Culture Amp vs PerformYard (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Culture Amp if

• Fits if you run regular engagement surveys and want results next to reviews
• Works for mid-sized firms that want survey science help from the vendor

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a price before a sales call, as none is published
• Not for you if you need payroll or employee records
• Watch out: everything is billed annually
• Tight if you are small, as onboarding and support depth follow company size

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

Culture Amp

• No prices are published; the pricing page leads to a quote form, so the cost is unknown until you ask.
• The pricing FAQ says all products are billed annually.
• It does not cover payroll or core employee records; it is a survey and performance product.
• Onboarding and support depth depends on the service tier, which follows company size.

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.

Culture Amp

Engagement surveys

Ready-to-use surveys, pulse surveys, onboarding and offboarding surveys, AI comment summaries, benchmarking and action plans.

Performance reviews and calibration

Review cycles with calibration, continuous feedback, goal management and performance insights in the Perform module.

1-on-1s and development

1-on-1 conversations with templates, employee development plans and a skills coach, which the pricing FAQ says are included for every customer.

AI Coach

An assistant built into Engage and Perform that surfaces themes in results and suggests next steps and action plans.

People Science Consulting

An add-on to Engage and Perform with advisory work from the vendor's people scientists, quoted separately.

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.

Culture Amp

Pricing could not be confirmed. See cultureamp.com.

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.