European Alternatives to Bonusly
Looking for a European alternative to Bonusly? Bonusly is operated by Smartly, Inc. (d/b/a Bonusly), hosts its site in the United States and relies on the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework for European users. Its Team plan is priced at $5 per user per month with Bizy included, billed monthly.
The European tools below cover peer recognition, points and reward catalogues from vendors in the UK, Germany and France, with published prices at Workstars and Small Improvements.
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European ownership, verified
The company is headquartered and incorporated in the EU, EEA, the UK, Switzerland or Israel, and processes customer data in Europe or Israel. A US parent company disqualifies a tool from this page regardless of where its servers are.
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2
Category fit and hands-on review
What the tool actually does, who it suits, and where it falls short — checked against the vendor’s own documentation, changelog and pricing page rather than its marketing copy.
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Compliance and pricing check
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10 European Alternatives to Bonusly
Rippl
Recognition, reward and benefits for deskless and dispersed teams
Workstars
Peer-to-peer recognition with flat per-employee pricing
Small Improvements
Berlin review tool with Praise included in every plan
Boostworks
Reward and recognition programme with a social wall and points
Leapsome
Berlin people platform with feedback and praise next to reviews
Perkbox
Perks, wellbeing and peer-to-peer recognition in one app
Pluxee
Rewards and recognition inside a wider benefits platform
Reward Gateway
Recognition, benefits and surveys from an Edenred company
Benifex
Social recognition and rewards on the OneHub benefits platform
Unily
Enterprise intranet with a built-in recognition module
Key takeaways
- Bonusly is operated by Smartly, Inc., states that its site is hosted in the United States, and relies on the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, its UK Extension and the Swiss-U.S. framework for European users.
- Bonusly lists its Team plan at $5 per user per month with Bizy included, or $3 without it, and sells Organization by quote.
- Workstars from Wilmslow in England publishes a flat $3 per employee per month with recognition, milestones, rewards and awards in the same plan.
- Small Improvements in Berlin includes Praise in every plan, from $3 per user per month billed annually, with a minimum of 20 users.
- Reward Gateway (UK) Ltd was acquired by Edenred SE of France, which makes it the only tool here whose own privacy notice names a continental European parent.
Why people leave Bonusly
Bonusly is a peer recognition product where colleagues hand each other points that convert into rewards, with Slack and Microsoft Teams as the main places where that happens. The legal entity is Smartly, Inc., trading as Bonusly.
Its pricing page shows a Team plan at $5 per user per month with the Bizy assistant included, or $3 without it, and an Organization plan sold by quote. Reward spend is separate: according to the vendor you pay face value, so a $10 gift card redeemed costs $10.
The reasons European buyers look elsewhere are mostly about who holds the data.
The privacy notice, last updated on 28 February 2025, says the site is hosted on servers in the United States and that European, UK and Swiss data reaches Bonusly through the Data Privacy Framework. A recognition log is not payroll, but it is a record of named employees, who praised them, what for, and what they chose to spend points on, and a works council or a data protection officer may still want a vendor inside their own legal area.
A second group leaves for fit, not for law. Bonusly is a points-and-marketplace product with an American gift card catalogue, built around Slack and Teams. A hospitality chain with staff who share one tablet, an HR team that wants recognition next to reviews, or a UK employer that wants a managed programme with a social wall will find that the European field offers each of those more directly than a US points currency does.
- The processor is American and the site is hosted there Bonusly's notice names Smartly, Inc. and states that its site runs on secure servers of a hosting provider in the United States, with processing taking place there. Transfers from the EU, UK and Switzerland rest on the vendor's participation in three Data Privacy Framework programmes. That is a documented route, but it is a transfer you have to record and review again if the framework changes. A vendor in your own legal area removes the step.
- Disputes go to a US body Complaints about personal data received under the framework are referred to JAMS, a dispute resolution provider in the United States, and the Federal Trade Commission has jurisdiction over compliance. An employee in Lyon or Leeds with a question about their recognition history is therefore pointed at American channels. A German GmbH such as Small Improvements, by contrast, contracts under German law with a Berlin court structure.
- Awards and SSO sit in the top tier On the pricing page, nominations and awards, incentives and spot bonuses, company announcements and SAML single sign-on are listed under the Organization plan, which has no published price. The Team plan covers peer recognition, milestones, Slack, Teams, mobile apps and HRIS integrations. Rippl, Perkbox and Benifex list nominations as part of the recognition product itself, and Workstars lists SSO in its flat plan.
- Dollars, annual billing and a points economy Prices and reward values are in US dollars, and the FAQ says all plans are billed annually even though the page toggles a monthly view. Reward costs come on top of the subscription, paid as employees redeem. For a euro or sterling payroll that means currency exposure on both lines, and a catalogue that the vendor describes as including country-specific gift cards rather than a local benefits network.
What you have to replace, not just match
Replacing Bonusly means replacing three layers. The first is the feed: public peer thank-yous and the Slack and Teams integrations that make people use it without opening another tab. The second is the currency: admin-set limits on what people can give and receive, points they accumulate, and a catalogue they redeem from. The third is the automation around it, meaning birthdays, anniversaries and manager alerts. Tools differ on which layers they keep, so decide which you would actually miss.
The currency is the part that does not move across. Bonusly's balances and redemption history live in its catalogue, and no European tool on this page imports them. Workstars, Rippl, Boostworks, Perkbox, Pluxee and Benifex all run their own points or reward systems, while Small Improvements and Leapsome offer Praise without a points economy. Plan a cut-off date, honour or cash out remaining points before it, and announce the new rules before the first thank-you in the new tool.
Finally there is the question of what else Bonusly was doing for you. Its Team plan also includes 1:1 agendas, performance recaps and manager alerts, and the Bizy assistant is priced at $2 per user per month when added. If your managers use those, a review platform such as Small Improvements or Leapsome replaces them better than a pure recognition tool, while a benefits hub such as Reward Gateway, Perkbox or Benifex adds perks you did not have before.
The alternatives compared
| Position | Tool | Headquarters | Pricing | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Rippl | Crawley, United Kingdom | Custom quote; the yearly licence usually scales with headcount and can add a single set-up charge | United Kingdom (non-EEA, covered by an EU adequacy finding) |
| #2 | Workstars | Wilmslow, United Kingdom | $3 per employee per month, billed monthly; volume discount above 1,000 employees | United Kingdom (non-EEA, covered by an EU adequacy finding) |
| #3 | Small Improvements | Berlin, Germany | Launch $3, Grow $6, Elevate $9 per user per month, billed annually; minimum 20 users (Launch, Grow) or 30 (Elevate); 30-day free trial | EU (Germany) |
| #4 | Boostworks | Wheatley, Oxford, United Kingdom | Pricing on request | United Kingdom (non-EEA, covered by an EU adequacy finding) |
| #5 | Leapsome | Berlin, Germany | From about $8/user/month | EU (Germany) |
| #6 | Perkbox | London, United Kingdom | Quote on request | United Kingdom (non-EEA, covered by an EU adequacy finding) |
| #7 | Pluxee | United Kingdom | Pricing on request | United Kingdom (non-EEA, covered by an EU adequacy finding) |
| #8 | Reward Gateway | London, United Kingdom | Quote on request | United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| #9 | Benifex | Southampton, United Kingdom | Pricing on request; book a demo | United Kingdom (non-EEA, covered by an EU adequacy finding) |
| #10 | Unily | Godalming, United Kingdom | Pricing on request | United Kingdom (non-EEA, covered by an EU adequacy finding) |
How each alternative compares to Bonusly
Best for: Employers where many staff have no desk, no work email and no Slack account
Rippl, from River Software Ltd in Crawley, starts from the opposite assumption to Bonusly's chat-first design. It runs in a mobile, tablet or desktop browser and can be added to a home screen, so a warehouse team needs no app store account. Colleagues send recognition cards tied to company values, and award nominations feed a hall of fame, which Bonusly reserves for its Organization tier.
Birthday and anniversary recognition is automated, rewards and benefits are separate modules, and the vendor says an employer can license recognition on its own. Customers named on the site include Asda, Birmingham Airport and Betfred. There is no price, no hosting location, and the privacy policy names the ICO, so the supervisory framework is British, not an EU authority.
What Rippl does better than Bonusly
- Reaching staff without an app store account
- Nominations and a hall of fame outside a top tier
- Buying recognition without the rewards module
- A UK entity with a named DPO contact
Where Rippl is a step down from Bonusly
- Published pricing
- A listed Slack or Teams integration
- A reward catalogue spanning many countries
Standout against Bonusly. It is built for people who never log in at a desk, which suits shifts better than a chat integration does.
Best for: Companies that want Bonusly-style peer recognition with one visible price per employee
Workstars of Wilmslow is the tool most directly comparable to Bonusly on structure. Its pricing page gives $3 per employee per month, which works out to $150 for 50 people, $600 for 200 and $1,500 for 500, with recognition, milestones, rewards and awards in one plan. Bonusly's equivalent seat is $3 without Bizy and $5 with it, and its awards sit in the Organization plan.
The vendor lists more than 5,000 reward options in 180 countries and says it charges for rewards only when employees redeem. HRIS and SSO integrations are in the plan next to Slack and Teams. Against that, the price is in dollars, the privacy policy page we read is dated 2019, and the hosting location is not stated.
What Workstars does better than Bonusly
- A single published price with no tiers
- Awards and SSO in the base plan
- Charging only when rewards are redeemed
- A UK entity with no US hosting statement
Where Workstars is a step down from Bonusly
- Bonusly's iOS and Android apps, which Workstars does not list
- A recent privacy policy
- Currency, since both quote in dollars
Standout against Bonusly. It prints the whole price for 50, 200 and 500 employees on one page.
Small Improvements
Berlin review tool where Praise comes with every plan, without a points economy
Best for: Companies of roughly 50 to 750 staff that want thanks recorded next to reviews
Small Improvements GmbH in Berlin treats recognition as one feature of a performance suite. Praise is listed in every plan, from Launch at $3 per user per month on annual billing, alongside reviews, 360 feedback, objectives, 1:1 meetings and pulse surveys. Bonusly's Team plan also carries 1:1 agendas and recaps, but its centre of gravity is rewards, where this tool has none that we found.
The contracting entity is registered at the Amtsgericht Charlottenburg (HRB 134106 B) and the terms are governed by German law with arbitration in Berlin. Minimums are 20 users on Launch and Grow and 30 on Elevate, implementation sessions start at $200 per hour, and the hosting region is not stated on the pages reviewed.
What Small Improvements does better than Bonusly
- German law and a Berlin arbitration seat
- Reviews and 360s in the same tool
- Published prices on three tiers
- Calibration without a forced bell curve
Where Small Improvements is a step down from Bonusly
- Points and a reward catalogue
- Very small teams, given the 20-user minimum
- Slack-first peer recognition
Standout against Bonusly. It is the only tool here with a German GmbH, German law and Praise inside a review suite at published prices.
Best for: UK employers with some overseas staff that want a vendor to design the recognition programme
Boostworks People Engagement Limited in Wheatley near Oxford sells recognition as a programme, and says it will work with you on how, when and why recognition happens. Colleagues post thank-yous on a social wall, managers reward in the moment, and points go toward a catalogue. Bonusly offers the same loop as software, with the programme design left to you.
Milestone and long-service awards are automated and appear on the wall. The multi-currency reward system and a locally relevant catalogue are aimed at UK businesses with overseas destinations. The recognition page lists no integrations, no prices and no hosting location, so Slack or Teams support is unconfirmed. Discounts and contractor services are separate products.
What Boostworks does better than Bonusly
- Programme design supplied by the vendor
- Paying rewards in more than one currency
- A public wall for company news beside thank-yous
Where Boostworks is a step down from Bonusly
- Documented integrations
- Published pricing
- Mobile apps, which the page does not mention
Standout against Bonusly. It offers to design the recognition programme with you, not just provide the software.
Best for: Companies that want public praise attached to values inside a performance and development platform
Leapsome GmbH, founded in Berlin in 2016, includes a Praise feature that can be public or private, tied to company values and shared in Slack or Microsoft Teams channels, according to its tool page here. That covers the part of Bonusly many teams use most, but it has no points currency. What you gain is reviews, OKRs, engagement surveys, learning and compensation on the same platform.
The page lists 1,500 or more customers and a starting price of $8 per user per month, which is above Bonusly's seat price and depends on modules. A 14-day trial is offered, and works council agreement templates and configurable data access are mentioned. It is not a rewards tool, so budget separately if people expect something to redeem.
What Leapsome does better than Bonusly
- Linking praise to reviews and development plans
- Works council templates for German employers
- Processing described on EU servers
- One platform in place of three tools
Where Leapsome is a step down from Bonusly
- Price per seat for a recognition-only need
- Rewards or a points budget
- A short rollout, given the breadth
Standout against Bonusly. Praise sits next to OKRs, reviews and learning, so a thank-you can feed a performance conversation.
Best for: UK employers that want recognition, discounts and wellbeing under one supplier and one login
Perkbox, the trading name of SME HCI Limited in London, lists peer-to-peer, manager-led, company nominations and awards, values-based, milestone and life-moment recognition, plus points-based reward. Bonusly covers peer, milestone and reward but puts nominations in a higher plan. Recognition lands in a shared feed that spans locations, departments and shifts, and admins can see who is not recognising others.
The privacy notice gives company number 05558651 for the English entity and also names an Australian one and Vivup Financial Services Ltd, so check which signs your contract. Perks, discounts and wellbeing support sit in the same app, which adds value if you want them and clutter if you do not. Pricing is by quote only.
What Perkbox does better than Bonusly
- Perks and wellbeing in the same app
- Nominations and life-moment recognition
- An admin view of who is not taking part
- Company details stated down to a registration number
Where Perkbox is a step down from Bonusly
- Published pricing
- A Slack or Teams integration, which the pages do not list
- Focus, since recognition is one module of several
Standout against Bonusly. It names six distinct recognition types, from life moments to values-based, in one app.
Best for: UK employers that already want Pluxee cashback or discounts and a recognition feed in the same app
Pluxee UK Ltd offers shout-outs between colleagues, personalised eCards, long-service awards and automatic anniversary recognition. The platform can carry your logo, colours and values, and it is described as mobile-first for office, remote and factory teams. Bonusly's mobile apps serve the same group, but its rewards come from a catalogue of gift cards and similar items, where Pluxee's wider app adds instant cashback and discounts.
The vendor states that more than 5,000 UK organisations use its platform. The brand originates in France, but the pages we read did not verify the group parent, the registered address or a hosting location, so ownership cannot be confirmed from the vendor side. Prices are not shown, and the recognition module is secondary to the benefits product.
What Pluxee does better than Bonusly
- eCards and long-service awards
- Cashback and discounts beside recognition
- A mobile-first design for factory staff
Where Pluxee is a step down from Bonusly
- Verified ownership details
- Specialist recognition depth
- Public pricing
Standout against Bonusly. It pairs peer shout-outs with instant cashback in the same mobile app.
Reward Gateway
London engagement hub owned by Edenred of France, with recognition, benefits and surveys
Best for: Employers that want recognition, benefits and surveys from a single supplier with a continental parent
Reward Gateway (UK) Ltd, in London, states that it has supported engagement tools since 2006 and serves more than 4,500 clients and over 10 million employees, which are the vendor's own numbers. Its privacy notice says the company was acquired by Edenred SE, and the product now appears as Reward Gateway | Edenred. Recognition and rewards sit beside wellbeing, surveys, benefits, discounts and HR system integrations.
That makes it larger in scope than Bonusly and less focused on peer points. The notice names separate entities for the Australian and US platforms, so confirm that your contract is with the UK company. The survey side is narrower than a specialist tool, hosting is not stated on the pages checked, and prices are quote only.
What Reward Gateway does better than Bonusly
- A French parent group above the UK entity
- Benefits, surveys and recognition in one hub
- HR system integrations listed on the platform page
Where Reward Gateway is a step down from Bonusly
- Peer recognition simplicity
- Public pricing
- A single-jurisdiction group, given US and Australian entities
Standout against Bonusly. It is owned by Edenred SE of France, per its notice, which no other tool here states on the pages we read.
Best for: Mid-size and large employers that want recognition, rewards and benefits from one UK supplier
Benifex Limited (company number 04768546) in Southampton sells Reward and Recognition as one product of several, next to benefits, discounts, wallet and wellbeing. Recognition runs through a social feed, nominations and automated awards, and a personalised video can be attached. Managers can give rewards directly, and employees redeem them instantly with admin spend controls, compared with Bonusly's allowance-based budgets.
iOS and Android apps are listed, and the site offers English (UK), English (Nordics), Swedish and German, a legacy of the combination with Benify. The product page still uses the name Benefex in places. Pricing is demo-only, hosting is not stated, and the platform suits larger employers more than a team of fifty.
What Benifex does better than Bonusly
- Video recognition
- Nominations in the recognition product
- Swedish and German interface languages
- Admin spend controls with instant redemption
Where Benifex is a step down from Bonusly
- Lightweight rollout for small teams
- Published pricing
- Slack-first peer recognition
Standout against Bonusly. It lets managers attach a personalised video to a recognition and redeem rewards instantly.
Best for: Enterprises that already run or plan to run Unily as their intranet and want recognition there
Unily Group Limited in Godalming is an intranet first, and recognition is a module: peer recognition, achievement badges, points, leaderboards and recognition shown on employee profiles. Badges can mark tenure, certifications and training. Mobile access is listed for frontline and remote staff, and admins get participation reporting. The comparison with Bonusly is therefore about where recognition lives, not about the points.
The privacy notice gives company number 08804209 and lists subsidiaries including Unily Limited plus United States and Australian entities, so confirm which one contracts with you. No reward catalogue is described on the page reviewed and prices are on request. If you are not buying an intranet anyway, the narrower tools on this page are a simpler fit.
What Unily does better than Bonusly
- Recognition shown on the employee profile
- Badges for certifications and training
- One platform for intranet and recognition
Where Unily is a step down from Bonusly
- A described reward catalogue
- Stand-alone simplicity
- Entity clarity, with a US subsidiary in the group
Standout against Bonusly. It is the only tool here that puts recognition and badges on the intranet profile.
What actually breaks when you switch
The first thing to settle is the points balance. Bonusly employees hold points that convert into gift cards, and none of the European tools here imports them.
Set a cut-off, let people redeem or announce a conversion, and tell managers what the allowance will be in the new system. Also export the recognition history while you still have an active account, because the feed is the record your HR team may refer to later, and the vendor's notice says data is kept only while the account is active or as needed under the agreement.
The second is the daily habit. People who thank each other from Slack will notice if the new tool needs another window, and Rippl and Workstars differ sharply here: Workstars lists Slack and Teams, while Rippl relies on a browser on the home screen. Pilot with one department, check HRIS provisioning for joiners and leavers, and note that Bonusly's own plans are annual, so time the switch to the renewal date and not the Slack announcement.
Is Bonusly cheaper than the European tools once rewards are counted?
At list price the subscription gap is small. Bonusly's Team plan without Bizy is $3 per user per month, the same as Workstars, and with Bizy it is $5. For 200 employees that is $600 or $1,000 a month on Bonusly against $600 on Workstars. Small Improvements starts at $3 on annual billing but is a review tool first. Rippl, Boostworks, Perkbox, Pluxee, Benifex and Reward Gateway give no figure, so those cannot be compared without a quote.
Rewards are the larger variable in all of them. Bonusly passes redemptions through at face value, and Workstars states it charges only when an employee redeems. Ask every vendor for the same assumption, such as a monthly allowance per person and the share redeemed, before you rank on price. A cheap seat with a high reward margin is not cheap.
Can a recognition tool replace our Slack-based Bonusly habit?
Only partly, and only where the vendor says so. Bonusly's Team plan lists Slack and Teams integrations, and Workstars lists the same two. Leapsome states that Praise can be shared in Slack or Microsoft Teams channels. Rippl is the opposite design: it runs in a browser and can sit on a home screen, which suits staff who never open Slack at all.
The pages we read for Boostworks, Pluxee, Unily and Benifex do not describe a Slack or Teams integration, so test that before assuming it. If your culture lives in a chat channel, pilot with the tool you shortlist for a month and look at how many thank-yous are sent per head, not at how many features were switched on.
Which one to pick
If you want the same peer recognition with a printed price, start with Workstars. If your staff have no desk, test Rippl. If you want a managed programme with points and a wall, look at Boostworks, and if you want recognition inside a bigger benefits platform compare Perkbox, Pluxee, Benifex and Reward Gateway, noting that only Reward Gateway names a continental parent. Unily only makes sense if you are also choosing an intranet.
If thanks should stay symbolic and sit next to reviews, Small Improvements and Leapsome are the two Berlin options, and neither needs a points budget.
And if your data protection officer accepts Bonusly's Data Privacy Framework certification, its US hosting and a US dispute body, staying is a reasonable decision: Bonusly is the more complete peer points product in this comparison, with iOS and Android apps, Slack and Teams, and a catalogue to match. This page is for buyers whose review comes out differently.
Frequently Asked Questions
For the closest like-for-like swap with a published price, Workstars of Wilmslow lists $3 per employee per month with Slack and Teams. Rippl suits employers with shop-floor staff who need a browser-based feed, and Boostworks fits UK employers that want a social wall with points. Small Improvements and Leapsome, both from Berlin, fit teams that want Praise next to performance reviews instead of a points economy.
Its privacy notice says the site is hosted on servers of a provider in the United States and that processing takes place there. For users in the EU, the UK and Switzerland, Bonusly states that it complies with the Data Privacy Framework programmes and that complaints can go to JAMS. As a US company it can also be served with US legal process for data it controls, so a data protection officer should weigh that alongside the framework.
On the pages we read, very few. Rippl, Workstars, Boostworks, Perkbox, Pluxee, Benifex and Unily do not state a hosting location, and Small Improvements points to its Trust Center without naming a region on the pages reviewed. The Leapsome page on this site describes processing on EU servers. Ask each shortlisted vendor for the region and the sub-processor list in writing, because a UK or EU company name does not settle it.
Several do. Workstars lists more than 5,000 reward options in 180 countries, Boostworks lets people spend points from a catalogue in multiple currencies, Perkbox attaches points to recognition, and Unily shows points and leaderboards without describing a reward catalogue. Small Improvements and Leapsome work on Praise without a points budget, so they suit organisations where thanks should stay symbolic.
Bonusly's pricing page offers a 30-day trial without payment details, and its Team plan has no stated minimum. Among the European tools, Small Improvements gives a 30-day trial but requires 20 users on Launch and Grow, and Leapsome offers a 14-day trial according to its tool page. Workstars bills monthly at a flat rate and the others use demos. None of the tools in this comparison is permanently free.
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