Best Employee Retention Software for Reducing Staff Turnover

Replacing a valuable employee costs far more than just their salary. Studies show turnover can drain as much as two times an employee’s annual pay once you account for recruiting, training, and lost productivity. And that doesn’t factor in the ripple effects: morale dips, stalled projects, and institutional knowledge walking out the door.

The old approach of annual surveys and post-exit interviews leaves leaders guessing. By the time you uncover a trend, it’s usually too late and your best people have already left. Modern employee retention software is designed to spot disengagement early, support managers with real-time insights, and create the kind of culture where people choose to stay.

We’ll break down the best employee retention software available and the benefits of employee retention. You’ll see which solutions are strongest for recognition, which excel in engagement, and which are built for true enterprise performance enablement. And we’ll show why Betterworks is the best choice for organizations serious about aligning goals, data, and feedback at scale.

Compare the best talent retention software

If you’re short on time, here’s the quick view. Below is a side-by-side comparison of today’s leading employee retention platforms — who they’re best for, how users rate them, and the features that matter most.

Top employee retention software choices for 2025

The tools below represent the leading options for organizations focused on keeping their best people. Each one takes a different approach — from recognition and culture platforms to full-scale performance enablement suites — but all are designed to strengthen engagement and reduce turnover.

• What makes the platform stand out
• The most relevant features for driving retention
• The type of company it’s best suited for
• Strengths and limitations you should know
• A perspective from a real customer
• Where to learn more

Betterworks — Enterprise performance enablement at scale

Summary
Betterworks is an enterprise-grade performance enablement platform built to align goals, drive continuous feedback, and surface insights that help retain top talent. Unlike legacy review systems, it embeds performance into day-to-day workflows via integrations with Slack, Teams, Gmail, and more. Its calibration, feedback, and analytics tools help HR and managers catch attrition risk early. The platform is SOC 2 Type II certified and supports global compliance capabilities. It’s built for scale, supporting localization and multi-language setups across large organizations. 

Features
Goal & OKR alignment; Continuous check-ins & 1:1 planning; Real-time feedback & recognition; Calibration & talent grid analytics; AI-assist for feedback & goal drafting; Role-based permissions and security controls; Integration with Slack, Teams, Gmail, Jira, Salesforce; Learning & course integrations (e.g. LinkedIn Learning); Audit logs & compliance tools; Configurable templates and workflows; Analytics dashboards & reporting; Localizations in 25+ languages.

Ideal customer size
Best suited for mid-market to enterprise (1,000+ employees), especially organizations with complex hierarchies and compliance needs.

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Strong enterprise depth; calibration, security, and integrations make it a robust platform for large orgs; embedding performance tools in flow of work improves adoption. 

Limitations: Implementation requires planning and change management; smaller teams may find some depth overkill or budget-intensive. 

Customer quote
“Betterworks excels in aligning our team’s goals with company objectives, making it a top choice for performance-focused organizations.” 

Betterworks Retention Software 

Empuls — Culture & recognition made simple

Summary
Empuls is an employee engagement and recognition platform that helps organizations nurture culture, reward performance, and maintain connection across teams. It emphasizes peer-to-peer recognition, pulse surveys, and behavior-based rewards to boost morale and reduce turnover. Empuls also includes communication and social intranet features to drive alignment and visibility. Its analytics and insights help HR teams spot engagement dips before they turn into resignations.

Features
Peer-to-peer recognition; Rewards catalog & budget control; Pulse & lifecycle surveys (incl. eNPS); Social intranet & communication feed; Analytics & dashboards; Integrations with Slack, Teams, HRIS systems; Engagement nudges via AI bot.

Ideal customer size
Works well for small to mid-sized and distributed teams, especially those prioritizing recognition and employee experience.

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Easy to launch recognition programs; strong for engagement and culture-building.

Limitations: Less depth in performance and retention analytics; reporting customization is limited.

Customer quote
“We had a higher attrition rate … this platform has helped us to launch R&R programs and now our employees are more engaged than previously.”

Empuls Retention Software

Leapsome — Flexible people development platform

Summary
Leapsome is an all-in-one people-management platform that brings together performance, engagement, feedback, and learning. It lets organizations unify OKRs, reviews, pulse surveys, recognition, and learning paths in a single experience. Its modular design enables teams to roll out features gradually and scale as maturity grows. Many users cite its intuitive UI and ease of adoption.

Features
OKR & goal tracking; Performance & 360 reviews; Pulse & engagement surveys; Feedback & recognition; Learning paths & content library; Analytics & reporting; Custom workflows & automation; Integrations with HRIS & collaboration tools.

Ideal customer size
Typically used by mid-market to growing enterprises (200–1,000+ employees) that want to consolidate people-ops under one roof.

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Highly user-friendly and intuitive, which helps with adoption and engagement; good balance of performance + learning tools.

Limitations: Some advanced analytics or export/customization functions may require extra effort; complex enterprises might find gaps in scaling edge cases.

Customer quote
“Leapsome is user friendly both from an employee and admin perspective. Give a good overview of the goals of employees and their achievements.” 

Leapsome Retention Software

Workday Peakon — Listening + predictive analytics for retention

Summary
Workday Peakon is a continuous listening platform that lets organizations capture real-time employee sentiment and forecast turnover risk. It blends survey-based feedback with sentiment analytics and HCM data to drive proactive retention decisions. Peakon’s AI-powered engine surfaces root-cause drivers, recommends actions, and flags at-risk groups. As part of the Workday ecosystem, it helps align retention signals with workforce metrics across systems.

Features
Pulse & lifecycle surveys; Sentiment analytics & trend dashboards; Attrition risk forecasting; Root-cause driver analysis; Action planning & recommended follow-ups; Integration with Workday HCM + external systems; Feedback response & manager engagement tools; Multi-language global support.

Ideal customer size
Best suited for mid to large enterprises, particularly ones already running or considering Workday HCM, wanting to embed feedback and retention insights into HR operations.

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Strong predictive modeling and seamless integration with Workday’s HCM stack; enables linking engagement signals to business metrics and acting before turnover escalates.

Limitations: May require significant setup and change management; outside the Workday ecosystem, integration effort may reduce value; advanced features may require higher licensing or data maturity.

Customer quote
“Peakon’s ability to gather survey responses and break down the data by function, area, demographics, by individual drivers etc. is really powerful and intuitive.”

Workday Peakon Retention Software

Culture Amp — Predict turnover, guide action

Summary
Culture Amp is a people analytics and engagement platform that empowers teams to listen, understand, and act on employee sentiment in a systemic way. Its Retention Insights tool correlates engagement drivers with turnover risk, enabling HR to intervene with data-backed strategies. The platform also supports performance reviews, 360 feedback, development, and continuous feedback—all feeding into a holistic retention view.

Features
Turnover / retention prediction; Pulse & engagement surveys; Driver analysis (which engagement factors correlate with retention); Action planning tools; Benchmarking & comparative insights; Performance + feedback integration; Analytics dashboards; HRIS / collaboration tool integrations.

Ideal customer size
Well suited for mid-market to large enterprises that want to root retention strategy in analytics and embed feedback across teams.

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Deep data science foundation and ability to link engagement levers with retention risk; strong reputation and ecosystem of use cases.

Limitations: Customization or advanced reporting may require maturity or professional services; smaller orgs may find the cost and data overhead heavy.

Customer quote
“Since launching Culture Amp … NHS has seen a steady rise in engagement scores and a complete turnaround in performance management.” 

Culture Amp Retention Software

15Five — Feedback, goals & experience in flow

Summary
15Five is a performance and engagement platform centered on continuous check-ins, goal alignment, and manager-employee dialogue. It helps surface signals of disengagement via weekly status updates, 1:1s, and feedback loops. Many organizations leverage it to keep performance visible and reduce surprises in team dynamics.

Features
Weekly check-ins & status updates; 1:1 meeting agendas & tracking; OKRs / goal tracking; 360° reviews & performance cycles; Pulse & engagement surveys; Manager coaching tools; Dashboards & reporting; Recognition / praise functionality.

Ideal customer size
Best for small to mid-sized organizations (100–1,000+ employees) that want to embed a feedback culture without heavy process overhead.

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Easy to use, fosters engagement and transparency; centralizes key feedback and performance workflows.

Limitations: Predictive analytics and deep retention modeling are weaker compared to niche tools; some users indicate cost scaling can be steep.

Customer quote
“I love having ONE platform for engagements with my manager. We use it for 1:1s, weekly check-ins, reviews, and to reference anything my boss may need to remember about who I am and how I work.”

15Five Retention Software

WorkTango — Recognition + engagement in one experience

Summary
WorkTango is an employee experience platform combining continuous feedback, recognition, and engagement analytics. It offers modules for surveys, rewards, performance insights, and recognition workflows — aiming to make appreciation visible and retention efforts data-driven. It’s often used by organizations to centralize recognition and feedback in one hub, bridging culture and performance. Users say it’s “core to” their rewards & recognition program. 

Features
Peer-to-peer recognition & reward catalog; Pulse & lifecycle surveys; Analytics & dashboards; Integration with HRIS / Slack / Teams; Customizable dashboards & reporting; Conditional workflows / rules; Anonymous & confidential feedback; Reward redemption / catalog management.

Ideal customer size
Best suited for mid to large organizations (500+) that want to embed recognition and engagement into their culture, especially where multiple systems are involved.

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Strong in making recognition visible and tying it to metrics; users love usability and the ability to share praise across teams.

Limitations: Some users cite reward redemption delays, notification overload, or limited flexibility in reward catalog options. 

Customer quote
“I have been using WorkTango as an admin and end user for 3+ years now and it is a core component of our rewards and recognition program.”

WorkTango Retention Software

Teamspective — Lightweight feedback, deep insight

Summary
Teamspective is a feedback and engagement platform built for teams that want fast, actionable insight — especially through Slack / Teams integration. It combines pulse surveys, 360 feedback, organizational network analysis (ONA), and AI-driven prompts to make feedback conversational and timely. It’s less about heavy performance cycles and more about ongoing culture and connection.

Features
Pulse & engagement surveys; 360° feedback / performance reviews; Organizational network analysis (ONA); AI-assisted feedback prompts & summaries; Slack / Teams native workflows; Integration with HRIS / team systems; Discussion / 1:1 conversation tools; Anonymous comment / idea box features.

Ideal customer size
Ideal for small to mid-sized companies (50–500) particularly those looking for feedback tools that live in Slack / Teams rather than standalone systems.

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Very lightweight and easy to adopt; strong Slack / Teams integration; network analysis gives visibility into social structure. 

Limitations: Less depth in workforce analytics and scaling to complex enterprise needs; some features may be limited to higher-tier plans.

Customer quote
“Easily integrates with Slack to give a holistic view on important feedback at regular intervals to become part of the review process.” 

Teamspective Retention Software

Nectar — Recognition with culture built in

Summary
Nectar is a social recognition and rewards platform designed to make appreciation an everyday habit across teams. It enables peer-to-peer shoutouts, reward redemptions, and visibility into recognition trends via analytics. Organizations often use it to reinforce core values, improve morale, and reduce disengagement. It supports integrations with collaboration tools like Slack and Teams to bring recognition into daily workflows. Its interface and reporting features are frequently cited as intuitive and effective. 

Features
Peer-to-peer recognition; Manager-to-employee recognition; Reward catalog & redemption; Social feed / activity stream; Analytics & reporting dashboards; Milestone & anniversary automation; Slack / Teams integration; Custom reward & branding options

Ideal customer size
Best suited for small to mid-sized organizations (50 to ~2,000 employees) that want a lightweight, culture-forward recognition solution. 

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Very intuitive UI and quick adoption; strong analytics to spot recognition trends; good selection of rewards and flexibility. 

Limitations: Limited depth on performance / retention modeling; integrations with HR systems can be less robust; less well suited for very large, complex enterprises. 

Customer quote
“Rather than just doing the occasional milestone celebrations, recognition is now an all day, every day thing.” 

Nectar Retention Software

The best employee retention software for enterprise vs. SMB

The needs of a 200-person startup and a 20,000-person global enterprise look very different when it comes to retention. Smaller teams often want lightweight tools that boost recognition, morale, and culture without adding complexity. Larger organizations, on the other hand, need platforms that can handle global scale, compliance, analytics, and manager enablement.

• Best for Enterprises: Solutions like Betterworks, Workday Peakon, and Culture Amp are built to scale. They analyze data, predict attrition risks, and help managers take action at every level of the business. With features like OKR alignment, calibration, and AI nudges, these platforms are designed to give executives and HR leaders a clear, real-time view of retention across thousands of employees.
• Best for SMBs: Tools like Nectar, Empuls, and Teamspective make it easy to launch recognition programs, run quick surveys, and capture feedback inside Slack or Teams. They’re affordable, fast to roll out, and keep employees connected without heavy process overhead.

If your organization is growing fast or already operating at enterprise scale, investing in a platform that unifies performance, engagement, and retention isn’t optional — it’s the only way to stay ahead of turnover.

How to choose employee retention software

Not every retention challenge looks the same. Some companies struggle with recognition, while others face deeper employee retention issues tied to performance, culture or manager effectiveness. The right platform depends on where you are today and where you need to go.

A few factors to weigh as you evaluate:

• Size and complexity of your workforce – SMBs may benefit from lightweight recognition tools, while enterprises need a platform that can flex across regions, roles, and compliance requirements.
• Depth of analytics – Predictive insights, bias alerts, and attrition forecasting separate surface-level surveys from true retention engines.
• Integration with the flow of work – Tools embedded in Slack, Teams, and your HRIS ensure managers and employees actually use them.
• Manager enablement – Software that empowers managers to coach and course-correct in real time has more impact than tools that simply collect feedback.
• Scalability – As your organization grows, your retention platform should evolve with you, not hold you back.

For enterprises in particular, these criteria often point to Betterworks. Its ability to align goals, activate continuous feedback, and surface predictive insights makes it uniquely suited to organizations that want to manage performance and retention in one loop.

Betterworks provides the best employee retention functionality

At the enterprise level, retention depends on systems that align goals, empower managers, and surface insights before turnover becomes a problem. That’s where Betterworks stands apart.

Betterworks integrates performance, engagement, and development into a single enablement loop. Employees and managers set clear goals with OKRs, check in continuously, and give feedback in the flow of work through Slack, Teams, and email. AI assists with drafting goals, spotting bias, and nudging managers when conversations are overdue. Leaders gain predictive analytics that flag flight risks, highlight underutilized talent, and tie retention directly to business outcomes.

Unlike point solutions that focus narrowly on recognition or surveys, Betterworks delivers an enterprise-ready platform that scales across geographies, roles, and compliance requirements. It equips managers to coach instead of police, helps employees see growth opportunities in real time, and gives executives the data they need to act early.

Retain your best people with Betterworks

Turnover doesn’t have to be a guessing game. With Betterworks, you can align goals, activate managers, and act on insights before top talent walks out the door. Request a demo to learn more about Betterworks employee retention software. 

Employee retention software FAQs