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Software · head to head

BambooHR vs Bonusly

BambooHR logo

BambooHR

Software

HR software with heart

From
$10/month per employee
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Bonusly logo

Bonusly

Software

Employee recognition that builds culture

From
$3/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: BambooHR organisations of 25 or fewer employees pay a flat rate starting at $250 a month, so a very small team pays far more per head than the listed per-employee price; Bonusly the free plan is capped at 8 users
  • They diverge on capability: BambooHR covers Employee database, Bonusly covers Peer-to-peer recognition.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which BambooHR and Bonusly actually diverge.

Attributes where BambooHR and Bonusly differ
AttributeBambooHRBonusly
Starting price$10/month per employee$3/month
Founded20082012

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), platforms (Web, Ios, Android, Api), 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 BambooHR

  • Employee database
  • Time-off management
  • Benefits tracking
  • Performance reviews
  • Onboarding
  • Reporting & analytics
  • Mobile access
  • Document management

Only in Bonusly

  • Peer-to-peer recognition
  • Points-based rewards
  • Manager awards
  • Reward catalog
  • Automated milestones
  • Public recognition feed
  • Analytics & insights
  • Custom company values

Both cover

  • Slack
  • Google Workspace
  • SOC2
  • GDPR
  • Data encryption

What people use each for

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

BambooHR

  • HR system of record with employee data and documentsnot Bonusly
  • Time off tracking and approvalsnot Bonusly
  • Applicant tracking and onboardingnot Bonusly
  • Performance reviews and 1:1s on the Pro tiernot Bonusly
  • Compensation planning and benchmarking on Elitenot Bonusly

Bonusly

  • Peer-to-peer recognition with points employees give each othernot BambooHR
  • Redeeming points for gift cards and rewardsnot BambooHR
  • Recognition inside Slack or Microsoft Teamsnot BambooHR
  • Tracking recognition patterns across teamsnot BambooHR
  • Company-wide awards programmes on the top tiernot BambooHR

Where each one falls short

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

BambooHR

  • Organisations of 25 or fewer employees pay a flat rate starting at $250 a month, so a very small team pays far more per head than the listed per-employee price
  • Per-employee pricing starts at 26 employees, from $10 on Core
  • Performance management, 360 reviews and recognition all require Pro at $17 per employee per month
  • Compensation management, salary benchmarking and advanced analytics are Elite only at $25 per employee per month
  • Compliance training is rationed by tier, at 1 course on Core against 300 on Elite

Bonusly

  • The free plan is capped at 8 users
  • Reward funding is separate from the subscription: a $10 gift card costs $10 on top of the per-user fee
  • The Bizy AI assistant costs $2 per user per month more, at $5 against $3
  • SAML single sign-on, awards programmes and a dedicated success manager are on the quote-only Organization tier
  • Advanced analytics and automations start at the Team tier

Pricing, plan by plan

BambooHR

$10/month per employee

No published plan breakdown. See the BambooHR review.

Bonusly

$3/month
  • Core$3/month
    • Peer-to-peer recognition
    • Points-based rewards
    • Reward catalog
  • Pro$5/month
    • Everything in Core
    • Manager awards
    • Automated milestones
  • Custom$undefined/month
    • Everything in Pro
    • Custom rewards
    • API access

Which should you pick?

Choose BambooHR if

  • You need employee database.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want time-off management.
BambooHR review

Choose Bonusly if

  • You need peer-to-peer recognition.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want points-based rewards.
Bonusly review

Questions people ask

Is BambooHR or Bonusly better?
Neither clearly leads. BambooHR starts at $10/month per employee and Bonusly at $3/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, BambooHR or Bonusly?
BambooHR starts at $10/month per employee and Bonusly at $3/month.
Does BambooHR or Bonusly run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Ios, Android, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is BambooHR best used for?
BambooHR is most often used for hr system of record with employee data and documents, time off tracking and approvals, applicant tracking and onboarding, performance reviews and 1:1s on the pro tier. Of those, hr system of record with employee data and documents and time off tracking and approvals are not what Bonusly is typically brought in for.
What can BambooHR do that Bonusly cannot?
BambooHR covers Employee database, Time-off management, Benefits tracking, Performance reviews. Bonusly covers Peer-to-peer recognition, Points-based rewards, Manager awards, Reward catalog. Both handle Slack, Google Workspace, SOC2, GDPR.
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Related pages

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