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HR · head to head

15Five vs Betterworks

15Five logo

15Five

HR

Performance management that drives results

From
$4/month
Rated
-
Betterworks logo

Betterworks

Employee Engagement

Align, develop, and inspire your workforce

From
$1/month
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 15Five split across three tiers, so performance reviews, OKRs and 360 feedback need Perform at $11 per user per month rather than the $4 Engage tier; Betterworks the $1 and $2 promotional rates require a three year agreement and expire on 31 August 2026; the standing prices are $8 and $9 per user per month
  • They diverge on capability: 15Five covers Weekly check-ins, Betterworks covers OKR & goal management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which 15Five and Betterworks actually diverge.

Attributes where 15Five and Betterworks differ
Attribute15FiveBetterworks
Starting price$4/month$1/month
CategoryHREmployee Engagement
Founded20112013

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), platforms (Web, Ios, Android, Api), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in 15Five

  • Weekly check-ins
  • OKRs & goal tracking
  • High fives recognition
  • Engagement surveys
  • Pulse surveys
  • Manager effectiveness
  • BambooHR
  • Google Calendar

Only in Betterworks

  • OKR & goal management
  • Continuous feedback
  • Goal alignment
  • Calibration tools
  • Analytics & reporting
  • Mobile app
  • Workday
  • SAP SuccessFactors

Both cover

  • 1-on-1 meetings
  • Performance reviews
  • Slack
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Jira
  • HRIS systems
  • SOC2 Type II
  • GDPR
  • Data encryption

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

15Five

  • Running engagement surveys with heat maps and benchmarkingnot Betterworks
  • Performance reviews and continuous feedback cyclesnot Betterworks
  • Setting and tracking OKRsnot Betterworks
  • 360 degree feedback and talent matrix reviewsnot Betterworks
  • Compensation review cycles as a paid add-onnot Betterworks

Betterworks

  • Goals and OKR tracking across an organisationnot 15Five
  • Performance reviews, 1:1s and continuous feedbacknot 15Five
  • Calibration and succession planning on the higher tiernot 15Five
  • Skills mapping and development plansnot 15Five
  • Engagement surveys on the Enterprise tiernot 15Five

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

15Five

  • Split across three tiers, so performance reviews, OKRs and 360 feedback need Perform at $11 per user per month rather than the $4 Engage tier
  • Manager training microlearnings are only in Total Platform at $16 per user per month
  • Compensation is a paid add-on at $9 per user per month, rising to $11 with benchmarking
  • The Kona meeting assistant is a further $2 per employee per month and Kona Coach $19 per manager per month
  • Advertised prices are the annual rates

Betterworks

  • The $1 and $2 promotional rates require a three year agreement and expire on 31 August 2026; the standing prices are $8 and $9 per user per month
  • Implementation is charged on top of the per-user price
  • Calibration, succession planning and skills intelligence need the Talent Intelligence tier
  • Engagement surveys and change management services are Enterprise only
  • The vendor states it adds most value above 500 employees, so smaller companies are not the target

Pricing, plan by plan

15Five

$4/month
  • Engage$4/month
    • Employee Engagement Surveys
    • Targeted Assessments
    • Action Planning
  • Perform$11/month
    • Engage features
    • AMAYA
    • Insights Dashboard
  • Total Platform$16/month
    • Perform features
    • Manager Training Microlearnings

Betterworks

$1/month
  • Performance$8/month
    • Real-time performance tracking
    • Goals & OKRs
    • Feedback and conversations
  • Performance + Talent Intelligence$9/month
    • All Performance features plus anytime calibration
    • Succession planning
    • Skills intelligence
  • Enterprise$null/mo
    • Custom pricing
    • Everything in Performance + Talent Intelligence plus transformational program design
    • Engagement measurement

Which should you pick?

Choose 15Five if

  • You need weekly check-ins.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want okrs & goal tracking.

Choose Betterworks if

  • You need okr & goal management.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want continuous feedback.

Questions people ask

Is 15Five or Betterworks better?
Neither clearly leads. 15Five starts at $4/month and Betterworks at $1/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, 15Five or Betterworks?
15Five starts at $4/month and Betterworks at $1/month.
Does 15Five or Betterworks run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Ios, Android, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is 15Five best used for?
15Five is most often used for running engagement surveys with heat maps and benchmarking, performance reviews and continuous feedback cycles, setting and tracking okrs, 360 degree feedback and talent matrix reviews. Of those, running engagement surveys with heat maps and benchmarking and performance reviews and continuous feedback cycles are not what Betterworks is typically brought in for.
What can 15Five do that Betterworks cannot?
15Five covers Weekly check-ins, OKRs & goal tracking, High fives recognition, Engagement surveys. Betterworks covers OKR & goal management, Continuous feedback, Goal alignment, Calibration tools. Both handle 1-on-1 meetings, Performance reviews, Slack, Microsoft Teams.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

15Five: What are 15Five's core plan tiers and pricing?

15Five offers Engage ($4/user/month), Perform ($11/user/month, marked Most Popular), and Total Platform ($16/user/month). All prices are billed annually. Perform adds AI-assisted performance reviews, OKRs, and 360-degree feedback compared to Engage.

Source
Betterworks: How much does Betterworks cost per user?

Betterworks costs $8 per user per month for the Performance plan or $9 per user per month for Performance + Talent Intelligence. Promotional pricing as low as $1-$2 per user per month is available for the first contract year with a 3-year commitment (expires August 31, 2026).

Source
15Five: What add-on products does 15Five offer?

Manager Content costs $49/manager/month (annually billed). Manager Coaching is $399 per credit (1-on-1 coaching = 1 credit; group coaching = 5 credits). Kona AI Meeting Assistant is $2/employee/month. Kona AI Coach is $19/manager/month. Compensation add-ons start at $9/user/month for base package or $11/user/month with salary benchmarking.

Source
Betterworks: What does the Enterprise plan include?

The Enterprise plan includes everything in Performance + Talent Intelligence plus transformational program design, engagement measurement, in-app guides, and change management services. Pricing is custom and tailored to your organization.

Source
15Five: Are 15Five contracts flexible?

All 15Five plans require annual billing and contracts. Support is included as dedicated human support with all plans.

Source
Betterworks: Are there additional costs beyond per-user pricing?

Yes, implementation is a one-time cost separate from monthly per-user pricing. Betterworks' Professional Services team assists with design and launch.

Source
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