14 Best Employee Recognition Platforms For 2023

Post Updated: January 25, 2023

Valuable employee recognition is vital in keeping your workers motivated towards being more productive and achieving your business objectives. However, creating robust employee recognition programs can be challenging for most employers and HR professionals, especially if they have many employees to manage. Fortunately, there is plenty of employee recognition software that helps you effectively manage your employees. And if you find it challenging to choose one suitable for your organizational needs, this article lists the best employee recognition platforms 2023 to choose from. 

What is Employee Recognition Software

An employee recognition software is a cloud-based tool that helps employers effectively recognize and reward top performers within the organization. These tools are fully automated, which creates efficiency in compiling performance data to determine those who deserve rewards and who require extra training or coaching. Furthermore, the modern employee recognition programs encourage employees to also recognize each other’s efforts, which as a result, enhances your company’s culture. Read along for a detailed comparison of the best employee recognition software platforms. 

Top 14 Employee Recognition Software in 2023:

1. Bonusly

Bonusly is a user-friendly employee recognition tool that benefits many employers globally. With its 360-degree recognition feature, employees create healthy working relationships and appreciate each other for their efforts. As a result, they have a greater sense of belonging, creating a solid team that is fully dedicated to achieving performance goals. Bonusly also automates the celebration of significant moments such as the company’s anniversaries and streamlines all employee recognition processes. Its price plans also vary depending on your business requirements. 

Key Features

• Custom Employee Rewards
• Reporting and Analytics
• Peer to Peer Recognition
• Value-Based Recognition
• Point-Based Employee Rewarding
• Recognition Tracking
• Third-Party Integrations

2. Nectar

Nectar keeps your team connected and engaged in a single platform regardless of their location. As a result, your employees can easily recognize each other’s efforts, which increases their morale. Furthermore, this employee rewards and recognition platform is user-friendly and can integrate with other business software to boost seamless business operations. With Nectar, you can enhance a solid organizational culture, especially when managing employees remotely. Communication will also be strengthened, leading to a collaborative and dedicated workforce. 

Key Features

• 360-Degree Recognition
• Employer-to Employee Recognition
• Employee-to-Employee Recognition
• Customized Employee Recognition
• Events Celebrations
• Third-Party integrations
• Reporting and Analytics

3. Blueboard

Blueboard is one of the world’s all-in-one employee recognition platforms that helps businesses recognize top-performing employees at a scale. It is suitable for small, medium-sized, and large organizations, and it’s currently used by more than 30,000 clients globally. Blueboard encourages teamwork, and employees can easily recognize each other’s efforts. Furthermore, you can easily view your workers’ performance data and reward them with personalized experiences. The good news is that it also has a demo which you can request and test its suitability. 

Key Features

• Third-Party Integrations
• Analytics and Reporting
• 360-Degree Employee Recognition
• Peer-to-Peer Recognition
• Team Management
• Custom Employee Reward
• Recognition Tracking

4. Fond

Fond is the best employee recognition solution for building a robust culture that every employee wants to be part of. With its seamless performance in teamwork management and employee recognition, businesses using it experience high retention. Furthermore, employees have access to plenty of catalogs of rewards, and you can track work anniversaries and offer trophies and plaques to the most deserving workers. Solid communication is also created, leading to motivated workers and increased productivity. 

Key Features

• Reporting and Analytics
• Third-Party Integrations
• Social Recognition
• Service Awards
• Manager-to-Employee Recognition
• Events Celebrations
• Customized Employee Recognition

5. Hi5

Hi5 is a cloud-based platform that enables co-workers to give recognition and feedback at work. Recognition messages and feedback forms are updated in real time, allowing management and HR teams to track and monitor the company company culture based on values, and employee performance based on goals. Hi5 helps leadership measure employee engagement and overall happiness across their organisations. Employees use Hi5 to recognise their peers, provide continuous feedback to management, and complete anonymous pulse surveys. Hi5 integrates with Slack, MS Teams and WhatsApp to provide a seamless experience across all devices.

Key features:

• Pulse surveys & 360 degree review tools
• Customer feedback & anonymous questionnaires
• Employee profile management
• Employee recognition messages on a digital Wall of Fame
• Company-wide communication tools
• Integrations with Slack, Microsoft Teams and WhatsApp
• Real-time automated organogram
• Work games for employee onboarding & engagement
• Google SSO, Microsoft SSO, Okta SSO

6. Kudos

Kudos enhances companies’ culture through its sophisticated peer-to-peer employee recognition platform. As a result, strong working relationships are built between workers, thus boosting their morale and increasing engagement. The tool is suitable for large enterprises and has a modern design interface to encourage every member of an organization to participate in the employee recognition program. Most importantly, it has multiple levels of recognition, which is a unique element in modern employee recognition programs. 

Key Features

• Value-Based recognition
• Employer-to-Peer recognition
• Point-Based and Flexible Employee Rewarding
• Events Celebrations
• Recorded Video recognition
• Reporting and Analytics
• Digital Gift Cards

7. Wishlist

At Wishlist, we help modern HR teams amplify company performance by igniting the power of people. Wishlist helps companies recognize and reward their employees through meaningful employee recognition and memorable rewards. Create equity in recognition and a more inclusive company culture by giving your employees one cohesive platform to recognize and reward individual and team contributions. Wishlist allows leaders to recognize and reward employees using a top-down recognition strategy while also allowing peers to recognize each other using a peer-to-peer approach that aligns with your company’s values. The Wishlist platform can be used to reward employees for exceptional performance, work anniversaries, birthdays, life events, and more, offering experiential rewards, gift cards, custom experiences, custom rewards, and branded swag shipped on demand.

Key Features

• Impact Focused Peer-To-Peer-To-Peer Recognition
• Values and Goals-Based Recognition
• Meaningful Rewards for Everyone, Including International
• Extensive Automation, Reporting, and Insights
• Third-Party Integrations and SSO
• Advanced Budgeting, Approval, and Hierarchy Tools

8. Appreiz

Appreiz redefines employee engagement, talent and performance management using social recognition as a driving factor. By being a one-stop solution, Appreiz helps organizations build a better tomorrow for their employees by inculcating healthy, happy and positive workplace culture via rewards & recognitions, feed forward for demonstrated competency, value or skill. Appreiz advocates inclusive work culture via data reliant and empathy-driven employee engagement platform that has the intelligence to  measure pulse of employees and  connect all functions together and draw relevant correlations through smart analytics and nudges. The App interface delivers a simple yet powerful solution for co-workers, managers and partners to create an appreciative and collaborative approach in the workplace.

Key Features

• Real-time employee engagement
• Centralized dashboard to track people insights
• Continuous Checkin based performance management
• Ingrain positive motivation with Feedforward
• Intelligent bots for Slack and Microsoft Teams integration
• Infuse real-time social recognition as a part of workplace culture
• External Stakeholders can recognize employees in multiple ways
• Employee touch points for announcement & important internal communication
• Opportunities to showcase value and visibility via peer to peer recognition
• Analytics for internal Talent Management

9. Kazoo

Kazoo is another top employee recognition software in 2023 that offers an all-in-one employee experience. For instance, employers with dispersed teams can easily manage their employee recognition programs on a single platform. What’s more, Kazoo brings recognition, rewards, OKRs, communication, benefits, and employee feedback in one platform. As a result, the company’s culture is strengthened, leading to a hardworking and dedicated workforce. 

Key Features

• Point-Based rewarding
• Remote Recognition
• Reporting and Analytics
• Events Celebrations
• Social recognition
• Peer-to-Peer Recognition
• Recognition Tracking

10. GreetPool

11. Guusto

Guusto features unique elements in performance recognition. One of the tool’s employee recognition examples is that employees can choose their gifts through flexible redemption options. In addition, employees get to pass gifts to other deserving members through its pay-forward feature. Undoubtedly, Guusto is one of the best-rated employee rewards and recognition platforms, and it has helped many businesses retain and attract quality talent. The tool is simple in design and guarantees a return on investment of upto 16X your outlay. 

Key Features

• Pay Forward Option
• Analytics and Reporting
• Employee-to-Employee recognition
• Value-Based Recognition
• Rewards Catalog
• Gift-Based Recognition
• Pay-Forward

12. Empuls

Recognizing workers’ contributions to achieving business goals has been made easy with Empuls. This employee recognition tool is trusted by thousands of businesses globally, whether small, medium-sized, or large enterprises. It drives efficient employee recognition, making them feel empowered and motivated to boost their performances. Furthermore, Empuls is user-friendly, and your employees will no longer need a separate software or system to recognize each others’ efforts. 

Key Features

• Gamification
• Peer-to-Peer Recognition
• Social Recognition
• Third-Party Integrations
• Mobile-Friendly
• Notifications and Alerts
• Advanced Search Tool

13. Terrberry

Terryberry has partnered with more than 40,000 organizations globally — a clear indication that its services in employee recognition are among the best. For instance, the software features social recognition, whereby you get to identify the best-performing employees and reward them. This feature also allows employees to recognize each other and build healthy relationships that boost your business performance. Moreover, Terryberry has a customizable recognition and rewards platform, thus helping you effectively motivate and engage your teams to achieve targeted business goals. 

Key Features

• Feedback and Communication
• Point-Based Rewarding
• Recognition Tracking
• Social Recognition
• Rewards Catalog
• 360-Degree Recognition
• Milestone and Service Awards

14.  Reward Gateway

If you are looking for a software that will help engage your workers and retain top talent, then Reward Gateway is a considerable choice. The tool has a powerful employee rewards and recognition platform that is user-friendly for all participating teams. What’s more, Reward Gateway helps you create a continuous recognition culture. As a result, your employees will always stay motivated to achieve targeted business objectives. The peer-to-peer recognition feature is among the elements that build a solid workforce. 

Key Features

• Instant Employee Recognition
• Value-Based Employee Recognition
• Third-Party Integrations
• Daily Employee Recognitions
• Customized E-Cards
• Events Celebrations
• Analytics and Reporting

Conclusion

Appreciating your workers is one of the best things you can do to keep them motivated and remain loyal. As a result, they may even turn out to be your brand ambassadors, which results in attracting top talent. The above modern employee recognition tools will simplify your recognition programs and make the process straightforward and transparent. For instance, having workers praise each other for their hard work strengthens their working relationships. Also, these software have been helpful in managing remote teams, whether small or large. However, keep in mind that they have different features and price plans, and it is crucial that you choose the one you can afford and meet your business objectives.