Employee recognition software can make giving your employees well-deserved recognition simple, fun, and engaging and motivate them to put their best foot forward. We’ve lined up our picks for top employee recognition software to help you find the right fit for you.
If you are not making your employees feel valued and recognized, they may already have one foot out the door.
Recognizing employees for their hard work and contributions boosts morale, increases job satisfaction, and improves overall productivity.
However, managing employee recognition programs manually can be time-consuming and costly, which is where employee recognition software comes in.
There are many software solutions on the market, and choosing the best one for your company can seem daunting. We’ve lined up our 8 top picks for the best employee recognition software of 2023 to help you find the right fit for your company, goals, and budget.
If you don’t have the time to read through our research, jump down to our quick comparison table.
Our Top Picks
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Best all-in-one employee recognition software
Learn more -
Good for allowing team members to send money rewards
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Good for nominating team members for a job well done
What to Look For in a Employee Recognition Software
When looking for a good employee recognition software, keep an eye out for the following aspects and features:
- Digital tokens and badges: Customizable reward badges to recognize achievements and digital tokens that can be redeemed for gift cards are both excellent tools to make your employees feel valued.
- Public newsfeed: The software should include a newsfeed in which managers can publicly acknowledge employee achievements, milestones, and wish them a happy birthday.
- A mobile app: The software should be accessible via mobile app, allowing all employees to access it from their phones. This helps staff feel more connected, engaged, and allows for easier collaboration.
- Easy communication: Employees and managers should be able to communicate directly in the app and discuss shift-related matters or scheduling conflicts.
- Ease to use: It’s easy to set up and offers an intuitive user experience.
- Customizability: It should allow businesses to customize their recognition capabilities to meet their unique needs.
- Affordability: The software should be cost-friendly and suit your budget.
🧠 Did you know?
Employees who feel recognized are four times more likely to be engaged in their work and five times more likely to feel a strong connection to the company culture.
Employee recognition software like Connecteam can be incredibly helpful for motivating your staff, boosting company culture, and improving employee retention.
The 8 Best Employee Recognition Softwares of 2023
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Connecteam — Best all-in-one employee recognition software
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Connecteam’s employee recognition and rewards features make it easy for you to effectively communicate the recognition your employees deserve with just the click of a button, straight to their mobile devices.
As part of Connecteams’ HR & People Management hub, Connecteam also offers all the tools you need to manage all HR matters on a single app, like employee training courses and managing important documents.
Check out the following ways in which Connecteam can help boost employee engagement:
Easily recognize your star players
With Connecteam, you have multiple ways to celebrate employee achievements, milestones, and congratulate them on their successes. Easily put your employees’ in the spotlight with customizable badges or recognize them publicly on completing a task or project.
You can do this by tagging a team member in the company newsfeed along with a high-five or star emoji to convey your appreciation.
Reward employees for a job well done
The Rewards feature helps build a positive company culture and highlights your employees’ success. Connecteam collaborates with leading vendors and retailers so you can gift employees digital tokens that they can redeem for gift cards.
To mark important milestones and achievements, Connecteam automatically flags key events, like work anniversaries, on the employee timeline. In addition, managers can keep track of employee accomplishments by manually adding them to their timelines.
Streamlined communication and recognition
Employee recognition isn’t possible without an easy way for managers to communicate with their teams, and Connecteam’s communication features make this possible. The employee chat app allows for secure 1-on-1 and group messaging, and milestones and achievements can easily be shared publicly on the company newsfeed. Staff members can also contact each other via the employee directory, which consolidates all team members phone numbers into one place.
Beyond recognition and rewards: an all-in-one employee management solution
Connecteam is an all-in-one software solution that provides you with everything you need to manage your employees, from managing daily operations, to communication and people management, no matter where they are working from, and even on the go.
Connecteam also offers a free for life plan – Try Connecteam here!
Key Features
Manager-to-peer recognition
Employee reactions
Recognition activity tracking
Digital tokens
Pros
Intuitive and easy to use
All-in-one solution
Great customer support
Budget-friendly
Cons
Integrations in development
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 -
Motivosity — Good for allowing team members to send money rewards
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Motivosity is a platform that promises to help companies drive engagement and retention by helping employees be happy about going to work.
With this multi-level employee recognition software, all your employees can send one another public recognition messages with money rewards attached. Each month every employee receives a sum of money to use toward this. Staff can then use the rewards they have received to buy from a customizable company store which can include gift cards, local offerings, or customized gifts.
Learn more about MotivosityKey Features
- Multi-level recognition
- Awards and badges
- Money rewards
- Customizable company store
Pros
- Good gift card variety
- Easy to launch
Cons
- Prone to bugs
- Limited features
Pricing
Starts at $5/person/month Trial: No Free Plan: Yes
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Assembly — Good for nominating team members for a job well done
Available on
- Web
Assembly is a peer-to-peer employee recognition software that aims to help improve employee experience and increase loyalty and engagement.
With it, your employees can recognize one another and celebrate achievements by sending messages and rewards. Team members can also vote to nominate someone for a job well done. Users can redeem issued reward points and use them toward purchasing gift cards, donating to charities, or selecting personalized rewards.
Learn more about AssemblyKey Features
- Employee nominations
- Redeemable reward points
- Recognition activity tracking
- Message automation
Pros
- Engaging user experience
- Easy to set up
Cons
- Not cost-friendly
- Not as intuitive to use
Pricing
Starts at $2.80/user/month Trial: Yes Free Plan: Yes — Up to 10 users
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Blueboard — Good for rewarding employees with experiences
Available on
- Web
Blueboard’s employee recognition software intends to allow companies to reward top employees with memorable, personal, and shareable experiences.
So it’s basically a high-value, lower-frequency rewards and recognition platform where you can send employees rewards in the form of experiences. Once a reward is sent by a manager, the employee can choose an experience from a catalog with experiences ranging from in-home experiences to domestic travel and getaways. The Blueboard Concierge team is paired with the rewards program and handles bookings, payments, and logistics.
Learn more about BlueboardKey Features
- Experiential rewards
- Recognition activity tracking
- Reward automation
- Automated feedback surveys
Pros
- Good automation options
- Original gifts
Cons
- Recognition is limited to rewards
- Not cost-friendly
Pricing
Contact vendor for price Trial: No Free Plan: No
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Nectar — Good for providing diverse reward selection options
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
- Mac
Nectar’s employee recognition software aims to give organizations the tools to build a culture people won’t want to leave.
The platform supports both top-down and peer recognition. Your employees can join in on recognizing other staff members for their good work by posting messages to the company feed, which others can react to and comment on. You can reward your employees with points, which they can put toward which they put toward a prize from Nectar’s Amazon product catalog, company-specific rewards, on-demand swag, and digital gift cards. Special dates can be automated.
Learn more about NectarKey Features
- Multi-level recognition
- Redeemable reward points
- Recognition analytics
- Point leader board
Pros
- Feature-rich
- Good customer service
Cons
- Lacks filtering options
- Hard to navigate
Pricing
Starts at $2.50/user/month Trial: Yes Free Plan: Yes
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Kudos — Good for manager-to-peer and peer-to-peer recognition
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
- Mac
Kudos is an employee recognition software that seeks to help organizations share meaningful value-based recognition to create an irresistible workplace culture.
With it, you can send personalized awards to celebrate important achievements and contributions. It allows for both manager-to-peer and peer-to-peer recognition to be posted on the Kudos Wall for other employees to comment on and applaud. Points can be awarded for every recognition message, which employees can redeem from a catalog of gift cards and other reward options.
Learn more about KudosKey Features
- Multi-level recognition
- Awards and badges
- Redeemable reward points
- Recognition activity tracking
Pros
- Engaging user experience
- Easy to use
Cons
- Limited capabilities
- Lacks admin controls
Pricing
Contact vendor for price Trial: No Free Plan: No
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Guusto — Good for tracking gifting activities
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Guusto aims to build recognition programs for both frontline and office employees so people feel inspired to do their best work and never want to leave.
It is a gift-based employee recognition software that connects companies with merchants to send rewards to their employees. Companies can transfer budgets, send gift cards, and track all gifting activities from a command center. Recipients can select where they want to redeem their reward from a list of merchants or can pass the gift to someone else. Gifts that were not claimed by employees within a set period of time will be credited back to the company.
Learn more about GuustoKey Features
- Employee nominations
- Nomination leaderboard
- Redeemable reward points
- Gift-claim period settings
Pros
- Engaging user interface
- Multiple gifting options
Cons
- Hard to navigate
- Prone to bugs
Pricing
Starts at $1.50/user/month Trial: Yes Free Plan: Yes — For a single user
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Bonusly — Good for granting employees monthly point allowances
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
- Mac
Bonusly’s goal is to help you engage all of your employees and improve retention and productivity at every level of your organization.
This employee recognition software gives all employees the ability to recognize one another by sending messages and points from a monthly point allowance. These points can be reverted into gift cards, cash, and charity donation options. It moreover has a built-in employee survey tool to gather employee feedback.
Learn more about BonuslyKey Features
- Multi-level recognition
- Redeemable reward points
- Built-in survey tool
- Bonus feed
Pros
- Easy to use
- User-friendly interface
Cons
- Lacks admin controls
- Limited reward options
Pricing
Starts at $2.70/user/month Trial: Yes Free Plan: No
Compare the Best Employee Recognition Softwares
| Topic |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reviews |
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| Pricing |
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users
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Starts at $5/person/month
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Starts at $2.80/user/month
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Contact vendor for price
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Starts at $2.50/user/month
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Contact vendor for price
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Starts at $1.50/user/month
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Starts at $2.70/user/month
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| Free Trial |
yes
14-day
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no
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yes
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no
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yes
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no
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yes
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yes
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| Free Plan |
yes
Free Up to 10 users
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yes
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yes
Up to 10 users
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no
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yes
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no
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yes
For a single user
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no
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What Is Employee Recognition Software?
Employee recognition software is a digital tool designed to allow organizations to show their employees appreciation for their hard work and achievements. It offers a range of features, such as manager/peer-to-peer recognition, rewards and incentives, performance tracking, and reporting.
By recognizing and rewarding employees, the software helps to improve overall team morale and productivity. Its use is becoming increasingly popular as more organizations recognize the importance of valuing their employees and creating a supportive workplace culture.
How Does Employee Recognition Software Work?
Staff recognition software typically provides a platform for managers and employees to recognize and reward each other for their efforts and contributions.
While each platform works differently and offers varying sets of features, they generally all allow you to set up automations and customizations according to your needs and preferences.
Recognition software usually also includes a dashboard where you can see an overview of sent recognitions, keep track of employee performance, and generate reports.
What Are the Benefits of Employee Recognition Software?
The main benefits of using a staff recognition platform include that it helps:
- Enhance morale by nurturing a positive work environment where employees feel valued and recognized for their hard work.
- Boost engagement by making employees feel seen and appreciated by the company, therefore feeling happy to be a part of it.
- Raise productivity by showing employees that their work is recognized and pays off, motivating them to continue to put their best foot forward.
- Reduce turnover as employees who feel valued and recognized are less likely to leave your organization.
- Gain valuable insights into employee performance and your recognition history, allowing you to make informed decisions.
How Much Does Employee Recognition Software Cost?
The pricing of employee recognition software largely differs per provider and often depends on the number of users and the feature package. It often ranges from $2-$15 per user per month. Particularly those that charge per user can get rather expensive if you’re working with a large team.
Connecteam was created with this in mind, and it’s perfect for small businesses and growing organizations alike. Premium prices start from just $29 per month for up to 30 users. Additional users can be added for just $0.50 per month each.
Connecteam also offers its Small Business Plan, which is free for life for teams of up to 10 users. This gives you full access to the platform’s employee recognition features, as well as tools for HR management, scheduling, time tracking, and more.
FAQs
How does an employee recognition platform help with employee engagement?
Employee recognition platforms allow you to engage your teams by creating a culture of appreciation, motivation, and ownership. Effectively showing that you appreciate your employees’ efforts is an important ingredient to a happy and productive workforce.
Can employee recognition software integrate with other HR systems?
Many employee recognition software options do indeed integrate with other HR systems to help you better streamline your process. Such HR systems include performance management, payroll, and employee engagement software.
The employee recognition software may also offer additional HR tools within its own platform.
Is employee recognition software easy to use, and do I need any special training to use it?
Most employee recognition software solutions are designed to be user-friendly and provide an intuitive user experience. Some software, however, may require some training to fully understand how to use all of its features and functions. Most software providers offer support and training resources to help you to get started and use the software effectively.
The Bottom Line On Employee Recognition Software
Overall, the right employee recognition software allows you to show your employees some well-deserved appreciation, in turn keeping them engaged and motivated.
And the best part is that choosing one that best suits your company’s culture and needs doesn’t have to be expensive.
Connecteam is both user and cost-friendly and will make your employees feel valued, connected, and incentivized to put their best foot forward, no matter where they are working from.