reward Gateway is a drawback. Having to log in separately on mobile is not ideal.
  • At times, it can take a while for cashback earnings to be credited after a purchase.
  • No free trial
  • The “Reward Gateway for Small Business” version is only available for companies in the UK and Australia
Reward Gateway Dashboard Screenshot

Reward Gateway Review

Reward Gateway is an excellent tool for organizations that determine to have their rewards program centered around retailer gift cards.

As we look into user feedback, the software provides on-the-spot tools for managers to give in-person or digital rewards, tracking benchmarks and making it possible to reward employees once they achieve the set goals.

Reward Gateway Customers

Reward Gateway is used by over 4000 companies, including McDonald’s, Comcast, and Pepsi.

Reward Gateway Pricing

  • Reward Gateway employee reward and recognition solutions can be purchased separately and have custom pricing.
  • The pricing of Reward Gateway’s “for Small Business” version starts at £6 per employee per month with no minimum price commitment.

Best For

Reward Gateway’s rewards program works for in-office, hybrid, and remote teams. Yet mid-size companies (51-500 employees) are the ones that typically make the most out of the software.

Reward Gateway in action
Reviewer's Rating
8/10

We use Reward Gateway daily as part of our employee engagement strategy. The platform is the core of our recognition measures, with a system in place for both peer-to-peer and manager-to-non-manager recognition, supporting employee achievements and effective efforts throughout the organization. Employees redeem recognition points daily for their contributions, which can be exchanged for benefits such as gift cards and unique experiences.

The employee discount feature offers exclusive discounts and cash-back offers from many retailers. We also rely on the well-being programs provided by Reward Gateway, which offer resources on physical, mental, and financial health to support our employees' overall well-being.

The communication tools are used for company news, updates, and surveys to gather important employee feedback. Analysis of engagement analytics helps us monitor and measure the efficacy of our recognition and rewards programs, allowing for data-driven improvements.

What do you like about this tool?

Reward Gateway is easy to use for both employees and administrators. It's highly configurable, allowing us to customize recognition programs and rewards to meet specific organizational needs. The platform offers a comprehensive suite of tools, including recognition, rewards, well-being programs, and communication tools, which helps simplify our HR processes and increase overall engagement.

Why did your organization buy this tool, and how long have you used it for?

We purchased Reward Gateway to help improve our employee engagement and recognition because there was a gap in providing formal and meaningful rewards and recognition for our employees. We've had it in place for approximately two years. Reward Gateway was chosen for its platform capabilities in combining recognition, rewards, employee discounts, and well-being programs. The organization believed it would add significant value. Additionally, the ability to configure the platform and gain data-driven insights has been a crucial feature for our needs.

What do you dislike about this tool?

The platform is not cheap. The extensive features require professional training for proper use. Integration with existing HR systems can be challenging and may require additional effort from developers.

How is this tool different than their competitors?

Unlike similar tools that focus on one or two areas, Reward Gateway offers an all-in-one solution, making it easier to manage and improving engagement across the board. The platform is user-friendly for both employees and managers and offers high levels of customization to align with our branding. Constant upgrades ensure it remains relevant and scalable as our company grows.

What Instructions should people think about when buying this type of tool?

Key criteria include the features offered to meet recognition, reward, well-being, and communication needs. Ensure the platform allows easy customization according to organizational needs and branding. Check the integration capability with existing HR systems to ensure seamless functionality. Consider the cost and scalability of the solution. User-friendliness and support services are also crucial for smooth implementation and operation.

How has this tool changed or evolved over time to meet users needs?

Reward Gateway has expanded its features beyond recognition and rewards to include well-being programs, communication tools, and engagement analytics, making it a comprehensive platform for organizations with diverse needs.

What specific type of user or organization is this tool very good for?

Reward Gateway is ideal for organizations aiming to improve employee morale, satisfaction, and overall engagement through a structured and multifaceted approach.

What specific type of user or organization would this tool not be a good fit for?

Companies with complex integration needs may need additional solutions or tools that would cover all their needs, and they may not find Reward Gateway to be the best fit.

Awardco

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Awardco
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Popularity Score
4.1 / 5
User Score
4.7 / 5
Product Score
4.4 / 5

Why we picked Awardco

Awardco helps you give thoughtful and personal rewards to employees. Besides Amazon rewards, it features Bonus Boxes, digital MemoryBooks, and extensive redemption options, letting you appreciate people in creative ways.

PROS

  • The platform is easy to use and navigate.
  • It’s available in 16 languages.
  • Awardco’s integration with Amazon gives employees a wide range of reward options redeemable in many countries.
  • It can integrate easily with many popular tools including Slack, Teams, and Hubspot.
  • Amazon Business integration, huge reward catalog for a multitude of countries. 
  • The platform is available in English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, and Simplified Chinese.

CONS

  • No free trial.
  • Some users said that the prices for certain rewards are higher than retail prices.
  • There have been complaints that reward delivery at times takes longer than expected.
  • Actual pricing is not publicly available, so getting started won’t be a quick and self-service process like with other companies in the space. 
  • With Awardco, digital and physical gift cards are ineligible for refunds. 
  • Only Amazon-delivered products are available from Awardco. Goods sold by third-party vendors on Amazon are not available. 
  • The Awardco mobile app is only available as a Progressive Web Application, not from the App Store or Google Play, which might be less intuitive for some users.
Awardco's dashboard screenshot

Awardco Review

Awardco helps you appreciate your people in unique ways. We’ve not seen other platforms offer the same degree of gift customization and personalization as Awardco. For starters, you can create and give out Bonus Boxes, which are creative care packages filled with fun branded items suited to the recipient. Digital MemoryBooks are another way to honor employees' work anniversaries. These interactive books compile messages and photos from colleagues into a cherished keepsake.

The way Awardco automates the rewards process is a major time-saver. It sends automatic reminders about service anniversaries, birthdays, and other occasions, prompting participation from the team. The software also seamlessly integrates with communication tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams, making it easy to give timely shoutouts.

Robust incentive programs are another thing we liked about Awardco. Employees can earn points for achieving goals, then redeem them from an extensive catalog including top brands like Apple and YETI. For sales teams, Awardco partners with Amazon Business to provide the ultimate flexibility - earners can choose their own rewards without any friction.

Overall, we think Awardco succeeds at modernizing traditional employee rewards through creativity, flexibility, integration, and automation. The focus on curating unique experiences sets it apart from generic reward platforms. For any organization seeking to boost engagement, appreciation, and motivation, Awardco is worth strong consideration.

Awardco Customers

Awardco has over 3 million users including known companies like Percepta, Paramount, Hertz, Pacific Life, and Aptive

Awardco Pricing

Awardco has two plans for SMBs, Lite and Go.

  • Lite provides automation for service awards, birthdays, tracking, reporting, and manager notifications to establish a solid foundation for $2,500/year.
  • Go builds on Lite by adding automated onboarding, peer-to-peer recognition, manager-to-employee recognition, value-driven recognition, and budget management for $4,000/year.

As for enterprises, Awardco offers plans that are more custom. The pricing for the enterprise plans depends on the features needed. Contact Awardco’s Sales team for more information.

Best For

Awardco is an excellent choice for growing teams and multinational businesses looking for a powerful and flexible solution to appreciate their employees.

Awardco in action
Reviewer's Rating
8/10

I use Awardco 2-3 times per month. In our busy season AEP, from 10/15-12/7 each year we use it several times per week. We use it for contests, incentives, and drawings. This allows us to delight our hard-working employees to earn more cash/incentives/gift cards as bonuses and keep them motivated. We are a sales organization so that is the main purpose. Bonuses and extra ways to make money and earn gift cards to purchase the things they want like on amazon.com and many other retailers.

What do you like about this tool?

You can let the rewards accumulate to earn large prizes. You can have multiple ways to redeem your earnings and rewards like through gift cards or a cash visa card. You can earn discounted items that you might use for work like computer monitors, chairs, and headsets which help your performance and do not kill your pocketbook. The main reason I like this solution is that options give you freedom, you don't feel tied down to being limited to what you can choose to get for your hard-earned incentives.

Why did your organization buy this tool, and how long have you used it for?

We got Awardco back in 2020. We were incentivizing employees with Venmo by sending cash and that was a wreck from an accounting and logistical standpoint. Awardco lets you give employees gift cards, visa cash cards, swag, company products for improved performance, etc. I have personally used this platform for over two years. The selections of products and offerings are great and diverse.

What do you dislike about this tool?

The way to navigate the website is not that user-friendly, like how to find the cash visa card, you have to call customer service to get instructions to locate it. The way you have to find retailers for gift cards is to scroll through endless companies when it would be nice just to search for a specific offering or company instead. I don't like how they do the confirmation for redeeming items. It doesn’t feel very secure. I actually had my rewards sent to the wrong person one time and I lost that money and never got it back. I wish they could let you recapture your funds if they were sent to the wrong place due to confusion in placing your orders.

How is this tool different than their competitors?

This is pretty unique and comprehensive to other platforms. It gives you great variety and selection. Everyone loves choices and they deliver on that front.

What Instructions should people think about when buying this type of tool?

Will your employee feel comfortable using the platform since it is not always intuitive? What cost is going to be involved internally to administer within the company on top of the cost of the service? How are people going to take advantage of what they earned upon departure from the company?

How has this tool changed or evolved over time to meet users needs?

They have increased their selection and customer support so you don't have to rely so much on the employer to provide support to use the platform.

What specific type of user or organization is this tool very good for?

Sales People! Customer Service agents with good metrics. Lower-level employees that are motivated by small token amounts of money.

What specific type of user or organization would this tool not be a good fit for?

Construction, medical industry, or basically any role that is not rewarded for performance.

WorkTango

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WorkTango
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Popularity Score
4.2 / 5
User Score
4.5 / 5
Product Score
4.4 / 5

Why we picked WorkTango

Employees can enjoy the freedom of choosing merchandise, gift cards, donations, and other custom rewards from WorkTango’s massive rewards catalog. The platform also ensures that offered rewards align with your business’ culture and core values.

PROS

  • The majority of users find WorkTango to be intuitive and easy to use.
  • Points can be redeemed for a wide variety of gift cards, prizes, and other reward options.
  • Coworkers can publicly or privately recognize one another in any direction, with or without reward points. Public recognition is viewable company-wide in a social media-like activity feed.
  • The platform’s automated recognition ensures timely shoutouts for employee birthdays, work anniversaries, and other milestones.
  • WorkTango is available in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, German, and French, making it accessible to diverse users.
  • Create custom incentives to reinforce your company’s objectives, programs, core values, or any positive actions that help your employees and your business succeed.
  • The reporting and analytics dashboard gives you near real-time insights on how your efforts are faring.
  • Unlimited surveys available in English, Spanish, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Korean.
  • You can add modules as you go and these will be charged on a prorated basis.

CONS

  • Billing can only be done annually. 
  • All plans require a minimum commitment of 12 months.
  • Free trials aren't available at this time.
  • Billing is only done annually and all plans require a minimum agreement for a 24-month subscription (see our FAQs for more and their pricing page for full details).
  • Several users have complained about the rewards redeeming process being not very intuitive.
WorkTango dashboard screenshot

WorkTango Review

WorkTango’s all-in-one employee rewards platform makes appreciating and incentivizing employees easy and meaningful. We’ve peeked through their rewards catalog and it is massive, packing over a million rewards from popular retail gift cards to charity donations.

We like how the rewards catalog covers different price ranges, meaning you can incentivize all behaviors and achievements no matter how big or small. Another thing we like is its built-in search and filtering capabilities. Despite how big the catalog is, employees can still search and accurately find rewards that fit their interests best. WorkTango also gives personalized suggestions based on each employee’s past activity and has wishlists, reward points trackers, and an option for group reward redemption to build camaraderie.

Aside from rewards, WorkTango helps you give timely shoutouts for employee birthdays, work anniversaries and more through its automated recognition feature. It also lets you create incentives, gamifying and making it more fun for employees to reach performance goals, demonstrate certain values or positive actions. It’s a win for everyone.

WorkTango Customers

Kia Motors, HUB International, Rexall, Accruent

WorkTango Pricing

WorkTango has custom pricing. Request a demo to learn more.

Best For

WorkTango is great for distributed teams and SMBs, particularly in tech, FSI, healthcare, and business services.

WorkTango in action
Reviewer's Rating
7/10

Several times a year, I utilize Worktango to collect employee engagement data. This platform offers fantastic features enabling me to gauge employee sentiments regarding the company, their roles, and their managers. Once the data is gathered, it's meticulously organized to furnish leadership with insights into employee perceptions of the company's dynamics.

What do you like about this tool?

The standout features of Worktango that I appreciate are its robust analytics capabilities, particularly how it provides breakdowns for each demographic, department, and manager. The customer service is exceptional; they consistently demonstrate eagerness to assist me in optimizing tool usage, introducing new features, and ensuring I maximize the value of my subscription. I also find the points system for recognizing team members appealing, as it offers opportunities to earn gift cards and other rewards.

Why did your organization buy this tool, and how long have you used it for?

Our team has relied on Worktango for approximately a year, finding its points system particularly commendable. These points can be redeemed for various rewards, such as gift cards, fostering motivation and engagement. Additionally, Worktango's software has proven instrumental in enhancing decision-making processes, driving innovation, strengthening supplier or partner relationships, bolstering customer relations and service, and fostering internal operational efficiencies. Notable features include its robust role-based access mechanism and intuitive drag-and-drop platform for crafting tailored employee recognition campaigns. The platform also offers an excellent recognition and rewards tool, boasting easy implementation and AI-driven data analytics.

What do you dislike about this tool?

The system's export functionality is somewhat restricted and could benefit from additional options. While it's a modern platform, it's quite narrowly tailored to its own methodology. Integration between Worktango and Microsoft Teams lacks the intuitive ease required for seamless collaboration. While raw data is accessible, visualizing and leveraging it in its current form can be time-consuming, especially concerning usage data and the quality of feedback provided to employees. Certain navigational aspects could also be more user-friendly.

How is this tool different than their competitors?

Among employee recognition and engagement systems, Worktango consistently secures a spot in the top two rankings. It offers competitive pricing and holds the second position for customer service responsiveness and ease of use.

What Instructions should people think about when buying this type of tool?

When evaluating software options, businesses should prioritize factors such as ease of use, analytics capabilities, and cost-effectiveness. Additionally, companies should emphasize feedback mechanisms, goal alignment, people analytics, and lifecycle surveys in their decision-making process.

How has this tool changed or evolved over time to meet users needs?

I’m unsure of how WorkTango changed or evolved over time.

What specific type of user or organization is this tool very good for?

WorkTango is ideal for small to medium-sized companies.

What specific type of user or organization would this tool not be a good fit for?

I cannot think of any companies for which WorkTango can’t be a good fit.

Terryberry

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Terryberry
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Popularity Score
4 / 5
User Score
4.6 / 5
Product Score
4.1 / 5

Why we picked Terryberry

Terryberry's vast rewards catalog, custom awards, and branded swag allow you to appreciate and celebrate your employees meaningfully. The platform has been around for over a century and is a favorite pick for companies with a global presence, based in the US and UK.

PROS

  • Terryberry offers a wide range of employee engagement features, including rewards, incentives, and a wellness tracker.
  • Through the platform, you can offer customized physical goods as employee rewards.
  • Customer support and account management at Terryberry are quite good. Their reps stand out for being very responsive and attentive according to user feedback.
  • The implementation process, while six weeks long, is quite comprehensive, and you get tons of help along the way. For instance, the last two weeks consist of internal and customer testing and user training.
  • Customized physical goods as employee rewards
  • Wide range of employee engagement features, including rewards, incentives, and a wellness tracker.
  • Customer support and account management at Terryberry are quite good. Their reps stand out for being very responsive and attentive, which is evidenced by some of the client testimonials we read.
  • The implementation process, while six weeks long, is quite comprehensive, and you get tons of help along the way. For instance, the last two weeks consist of internal and customer testing, as well as user training.

CONS

  • While Terryberry is easy to use, its design could look more modern and sleek.
  • No open API, but on the roadmap for the end of 2023.
  • No free trial at the moment.
  • While Terryberry is easy to use, its design could look more modern and sleek.
  • No open API, but on the roadmap for the end of 2023.
  • No free trial at the moment.
terryberry dashboard

Terryberry Review

Terryberry offers a robust and feature-rich rewards platform. We’ve tested their platform and a key component of it is the point-based reward system. Through it, you can set up customized point rewards that align with company values and initiatives. Employees can then redeem these points in Terryberry's extensive online storefront featuring thousands of brand-name merchandise catering to diverse lifestyles and interests.

We really appreciate Terryberry’s breadth of reward options. In addition to points, it provides customized service awards and branded company swag. Service awards like customized jewelry, desktop items, and presentation kits help you celebrate career milestones and show appreciation for loyalty and achievements, while branded company swag enables you to reinforce culture and unity.

Finally, Terryberry's Be Celebrated feature provides solutions to highlight service anniversaries and milestones in a more personalized way. Through it, employees can send meaningful e-cards, group messages, and more to one another, which is a great way to celebrate shared accomplishments in our opinion, particularly for remote teams.

Terryberry Customers

Terryberry is used by over 40,000 customers, including Wyndham Destinations, Epsilon, General Motors, and Trilogy Health.

Terryberry Pricing

Terryberry’s pricing is scalable and varies according to your choice of subscription package. The good news is that you can opt for only certain parts of the platform and grow as you go. Their basic subscriptions start at $3 per award recipient, but to get a proper estimate, the way forward is to contact them.

Also worth mentioning is that they charge set-up fees and an annual admin fee that’s based on employee headcount and the number of redemptions made on the reward platform.

Best For

Those best served by Terryberry are companies in the US and the UK— of any size and industry, but they do have global capabilities. It’s especially good for those with a substantial number of deskless employees for whom physical gifts are ideal.

Terryberry is also a good bet for companies who want to add performance and wellness apps into the mix without adding an additional vendor to the ecosystem. All this being said, some small businesses might find the price point a bit high if on a tight budget.

Terryberry in action
Reviewer's Rating
8/10

I utilized Terryberry several times a week to set up recognition programs aligned with our company values and goals. Reviewing nominations and approving awards was a regular task, ensuring fairness and recognizing employee achievements. Tracking employment milestones and communicating with employees about their accomplishments and events was also crucial. Periodic surveys were conducted to gather employee feedback, and I frequently analyzed reports and analytics to identify trends and further engage employees.

What do you like about this tool?

The creation of rewards programs was straightforward, making it easy to align them with company values. The peer-to-peer "wow" program successfully encouraged employees to recognize one another, fostering a positive and engaging work environment. The wellness program was well-received by staff, indicating its success. Excellent customer service and the user-friendly app, especially for field employees not frequently at desks, were significant advantages.

Why did your organization buy this tool, and how long have you used it for?

Our organization was concerned about the high employee turnover rate, with exit interviews often highlighting a lack of morale due to employees feeling unseen and unrecognized. Increasing salaries as a reactionary measure to prevent departures did not effectively address the underlying issue of employees feeling unappreciated. We were also worried about engagement levels and the resulting dip in productivity from disengaged employees. Despite trying numerous team-building exercises and management retraining, the problem persisted. Terryberry seemed to offer a solution by providing ongoing recognition, encouraging exceptional work, boosting productivity, and reducing turnover by enhancing morale. I have personally used it for six months.

What do you dislike about this tool?

The many choices available for employees was somewhat overwhelming, potentially leading to decision fatigue and wasted time. The tool's integration with other HR systems could be smoother, and customization options were not as flexible as desired, particularly concerning integration with external programs.

How is this tool different than their competitors?

Compared to other tools I've used, Terryberry stands out for its user-friendly interface and exceptional customer service. It focuses less on gamification, favoring a points system over cash rewards, which aligns better with our goal of providing added rewards rather than extra compensation. This approach seems more appropriate for recognition software.

What Instructions should people think about when buying this type of tool?

It's essential to consider whether your employees are likely to adopt and appreciate this tool. High-income professionals with demanding roles may show less interest in the rewards, so understanding your staff's preferences is crucial. Implementation is straightforward, but launching the program requires commitment. Additionally, be mindful of potential issues like perceived favoritism and have strategies ready to address them.

How has this tool changed or evolved over time to meet users needs?

Terryberry has enhanced its mobile app, making it more accessible for employees regardless of their location. Improvements to the interface's navigation have also made the tool more user-friendly over time.

What specific type of user or organization is this tool very good for?

Terryberry is well-suited for remote or geographically dispersed workforces, industries with high turnover at the entry-level, large companies, and any organization looking to boost employee engagement, especially in roles that are repetitive or routine. This tool can help employees feel more recognized and engaged.

What specific type of user or organization would this tool not be a good fit for?

For very small organizations with fewer than 20 employees, Terryberry might not be as effective due to a small pool of participants and potential repetition of rewards. Additionally, highly compensated employees with very busy roles may not find as much value in the type of rewards offered.

Benefits of Employee Rewards Programs

The most significant benefit of employee rewards programs is improved engagement. Extensive automation capabilities and the opportunity to build your company brand are also key benefits.

Improved Employee Engagement

Employee recognition statistics clearly demonstrate that employees perform better and feel more motivated when their contributions are recognized. Organizing employee rewards as a form of recognition therefore makes perfect sense.

Implementing an employee reward program that facilitates and encourages peer-to-peer recognition is also a sure-fire way to improve employee engagement. That’s crucial, because 77% of employees believe they produce their best work when they are highly engaged.

Automation

HR professionals are busy folk, so any opportunity to make processes more efficient should be jumped at. The best employee rewards software has all manner of automation options to ensure that rewards programs are implemented consistently and fairly.

Even if you discount all of the other clear benefits of employee rewards programs, the fact that their automated processes enable HR staff to focus more time on other high-level tasks is probably worth the software subscription fee on its own.

Employer Branding

Implementing a well-planned rewards strategy with the help of employee rewards software is a sure-fire way to build positivity around your company brand. 

Rewards don’t have to be financial, either: Plenty of well-known companies have received positive press coverage for the non-monetary incentives they offer to reward staff.

Pro Tips on Employee Rewards Programs

Employee Reward Platform Pricing

Employee reward platforms are typically priced on either a per-employee/per-month basis, or they follow a marketplace pricing model.

Per employee/per-month pricing

A flat per-employee/per-month model is best suited to companies who make significant regular use of the employee rewards platform - typically larger companies for whom paying by usage would be prohibitively expensive.

A typical per-employee/per-month pricing model for employee rewards programs might look like this:

Employees Price/Employee/Mo Total Annual Cost
10 $10 $12,000

100

$9.50 $114,000
1,000 $5.70 $684,000

Marketplace model

With the marketplace model, customers pay a variable amount based on their usage of the tool as opposed to a flat rate.

If you don't make extensive use of the rewards software during any given period, your costs stay low. This model works best for smaller companies who may not use the platforms enough to justify the flat monthly fee.

Here’s an illustrative example of a marketplace model fee structure for employee reward programs:

Employees Annual Spend Fee as % of Spend Vendor Fee
100 $40,000 18% $7,200
1,000 $400,000 10% $40,000
10,000 $4,000,000 6% $240,000

Employee Rewards Software Best Practices

Best practices for employee rewards programs include ensuring integration with other software is smooth, monitoring outcomes closely, encouraging feedback from employees, and securing management buy-in at all stages.

Integration

Integrating your employee rewards program with other software and systems that your organization uses is a must.

Being able to access employee data already stored in an HRIS, for example, makes tracking progress toward goals like work anniversaries much smoother. Integration with messaging tools like Slack is also a hugely effective way to encourage engagement.

Monitoring

Employee rewards programs are rarely set-and-forget systems. Most initiatives will require regular monitoring and optimization to ensure that rewards are distributed as intended.

Monitoring and improving your implementation of an employee rewards program will take time and effort, but the return will be worth it.

Encourage feedback

Part of optimizing your employee rewards software solution should involve getting feedback from the employees themselves.

They’ll be able to tell you exactly which types of rewards motivate them, and which ones they don’t care for.

The more engaged in the process the employees are, the more efficient and successful it is likely to be.

Management buy-in

It’s important to keep key decision makers up to speed with the entire employee rewards program process - from procurement to implementation and beyond.

The more that management knows about the upsides (actual and potential) of the software that they have signed off on, the easier it will be to obtain approval for scaling it up or improving it in other ways.

Employee Rewards Platform FAQs

What are the best employee rewards programs?

  • Bucketlist: Great curated rewards section
  • Awardco: Huge selection of rewards
  • Mo: Multilingual reward platform

What are the main benefits of employee rewards software?

Key benefits of employee rewards software include improved employee engagement levels, plus the ability to build your company brand and automate various tasks to save time.

How much does employee rewards software cost?

Many employee rewards platforms will offer free trials, and the most feature packed options can cost tens of thousands of dollars per month.

The most common pricing models offered by vendors are per-employee/per-month or marketplace - the best value-for-money will depend on the size of your company and your intended software use levels.

What are some examples of employee rewards?

  • Gift cards
  • Charitable giving
  • Care packages
  • Bonuses
  • Staff parties/experiences

Final Thoughts on the Best Employee Rewards Programs

You can supercharge your organization’s employee engagement levels by taking full advantage of the features offered by the best employee rewards platforms.

It’s super important to integrate this software with the rest of your HR tech stack, to encourage input and feedback from employees, and to secure management buy-in for the programs you want to implement.

About Us

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  • Our site is free to use as some vendors will pay us for web traffic.
  • SSR lists all companies we feel are top vendors - not just those who pay us - in our comprehensive directories full of the advice needed to make the right purchase decision for your HR team.

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