15Five vs PerformYard (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, 15Five and PerformYard share a 1.8 GPA, neither has a free plan, and 15Five starts cheaper, at $4 a month for each person against $5 a month for each person.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
PerformYard
Performance reviews, goals and talent development with AI help
Which one is for you
Pick 15Five if
- Fits if you want reviews, OKRs and 1-on-1s in one tool and already have an HR system
- Works for managers who want meeting notes and coaching tied to review data
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free plan or a trial: neither is listed and you start with a demo
- Not for you if you need payroll or employee records, as it does neither
- Pricey if you add the extras: AI coach is $19 per manager a month and manager content $49
- Watch out: live coaching is sold in credits at $399 each, and a group session uses 5
Pick PerformYard if
- Fits if you want reviews and goals in one tool and already have an HR system to sync from
- Works for companies that want onboarding and a success manager included in the price
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you land at the top of the range, since $15 a seat is well above the category's middle
- Skip it if you want to try first, because there is no free plan or trial
- Not for you if you need compensation planning or coaching in the base price, as Talent Development is a separate product
- Watch out: the page does not say which employee counts get which rate
How we grade them
| 1.8GPA15FiveWeak | 1.8GPAPerformYardWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$4 to $16 per user a month on annual billing, with the Perform plan at $11 against a category middle of about $7. The AI notetaker ($2), AI coach ($19 per manager) and manager content ($49 per manager) cost extra. | C$5 to $15 per person a month billed annually. The bottom of the range matches the category's middle of $5, and the page does not say which team sizes pay what. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no published trial; the pricing page points to a demo. | FNo free plan and no free trial on the pricing page. |
| Features | CReviews, 360 feedback, OKRs, 1-on-1s and surveys, with a talent matrix. It does no payroll or employee records, so it sits next to an HR system rather than being one. | CReviews, meetings, goals, surveys and an AI writing helper. Compensation, coaching and succession planning are the separate Talent Development set, priced on their own. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Review cycles, OKRs and survey settings all have to be set up before anyone gets value. | CNo store rating on record. It syncs with HR systems and uses single sign-on, so there is setup before people use it. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus iOS and Android apps, and integrations with ADP, BambooHR, Gusto, Rippling, Okta, Jira, Salesforce and Slack. No desktop app. | BWeb only, but it lists ADP, BambooHR, Gusto, Rippling, UKG, Workday, Slack and Microsoft Teams. |
| Best for | reviews, OKRs and 1-on-1s in one place | reviews and goals at $5 to $15 a seat |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: 15Five and PerformYard. How we grade
Price against what you get
15Five starts at $4 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. PerformYard starts at $5 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and 15Five starts $1 a month lower. Of the other HR software on the chart, 2 score higher than 15Five for less, and 2 score higher than PerformYard for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- 15Five also covers meeting notes and AI agents.
At a glance
| 15Five | PerformYard | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $4 per user / month, billed annually | $5 per person / month, billed annually (the page shows a $5 to $15 range) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | 15Five | PerformYard |
| Price read from | 15five.com | performyard.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
15Five
- No free plan or published trial; the pricing page points to a demo.
- Kona Notetaker costs $2 per employee a month, Kona Coach $19 per manager a month, and manager content $49 per manager a month, all billed annually.
- Live coaching is sold by credit at $399 each; a 1-on-1 session is 1 credit and a group session is 5.
- It is not an HR records or payroll system; it runs alongside an HRIS.
PerformYard
- Prices are a range of $5 to $15 per person / month; the page does not say which employee counts or product choices fall where.
- Billed annually per seat, with volume pricing for larger organizations; there is no free plan or free trial on the pricing page.
- Talent Development (compensation, coaching, competencies) is a separate product set from Performance, each priced in the same $5 to $15 range.
- The vendor says onboarding, training and a dedicated success manager carry no extra fee.
Key features
15Five
- Engagement surveys
- Surveys and eNPS with industry benchmarking, lifecycle surveys for onboarding and exit, heat maps and action planning.
- Performance reviews
- Review cycles with AI-assisted writing, 360 reviews, calibrations and a 9-box talent matrix.
- OKRs, 1-on-1s and check-ins
- Weighted OKRs and goals, 1-on-1 agendas and notes, and weekly check-ins with wins and challenges.
- Kona AI notetaker and coach
- Add-ons for 1-on-1 meeting notes and auto-filled performance snapshots, and for AI coaching aimed at managers.
- Manager training and coaching
- An on-demand learning library and live 1:1 or group coaching sessions with the vendor's experts, bought separately.
- Mobile app
- A mobile app for check-ins, 1-on-1s and surveys, with iOS and Android store links on the 15Five site.
PerformYard
- Reviews and check-ins
- Annual reviews, goal check-ins, 360 feedback, competency-based and project-based reviews, quarterly conversations and PIPs are listed as supported review types.
- Meetings and goals
- 1:1 meeting tools and goal management that aligns individual goals with company ones.
- Engagement surveys
- eNPS and custom pulse surveys, available in the Performance product set.
- Talent Development suite
- A separate set covering compensation merit cycles tied to performance, competencies and skills, AI coaching and career pathing.
- AI writing and coaching
- Writing assistance, summaries and coaching prompts for managers are listed as included in every plan.
- HRIS sync and SSO
- Employee data syncs from systems such as ADP, BambooHR, Gusto, Rippling, UKG, Workday and Paylocity, and SFTP covers others. SSO is included with every plan.
Plans
15Five
Engage$4
per user / month, billed annually
Engagement surveys, targeted assessments, action planning, heat maps and benchmarking.
Perform$11
per user / month, billed annually
AI-assisted reviews, OKRs and goals, 360 feedback, talent matrix, career paths and plans, 1-on-1s and check-ins.
Total Platform$16
per user / month, billed annually
Everything in Engage and Perform, plus the HR dashboard and manager-training microlearnings. Marked most popular.
PerformYard
Performance$5-15
per person / month, billed annually
Reviews, meetings, goals, engagement, feedback and surveys, with PerformYard AI. The rate within $5 to $15 depends on employee count and products chosen.
Talent Development$5-15
per person / month, billed annually
Compensation, coaching, competencies, succession planning, employee insights and career pathing, with PerformYard AI. Rate depends on employee count and products chosen.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, 15Five or PerformYard?
As of Nov 12, 2026, 15Five is cheaper to start with: $4 a month for each person, against $5 a month for each person for PerformYard. 15Five starts at $4 per user / month, billed annually, and PerformYard starts at $5 per person / month, billed annually (the page shows a $5 to $15 range).
Which has a free plan, 15Five or PerformYard?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither 15Five nor PerformYard has a free plan.
Which platforms do 15Five and PerformYard run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only 15Five lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.