Topicflow uses AI to draft performance reviews

The short answer on Topicflow

How reviews, AI and meetings work in Topicflow

A manager writes a review of each direct report. Topicflow also runs 360-degree reviews, which collect input from several people who work with the employee. It runs lighter reviews that focus on development. Ratings are optional. An admin sets the sections, the required questions and the rating scale, such as 1 to 5. People Admins and organisation admins normally create and edit review cycles. After the manager and employee meet, the review is shared in Topicflow.

Topicflow supports calibration. That means leaders compare ratings across teams and adjust them so ratings stay consistent. Reports chart the spread of ratings across teams. A cycle can also calibrate before managers write reviews. The manager is then blocked until the person is marked calibrated. In a calibration round, the AI can change a rating, add a comment and mark the calibration complete. Each change shows as a preview for approval.

Topicflow AI drafts review content from goals, feedback, meetings and work activity. It finds patterns across feedback. Citations in the draft open the meeting, goal, feedback or action item in a sidebar. Managers get AI coaching reports about each direct report. The reports use review results, ratings and written feedback. Anonymous peer responses stay anonymous in them. The AI also drafts feedback from work context, and a person edits it and decides what to send.

Admins can ask the AI who is overdue. It can send reminders and change cycle dates. It can excuse or remove a participant, or reopen a submitted review. The AI is a drafting assistant, not a decision-maker. It does not make performance judgements. People do.

Topicflow also sells one-to-one and team meetings. It sells goals with objectives and key results (OKRs) and key performance indicators (KPIs). It also sells short pulse and engagement surveys, and job levels with competencies. The AI writes a summary of each meeting when the organisation switches that on. A recorded meeting also gets a transcript. Transcripts from Read.ai, Granola and Fireflies can be imported. Work History gives an AI summary of meetings, tool activity and goals each day, week or month.

An HR system link brings in each person’s email address, department and team, manager and start date. Topicflow offers 200 integrations, and SAP SuccessFactors is in its HR system group. Review drafts export to your HR system. Topicflow’s Slack and Microsoft Teams apps send coaching reminders and one-to-one reminders. Teams installs as a custom app that an admin uploads. Topicflow supports sign-in only through Google or Microsoft, and it stores no usernames or passwords. Set-up takes five minutes.

Topicflow is not the only product that drafts reviews with AI. For the other products, see the performance management guide.

What Topicflow does well

What Topicflow costs and what you commit to

The free plan covers 10 users. Pro costs $10 a user a month. Ultimate costs $15 a user a month. Every 100 users cost $1,000 a month on Pro and $1,500 a month on Ultimate. Fees are in US dollars, unless stated otherwise in an order form. Ask whether those prices assume yearly billing.

Under Topicflow’s terms from June 2025, fees cannot be cancelled or refunded, unless stated otherwise in an order form. The term renews automatically for periods equal to the first term. Either side can stop the renewal with 30 days’ notice. Topicflow may change fees on each anniversary with at least 30 days’ notice. The number of users bought cannot be decreased during the term, unless stated otherwise in an order form. Invoices are payable within 30 days.

Topicflow’s liability is capped at the fees paid in the 12 months before the event. Topicflow may end or suspend your access at any time, for any reason it chooses. The laws of British Columbia and the federal laws of Canada govern Topicflow’s terms.

A cycle’s results can be exported as a spreadsheet (CSV) file. Admins set how long completed reviews are kept. Users can export their data before they request deletion of their calendar data. After the contract ends, Topicflow may delete or lock away any of your data left in its systems. Backups are kept for 30 days.

Questions to put to Topicflow before you sign

1. Does Topicflow still apply the terms from June 2025? Good answer: Yes, or a dated copy of the new terms.
2. Which plan includes review cycles, calibration, the AI drafts and the surveys? Good answer: A written plan comparison for the features you need.
3. Does your licence to use our data to improve your products cover review and feedback text? Good answer: No, confirmed in the order form.
4. Where are review data, transcripts and AI requests processed, and which outside AI companies receive them? Good answer: A named country and company for each step.
5. Is the price billed monthly or yearly, and what do we pay when we pass 10 users? Good answer: A written price for the exact number of users we expect.
6. Can we lower our user count at renewal, and by what date must notice arrive? Good answer: Yes, and the dates are in the order form.
7. What can a global admin see on the free plan? Good answer: A clear list, and a way to limit it.
8. Which HR systems receive the exported review drafts, and which fields arrive? Good answer: A named list that includes our system, with an example record.
9. Which customers of our size and sector can we call? Good answer: A named customer who has run a full review cycle.
10. Under your terms you may delete our data after the contract ends. When will you delete it, and can we copy it first? Good answer: A copy in an agreed file format, and a deletion date in writing.

Alternatives to Topicflow

Teamflect, Peoplebox, Lattice, 15Five, BambooHR and Rippling are the closest alternatives to Topicflow.

Teamflect was built for Microsoft Teams and Outlook. Like Topicflow, it is free for up to 10 users. Past 10 users, it charges for every user and not only the extra ones. Its Professional plan costs $11 a user a month when billed yearly.

Peoplebox starts at $8 per employee per month, billed yearly, for performance management and objectives and key results (OKRs). A 360-degree add-on costs another $8. Its sweet spot is companies of 100 to 1,000 employees.

Lattice sells Performance at $10 a user a month and sets a minimum yearly agreement of $4,000. Every Performance subscription includes evidence-based review drafts at no extra cost. Lattice’s AI agent comes with every base product.

15Five charges $11 a user a month for Perform, billed yearly. Its pricing page puts AI-Assisted Performance Reviews in Perform. Its help centre puts AI-Assisted Reviews in Total Platform and Perform & Goals. AI-Assisted Reviews left beta on 17 September 2026. Ask which plan you need.

BambooHR and Rippling sell performance management inside their HR systems. BambooHR puts 360-degree review cycles and one-to-one meetings in its Pro plan. Rippling sells performance management with HR and payroll in one platform. Each HR product needs the core Rippling platform. Rippling quotes a custom price.

Topicflow’s free plan is for 10 users. A small team can try it first and see whether it needs a paid product at all.