Awardco
Empuls
How It Works
Awardco
The types of recognition that can be given by users are divided into "recognition programs", each with its own set of rules, users, rewards, and budget. In monetary programs, earned points can be exchanged for rewards.
Empuls
Create pre-defined pieces of recognition that users can distribute, each with its own specific givers, recipients, approvers, point value, and budget. Points from awards can be used to purchase gift cards.
The Good
Awardco
- Very flexible and almost fully customizable
- Truly massive rewards catalog
- Extensive, thoroughly detailed hep center articles
Empuls
- 30-day free trial
- Configuration options give complete control over your recognition program
- Very good international rewards options
The Bad
Awardco
- Daunting amount of settings, options, and configurations
- Many configurations require the involvement of your Client Success Manager
- Limited pre-made integrations for HRIS and other tools
Empuls
- Has a learning curve that makes it easy to misconfigure something
- Limited support options
- Gift cards are the only reward option
Pricing
Awardco
Custom quotes and no public pricing, but we’ve seen quotes in the range of ~3.50 per user per month.
Empuls
$2-$4 per user per month, depending on the the plan and if paying monthly or annually.
Setup & Onboarding
Awardco
Extensive implementation process with an assigned Implementation Consultant makes launching this complex platform a smooth experience.
Empuls
Free trial makes it easy to get started, but the complexity of budgets and awards makes going through their sales and onboarding process more appealing.
UI & UX
Awardco
Nice, modern look with some minor clunkiness. Navigation for admins can be overwhelming due to the sheer amount of features.
Empuls
Modern, if unremarkable look. Navigation is mostly easy and users have personalized homepages.
Reward Catalog
Awardco
Near-endless reward catalog with options for Amazon products, Priceline hotels, concert tickets, Awardco's built-in swag store, hundreds of gift cards, and charitable donations.
Empuls
Hundreds of gift cards with plenty of international options.
Integrations
HRIS
Awardco
BambooHR, Workday, custom HRIS integrations via SFTP
Empuls
Gusto, Zoho People, Freshteam, Keka, custom HRIS integrations via SFTP
SSO
Awardco
Custom SSO integrations
Empuls
OneLogin, Okta, Azure, custom SSO integrations
Common Tool Integrations
Awardco
Slack, Microsoft Teams
Empuls
Microsoft Teams, Slack, Facebook Workplace
Additional Integrations
Awardco
open API
Empuls
N/A
Analytics & Reports
Awardco
Reporting dashboard offers a variety of filters to apply, but not many graphs. There are about 20 default reports that can be exported as CSV files.
Empuls
Good data visualizations with filters and pivot points to adjust the data, but overall very basic.
Support
Awardco
Offers chat, email, and phone support with a thoroughly extensive help center. They have five different lines for international callers and all support options are available 24 hours a day Monday through Friday.
Empuls
Primary support channel is email. Help center covers entire platform, but lacks depth.
Extra Features
Awardco
Has a progressive web app instead of a mobile app, which is a custom web experience for mobile devices based on the standard desktop experience.
Empuls
Any user can send feedback survey requests. Admins can send company-wide surveys. Mobile apps for Android and Apple.
The Bottom Line
Awardco
An incredibly flexible platform with a massive amount of reward options, but a daunting number of settings and configurations.
Empuls
Tons of control over how your recognition program is setup, but excessive for those who need something simple.
Awardco
