An employee engagement platform acts as a hub for the daily or other periodic rituals of work culture. It enables you to connect people, celebrate wins, and capture feedback. The best employee engagement software should help you develop a positive work culture, get regular pulse checks, and intervene before things blow up.
You might understand how to engage your employees, but are you able to implement it for real? High-performing organizations use the best engagement platform suited for their needs, not point apps for the different parts of employee engagement.
Also, if some action needs to be taken, the best engagement apps help you to take action based on data, not guesses as to what might work.
But how do you find the best engagement app for your organization? Well, that involves a few steps, and we will come to that later but know that we have done some heavy lifting for you already. By evaluating 10 top engagement platforms.
Let’s dive in.
I have combined three lenses for this guide:
Start from outcomes, not features. When your end goal is in sight, charting the path becomes much easier.
Ask yourself: Do you need higher eNPS, manager effectiveness, retention, or something else? Start backward from there and map what needs to be done to accomplish that goal. Mind you, if you have more than one goal, you will need to perform this exercise: surveys, recognition, comms, goals, analytics. Explore employee engagement apps available in the market and look at their
Shortlist 3–4 tools that cover these tasks natively. Budget is something you will need to discuss with the approving authority. But to get that approval, you need a shortlist of potential candidates. Sounds like recruitment, doesn’t it?
Once you have the shortlist, dive deeper into each platform’s features and other details. Take advantage of a free trial if available. Take a product tour, read testimonials and case studies, and book demos.
You can also choose to pilot an engagement app with one business unit and measure how it goes. Track metrics such as time to time-to-value, admin effort, and manager adoption. Check integrations with HRIS, Slack, Teams, and SSO.
Finally, model three-year TCO (Total Cost of Ownership). Include implementation, add-ons, and support. The best engagement software is the one your managers actually use.
|
Platform |
Starting price |
Free trial / Free forever |
Best for |
Company size fit |
|
Staffbase |
Quote-based |
None |
Multi-channel internal communications |
Mid-market to enterprise. |
|
Workmates by HR Cloud |
From ~$2.50 per employee per month / $30 per employee per year |
14 days’ free trial; no credit card needed |
Overall engagement, comms and recognition for hybrid and frontline teams |
SMB to enterprise |
|
Beekeeper |
$2,160 per account per year |
14-day free trial; Free Essential plan after trial (up to 30 users) |
Mobile-first communication for large frontline teams |
SMB to enterprise |
|
Workvivo by Zoom |
$20,000 per year for Business plan |
None |
Enterprises with frontline-heavy teams |
Mid-market to enterprise. |
|
Lattice |
$11 per employee per person (billed annually); $132 per person per year; Engagement +$4; Grow +$4; Comp +$6 |
None |
Companies replacing point tools with a connected people suite |
SMB to mid-market; scales to enterprise. |
|
15Five |
Engage $4 / ~$48 per employee per year; Perform $11 / ~$132 per employee per year; Total $16 / ~$192 per employee per year (all billed annually) |
Free trial available |
Teams looking to improve manager effectiveness |
SMB to mid-market. |
|
Culture Amp |
Quote-based |
No free trial |
Organizations leaning towards organizational psychology for building engaged teams |
Mid-market to enterprise. |
|
Connecteam |
Basic $29/mo ($35 monthly); Advanced $49/mo ($59 monthly); Expert $99/mo ($119 monthly) for first 30 users; extra users billed per employee per month; free tiers available |
14-day trial; Forever free Small Business plan (<10 users) |
SMBs needing scheduling, time clock, and comms in one place |
Micro-business to mid-market. |
|
Kudos |
Quote-based |
None |
Recognition-led engagement for mid-market and enterprise |
SMB to enterprise. |
|
Vantage Circle |
Quote-based |
None |
Recognition-led engagement integrated with wellness |
Mid-market to enterprise. |
Best for: Multi-channel internal communications
Staffbase is a mobile-first platform for internal communications and employee engagement. It centralizes intranet, news, and targeted messaging in one branded app. The platform is tailored for large, distributed, and frontline workforces.
Starting price: Quote-based; depends on modules and user count
Free trial / Free forever: None
Plans: Business and Enterprise plans for Employee App, Intranet and Email
Special features: Branded intranet; segmentation for role-based communications; multilingual content; Advanced analytics
Staffbase builds a mobile-first, branded employee experience platform. It centralizes news, social feeds, targeted comms, and intranet pages. Admins have access to an editorial calendar, approval workflows, and audience segmentation tools. These help comms teams plan campaigns and reach the right employees at the right time.
Large, distributed organisations benefit from the platform’s auto-translation and global deployment features. Smaller companies might prefer lighter or cheaper alternatives.
Best for: Overall engagement, comms and recognition for hybrid and frontline teams
Workmates is HR Cloud’s employee engagement platform. It brings recognition, communications, and a social intranet into one app. The product serves deskless and desk-based teams across SMBs and enterprises.
Starting price: From $42 per user/year
Free trial / Free forever: 14 days’ free trial
Plans: Recognition, Essential, Premium
Special features: Peer recognition; kudos and rewards; Pages and Campaigns; Company news feed; alerts; surveys; checklists for workflows
Workmates by HR Cloud unifies communications, recognition, and a social intranet in one app. Company Feed, Pages, and Channels deliver targeted updates to the right people. Campaigns and Alerts reach everyone when timing matters. Surveys and polls capture quick sentiment, and analytics show reach and response. Kudos and points live in the same flow, with a configurable rewards catalog.
The platform is built for hybrid and deskless teams. You can target audiences by location, department, or channel to cut noise. Teams can share files through Drive and guide tasks with Checklists. You can integrate SSO, Microsoft 365, and leading HRIS systems. These integrations reduce friction and keep habits in the flow of work. Admins can track adoption and impact in one view, and transparent ADP tiers help you scale with confidence.
If you need an employee engagement software that blends social intranet and recognition, Workmates is a balanced, cost-effective option.
Best for: Mobile-first communication for large frontline teams
Beekeeper is a mobile-first frontline employee platform. It centralizes communications, shift management, tasks, and operational tools for non-desk workers. The product is designed to help retail, hospitality, manufacturing, and healthcare teams communicate and execute work from the shop floor to the field.
Starting price: Quote-based
Free trial / Free forever: 14-day free trial; free “Essential” plan for up to 30 users
Plans: Essential (free), Limited, Basic, Advanced, Expert (tiers vary by hub)
Special features: Frontline-first app; secure chat and streams; mobile checklists, forms; shift comms; sentiment analysis
Beekeeper is an easy to use app that connects distributed teams via recognition and communications. It bundles frontline communications and operational tools in a single mobile app. Communications features include streams, channels, and secure chats that keep frontline workers connected.
Operations capabilities such as digital checklists, task automation, and shift management help supervisors coordinate work and reduce paper-based processes. Together, these features make daily operations simpler for deskless employees.
Best for: Enterprises with frontline-heavy teams
Workvivo is an employee experience platform that blends communication, recognition, and a social intranet in one app. The product targets mid-market and enterprise teams across deskless and desk-based roles.
Starting price: Starting from $20,000/year (Business plan)
Free trial / Free forever: None
Plans: Business; Enterprise
Special features: Social intranet; live streams; newsletters; recognition; Zoom, Teams and M365 integrations
Workvivo pulls comms, recognition, and knowledge into one branded hub. Leaders can live-stream updates. Teams run campaigns, send newsletters, and measure reach. Employees share shout-outs, align to values, and find tools and docs without hunting. The experience feels like a modern social network, not a static intranet.
Workvivo is popular for its usability and impact. Adoption is better due to the familiar Zoom UX and strong mobile support. The integrations and analytics support enterprise governance and ROI tracking. Workvivo is perfect if you want a communications-led experience isurveynside Zoom’s ecosystem.
Best for: Companies replacing point tools with a connected people suite
Lattice is a people platform for performance, engagement, and growth. It combines reviews, goals, one-on-ones, surveys, HRIS, and compensation. The suite targets mid-market and enterprise teams that want connected workflows.
Starting price: Starting from $11/user/month (billed annually)
Free trial / Free forever: None
Plans: Modular, Grow, Compensation
Special features: Performance reviews and calibrations; OKRs & goals; engagement surveys; growth plans; compensation cycles
Lattice unifies performance, goals, engagement, growth, HRIS, and compensation in one workflow. Managers can view reviews, OKRs, one-on-ones, and survey insights in context. That reduces tool sprawl and keeps data consistent.
Calibrations standardize ratings. AI summaries speed prep. Real-time feedback and praise reinforce expectations between cycles.
Lattice enables you to build engagement into everyday work. Run eNPS, pulse, and lifecycle surveys with benchmarks and driver analysis. Heatmaps reveal hot spots by team or location. Anonymity thresholds protect respondents. Insights flow into goals, one-on-ones, and action plans.
Best for: Mid-market and enterprise teams looking to improve manager effectiveness
15Five is a performance and engagement platform. It combines reviews, OKRs, one-on-ones, surveys, and manager enablement. The product aims to improve performance and retention with data and coaching.
Starting price: Starting from $4 per user/month for Engage, $10 per user/month for Perform, $16 per user/month for Total Platform (billed annually)
Free trial / Free forever: 14-day free trial
Plans: Engage, Perform, Total Platform
Special features: Weekly check-ins; OKRs; 1:1s; engagement surveys; HR Outcomes dashboard; Manager Effectiveness Indicator
15Five connects performance, engagement, and manager enablement in one system. Reviews, OKRs, and check-ins give managers ongoing context. Surveys add benchmarks, heatmaps, and text analytics to find drivers of change. Action Plans turn insights into tasks with owners and timelines. Leaders track progress in the HR Outcomes Dashboard and keep efforts visible.
Manager effectiveness is a core theme. The MEI aggregates behavioral and assessment data to flag coaching needs. Transform programs and AI coaching support managers in the flow of work. One-on-ones include shared agendas and follow-ups, so conversations lead to action. That tight loop helps shifts in engagement stick.
Best for: Organizations leaning towards organizational psychology for building engaged teams
Culture Amp is an employee experience platform for engagement, performance, and development. It combines surveys, performance cycles, 1:1s, feedback, and growth in one suite. The product targets mid-market and enterprise teams, with SMB adoption as well.
Starting price: Request pricing
Free trial / Free forever: None
Plans: Engage, Perform, Develop, People Analytics; People Science services
Special features: Science-backed surveys; AI “Explore Data” analytics; performance + 1:1s; development analytics
Culture Amp stands out for its People Science and benchmark depth. Teams run engagement and pulse surveys using research-backed templates and a large benchmark library. AI turns open-ended comments into themes you can act on. Focus areas guide the next steps for each manager. Dashboards track outcomes without manual spreadsheets.
It also unifies engagement with performance and growth. Reviews, calibrations, and 1:1's share survey context, so conversations stay continuous. Develop adds career paths, competencies, and growth plans. People Analytics brings storyboards, data health checks, and scenario planning. Executives see leading and lagging indicators in one view.
Best for: SMBs needing scheduling, time clock, and comms in one place
Connecteam is a mobile-first workforce management and engagement app for deskless teams. It unifies scheduling, time tracking, chat, updates, tasks, training, and HR tools. The platform targets SMBs but scales to mid-market and enterprise with modular hubs.
Starting price: Basic $29/month (annual) or $35/month (monthly) for first 30 users; Advanced $49/$59; Expert $99/$119; extra per-user fees beyond 30
Free trial / Free forever: 14-day free trial; free forever plan for up to 10 users
Plans: Small Business (free up to 10); Basic; Advanced; Expert; Enterprise
Special features: Time clock and scheduling; chat and updates; forms and tasks; training; recognition; knowledge base
Connecteam anchors daily work for deskless teams. Managers build schedules, track hours with GPS, and automate payroll-ready timesheets. Frontline employees receive shifts, updates, and tasks in one app. Digital forms and checklists replace paper. Surveys and events keep communication flowing. Training, courses, and a knowledge base raise skills where work happens.
Engagement rides on useful, frequent touchpoints. Recognition and rewards celebrate wins. Updates and chat target the right groups, reducing noise. Surveys capture sentiment. Directories connect people fast. These moments sit beside core operations, so engagement happens during every shift. Teams do not need a separate tool later.
Best for: Recognition-led engagement for mid-market and enterprise level companies
Kudos
is an employee recognition and rewards platform built to boost engagement through value-based recognition. It combines peer-to-peer and manager recognition, awards and nominations, milestones, communications, surveys, and analytics. The product targets mid-market and enterprise teams that want measurable culture impact.
Starting price: Quote-based
Free trial / Free-forever: None
Plans: Recognition & Rewards editions (Business/Pro/Enterprise capabilities documented)
Special features: Peer recognition feed; awards and points; robust analytics; integrations
Kudos centers engagement on meaningful recognition. Every message captures values and impact, so recognition becomes structured data. Leaders get dashboards that show participation, program costs, and cultural trends. Awards and nominations formalize big moments. Milestone automations keep birthdays and service anniversaries visible without manual work. Communications and surveys sit close to the feed, which keeps attention high.
Rewards add tangible motivation to employee engagement. The storefront is configurable, with gift cards and custom rewards. This doesn’t attract any transaction fees, which helps preserve budget effectiveness. HR can tune point banks, approval flows, and audiences. With Teams, Slack, Outlook, and HRIS integrations, recognition happens in the tools people already use. That reduces friction and drives habit.
Best for: Recognition-led engagement integrated with wellness
+
is an employee engagement suite focused on recognition, rewards, discounts, wellness, and surveys. It bundles Vantage Recognition, Vantage Perks, Vantage Fit, and Vantage Pulse into a modular, global platform used by companies of all sizes, including Fortune 500 brands.
Starting price: Quote-based
Free trial / Free forever: None
Plans: Modular; priced by features and employee count
Special features: Global rewards catalog; cashback and perks; pulse surveys; wellness challenges; Teams/Slack integrations
Vantage Circle builds engagement around meaningful moments and daily habits. Recognition sits at the core with peer-to-peer and manager awards, badges, social feeds, and leaderboards that keep appreciation visible. The catalog offers gift cards, swag, and merchandise so points convert into tangible value. Employees redeem quickly, which reinforces the loop between recognition and motivation.
The platform extends beyond kudos. Vantage Pulse enables continuous listening with trends and retention signals, while Vantage Fit runs step and multi-activity challenges that weave wellness into everyday routines. Real-time leaderboards and gamification sustain participation over time. That blend of feedback and healthy competition gives HR and managers a steadier signal on culture and morale.
Finally, integrations make it easy to adopt. Single sign-on and HRIS connectors streamline provisioning. Slack and Microsoft Teams apps let people recognize colleagues in the flow of work.
What is an employee engagement platform?
It is software that centralizes communications, recognition, surveys, and analytics. The best employee engagement platform integrates with HRIS and SSO. It helps leaders listen, act, and measure change across teams. Mobile apps keep deskless workers included.
What are the benefits of employee engagement platforms?
They improve retention, productivity, and manager effectiveness. They also reduce email noise and speed decision-making. Culture becomes measurable with clear benchmarks and trends. Leaders can show ROI with simple dashboards.
What features should I look for in the best employee engagement software?
Prioritize mobile access, targeting, recognition, pulse surveys, and analytics. Add SSO/SCIM, HRIS integrations, and role-based governance. AI summaries and automation save admin time. Multilingual content and accessibility widen reach.
What are the different types of employee engagement tools?
There are comms-led hubs, recognition-led platforms, and performance + engagement suites. Deskless workforce apps combine scheduling, tasks, and comms. Some products are full employee experience suites. Pick based on outcomes and workforce mix.
How much does an employee engagement platform cost?
Most tools range from $3–$15 per employee per month. Enterprise bundles can run higher with advanced modules. Budget for rewards, implementation, and training. Annual contracts often include discounts.
Who uses employee engagement software?
HR and People Ops typically own the platform. Managers and internal comms drive adoption with daily usage. Executives track outcomes and ROI. Every employee participates through the app.
What is the best employee engagement app?
“Best” depends on goals, size, and industry. Define outcomes first, then shortlist three or four vendors. Run a pilot and track adoption, time-to-value, and data quality. Choose the platform your managers will actually use.