The best employee recognition app manages all types of recognition, whether peer-to-peer, top-down, or bottom-up. This tool features personalized messages, custom peer-nominated awards, automated milestone celebrations, and more.

We picked over 50 of the most promising vendors in the market and put them to the test, and disqualified more than half of them. Here you’ll find the top employee recognition companies, along side with their key features, use cases, pricing, and other considerations to help you narrow down the best option for your organization.

Employee recognition software is a digital tool designed to help organizations implement employee recognition program ideas, acknowledging teams’ and individuals’ achievements and contributions in a structured and meaningful way, thereby fostering a culture of appreciation.

Some of you might be wondering whether there is any free employee recognition software. The short answer is yes. Although not common, there are a few free employee recognition apps available, including:

• Matter: Free plan features Kudos recognition, template library, Slack & Teams integration.
• Guusto: Free plan supports sending and redeeming rewards, recognition mobile app, and print options.
• Wrenly: Free plan includes 3 surveys per month (up to 50 responses), 5 suggestion box posts per month, 10 recognitions per month, and 1 admin account.
• BuddiesHR: Free plan provides access to basic recognition features for up to 10 users.

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Having a recognition program in place is important to both your company’s human and financial capital. Recognition software can bring numerous benefits, including increased employee engagement, access to valuable data, and automated recognition processes.

• More Engaged Workforce: Employee recognition programs make it easier for employees to engage with each other in ways that align with your company’s values and work culture. Employee recognition statistics show that higher engagement is great for the bottom line, too: organizations with high employee engagement levels are 21% more profitable.
• Better Team Well-being: Regular recognition makes employees feel valued and appreciated, which reduces stress and improves mental health. A study found that 69% of employees believe their well-being would improve if they were thanked more often.
• Improved Employee Retention: Recognized employees are more likely to remain with their employer. Statistically, organizations with recognition programs experience 31% lower voluntary turnover compared to those without such programs.
• Attracting Top Talent: Unsurprisingly, a recognition culture makes an organization more attractive to future employees. And organizations that put employee recognition first are in a better position to attract top talent looking for a positive work environment.
• Actionable Employee Data: The best employee recognition platforms often come with engagement measurement capabilities (e.g., pulse surveys), which provide you with all sorts of useful metrics. This data will help you ensure that recognition plans are being executed within a specific budget and time frame and that rewards are fairly distributed.
• ‍Streamlined Recognition Processes: Automatic reminders of work and personal anniversaries, competitions, and monthly awards not only bring consistent recognition across all levels of your business but also streamline the recognition operations for your HR employees.