Best Employee Engagement Software in 2026

Remember when annual engagement surveys felt like progress? HR would send out a long questionnaire, wait weeks for responses, then spend another month compiling results. By the time managers saw the findings, the moment had passed. Employees had already disengaged, left, or tuned out.

Today’s workforce expects more. Employees want to feel heard continuously, not once a year. Managers need insights they can act on in real time. And CHROs need clear signals on retention risk, morale, and employee engagement instead of another static PDF or PowerPoint.

That’s where modern employee engagement platforms like Betterworks come in. Advanced employee engagement software gives HR and people leaders a continuous pulse on sentiment, recognition, and alignment. The right platform helps you connect listening with action to boost morale, improve collaboration, and fuel business performance.

We’ll compare the 19 best employee engagement platforms in 2025, from recognition-first tools to enterprise survey suites. We’ll show you who each platform is best for, share customer feedback, and highlight why Betterworks leads the pack for enterprises that want engagement and performance in one continuous loop.

Compare the best employee engagement platforms

We’ve reviewed dozens of tools and selected the 19 most widely adopted platforms for 2026. Below you’ll find a quick comparison of what each employee engagement solution does best, who it’s for, and how it’s rated by customers.

Tool	Best For	G2 Rating	Key Features	Ideal Customer Size
Betterworks	Enterprise engagement + performance	4.5/5	Engagement surveys, OKRs and goal setting, check-ins, AI insights	Mid-market to global enterprise
Bonusly	Peer-to-peer recognition	4.7/5	Recognition, points, rewards marketplace	SMB to mid-market
Vantage Circle	Affordable recognition + wellness bundle	4.5/5	Rewards, perks, surveys, wellness programs	SMB to mid-market
WorkTango	Employee voice + analytics	4.6/5	Surveys, DEI analytics, recognition	Mid-market to enterprise
Motivosity	Social recognition for distributed teams	4.8/5	Peer recognition, social feed, pulse surveys	Mid-market to enterprise
Reward Gateway	Global rewards + benefits hub	4.6/5	Recognition, discounts, wellbeing, comms	Mid-market to enterprise
Culture Amp	Data-rich engagement surveys	4.6/5	Benchmarks, analytics, performance add-ons	Mid-market to enterprise
15Five	Manager-first engagement + check-ins	4.6/5	Surveys, weekly check-ins, High Fives, goals	Mid-market
Workvivo	Engagement via internal communications	4.7/5	News feed, recognition, comms, measurement	Enterprise / frontline orgs
Kudos	Values-based recognition	4.7/5	Kudos, rewards, values tagging, dashboards	SMB to mid-market
Achievers	Global recognition at scale	4.6/5	Recognition, rewards, surveys, analytics	Enterprise / global orgs
Officevibe	Pulse surveys + manager check-ins	4.6/5	Surveys, feedback, 1:1 agendas	SMB to mid-market
Workleap	Lightweight SMB engagement tools	4.6/5	Surveys, recognition, onboarding	Small to mid-sized orgs
Firstup	Frontline employee communications	4.6/5	Comms campaigns, analytics, mobile-first design	Large enterprise / frontline
Lattice	Engagement tied to performance + growth	4.6/5	Surveys, driver analysis, goals, feedback	Mid-market / enterprise BU
Quantum Workplace	Analytics-driven engagement + goals	4.6/5	Surveys, driver analysis, action planning	Mid-market to enterprise
Leapsome	Engagement + learning + performance	4.8/5	Surveys, OKRs, feedback, development	Mid-market / scale-ups
Qualtrics	Enterprise survey depth + analytics	4.4/5	Lifecycle surveys, benchmarks, advanced analytics	Enterprise
Microsoft Viva Glint	M365-native engagement	4.4/5	Engagement surveys, manager pulses, dashboards	Microsoft-centric enterprises

The best employee engagement software for enterprise vs. SMB

Choosing the right platform depends heavily on your company’s size and complexity. While all of the tools in this guide can improve engagement, some are better suited to SMBs looking for quick wins, while others are purpose-built for large enterprises that need scale, security, and integrations.

Best for Enterprises (scale, compliance, performance)

• Betterworks — connects engagement to goals, check-ins, and performance enablement.
• Culture Amp — survey depth with science-backed benchmarks and analytics.
• Microsoft Viva Glint — M365-native engagement and pulse surveys for global teams.
• Achievers — proven recognition and reward programs for multinational organizations.
• Reward Gateway — unifies global rewards, recognition, and benefits in one hub.

Best for SMBs (fast time-to-value, lightweight adoption):

• Bonusly — makes recognition fun and habitual with points and peer-to-peer rewards.
• Kudos — emphasizes values-based recognition that builds culture in smaller teams.
• Workleap — simple, affordable engagement and feedback for small to midsize businesses.
• Vantage Circle — cost-effective combination of recognition, rewards, and wellness.

Top employee engagement software choices for 2025

With more than 100 platforms on the market, narrowing down the right fit can feel overwhelming. We’ve highlighted the 19 most trusted solutions being used by organizations today.

Each profile below gives you:

• A quick summary of what the platform does best
• A breakdown of features you’ll use most
• The ideal customer size the tool was built for
• Strengths and limitations to keep your expectations clear
• A real customer quote about their experience with engagement

A direct link to explore the platform

Betterworks — Enterprise engagement + performance, together

Summary
If you’re aligning engagement with performance outcomes across thousands of employees, Betterworks stands out. The platform  connects continuous listening (surveys, eNPS, lifecycle pulses) to OKRs, check-ins, and action plans so leaders see what drives performance, retention, and culture, and then act in the flow of work. With the enterprise employee survey tool, you can capture employee voice in real time and link insights to OKRs, goals, and check-ins.

Features
Continuous engagement surveys and polls; anonymity controls; sentiment analysis and favorability analytics; eNPS; action planning; nudges in Slack/Teams; OKR alignment and performance workflows in one platform.

Ideal customer size
Mid-market to global enterprise with complex hierarchies and a need to connect engagement signals to performance programs at scale.

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Unified engagement + performance loop; prescriptive actions for managers; robust multi-language support. 

Limitations: If you only need simple pulse surveys, Betterworks may be more platform than you need.

Review quote
“The seamless experience for employees yielded a huge participation bump for our company (last survey with CA was 65%, first survey with Engage was 84%).”

Betterworks Employee Engagement

Bonusly — Peer recognition that fuels everyday engagement

Summary
Bonusly focuses on peer-to-peer recognition, points, and rewards that make appreciation habitual. It’s lightweight to roll out, integrates cleanly with chat tools, and helps build a culture of frequent, specific praise that lifts engagement.

Features
Peer recognition with points; Awards and Celebrations; incentives; global reward catalog; analytics; integrations (Slack, Teams, HRIS). 

Ideal customer size
SMB to mid-market teams that want fast-time-to-value recognition with basic engagement lifts; often used alongside a separate survey platform in larger enterprises. 

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Extremely user-friendly; proven adoption; deep rewards marketplace. 

Limitations: Recognition-first; organizations seeking enterprise survey depth or performance alignment may want to pair with another system. 

Review quote
“Bonusly made recognition part of daily life — people feel more appreciated and engagement improved.” 

Bonusly Employee Engagement

Culture Amp — Engagement and development on a single platform

Summary
Culture Amp combines engagement surveys, manager guidance, and development tools with a strong “people science” backbone. It’s known for powerful benchmarks, templates, and analytics that help HR teams prioritize actions that move key outcomes. 

Features
Research-backed survey library; real-time analytics; heatmaps and driver analysis; development and performance modules; expert People Scientist support; extensive benchmarks.

Ideal customer size
Mid-market to enterprise organizations that want a mature, data-rich engagement program with guided next steps.

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Strong benchmarks and science; recognizable brand equity; advisory services. 

Limitations: Broad platform can feel complex; enterprises may still need tighter goal/performance linkage across systems.

Review quote
“Culture Amp supported our company by conducting an employee engagement survey that captured feedback on our values, leadership, and overall workplace.” 

Culture Amp Employee Engagement

15Five — Engagement plus manager-led performance rituals

Summary
15Five blends engagement surveys with weekly check-ins, 1:1s, and performance features. The product emphasizes manager enablement—turning insights into coaching conversations and lightweight action plans that keep teams moving. 

Features
Research-backed engagement surveys; AI-powered analysis; action planning; 1:1 agendas; goals; recognition (“High Fives”); manager workflows. 

Ideal customer size
Mid-market companies consolidating engagement and performance basics with a manager-first philosophy. 

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Clear manager workflows; approachable UX; integrated engagement + performance basics. 

Limitations: May lack the enterprise-grade survey depth or governance large, global orgs require; some advanced capabilities come via add-ons. 

Review quote
“Weekly check-ins and High Fives keep everyone connected — it’s helped create a positive, supportive culture.” 

15five Employee Engagement

Lattice — Engagement insights with growing AI assistance

Summary
Lattice offers engagement surveys, driver analysis, and suggested actions that connect to its performance and growth suite. 2025 updates emphasize faster insight-to-action for HR and managers using AI-assisted analysis and recommendations.

Features
Engagement surveys; AI-driven driver analysis; feedback trend analysis; suggested actions; integration with goals, performance reviews, and growth plans. 

Ideal customer size
Mid-market organizations consolidating performance and engagement, with some enterprise teams piloting for business units.

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Tight linkage to performance and growth modules; accelerating AI roadmap. 

Limitations: Newer features continue to mature; very large enterprises may require deeper scale controls and benchmarking. 

Review quote
“We implemented Lattice Engage for our eNPS surveys — it’s great to see the different slices of data and track engagement.” 

Lattice Employee Engagement

Qualtrics EmployeeXM — Enterprise-grade listening with deep analytics

Summary
Qualtrics EmployeeXM is an enterprise listening suite with extensive survey design options, passive listening, and advanced analytics. It’s a strong fit for organizations that need rigorous methodology, rich benchmarks, and complex governance.

Features
Holistic engagement program design; lifecycle listening; dashboards and benchmarking; advanced analytics; integrations across HRIS and collaboration tools.

Ideal customer size
Upper mid-market to global enterprise teams with centralized COEs, formal research practices, and change management programs.

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Research depth; benchmarking; powerful dashboards. 

Limitations: Steeper learning curve and higher TCO reported by some users, especially for smaller organizations.

Review quote
“The benchmarks… are extremely helpful. The dashboard is a great visual representation of the results… [But] there is a lot to learn with each survey.” 

Qualtrics Employee Engagement

Microsoft Viva Glint — Microsoft-native engagement for M365 organizations

Summary
Viva Glint brings people-science surveys and manager pulse tools directly into Microsoft 365. It’s designed for organizations standardizing on M365 that want enterprise listening with strong identity, security, and change-management support.

Features
Organization-wide engagement surveys; manager/team pulses (Viva Pulse); recommended actions; dashboards; identity and access via Entra ID; guidance and adoption resources. 

Ideal customer size
Large, Microsoft-centric enterprises seeking native integration with Teams, Entra ID, and the broader Viva suite. 

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Deep M365 integration; strong security model; end-to-end listening from leadership surveys to manager pulses. 

Limitations: Ecosystem-centric (best with M365); some buyers note limited public review volume compared to category veterans. 

Review quote
“[An] amazingly powerful [tool] as we get feedback in different areas… 360 feedback surveys are quick… results are shown in a well-formatted report.”

Viva Glint Employee Engagement

Motivosity — Recognition + peer connection at scale

Summary
Motivosity is built around peer recognition and connection, with tools that let employees celebrate one another through points, shoutouts, rewards, and social interactions. The goal: make recognition natural, frequent, and tied to your values and performance goals. 

Features
Peer-to-peer recognition; manager-to-employee recognition; milestone celebrations (birthdays, anniversaries); rewards catalog; analytics and reporting; pulse surveys; integrations (Slack, Teams, HRIS); social feed and announcements. 

Ideal customer size
Mid-market to large enterprises that want to layer strong recognition culture over their existing performance tracking or engagement systems. 

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Very user-friendly UI, strong adoption, social feed makes recognition visible, good integrations, and positive sentiment around ease of use.

Limitations: Some users report limits on advanced analytics or customization; reporting can feel less sophisticated than full survey platforms; reward catalog constraints may reduce flexibility in certain geographies. 

Review quote
“As a remote workforce, Motivosity helped us create a consistent recognition cadence that directly increased engagement.”

Motivosity Employee Engagement

Achievers — Recognition, data, and engagement wrapped together

Summary
Achievers is a mature, enterprise-grade recognition and engagement solution. It goes beyond simple peer praise to include rewards, feedback, and listening tools, designed for organizations that need scalable, globally enabled recognition programs. 

Features
Peer & manager recognition; rewards marketplace (localized globally); pulse and engagement surveys (“Listen” module); analytics & dashboards; integration with HRIS and communication tools; benchmarks and dashboards. 

Ideal customer size
Large enterprises and global organizations. Achievers supports over 4 million employees across 164 countries. 

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Deep global reward support; strong integrations; proven scale; data/insight layering on top of recognition; credible market reputation. 

Limitations: Implementation and configuration can be heavier; for smaller orgs, the full platform may feel overpowered; the reward catalog and data modules may require ongoing maintenance. 

Review quote
“With Achievers we launched recognition across the company — recognition has driven retention, stronger connections, and improved customer satisfaction.” 

Achievers Employee Engagement

Workvivo — Internal comms + experience as a core layer

Summary
Workvivo is less about surveys and more about weaving daily experience through communications, recognition, and connection. It acts as an employee experience platform (EXP) integrating internal communications, a social feed, recognition, and measurement. It was acquired by Zoom in 2023. 

Features
Activity/news feed; recognition (kudos); community “Spaces”; intranet/document repository; analytics and engagement metrics; integration with HR & chat systems; campaign & content tools; mobile and web access. 

Ideal customer size
Large and enterprise organizations that prioritize internal comms, culture, and connection, especially when a single platform is desired to unify comms and engagement for distributed workforces. 

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Very strong in driving internal communications, accessible UX, social feed engages employees, ability to embed culture narratives.

Limitations: Less depth in survey analytics and advanced listening; some helpful modules (chat, advanced analytics) are add-ons; pricing often requires a quote and may be steep for smaller orgs. 

Review quote
“One thing I genuinely appreciate is how it makes giving recognition effortless — it’s inclusive and visible to everyone.” 

Workvivo Employee Engagement

Kudos — Recognition with a people-first culture focus

Summary
Kudos is a recognition-driven engagement platform that emphasizes values-based praise. Beyond sending kudos, the platform offers rewards, surveys, and analytics, helping HR leaders connect recognition activity with business outcomes. It’s often chosen by organizations looking to reinforce culture while boosting retention.

Features
Peer and manager recognition; customizable rewards; employee surveys; performance dashboards; values tagging (aligning kudos to company values); integrations with HRIS and comms platforms. 

Ideal customer size
Small to mid-market organizations up to ~5,000 employees. Especially popular among HR teams who want recognition as their primary engagement lever.

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Clear recognition mechanics; strong cultural alignment; clean user experience. 

Limitations: Recognition-centric (limited depth for advanced analytics or performance management); some reviewers mention a desire for expanded reporting. 

Review quote
“Kudos helps you create a culture of recognition that engages employees and drives performance.” 

Kudos Employee Engagement

Vantage Circle — Recognition + rewards with cost efficiency

Summary
Vantage Circle bundles recognition, rewards, wellness, and benefits into a single engagement platform. It’s widely praised for affordability and ease of use, making it appealing to organizations that want broad features without enterprise-level cost. 

Features
Employee recognition & rewards; peer-to-peer appreciation; point redemption marketplace; employee wellness programs; surveys; analytics and insights. (research.com)

Ideal customer size
Small to mid-sized companies, often in emerging markets, looking for a cost-effective all-in-one engagement solution.

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Strong value for money; simple UX; wellness component differentiates it from recognition-only tools. 

Limitations: Reporting and integrations may feel lighter compared to enterprise platforms; less suited to global scale programs.

Review quote
“Very easy to use and helpful for our employee engagement initiatives. Redeeming rewards is simple.” 

Vantage Circle Employee Engagement

Officevibe — Manager check-ins + pulse surveys

Summary
Officevibe, now part of Workleap, is focused on lightweight manager–employee connections. It blends pulse surveys, feedback, and 1:1 meeting templates to help managers build trust and engagement inside teams. 

Features
Pulse surveys; feedback and anonymous suggestions; manager dashboards; 1:1 meeting agendas; performance snapshots; integrations with Slack, Teams, and HRIS. 

Ideal customer size
SMBs to mid-market organizations that want to empower frontline managers with simple engagement and feedback tools.

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Lightweight, intuitive manager workflows; great for continuous check-ins; strong adoption among distributed teams. 

Limitations: Less breadth in analytics and enterprise-level governance; may need pairing with broader HR or survey platforms at scale.

Review quote
“Officevibe gives us actionable insights into employee engagement and provides tools to have meaningful conversations.” 

Officevibe Employee Engagement

Reward Gateway — Recognition + benefits hub in one

Summary
Reward Gateway positions itself as a “total engagement platform,” combining recognition, reward, wellbeing, and benefits into a single system. It’s especially useful for HR teams who want one hub that employees log into for multiple engagement programs. 

Features
Employee recognition; peer-to-peer and manager awards; employee discounts and perks; wellbeing resources; communications tools; survey and feedback modules; analytics dashboards.

Ideal customer size
Mid-market to enterprise organizations looking to centralize recognition, perks, and benefits under one branded platform.

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Very strong in global recognition + reward; extensive employee discounts marketplace; flexible design and branding. 

Limitations: Surveys and analytics may not be as deep as dedicated engagement platforms; broader suite may require more administration.

Review quote
“The platform is easy to use and makes recognition part of the daily workflow… the rewards catalog is extensive.” 

Reward Gateway Employee Engagement

Firstup — Comms-led engagement for frontline workforces

Summary
Firstup focuses on employee communication and activation, especially for frontline and deskless workers. It allows HR and comms teams to reach employees wherever they are — mobile, email, kiosk — and measure engagement across touchpoints. 

Features
Multichannel communication campaigns; personalized employee news feed; pulse surveys and polls; analytics; integrations with HRIS and productivity tools; mobile-first design.

Ideal customer size
Large enterprises with distributed workforces, especially retail, healthcare, logistics, and manufacturing.

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Excellent for frontline engagement and communications; broad channel reach; personalization and targeting. 

Limitations: Survey and performance depth is lighter; best for organizations with a comms-first engagement strategy.

Review quote
“Firstup makes it easy to connect with our frontline teams in real time… the analytics help us see what resonates.” 

Firstup Employee Engagement

Quantum Workplace — Analytics-driven engagement platform

Summary
Quantum Workplace provides engagement surveys and analytics designed to help HR teams act with clarity. It offers pulse and annual surveys, benchmarks, and driver analysis alongside performance tools. The focus is on turning feedback into measurable change. 

Features
Engagement surveys; pulse and lifecycle surveys; driver and impact analysis; benchmarks; action planning; 1:1s and goals; dashboards for managers and HR.

Ideal customer size
Mid-market and enterprise companies with HR teams that want robust survey analytics plus integrated performance features.

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Known for strong survey methodology; great driver analysis; practical action planning. 

Limitations: Broader suite can feel heavy; some advanced analytics require training to interpret.

Review quote
“Quantum Workplace makes it easy to understand what’s driving engagement… the dashboards are intuitive and actionable.” 

Quantum Workplace Employee Engagement

Leapsome — Engagement + learning + performance in one

Summary
Leapsome is an all-in-one people enablement platform that ties engagement surveys to performance reviews, goals, learning, and career development. It’s popular with fast-growing organizations looking for a flexible system that covers multiple talent processes in one place.

Features
Engagement surveys and pulses; OKRs and goals; performance reviews; 360 feedback; learning and onboarding modules; career development frameworks; analytics dashboards.

Ideal customer size
Mid-market and scale-ups that need one integrated system for engagement and performance. Many users are in tech and professional services.

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Very flexible; easy to roll out multiple modules at once; strong UX. 

Limitations: Some enterprise buyers report limited depth in survey analytics compared to specialists; implementation effort grows as more modules are activated.

Review quote
“Leapsome enables us to run engagement surveys and performance reviews in one place… employees like the intuitive interface.” 

Leapsome Employee Engagement

Workleap — Lightweight engagement tools for SMBs

Summary
Workleap (formerly GSoft) focuses on lightweight engagement, recognition, and performance features designed for SMBs. Its tools are simple, easy to deploy, and often used by organizations that don’t need a full enterprise platform. (workleap.com)

Features
Pulse surveys; recognition; feedback tools; performance check-ins; goal tracking; onboarding modules; manager dashboards.

Ideal customer size
Small to mid-sized businesses that want straightforward engagement and performance basics without heavy setup.

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Simple, user-friendly interface; fast rollout; affordable pricing. 

Limitations: Feature depth is lighter than enterprise solutions; limited global scale and benchmarking.

Review quote

“Workleap is easy to use and helps managers stay on top of engagement and feedback… perfect for smaller teams.” 

Workleap Employee Engagement

WorkTango — Employee voice + survey analytics

Summary
WorkTango specializes in employee voice and survey analytics, providing robust tools for engagement, DEI, and lifecycle listening. It’s known for delivering actionable insights at scale, with dashboards designed for both HR and managers. 

Features
Engagement, pulse, and lifecycle surveys; feedback channels; recognition module; people analytics; benchmarks; action planning support.

Ideal customer size
Mid-market and enterprise organizations with HR teams that want data-rich listening tools and DEI analytics.

Strengths & limitations
Strengths: Survey depth; strong analytics; inclusive focus with DEI measures. 

Limitations: Broader recognition features are newer and less mature than recognition-first competitors; implementation may require more guidance.

Review quote
“WorkTango makes it easier to collect and analyze employee feedback… the platform helps leaders make informed decisions.” 

WorkTango Employee Engagement

How to Choose Which Employee Engagement Platform Is Best for You

When evaluating platforms, consider three enterprise factors:

• Integrations: Does the platform plug into your HRIS, collaboration tools (Slack/Teams), and payroll/benefits systems?
• Scalability: Can it flex across thousands of employees and multiple regions, without breaking your workflows?
• Compliance: Does it meet your enterprise security, data governance, and privacy standards?

Strong platforms help you measure employee engagement with benchmarks, driver analysis, and action planning that turns insights into meaningful change. If you’re a smaller business, a recognition-first tool may be the right fit. But if you’re managing engagement across geographies and want to connect employee voice with performance, you’ll need a platform that scales with you.

Why Betterworks is the best employee engagement platform for enterprise

Betterworks is the only enterprise platform that unites continuous listening with continuous performance enablement.

With Betterworks, HR leaders and managers can:

• Collect engagement feedback in real time through AI-powered surveys, pulses, and nudges in Slack/Teams.
• Turn data into action with guided manager check-ins, conversations, and action planning.
• Link engagement with performance by aligning survey results to OKRs, goals, and outcomes.
• Operate with confidence at scale through enterprise-grade integrations, multi-language support, and strong compliance.

That’s why enterprises from healthcare to financial services to technology trust Betterworks to keep employees engaged and aligned.

Turn listening into action

The right platform helps you increase employee engagement and retention by listening continuously, acting quickly, and adapting at scale. The right platform makes that loop seamless and directly tied to performance.

FAQs on employee engagement software