Employee engagement software tells you how people feel about their work and gives managers a way to act on it, through pulse surveys, peer recognition and feedback that lives inside Slack and Teams.
The tools split into survey-led platforms and recognition-led ones, and that choice shapes both the price and what you learn.
Price Against Score
Intro sentence: Here is what 100 employees cost each month on the entry plan, plotted against our score, for the six ranked tools that publish a price.
- Ring shows the product type
- Survey and performance-led
- Recognition-led
Monthly cost for 100 employees, entry plan billed annually
The score axis starts at 3.4. Costs exclude reward spend. Awardco is plotted at its $3,000 yearly floor for teams of 100 or fewer. Leapsome is converted from €400 at 1.12 and includes a platform fee waiver that ends December 31, 2026. WorkTango, Culture Amp, Achievers and Workhuman are quote only and not plotted.
What the chart shows
Best Employee Engagement Software: Quick Summary
These are the ten ranked tools, with ten more specialists after the detailed reviews. Sort by price to see the cheapest entry plan for a 100-person team.
- From
- $4/user/mo
- Engagement surveys
- Yes, eNPS and benchmarks
- Recognition
- Peer High Fives, no rewards
- Free plan or trial
- None, demo only
Watch for: The $4 Engage plan covers surveys only, so check-ins and reviews need Perform at $11 per user.
- From
- €4/employee/mo
- Engagement surveys
- Yes, eNPS and benchmarks
- Recognition
- Public praise, no rewards
- Free plan or trial
- 14-day trial
Watch for: The required platform fee is waived only until December 31, 2026, after which it adds €5 to €7 per employee.
- 3
LatticeBest all-in-one platformPerformance-led companies adding engagement to reviews and goals4.1/5- From
- $4/seat/mo
- Engagement surveys
- Yes, Mercer benchmarks
- Recognition
- Public praise, no rewards
- Free plan or trial
- None, free tour only
Watch for: A $4,000 annual minimum means teams under about 85 seats pay more than the $4 list rate.
- From
- Quote only
- Engagement surveys
- Yes, eNPS and AI actions
- Recognition
- Points and rewards catalog
- Free plan or trial
- None
Watch for: Every package is quote only on a 12-month minimum term, and BI WORLDWIDE bought the company in July 2026.
- From
- Quote only
- Engagement surveys
- Yes, 40+ templates
- Recognition
- Shoutouts, no rewards
- Free plan or trial
- None
Watch for: There is no published price, and public reviews rate its performance module well below its surveys.
- From
- $3,000/yr
- Engagement surveys
- Sold separately
- Recognition
- Points, zero-markup catalog
- Free plan or trial
- None
Watch for: Surveys come in a separate Engage product, so price both before comparing it with survey-led tools.
- From
- $3/user/mo
- Engagement surveys
- Not a core feature
- Recognition
- Points, rewards at face value
- Free plan or trial
- Free up to 8 users
Watch for: Survey and action-planning tools are thin, so it cannot measure engagement well on its own.
- From
- Quote only
- Engagement surveys
- Pulse and custom surveys
- Recognition
- Points, 190-country marketplace
- Free plan or trial
- None
Watch for: A confusing interface is the most common complaint in public reviews.
- From
- Quote only
- Engagement surveys
- No standalone product
- Recognition
- Bravo awards, global store
- Free plan or trial
- None
Watch for: Plan for a reward budget of about 1% of payroll on top of the platform fee.
- From
- $3/user/mo
- Engagement surveys
- Removed from self-serve
- Recognition
- Points, gift cards
- Free plan or trial
- None
Watch for: Surveys and 1:1s left the self-serve plan in 2026 and now sit with its parent, Quantum Workplace.
Rankings follow our overall score. The From column shows each vendor’s own starting price as listed on its site in October 2026. Lowest price sorts on the monthly cost for 100 employees on the entry plan, billed annually, with reward spend left out. Awardco sorts at its $3,000 yearly floor, Leapsome is converted from euros and includes a platform fee waiver that ends December 31, 2026, and quote-only tools sort last. Minimums, reward budgets and add-ons are in the full reviews. Sorting changes the order only.
The 10 Best Employee Engagement Tools Reviewed
Each card opens with why we picked the tool, then the engagement details buyers compare and our eight scores. Read the “What to watch” column before you book a demo, because that is where annual minimums and separate reward budgets show up.
15Five
Why we picked 15Five
15Five sells engagement on its own. The Engage plan costs $4 per user a month and covers a research-based engagement survey, eNPS trends, industry benchmarks and built-in action plans, so a 100-person team pays $400 a month.
What sets it apart is the step after the survey. Heatmaps break results down by team, department and location, AI turns open comments into themes, and managers get microlearning and coaching to act on the results. 15Five bought the coaching platform Kona in January 2025 for exactly this.
It connects to 16 named HRIS systems, including ADP, BambooHR, HiBob and Workday, plus Slack and Teams.
Engagement-specific details
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
Leapsome
Why we picked Leapsome
Leapsome now publishes its prices. Engagement surveys cost €4 per employee a month, and every module sits on a required platform fee that is waived until December 31, 2026, then lists at €5 to €7 per employee.
The appeal is breadth without a second vendor. Surveys with eNPS and benchmarks share data with performance reviews at €7, goals and OKRs at €4 and learning at €4, so a low engagement score in one team can be traced to missed goals or overdue reviews in the same system. It is ISO 27001 certified and hosts data in the EU.
Engagement-specific details
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
Lattice
Why we picked Lattice
Lattice is best known for performance reviews, and its $4 Engagement module turns it into a listening tool as well. Pulse surveys, one-question eNPS and full engagement surveys are benchmarked against Mercer data by industry, region and company size.
Lattice dropped its payroll product in March 2026 and its HRIS in July 2026, so it is now firmly a talent and engagement platform that syncs with 12 HRIS systems rather than replacing one. Watch the $4,000 annual minimum if you are small.
Engagement-specific details
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
WorkTango
Why we picked WorkTango
WorkTango is the only tool in our top ten that is equally strong on surveys and on rewards. Its survey package includes unlimited surveys, eNPS and AI recommended actions, and the recognition package adds points, a rewards marketplace, nominations and service awards.
BI WORLDWIDE bought it in July 2026 and kept the brand. It lists 70 integrations, 57 of them HRIS or HCM systems, and launch typically takes four to six weeks.
Engagement-specific details
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
Culture Amp
Why we picked Culture Amp
Culture Amp has the deepest survey library on this page, with 40+ research-based templates for engagement, onboarding, exit and lifecycle surveys. Its AI Coach summarizes comments, drafts step-by-step action plans and writes the follow-up message to staff.
There is no published price. The pricing page sells three plans on annual quotes, each including SOC 2 and GDPR compliance, Slack and Teams apps, HRIS sync and Shoutouts. Expect a quote that suits companies of 200 or more better than small teams.
Its purchase of Orgnostic added people analytics that link survey results with HR data such as turnover.
Engagement-specific details
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
Awardco
Why we picked Awardco
Awardco’s pitch is that the reward budget goes to employees, not to markup. Amazon Business items and most eGift cards carry no fee, points redeem one to one, and a Tax Buffer adjusts point values for sales tax. The catalog covers 135 countries and 163 currencies.
It is quote only, but the vendor says Starter packages for 100 employees or fewer begin at $3,000 a year. Surveys come in a separate product, Awardco Engage.
Engagement-specific details
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
Bonusly
Why we picked Bonusly
Bonusly is the easiest way to start. It is free for up to 8 users, and the Team plan costs $3 per user a month without the Bizy AI assistant or $5 with it. Rewards are billed at face value when someone redeems them, so a $10 gift card costs $10 and nothing is prefunded.
Engagement-specific details
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
Achievers
Why we picked Achievers
Achievers is built for large recognition programs. Its reward marketplace has delivered more than 3 million rewards across 190 countries, and there is no annual points commitment, so you fund what employees actually earn.
Pulse surveys and Voice of Employee polls sit alongside recognition, and every subscription includes 24/7 support. It has the largest review base on this page at about 12,500.
Engagement-specific details
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
Workhuman
Why we picked Workhuman
Workhuman is recognition at enterprise scale. Bravo awards, service milestones, life events and frontline recognition run from one platform, with an in-house global rewards store supported in dozens of languages.
It has no standalone survey product, so it scores low on listening. What it does instead is mine recognition data. Workhuman iQ analyzes recognition messages for culture and skills signals, and Conversations links recognition to check-ins.
Budget for about 1% of payroll in rewards, the benchmark Workhuman itself cites, on top of the platform fee.
Engagement-specific details
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
Assembly
Why we picked Assembly
Assembly costs $3 per user a month, billed yearly, for peer shout-outs, points, a global reward catalog, awards and automated birthdays and anniversaries, all inside Slack or Teams.
Quantum Workplace bought it in January 2026, and surveys and 1:1s have since moved out of the self-serve plan to the parent platform. Buy it for recognition, not measurement.
Engagement-specific details
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
More Employee Engagement Tools Worth Exploring
These ten are each built around one narrower strength, such as an intranet, gift cards or text-message check-ins, so they fit a specific gap better than a whole engagement program. The fields match the ten reviews above, and every price comes from the vendor’s site.
Every tool on this page was scored on the same eight parameters, which are explained in the methodology at the end. The ten detailed reviews are the strongest all-round picks, and the ten after them each solve one narrower problem.
The sections below help you settle what kind of tool you need before you compare names, then show what 100 employees really cost once minimums and reward budgets are added.
How to choose employee engagement software
Five factors separate a tool that changes how managers behave from one that produces a report nobody reads.
Survey depth
Look for eNPS, lifecycle surveys and benchmarks by industry and company size. Without a benchmark, a score of 72 tells you very little.
Best equippedCulture Amp, Lattice, 15Five
Action planning
Results only matter if each manager gets a plan. Check for action plans assigned by team and for AI that groups open comments into themes.
Best equipped15Five, Culture Amp, WorkTango
Survey-led, recognition-led or both
Most tools on this page are built around one job. Pick the type that matches the problem you need to fix, then compare within it.
Intranets such as Workvivo and Simpplr sit outside these three types, and the frontline section below covers them.
A standalone tool or the module in your HRIS
If you already pay for an HRIS, check what engagement features it includes before you buy a second system.
The line between the two is moving in both directions.
2026 shift: Lattice dropped its payroll product in March and its HRIS in July, while Leapsome now sells an HRIS of its own. If you are choosing core HR at the same time, start with our HRIS ranking or the wider HR software ranking.
What 100 employees actually cost
List prices hide three costs: annual minimums, platform fees and the reward budget itself. This table adds them up for a 100-person team on each ranked tool’s entry plan.
| Tool | Entry plan for 100 staff | Minimum or floor | Reward spend | Other charges |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15Five | $400/mo ($4,800/yr) | None stated | No rewards | Perform at $11 per user for check-ins and reviews |
| Leapsome | €400/mo (€4,800/yr) | None stated | No rewards | Platform fee of €5 to €7 per employee after December 31, 2026 |
| Lattice | $400/mo ($4,800/yr) | $4,000/yr | No rewards | Foundations bundle at $13 per seat for performance |
| WorkTango | Quote only | 12-month term | Marketplace, rates not published | Full platform priced with volume discounts |
| Culture Amp | Quote only | Annual contract | No rewards | Not published |
| Awardco | From $250/mo ($3,000/yr) | $3,000/yr floor | Zero markup on Amazon Business and most eGift cards | Surveys (Engage) and HRIS sync sold separately |
| Bonusly | $300/mo ($3,600/yr) | None | Face value, paid on redemption | Bizy AI adds $2 per user |
| Achievers | Quote only | No annual points commitment | Points funded as earned | Not published |
| Workhuman | Quote only | Not published | About 1% of payroll, the benchmark Workhuman cites | Not published |
| Assembly | $300/mo ($3,600/yr) | None | Funded on top of the licence | Surveys now through Quantum Workplace |
For recognition tools, the last two columns usually decide the real cost.
Reward budgets dwarf licences: for 100 people earning an average of $60,000, the 1% of payroll benchmark comes to $60,000 a year, against $3,600 for Bonusly’s licence. Set the reward budget first, then compare platform fees.
Getting honest answers from surveys
A survey people do not trust gives you flattering numbers. Ask each vendor how it protects anonymity and what comparison your score will get.
The default setting matters as much as the threshold.
Check the default: Lattice starts every engagement survey on Basic anonymity protection, and admins have to switch to Strong to block indirect identification through filters. For context on why staff hold back, see our workplace stress statistics.
Reaching frontline and deskless staff
Most engagement tools assume a laptop and a chat app. If a large share of your staff work shifts, check how each tool reaches them.
Shift workers may already have an app on their phone.
Before adding another app: check whether your scheduling tool already carries shout-outs or short surveys. Our employee scheduling software ranking covers the staff apps hourly teams use.
Five questions to ask before you sign
These come from the minimums, fees and ownership changes we found while checking prices for this page.
“What is the annual minimum at our headcount?”
“Do rewards carry a markup or a redemption fee?”
“Which fees apply after the first year?”
“What is the minimum group size for reports, and who can change it?”
“Has the product changed owner, and did any features move?”
Narrow it down
Start from the problem you most need to fix. Each row points to the tool on this page that handles it best.
Match your main priority to one tool, then read its card.
Measure and act on engagement
The $4 Engage plan includes eNPS, benchmarks and manager action plans.
Engagement inside performance
Mercer-benchmarked surveys sit beside reviews, goals and 1:1s for $4 a seat.
Recognition on a tight budget
Free for up to 8 users, then $3 per user, with rewards at face value.
Surveys and rewards from one vendor
Strong on both, with 70 integrations, on a 12-month quote.
The deepest survey science
40+ research-based templates and AI action plans, priced by quote.
Source: HRStacks editorial scores and vendor pricing
Employee Engagement Software FAQs
Straight answers to the questions buyers ask most before choosing an engagement tool.
How we scored employee engagement software
Every tool on this page is scored on the same eight parameters, on a 1 to 5 scale, and the overall score is the weighted average. Paid placement does not affect rankings.
Pricing & value
Published price for a 100-person team, annual minimums, platform fees and how rewards are billed. Quote-only pricing scores lower because buyers cannot compare it.
Surveys & listening
Survey types, eNPS, benchmarks by industry and size, anonymity controls and how easily questions can be edited. This carries the most weight because it is what makes a tool an engagement tool.
Recognition & rewards
Peer and manager recognition, points, the size and markup of the rewards catalog, service awards and tax handling.
Feedback & performance link
Whether results connect to check-ins, 1:1s, goals and reviews, so managers act on them in conversations they already have.
Analytics & action planning
Heatmaps, AI comment themes and manager action plans that turn a score into a next step for each team.
Integrations & mobile reach
Native Slack and Teams apps, HRIS sync and how the tool reaches staff without a laptop, through mobile apps or text messages.
Customer support
Channels and hours offered, whether onboarding help is included and what public reviews say about response times.
Ease of use
How quickly employees and managers can use the tool without training, based on public reviews and vendor demos.
Conclusion
Buy for the problem you have. If you do not know why people leave, start with a survey-led tool and put a plan in front of every manager. If people feel unseen, a recognition tool will do more for less money.
The most common pricing mistake is comparing per-user fees. A 100-person team pays 00 a month for Bonusly’s licence, but at 1% of payroll the reward budget for that same team can reach 0,000 a year.
Pick two tools of the same type from the Quick Summary, put the five questions above to each vendor, and get a written yearly total for your headcount before you book a demo.
