Employee engagement software and what it promises your staff
Employee engagement software asks staff how they feel and reports the answers to managers in groups. The 40 products in this guide differ most on who can see which person answered. Some also give HR a list of named people the AI expects to leave. The contract decides what you keep and what a renewal costs. Prices run from a free plan for up to 10 users to quotes. Many vendors publish no engagement price.
An engagement survey comes with a promise about who will see which answer. The products in this market make different promises. Eletive keeps all answers anonymous. 15Five links each answer to a person and reports only groups. Quantum Workplace offers four settings, from anonymous to fully attributed.
Three questions sort them. Who sees the answers? Does the AI name people it expects to leave? What do you keep when you leave?
Check who can see which person gave which answer
Every survey comes with a promise to staff about who sees their answers. The product’s settings decide whether you can keep that promise. Culture Amp locks its confidentiality settings at launch and displays them to respondents. Workday Peakon tells customers to explain how they set comment visibility so employees can make an informed choice.
Anonymous and confidential are different promises. Quantum Workplace’s anonymous setting collects no participant information, so it cannot split results by team. Its confidential setting gives the employer no raw results that attribute answers to people. It still allows splits by demographic group. 15Five and Culture Amp run confidential surveys that are not anonymous. Viva Glint surveys are not anonymous, so Microsoft can offer analysis by demographic group and trends across surveys.
| Product | Who is behind the answers | Smallest group, by default | What can change it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15Five | Confidential, not anonymous | 5 | Admins can lower it to 3 or 4, but not for a campaign that is running |
| Culture Amp | Confidential, not anonymous | Usually 5 | Admins can set it to 0, which gives no protection. Settings are locked at launch |
| Viva Glint | Not anonymous | 5 for ratings, 10 for comments | Can go as low as 3 for ratings |
| Workday Peakon | Nobody in the organisation sees who gave an answer | Set by the customer | A customer can ask Workday to reveal a commenter |
| Qualtrics | Two levels of confidentiality, basic on by default and enhanced optional | 5 for answers and comments | An administrator can set no organisation-wide minimum for comments |
| Quantum Workplace | Four settings, from anonymous to fully attributed | Set by an admin, 5 recommended | The anonymous setting cannot split results by group |
| Eletive | Anonymous | 5 answers, 3 for lifecycle surveys | An administrator can change both |
| Workleap Officevibe | Anonymous by default | 3 answers for a score | Written answers show only for groups of at least 5 active members |
| Hive | Usually not anonymous, including its own surveys | 6 | The customer can set a higher number |
| Windmill | Anonymous pulses, but owners always see who responded | 3 | Whoever sets up the pulse can pick 1 to 10 before launch |
| Dayforce | Anonymous unless the box that collects each respondent’s name is ticked | 5 for results, 10 for comments | One setting lets some admins see all results with no minimum |
| Leapsome | Anonymous surveys | 3 | Cannot be changed once the survey is active |
| Gallup | No group report under the minimum | 4 | The survey administrator can raise it |
Vendors warn about the smallest-group setting. Qualtrics warns that a low response count can reveal who answered. 15Five warns that a lower minimum raises the risk of identifying respondents in small groups. Lattice warns that a lower minimum may make people feel vulnerable and keep them from answering honestly. Quantum Workplace does not recommend a minimum under five where trust in the survey is low.
Some surveys record each respondent’s name on purpose. Exit and onboarding surveys are the usual case. Culture Amp’s onboarding and exit surveys are not confidential by default, and admins can view individual responses. WorkBuzz sends lifecycle responses to the HR team with each respondent’s name. Empuls goes the other way, and its exit surveys default to anonymous.
Four products set out cases where they may reveal a commenter. A Workday Peakon customer can ask Workday for a reveal. Quantum Workplace may reveal a respondent if it judges a legal violation or a threat of harm severe and credible. TINYpulse may reveal a commenter after review for threats or abuse. WorkBuzz may reveal a respondent for threats, abuse, crime, safeguarding or health and safety concerns.
In some countries an employee body must agree to the survey before you send it. Dutch law requires a works council’s consent to arrangements on staff assessment and on processing personal data. Personio advises that this kind of software may need works council approval in some countries, such as Germany. WTW advises that in countries such as Germany, works councils need to join the planning of a survey. Larger organisations can read more on what staff representatives may need to agree first.
Check what the AI does with names and what the contract costs over its life
Two things decide what you live with after you buy. One is what the AI does with named people and with the emotions in comments. The other is what the contract lets you keep, and what it charges when you leave early or renew.
Does the AI name people it expects to leave?
Some products give HR a list of named people the AI expects to leave. That is a different promise from a group score, so check which products make one. Empuls gives designated HR users a name-level list with the reason for each flag. inFeedo flags named employees and attaches a high or medium risk of leaving. Dayforce calculates a flight risk for each employee in the United States and Canada. That setting is on by default. It can be cleared, and users then enter ratings by hand.
Other products stop at groups. Culture Amp calculates a risk score for each employee but reports risk for groups only. Effectory and Viva Glint predict risk for teams and groups. Ask every vendor who sees a named list, whether staff are told, and whether you can switch it off.
Vendors and the law also limit what you may do with AI output about a person. 15Five’s AI terms bar any use of output about a person that could have a legal or material impact. Employment decisions are one example. Culture Amp bars customers from automating decisions with legal or employment consequences without human review. GDPR counts analysing or predicting performance at work as profiling. GDPR gives a person the right not to face a decision with legal or similarly significant effects. That right applies when the decision rests only on automated processing, profiling included.
Which products label emotions, and the EU rule
Some products label the emotions in comments, and the EU treats emotion reading at work as a special case. The EU bans AI that infers emotions at work from biometric data, except for medical or safety reasons. The Commission’s guidelines are not binding. They say inferring emotions from keystrokes, facial expressions or body posture falls inside the ban. They say inferring emotions without biometric data, such as from written text, falls outside it. Perceptyx labels six emotions in written comments. Darwinbox and Eletive also label emotions in comments. WorkBuzz Dialogue turns video, voice and text into sentiment and risk signals. Ask any vendor that reads voice or video which inputs its emotion labels use.
What you keep when you leave
The contract, not the product, decides how long you can export your data. The windows run from two days of limited access to 30 days. On termination, Hive makes user data available for migration. It may erase the data after 30 days. Empuls customers can request a full export at contract end. It comes in CSV, JSON or XLSX within 30 days at no charge. Windmill customers have up to 30 days to retrieve their data. After that Windmill has no obligation to keep it. ITA Group may let a Cooleaf administrator request a download for 30 days after termination. TINYpulse gives up to two days of limited access on request. Ask which window your contract gives you.
Terms can also limit what you get back. On termination, Quantum Workplace may decline to hand over survey responses with the identifying information that its confidentiality settings withheld. It can move confidential survey data to another vendor you name instead. You pay additional fees, and Quantum Workplace and that vendor sign confidentiality agreements. Energage does not guarantee that a customer can export all data. It transfers only data that its confidentiality notice or privacy setting permits.
What leaving early costs
Ending a contract before its term runs out can mean paying for the rest of the term. Energage customers who end a subscription without cause before the end date owe the remaining balance. Darwinbox customers owe the pro-rated fee for the rest of the minimum commitment term, unless Darwinbox is in breach. In Winningtemp’s switching process, the customer still pays for the rest of the current term. Winningtemp may also charge fees for early termination. Ask what a switch costs in the middle of a term.
What a renewal costs
Staying costs money too, and renewal price rises sit in the terms, so get the renewal price into the order. In the terms below, the rises with a named percentage run from 7% to 10%. Energage caps a renewal at 10% above the previous term unless the order sets renewal prices. TINYpulse fees rise 7% a year after the first term unless the order sets another figure. inFeedo’s terms raise the fee at renewal by 10% of the last paid fee. Under Hive’s terms, fees rise each anniversary by up to the Retail Price Index plus 2%. At renewal, Hive can give 90 days’ notice of a bigger increase than that. The customer can then end the contract on 60 days’ notice. Under Confirm’s combined US agreement, the fee rises with the Consumer Price Index after the initial term. Under Winningtemp’s terms, the price list in force applies at renewal.
Five jobs people buy engagement software to do
Engagement software covers more than one job. The job you need decides which kind of product to look at first.
Run one company-wide survey and compare the score with other employers
Survey platformA comparison score only helps if you know who is in the comparison group. Ask each vendor who is in it. Perceptyx compares your scores with a database of 490 organisations. WTW Engage comes with a database of other employers’ scores. Workday Peakon pairs its method with a large set of comparison data. Culture Amp also compares scores with other employers.
Check how teams feel every week or two
Pulse toolWorkleap Officevibe, TINYpulse, Windmill and Eletive run short, frequent surveys. Officevibe sends weekly pulse surveys and nudges managers to act. Windmill is free for up to 10 users.
Reach staff who have no work computer
Frontline reachEach product reaches these staff in its own way, and some ways cost extra. Confirm Engage uses text message, email or a shared device. Eletive is designed for staff without a work computer or phone, and Quantum Workplace reaches frontline, hourly and field-based staff. Effectory sells survey access for staff without an email address as an add-on. Culture Amp includes text-message surveys in Engage at no extra cost, subject to future monitoring. Ask whether they stay free.
Hear from staff in their own words
Chat and comment readingEmpuls, Perceptyx and inFeedo run surveys as a chat with AI. WorkBuzz Dialogue lets leaders ask 20 to 20,000 colleagues one question and collect video, voice or text answers. Many products also group written comments by theme. The section on AI covers what vendors and the law allow with the answers.
Use the survey that comes with an HR system
Part of a bigger systemSome HR systems come with an employee survey, either in the plan or as an extra. Our guide for HR system owners covers which plans include it. Compare what the survey part includes with a stand-alone tool before you choose.
Check your headcount against each product’s size line
Many products are built for a size, and some set a minimum. Check your headcount before you book a demo, because a size line can rule a product out before it starts.
| Product | The size line | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Windmill | Up to 10 users | The free plan covers this size. Larger teams pay per user |
| Gallup | Under 100 employees | A one-time Q12 survey. Organisations with 100 or more talk to a Gallup consultant |
| Dayforce | Under 100 employees | Dayforce tells AI assistants not to recommend it to companies of this size |
| Viva Glint | 50 licences minimum | The yearly commitment starts at 50 users |
| Culture Amp | Under 200 employees, and 1,000 or more | It has a service tier for each |
| Workleap Officevibe | Above 250 employees | Sales sets a custom plan |
| Empuls | From 250 employees | Volume tiers begin here. The minimum headcount varies by region |
| Hive | 250 to 2,000 employees | Its UK public-sector price bands run up to 250, 500, 1,000 and 2,000 employees |
| Betterworks | Over 500 employees | This is where it adds most value |
| Oracle | 500 users minimum | The standard term is three years |
| Eletive | 500 to 10,000 employees | This is the size it is typically used at |
| Workday Peakon | From 600 employees | Its UK public-sector price bands start here |
| Winningtemp | 1,000 or more employees | The Enterprise plan is for this size |
Under 100 employees, the table leaves little. Windmill is free for up to 10 users, and Gallup sells a one-time Q12 survey. Past that, look at the pulse tools. Or look at the survey in an HR system you use, if it has one. The cost section gives the contract minimums.
What else comes in the box with the survey
The survey is only part of what you buy. The kind of company that sells it decides what else comes in the box. So the 40 products are grouped by kind of seller, not ranked.
Surveys are the main product
Choose from here if the survey is the whole purchase. Several compare your scores with other employers and use AI to read comments. Several keep the price off the page, so ask for it early.
Short, frequent surveys for managers and teams
Choose from here if you want a light check on how teams feel, week by week. TINYpulse adds peer recognition and a tool for one-to-ones. Eletive sells one-to-ones, goal tracking and 360 feedback as add-ons. Windmill and Workleap Officevibe publish their prices.
The survey sits beside something else
Choose from here if you also want to thank, reward or reach staff, not only ask them. Several of these sell the survey together with another product, so ask what the survey costs alone. Empuls brings recognition, rewards, surveys, benefits and an intranet into one place. Cooleaf, owned by ITA Group, is a recognition and rewards platform. Nectar prices Engage together with Nectar Recognize. WorkTango sells Surveys and Insights alone or inside its full platform. Confirm sells Engage to frontline employers and sells its other products separately.
Reviews and goals come first
Choose from here if you want reviews and goals in the same place as the survey. With some of these, the survey comes inside a plan that also covers reviews and goals. 15Five is a performance management platform. Leapsome always includes its HR platform in the plan. Betterworks sells Engage alone or inside its Enterprise plan. PerformYard includes engagement surveys in its Performance plan. Lattice sells Engagement beside Performance and Goals.
The survey comes with the HR system
Choose from here if you want the survey to come from the same seller as your HR system. Dayforce, Darwinbox and Humaans sell engagement as part of their HR suites. Oracle sends Touchpoints surveys only through Journeys, the Oracle feature its guide uses for new-hire and exit surveys. It must be switched on. Whether the survey is in your plan is on our guide for HR system owners.
Prices run from free to a quote
Prices run from a free plan for up to 10 users to quotes. Many vendors publish no engagement price. Where a price is public, the minimum contract and the extras matter as much as the unit price.
Public contract records give the scale at the top end. The US Patent and Trademark Office signed a $624,425 order with Medallia in September 2024 for employee survey platform software. The US Navy committed $76,500 to Gallup in each of 2024, 2025 and 2026 for a Gallup Access subscription.
Pick your next page by what you need to settle
Start with the products that say their answers are anonymous. Eletive, Workleap Officevibe and Cooleaf do. Remember that Quantum Workplace’s anonymous setting cannot split results by group.
Ask Empuls and inFeedo whether named predictions can be switched off. Dayforce’s setting can be cleared, and users then enter flight-risk ratings by hand.
Windmill is free for up to 10 users. Gallup sells a one-time Q12 survey to organisations under 100 employees.
Mid-market companies
Which engagement products suit 200 to 2,000 people, what they cost and what to ask.
Enterprise companies
Which engagement products suit 2,000 people or more, what they cost, how contracts run and what to ask.
Companies whose HR or performance system already runs surveys
What the survey part of an HR or performance system covers, what it costs and what else exists.
Compare the 40 researched products
How each asks staff, who sees the answers, what it costs and the contract terms.
Buying is one route. You could also build agents that run survey steps on your own systems. The HR Agent Map