Is 15Five or Subframe better?

Neither clearly leads. 15Five starts at $4/month and Subframe at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, 15Five or Subframe?

Subframe has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $4/month for 15Five and Free for Subframe.

Does 15Five or Subframe run on more platforms?

15Five runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Subframe runs on Web.

Can I use Subframe for free?

Yes. Subframe has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. 15Five starts at $4/month.

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 Subframe is typically brought in for.

What can 15Five do that Subframe cannot?

15Five covers Weekly check-ins, 1-on-1 meetings, OKRs & goal tracking, Performance reviews.

Software · head to head

15Five vs Subframe

15Five

Software

Performance management that drives results

From: $4/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

Subframe

Software

The AI-native design tool built for code

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Subframe has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
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; Subframe the free plan is capped at 1 project, 10 pages, and 2 prototypes with limited AI usage and only 24 hour version history, versus unlimited AI on the $29 per editor per month Pro plan, as of August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where 15Five and Subframe differ
Attribute	15Five	Subframe
Starting price	$4/month	Free
Pricing model	subscription	freemium
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	Web, Ios, Android, Api	Web
Founded	2011	Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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
1-on-1 meetings
OKRs & goal tracking
Performance reviews
High fives recognition
Engagement surveys
Pulse surveys
Manager effectiveness

Only in Subframe

Nothing recorded that 15Five does not also cover.

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 Subframe
Performance reviews and continuous feedback cyclesnot Subframe
Setting and tracking OKRsnot Subframe
360 degree feedback and talent matrix reviewsnot Subframe
Compensation review cycles as a paid add-onnot Subframe

Subframe

No use cases recorded yet. See the Subframe review.

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

Subframe

The free plan is capped at 1 project, 10 pages, and 2 prototypes with limited AI usage and only 24 hour version history, versus unlimited AI on the $29 per editor per month Pro plan, as of August 2026.

Pricing, plan by plan

15Five

$4/month

Engage$4/month
- Engagement surveys
- Pulse surveys
- Action planning
Perform$10/month
- Weekly check-ins
- 1-on-1s
- Performance reviews
Total Platform$16/month
- Everything in Engage & Perform
- Career paths
- Competencies

Subframe

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Subframe review.

Which should you pick?

Choose 15Five if

You need weekly check-ins.
You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
You also want 1-on-1 meetings.

15Five review

Choose Subframe if

You want to start without paying.

Subframe review

Questions people ask

Is 15Five or Subframe better?: Neither clearly leads. 15Five starts at $4/month and Subframe at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, 15Five or Subframe?: Subframe has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $4/month for 15Five and Free for Subframe.
Does 15Five or Subframe run on more platforms?: 15Five runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Subframe runs on Web.
Can I use Subframe for free?: Yes. Subframe has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. 15Five starts at $4/month.
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 Subframe is typically brought in for.
What can 15Five do that Subframe cannot?: 15Five covers Weekly check-ins, 1-on-1 meetings, OKRs & goal tracking, Performance reviews.

15Five vs Subframe

15Five

Subframe

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in 15Five

Only in Subframe

What people use each for

15Five

Subframe

Where each one falls short

15Five

Subframe

Pricing, plan by plan

15Five

Subframe

Which should you pick?

Choose 15Five if

Choose Subframe if

Questions people ask

Related pages

More on 15Five

More on Subframe

Keep looking

Other head to heads