Speakap
Dutch employee app for frontline and deskless workers, SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified, operating since 2011
Quick Overview
| Company | Speakap B.V. |
|---|---|
| Category | Intranet & Employee Communication |
| Headquarters | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Founded | 2011 |
| EU Presence | EU (Netherlands) |
| Open Source | Not stated; closed-source SaaS |
| Compliance | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR compliant, CCPA compliant, HIPAA compliant (BAA available) |
| Pricing | Quoted on request, by plan and licensed employee count; minimum 1-year contract |
| Free Option | No free trial stated; free demo available |
| Replaces | Workvivo, Firstup, Workplace from Meta |
Detailed Review
Speakap is an Amsterdam-based employee app, legally operated by Speakap B.V. (registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce, KVK 51753847), founded in 2011 by Patrick and Erwin under the working name "Supermarket Central" before rebranding.
That retail-floor origin still shows: the product is built specifically for frontline and deskless employees — people in retail, manufacturing and hospitality who need a phone-first way to get company news, talk to colleagues and complete HR tasks without a company email address or a desk to sit at.
The platform is sold across three tiers. Basic covers the core: a timeline, news with read acknowledgement, people profiles, a directory, role-based permissions, 1-1 and group chat, events and group spaces.
Premium, the "most popular" tier, adds branded iOS and Android apps, HR-system sync, basic workforce analytics, auto-translation into more than 100 languages, dynamic pages and single sign-on. Premium Plus adds a custom domain, task management, Employee Journeys (structured onboarding, training and change-management flows), advanced workforce analytics, an integrations marketplace with an open API, Active Directory/SSO, a named account-management team and priority support.
On compliance, Speakap states SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certification, alongside GDPR, CCPA and HIPAA compliance (with a Business Associate Agreement available for the latter) — a wider published certification stack than most tools in this category.
What it does not offer is published pricing or a self-serve free trial: cost is calculated from the chosen plan and the number of licensed employees, contracts run a minimum of one year, and a demo rather than a trial is the way to evaluate the product before committing.
What Speakap does well
- Purpose-built for frontline and deskless workers — retail, manufacturing, hospitality — rather than adapted from a desk-worker intranet
- Wide published certification stack: SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR, CCPA and HIPAA (with BAA)
- Employee Journeys feature structures onboarding, training and change communication rather than leaving it to ad hoc posts
- Auto-translation into 100+ languages on the Premium tier, useful for a multi-site, multi-language frontline workforce
Where Speakap falls short
- No published pricing; every quote requires a sales conversation and a minimum 1-year contract
- No self-serve free trial, only a demo request
- Several of the most useful features — SSO, advanced analytics, the integrations marketplace — are reserved for the top Premium Plus tier
Standout feature. Employee Journeys: structured, trackable onboarding, training and change-management flows built specifically for a frontline workforce that a generic desk-worker intranet does not handle well.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Purpose-built for frontline and deskless workers — retail, manufacturing, hospitality — rather than adapted from a desk-worker intranet
- Wide published certification stack: SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR, CCPA and HIPAA (with BAA)
- Employee Journeys feature structures onboarding, training and change communication rather than leaving it to ad hoc posts
- Auto-translation into 100+ languages on the Premium tier, useful for a multi-site, multi-language frontline workforce
Cons
- No published pricing; every quote requires a sales conversation and a minimum 1-year contract
- No self-serve free trial, only a demo request
- Several of the most useful features — SSO, advanced analytics, the integrations marketplace — are reserved for the top Premium Plus tier
Alternatives to Speakap
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Speakap?
Speakap is a Dutch employee app built for frontline and deskless workers, SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified, operating since 2011.
Where is Speakap based?
Speakap is operated by Speakap B.V., registered at Pedro de Medinlaan 5, Amsterdam, Netherlands (KVK 51753847), which places it under EU (Netherlands) law.
What does Speakap cost?
Speakap does not publish pricing. Cost is calculated from the chosen plan (Basic, Premium or Premium Plus) and the number of licensed employees, on a minimum 1-year contract; a free demo is offered but no free trial is stated.
Who is Speakap best for?
Organisations with a large frontline or deskless workforce — retail, manufacturing, hospitality — that need a branded mobile employee app with HR-system sync rather than a desk-first intranet.
Is Speakap a good alternative to Workvivo or Firstup?
Speakap is built as a European alternative to US-owned employee-communication tools like Workvivo and Firstup. It will not be a like-for-like feature match in every respect, so check the review above for where it genuinely differs before switching.
How does Speakap compare to other Intranet & Employee Communication tools?
Speakap is one of several European intranet and employee-communication tools covered on this site. See the full Intranet & Employee Communication category page for how it ranks against its closest European competitors.