Awardco vs Bonusly (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Bonusly grades higher than Awardco: 2.2 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Bonusly grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick Awardco if
- Fits if you want recognition and rewards in one quote
- Works for companies of 100 or fewer looking at the starter packages
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to compare tiers by price: the plans page tiers by recognition types, not dollars
- Pricey if you need A-Pay, the store, a technical account manager or HRIS sync, all add-ons
- Watch out: the $3,000 starter figure has no billing period stated
- Watch out: no free plan and no trial
Pick Bonusly if
- Fits if your team lives in Slack or Teams and wants a points-for-rewards system
- Works for companies that want recognition tied to milestones
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want wider HR such as payroll or time off, as it only does recognition
- Watch out: rewards are billed at face value when employees redeem them, on top of the subscription
- Watch out: the pricing page shows monthly billing, but its FAQ says all plans are billed annually
- Tight if you need nominations, spot bonuses or SSO, which are Organization-plan features sold through sales
- Watch out: listed prices apply to new customers only
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAAwardcoWeak | 2.2GPABonuslyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo list prices. Small companies are quoted packages from $3,000 with no period given, so it's an ordinary C. | C$5 a user a month billed monthly ($50 a year) with Bizy, or $3 without, against a middle of $5 for HR tools. Rewards are billed separately at face value. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial is listed. You start with a demo request. | CA 30-day free trial of the Team or Organization plan, and no payment information is needed. There's no free plan. |
| Features | CRecognition, rewards and surveys, but the listing says A-Pay, the company store, a technical account manager and HRIS sync are paid add-ons. | CPeer recognition, a rewards catalog, milestones and check-ins. That's one smaller job within HR, and nominations, spot bonuses and SSO are Organization-plan features. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and you'd set it up with your own people data first, so it's an ordinary C. | CNo rating on record. You connect Slack or Teams and set up points budgets and rewards. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with four named integrations. No desktop app. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, plus Slack, Teams and HRIS links. No desktop app. |
| Best for | recognition and rewards, sold by quote | peer-to-peer employee recognition |
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: Awardco and Bonusly. How we grade
Where they differ
- Awardco also covers surveys.
- Bonusly also covers community.
At a glance
| Awardco | Bonusly | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | Not published | $5 per user / month with Bizy, billed monthly ($50 per user / year billed annually) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day free trial of the Team or Organization plan, no payment information needed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Awardco | Bonusly |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | bonusly.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Awardco
- No list prices are published; the plans page sends buyers to sales for a quote.
- Small companies with 100 employees or fewer are pointed to starter packages from $3,000, with no billing period stated.
- Plans are tiered by how many recognition types a company can choose (2, 3, 4 or all), not by price tiers shown on the page.
- A-Pay, company store, a technical account manager and HRIS sync are paid add-ons.
Bonusly
- Rewards are billed separately at face value when employees redeem them, on top of the subscription.
- The pricing page shows monthly billing, but its FAQ says all plans are billed annually; confirm the term before buying.
- The Organization plan is quoted through sales.
- The listed prices apply to new customers only; existing customers are directed to their account manager.
Key features
Awardco
- Five recognition types
- Automated milestones, spot recognition, nominations with approval paths, earn programs tied to goals, and external recognition.
- Rewards network
- Points redeem for gift cards, Amazon Business items and other rewards, with global options and an A-Pay payment card add-on.
- AwardCodes for offline staff
- Customizable points cards that frontline employees scan or enter to redeem points without a company login.
- Awardco Engage surveys
- Engagement and pulse surveys with eNPS scoring and key driver analysis, sold alone or bundled with Recognize.
- Integrations and open API
- Connects to HRIS and payroll, Slack, Teams and Outlook, with SSO and an open API; custom integrations are an add-on.
Bonusly
- Peer recognition
- Employees give each other points with a message, with admins setting how much each person can give and receive.
- Rewards catalog
- Points are redeemed for items such as gift cards, with country-specific options. The company pays face value for rewards redeemed.
- Slack and Teams
- Recognition can be given from Slack and Microsoft Teams, and through iOS and Android apps.
- Milestone celebrations
- Birthdays and work anniversaries can be recognized automatically.
- Check-ins and growth tools
- Smart-agenda one-on-ones, performance recaps and manager alerts are part of the Team plan.
- Bizy assistant
- An AI assistant priced at $2 per user / month, included in the Team and Organization plans as listed. The Organization plan includes 1,000 MCP tool calls a month.
Plans
Awardco
Pricing could not be confirmed. See awardco.com.
Bonusly
Team + Bizy$5
per user / month, billed monthly ($50 per user / year billed annually)
Peer recognition, Slack and Teams, mobile apps, milestone celebrations, HRIS integrations, 24/7 chat and Bizy. Without Bizy: $3 per user / month.
Organization + BizyCustom
Everything in Team plus announcements, nominations, spot bonuses, company analytics, SAML SSO and a dedicated customer success manager.
Ways to pay less
Awardco
No public discounts listed.
Bonusly
- Annual discount
2 months free on annual billing
The pricing page offers two months free when switching from monthly to annual billing, with $50 per user a year against $5 a month.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Awardco or Bonusly?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Awardco has no price we could confirm, and Bonusly starts at $5 per user / month with Bizy, billed monthly ($50 per user / year billed annually).
Which has a free plan, Awardco or Bonusly?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Awardco nor Bonusly has a free plan. Bonusly has a free trial.
Which platforms do Awardco and Bonusly run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Bonusly 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.