Every European employee recognition and rewards software tool reviewed
Crawley, United Kingdom
Custom quote; the yearly licence usually scales with headcount and can add a single set-up charge
Demo on request
Best for: Employers with many deskless or shift-based staff
Rippl is the recognition, reward and benefits platform of River Software Ltd in Crawley, West Sussex, and its main design choice is access: it runs in a browser on mobile, tablet or desktop and can be added to a home screen, so shop-floor staff need neither an app store account nor a work email address. Colleagues send recognition cards tied to company values, award nomination campaigns produce winners for a hall of fame, and birthday and anniversary recognition is automated.
Rippl claims over two decades in business, names its leaders on the About page and designates the UK Information Commissioner's Office as supervisory authority in its privacy policy. The reference customers shown are largely British frontline employers, among them Asda, Birmingham Airport and Betfred. Buyers get a quote driven by headcount on a yearly licence, with modules sold apart, and no hosting location appears in the material we read.
What Rippl does well
- Runs in a browser, no app store needed
- Award nominations and hall of fame
- Automated birthday and anniversary recognition
- Modules can be licensed separately
- UK-incorporated vendor with a named DPO contact
Where Rippl falls short
- No public pricing
- No hosting location in the sources checked
- Customer examples are mainly UK
- Not a full HR suite
Standout feature. Rippl is designed around staff who have no desk, no company email and no app store account.
Wilmslow, United Kingdom
$3 per employee per month, billed monthly; volume discount above 1,000 employees
Demo on request
Best for: Companies that want recognition with transparent per-head pricing
Workstars Global Ltd of Wilmslow, Cheshire, builds a peer-to-peer recognition platform and is the one tool in this category with a single printed rate, $3 per employee per month, which the pricing page turns into $150 for 50 people, $600 for 200 and $1,500 for 500. That plan covers recognition, milestones, rewards and award nominations, with winners picked by a panel or a vote.
According to the vendor, over 5,000 rewards are available in 180 countries, and the money for them is a separate budget that is billed only on redemption. HRIS and SSO integrations are included along with Slack and Microsoft Teams. The caveats are on the same pages: prices are in US dollars, the privacy policy we read is dated July 2019, and no hosting location is stated.
What Workstars does well
- Single published price
- No setup fees and onboarding included
- Slack and Teams integration
- Charges only when rewards are redeemed
- Milestones and awards in the same plan
Where Workstars falls short
- Priced in US dollars
- No hosting location given
- Privacy policy dated 2019
- Recognition only, no HR suite
Standout feature. Workstars sells one flat per-head price and has no feature tiers at all.
Berlin, Germany
Three tiers at $3 (Launch), $6 (Grow) and $9 (Elevate) per seat monthly with annual billing; seat floor of 20 on the first two and 30 on Elevate; free 30-day trial
Demo on request
Best for: Mid-sized firms of about 50 to 750 people wanting a narrow review product
Small Improvements, based in Berlin, is a performance review product whose Praise function comes with Launch, Grow and Elevate alike, at $3, $6 and $9 per seat monthly on yearly billing. The suite covers reviews, calibration reviews, 360 feedback, anytime feedback, objectives, 1:1 meetings and confidential pulse surveys, and the vendor describes it as optimised for companies of 50 to 750 staff.
You contract with Small Improvements Software GmbH, registered at the Charlottenburg court as HRB 134106 B, under German law with arbitration in Berlin. The seat floor is 20 on Launch and Grow and 30 on Elevate, a 30-day trial exists, and set-up sessions begin at $200 an hour. No points system or reward catalogue appears on the tool page, and none of the sources names a hosting region.
What Small Improvements does well
- Seat prices are public and a 30-day trial is available
- One product for appraisals, 360 feedback, goals, one-on-ones and pulse polls
- Calibration sessions that skip a forced distribution
- Texts, look and notification emails are configurable
- German GmbH under German law
Where Small Improvements falls short
- Seat floor of 20 or 30
- Prices in US dollars
- No hosting location in the sources checked
- No compensation or learning modules
Standout feature. Small Improvements combines a German legal entity, open pricing and Praise in each tier.
Wheatley, Oxford, United Kingdom
Pricing on request
Demo on request
Best for: UK employers with some overseas staff that want a unified recognition programme
Boostworks is a reward and recognition programme from Boostworks People Engagement Limited in Wheatley near Oxford, and it sells the programme as much as the software: the company says it will work with you to shape how, when and why recognition happens. An interactive social wall carries peer thank-yous and company news, and managers can reward in the moment.
Points are allocated for milestones and peer nominations and spent from a reward catalogue, while long-service and birthday awards are automated and posted to the wall. The vendor lists multi-currency rewards for UK businesses with overseas staff, and sells discounts and contractor services as separate products. The recognition page shows no prices, no integration list and no hosting location.
What Boostworks does well
- Social wall for peer thank-yous
- Automated milestone awards
- Points to a reward catalogue
- Multi-currency rewards
- Also offers discounts and contractor services
Where Boostworks falls short
- No public pricing
- No integration list on the page reviewed
- No hosting location given
- UK-first focus
Standout feature. Boostworks alone in this list offers to co-design the recognition scheme with the buyer.
Berlin, Germany
Founded 2016
From $8/user/month
Demo on request
Best for: Teams that put growth and appraisal first
Leapsome, a Berlin people enablement platform started in 2016 by Jenny von Podewils and Kajetan von Armansperg, delivers recognition through its Praise feature. Praise can be public or private, can be tied to company values and can be shared in Slack or Microsoft Teams channels, and it sits beside performance reviews, OKRs, engagement surveys, learning, compensation and 1:1 meeting tools.
The contract is with Leapsome GmbH, and our tool page for it reports 1,500-plus customers, EU processing and templates for works council agreements. Pricing opens at $8 per user per month, moves with the modules chosen, and a 14-day trial is offered. There are no points or rewards in the Praise feature, and the platform is not a system of record for HR administration.
What Leapsome does well
- Appraisals, OKRs, surveys, learning and pay handled together
- Manages one-to-ones including agendas and follow-up actions
- AI help for drafting feedback, where managers struggle most
- Berlin company with EU processing
- From about $8/user/month
Where Leapsome falls short
- Not an HR admin system, so a record system is still needed
- Per-seat pricing grows as the team grows
- Works only if leaders actively back it
- Dollar prices although the company is German
Standout feature. Leapsome alone links a thank-you to company values and carries it on into reviews, OKRs and learning paths.
London, United Kingdom
Quote on request
Demo on request
Best for: UK employers that want recognition next to perks and wellbeing
Perkbox is the trading name of SME HCI Limited in London, and its recognition product lists six types: peer-to-peer, manager-led, company nominations and awards, values-based, milestone and life-moment, plus points-based reward. Recognition goes into a feed visible across locations, departments and shifts, colleagues can like and comment, and admins see who is recognising others and who is not.
Its privacy notice lists company number 05558651 for the English company and additionally an Australian entity and Vivup Financial Services Ltd, which makes the signing party worth verifying. Perks, discounts and wellbeing support share the same app on web and mobile. The pricing page asks for a form and shows no figure, and the pages reviewed state no hosting location.
What Perkbox does well
- Six recognition types in one app
- Points attached to recognition
- Works on mobile and desktop
- Admin view of who is recognising
- Perks and wellbeing in the same place
Where Perkbox falls short
- No public pricing
- Several group entities named in the privacy notice
- No hosting location given
- Recognition is one module among many
Standout feature. Perkbox is alone in listing six distinct recognition types, life moments among them, inside a single app.
United Kingdom
Pricing on request
Demo on request
Best for: UK employers wanting recognition next to cashback and discounts
Pluxee UK Ltd offers a rewards and recognition platform with peer-to-peer shout-outs, personalised eCards, long-service awards and anniversary milestones as part of its Employee Experience Platform. The experience can be branded with a logo, colours and values and is described as mobile-first for office, remote and factory teams, with reporting on engagement insights.
Pluxee says over 5,000 organisations in the UK run on its platform. Because recognition lives in the same app as instant cashback and discounts, it works as one part of a benefits offer. The Pluxee brand originates in France, but the pages reviewed did not confirm the group parent or the registered address, and they show neither prices nor a hosting location.
What Pluxee does well
- Peer shout-outs and eCards
- Automated service milestones
- Brandable with logo and values
- Mobile-first for deskless staff
- Cashback and discounts in the same app
Where Pluxee falls short
- No public pricing
- Recognition secondary to benefits
- No hosting location given
- UK-focused pages
Standout feature. Pluxee alone combines peer shout-outs and eCards with instant cashback in a mobile app.
London, United Kingdom
Founded 2006
Quote on request
Demo on request
Best for: Organisations tying engagement, recognition and benefits together
Reward Gateway is a London recognition and benefits hub operated by Reward Gateway (UK) Ltd, whose privacy notice states that the company was acquired by Edenred SE, and the product now carries the name Reward Gateway | Edenred. The platform page lists recognition and rewards, wellbeing, surveys, benefits and discounts, engagement analytics and HR system integrations.
Its own overview claims engagement products since 2006, more than 4,500 clients and upwards of 10 million employees. The same notice also names Reward Gateway Pty Limited and Reward Gateway (USA) Inc. for the Australian and US platforms, so buyers in Europe should insist that the UK company is the signatory. Prices are not published and survey depth is narrower than at survey specialists.
What Reward Gateway does well
- Recognition plus benefits plus surveys under one roof
- British contracting company, French parent
- Engagement analytics
- HR system integrations
- In the market since 2006, by its own account
Where Reward Gateway falls short
- Prices only on request
- Survey module is just one of many
- Group has US and Australian companies
- No hosting region in the sources checked
Standout feature. Reward Gateway is the single vendor here that names a French parent group, Edenred SE, in its own notice.
Southampton, United Kingdom
Pricing on request; book a demo
Demo on request
Best for: Larger employers that want recognition with benefits in one platform
Benifex is a Southampton benefits platform, operated by Benifex Limited under company number 04768546, whose Reward and Recognition product offers social recognition, nominations, automated awards and personalised video recognition. Managers can give rewards directly, employees redeem them instantly, and admins have spend controls, manager insights and iOS and Android apps.
Within the OneHub platform recognition sits next to benefits, discounts, wallet and wellbeing, and after the merger with Benify the website comes in English (UK), English (Nordics), Swedish and German. The product page still uses the older name Benefex in places. Pricing is by demo only, the vendor is aimed at larger employers, and the pages reviewed do not state hosting.
What Benifex does well
- Social recognition and nominations
- Video recognition
- Instant reward redemption
- Spend controls for admins
- Apps for iOS and Android
Where Benifex falls short
- No public pricing
- Built for larger employers
- No hosting location given
- Recognition sold within a larger platform
Standout feature. Benifex is the one tool here where a colleague can add a personalised video to a recognition.
Godalming, United Kingdom
Pricing on request
Demo on request
Best for: Enterprises that want recognition inside their intranet
Unily is an enterprise intranet from Unily Group Limited in Godalming, Surrey, with a recognition module for peer recognition, achievement badges, points, leaderboards and recognition shown on employee profiles. Badges can mark tenure, certifications and training, recognition is available on mobile for frontline and remote staff, and admins get participation analytics and a governance console.
Company number 08804209 is given in the privacy notice, which also lists subsidiaries such as Unily Limited and companies in the United States and Australia, so confirm who the contracting entity is. No reward catalogue is described on the recognition page reviewed, pricing is on request, and recognition is clearly secondary to the intranet product.
What Unily does well
- Recognition inside the intranet
- Badges and leaderboards
- Recognition on employee profiles
- Mobile access
- Participation analytics
Where Unily falls short
- Intranet first, recognition second
- US subsidiary in the group
- No reward catalogue described
- No public pricing
Standout feature. Unily is the only tool in this list that shows recognition on the employee profile inside an intranet.
