Top 10 Employee Recognition Software Platforms for 2025

Employee recognition is essential to your company’s success.

How do we know that? Because employee recognition is essential to every company’s success. Once you develop a consistent way to acknowledge your team’s efforts, they’ll become more engaged, productive, and satisfied with their jobs. In other words, they’ll become more effective.

The question is, how do you recognize your staff the right way? You start by investing in quality employee recognition software. Keep reading for 10 top options. But first…

What is Employee Recognition Software?

Employee recognition software helps businesses celebrate and reward employees for their contributions. As such, it makes employees feel valued, which has many benefits.

While every employee recognition solution is different, most of them have similarities. For example, most tools in this category allow managers to publicly acknowledge team members via a social-media style feed or digital board. Most allow employees to recognize each other, too. 

Finally, the best employee recognition platforms enable users to attach photos, videos, and even gift cards to the messages they write. This makes the process more fun and rewarding.

The Benefits of an Employee Recognition Program

If you haven’t built an employee recognition program for your company yet, you’re probably thinking, “What’s the point? I’d rather spend time and resources on a different initiative.“

That would be a mistake. Employee recognition can be incredibly beneficial:

Engagement

When employees feel recognized, they connect to their work on a deeper level. Recognition software makes it easy to highlight both individual and team contributions, which will help keep your employees engaged. This is important because companies with engaged employees are 21% more profitable than companies with disengaged employees. Not bad!

Motivation

Recognition is one of the most powerful motivators in the workplace. When your employees know their efforts are seen and valued, they’ll be inspired to go above and beyond. Recognition programs provide an easy way to celebrate wins, both big and small. Whether you send them a simple “thank you” or a tangible reward, these gestures fuel motivation. Employees are reminded that their hard work pays off, pushing them to work harder and accomplish more.

Productivity

What happens when employees are engaged and motivated? Simple: they perform better. Recognition software enhances productivity by creating an environment in which employees want to work hard and improve their skills. As such, they tend to do the things they need to do to achieve more success. Also worth mentioning, consistent recognition—especially peer-to-peer recognition—improves employee collaboration, which can level up productivity metrics as well.

Company Culture

Recognition programs reinforce company values. How so? By linking recognition to the specific behaviors that matter most, like teamwork and/or innovation. When this happens, employees know exactly what to strive for, which helps create a culture of achievement. Since top talent wants to work for successful companies—and employing these individuals could lead to 33% more revenue—this is a big deal. One more thing: recognition makes employees feel good, and when they feel good, they’ll enjoy their jobs more. Speaking of which…

Job Satisfaction

Do your employees like working for your company? If the answer is yes, you’ll almost certainly experience more success. After all, employees who enjoy their jobs are more likely to engage in their roles and improve their skills, like we already mentioned. To ensure job satisfaction, you need to offer your employees more than a paycheck—you need to offer them respect. Doing so will lead to less turnover, which could save your company a significant amount of money. A well-planned recognition program is the answer as it will make your employees feel important.

Top Employee Recognition Software Platforms

Employee recognition software is a must-have for companies looking to build a positive and motivated workplace. But with so many platforms available, how do you choose the right one?

To help you narrow down your options, we’ve reviewed 10 employee recognition platforms, each offering unique features to suit different organizational needs. Let’s take a look!

1. Kudoboard

Kudoboard takes the traditional employee appreciation card and digitizes it for modern teams. Designed for companies of all sizes, Kudoboard allows users to create collaborative online boards and fill them with personalized messages, images, GIFs, and videos to celebrate achievements. If you want a user-friendly employee experience platform, look no further! 

Top Features

• Group Ecards: Send ecards to employees that all their colleagues have signed
• Collaborative Boards: Invite team members to contribute to shared recognition boards
• Customizable Templates: Choose an eye-catching template to match any occasion
• Gift Cards: Attach a gift card to any online board to elevate your recognition program
• Unlimited Boards: Use Kudoboard for every event, from birthdays to work milestones
• Scheduling: Create boards in advance and schedule them to send at specific times
• Printable Keepsakes: Turn any digital board into a physical poster or book
• Analytics and Reporting: Track metrics to see who gets recognized and how often
• Integrations: Send recognitions via too ls you already use, like email and Slack

Pricing: Kudoboard offers multiple pricing options. Buy single boards for a few dollars. Or subscribe to the platform and get access to top features for as little at $25 a month.

2. Nectar

Nectar is a flexible employee recognition platform that encourages both peer-to-peer and manager-to-employee appreciation. It also includes internal messaging tools, which means users have access to email and text marketing solutions, as well as shared calendars.

Top Features

• Recognition: Let managers and staff recognize each other for achievements
• Reward Points: Distribute points that can be redeemed them for various rewards
• Custom Rewards: Spend points on gift cards, company swag, or Amazon purchases
• Analytics: Track participation and specific recognition trends for your team
• Integrations: Connect Nectar to popular tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams

Pricing: You’ll need to contact Nectar directly for exact pricing, though the website does state that users are required to sign a minimum $4,000 a year contract to use the app.

3. Empuls

Empuls is an AI-powered solution that combines multiple team recognition tools. It’s known for boosting employee engagement via rewards, surveys, and a social intranet.

Top Features

• Recognition Options: Build manager and peer-to-peer recognition programs
• A Reward Catalog: Access a global rewards marketplace with many gift options
• Engagement Surveys: Gather feedback to boost employee engagement metrics
• Social Feed: Create a virtual space for employees to connect with each other
• Artificial Intelligence: Use Em, the AI bot, to close engagement gaps

Pricing: Empuls allows users to mix and match features. Each feature costs between $1 and $3 a month, per user, billed annually. So, for access to recognition, surveys, and intranet features you’ll pay $7 a month, per user. For a team of 20 people, that would be $1,680 a year.

4. Awardco

Awardco aims to “boost productivity, reduce spend, and build culture” via an all-in-one platform for rewards and recognition. Its flexibility and expansive rewards marketplace are high points.

Top Features

• Points System: Send employees points for quality work and/or milestones
• Employee Awards: Spend points in a variety of ways, including on Amazon 
• Custom Celebrations: Automate recognition for every kind of work milestone
• Integrations: Connect Awardco to Slack, Bamboo HR, and other top tools

Pricing: Awardco offers three different plans, but doesn’t provide pricing information for any of them. To learn what this employee recognition platform costs, contact Awardco directly.

5. Bonusly

Bonusly is an interactive employee recognition platform that helps teams acknowledge each other’s contributions in real time. It turns recognition into a rewarding experience for everyone.

Top Features

• Peer Recognition: Allow employees to celebrate each other for accomplishments
• Rewards: Earn and redeem points for gift cards, donations, or custom rewards
• Analytics Dashboards: Learn who participates the most and how they use the platform
• Integration Options: Connect with Slack, Microsoft Teams, and HRIS platforms

Pricing: Bonusly costs $2 to $7 a month, per seat, billed annually. As you might expect, the more you pay, the better features you get access to. Example: peer recognition is an upgrade.

6. Guusto

Guusto caters to both office and frontline workers. So, if your company employs a lot of field employees, consider using this app to create a meaningful recognition culture.

Top Features

• Budget Friendly: Start with a free account, then upgrade if you feel the need
• Flexible Rewards: Build employee rewards programs with a wide range of options
• Automation: Automatically celebrate employees on every important milestone
• Offline Recognition: Reward employees who aren’t always near a computer or phone

Pricing: Start using Guusto for free. If you want more functionality, expect to pay $40 to $400 a month, depending on the features and number of seats you need access to.

7. Qarrot

Qarrot is designed with small to medium-sized businesses in mind, offering them an affordable yet robust solution for employee recognition and rewards initiatives.

Top Features

• Goal-Based Recognition: Reward employees for hitting specific goals
• Competitive Leaderboards: Allow team members to compare their performances
• Team-Wide Announcements: Keep everyone in the loop with the information they need
• Performance Dashboard: Measure program success via downloadable reports

Pricing: Qarrot costs $4 a month, per employee for standard features. If you would like Qarrot to build you a custom employee recognition platform, you’ll need to contact its team.

8. Achievers

Achievers is a leading recognition platform aimed at fostering employee engagement and aligning workplace culture. It’s a trusted name among large organizations.

Top Features

• Recognition: Reward employees with a points-based recognition program
• Reward Marketplace: Redeem points with more than 2,500 retailers, charities, etc.
• Inclusion Coach: Use AI to eliminate biases from your employee recognition programs
• Employee Connections: Pair team members together to fuel individual career growth
• Integrations: Connect with popular tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom.

Pricing: Like many of the other companies on this list, Achievers doesn’t list pricing on its website. You’ll need to talk to its sales team to learn about the cost of this software.

9. Mo

Mo was built to improve employee recognition, engagement, and performance. To help your company accomplish these things, Mo is equipped with strong features to acknowledge teams.

Top Features

• Recognition Moments: Create unique, meaningful recognition events for employees
• Flexible Rewards: Give team members gift cards to popular brands or custom awards
• Team-Building: Enable coworkers to recognize each other and comment on posts
• AI Assistance: Receive suggestions to help employees model positive behaviors
• Budget Controls: Allow staffers to reward each other without breaking the bank

Pricing: Mo offers three plans. The first costs $2.50 a user, per month. The second costs $5 a user, per month. The cost of the third plan is customized to each business.

How to Choose the Right Employee Recognition Platform

So, which employee recognition software is right for your company? We can’t answer that question for you. But we can give you a four-step process to help you make a good choice:

Identify Your Budget

Before diving into features and reviews, decide how much you’re willing to spend.

Your budget will help you narrow down your options and keep you focused on platforms that make good financial sense. We definitely do NOT recommend over-spending on this tool.

Keep in mind, you can always level up your employee recognition software in the future—either by upgrading to a plan with more advanced features or by selecting an entirely new platform

One more thing: factor upfront costs into your budget. Some tools charge onboarding fees in addition to monthly subscriptions. You don’t want to be surprised by a large bill.

Evaluate Features

Not all platforms are created equal. To choose the best employee recognition tools for your organization, you need to compare and evaluate features for each solution on your list.

Ask yourself, “What features does my team really need and which are negotiable?“

For example, your tool should be easy to use and customizable. It should also allow you to offer a wide range of awards too, like gift cards, experiences, etc. Finally, choose a software that has analytics dashboards and integrates with at least some of the apps you already use.

By focusing on the features you actually care about, you’ll be able to choose a platform that supports your goals, saves time, and delivers a positive user experience for all team members.

Read Online Reviews

Online reviews will give you a glimpse into how a platform performs in real-world situations. Visit trusted review sites like G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius to see what current users have to say.

Once you get to these websites, look for patterns in user feedback. Do people rave about specific features? Are there consistent complaints about the software’s usability or customer support? Has anyone mentioned an issue that wasn’t obvious during their demo?

Pro tip: Pay attention to reviews from similar companies. Their challenges and successes will often be more relevant than feedback from businesses in vastly different industries.

Test Each Platform

Nothing can replace hands-on experience.

Once you’ve whittled down your list of options, sign up for free trials or request product demos from each vendor. That way you can see—first-hand—how each platform operates.

There are three things you want to test and/or evaluate at this time:

• Ease of Use: Can your team learn to use the tool in a short period of time?
• Speed and Reliability: Does the app run smoothly, or are there frustrating delays?
• Support: How responsive is the customer service team if you have issues?

You wouldn’t buy a car without taking it for a test drive, would you? The same goes for employee recognition software. Sign up for trials and demos before making a commitment.

Build an Effective Employee Recognition Program

The right employee recognition software will transform your business.

It makes sense. When employees enjoy their jobs, they’re motivated to perform them to the best of their abilities. This leads to greater productivity, performance, and overall success.

To choose a quality employee recognition platform for your team, identify your budget, evaluate features, read online reviews, and sign up for free trials or demos. Doing so will give you hands-on experience with each tool. That way you can make an educated decision.

Still confused about which employee recognition software is right for your team? Give Kudoboard a try. Our platform is both intuitive and powerful. As such, you’ll be able to use it to fuel your entire employee engagement strategy—and you won’t need hours of training to do it.