Introduction
We spend hundreds of hours researching the best HR and recruiting software so you don’t have to. We never take money from vendors during our research phase and rely heavily on practitioners and experts to help us recommend the right software. However we may earn a small fee if you click on vendor links on this page.
Workstars provides companies in the UK and US with a dynamic platform for highly customizable employee rewards and recognition programs. Managers can set up their own perks whether they’re financial or internal, like PTO and WFH or office activities.
Ratings
Ease of Use
Best For
Key Differentiator
Price
Free Trial
PROS
- 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 people data, you’d have to make do with XML or CSV files, or try to have IT set up an integration with an API.
- No free plan or free trial
Motivosity
Motivosity
Nectar
Nectar
C.A. Short Company
C.A. Short Company
Cooleaf
Cooleaf
Workstars
Workstars
Need Help? Talk to an HR Software Advisor!
Tell us more about your company & an HR Software Advisor will help you find the right software
Workstars offers one of the most value-aligned approaches to employee recognition we’ve seen. Instead of tying engagement to monetary rewards, it puts recognition at the center, emphasizing culture, peer connection, and behavior reinforcement. If you’re used to platforms that push budget consumption over actual appreciation, this is a refreshing change.
At the core of Workstars is peer-to-peer recognition, where every shoutout is intentionally tied to a company-defined value or behavior. This design powers the platform’s real-time analytics. Managers can view which values are driving recognition across their teams and identify gaps in how those values are being lived. Executives, meanwhile, get access to department-level benchmarks, surfacing cultural strengths and problem areas without manual reporting.
We were especially impressed by the flexibility of Workstars’ rewards system. Many competitors monetize reward redemption (think gift card markups or limited reward catalogs), but Workstars doesn’t. Clients can offer anything from digital gift cards to time off, lunch with the CEO, mentoring sessions, payroll bonuses, or reimbursement-based perks. You’re not forced into a one-size-fits-all approach, and there are no hidden fees.
The recognition wall is highly social and configurable, with integrations for Slack, Microsoft Teams, intranets, and office display monitors. Organizations can also configure visibility preferences — helpful for teams in regions like Japan or Germany where public recognition is culturally sensitive. Admins can choose whether recognition content is visible companywide or restricted to recipients and managers.
Workstars also excels in support and onboarding. Every customer, regardless of plan, gets a dedicated client success manager, unlimited admin training, and help with program design. This level of guided setup is rare in SaaS, and it ensures high adoption even in companies new to recognition software.
From a UX standpoint, the interface today is functional but plain. That said, a full UI redesign is launching in early 2026 alongside AI-powered message assistance. The AI tool will help employees craft meaningful recognitions while maintaining authenticity — something the team is being very intentional about.
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
- Companies that want a flashy, gamified UI out of the box
- Organizations looking for bundled performance management or engagement tools
- Teams needing 24/7 global live chat or phone support
AstraZeneca, Weetabix, Vision Express, Acadia Healthcare, Planned Parenthood, Zurich
- Reward Flexibility: Instead of simply giving points, clients can customize rewards with global gift card catalogs, virtual MasterCards or Visa cards, paid time off, career progression ideas, and other fun things.
- Integration and Automation: Numerous Single On and OAuth login options. Integrations with Microsoft Teams, Workplace, and other business chat options. Automated employee data uploads.
- Configuration Flexibility: Extensive configurations and features for managing every aspect of recognition (e.g., peer to peer, manager to employee, with or without reward, service awards, top performer awards, nominations, voting, etc.).,
- Comprehensive Reports: Detailed reports and insights for managers and supervisors. One that stands out is checking out recognition stats per team and comparing them with the rest of the company.
Workstars also has capabilities for:
- Recognition history
- Interaction maps
- Slack
- Workplace
- Microsoft Teams
- Yammer
- Salesforce
Workstars offers tiered pricing that varies depending on company size and selected features.
- Entry Tier: Priced at £1.50 per user, this tier is designed for companies with 50-250 employees and includes fundamental recognition tools, reward management, analytics, and customer support.
- Pro Tier: Ranging from £1.60 to £3.00 per user, the Pro tier expands upon the Entry features by incorporating SSO, social media integrations, business hierarchy management, and API access.
- Global Tier: Available from £1.90 to £4.00 per user, the Global tier offers advanced functionalities such as multi-language and multi-currency support, along with cost-of-living adjustments.
For companies with fewer than 50 or more than 1,000 employees, Workstars offers custom pricing.
Companies in the UK & US with 100-10,000 employees, or with their head-office there but with multiple locations. Workstars is especially good for those looking for a highly-customizable rewards and recognition system that can involve every employee regardless of their location.
After a 15-20 minute conversation, Workstars can have a client system up and running. Once they have access to the admin system, Workstars takes their clients through the process of launching it to their employees. While it can take a few weeks for larger organizations, Workstars can be live within two days for smaller clients.
Aside from having very extensive documentation, Workstars is readily involved to help clients in need of assistance. That being said, unless you have a specific concern, using the platform tends to be a pretty self-service journey.
Founded in Manchester, Workstars is focused on providing HR teams with professionals in over 60 countries with the tools to boost their employee engagement and improve their workplace culture. They’re notable for having a small team (less than 50 employees) but contending with bigger players like Blueboard and Reward Gateway. Their aim has always been to offer what you would expect from a top company in the rewards and recognition software niche, but with a leaner and more cost-effective package.
Company HQ
Manchester, England
Number of Employees
11-50
Year Founded
2003
Amount Raised
FAQ
Is Workstars a good bet for an international company?
In a nutshell, yes, the Workstars team has been known to work well with US and UK companies with employees in a variety of locations. Their platform and customer success team can adapt to the needs of employees in other regions, while their rewards catalog is very international and it’s easy to send rewards to somebody in a different country.
Why is Workstars often described as cost-effective?
At a price point that starts at £1.25 per employee per month for a company with 250-500 employees, Workstars does come at a lower cost than similar platforms.
