Building a culture of appreciation takes real commitment, strategy, and a long-term vision for the success of your team. Having the right tools in your back pocket can make employee engagement that much easier to cultivate.
When it comes to employee recognition, Bonusly and Applauz both promise to make appreciation easier and more impactful. But while Bonusly popularized the idea of peer-to-peer microbonuses, Applauz builds on that foundation — offering a more holistic approach that connects recognition to engagement, analytics, and culture growth.
The real question: which one helps you sustain a culture of genuine appreciation and engagement, not just occasional shout-outs? Let’s explore the difference.
A Quick Overview
Applauz: Built for engagement that grows with you
Applauz is a full employee recognition and engagement suite that brings culture to life. Beyond social recognition, it offers built-in feedback tools (like pulse surveys), culture analytics, and goal tracking.
Of course, recognition wouldn’t be nearly as powerful without rewards – Applauz offers a global marketplace of over 30,000 rewards — all tied to a transparent points system. On top of that, Applauz offers a custom perks option, which allows organizations to get creative, like giving an employee the day off — an approach that’s especially helpful for companies with a limited budget.
Applauz makes it simple to launch and scale engagement programs that truly stick – no matter the size of your company.
Bonusly: Putting peer-to-peer recognition at the forefront
Bonusly is known for its microbonuses — small, peer-to-peer shout-outs that encourage frequent appreciation across teams. Its social feed makes recognition visible and easy to give. The platform integrates with tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams, and offers a reward catalog that includes gift cards and branded swag. While straightforward and fun, Bonusly focuses primarily on recognition and rewards, with analytics that identify recognition and culture trends.
Feature Showdown
 Applauz
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 Bonusly
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Recognition Tools
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Peer-to-peer, badges, automated milestones, and customizable perks tied to company values. |
Peer-to-peer recognition with microbonuses that encourage frequent appreciation. |
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Rewards Marketplace
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30,000+ global rewards with transparent value (10 pts = $1 USD) and free global shipping. |
Gift cards and branded merchandise; regional catalog limitations and variable redemption costs reported. |
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Engagement Tools
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Built-in pulse surveys, polls, goal tracking, and culture analytics for continuous feedback. |
Tools for performance management and analytics that identify recognition trends. |
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User Experience
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Social-style, intuitive interface designed for fast adoption on both desktop and mobile. |
Simple, fun interface that prioritizes ease of use, but limited admin customization. |
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Integrations
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40+ HRIS integrations, including Microsoft Teams, Slack, and SSO. |
Integrates with Slack, Teams, and popular HR tools. |
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Pricing Transparency
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Work Anniversaries is $1.25 USD per license/month; Recognition starter is $3.75 USDper license/month; and Engagement Essentials is $5.25 USD per license/month. |
Pricing not publicly available. |
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Customer Support
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Concierge-style onboarding and ongoing success guidance with Applauz Hypercare customer support. |
Responsive support; customer service level depends on plan tier. |
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Best For
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Teams looking for lightweight peer-to-peer recognition. |
Large global enterprises that live and breathe data |
Recognition That Goes Beyond Microbonuses
With Bonusly, employees can give each other small bonuses — often just a few dollars’ worth of points — for helpful actions or wins. The social feed makes appreciation public and straightforward to celebrate. It’s fast, designed for boosting morale in the moment.
Applauz builds on this idea, turning recognition into a sustainable habit that cultivates an engaged workforce. Employees can give kudos, earn badges linked to company values, and celebrate milestones automatically. With integrations that bring recognition directly into daily tools like Slack or Teams, Applauz helps organizations make appreciation a continuous, cultural behavior — not just a social gesture.
Engagement Tools and Insights
While Bonusly focuses on recognition, Applauz combines recognition with continuous engagement. Its built-in pulse surveys and culture analytics help HR teams track sentiment, identify trends, and measure ROI in real time. For companies seeking actionable insight into engagement and culture health, this feature is key.
Bonusly provides analytics around recognition frequency and participation, but lacks the depth and customizability of employee feedback tools that larger HR teams may need.
Rewards That Deliver Real Value
Applauz’s global rewards marketplace features over 30,000 items, experiences, and gift cards — all at transparent market value. Points always equal cash value (10 = $1), with no markups or hidden fulfillment costs. Employees get what they want, fast and fairly.
Bonusly’s catalog includes a wide variety of gift cards and branded merchandise. However, reviewers on G2 and Capterra frequently note limited international availability and higher-than-expected redemption costs for certain items. For global teams or companies with distributed staff, this can create uneven employee experiences.
Ease of Use and Implementation
Both platforms are designed to be approachable and user-friendly. With Bonusly’s interface, employees can start giving recognition without much onboarding required. However, administrators have limited control over customization and reward program structure.
Applauz balances simplicity with flexibility. Admins can design custom badges, set engagement goals, and access ROI dashboards — all without needing technical expertise. Most organizations launch Applauz in under a week with concierge onboarding support. What really matters, though, is how easy it is for your team to use – Applauz consistently sees widespread adoption from its customers’ team members.
Pricing Transparency and ROI
Applauz keeps pricing straightforward at $1.25 USD per license per month, with all recognition and engagement features included. Its ROI dashboards and culture analytics help HR teams connect recognition activity to retention and engagement outcomes.
Bonusly offers tiered plans for various organization sizes and uses. While pricing is flexible, some reviewers report that costs increase quickly as teams grow or add integrations. Plus, their pricing is only available by contacting them directly.
Applauz vs. Bonusly: The Pros & Cons
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Applauz
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Bonusly
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Pros
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Cons
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The Bottom Line
Applauz brings together recognition, engagement, and analytics to create meaningful culture change — all in one intuitive platform.
By combining social recognition, customizable rewards, and powerful feedback tools, Applauz transforms appreciation into a measurable driver of engagement and retention.
Unlike tools that stop at surface-level recognition, Applauz connects the dots between recognition activity, employee sentiment, and business outcomes. The result is a platform that not only celebrates wins but provides the insights leaders need to sustain a thriving, values-driven culture over time.
For organizations ready to move beyond microbonuses and into meaningful, data-backed engagement, Applauz delivers the clarity, flexibility, and long-term impact your workforce deserves.
See How It Works — Book a Demo
Discover how Applauz can help you build a culture where recognition feels genuine, engagement grows naturally, and results speak for themselves.