Simpplr is an intranet platform enhancing employee engagement, but it may not suit all needs. Explore 5 top Simpplr alternatives for 2024.

For organizations, effective internal communication is essential—especially when employees are spread across various locations and roles.

While Simpplr is a great platform for enhancing employee experience and internal communications, it doesn’t work for all businesses. 

In this article, we discuss top alternatives to Simpplr, providing snapshots of their unique features and the ways they cater to different organizational needs.

If you don’t have the time to read through our research, jump down to our quick comparison table.

Our Top Picks

  1. The best alternative to Simpplr

  2. Good for businesses with frontline employees

  3. Good for large enterprises with multiple offices

Why trust us?

Our team of unbiased software reviewers follows strict editorial guidelines, and our methodology is clear and open to everyone.
See our complete methodology

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Tools considered

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What Is Simpplr?

Simpplr is a modern intranet platform that simplifies corporate communications and enhances the employee experience across organizations. It integrates with essential business tools to provide a centralized hub for news, resources, and collaboration. 

The platform’s key features include a dynamic employee directory, automated content management, and AI-powered search capabilities that make finding relevant information quick and easy.

However, Simpplr lacks the deeper community engagement and customization options found in alternatives. Plus, it’s missing advanced analytics and integrations.

Why Are People Moving Away From Simpplr?

Simpplr boasts a high 4.8 rating on Capterra, which shows that most users are satisfied with the tool. However, some users have reported certain drawbacks.

One user noted that Simpplr seems to cater to larger firms, which caused them to struggle with customizing their solution to their small business. “As a small to mid-size nonprofit, we found that their implementation plan and onboarding support did not align with the realities of our workflow and the many, many different hats our staff wear.” 

Another reviewer found it “less than ideal that Simpplr is built on Salesforce which brings with it the requirement to purchase new user licenses in advance – and they have to be purchased in bundles of 50.” They found this bulk purchasing requirement to be a drawback since it doesn’t offer the flexibility and scalability that a tiered licensing system would provide.

Some users don’t like Simpplr’s pricing. For instance, one user complained, “Many features aren’t included in the basic package” and that there are “expensive add ons.”

Another reviewer didn’t like the search functionality, particularly “the relevance of the results and how the results are displayed.” 

For businesses unhappy with Simpplr, plenty of alternatives are available. Let’s take a look.

The 5 Best Simpplr Alternatives of 2024

  1. Connecteam — The best alternative to Simpplr

    A image of a worker next to a mobile phone with the Connecteam app - chat interface

    Connecteam is an all-in-one employee management tool designed to enhance communication, boost productivity, and streamline daily operations—especially for frontline teams.

    Why I chose Connecteam: Connecteam stands out in comparison with Simpplr because—in addition to its great communication and engagement features—it includes comprehensive employee management tools. These include scheduling, time tracking, task management, training, and onboarding, making it an all-in-one solution.

    Enhanced communication through in-app chat and directory

    Connecteam’s team instant messaging supports both 1:1 and group chats, which I find essential for effective day-to-day communication. You and your employees can share updates, ask quick questions, or even coordinate meeting details. Plus, you can include emojis, media attachments, and even read receipts.

    The best part? The chat is entirely secure, and you can customize permissions for who can share what.

    Connecteam also doubles as an employee directory software, providing contact details for all employees. It’s searchable by name, job title, department, or location. Using the mobile app, you can contact anyone directly from the directory via chat, email, text, or phone call, which simplifies reaching out to colleagues. This directory also includes key details like emergency contacts and preferred calling hours.

    Social media-style newsfeed for sharing updates

    Connecteam features a social media-style newsfeed I found very engaging for daily interactions. This feed allows employees to post updates, comment on each other’s posts, and share important company updates—mimicking the interactive experience of social media platforms. 

    Plus, you can customize it with your brand colors. You can also schedule posts in advance and see who’s read your announcements or updates. 

    Centralized knowledge access

    Connecteam’s company knowledge base feature organizes essential resources and documents efficiently, making it easy for employees to find the information they need. I appreciate the strong access controls that allow administrators to manage who can view or edit sensitive documents, ensuring information stays secure.

    Advanced employee engagement tools

    In addition to standard engagement tools, Connecteam enhances its offering with customizable surveys and a detailed analytics dashboard. You can use surveys to ask your employees open-ended or multiple-choice questions, plus make responses mandatory or optional. This allows you to gather insightful feedback and measure engagement levels across various teams.

    Additionally, the Connecteam employee appreciation app offers rewards and recognition features. You can customize your digital rewards and recognitions to celebrate various milestones or achievements, making each celebration feel personal. 

    I find the ability to issue digital tokens—which employees can exchange for gift cards from popular vendors—particularly effective. It’s a great way to show appreciation in a tangible way. Plus, the feature lets you manage and track these rewards easily, which I believe simplifies the process for any administrator hoping to maintain an engaging work environment.

    Operational management tools

    What truly sets Connecteam apart from Simpplr are its operational management features. The built-in task management, employee scheduling, and time tracking tools integrate seamlessly to provide a comprehensive management solution. 

    Notably, Connecteam offers a free-for-life plan for small businesses with up to 10 users, making it an exceptionally cost-effective solution that shines as a great choice for small businesses looking for robust functionality without the hefty price tag. 

    But it’s not just for small businesses—with its great feature set and affordable pricing, Connecteam is a perfect solution for businesses of all sizes.

    Key Features

    • Employee chat

    • Employee directory

    • Newsfeed

    • Knowledge base

    • Surveys

    • Rewards and recognition

    Pros

    • Comprehensive workforce management solution

    • Customizable and user-friendly interface

    • Affordable for businesses of all sizes

    • Excellent customer support

    Cons

    • Doesn’t yet have AI capabilities

    Pricing

    Free-for-life plan availablePremium plans start at $29/month for 30 users

    14-day free trial, no credit card required

    Start your free trial
  2. Staffbase — Good for large enterprises with multiple offices

    Screenshot of the Staffbase webpage

    Staffbase is an employee communication and engagement platform designed to enhance communication, foster collaboration, and improve the overall employee experience—particularly for organizations with a large number of frontline workers.

    Why I chose Staffbase: Staffbase caught my attention for its sophisticated approach to internal communications. It’s great for large organizations looking to enhance employee interactions.

    Communication channels

    Staffbase’s platform supports various communication channels, including a detailed employee newsfeed where you can share company news, social walls where employees can share and interact with posts, and a comprehensive intranet system. I like how the mix of these channels enable you and your employees to share numerous different types of content.

    I also like how employees can customize their newsfeeds so they can see what matters to them most without getting bombarded with other content.

    Information hubs are another great feature. With these, you can create interactive pages with widgets, media, and attachments. They enable you to centralize resources for specific departments or topics—without requiring any coding. 

    Content management and collaboration tools 

    The platform includes rich tools for content creation and management. For instance, your internal communications team can edit documents simultaneously, add comments, and tag others. Your team can also create approval workflows to route documents to the appropriate staff. 

    Planning tools—like editorial calendars—help with scheduling and ensuring all communications are timely and well-coordinated.

    The automated journeys feature further streamlines this process by building automated content timelines for employee groups, ensuring that the right content reaches the right employees at the right times.

    Integration and analytics

    Staffbase offers extensive integration with platforms like Microsoft SharePoint and Teams, simplifying content sharing across different corporate systems. While Simpplr offers more ready-to-use integrations, Staffbase provides custom integrations.

    The multichannel analytics feature uses dashboards that allow data slicing and filtering to uncover insights on adoption and user engagement across all channels. I find these invaluable for measuring the effectiveness of internal communication strategies.

    AI-powered features

    Staffbase incorporates AI technology called Staffbase Companion to assist with content generation and optimization. This chatbot helps write emails, create social media posts, summarize news articles, and refine content. I found this feature helpful in saving internal communications teams time.

    The AI can also help your other employees find resources easily. 

    Drawbacks

    While Staffbase excels in frontline communication and offline capabilities, it’s less flexible when it comes to customizing widgets, background colors for news pages, and more. Additionally, its premium pricing model and the requirement for a minimum of 1,000 employees make it less suitable for small businesses and may be a significant consideration for cost-sensitive organizations.

    Key Features

    • Newsfeed and social walls
    • Employee chat and intranet
    • Surveys
    • Content planning tools

    Pros

    • AI-enhanced content creation and optimization
    • Automatic translation in 100+ languages for global users

    Cons

    • Potentially high complexity and resource requirements
    • Premium pricing may be prohibitive for some

    Pricing

    Contact vendor for price Trial: No Free Plan: No

  3. Workvivo — Good for internal communication of enterprise-scale companies

    Screenshot of the workvivo webpage

    Workvivo is an employee communication and engagement platform designed to foster a more connected and productive workplace through personalized content, collaboration tools, and recognition programs.

    Why I chose Workvivo: Workvivo caught my attention due to its strong integration capabilities and focus on enhancing employee experience. With its interactive and engaging communication tools, it’s particularly good at connecting dispersed teams. This makes it an ideal choice for organizations looking to strengthen their internal communications and employee engagement.

    Communication features

    Workvivo offers various communication tools—such as a chat, social feed, and personalized feeds—that enhance interaction among employees. 

    The chat enables 1:1 and group chats. Meanwhile, the social feed is a dynamic platform where employees can post updates and interact with each other. And the personalized activity feed tailors updates to an individual’s role and interests, ensuring they see content that’s relevant to them.

    I appreciate the livestreaming and podcasting capabilities, which enable real-time communication and content sharing. The podcasting feature is quite unique for an employee communication platform—Simpplr and other alternatives lack it.

    Employee engagement tools

    The platform is well-equipped with tools to boost employee engagement. These include employee recognition through public shoutouts, badges, and awards. Shoutouts, for instance, are public recognitions that allow colleagues to celebrate each other’s achievements and milestones openly. Such features help create a culture of recognition and appreciation across the organization. 

    Additionally, the surveys and polls feature helps you collect valuable employee feedback, contributing to a more inclusive and responsive work environment.

    Integration and accessibility

    Workvivo stands out for its integration with popular productivity tools like Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and Slack. Plus, the platform’s support for auto-translation in over 90 languages ensures that global teams can easily access and engage with content in their preferred languages.

    Drawbacks 

    While Workvivo offers comprehensive features for large enterprises, it depends on integration with existing IT infrastructure and requires a significant user base (ideally, at least 250 employees). This won’t work for some smaller organizations or those with less complex needs.

    Another downside of Workvivo is its somewhat generic approach to content management, especially compared with Simpplr’s customized content streams and advanced personalization features. This is a disadvantage for organizations looking for more customization and advanced content targeting.

    Key Features

    • Social feed
    • Employee recognition
    • Live streaming and podcasts
    • Knowledge base

    Pros

    • Offers extensive communication and engagement tools
    • Supports a multilingual workforce

    Cons

    • Has less sophisticated content management compared with Simpplr
    • May be overwhelming for smaller organizations

    Pricing

    Contact vendor for price Trial: No Free Plan: No

  4. Happeo — Good for mid-sized to large enterprises' search and communications

    Available on

    • Web
    • iOS
    • Android
    • Windows
    • Mac
    Screenshot of the happeo webpage

    Happeo is an AI-powered intranet platform that helps businesses improve communication, knowledge management, and employee engagement.

    Why I chose Happeo: Happeo has a leg over Simpplr for integrating intranet, social networking, and collaboration tools into a single platform. Its capabilities for handling internal communications efficiently make it an intriguing alternative to Simpplr.

    Centralized communication hub

    Happeo offers a unified platform for internal communications, featuring tools for sharing important company announcements to ensure all employees stay informed. It allows for creating news-specific channels for targeted updates and crafting articles with rich media like images and videos.

    This centralized approach helps ensure that critical information is easily accessible and engages employees effectively. I found the ability to confirm who’s read messages particularly useful for ensuring important announcements are seen and acknowledged.

    Collaboration tools

    Happeo enhances workplace dynamics with features designed to boost both collaboration and social interaction. For collaboration, Happeo provides group calendars for scheduling, discussion boards for continuous dialogue, a “Cooperative Writing” feature for real-time document collaboration, and a chat for instant messaging. 

    Additionally, it includes tools for brainstorming, content management, and document management, ensuring teams can efficiently organize, share, and develop ideas and documents securely. Plus, the platform can translate content automatically, making it accessible to global teams.

    Federated search

    Happeo’s Federated Search feature is pretty impressive. It lets you search across all your integrated tools, like Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, from one spot. 

    I think it’s a big help, especially in larger companies where you have tons of files and messages to sift through. This tool seems a bit more user-friendly than what I’ve seen with Simpplr, where you must do more digging to get the same results.

    Integrations and customization

    Happeo’s strength lies in its powerful integration with a wide range of tools like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and Slack. 

    The customization options—including the ability to distribute news and tailor communication channels to specific groups or departments—make it adaptable to various organizational needs.

    Drawbacks

    Happeo lacks some of the advanced personalization and AI-driven content management features that Simpplr offers. While the platform excels in its integrations and collaboration features, it might not work well for organizations looking for deeper AI integration with predictive analytics and automated content curation.

    Key Features

    • Announcements
    • News channels and social feed
    • Employee recognition
    • Federated search

    Pros

    • Comprehensive integration with major productivity tools
    • Effective centralized communication management

    Cons

    • Platform offers less advanced in AI-driven functionalities compared with Simpplr
    • Customization and personalization are limited

    Pricing

    Contact vendor for price Trial: No Free Plan: No

Compare the Best Simpplr Alternatives

Topic Start for free
Reviews
4.8
4.7
4.8
4.7
4.7
Pricing
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users
Starts at $3.40/user/month
Contact vendor for price
Contact vendor for price
Contact vendor for price
Free Trial
yes
14-day
yes
no
no
no
Free Plan
yes
Free Up to 10 users
no
no
no
no
Use cases
The best alternative to Simpplr
Good for businesses with frontline employees
Good for large enterprises with multiple offices
Good for internal communication of enterprise-scale companies
Good for mid-sized to large enterprises' search and communications
Available on
Web, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac

Final Thoughts on Simpplr Alternatives

Simpplr excels in internal communication and employee engagement, but it lacks the customizability, scalability, and advanced features offered by other platforms. Some users might find Timeero, Breakroom, Staffbase, Flip, Workvivo, or Happeo to be better solutions.

If you’re looking for a solution that goes beyond communication and engagement to include task management, scheduling, and time tracking, Connecteam is the most well-rounded alternative for Simpplr, but also a great substitute for Unily or better option instead of Flip.

Get started with Connecteam for free today.