7 Best Employee Recognition Software Platforms [2023]

By Josip MiskovicUpdated on
7 Best Employee Recognition Software Platforms [2023]

Employee recognition software offers many benefits and can significantly improve your productivity levels.

Using a software platform for employee recognition streamlines the process, saving time and resources. Additionally, it can provide data and analytics to track success, enable collaboration among employees, and offer flexible incentives like cash rewards and gift cards.

Best employee recognition solutions have features that ensure nothing slips through the cracks as praise piles up, resulting in boosts in morale and decreases in turnover.

What is the best employee recognition software?

Here's the list of best employee recognition software:

1.Kudos

Kudos Website
Kudos Logo

Kudos is a simple yet effective employee recognition software that helps you boost morale and connect with coworkers. It is an instant, on-the-go platform that is transparent and can be customized to fit the needs of any organization.

I like that Kudos is user-friendly and provides rewards that can be redeemed for a variety of items. I also appreciate the fast and simple process of showing appreciation. However, I would like to see an improvement in the search bar function and the points system. Additionally, it would be nice if there were more customization options and reward choices available.

Learn More About Kudos

Key Features of Kudos

  • A simple way to show appreciation for a job well done
  • On-the-go, fun platform: Kudos is an instant, on-the-go platform that is transparent and can be customized to fit the needs of any organization.

What I Like/Dislike About Kudos

Pros:

  • User-friendly: The menu is clear and easy to navigate
  • Rewards: Points can be redeemed for a variety of rewards
  • The exposure among the entire organization for people who go above and beyond. Wide recognition.
  • It is always fun giving Kudos to people who go out of their way to help you.

Cons:

  • Minimum amount needed to redeem: You need to have a lot of points to be able to redeem them
  • Monthly limits: There are monthly limits on the points that you can use to appreciate your peers
  • Kudos mentions: The fact that mentions are on an individual basis, it would be great if we could create groups
  • Limited Number of Reward Items: There are only a limited number of reward items available, and at times, the most popular items are depleted.
  • Difficult to Find Link: It is not easy to find the link to kudos. I have to find an email with a kudos recognition in order to access the Kudos.
  • Not Much to Redeem: It takes a lot of kudos to get to redeemable value.

Kudos Pricing

  • Basic: $3 per Month
Kudos Pricing

2.Bonusly

Bonusly Website
Bonusly Logo

Bonusly is an innovative employee recognition software designed to help people connect with their work and each other on a more meaningful level. With its powerful employee recognition, rewards, and survey tools, it can help organizations build high-performing teams that are deeply engaged.

Recognition between teams can be easily given through the web, mobile app or app integrations. The built-in Signals survey tool gauges employee satisfaction and sentiment while analytics tools provide actionable data about the employee experience. It also helps boost productivity and retain employees by making recognition fun and easy which further transforms your company culture.

This streamlined system of employee recognition provides numerous benefits to organizations looking to boost morale among its employees. People are encouraged to recognize each other frequently without compromising productivity or having the need for additional resources. Furthermore, integrating the values of an organization into the system makes the whole process even more impactful, leading to higher levels of employee engagement and satisfaction.

Learn More About Bonusly

Key Features of Bonusly

  • Promote your mission: Make recognition more impactful by connecting it to your company’s core values and giving visibility to everyone’s contributions.
  • Build stronger teams: Build a scalable culture of recognition by empowering everyone to recognize their peers, direct reports, and managers.
  • Boost engagement: Encourage frequent and timely recognition by integrating with the communication tools your employees use every day.
  • Reduce friction: Streamline all types of recognition and rewards into one easy-to-manage system.
  • Discover your strengths: Evaluate recognition trends in your organization and learn where team members excel with detailed analytics and reporting.
  • You'll pay face value for rewards when your employees redeem from the Bonusly Reward Catalog..
Bonusly employee dashboard
Bonusly app screenshot
Bonusly dashboard screenshot

What I Like/Dislike About Bonusly

Pros:

  • Allows employees to recognize each other on the spot for a job well done, birthday and work anniversary announcements, projects that are happening in our company, or general announcements
  • Share pictures and gifs to keep it fun and entertaining
  • Receiver can choose their rewards once they have been recognized
  • Informal way to recognize accomplishments, say thank you, or show appreciation
  • Great way to build cooperation and a team mentality

Cons:

  • Bugs: There are a few bugs here and there.
  • Tagging bit is slightly less intuitive.
  • Reports on the dashboard could be improved
  • Limited international rewards: The rewards for international users are relatively limited depending on the recipient's country of residence
  • Points can lose meaning if companies give too many.
  • Add-on for Slack: The Bonusly add-on for Slack is not very intuitive and can be difficult to use.
  • The navigation is not very optimized. It would be useful to have a page on which you see all your rewards without having to search

3.Awardco

Awardco Website
Awardco Logo

Awardco is the perfect choice for companies looking to reward and incentivize employees with meaningful rewards. This platform partners with Amazon Business, providing users with access to millions of rewards options, as well as more cost-effective vendor fees and dollar-for-dollar recognition spend.

Awardco makes it easy to find perfect rewards that truly honor employee performance and engagement. With its simple and intuitive platform, users can quickly find the best rewards without any hassle. Additionally, the company's commitment to reducing costs means that using this platform won't have a big effect on your business' budget.

Awardco the ideal solution for businesses wanting to recognize employees in an affordable and impactful way.

Learn More About Awardco

Key Features of Awardco

  • All-In-One Total Rewards Solutions: Awardco makes recognizing and rewarding people easier and more effective for everyone. Drive behavior, build culture, and see where employee recognition will take you.
  • Employee recognition: Create, manage, and customize multiple recognition programs—all in one place.
  • Reward employees with the most powerful reward network on the planet.
  • Incentives: Free up your day with automated incentive programs that truly reward employees.
  • Awardco: The software is cloud-based and integrates with Amazon Business.

What I Like/Dislike About Awardco

Pros:

  • A great way to say thank you! You are able to shout out co-workers and highlight their strengths and accomplishments in a way that is both tangible and verbal for them.
  • IAbility to submit my thoughts and gratitude to members of my team and adjacent teams.
  • Being able to redeem award points for gift cards.

Cons:

  • Onboarding: I wish there was a feature on the app that would alert you to a new recognition or feed interaction.
  • The feed is not as front-facing as I think it should be.
  • The physical cards might be preferred by people but they take a long time to arrive
  • Lack of personality: Awardco lacks that "extra" element that other programs (like Bonusly) capture really well.

4.Bucketlist

Bucketlist Website
Bucketlist Logo

Bucketlist is a employee engagement platform that enables employers and employees to give meaningful employee recognition and rewards to their colleagues. The software makes it incredibly simple and fast for managers to recognize their team members for living the company's core values or for achieving something extraordinary.

The platform allows both managers and team members to recognize each other in unique ways. Whether you want to send a colleague on a dream vacation, award them with a nice meal, or offer them tickets to a show, Bucketlist provides all the tools you need to make it happen. There are also options for non-monetary rewards such as access to exclusive events and experiences, or gift cards for popular retailers. Whatever your budget or preference may be, our program has something for everyone.

You can upload photos, write personalized messages, attach bonus points with any reward and more! This way you can tailor each reward package according to the employee’s interests and preferences – making it much more meaningful for them.

The results speak for themselves - First Bank saw a 31% reduction in voluntary turnover rates on average after implementing Bucketlist's software.

Learn More About Bucketlist

Key Features of Bucketlist

  • Automate Anniversaries, Milestone, and Rewards: Streamline and automate important employee events, including correlating rewards.
  • Customizable Rewards Board: Choose from existing rewards and customize company specific rewards (i.e. bonus day off work)
  • Integrations with all the tools & platforms you already use

What I Like/Dislike About Bucketlist

Pros:

  • Earning coins: You can earn coins by completing tasks or taking actions that are approved by the company. These coins can be redeemed for different prizes.
  • Simplicity: If you have something to give or acknowledge a co-worker for, go ahead and do it. If you get rewarded, thank them and enjoy being able to award yourself for the hard work someone you work with acknowledged you.
  • Fun: It's fun to give points to others.
  • Customer service: The customer service from the corporate team is amazing.

Cons:

  • Redeem Section: The redeem section can be hard to visualize, and it would be better if there was a link to the prize page.
  • Searching for Experiences: It would be easier to find experiences if it asked right away for the area, rather than having to search for it manually.
  • Unclear Point Value: The point value is unclear at first, and it's not clear how many points translate to a dollar amount.
  • Unable to Edit Rewards: Once a reward is made, it can't be edited.

Bucketlist Pricing

  • Basic: $3 per Month

5.WorkTango

WorkTango Website
WorkTango Logo

WorkTango is an Employee Experience Platform that seeks to revolutionize how companies engage and inspire their people. It offers a comprehensive suite of features designed to make it easier to recognize, reward, understand, and align employees. With WorkTango, employers can give more meaningful recognition, use surveys to gain actionable insights into their workforce, and set goals and provide employee feedback for improved alignment.

The platform is built according to modern principles of workplace management – one where priorities are clear, achievements are celebrated, and employees have a voice.

Some of the key components of WorkTango include the ability to create tailored employee recognition programs; communicate feedback in real-time; track progress through goal setting; run surveys on employee satisfaction; offer rewards and incentives; and analyze data to uncover patterns in employee engagement.

Learn More About WorkTango

Key Features of WorkTango

  • Recognition & Rewards: WorkTango's social recognition and rewards system helps companies to strengthen their culture, improve alignment, and make employees feel more valued and inspired.
  • Employee Surveys & Insights: WorkTango's surveys and insights help organizations to understand their employees better and take actionable steps to improve the workplace.
  • Goals & Feedback: WorkTango's goal setting and feedback tools help organizations to better align their employees and improve communication.
Worktango employee recognition dashboard
Worktango analytics dashboard screenshot
Worktango feedback dashboard screenshot
Worktango employee goal tracking screenshot

What I Like/Dislike About WorkTango

Pros:

  • WorkTango's point system: The point system is a way of recognizing teammates and also provides points that can be used to buy some cool stuff.
  • Ease of use: The platform is easy to use and there are many ways to view your data with help drive actions.
  • Reporting feature: The reporting feature provides a lot of great insights and outputs to share with senior leaders and decision-makers.
  • User-friendly platform: The platform is easy to navigate and the sample questions provided help to streamline the process.
  • Support provided: The support provided is very professional and quick to respond to any questions.
  • Ease of sending recognitions: The ease of sending social recognitions across the company is a great feature.
  • Interactive Options and Communication Tools: From an administrator and user POV, the interactive options and communication tools are great.
  • Daily Point Redemptions: Daily point redemptions are a nice perk but can be abused.
  • Designating Points: I like being able to designate more or less points to people that you recognize depending on what you are recognizing them for.

Cons:

  • The current dashboard could be more robust, with features such as top performers, which departments are the most engaged, and more.
  • Access to recognitions: I wish I could see a person's recognitions more easily if I were to say click on their name in the app.
  • Reward redeeming: The reward redeeming is a little clunky. It can get messy when searching for things and sometimes it is confusing if you go look at something like concert tickets and then want to go back to actual merchandise.
  • Redeeming points: To redeem points, there is a delay in supervisor approval need
  • Limited to one core value per recognition: You can only choose one core value per recognition

6.Motivosity

Motivosity Website
Motivosity Logo

Motivosity is the perfect tool for any organization looking to increase employee engagement and create a positive workplace culture. It offers four powerful products that will help promote greater awareness and appreciation within an organization, including Connect, Recognize, Lead, and Listen.

Connect is a free peer-to-peer recognition platform that allows employees to get to know each other better, build relationships based on similar interests, and celebrate accomplishments in real-time. With Recognize, managers and team members can recognize day-to-day 'wins' with public recognition to let their co-workers know they are appreciated. Lead helps managers become better leaders by providing them with the tools they need to coach their teams and create powerful relationships. Finally, Listen allows employers to understand employee satisfaction in real time by discovering what their employees need, as well as want.

Overall, Motivosity can be seen as much more than simply rewards - it’s the ‘thanks’ that matters most when it comes to employee engagement and creating a positive workplace environment. From fostering connectedness through Connect to creating meaningful recognition with Recognize; from transforming managers into leaders with Lead; and understanding employee satisfaction through Listen - Motivosity really does have it all covered!

Learn More About Motivosity

Key Features of Motivosity

  • Peer-to-peer social recognition, feedback collection, monetary reward and gift card management.
  • Browser-based tool that integrates with Google Apps and Salesforce. It has a wide range of functionality, including performance tracking, benchmarking, pulse surveys, and more.

What I Like/Dislike About Motivosity

Pros:

  • Motivosity is easy to use from an administrative perspective and user perspective. We had one week to go live from our signing date and with the support of Motivosity's incredible customer service team, we were up and running on schedule!
  • Slack integration.
  • Departments: Motivosity helps our employees build relationships and thank each other for anything they do.
  • The ease of selecting members of the company to give shout-outs to.
  • Mimics the benefits of many social networks.
  • Fun and interactive: Allowing people to comment on a thank you message gives

Cons:

  • Filtering for reports: The filtering for reports could be improved, as well as the ability to set default report filters across all user accounts.

Motivosity Pricing

  • Connect: $0 per month
  • Recognize: $4 per month
  • Lead: $5 per month
  • Listen: $2 per month
Motivosity Pricing

7.WeGift

WeGift Website
WeGift Logo

WeGift makes rewarding customers and employees effortless, offering a vast selection of gift cards from over 1,300 brands in 30 countries and 18 currencies.

If you're looking for a simple yet powerful solution to rewarding employees at scale, WeGift is well worth considering.

The plug-and-play platform integrates with any existing system, enabling users to leverage their existing data and insights to quickly deliver personalized rewards at scale. Plus, the API integration allows companies to access WeGift's network of 1,300+ global brands to create meaningful experiences for customers and employees alike.

Learn More About WeGift

Key Features of WeGift

  • Instant, Scalable Digital Rewards: The WeGift platform provides instant, scalable digital rewards that can be used to incentivize customers and employees.
  • Recognize, Retain, and Reimburse the People You Care About: WeGift helps you to recognize, retain, and reimburse the people you care about with gift cards from 1300+ global brands.
  • Recognize, retain, and reimburse the people you care about
  • Deliver instant happiness to your prospects and customers while increasing acquisition, retention, and activation
  • Access the world’s leading catalog of digital gift cards powered with a lightweight and reliable API

What I Like/Dislike About WeGift

Pros:

  • Get Started for Free: You can get started with WeGift for free, with no commitment required.
  • User-friendly portal: The portal is easy to use and navigate, with minimal need for assistance.
  • No delays in float being topped up: Wegift processes top-ups quickly, so there is no delay in the float being topped up.
  • Easy to track customer vouchers: The WeGift platform makes it easy to track customer vouchers and see if they have been claimed or not.
  • Intuitive interface: The WeGift platform has an intuitive interface that is easy to use.
  • WeGift offers a large selection of gift vouchers in different countries.
  • The simplicity of the API and easy-to-use platform.
  • The customer service: The customer service is friendly, helpful, and accommodating.
  • Easy to Use: WeGift is easy to use, with a user-friendly interface and plenty of customization options.
  • Fast Delivery: WeGift delivers gift cards quickly and efficiently.
  • Wide Range of Brands: WeGift offers a wide range of brands, making it easy to find the perfect gift card for any occasion.
  • WeGift offers high discounts on popular brands, making it easy to save money on your next purchase.

Cons:

  • Can't customize WeGift select email templates
  • Have to continually, manually add funds to the account:
  • WeGift only offers a limited number of gift cards for international use
  • There is no way to save a group of brands that you frequently send gift cards to, meaning you have to scroll through the entire list each time
  • Voucher-only redemption: Vouchers can only be redeemed for a specific item at a specific store, rather than being able to use them like cash
WeGift Pricing

Best Employee Recognition Software Summary

Here's the summary of best employee recognition software:

Bonusly

Bonusly is a great way to build cooperation and team mentality among employees. It allows employees to recognize each other on the spot for a job well done and also keeps everyone updated on projects happening in the company. The only downside I find is that it can be difficult to find posts where I have been recognized, but luckily the emails Bonusly sends make it fairly easy to track down. Overall, I think it's a great tool with a lot of potential!

Awardco

Awardco is an all-in-one total rewards solution that makes recognizing and rewarding people easier and more effective. With Awardco, you can drive behavior, build culture, and see where recognition will take you. Key features include recognition, service awards, rewards, and incentives. I liked that the software is easy to use and navigate, and that there are a lot of great gift card options available. I did not like that there is no downloadable app from the App Store or Google Play, and that the website looks good but could use more color. Overall, I think Awardco is a great way to say thank you to employees for their hard work.

Bucketlist

Bucketlist is an employee recognition and rewards platform that is completely customized to your business. From branding and point systems, to awards and rewards. I liked that the customer service from the corporate team is amazing! They are so helpful with all of the needs/concerns we have. The overall program is such a fun and exciting way to recognize our employees and they love being able to redeem their points for activities and gift cards that they are interested in! I also found the site easy to navigate and use. It's user-friendly, convenient, fun, and engaging. I didn't dislike anything about it, but I wished there was a tracking mechanism to be able to see all of the bucks you receive and spend.

WorkTango

WorkTango is a recognition and employeee rewards platform that helps companies to strengthen their culture, improve alignment, and make employees feel more valued and inspired. The platform is easy to use and there are many ways to view your data with help drive actions. The reporting feature provides a lot of great insights and outputs to share with senior leaders and decision-makers. From an administrator and user POV, the interactive options and communication tools are great. The support provided is very professional and quick to respond to any questions.

Motivosity

Motivosity is a cloud-based employee recognition solution that assists small to large organizations with performance tracking and benchmarking. Key features include peer-to-peer social recognition, feedback collection, monetary reward and gift card management. Motivosity is easy to use from an administrative perspective and user perspective. The application is easy to use, with a intuitive interface that is interesting to explore. I love that this product emphasizes positive building. The business world gets pretty mired in the daily tasks and deadlines and I love that this helps teams to look at the bigger picture. Love the Slack integration. It is pretty customizable, which is helpful. The support and help has been good so far. And overall it's been a very useful product that I use daily. Motivosity helps our employees build relationships and thank each other for anything they do.

WeGift

WeGift is a great platform for those looking for instant, scalable digital rewards that can be used to incentivize customers and employees. I liked that the portal is easy to use and navigate, with minimal need for assistance from wegift. I also appreciated that WeGift processes top-ups quickly, so there is no delay in the float being topped up. The customer service at wegift was also helpful and friendly. However, I found that the WeGift platform makes it easy to track customer vouchers and see if they have been claimed or not. Additionally, the interface is intuitive and easy to use. There is also a large selection of gift vouchers in different countries. Overall, I was impressed with the simplicity of the API and easy-to-use platform. The customer service is friendly, helpful, and accommodating. The wide variety of gift card options is also a plus. It's very convenient to have all of your various gift card receipts in one place for reconciliation.

FAQ: Employee Recognition Platform

What is the best employee recognition software?

Best employee recognition software platforms are:

  1. Kudos
  2. Bonusly
  3. Awardco
  4. Bucketlist
  5. WorkTango
  6. Motivosity
  7. WeGift

Why is employee recognition software important?

Employee recognition software, also known as a recognition program or platform, is important for several reasons.

Firstly, it can help with employee retention by showing employees that their hard work and contributions are valued by the company. Secondly, it can improve employee engagement by allowing for peer recognition and rewards through peer-to-peer recognition. Additionally, it can aid in continuous performance management by providing an easy and efficient way for managers to acknowledge and reward employees for their efforts. Overall, employee recognition platforms can play a crucial role in improving employee morale and motivation, leading to a more positive and productive work environment.

How to design an employee recognition program?

Designing an effective employee recognition program requires taking into account several key elements.

Firstly, it's important to consider the company values and ensure that the program aligns with them. This will help to enhance the company culture and promote behaviors and actions that are in line with those values.

Secondly, it's important to offer a variety of different types of employee rewards. This can include bonuses, gift cards, or other incentives, and should be tailored to the preferences and motivations of the employees. It's also important to include a mix of individual and team recognition, as well as rewards for meeting specific performance targets.

Thirdly, it's important to provide a platform for employees to give and receive feedback. This can be done through regular surveys or through a recognition platform where employees can recognize and acknowledge the efforts of their colleagues.

Lastly, it's important to include social recognition through peer-to-peer recognition, which allows employees to acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of their colleagues. Also, providing an opportunity for employees to earn own rewards through their own achievement and effort can be a great way to boost employee engagement and motivation.

It's also important to regularly review and evaluate the effectiveness of the program, and make adjustments as needed. This can be done by gathering data and feedback from employees and managers, and analyzing the results.

In conclusion, an effective employee recognition program should be tailored to the specific needs and preferences of the organization, and should be designed to boost employee engagement, motivation, and productivity, and to create a positive work environment that aligns with company values, and enhances company culture.

Also read: Best employee goal setting software

Josip Miskovic
About Josip

Josip Miskovic is a software developer at Americaneagle.com. Josip has 10+ years in experience in developing web applications, mobile apps, and games.

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