Empuls
Vantage Circle
How It Works
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.
Vantage Circle
Users give monetary or non-monetary recognition using predefined awards, each with their own point values, approvers, and eligible givers/receivers. Giving balances are manually allocated by admins and earned points can be redeemed for gift cards, physical products, experiences and events.
The Good
Empuls
- 30-day free trial
- Configuration options give complete control over your recognition program
- Very good international rewards options
Vantage Circle
- Robust corporate wellness program
- Ability to earn points as a percentage of what you spend using corporate discounts
- Good international reward options
The Bad
Empuls
- Has a learning curve that makes it easy to misconfigure something
- Limited support options
- Gift cards are the only reward option
Vantage Circle
- No public API
- Limited reporting and data exporting
Pricing
Empuls
$2-$4 per user per month, depending on the the plan and if paying monthly or annually.
Vantage Circle
$3.60 or $4 per user per month depending of if monthly or annual.
Setup & Onboarding
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.
Vantage Circle
You begin by requesting a free demo they setup for you. After initial setup, you’ll be assigned a dedicated account manager to assist with launch setup.
UI & UX
Empuls
Modern, if unremarkable look. Navigation is mostly easy and users have personalized homepages.
Vantage Circle
Clean, polished, and modern look with fairly intuitive navigation.
Reward Catalog
Empuls
Hundreds of gift cards with plenty of international options.
Vantage Circle
Gift cards, physical products, local experiences, and event tickets.
Integrations
HRIS
Empuls
Gusto, Zoho People, Freshteam, Keka, custom HRIS integrations via SFTP
Vantage Circle
Zoho People, Freshteam, SAP, custom HRIS integrations via SFTP
SSO
Empuls
OneLogin, Okta, Azure, custom SSO integrations
Vantage Circle
Okta, Azure
Common Tool Integrations
Empuls
Microsoft Teams, Slack, Facebook Workplace
Vantage Circle
Slack, Microsoft Teams, Facebook Workplace
Additional Integrations
Empuls
N/A
Vantage Circle
Yammer
Analytics & Reports
Empuls
Good data visualizations with filters and pivot points to adjust the data, but overall very basic.
Vantage Circle
Basic reporting dashboard and graphs but limited export options and default exportable reports.
Support
Empuls
Primary support channel is email. Help center covers entire platform, but lacks depth.
Vantage Circle
Email and chat are primary support channels, help center articles lack depth and breadth.
Extra Features
Empuls
Any user can send feedback survey requests. Admins can send company-wide surveys. Mobile apps for Android and Apple.
Vantage Circle
Corporate discounts and cashback options for national retailers, pulse surveys, corporate wellness program with challenges and leaderboards, Android and Apple mobile apps.
The Bottom Line
Empuls
Tons of control over how your recognition program is setup, but excessive for those who need something simple.
Vantage Circle
A fairly standard core recognition program with additional products that can add many other features, depending on how far beyond standard you want to go.
Empuls
