13 Best AI-Powered Employee Recognition Softwares (Top Tools Compared)

AI is everywhere, and employee recognition software is no exception.

Today’s AI-powered employee recognition software helps HR teams and managers recognize employees faster, reduce workplace bias, track achievements automatically, and personalize appreciation at scale. 

In short: AI makes employee recognition programs more consistent, more meaningful, and easier to manage.

TL;DR: Best AI-Based Employee Recognition Software (Quick Table)

Let’s explore how AI improves employee recognition, then compare the top platforms using it today.

The Best Employee Recognition Software With AI

What’s the best AI-based employee recognition software on the market, and which platforms offer the strongest employee rewards and recognition program examples? Every company has different needs, but one of the 13 apps below should work for your unique situation.

1. Kudoboard

Source: Kudoboard 

Best For: Small to medium-sized businesses that want to build incredible recognition programs.

G2 Rating: 4.8 stars / 928 reviews

Kudoboard makes employee recognition fast, easy, and effective, whether you’re celebrating employee milestone recognition or sending personalized employee recognition gifts. Some might say the process of acknowledging employee efforts with Kudoboard is fun.

Here’s how it works:Users create an online board, customize it with templates, memes, and videos, then invite teammates to contribute. Everyone can post public messages to celebrate wins and recognize great work.

Kudoboard also supports custom branding, digital gift cards, and the option to print boards as physical keepsakes. Built-in analytics and AI automation help you save time and scale recognition.

Key AI-Based Features:

• Generate boards based on custom templates in one click
• Assign board owners and send boards to contributors on autopilot
• Schedule boards (and ecards!) to send on specific days and at specific times
• Automatically recognize employee milestones, like birthdays and anniversaries
• Get actionable insights for each board to inform your performance management efforts

Kudoboard Pricing: Subscription plans start at $25 a month, paid annually. This includes many top features and support for up to 50 team members; no additional fees are required.

Pros: Highly customizable boards, easy participation, strong milestone automation, great for teams

Cons: Reward catalog not as expansive as points-based platforms; advanced analytics may require a higher tier

2. Empuls by Xoxoday

Source: Empuls 

Best For: Large companies that want access to as many AI-driven features as possible.

G2 Rating: 4.6 stars / 1,495 reviews

Here’s how it works: Empuls, an Xoxoday product, was designed to help large companies recognize teams and boost employee satisfaction. To make this possible, Empuls is infused with AI capabilities.

Empuls also includes tools to gather employee feedback, foster team communication with a social intranet, and even offer team members financial perks and benefits.

Key AI-Based Features:

• Access to Em, a GenAI assistant
• AI “Nudges” to recognize employees
• AI-written messages to appreciate staff
• Engagement scores to see who’s been recognized
• Survey summaries to quickly learn what employees think

Empuls Pricing: Contact the Empuls team to learn about pricing.

Pros: All-in-one platform, strong AI assistant/nudges, surveys + intranet included.

Cons: Pricing is not transparent; it can feel complex for smaller teams.

3. Assembly

Source: Assembly 

Best For: Enterprise organizations that want social recognition and team collaboration tools.

G2 Rating: 4.9 stars / 2,186 reviews

Here’s how it works: Assembly lets teams send personalized rewards, including digital gift cards from thousands of stores and charities.

It also includes collaboration tools and built-in analytics to track what’s working. Dora, its AI assistant, helps teams find and summarize information quickly.

Key AI-Based Features:

• Dora, an AI-powered workplace assistant
• Automate birthday and/or anniversary messages
• Send staff recognitions via Slack or Microsoft Teams
• Find and summarize important information in seconds

Assembly Pricing: Annual subscription plans start at $2 a month, per member. This plan includes a very limited feature set. Expect to pay at least twice as much for more features.

Pros: Strong social recognition, Slack/Teams friendly, flexible gifting options

Cons: Lowest tier is limited; costs rise with features and rewards

4. Achievers

Source: Achievers 

Best For: Large companies that want to invest in a complete employee experience platform.

G2 Rating: 4.7 stars / 2,228 reviews

Here’s how it works: Achievers helps users recognize employees for their accomplishments, reward them with digital and physical rewards via a global rewards marketplace, and celebrate milestones.

The platform also has a bunch of communication tools, like a centralized resources hub to store content, a solution to share company-wide announcements, and mobile notifications. As such, Achievers is equipped with capabilities to enhance the entire employee experience.

Key AI-Based Features:

• Create milestone cards on autopilot
• Schedule and send employee rewards
• Get access to an AI-powered inclusion coach
• Access employee behavior tracking via AI technology

Achievers Pricing: Contact the Achievers team to learn about pricing.

Pros: Enterprise-grade, large rewards marketplace, strong experience tooling

Cons: Not ideal for small teams; pricing is not transparent

5. Bravo

Source: Bravo 

Best For: Small teams looking to jump on the AI bandwagon

G2 Rating: 4.9 stars / 78 reviews

Here’s how it works: Bravo was built to help smaller teams do more through the power of AI.

Recognize, engage, and motivate your team by acknowledging their efforts or sending them an automated reward. Then track your efforts in this area via daily usage reports.

Bravo also includes employee surveys to learn what your team thinks and gamification tools (a standout feature) to increase employee engagement and stimulate healthy competition.  

Key AI-Based Features:

• An AI chatbot to recognize employees intelligently
• On-time reminders to recognize specific team members
• Auto-generated reports to track what works and what doesn’t

Bravo Pricing: Subscription plans start at $39 a month, plus a $299 setup fee. This plan includes all recognition features (minus surveys and analytics) and support for 10 employees. 

Pros: Simple setup, AI-first experience, gamification features

Cons: Setup fee; analytics/surveys may require a higher tier

6. Awardco

Source: Awardco

Best For: Companies that want Amazon-based reward fulfillment

G2 Rating: 4.9 stars / 4,000+ reviews

Here’s how it works: Awardco is an employee recognition software platform best known for its direct Amazon Business integration. Employees can redeem recognition points for millions of products, making rewards practical and highly personalized.

The platform supports service awards, peer-to-peer recognition, and performance-based rewards, while AI-driven insights help HR teams monitor participation and reduce recognition gaps.

Key AI-Based Features:

• Automated milestone and service anniversary recognition
• AI-powered insights into recognition frequency and trends
• Smart nudges to promote consistent recognition
• Scalable workflows for large and distributed teams

Awardco Pricing:

Custom pricing based on company size and program complexity.

Pros: Huge reward selection via Amazon, strong enterprise scalability

Cons: Custom pricing; best value usually at a larger scale

7. Kudos

Source: Kudos

Best For: Organizations focused on morale and culture-building

G2 Rating: 4.8 stars / 1,300+ reviews

Here’s how it works: Kudos is an employee recognition platform centered on values-based and peer-to-peer appreciation. It encourages public recognition tied to company values, helping teams reinforce positive behaviors and strengthen workplace culture.

Built-in analytics and AI-supported insights help leaders understand engagement patterns and improve recognition consistency across teams.

Key AI-Based Features:

• Recognition trend and participation analysis
• Automated reminders to encourage recognition
• Sentiment insights from recognition activity
• Data-backed reporting tied to company values

Kudos Pricing:

Pricing available upon request.

Pros: Strong values-based recognition, great culture tooling, and clear analytics.

Cons: Pricing is not transparent; reward depth varies by plan.

8. Workhuman

Source: Workhuman 

Best For: Global enterprises with complex recognition needs

G2 Rating: 4.7 stars /2,115 reviews

Here’s how it works: Workhuman is an enterprise-grade employee recognition software platform designed for large, global organizations. It supports social recognition, service anniversaries, and global reward distribution across multiple currencies.

The platform uses AI and behavioral science to analyze recognition data and deliver insights tied to retention, engagement, and performance.

Key AI-Based Features:

• AI-driven behavioral and engagement analytics
• Automated service anniversary programs
• Global recognition tracking and insights
• Predictive data tied to retention outcomes

Workhuman Pricing:

Enterprise pricing available upon request.

Pros: Excellent for global enterprises, strong analytics

Cons: Enterprise-only pricing; may be heavy for smaller teams

9. O.C. Tanner

Source: O.C. Tanner

Best For: Large enterprises seeking a comprehensive recognition ecosystem

G2 Rating: 4.8 stars/1,389 reviews

Here’s how it works: O.C. Tanner is one of the most established employee recognition software providers. Its platform supports recognition, rewards, wellbeing, and employee experience initiatives at enterprise scale.

AI-powered insights help organizations design fair, consistent recognition programs while maintaining personalization across large workforces.

Key AI-Based Features:

• Automated milestone and service award workflows
• AI-powered reporting and recognition insights
• Personalization tools for large-scale programs
• Data analysis to optimize recognition effectiveness

O.C. Tanner Pricing:

Custom enterprise pricing.

Pros: Full ecosystem, mature enterprise solution

Cons: Enterprise complexity; custom pricing only

10. HiFives

Source: HiFives 

Best For: Peer-to-peer recognition in small to mid-sized teams

G2 Rating: 4.6 stars /10 reviews

Here’s how it works: HiFives focuses on peer-driven employee recognition through simple, social tools. Employees can send public praise tied to company values, helping reinforce positive behavior and collaboration.

The platform emphasizes ease of use and consistent participation, with lightweight analytics to track engagement.

Key AI-Based Features:

• Automated reminders to encourage recognition
• Participation and engagement reporting
• Recognition trend insights
• Slack and Microsoft Teams integrations

HiFives Pricing:

Plans start at approximately $2 per user per month.

Pros: Simple and lightweight, great for peer recognition

Cons: Fewer enterprise-level analytics/workflows than larger platforms

11. Semos Cloud

Source: Semos Cloud 

Best For: Organizations that need deep HR and enterprise integrations

G2 Rating: 4.7 stars /93 reviews

Here’s how it works: Semos Cloud is a flexible employee recognition software platform known for its strong integration capabilities. It connects with HRIS, payroll, and enterprise systems, making it well-suited for complex environments.

AI-supported analytics help leaders track recognition impact and engagement trends across departments.

Key AI-Based Features:

• Automated recognition workflows
• AI-driven engagement and participation insights
• Deep HRIS and enterprise system integrations
• Custom reporting and dashboards

Semos Cloud Pricing:
Pricing available upon request.

Pros: Deep integrations, strong enterprise customization

Cons: Implementation can be heavier; pricing is not transparent

12. Bonusly

Source: Bonusly

Best For: Small to medium teams that want frequent, lightweight recognition

G2 Rating: 4.7 stars /5894 reviews 

Here’s how it works: Bonusly is a peer-to-peer employee recognition platform that uses micro-bonuses to encourage frequent appreciation. Employees give small point-based rewards that can be redeemed for gift cards, donations, or custom incentives.

AI-supported insights help managers understand participation and recognition patterns.

Key AI-Based Features:

• Automated recognition reminders
• Participation and engagement analytics
• Smart reporting to identify recognition gaps
• Integrations with Slack and Microsoft Teams

Bonusly Pricing:

Plans start at approximately $3 per user per month, billed annually.

Pros: Easy adoption, great for frequent recognition, strong integrations

Cons: Can feel “lightweight” for complex enterprise programs

13. AdvantageClub.ai

Source: AdvantageClub.ai 

Best For: Companies that want a wide variety of rewards and perks

G2 Rating: 4.8 stars /746 reviews

Here’s how it works: AdvantageClub.ai is an AI-first employee engagement and recognition platform offering an extensive rewards marketplace. It combines recognition, perks, wellness, and discounts into a single ecosystem.

AI-driven insights help organizations personalize rewards and track engagement across programs.

Key AI-Based Features:

• AI-powered reward personalization
• Engagement and usage analytics
• Automated recognition and milestone tracking
• Insights across rewards, perks, and recognition

AdvantageClub.ai Pricing:

Custom pricing based on company needs.

Pros: Huge perks + rewards ecosystem, AI-first approachCons: Custom pricing; feature depth varies by plan/region

A Reminder: True Human Connection Still Matters

AI is a powerful tool, but it will never replace true, authentic human connection.

People want to engage with other people. That’s one reason why in-person events have become more popular recently. The human brain needs more than screens and robots.

This fact is important to remember when it comes to employee recognition platforms. Yes, AI will help you acknowledge employee contributions faster and in more personalized ways. But never forget, your recognitions need to feel human, or they won’t have the impact you want them to.

Take Your Recognition Program to the Next Level

AI-based employee recognition software will revolutionize your company, helping you acknowledge employee contributions more consistently With scalable ideas for employee recognition, impactful employee recognition gifts, and reduced workplace bias.

Of course, you have to choose the right AI-powered tool to achieve these things. We suggest Kudoboard, which is both easy to use and full of top-level features. Some of those features include custom branding, automation, gift cards, deep analytics, and more.

FAQs About Artificial Intelligence and Employee Recognition

How will AI help my employees feel valued?

AI helps employees feel valued by ensuring recognition is timely, consistent, and informed by real data. It can surface contributions you may miss, send reminders to recognize milestones, and help schedule appreciation moments, supporting a more thoughtful and equitable employee recognition program.

Is there a wrong way to use AI in my employee recognition strategy?

Yes. Using AI to fully write appreciation messages removes authenticity. Recognition should feel personal and human. AI works best when used to track contributions, prompt reminders, refine clarity, and automate delivery, not replace genuine gratitude from leaders or peers.

What if I’m not technical? Can I still use AI systems?

Absolutely! Tools like Kudoboard make it easy to take advantage of AI. Most of the time, you won’t even realize you’re using AI. The technology is embedded in our engagement platform.

Can Kudoboard Help Me Build an Effective Employee Recognition Program?

Yes! Kudoboard has many tools to help you give consistent recognition to your team. That way, they engage in their work, and employee retention goes up.

Unlike other employee recognition platforms, Kudoboard is easy to use. All you have to do is create a board, customize it to fit your brand and occasion, invite your team to contribute (Yay for peer-to-peer recognition!), and watch as employee performance and retention rise.
Kudoboard also includes important features like the ability to send digital gift cards, turn virtual boards into physical books or posters, automate messages, and study in-depth analytics. Plus, Kudoboard integrates with top tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and 200+ HRIS platforms.