How organizations recognize and support their people is foundational to success. If your most talented workers aren’t appreciated for their contributions, how do you keep them motivated?
Employees want appreciation that feels timely, personal, and woven into their everyday work – not something reserved only for milestones or formal award events. As HR teams redesign recognition practices, technology plays a key role in shaping these cultural habits.
Applauz and Terryberry both help organizations acknowledge their people, but they approach recognition with different philosophies. Terryberry is well-known for structured service awards and milestone programs, though it has now added an analytics dashboard that includes recognition data and employee survey feedback. Applauz takes a contemporary route, pairing peer recognition with engagement tools, surveys, analytics, and a dynamic marketplace that reflects the complexity of today’s workforce expectations.
This comparison highlights how each platform differs across recognition, rewards, insights, usability, implementation, and pricing – helping you determine which solution aligns best with your culture and long-term goals.
A Quick Overview
Applauz: A continuous approach to culture-building
Applauz was built for workplaces that want recognition to feel natural and part of every workday – not limited to annual ceremonies or one-off moments. Its social-style interface, peer-to-peer appreciation tools, milestones, and custom badges encourage everyday participation. Add on engagement features like pulse surveys, sentiment dashboards, goal tracking, and challenges, and you’ll see how the platform helps teams connect recognition with culture-building insights.
Applauz also offers a modern global rewards marketplace with 30,000+ products and transparent point value (10 points = $1 USD). Organizations can add custom perks that are redeemed through badges – an option that can make recognition more custom and more personal to your company values. With transparent pricing starting at $3 USD per license/month, no user minimums, and fast no-code setup, Applauz gives growing organizations a flexible foundation for engagement that can scale over time.
Terryberry: A milestone-first approach to employee appreciation
Terryberry has a long-standing reputation for structured service awards and formal recognition programs. Its platform supports milestone events, manager-driven shoutouts, award presentations, and incentive programs.
While Terryberry includes recognition tools and reward catalogs, much of its offering is anchored in traditional award structures. Some users note that certain parts of the platform, such as the admin dashboard or catalog navigation, can feel less intuitive. Pricing is quote-based, and organizations may need to account for program and reward structure costs.
Feature Showdown
 Applauz
|
 Terryberry
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
Recognition Tools
|
Daily peer recognition, badges tied to values, automated milestones, social feed, and recognition in the flow of work through Slack/Teams. |
Structured milestone programs, service awards, curated gift presentations, and manager-led recognitions. |
|
Rewards Marketplace
|
Global rewards marketplace (30,000+ items) and instant digital rewards. Transparent 10 pts = $1 USD value and no point expiry means no (unhappy) surprises for your employees. Plus, custom perk options allow for a values-driven reward program. |
Global rewards (150+ countries) with a focus on traditional award items, plus a catalog of curated awards and gifts, and Amazon Business integration. |
|
Engagement Tools
|
Pulse surveys, sentiment dashboards, culture analytics, eNPS, OKR-aligned goal incentives, challenges, and recognition-to-engagement correlations. |
Recognition analytics, surveys, and sentiment indicators focused on award programs; less emphasis on continuous engagement loops. |
|
User Experience
|
Modern, intuitive, social-style design with simple navigation and full-feature mobile app. |
Some reviewers cite dated UI and extra steps for common tasks; mobile support varies by module. |
|
Customization
|
Flexible badges, recognition categories, custom perks, challenges, and admin controls (e.g. integrations). Users can customize their messages (including GIFs!). |
Custom-branded awards through their Custom Award Lab. Less flexibility for everyday recognition structure. |
|
Implementation
|
No-code setup means teams can deploy in hours, not days. Admins can easily integrate with HRIS systems, all with the help of guided onboarding as part of Applauz’ Hypercare support. |
Implementation varies based on award program design and configuration requirements, ranging from a few days to four months. |
|
Pricing Transparency
|
Public, transparent pricing starting at $3 USD per license/month with no minimums. |
Quote-based pricing; program-level fees vary by design and award structure. |
|
Customer Support
|
Hypercare onboarding, proactive success guidance, and ongoing program optimization. |
Standard onboarding and support available for users and administrators. |
|
Best For
|
Organizations that want continuous recognition and cultural insights, with a platform that grows as their engagement needs do. |
Teams that prioritize milestone recognition and award ceremonies, but still want the ability to gather employee feedback and view recognition analytics. |
A Closer Look at How Each Platform Shapes Engagement
Recognition platforms do more than deliver awards – or, at least, they should.
Recognition software influences far more than appreciation moments—it affects how connected employees feel, how managers give feedback, and how HR leaders understand culture trends. Terryberry helps organizations deliver memorable service awards and structured recognition events. Applauz supports a more continuous approach, building recognition into daily habits supported by data, insights, and real-time feedback loops.
Recognition Philosophy
Terryberry’s approach centers on structured awards – service anniversaries, milestones, and achievements. These programs create meaningful moments for employees.
Applauz focuses on daily habits that lead to an engaged team. Employees can recognize peers instantly with personalized messages, badges linked to company values, and automated milestones. Slack and Teams integrations ensure recognition happens in the flow of work, and employee feedback tools fosters transparency and supports agile improvement to HR strategy.
Terryberry’s recognition model is rooted in tradition: celebrating tenure, key achievements, and career milestones with curated gifts and formal presentations. This creates memorable experiences for employees who reach major career moments.
Applauz takes a culture-first approach. Recognition is personal, frequent, and social by design. Employees can send uplifting messages, assign badges aligned with company values, or reward contributions instantly. Automated milestones ensure no achievement is missed, and integrations with Slack or Microsoft Teams help recognition happen naturally throughout the workday. This continuous model helps build a culture of appreciation—not just a series of award events.
Engagement & Performance Tools
Terryberry offers analytics that link recognition to sentiment, retention, and culture alignment. Their listening tools help organizations understand the impact of award programs and how well recognition reflects organizational values. While these insights capture important trends, they are typically tied to recognition activities rather than continuous shifts in sentiment or day-to-day engagement.
Applauz brings a deeper, more integrated approach to engagement. Pulse surveys, eNPS, culture analytics, and sentiment dashboards work alongside recognition and goals in one cohesive system. Insights from recognition activity, survey results, and culture metrics come together in one place – leaders monitor morale in real time, track patterns across teams, and respond quickly when engagement begins to shift. This creates an ongoing feedback loop that helps organizations stay connected to how people feel – not only at award moments, but throughout the entire employee experience.
Rewards Experience
Terryberry provides curated recognition gifts, branded products, and award-selection experiences tied to service programs. While the offerings are polished, some reviewers express interest in more varied or contemporary choices.
Applauz focuses on reward flexibility and employee choice. The global marketplace includes tens of thousands of products across lifestyle categories. Transparent point value means employees always know what their recognition is worth, and points never expire. Custom perks – like extra time off, branded company experiences, or wellness options – add another meaningful layer without increasing cost.
User Experience & Mobile Performance
Some Terryberry users describe the UI as dated or requiring additional steps to complete basic admin tasks. This can slow down program management and reduce employee participation.
Applauz delivers a modern, intuitive interface designed for everyday use. The newsfeed brings recognition to life visually, and the full-featured mobile app ensures employees can participate from anywhere. Clean navigation, simple recognition flows, and easy colleague discovery help teams engage naturally, making team-wide adoption that much easier.
Support & Implementation
Terryberry supports organizations through onboarding and program design, especially for award-driven initiatives. The level of support varies depending on contract and program structure.
Applauz offers its Hypercare onboarding model, providing guided setup, best-practice recommendations, and ongoing partnership. Organizations receive proactive check-ins and data-driven suggestions that help keep engagement strong long after launch.
Applauz vs. Terryberry: The Pros & Cons
|
Applauz
|
Terryberry
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
Pros
|
|
|
|
Cons
|
|
|
The Bottom Line
Recognition works best when it becomes a natural part of daily work.
Applauz supports that shift by providing a modern, intuitive platform that encourages employees to celebrate one another in real time, all the time. Applauz offers flexible rewards, transparent value, and custom perks that help organizations recognize contributions in meaningful, budget-friendly ways.
Its no-code setup, guided onboarding, and transparent pricing make it easy for growing teams to launch quickly and scale at their own pace. Plus, with built-in surveys, culture analytics, goals, and challenges, leaders also gain a clearer understanding of what motivates people and how engagement evolves over time.
For organizations looking to build a connected culture grounded in continuous appreciation, insight, and shared progress, Applauz provides a practical, future-ready foundation.
