19 Best Employee Rewards Programs in 2025
The best employee reward programs - reviewed, rated, and compared by our HR software experts. See pros and cons, pricing info & more below.
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If you want to motivate staff, strengthen your workplace culture, and attract new talent without exhausting your human resources with piles of extra work, an employee rewards system is a great option.
After testing over 40 options and giving and receiving hundreds of kudos over the years, we’ve experienced how easily powerful an employee rewards platform is for fostering a culture of appreciation, especially when the tool is paired with its sibling employee recognition software.
How come this combo works so well? How much should it cost? What is the best option for my team? These are some of the questions we’ll tackle in this guide.
By chatting with HR thought leaders, gathering user feedback, meeting with dozens of software providers over demos, and digging into each product's feature set, we’ve found that the best-in-class employee reward programs have to excel at flexibility and customization, reporting and analytics, and peer-to-peer engagement.
1. Flexibility and customization
The strength of many workforces lies in their diversity, which means not everyone wants the same perks and rewards. To evaluate how customizable and flexible an employee rewards platform is, we investigated the system’s rewards catalog. We examined the number of available rewards types, merchants, and covered countries and the option for custom company-branded swag.
2. Reporting and analytics
After testing essential rewards features from both the employer's and employee's perspectives, we examined the system’s analytics dashboard. Let’s be honest: One of the best things about having technology by our side is its ability to diligently track data in real time and highlight critical points and trends that deserve our attention.
We pulled standard and custom reports (if any), considering how easy (or hard) it was to get a set of data from the system and whether it’s helpful, actionable, and easy to digest for most users.
3. Peer-to-peer engagement
Employee rewards shouldn't be doled out by bosses alone; the recipients should also have some input on the process.
Recent data supports this idea: Recognition from co-workers is 35.7% more likely to positively impact financial results than recognition only from managers. For that reason, we looked at features like milestone celebrations, kudos, shoutouts, and, really importantly, how easy they were to use.
Learn more about how we research and evaluate HR tech.
C.A. Short Company
C.A. Short is a great option if you value high-touch support, deep customization, and a strong mix of digital and physical recognition tools. Its peer-to-peer recognition features allow for both digital and physical forms of acknowledgment, while the dedicated support team makes sure the entire system is customized to your needs.
PROS
- The rewards and recognition programs are coded to fully match each customer’s needs.
- Combines digital (peer-to-peer eCards, social feed-style recognition) and physical recognition (on-the-spot recognition cards.)
- Dedicated account managers, customer service reps, and an implementation team.
- The rewards and recognition programs are coded to fully match each customer’s needs.
- Combines digital (peer-to-peer eCards, social feed-style recognition) and physical recognition (on-the-spot recognition cards.)
- Dedicated account managers, customer service reps, and an implementation team.
CONS
- The UI is not as modern as some competitors.
- Changes to the system require communication with support rather than self-service configurations.
- Reporting relies on Power BI rather than being embedded within the platform.
- The UI is not as modern as some competitors.
- Changes to the system require communication with support rather than self-service configurations.
- Reporting relies on Power BI rather than being embedded within the platform.
C.A. Short is not the most modern-looking or feature-rich employee rewards platform we’ve reviewed, but its white-glove, concierge-style support is among the best—especially for businesses that want hands-on guidance in designing and implementing a recognition and rewards program.
We evaluate dozens of new vendors every month, and it’s clear that most platforms are moving toward a fully digital approach. However, C.A. Short is one of the rare few that embraces a hybrid model of peer recognition, combining digital tools with tangible, in-person acknowledgment. This unique approach adds a personal touch that sets it apart.
During our assessment, as employee users, we could send eCards with or without monetary rewards, celebrate achievements with peers in the social feed-style "Rec Room," and even receive on-the-spot recognition cards—physical cards handed out by managers for a job well done. The point redemption process was smooth, too: we scanned a QR code on the card, and our recognition points were redeemed almost instantly.
When it comes to customization, C.A. Short takes a highly personalized approach. In our tests, simply communicating our needs to the customer success team resulted in a system coded to our specifications, complete with fully tailored rewards packages. This makes for a less flexible, self-service experience, but it also significantly reduces the administrative burden—something many companies may prefer over off-the-shelf tools.
On the reporting front, C.A. Short offers a robust tool called C.A. Insights, which provides strong visibility into recognition engagement, usage patterns, and program effectiveness. However, a notable drawback is that the analytics are not built directly into the platform. Instead, they rely on Power BI, requiring users to leave the system to access data. The good news is that the vendor has confirmed full in-app reporting integration is on their roadmap, and we’ll be sure to keep you posted once it’s available.
Another thing to keep in mind is that while the rewards software excels in customization, the user interface is not as intuitive or visually appealing as solutions like Motivosity or Connecteam.
Additionally, though C.A. Short does offer automated secure sFTP folders for data integration, eliminating manual data imports, some might prefer the familiar native integrations with big HRIS vendors like Workday and BambooHR.
Dollar General, Penske, Sysco, and Tractor Supply are some of C.A. Short Company’s customers.
C.A. Short Company doesn't have a free trial, and pricing is determined on a case-by-case basis.
Best For
- Mid-sized to large organizations prioritizing hands-on support and customization.
- Companies in traditional or regulated industries where physical recognition is impactful.
- Teams seeking a concierge setup and a deeply tailored experience.
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 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 is used by many known brands including Redfin, Golden State Warriors, Major League Baseball, and SHRM.
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 looking to cultivate a culture of appreciation.
- Teams that value flexibility in reward choices, ranging from Amazon items to local experiences and charity donations.
- Organizations that value frequent product updates and responsiveness to user feedback.
We use nectar for staff and management to reward employees exceptional work with points. Also, it is useful in terms of keeping employees connected with each other and interested in each other's work by allowing them to engage in a way similar to social media. It also was helpful for management to see areas of staff success that otherwise may go unseen, which was particularly helpful in things like formal evaluations. Since staff could comment on each other's posts, it allowed ongoing positive interaction daily to engage with teammates, learn more about each other and collaborate. It also was helpful for management to incentivize positive behaviors via tangible rewards.
I liked how it dramatically improved morale in a short time by giving tangible rewards to staff that felt stronger than just a thank you. Also, the way it connected the staff to each other and fostered collaboration and teamwork was great. I think it improved our retention too, and diminished some of the conflicts we used to see by creating a better sense of community.
We used it for 2 years. When many employees had to go remote due to covid, we were concerned about a lack of engagement and a lack of connection amongst team members. Introducing this tool improved both. It allows team members to interact and reward each other for excellent work, or for going the extra mile. It helped motivate staff to take on tasks and volunteer as they could see it was noticed and the benefits were more tangible than just a thanks. Also, it eliminated the need for staff to approach management or HR to request things like a small thank you gift and having to deal with the budgets involved. So, it has made keeping everyone connected to each other, to the company, and enthusiastic about their work much easier.
Not everyone was a fan and some staff members felt it had the potential to be a bit like a popularity contest and that the competitions it sometimes inspired were not helpful. Some managers were concerned it was too much like social media and could be a distraction. The analytics and reports could have been more in depth.
I think nectar is better than some similar tools in that its interface is really fun for staff and easy to use. I have used two such programs, and preferred nectar mainly because I saw a lot of engagement from the staff and it required very little instruction to get people up to speed on its use.
Does it make sense for the company to invest in these kinds of rewards, as it is an added cost. Also, it is important to have participation, and ideally that should be voluntary, so people should assess if this tool seems to match the culture of the company and would be well received by staff. Also, there is the possibility for some competition, which can be healthy and positive, but people should consider that and be aware and ready to discuss if staff are concerned.
The company seems to have improved its education and sharing of ideas with its users over time.
Remote companies who are concerned about employee connection, engagement and recognition will benefit. I think a young workforce in particular enjoy this kind of tool, and are used to the social media-like aspects.
I think not all older workers may enjoy it. Also, companies where a lot of the employees are very highly compensated and advanced professionals may not be as interested in these kinds of rewards and interactions.
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 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.
Health Catalyst, Cotopaxi, Health Equity, Instructure, Ivanti
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
Organizations with 10 - 10,000 employees that:
- Are seeking mobile-first tools and integration with their team communication platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams.
- Are wanting to automate celebrations (like birthdays and service milestones) while allowing team-wide involvement.
- Run internal challenges such as wellness, learning, or team goals via built-in gamification and proof-based submissions.
Motivosity for management and leadership development has been a major area we employ. We use this to facilitate one-on-one and small group meetings between supervisors and their teams. It's been extremely helpful in getting everyone to participate and as they can add agenda items and plan in advance.
Performance has improved as a result because staff receives guidance on problem-solving and prioritizing work from their supervisor and they receive acknowledgment afterward. Also, the leadership team can see the reports on how often these meetings are happening and get a sense of how well our supervisors are performing.
We also use the recognize feature to reward the daily achievements and allow staff to recognize coworkers. Great work that often went unacknowledged or just was easily forgotten/overlooked now gets the attention it deserves. We found that everyone responds to this feature and that these small, regular acknowledgments tied to tangible monetary and gift rewards have really increased overall employee motivation and satisfaction and made doing great work rewarding and fun for our staff. We also set it up to make sure major events like an anniversary are not missed.
We also benefit from the surveys and feedback that leadership can see as insightful and data-driven reporting. It has been critical in getting information that was mainly anecdotal, unpredictable, and sporadic in the past. We use this for departing employees' exit interviews and to track turnover. Handling and understanding employee turnover had been overly informal and a bit chaotic before this feature, but we use the exit interviews and data to get a better picture of areas we need to focus on.
It improved employee morale and performance by offering ways for them to connect better with coworkers and supervisors and allowed ongoing, regular, and routine recognition rather than just major things like salary increases and promotions.
Leadership has gained a better sense of how our management is performing and increased the effectiveness of our supervisors at every level.
It's given us valuable data about how our staff are performing, employee turnover, and management performance in reports.
We were concerned about employee engagement given the fact that a large number of employees were remote, and we have multiple worksites. Both factors created a sense of disconnect among the staff from both the company and their co-workers. It seemed to be harming employee morale and, consequently, employee productivity.
We were also very concerned about increased interpersonal conflict, declining employee retention and feedback that generally indicated dissatisfaction. We were also looking for a way to provide ongoing recognition and to attain ongoing feedback, because annual reviews and occasional surveys were not enough, and were not incorporated into the day-to-day culture.
We've used motivosity for about a year and a half. In that time, we've seen improvements in all these areas.
We were not thrilled with the customer support regarding questions about billing and technical errors.
The system seemed to have some technical issues and was sometimes really slow or even would crash.
Though it met our needs, there do appear to be products on the market that have more features for around the same cost.
Having used a few similar products, I think Motivosity does a better than average job creating personalized connections between coworkers and social media-like content for staff members and was very good at fostering a sense of empowerment by management to the employees.
It allows for employees to recognize each other, not just management recognizing employees as is typically the case. Also, the user interface is very straightforward, intuitive, easy to navigate, and easy to use.
A tool like this will very likely increase employee engagement and increase performance and retention, but people should consider the costs involved both in the product and in monetized rewards and recognition to staff.
Once you institute such rewards, taking them away may be poorly received by staff. Also, it requires leadership to support and endorse the efforts to use this product and without that, it may not be effectively deployed, especially if you do not have full participation.
From my understanding, they have refined the features to focus better on reporting and on management development.
Remote workers will especially benefit. It helps to replace some of the personal bonding and connection that usually happens through in-person interactions.
Organizations, where there is infrequent staff interaction, will also find a lot of benefits in both the sense of personal connection and regular recognition that can be lost when workers are not physically near each other often.
An organization that highly values a top-down style of relationships may find that they don't value the degree to which employees are empowered to give feedback and recognition.
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 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 has over 3 million users including known companies like Percepta, Paramount, Hertz, Pacific Life, and Aptive
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.
We use it for incentives. Anytime we want to shout out an employee we're able to offer them a bit of points to use at any major site they're interested in. This is great for employee recognition and overall morale. We typically aim to tie it to some measurement of performance.
It's easy to keep track of the expenses towards incentives. It's easy to use on both ends (sender and receiver). Employees also love the idea of receiving $25 in Awardco instead of receiving money on their check that they don't really notice.
We were interested in finding a way to reward employees in an organized fashion. This made taxes easier for us, while also easily creating a budget for each department. It also made it easy for us to track why incentives were being passed to each individual, creating better oversight of expenses.
I don't think there's really all that much I don't like about the software. We would appreciate a lower fee for using it! Other than that, it's truly great and I highly recommend it.
It's simple. It's very user friendly and the money can be spent anywhere.
Ease of use is one. Second would be the stronger sense of oversight.
I don't think there's really been any adjustments over time, but I also don't need it to. It does what its intended purpose is.
Larger organizations that care about culture and want an easy way to budget and control incentive spending.
I would say it's not necessary for smaller companies where you already have the oversight of incentive budgets.
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 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.
TT Electronics, Trac, and AstraZeneca are some of the many companies that use Workstars.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Thought it was expensive for the platform. Wish it was more user-friendly. Wish we had one dedicated rep.
They are very similar to other platforms out there.
How often you plan to use it. How many employees you will have using it.
I haven’t noticed changes while we used it.
Hybrid organization that has employees all over the world.
It’s good for all organizations
Cooleaf
We picked Cooleaf for its ability to automate, personalize, and globally fulfill rewards as part of a broader employee engagement strategy. Unlike tools that focus purely on points or catalogs, Cooleaf connects rewards to performance data, survey participation, and peer recognition—making the incentive system feel more intentional and aligned with company goals.
PROS
- Reward programs can be tied to actions like training completion, hitting milestones, or participating in surveys.
- Cooleaf fulfills both physical merchandise and digital gift cards globally, removing the need for third-party logistics.
- The Slack integration is practically seamless– posts and recognitions are gathered within the team’s Slack channel.
- The platform includes analytics to track redemption trends by team, location, and role.
- Implementation support includes onboarding sessions and a personalized rollout plan.
- 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
- The initial setup for custom reward workflows may require onboarding support.
- Smaller companies may find the platform’s enterprise-scale design more than they need.
- Undisclosed pricing, as well as no free plan or free trial.
- 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.
While many rewards platforms focus on gamification or catalog size, Cooleaf takes a more strategic approach. It allows global organizations to design rewards programs that reflect their culture, reinforce key behaviors, and scale across distributed teams. In our demos, we’ve been particularly impressed with how rewards could be tied to performance metrics, participation in surveys, and learning and development initiatives.
Cooleaf also supports a range of flexible program structures— from automated milestone incentives to nomination-based awards that include multi-layer approvals. This makes it suitable for both ongoing incentives and more formal recognition moments.
On the fulfillment side, Cooleaf handles physical and digital reward logistics internally, which is a major plus for global teams. Whether it’s branded swag, gift cards, or high-value rewards, the company ships worldwide without the need for third-party coordination. Employees chan choose from 700+ brands, which provide access to thousands of rewards in the US and across the world.
Another area where Cooleaf stands out is analytics. HR leaders can view reward redemption trends by team, geography, and department, helping them understand what's resonating with employees and where incentives may be falling flat.
The platform isn’t designed for small companies—Cooleaf’s reward strategy, admin controls, and depth of configuration are geared toward enterprises with at least 2,000 employees. And while it doesn’t offer a free trial, their implementation support includes guided rollout, custom configuration, and post-launch check-ins to ensure success.
Cooleaf is used by organizations like Acosta, Aprio, BlueLinx, Georgia’s Own Credit Union, Kids2, and Shipt.
Cooleaf offers custom pricing based on employee count and program needs.
- Subscription billed monthly
- Rewards budget is flexible and managed separately
- Implementation support and onboarding included
Best For
Cooleaf is ideal for global enterprises that want to tie employee rewards to engagement metrics, learning milestones, and performance goals—with fulfillment managed in-house.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Cooleaf is a fun platform. The service is affordable and user friendly. Other platforms like Guusto have slightly better features and redeemable options.
How many employees need Cooleaf access? Do you have a remote staff and will any rewards be applicable in their location?
I have used Cooleaf since 2021 and since that time, they have improved their customer service response and engagement surveys.
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.
I would not recommend Cooleaf to large companies because the cost can increase as you expand but it is a solid service.
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.
- 4,000+ reward options available worldwide.
- Free plan available.
- 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.
- The starting price for subscriptions has increased from $40/month to $125/month.
- Accounts can only be funded with USD or CAD
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.
Staples, Compass One Healthcare, The Body Shop, Fairmont, Rexall Pharmacies
Guusto offers four pricing plans: a free plan for single users sending rewards, a Lite plan at $125 per month for single users who send and schedule bulk rewards, and Essential and Premium plans, priced per seat per month. Essential costs $2.50 per seat for Peer-to-Peer and $5 for Top-Down, while Premium is $3.50 per seat for Peer-to-Peer and $7 for Top-Down.
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.
I primarily use Guusto to send gifts. I simply log in and load funds to my account at any time. Once funds are in the account it is simple to give gifts in any increments within the balance in the account. All you need is the name and email of the parties you wish to gift, you can even add people to a contact list should you wish. Guusto makes the entire process of giving simple and fast!
I like that you don't have to use the entire balance at one merchant. I appreciate that I can combine multiple gifts into one balance. I also like that you can decide how much of your balance you want to redeem at a merchant and don't have to spend the entire gift in one place.
I have only used Guusto for 5 years but my employer has been using it much longer. It is used by me to quickly and easily send my peers a gift and a thank you. Also, my employer uses Guusto for milestone rewards, achievement awards, and more. Guusto makes giving and receiving gifts simple and fast. Managing your giving account is also quick & easy, and the ability to manage gifts once received is also a breeze.
There isn't much I don't like about Guusto. It does seem like there are more USA & Eastern Canada merchants than Western Canada ones. I would love to see more Western Canada Merchants added to the available options.
I have yet to find a gift card system as user-friendly or accessible as Guusto. I use this system to send gifts at work and in my personal life and won't be looking for another option.
Ease of Use. Easy Integration. Easy Reporting. Easy Tracking
I am not qualified to answer this question
Any user or organization that needs to be able to send financial gifts to people in an easily managed way.
Anyone who wants to give a specific physical gift.
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.
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.
Over 2,400 use Assembly, including Casper, Keck School of Medicine, and Perforce.
- 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 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.
Simple, fast platform. Easy set-up and free trial version prior to transition to paid version. Easy implementation and great reporting options and support.
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.
Coins expire if not used in time. UX could be more user-friendly. Larger tiered allotments would be a great improvement.
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.
There have been consistent upgrades to the platform and Assembly is very open to feedback and suggestions.
Assembly is ideal for small and mid-market organizations.
Assembly would not be a good fit for large/enterprise organizations.
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.
- One of the only fully-mobile HR tech tools for deskless workers
- Very adequately-priced for all it entails, SMB-friendly
- 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.
- In the communication hub, the app offers no confirmation that messages were sent and/or seen.
- Certain features that some teams consider essential, such as GPS-tracking, are only available in the higher-tier pricing plans.
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.
36,000+ companies, including Siteline, EnviroCon, and Copernicus.
- 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.
We use Connecteam to monitor shift statuses and changes, how many hours employees were working a week, and to provide site-wide communications to our team. We've always leveraged the chat option to optimize employee engagement, the location during check-ins for quality assurance, and our financials.
I specifically do most of the report extractions to visualize how many employees are onsite per day directly and to support forecasted staffing plans.
I love the easy employee and administrator interface, so the training guidelines are easy. I value the reporting features, which make collecting data seamless. Also, Connecteam has an app, so it's useful for those who leverage their phones for timekeeping and the chat system for direct contact with employees.
We initially purchased Connecteam to assist with our onsite hourly personnel. Their export template aligned perfectly with our corporate timesheet system, Unanet, so it was a seamless integration to ensure our invoices were accurate for billing.
We used Connecteam for 3 years, leveraging the personnel allocated to each shift, the seamless check-in process, and the direct communication tool to reach onsite management on time. Since the onsite Program Managers weren't always next to their email, they could view the employees' questions and check-ins from their phones for fast turnarounds with responses.
The only con I could think of is that sometimes the site glitches, and their customer service team is overseas, so the timezones can result in delayed support.
It's very affordable, supportive of customer service, and easy to use. Monthly costs are not driven per license, and it's better with allocating funding or keeping on-site timesheets.
Connecteam is easy to integrate for employers who staff employees who are shift workers or hourly personnel working outside of the primary headquarters. It's best to implement it after a pay period so you can track the hours worked with the provided pay schedule.
Monitoring is also included, where you can track the employees' location when they're checking in to prevent any pay discrepancies. It's an amazing, user-friendly system to implement into a business.
Yes, Connecteam’s chat feature and app support have surely evolved. Their response time has been fast, fluid, and very supportive.
Small or large organizations, hourly workers, onsite personnel, and companies who staff shift workers can benefit from Connecteam.
I don't believe full-time staff workers would benefit much from Connecteam since they're exempt. There's not much need to track the personnel and their worksites.
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.
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.
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.
4,700+ companies, including Petco, Shell, and JiffyLube.
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.
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 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.
ATCO, Bulgari, Arch Insurance, KidsPeace
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This is the only recognition software I have used.
People should think about price, usability, and user-friendliness, as well as reviews from other companies.
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.
Kudos is good for managers and frontline employees in small and medium sized companies.
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
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’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 is used by over 3,250 companies, including Cerebral, Baxter, Headspace, and InVision.
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.
We use Bonusly daily and for special occasions. Each staff member receives a set number of points per month to recognize their peers. Our managers receive additional points to reward employees who go above and beyond to support the team or company. Additionally, we provide points from the company for birthdays and work anniversaries as an extra way to show appreciation and celebrate milestones.
- Bonusly is very user-friendly.
- It easily integrates into our team’s dynamic.
- The platform allows us to customize the system to fit our needs and preferences.
- Employees can redeem their points for rewards of their choice.
We purchased Bonusly to improve our peer-to-peer recognition program. As we continued using Bonusly, we also found it highly effective for quick manager appreciation. Initially, we did not have any recognition system, and staff feedback indicated they felt underappreciated.
We evaluated several platforms to address this issue but found Bonusly to be the most user-friendly and customizable, making it feel like our own platform rather than just another application. The setup and integration of Bonusly into our teams were seamless.
- Bonusly had some initial implementation challenges.
- It does not provide sufficient resources to help teams maximize its use.
- It does not support single sign-on (SSO) with our other applications.
I have not used other recognition tools so I can’t comment on it.
- Consider how well the tool integrates into your company culture.
- Evaluate how easy it is to onboard and set up employees in the system.
- Clearly define your goals for using the platform to ensure it aligns with your needs.
Bonusly has introduced custom awards, allowing employees to redeem points for company swag.
Bonusly is a great fit for small to mid-sized companies with employees who have access to computers or mobile devices.
Bonusly may be challenging to implement in large companies.
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 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 is used by over 4000 companies, including McDonald’s, Comcast, and Pepsi.
- 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.
We frequently use Reward Gateway as it keeps HR processes efficient. For instance, the company distributes e-gift cards to employees monthly, and this platform made the process time-saving and effective. We also used it to promote employee branding among our teams and stakeholders, allowing us to quickly and efficiently make merchandise available. Additionally, Reward Gateway facilitated employee contributions to charities like United Way, providing a comprehensive service platform.
It allowed me to strategically plan and implement Employee Engagement Activities. It is cost-effective, and employees had a great experience using it. The platform is very attractive and user-friendly. It also provides an ongoing recognition system through Employee Engagement Surveys (EES), enabling us to stay on top of potential challenges the company might face.
My company purchased Reward Gateway to enhance the employee experience and boost engagement through a flexible platform that allowed the HR team to monitor performance metrics and closely track company culture. I used it for about four years to implement initiatives related to Employee Recognition and Rewards and to conduct Employee Surveys, enabling us to assess employee needs and morale.
Other than minor login issues, I haven't received any negative feedback from my team regarding Reward Gateway.
It offers a wide range of solutions to boost employee engagement and provides detailed collective data from surveys for analysis. I prefer this platform because the needed data is available quickly and efficiently, allowing me to act and strategize. My company has used other platforms for employee surveys, but their processes and information flow were quite unstructured, whereas Reward Gateway offers a very structured flow of information.
I think it's important to understand what you are trying to achieve, what sort of data you need, and what your end goal is, then compare it with the services offered by Reward Gateway to see if it aligns with your goals and objectives.
Reward Gateway has become more efficient and faster in terms of navigating through the different options available on the website. It's easier to find and execute what you need from their website.
Reward Gateway is very efficient for mid-to-large scale companies that need to keep their employee engagement data in check constantly. It reduces the number of steps traditionally needed to achieve the same results, making it time-efficient. Organizations that include employee culture and engagement as part of their strategic plan can definitely benefit from it.
Reward Gateway is probably not suitable for small-scale companies with 10-20 employees, which can be easily managed without needing much automation.
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’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.
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 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).
It's mainly used for peer-to-peer recognition. We have, in the past, built in birthday and anniversary awards. The birthday and anniversary awards were programmed to apply automatically based on the date in the employee's profile. We have also used it for larger awards, such as holiday awards.
Employees have a lot of fun with Bucketlist. There are many fun recognitions they post on the feed. We like the flexibility to use it for company awards. If we need to reward an employee for an achievement, it gives us a way to do that quickly. We also like how it integrates with Slack.
We have had Bucketlist for about three years. We purchased it to reward and recognize employees. We wanted a system that allowed peers to reward peers, managers to reward employees, and the company to provide larger rewards (for anniversaries, birthdays, etc.).
The only con I see with Bucketlist is not directly related to the tool itself but to the nature of the rewards. The rewards need to be included in employee income, so we must download the transactions and apply them as imputed income on employee paychecks.
Since it’s taxable, we occasionally get questions from employees. We could resolve this by grossing up, but that would be an additional expense.
We have not used other tools for comparison. We have looked into alternatives but did not see significant differences, so we cannot provide a definitive comparison.
First, determine the budget you will allow for employee spending. The platform has a base cost, but the employee reward budget must also be considered to understand the total cost. Account for headcount changes. Consider how the income will be integrated into employee paychecks.
Bucketlist has added the Slack feature, additional award options, and more fun ways for employees to recognize each other.
I think Bucketlist is good for any organization.
There are none that I can think of. It is a fun way for peer, manager, and company recognition.
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’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.
Kia Motors, HUB International, Rexall, Accruent
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.
I use WorkTango mostly to send out pulse surveys and check on how my team is feeling, ensuring any concerns are addressed quickly. I also like using it to recognize colleagues’ hard work and keep everyone motivated. Additionally, I utilize the platform's analytics to track engagement and spot any potential issues before they escalate.
I really like how easy it is to collect real-time feedback from the team, so we can tackle issues early. The recognition feature is great for keeping everyone motivated and connected. The analytics provide clear insights into engagement trends, which helped me make better decisions when I was in charge.
I believe my company decided to implement WorkTango because they felt the need for a more dynamic and real-time feedback mechanism. Before using this tool, it was challenging to regularly assess employee satisfaction and respond quickly to issues. Like many companies, they wanted to improve employee engagement and ensure that teams felt more connected to the company's mission and goals.
One key benefit of WorkTango is its ability to provide actionable insights through pulse surveys, allowing leadership to address issues in real-time. The platform’s recognition feature also helped boost morale, as employees can easily acknowledge each other’s achievements.
I personally felt very good using WorkTango during my time with the company (in the AI and SaaS industry), and it noticeably improved communication and alignment across teams.
Sometimes the surveys feel repetitive, which can cause employees to become less engaged. It would be nice if the recognition feature had more fun and creative ways to acknowledge colleagues. WorkTango could use more flexibility in customizing survey questions.
What makes WorkTango stand out is how simple and easy it is to navigate. The real-time feedback and recognition features make it much easier to stay on top of engagement and team morale. Other platforms can feel overwhelming, while WorkTango is more straightforward.
It's important to consider how easy the platform is to use and whether it fits your organization's needs. Good feedback options and solid analytics are crucial for understanding what’s working and where improvements are needed.
Over time, WorkTango has improved based on user feedback, making it more intuitive and user-friendly. New features, like more engaging recognition options, have helped us better connect with our team.
From my experience, WorkTango is particularly well-suited for mid to large-sized organizations that prioritize employee engagement and fostering a strong workplace culture. It's ideal for companies that want regular feedback and a culture of recognition, especially those with remote or hybrid work environments.
I would not recommend WorkTango for startups or very small organizations, as they may lack the necessary resources and the recognition tool might not be essential in the early stages. Companies with rigid hierarchies or those resistant to feedback and recognition might also struggle to fully utilize the platform’s capabilities.
Additionally, smaller, more traditional companies where the owner is the primary decision-maker might view this tool as a waste of money and resources.
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
- Mo no longer discloses its pricing.
- There is no free plan (but a free trial is available upon request.)
- Customer support is limited to weekdays, 9 AM - 5 PM GMT.
- 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.
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 has more than 100,000 users. Some top customers are SGN, The O2, NHS, Aspen, William Hill, and SHL.
Mo 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
Mo works exceptionally well for distributed teams who want to connect and motivate employees within established internal communications platforms like MS Teams and Slack.
Terryberry
Terryberry offers a comprehensive rewards platform with one of the industry’s largest rewards selections, including merchandise, gift cards, travel experiences, and custom-crafted awards. The platform’s flexible workflows and pay-upon-redemption billing help manage budgets effectively, while its hybrid-friendly design ensures easy access for all employees.
PROS
- Pay-upon-redemption billing model with multi-center cost allocation for better budget control.
- Global fulfillment capabilities with extensive international reward options.
- Flexible reward programs that can be tailored to company values and engagement goals.
- Advanced analytics to measure the impact of rewards on employee engagement and sentiment.
- HRIS integrations to automate and simplify reward management.
- Mobile-friendly features for deskless and hybrid workforces.
- Personalized support from implementation to ongoing customer success.
- Amazon Business is available for rewards in the US.
- 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
- The platform’s interface design could benefit from a more modern look.
- No open API yet, although this feature is on the development roadmap.
- No free trial is offered at this time.
- 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’s rewards platform offers a robust solution for companies looking to engage employees through meaningful and customizable rewards. During our demo, we explored Terryberry’s expansive rewards catalog, which includes merchandise, gift cards, travel experiences, company swag, and custom-crafted awards. This variety ensures that companies can provide rewards that resonate with diverse employee preferences.
We found that the platform’s flexibility in configuring reward programs stood out. Organizations can design reward workflows that align with their mission, vision, and values. For example, during our conversation with the product team, they highlighted how value-tagged rewards reinforce company culture by directly linking rewards to specific achievements and behaviors.
Terryberry’s pay-upon-redemption billing model was another standout feature. This approach helps organizations manage budgets more effectively by only paying for rewards when redeemed. Multi-center cost allocation further simplifies financial management for larger organizations.
The platform’s global fulfillment capabilities support rewards delivery in over 150 countries, making it ideal for international organizations. Additionally, the hybrid-friendly design ensures that office-based and frontline employees can participate. We saw how features like QR codes and mobile options make it easy for deskless employees to access and redeem rewards.
Despite its strengths, the platform does have a few drawbacks. The interface could benefit from a more modern design to improve user experience, but this is something that might change in 2025. Additionally, the lack of an open API limits integration possibilities, although this feature is also expected in future updates.
Terryberry serves over 40,000 clients globally, including well-known organizations such as Tesco, Epsilon, General Motors, and Trilogy Health.
Terryberry's basic subscription plans start around $3 per rewarded employee. Pricing depends on subscription features and reward types, one-time setup fees, and annual administration fees based on employee count and reward redemptions.
Best For
- Mid-sized companies seeking an all-in-one rewards system with expansive catalog options, including travel, swag, and custom-crafted awards.
- Hybrid or global teams, thanks to QR-enabled access and fulfillment in over 150 countries.
- Organizations seeking to tie rewards to core company values through customizable workflows and value-tagged recognitions.
We use Terryberry quite frequently, employees are encouraged to utilize it every day. For HR, we use it to recognize anniversaries monthly as well as employee recognition awards. Employees can interact with each other daily to congratulate each other on birthdays, anniversaries, and other wins. Analytics are easy to access, so we can easily pull the data for projects and analysis. Employees enjoy that they can purchase items through the website.
The convenience for HR and the employees is a benefit. The engagement and ease of engagement improves employee satisfaction. The ROI on using Terryberry for our company will continue to grow.
We bought Terryberry to align our employee recognition program across locations and regions. We have used it since 2016. The benefits of using the platform is that people across locations and regions can recognize each other easily and effectively. You can showcase how locations work together. Terryberry provides a platform to display how aligning to the company values can get you rewarded. It has worked really well for our organizational structure and size.
Some dislike the options of rewards. I feel only a portion of the company uses it - the employees who work independently at a desk. I would like to see more features related to AI.
We like the one stop solution that Terryberry provides.
The number of employees they have. The number of employees who are computer-based and technology savvy. The budget for employee recognition and how the system takes from that cost.
It has improved the website design and features.
Remote teams mainly.
Manufacturing, hourly employees who do not use a computer independently.
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.
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 is used by over 700 companies including Bosch, Tata, and DHL.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
- 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.
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.
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.
Not sure about the changes they made.
This tool is very suitable for organizations operating in remote or hybrid modes with globally distributed teams.
It may not be a good fit for small organizations where everyone is working from the office and direct, in-person appreciation is feasible.
AdvantageClub.ai
We picked AdvantageClub.ai because it has everything one would need for employee rewards and recognition in one place, so you can ditch the multiple apps and streamline your process with this easy-to-use platform. Plus, if you want to create a rewards program that matches your company culture, you can customize it with the thousands of redemption options this vendor offers.
PROS
- AI-powered messaging feature streamlines the process of giving and receiving recognition.
- Extensive global rewards marketplace with 10,000+ brands across 100+ countries.
- Flex-Benefits program allows employees to customize how they use perks.
- AI-driven engagement assistant (ADVA) nudges employees to stay active in recognition programs.
- Seamless integrations with HRMS, Slack, Teams, and Outlook for workflow automation.
- AI-powered messaging feature streamlines the process of giving and receiving recognition.
- Extensive global rewards marketplace with 10,000+ brands across 100+ countries.
- Flex-Benefits program allows employees to customize how they use perks.
- AI-driven engagement assistant (ADVA) nudges employees to stay active in recognition programs.
- Seamless integrations with HRMS, Slack, Teams, and Outlook for workflow automation.
CONS
- No public pricing. No self-service free trial.
- Instead of self-configuration, users may require additional support to leverage the power of analytics and dashboard features fully.
- No public pricing. No self-service free trial.
- Instead of self-configuration, users may require additional support to leverage the power of analytics and dashboard features fully.
For those who are here for an employee rewards and recognition system that allows you to customize and use AI and has thousands of global redemption options, we highly recommend AdvantageClub.ai. This platform’s global rewards marketplace boasts more than 10,000 brands in over 100 countries and counting. And just as importantly, the redemption process is easy and smooth.
We gave the redemption process a test by selecting a Walmart gift card from the U.S. marketplace. Within seconds, we received our digital gift card, ready for use. From there, we could redeem the earned points through the system’s peer recognition program for shopping, dining, experiences, and even wellness benefits.
The Amazon Marketplace integration also came out really nice. We could convert points directly into purchases across various product categories without any issues.
If you like to give employees more control over how they use their perks, the in-app Flex-Benefits program has options for medical benefits, wellness plans, and fitness memberships— all configurable.
The flexibility is extended to the employer’s side, too. Instead of being a plug-and-play solution, AdvantageClub.ai allows companies to custom-brand their rewards program, from logos and colors to customized award categories.
Within its admin dashboard, we could set up custom award approval workflows, manage budgets, and configure different recognition programs per department or region. The system also worked well when we used bulk uploads for award distribution, which can be very handy for those looking to roll out incentives at scale.
And "ADVA," the AI-driven engagement assistant, impressed us with the gentle nudges to keep employees involved without being too pushy about it. For example, it reminded us that we hadn’t recognized a colleague in two weeks and suggested sending an appreciation message. Similarly, for wellness incentives, it notified us when we had points to use for a health check-up.
One downside of AdvantageClub.ai, however, is that this vendor isn’t upfront about their pricing. Costs can change depending on where your team is based and what features you need, so a talk with their sales is a must to get a quote for your business. Also, unlike some competitors such as Guusto and Workstar, the rewards platform doesn’t offer a free trial.
1,000+ companies, including EY, Concentrix, TARGET, Hexaware, BCG, and Turner.
AdvantageClub.ai has custom pricing.
Best For
AdvantageClub.ai is ideal for large enterprises and mid-sized organizations looking for a highly flexible employee rewards and recognition platform with AI-driven automation and a global marketplace for perks and benefits.
Benefits of Employee Rewards Systems
An effective employee reward program strengthens workplace engagement, boosts morale and HR efficiency, and reinforces company core values, all while cultivating a positive culture.
Improved Employee Engagement and Retention
With 77% of employees performing their best when engaged and appreciated, rewarding worker contributions have a tangible impact. That does not just stop at better staff performance; it also helps turnover rates. Gallup found organizations that prioritize rewards at work see a 56% decrease in the likelihood of employees seeking new job opportunities
You would also want to consider a program fostering peer-to-peer recognition, as recent data suggests that employees who feel recognized by their peers are five times more likely to feel valued and to invest in their work.
Increased Productivity and Innovation
Employee recognition statistics demonstrate that employees perform better and feel more motivated when their contributions are recognized. According to Gartner, a well-designed recognition program can lead to an 11.1% increase in average employee performance.
Also, when employees receive regular recognition, they are more likely to offer creative solutions and strive for higher performance. For instance, those recognized monthly are 36% more likely to report feeling productive and engaged compared to those recognized quarterly.
Higher HR Efficiency
Too often, HR professionals wear many hats and have multiple aspects they need to attend to, so any opportunity to streamline the processes should be seized. The best solutions have all manner of automation options to ensure that rewards programs are implemented consistently and fairly. These tools can automate everything from milestone celebrations, work anniversaries, and birthdays to onboarding—all in one user-friendly interface.
Strengthened Company Culture and Employer Brand
Implementing a well-planned rewards strategy with the help of employee rewards software is a surefire 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.
Employee Reward Software Pricing
Employee reward platforms are typically priced per employee per month or follow a marketplace pricing model.
Per Employee Per Month Pricing Model
A flat per-employee-per-month model is best suited to companies that regularly use 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 an employee reward system might look like this:
Marketplace Model
With the marketplace model, customers pay a variable amount based on their use of the tool rather than 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:
Types of Employee Rewards (with Examples)
There are several ways for rewarding employees in the workplace, but generally, they all fall into two types:
- Monetary rewards are directly linked to an employee's performance, achievements, or contribution to the organization. Examples of monetary rewards for employees include bonuses that comprise a percentage of their salary, a commission on a sale, and a bonus allocated to reaching a specific metric target.
- Non-monetary rewards don’t involve direct financial compensation but aim to motivate and recognize individuals by gifting a specific item or experience. Some ideas for non-monetary rewards include an employee award title, peer nominations, an employee wellbeing program, paid days off to rest after hard work to celebrate a big achievement, and company-sponsored training opportunities an employee wants to pursue.
You can use either one or both. The center point here is to ensure that the rewards initiatives (as well as the employee recognition programs) are: 1) meaningful to the recipients (your employees) and 2) aligned with your company values.
How to Set Up a Staff Reward System
Best practices for implementing a successful employee reward system include ensuring smooth integration with your HRIS, monitoring outcomes closely, encouraging feedback from employees, and securing management and employee buy-in at all stages.
- Integration: Accessing employee data already stored in an HRIS, for example, makes tracking progress toward goals much smoother, while a team-up with team collaboration tools like Slack is a hugely effective way to encourage engagement.
- Monitoring: Rather than set-and-forget systems, reward programs require regular monitoring and optimization to ensure that rewards for staff are distributed as intended. The work does take time and effort, but the return will be worth it.
- Encourage feedback: The more engaged the employees are in your reward program, the more on-target it is likely to be. So, involve your people in sharing their thoughts about the tech. They’ll be able to tell you exactly which rewards motivate them (aka what to focus on) and which ones they don’t care for (aka what to cut).
- Management buy-in: 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.
FAQs
What is an employee rewards program?
An employee reward program is a structured method for companies to offer rewards, such as cash, gifts, or non-monetary incentives, to employees for their service and positive behaviors. When effectively implemented, these programs can motivate, attract, and retain top talent, and enhance employee performance.
How do I know if my team needs an employee rewards program?
A staff rewards system should be in place if you experience one of these circumstances with your team:
- Team members' productivity decreases significantly.
- Complaints become more frequent among workers.
- High employee turnover rates.
- Most engagement surveys and performance review answers suggest a need for better employee experience and retention.
You may also want to check out our experts' advice on what to consider before buying an employee rewards system to ensure success when exploring recognition solutions.
What companies have the best employee rewards programs?
Depending on each business’s needs and priorities, but according to our experts’ testing and evaluations, Nectar’s rewards feature set has always enriched every time we re-visited their site, Guusto’s employee recognition platform works so well for frontline employees, Vantage Circle is ideal for global teams, while Workstars is best for U.K.-based businesses.
What are the main benefits of employee rewards software?
Key benefits of employee rewards software include improved employee engagement and productivity, reduced employee turnover, better teamwork, plus the ability to build your work culture and automate various tasks to save time.
How much does an employee rewards program cost?
Many employee rewards platforms offer free trials. A basic rewards program for small businesses can start at as little as $1 per employee per month, while more comprehensive options can cost thousands of dollars or more, often with annual subscriptions required.
What are some examples of employee rewards?
Amazon gift cards, e-cards, and charitable donations are a few examples of employee rewards. However, rewards don’t have to be financial. Plenty of well-known companies have received positive press coverage for the non-monetary incentives they offer to reward employees.
How do companies motivate and reward employees?
Rewarding employees can come in different shapes and forms, but effective programs all have three things in common:
- They recognize employee contributions both publicly and privately.
- They balance out tangible and intangible rewards, and perhaps, most importantly,
- They are tailored to individual preferences.
Learn more: Ultimate guide and actionable tips for effective employee reward systems
Final Advice on the Best Employee Rewards Programs
Last but not least, don’t forget to integrate your employee rewards and recognition tools with the rest of your HR tech stack (i.e. HRIS/HCM, employee engagement platforms, and performance management systems). Let that happen and you will gain a more comprehensive grasp of your employee experience, which you can use to supercharge your organization's employee appreciation levels.
About the Author
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