19 Best Employee Rewards Programs in 2025
The true standouts in a sea of self-claimed best employee reward systems.








The best employee rewards system helps you motivate staff, strengthen your workplace culture, and attract new talent without exhausting your human resources with piles of extra work. After testing over 50 options and giving and receiving hundreds of kudos over the past five years, we’ve experienced firsthand how easily such a platform can foster a culture of appreciation, especially when paired with its sibling employee recognition software.
What is the best rewards program for my staff? How much does it cost? Any pitfalls and adoption mistakes I need to bear in mind? These are some of the questions we’ll help you answer in this guide.
We’ve narrowed our specifications for a best-in-class employee rewards system to the following list of must-excel features: 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 reward 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.
During testing, we signed up for a demo with vendors, examined the tools ourselves from both employer and employee perspectives, and sought verified user feedback to get a more holistic view of what each option has to offer.
Additionally, we’ve interviewed HR leaders from companies using employee rewards platforms to understand what works in practice and what doesn’t. We’ve also consulted with industrial-organizational psychologists to better evaluate how rewards impact motivation and culture.
The people behind this guide bring decades of HR, technology, and editorial experience.
- Huda Idris leads our content and has over 12 years of experience in HR tech publishing.
- Our founder, Phil Strazzulla, holds an MBA from Harvard and has helped millions of HR pros evaluate software through SSR.
- Christina Moran, Ph.D., contributes with a background in organizational psychology and hands-on leadership experience in performance strategy.
We’re also supported by professionals like Alison Hunter, who has a decade of experience implementing HR programs in tech companies; Anh Nguyen, a former tech recruiter with a specialty in talent system analysis; and Tracie Marie, who has scaled talent programs across startups and Fortune 100 firms.
At SelectSoftware Reviews, we test and review products with complete editorial independence. Every insight you’ll find here is grounded in hands-on use, expert analysis, and what actually matters to HR teams trying to build a stronger culture of appreciation. Read more about our editorial standards.

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 is easy to recommend given how this vendor reinvents employee rewards by letting companies move beyond cookie-cutter gift cards to create recognition programs that truly resonate with their teams. Testing the platform, the first thing that sticks out is the rewards store. It’s so customizable, covering both digital or physical gift cards, from national retailers or local merchandise.
Adding custom rewards was straightforward. We liked how flexible the platform is in letting administrators set up unique competitions—anything from wellness challenges to book clubs—complete with badges and awards for winners. Impressively, you can set up the platform so that participants can upload proof such as step counts or book reviews to foster integrity and fairness to the process.
For milestones, Motivosity automates service awards and birthday celebrations with personalized gifts and shoutouts. These moments appear in a social feed, where colleagues can leave social recognition to amplify the celebration and build camaraderie.
However, we think you'd hesitate to make an investment in this platform if all-in-one solution with both recognition and performance management capabilities is what you’re eyeing. Motivosity has phased out its performance management tools, so features like one-on-ones and coaching are no longer available.
Another potential drawback is that the rewards platform lacks rules or limits on how employees distribute their points. This means someone could, in theory, send 100% of their monthly reward allocation to a close friend, which can hurt the fairness of the system if not monitored.
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
Motivosity is among the top social rewards platforms for organizations with 10 - 10,000 employees.
We had used Motivosity to promote events in the community. We also used it to facilitate Employee Giving (i.e. Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico several years ago). During the pandemic, it was leveraged especially to lean into our Employee Resource Groups. We used it to focus on specific dates on the calendar, such as Veteran's Day, Juneteenth, and International Women's Day. We also used this platform to encourage Employees to take the Employee Experience Survey.
Clean Interface. Multi-faceted and easy-to-use
Our organization bought Motivosity as part of our strategy for Corporate Social Responsibility. A discovery from our Employee Experience survey showed that there was an interest in our employees who wanted to give back to the community.
The interface is easy to use. The benefits of the platform include multiple functions such as global connection and employee giving. I used this Motivosity for close to a year.
I don't have anything negative to see about Motivosity.
I would say that Motivosity offers multiple streams to help support Employee Engagement.
Executives should think about the company culture. Does the culture support employees taking on projects and missions for CSR projects? Also, from a Technical standpoint, is it easy to integrate with their current systems?
I would say Motivosity has made our needs, and it has stayed the same.
For-profit corporations and/or organizations with many employees.
Small non-profit companies with small margins.

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.

We tested AdvantageClub.ai’s redemption process by choosing a Walmart gift card from the US market
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.

Bonusly

Bonusly’s specialty lies in its global rewards catalog and its ability to connect recognition with rewards to drive employee performance. The platform packs over a thousand gift cards and curated physical gifts. Teams of 50–5,000 can roll out Bonusly quickly, and nonprofits especially benefit from its discounted pricing.
PROS
- Bonusly offers an intuitive user interface for admins, managers and employees.
- 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 free plan and 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
- Less suitable for experiential rewards due to its point-based system.
- Some users have reported issues with user imports, redemptions, or platform downtime.
- Analytics and reporting features are relatively underdeveloped.
- The reward catalog lacks in-person experiences and physical goods.
- All our plans are billed annually, and the vendor no longer discloses their pricing.
Bonusly is one of the most flexible and employee-friendly rewards platforms we’ve tested, which is designed to offer tangible value, personal choice, and global accessibility. From gift cards to branded swag and curated physical gifts, this tool makes it easier for companies to build meaningful employee rewards programs that scale across teams and geographies.

The core offering is Bonusly’s global rewards catalog, featuring over 1,200 gift cards in over 200 countries and curated gifts that feel personal and meaningful. Employees can choose from categories like apparel, dining, travel, and entertainment. In our tests, the redemption process was pretty straightforward, with clear navigation and strong international coverage. Through its AXOMO integration, companies can also offer branded swag on demand, which one can utilize to keep rewards on-brand without giving more work to HR.
Moreover, recent product updates have improved reward delivery and platform control. Slack and Teams integrations now allow one-click reward actions with real-time previews, and admins can moderate content by restricting hashtags or emojis. Bonusly has now also expanded its integrations to include Paylocity, Rippling, and Workday, enhancing compatibility within larger HR ecosystems.
Additional enhancements include structured 1:1s with shared agendas, lightweight check-ins to keep everyone on the same page, and automated performance recaps that highlight not only recent contributions but also trends over weeks and months.
That said, given that this solution’s rewards model is primarily point-based and individual-focused, companies aiming for more non-monetary, experiential reward strategies may find it less compelling.
We’d also like to see Bonusly improve its analytics further, as the current dashboards provide high-level trends but lack granular filtering by department, tenure, or region. Additionally, some global users report limited local reward options and lower redemption caps, which can affect fairness and engagement abroad.
Hulu, InVision, SurveyMonkey, and Headspace are among Bonusly's 3,400+ customers.
Bonusly provides three annual subscription tiers: Free ($0 for up to 8 users), Team ($3/seat), and Organization (custom pricing). A 14-day free trial is also available.
Best For
Bonusly is best for mid-sized to large companies that want a flexible, point-based employee rewards system with international reach and strong admin controls.
We created a slack channel so you can see who is receiving points every day. I give out points to coworkers about 5x a month until my allotted amount is used up. You can easily integrate with slack, use the browser, or the app. Anytime someone helps me out, I send a few points over to say thank you!

I like that I can recognize coworkers that help me out and that the whole company will see it. I also like that I can get a sense of what each department is working on and with. It allows you to see all that is being done in the company, not just the specific people you work with. Lastly, you can redeem your points for cash prizes which is a great benefit. It is a great engagement tool for the company!
Since going fully remote, our company struggled with building culture and engagement. We also wanted a way to show recognition for all the hard work being done on a daily basis. We started using Bonusly 6 months ago and have had a fantastic experience so far. Bonusly allows our team to stay engaged, have fun with each other, see the different projects going on all over the company, and feel valued for their work. It's easy to use and does exactly what we were wanting.
I really don't have any complaints about Bonusly. The Slack integration could use some slight improvements but nothing major. I have not found an auto-billing setting that would save me some time. There could be more email reminders to employees who are not engaging on Bonusly.
They have a competitive price, easy set-up, great customer service, an easy-to-use website, and awesome options for prizes to redeem your points for.
Be sure to budget for the subscription and points you want to give out. You will want to make sure your employees have an easy way to access it. It works well for us because everyone is working on their laptop all day. Decide if you want to give out cash rewards or experiences.
We have added more prizes to it and incorporated them into all of our cultural events. Anytime we want to reward someone or give a prize - we use Bonusly!
Companies that work primarily on a computer. Can be for in-person or remote settings.
Employees that do not have desk jobs would most likely not use it as much since they do not have easy assess to the website.

Achievers

We chose Achievers because its international reward system performed more smoothly than most we’ve tested. Local vendor partnerships across 200-plus countries reduced friction for employees receiving rewards, and the platform’s real-time budgeting features kept things predictable at scale.
PROS
- Global reward fulfillment via localized vendor partnerships.
- The concierge redemption option lets employees choose virtually any legal reward.
- Swag, gift cards, cash-like options, and experiences available in a single platform.
- Budget controls and compliance tools support enterprise-wide reward governance.
- Highly flexible catalog that adjusts based on location, language, and user permissions.
- Native integrations with Workday, Slack, Outlook, and several other enterprise platforms.
- Global reward fulfillment via localized vendor partnerships.
- The concierge redemption option lets employees choose virtually any legal reward.
- Swag, gift cards, cash-like options, and experiences available in a single platform.
- Budget controls and compliance tools support enterprise-wide reward governance.
- Highly flexible catalog that adjusts based on location, language, and user permissions.
- Native integrations with Workday, Slack, Outlook, and several other enterprise platforms.
CONS
- Reward catalogs vary by region, with some users wishing for more variety.
- Some users noted that the redemption layout could be confusing, or they experienced difficulty locating specific reward items.
- Targeting organizations with 500+ employees, Achievers may be too costly for smaller companies.
- Reward catalogs vary by region, with some users wishing for more variety.
- Some users noted that the redemption layout could be confusing, or they experienced difficulty locating specific reward items.
- Targeting organizations with 500+ employees, Achievers may be too costly for smaller companies.

For large organizations that want to offer culturally relevant rewards across regions, we found that Achievers provides a solid global infrastructure, a flexible concierge option, and a clear no-markup pricing model.
What stood out most in our testing, perhaps, was the global fulfillment engine. Instead of steering everything toward Amazon gift cards or a small in-house catalog, Achievers works with local vendors in more than 200 countries through a drop-ship model. Seeing how this played out in sample flows, it felt more reliable than many systems we have tried. Employees in Canada and the U.K. generally receive rewards without the shipping delays or additional import fees that tend to frustrate users elsewhere. It is not perfect everywhere, but the consistency was noticeable.
The catalog itself is broad. We saw cash-like gift cards, charity options, travel and lifestyle perks, branded gear, and a wide mix of physical items. What gave the system a different feel was the concierge feature. Employees can request nearly any legal reward, and Achievers will attempt to source it using their vendor network. We have seen other platforms talk about flexibility, but this was one of the few cases where it actually came through in practice. Of course, how often employees use it depends heavily on internal guidance and manager discretion.
On the admin side, we found the budgeting tools straightforward to work with. Real-time visibility helps prevent overspending, and the no-markup pricing model keeps point values predictable. For organizations that need tight financial controls, this level of transparency can be useful. On the employee side, integrations with Microsoft Teams, Slack, and QR-based mobile access keep recognition close to where people already work. We appreciated that recognition did not require a separate login just to complete simple tasks.
There were also areas where the platform felt less strong, of course. In particular, users in less-supported countries often say the catalog feels thinner than in major markets. While that is not uncommon in global reward tools, it is still worth noting. We also saw comments that the redemption workflow felt a little harder to navigate, especially when users were looking for specific items rather than browsing. Additionally, because Achievers is built for organizations with 500 or more employees, smaller companies may find the platform heavier or more costly than they need.
Five Star Bank, General Motors, Sobeys, Wesley, Moxa.
Achievers uses custom pricing. A demo is required for an accurate quote.
Best For
We found Achievers to be a strong option for large, global organizations that need predictable pricing and a flexible reward model. Its strengths are most evident at enterprise scale, though companies in smaller markets or with leaner needs may want to weigh the trade-offs.

Connecteam

Connecteam is an all-in-one workforce management hub for businesses, big and small with simple yet effective employee rewards program features. This vendor is also one the few rare in the space that provides a genuine free, functional option.
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 in which this employee rewards software 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
Connecteam’s employee rewards program works best for non-desk or distributed teams seeking 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.
Guusto
We are big fans of Guusto’s inclusive approach to coporate 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.
Unfortunately, the recent price change for Guusto left us a little disappointed. It used to start at an affordable rate of $40 per month. Now, the latest figure has tripled to $125 per month. And given that Guusto accounts can currently only be funded using USD or CAD, those operating across different currencies may find this restrictive.
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’s employee rewards program is best for companies with frontline employees, particularly in the Healthcare, Retail, Financial Services, and Hospitality industries.
- I send gifts to my current and past clients.
- I send gifts to my business partners like mortgage brokers, lawyers, etc
- I receive gifts from those same people that I used to take my family on outings

I like how easy to use it is.
I've been using Guusto for 3 years for customer loyalty and to stay in touch with the sphere of influence
There is literally nothing I don't like about this app.
- Ease of use
- Gift card selection
- Reliability of customer service
Small and medium size businesses.
Businesses with zero repeat clients.

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 rewards and recognition programs for employees. 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 corporate 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 who embrace 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 corporate rewards program 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 employee 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
C.A. Short Company is best suited for mid-sized to large organizations prioritizing hands-on support and a deeply tailored employee rewards program experience.
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.
- The user interface appears less modern than some competitors.
- Support is limited to UK and US business hours, which could result in delayed responses for international users.
- Neither a free plan nor a free trial is offered.

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.
Still, we wish Workstars offered pre-built HRMS integrations just like most of its peers. In order to connect the employee rewards program with your existing HR tech stacks, you must have to resort to XML or CSV uploads, or invest engineering resources into building out API connections. Similar to Guusto and Nectar, this vendor also don’t offer a free trial.
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 ideal for companies with a workforce ranging from 50 to 10,000 employees.
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

Bucketlist

With its vast experiential rewards catalog, easy fulfillment, collaborative team challenges, and more, Bucketlist boosts employee satisfaction and retention. The platform also offers 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.
- The interface is intuitive and easy to navigate on both desktop and mobile.
- The platform supports customizable rewards and peer recognition tied to company values.
- Dedicated onboarding and account managers are provided with every plan.
- Recognition can be automated for milestones like birthdays and work anniversaries.
- Leaderboards and competitions help gamify employee performance and engagement.
- Bucketlist supports English, Spanish, and French for multilingual teams.
- Integrations are available with 80+ tools, including Slack, Teams, Outlook, and BambooHR.
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.
- Points redemption time can be length at times.
- Though intuitive, the platform's interface is less attractive and modern than some competitors.
- The experiential rewards catalog is limited compared to cash and gift card options.
- The shoutout interface lacks a back button when browsing GIFs.
- Setup and per-employee fees may be too costly for small organizations.

Bucketlist’s rewards and incentives platform has an extensive list of features you’d need to boost employee satisfaction, engagement, and retention. For starters, it features a comprehensive catalog of over 2,500 rewards employees can choose from, many of which are 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.
Despite the platform’s promise of variety, we found the available rewards centered around experiences notably limited compared to the breadth of cash and gift card options. We also heard feedback that features like shoutouts, token distribution, and goal setup could feel clunky or unintuitive. Finally, while the platform generally handles redemptions well, we experienced some delays in redeeming bucket points.
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 is among the best employee experiential rewards platform options 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.

Matter

It's rare to find a vendor that can so effectively integrate employee 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 corporate rewards programs, 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. When compared to Connecteam’s free offerings, Matter's free plan may not match up in terms of verticalization, as Connecteam provides several HR toolkits in its free version. However, it does offer a more robust set of features specifically for employee rewards.
Nevertheless, the requirement to use Slack or Microsoft Teams means Matter 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 note for those looking to start with Matter’s free plan: there’s a 30-day limit on analytics history. It can be a bit of an inconvenience, but we know some 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
Matter is ideal for SMBs that are using communication platforms Teams or Slack and are open to incorporating their corporate rewards programs within these apps.

Assembly

Assembly makes rewarding employees easy and friendly towards SMBs with a flexible pricing structure, good integration options, and support for both peer and top-down rewards.
PROS
- 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 publicly 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.
However, please note that coins and points earned through the platform expire and do not roll over. Another limitation is that Assembly is currently only available in English.
Over 4,000 companies use Assembly, including Casper, Keck School of Medicine, and Perforce.
Assembly customers are charged between $2 and $4 per employee per month, depending on the features and monthly vs. yearly pricing plan. There’s also a Enterprise plan available at a custom quote.
From what we’ve tracked, Assembly’s recent development has been squarely aimed at tightening the integrity and usability of its rewards and recognition system.
- New features rolled out: Assembly added point-swapping controls, giving admins the ability to cap how many points two employees can exchange within a set period. New custom groups also make it easier to target rewards, announcements, and point deposits to more precise employee segments.
- Enhanced features: The filtered home feed helps employees surface recognition activity that matters most to them. The Microsoft Teams notifications integration also makes reward activity more immediate by pushing recognition alerts directly into Teams.
- Features on the roadmap: Upcoming updates focus on 1:1s, HRIS improvements, and Challenges redesign to deliver a simplified, more visual experience for both admins and employee users.
Best For
Assembly’s scalable plans and good feature set make it a compelling choice for growing SMBs.
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.

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 and recognition 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.
However, in our time with the employee rewards program, we noticed that the enterprise-grade design, including advanced admin controls and extensive configuration options, can feel like overkill for smaller companies, especially those with fewer than 500 employees. According to some users we interviewed, initial setup of custom workflows seems to also require significant onboarding support, which is definitely not a cup of tea for smaller or less resourced HR teams.
Another aspect that strengthens our belief that Cooleaf won't be a good fit for lean teams is its pricing structure. Unlike Matter and Connecteam, the platform neither discloses pricing nor offers a free trial/plan.
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
Since joining ITA Group, Cooleaf has expanded its reward capabilities while remaining a stand-alone platform. Recent updates like approval-based reward workflows, manager-facing usage insights, and robust analytics make it easier for large organizations to build scalable, values-aligned incentive programs. International reward fulfillment and new nomination-based award options have also strengthened its appeal to global teams.
Best For
Cooleaf is ideal for global enterprises with with at least 2,000 employees.
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.

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 available as of this writing.
- 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, we’re quite disappointed in the platform’s interface: it’s not exactly user friendly but rather look dated. Additionally, the lack of an open API limits integration possibilities makes this option not the best bet for some enterprises.
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.
Terryberry has made several notable updates to its rewards platform in the past year, enhancing its capabilities and user experience:
- Expanded global fulfillment: Rewards can now be delivered in over 150 countries, supporting diverse and international workforces.
- Advanced analytics: New tools to measure the impact of rewards on employee sentiment and engagement.
- Mobile enhancements: Improved mobile experience for easier reward access and redemption, especially for deskless employees.
- AI-powered features: AI-driven insights help refine reward strategies and personalize reward recommendations.
- Custom workflows: Enhanced options for configuring reward programs to align with company values and goals.
- Amazon Business was recently introduced to their rewards catalog, though it's currently available only to users in the U.S.
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.

Awardco

Awardco helps you give thoughtful and personal reward programs 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 corporate rewards program 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.
Compared to Nectar, Awardco’s annual entry price is slightly lower — $2,500 vs. $4,000. However, some users we surveyed noted that certain reward items cost more than standard retail pricing, which can reduce perceived value. Additionally, while most redemptions are seamless, there have been occasional reports of delays in reward delivery.
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.
Awardco’s most recent updates centered on platform usability, gamified recognition, and stronger global functionality.
- New features rolled out: The launch of Awardco 2.0 introduced a redesigned navigation system, a new recognition flow, customizable notifications, and an admin adoption dashboard. User profiles and in-platform Feature Highlights were also added to personalize experiences and drive awareness of new tools.
- Enhanced features: Recognition and redemption workflows gained gamified badges and achievements, the ability to pin standout recognitions, and improved marketplace search. AI updates now refine recognition themes and quality scoring to better align with company values.
- Additional improvements: Expanded international support now covers 163 countries and 135 currencies, along with Amazon secondary fulfillment and updated EU/UK compliance workflows.
Best For
Awardco is an excellent choice for growing teams and multinational businesses looking for a powerful and flexible rewards and recognition program for employees.
I primarily use the Peer-to-Peer recognition and Manager recognition functions. I enjoy recognizing coworkers who have helped me or collaborated with me on projects as a way to show my appreciation.
As a manager, I use the platform to acknowledge my employees' birthdays, work anniversaries, and key achievements. These features have helped foster a positive work environment. Awardco makes it easy to celebrate milestones and reinforce a culture of recognition.
- I appreciate the wide variety of reward options employees can choose from.
- The automated messages we have set up for employee birthdays and anniversaries are a great touch.
- The ability to create separate pools for award money, including both peer and manager pools, provides flexibility in our recognition strategy.
Our company was looking for an employee recognition tool to integrate into our tech stack. We have used it for about three years, and I have personally used it for the past year. We wanted a system that was easy for employees to navigate while being simple to administer and maintain.
Awardco provided the functionality we needed to recognize and reward employees efficiently. It has helped create a culture of appreciation within our organization.
- I wish the notifications were more customizable to better suit individual preferences.
- The notification options are too broad, leading many employees to opt out entirely to avoid being overwhelmed.
- More flexibility in reporting features would be helpful to track recognition trends more effectively.
Awardco is straightforward and easy to use, which has led to higher adoption rates compared to other platforms we considered. The wide range of reward options, including gift certificates, branded merchandise, and experiences, sets it apart. The simplicity of the platform has made it a preferred choice within our organization.
A tool like this is only effective if employees actively use it, so ease of use is critical. It is also important to understand how points can be allocated to ensure spending remains balanced. Considering the level of customization available in notifications and reporting can further enhance the user experience.
We haven't observed many changes over time—what we initially set up is still what we are using today. The platform has remained consistent in its functionality and design.
Awardco is well-suited for a variety of organizations, depending on their recognition goals. We are a medium-sized company, and it has been a great fit for us.
I can't think of any specific type of organization that wouldn't benefit from it.

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.
- Recognition messages can include redeemable points, making appreciation both meaningful and actionable.
- Admins can offer gift cards, merchandise, experiences, donations, or company swag tailored by location, team, or budget.
- Combines data on morale, recognition, churn, and loyalty into a digestible culture score.
- Pulse Surveys automatically generate executive summaries, saving HR time and improving visibility.
- SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certifications make Kudos viable for enterprise buyers.
- The platform is available in 11+ languages with regional reward options.
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.
- No free trial or sandbox, so buyers must book a demo to access the platform.
- Average app store ratings of 3.2/5 and hasn’t been updated since mid-2024.
- Requires upfront configuration, making it not ideal for teams without internal admin capacity.
- If employees don’t use the recognition system regularly, culture insights lose depth.

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 that your people will love to be part of.
However, one of the pain points we noticed about this vendor is that the product’s website doesn’t provide a clear overview of the platform, which might slow down early evaluations.
We also found room for improvement in Kudos’ UI/UX. Some users have noted issues with attaching images, GIFs, or emojis when giving and/or interacting with shoutouts.
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 program that supports multiple languages and diverse forms of rewards and recognition, from shout-outs to gift cards, experiences, and charity.
Kudos was used as a pilot. It was used as a demo software. It was around honoring employees who hit a silver or gold anniversary (25/50 years of service). The Retirement Services of our HR department used this software the most. I used Kudos during our Employee Recognition month.
- It has many functions that it can be used for.
- It is easy to use.
- It provides the opportunity to build your own rewards.
We brought Kudos to ramp up our employee experience through the employee lifecycle. It provides opportunities to recognize employees through various stages in their careers. It was also a way for us to acknowledge milestones and do pulse surveys. I used this software for about a year.
It is quite costly. Other competitors in the marketplace offer better cost value.
In the employee recognition space - Kudos has a lane that offers services for People Analytics
Why are you purchasing an employee recognition tool? Is their buy-in for senior leadership? Can you buy tools a la carte or do you have to buy everything the platform has to offer?.
Large organizations
Employers who have a strict budget

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 timely shoutouts for employee birthdays, work anniversaries, and other milestones via its robust automation features. 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.
- Support turnaround could be improved.
- 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.
What impressed us most during our evaluations, though, was WorkTango’s automation features which helped give timely shoutouts for employees much more efficiently. 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.
That said, we wouldn’t recommend this employee rewards system to budget-minded teams. One big reason is because of this tool’s billing, which is only offered on an annual basis. No short-term pilots, no monthly payment.
Finally, some users we talked to shared their experience with the customer suggest team suggested opportunities for improvement, as in some of their requests weren’t followed through completely or lacked clear next steps.
Kia Motors, HUB International, Rexall, Accruent
WorkTango has custom pricing. Request a demo to learn more.
Best For
WorkTango works best for businesses with an automation-first culure, particularly those in tech, FSI, healthcare, and business services.
We use WorkTango daily, monthly, quarterly, and yearly. I find it most effective on a quarterly and yearly basis for performance tracking and rewarding. This tool is also beneficial during project integration, helping to focus and reward employees on specific tasks. For daily and monthly use, it can be applied for more immediate recognition and rewards.
This program's key attribute is its ability to recognize not only employees but also peer-to-peer recognition and reward.
These types of programs are especially useful for remote workers, as those in the office still get to be rewarded with special days, days off, etc. This is a way to reward those who are not able to participate in those times with the other employees who may not be remote.
Lastly, I think the automation aspect of this reward program is a great attribute. I say this because in the world of business, sometimes an employee's time of service can become 2nd sting to other things happening in the company.
However the need to look at why your business is running smoothly is due to the employees keeping your business afloat. So to be able to reward them on a yearly basis when their time of service comes about can be key in keeping those employees engaged and looking forward to the year ahead.
Our organization purchased WorkTango to monitor employee performance, recognize hard work, survey employees, and implement their feedback. It allows us to survey employees about ideas and workplace issues, then integrate their input into our company’s operations. Recognizing employees who excel and ensuring they are aware of their contributions was a key factor in choosing this product. Additionally, tracking employee performance and rewarding it through this tool has been invaluable. I have been using this tool for several months.
There are few cons to this program overall. The analytics could be improved, though this is a common issue with many programs. This tool is primarily a recognition tool rather than an analytics tool.
WorkTango offers more peer-to-peer recognition options than most competitors, which is valuable for building company and employee rapport.
If you need a peer-to-peer recognition program, this is an excellent choice. It’s also suitable for measuring employee performance. However, if you need extensive analytical features, you may need to look elsewhere.
WorkTango has improved its analytics features, though there is still room for enhancement in this area.
WorkTango is ideal for established companies looking to encourage employee progress and development.
Start up companies and those looking for a quick tool to reward their employees may not benefit as much from WorkTango.
Nectar
Nectar's catalog covers an extensive range of reward programs for employees, 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), and save 10% on pricing with your SHRM membership.
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.
- SHRM members get 10% discount on Nectar subscription.
- 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 offers 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 corporate 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.
If we were to point out any drawbacks of this employee rewards platform, it was that it no longer offers a free edition while requiring a rather pricey minimum annual commitment of $4,000. Additionally, although the rewards catalog is generally versatile, we felt that the experiential rewards like events or travel are less emphasized compared to material gifts or gift cards.
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.
Nectar’s recent updates show a consistent focus on deepening its employee rewards ecosystem and making recognition data-driven, equitable, and globally accessible.
- New features rolled out: The refreshed mobile app now mirrors the web experience, allowing employees to send shoutouts, redeem rewards (including Amazon and Axomo options), and access nominations and streaks directly from their phones. The app also adds multi-language support, live chat with support, and a discounts hub, expanding reward accessibility for deskless and global teams. Nectar also launched the Shoutouts Report, giving HR teams visibility into recognition trends, participation levels, and unrecognized employees.
- Enhanced features: The Custom Properties and Dynamic Lists updates let companies tailor rewards and communications by role, region, or language, while Purchasing Power Parity ensures global equity in reward values. Community Recognition now supports delegated admins, bulk approvals, and live widgets for real-time visibility. Advanced analytics, including reward spend and point distribution tracking, help organizations better understand program impact.
- Features on the roadmap and ecosystem partnerships: Nectar’s strategic partnership with SHRM aims to expand access to recognition and rewards tools for HR professionals globally, aligning the platform with SHRM’s mission to advance workplace culture. Future development, according to our latest demo with the vendor, appears geared toward continued personalization, data visibility, and expanding reward redemption options to support a more flexible, international recognition experience.
Best For
Nectar is best for organizations with 50–2,000 employees who value flexibility in corporate rewards program choices and frequent product updates. Those with SHRM membership may also want to give this platform a go for its special pricing.
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.

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.
However, we agree with most users that parts of the platform’s admin dashboard could be more intuitive, particularly when navigating advanced analytics or configuring complex workflows. Although we appreciate the broad catalog, we couldn’t help but found certain regions like APAC have significantly fewer localized options, which could limit choice for employees in those areas.
Lastly, Vantage Circle surprisingly doesn’t integrate natively with as many HRMS or communication tools as some competitors, meaning more manual work or custom integrations might be needed.
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.

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.
- The system sometimes sends several notification emails to uninvolved users.
- 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.
That said, Mo’s pricing is not friendly towards budget-conscious teams, with no pricing transparency and no free plan. The one consolation, though, is that you can request the vendor to provide you with a free trial.
Regarding customer support, the service is good, but do bear in mind that it is limited to weekdays during UK business hours (9 a.m. – 5 p.m. GMT), which can be inconvenient for global or U.S.-based teams needing timely assistance. Additionally, we found the platform’s notification settings lacking refinement. As reported by verified users, Mo tends to send too many emails, including to those not directly involved in a recognition moment.
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.
We use Mo every day across my remit which is back office Operations. We have roughly 1100/1200 people on the platform and an average of 1500 moments shared on it a month. The key processes we use it for are:
- P2P points scheme - We give everyone in the departments a small financial amount at the start of each month. They can't spend it on themselves, they can only give it to colleagues when sharing moments. It encourages them to recognize each other for things like training, help with a tricky problem or account, support as a friend/colleague, advice or generally being a good egg. This is the most popular activity we use Mo for and has the biggest impact on the shift in culture and engagement.
- All leadership groups have additional ad-hoc pots that they can reward from which focus more on performance-based recognition.
- We use the platform for our quarterly awards. The award categories are sent out and everyone nominates their colleagues for different awards. Last month we had 283 nominations from a department of 400. It's then easy to shortlist and pick winners there. The winners can then be celebrated through Moments on Mo, and rewarded at the same time. It's also 1 click of a button to then send out the nominations to every nominee for each award category.
- More recently we've started using Boosts which are automated triggers set once a week, in line with our agile sprint work. They prompt people to celebrate their weekly wins in a shared setting for everyone to engage with. This also makes it much easier for senior leadership to have a presence on the platform when their time is so limited. We also use it for the start of the week's focusses and goals to keep everyone connected on our objectives.
- As the budget master I then also use the platform for any additional ad-hoc activity I run such as monthly non-performance-based incentives to further build our culture and connect people.
- I don't know if I'm allowed to share how much has been cashed in by our colleagues at the inhouse store in Mo over the last 2 years but suffice to say it's an astounding figure and all of it is people saving up what they receive from various things and spending it on exactly what they want as the store is so extensive. It gives them autonomy and choice and makes it really easy which they love. It's been particularly appreciated during the cost of living crisis to go towards supermarket shops or school shoes from Clarks, house renovations from B&Q, as well as AirBnB staycations and so, so much more.

- It saves me SO MUCH TIME!
- It's so simple to use and for other people to pick up
- Its use grows organically once people start using it
- The variety of the store gives our people huge autonomy and variety
- It makes rewarding easy and fun
- It helps drive a positive culture, a culture of recognition and appreciation
- I love just how much everyone else loves it
- The team that works there is so helpful and works with you to always deliver improvements
- It continues to deliver extra value, we're always finding new ways to get more out of it.
- It's made my life a million times easier. I could never go back.
We initially bought it to automate the plethora of manual processes that I was trying to execute manually myself beforehand. This includes managing the general reward and recognition schemes, all nomination processes, awarding, and the peer-to-peer R&R scheme we ran. All purchasing of vouchers, prizes, etc in a hybrid world which requires getting people's addresses, etc.
This range of activities took up almost all of my time and left very little to work on bigger strategic projects. It couldn't continue.
Mo automated all these processes, for example sending out the nominations sent in for our quarterly awards to each nominee. This took the best part of a day to manually send all of these emails for every nomination. Now it takes no more than 30 seconds, I click one button for each category and they all go out. This is a time saving that is replicated across multiple processes and has completely changed the scope of what my role can deliver because of the time it saves.
However, the real value has come since then. With my free time, I've been able to develop our use of Mo to be the centerpiece that everything is built around. We've learned much further on the peer-to-peer scheme and the overarching objectives of engagement are about bridging the gap and connecting people to feel part of a team where community is our culture and fun is in our DNA. Mo allows us to drive this culture shift, connecting people all over the country through positive interactions on the platform, strengthening working relationships and our sense of broader identity. We've been using it for 2 years now, and are averaging 1500 moments shared on the platform a month (each being a recognition, thank you, or award) with c1100 users. It's helped drive a 1.9 increase in our engagement score in Peakon in 1 year.
- I really can't call out things I dislike. The only feedback I get is:
- You can't edit a moment once you've sent it (but I understand why that's the case).
It wraps everything up into one easy-to-use and comprehensive platform. At the same time, it's not cluttered with useless extras. The service you get for the price is extremely good, the customer service is exceptional and the team is an absolute pleasure to work with.
It was the only platform I found that facilitated the peer-to-peer scheme I was running. I was able to completely replicate the model in Mo but have the entire thing automated. Nothing else allowed that level of autonomy for the user but control for the admin too. The store is extremely comprehensive too which makes a massive difference. Others were good but the Mo one is bang on with variety and caters to a wide range of preferences. Once or twice at the start, I had people ask if other stores could be added but I've never had it since.
The Boost functionality and how it helps support our agile ways of working has been a real leap forward and their manager assistant is a really helpful tool for our leadership population. It seems as time goes on, the more and more we can align how we work and what we do to utilize the platform to support us.
Think about what you really need, and what problem are you directly trying to solve. That's the first question. The second is what's possible. My view shifted so much once we got Mo to all these other possibilities that I hadn't considered before. Ask the what-if questions, challenge what you are doing, and think what would be the dream scenario. Also, think of it from a bigger cultural piece. What attitudes, behaviors, and cultures are you wanting to drive within your business and what's going to best support you in doing that. Also, does it automate for you? The more it automates, the more time you have to dig deeper into the bigger issues/questions.
Since we started using it 2 years ago. It introduced the Boost function and the manager's assistance. These two upgrades more specifically target the leadership population as we/they'd identified that they were the harder population to get engaged with the platform. These upgrades build in routine and simple triggers which are easy for leaders to respond to. The assistant also gives all the key information you need in one easy place (budgets, team activity, etc) but also great in-house articles to get people thinking about management approaches with a more modern and progressive approach which I know has been really well received.
I would say a more modern organization or one that wants to modernize. It's probably not good for a traditional working environment so much. It works for big businesses and small businesses too. Its functionality allows you to manage the view in a way that means you can scale as large as you like and not lose the personal touch it offers.
As explained above, a traditional working organization that doesn't really want to modernize in how it treats its employees or thinks about things like culture and engagement.

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 offers a generally flexible platform that stands out for its robust reward catalog, supportive customer service, and customizable engagement modules. It’s a compelling option for organizations that want a retailer-driven rewards experience backed by strong administrative tools.
Reward Gateway offers an impressive number of employee rewards: from Amazon products, unique experiences, or personalized ecards. What’s more, all of these can be delivered without hidden fees or markups.
The flexibility in moduling is another thing that caught our eyes. As a customer, you can purchase additional engagement modules, such as surveys, communications, or employee discounts when you need them. In another word, no paying for unused features.
Reward Gateway’s 24/7 help desk is equally notable. Throughout the tests, we reached out to the vendor via chat, email, and phone, and none of these methods took more than 24 hours to receive a response from the support team.
If you’re looking to make an investment in an employee rewards system with excellent mobile experience, however, this option doesn’t compete with Guusto or Connecteam. Despite having branded apps, some users we surveyed noted they’re forced to log in separately rather than being able to access rewards from existing tools. Additionally, the delays in cashback earnings credited after purchases is another thing to bear in mind, since this can be frustrating for employees relying on timely rewards.
We also found that the reporting and analytics leave room for growth, as in deeper insights into employee engagement trends would help managers measure program ROI more effectively.
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 best for encouraging a positive work environment at mid-size companies (51-500 employees).
I use Reward Gateway on a weekly basis as part of our regular workflow for employee recognition and rewards. One of the primary ways we use the platform is through its peer-to-peer recognition feature, allowing staff to publicly acknowledge the hard work and achievements of their colleagues.
I also manage and distribute reward points that employees can redeem in place of other benefits to further engage them. Additionally, the analytics and reporting tools help us gauge employee engagement and assess the effectiveness of our recognition programs.
Overall, Reward Gateway has proven to be an essential tool in building a culture of appreciation within the organization.
Reward Gateway has an extremely user-friendly interface, making it easy for employees to navigate and access recognition tools. It offers a wide variety of custom rewards and discounts, which can be tailored to fit our team's preferences. The platform's robust analytics provide valuable insights into employee engagement, helping us continually improve our recognition programs.
Our organization implemented Reward Gateway to address significant challenges related to employee engagement and recognition. Before using this tool, we struggled with inconsistency in employee recognition and a lack of centralized resources for rewards, which negatively affected morale and motivation.
We sought a solution that would foster a culture of appreciation and make it easier for employees to recognize each other's contributions. Reward Gateway offers key benefits such as an easy-to-use peer-to-peer recognition platform, customizable reward options, and exclusive employee discounts.
I have been using Reward Gateway for over a year, and it has significantly enhanced our ability to celebrate achievements and maintain a positive workplace culture.
The search functionality for rewards is somewhat limited, making it difficult to quickly find specific items. The mobile application is less intuitive than the desktop version, which can hinder on-the-go recognition. While the reporting features are useful, they could benefit from more customization options for deeper analysis of engagement metrics.
Reward Gateway stands out because it offers a comprehensive employee engagement solution that combines recognition, rewards, and communication in one platform. While many tools focus solely on recognition or discounts, Reward Gateway integrates additional features such as employee surveys and company news, supporting a more holistic approach to engagement.
Compared to competitors like Bonusly and TINYpulse, Reward Gateway offers broader incentives through customizable rewards and a large-scale discount program. I appreciate how it nurtures a culture of appreciation while also keeping everyone informed of company news, which helps boost morale.
When choosing an employee engagement tool like Reward Gateway, consider functionality—ensure the platform has the features you need for recognition, rewards, and communication.
A user-friendly interface is important to ensure high adoption across the organization. The platform’s ability to be customized to reflect your company's culture and values is also crucial.
Additionally, check if the tool integrates smoothly with your existing HR systems to improve efficiency. Lastly, assess the vendor’s level of support to ensure you receive the necessary assistance during implementation and ongoing use.
Reward Gateway has evolved significantly, expanding its features to better meet user needs. Originally a simple recognition and rewards platform, it has grown to include engagement tools such as employee communication and surveys. The user interface has become more intuitive and accessible, driven by user feedback.
The platform now offers more customizable reward options and a broader range of discounts, catering to diverse employee preferences. Additionally, Reward Gateway has enhanced its analytics features, enabling organizations to track engagement metrics more thoroughly.
Reward Gateway is well-suited for mid-sized to large organizations where employee engagement and recognition are key components of corporate culture. It is ideal for companies looking to boost morale and retention through comprehensive rewards and recognition programs.
The platform is particularly beneficial for organizations with diverse workforces, as it offers customizable rewards and discounts to cater to different employee preferences. Companies seeking a tool that combines engagement features with communication capabilities will find Reward Gateway’s all-in-one approach valuable for creating a positive workplace environment.
Reward Gateway may not be the best fit for very small organizations with limited budgets or those that do not require an extensive recognition and reward program. Companies with highly specialized engagement needs may find the platform’s broader approach less suitable.
Additionally, organizations seeking a simple, low-cost tool focused solely on recognition, without integrated communication or analytics features, may prefer a more basic solution.
Benefits of Corporate Rewards Programs
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 has a tangible impact. That does not just stop at better staff performance; it also helps reduce turnover rates. Gallup found that 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:
- Small teams (50 employees): expect around $350 on the very low end (lightweight tools or flat-fee plans) up to $7.5K for more feature-rich platforms.
- Mid-size orgs (250 employees): costs scale quickly, ranging from $1.6K to $22K annually.
- Large enterprises (1,000 employees): most per-seat pricing models land between $7K - $90K, unless you use a flat-fee plan (which can be as low as $2,500 - $4,000 annually).
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 use the rewards software extensively during any given period, your costs stay low. This model works best for smaller companies that 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:
- 100 Employees: $40,000 annual spend x 18% fee = $7,200 vendor fee
- 1,000 Employees: $400,000 annual spend x 10% fee = $40,000 vendor fee
- 10,000 Employees: $4,000,000 annual spend x 6% fee = $240,000 vendor fee.
Types of Corporate 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 that 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.
Employee Rewards Systems Trends: Where Is The Market Heading?
Our observations over the past five years of reviewing employee reward systems point to three clear developments: Enterprise platforms are folding rewards into larger employee experience systems; smaller vendors are concentrating on simple, habit-forming tools that fit naturally into daily workflows; and a growing number of HR platforms that started in other categories are now building rewards features of their own.
1. Enterprise platforms becoming broader employee experience tools
Across the vendors that serve midsize and large organizations, rewards have steadily shifted into a wider suite of capabilities. Many platforms now combine rewards, recognition, engagement surveys, learning tools, and performance management in one place. Over the past year, we have also seen a noticeable increase in AI investments. Most of the features we tested were built to personalize rewards, automate recurring programs, or identify engagement patterns that might otherwise be overlooked. These tools now function more like a central hub for several parts of the employee lifecycle, and the expanded functionality (unsurprisingly) often comes with a higher price point.
2. SMB-focused vendors refining niche use cases and prioritizing design
Smaller vendors that sell to SMBs tend to focus narrowly on a few specific needs. Many of the tools in this segment work directly inside communication apps like Slack or Microsoft Teams, which makes it easier for recognition to become part of day-to-day interactions. Matter is one of the clearest examples. It fits naturally into the tools people already use and relies on clean, intuitive design that new users adapt to quickly. Some of these vendors have begun adding basic AI features, although most of what we have seen so far centers on simple tasks such as helping users craft recognition messages.
3. Broader HR platforms entering the rewards category (with varied results)
A growing group of HR software companies has entered the rewards space from the outside. These vendors usually start with something like scheduling, time tracking, or team communication and later add rewards to expand their suite. The results vary, though. Some features feel lightly built or secondary to the rest of the platform, but a few do show more promise. Connecteam is one example. It is best known for workforce management, yet its recognition and rewards features are simple, affordable, and practical for teams that want a straightforward solution.
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 system?
An employee (points) reward system is a software tool that specializes in providing 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, this type of software 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 is the best employee reward system for employees?
Some of the best employee rewards systems according to our experts’ evaluations include Nectar whose rewards feature set has always enriched every time we re-visited their site, Assembly for its flexibility, Connecteam for its generous free plan, Guusto for its employee recognition platform working incredibly well for frontline employees, Cooleaf which is ideal for global enterprises, and Workstars for its U.K.-based business focus.
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.
What are the most effective types of employee rewards?
Research shows that rewards from managers are most memorable, but peer recognition is becoming more and more desired in the workplace. Non-monetary rewards such as thank-yous or personalized notes are often more meaningful, with 65% of employees preferring them over cash incentives.
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
How to implement an employee reward system?
To set up an effective employee reward system, you should:
- Set clear goals that define the behaviors and results you want to encourage.
- Gather employee input to make rewards fair, meaningful, and aligned with your culture.
- Design the program details, including reward types, frequency, budget, and tools.
- Communicate the program clearly so everyone knows how to earn rewards.
- Ensure fairness by creating a transparent system with equal opportunities for all.
- Keep the link between actions and rewards simple and direct.
- Deliver rewards quickly to reinforce positive behavior effectively.
- Review and update the program regularly based on employee feedback.
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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