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Bonusly vs Outlook Calendar

Bonusly logo

Bonusly

Software

Employee recognition that builds culture

From
$3/month
Rated
-
Outlook Calendar logo

Outlook Calendar

Software

Professional calendar management for Microsoft 365

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Outlook Calendar has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Bonusly the free plan is capped at 8 users; Outlook Calendar offline support limited to only past 30 days of events, older events unavailable
  • They diverge on capability: Bonusly covers Peer-to-peer recognition, Outlook Calendar covers Meeting scheduling.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bonusly and Outlook Calendar actually diverge.

Attributes where Bonusly and Outlook Calendar differ
AttributeBonuslyOutlook Calendar
Starting price$3/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, ApiWeb, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Founded20121975

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 Bonusly

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

Only in Outlook Calendar

  • Meeting scheduling
  • Shared calendars
  • Room booking
  • Availability sharing
  • Recurring events
  • OneDrive
  • SharePoint
  • Zoom

Both cover

  • Slack
  • Microsoft Teams

What people use each for

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

Bonusly

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

Outlook Calendar

  • Schedulingnot Bonusly
  • Appointment bookingnot Bonusly
  • Time trackingnot Bonusly
  • Resource managementnot Bonusly
  • Team coordinationnot Bonusly

Where each one falls short

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

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

Outlook Calendar

  • Offline support limited to only past 30 days of events, older events unavailable
  • Shared calendars and group calendars not available offline
  • Cached Exchange Mode issues can limit available offline data
  • Occasional sync conflicts when coming back online

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Outlook Calendar

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Outlook.com email and calendar
    • 50MB attachment limit
    • 1GB cloud storage
  • Microsoft 365 Basic$19.99/year
    • Outlook with limited features
    • Cloud storage
  • Microsoft 365 Personal$99.99/year
    • Premium Outlook
    • Ad-free email
    • 100GB mailbox storage
  • Microsoft 365 Business Basic$6/month
    • Business-class email
    • 1TB cloud storage
    • Microsoft Teams

Which should you pick?

Choose Bonusly if

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

Choose Outlook Calendar if

  • You need meeting scheduling.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
  • You also want shared calendars.

Questions people ask

Is Bonusly or Outlook Calendar better?
Neither clearly leads. Bonusly starts at $3/month and Outlook Calendar at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bonusly or Outlook Calendar?
Outlook Calendar has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $3/month for Bonusly and Free for Outlook Calendar.
Does Bonusly or Outlook Calendar run on more platforms?
Bonusly runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Outlook Calendar runs on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
Can I use Outlook Calendar for free?
Yes. Outlook Calendar has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Bonusly starts at $3/month.
What is Bonusly best used for?
Bonusly is most often used for peer-to-peer recognition with points employees give each other, redeeming points for gift cards and rewards, recognition inside slack or microsoft teams, tracking recognition patterns across teams. Of those, peer-to-peer recognition with points employees give each other and redeeming points for gift cards and rewards are not what Outlook Calendar is typically brought in for.
What can Bonusly do that Outlook Calendar cannot?
Bonusly covers Peer-to-peer recognition, Points-based rewards, Manager awards, Reward catalog. Outlook Calendar covers Meeting scheduling, Shared calendars, Room booking, Availability sharing. Both handle Slack, Microsoft Teams.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Outlook Calendar: Is Outlook Calendar free?

Outlook.com with calendar is free via a Microsoft account. Outlook Calendar also comes with Microsoft 365 Personal ($99.99/year), Family ($129.99/year), or Business plans starting at $6/user/month.

Source
Outlook Calendar: Does Outlook Calendar work offline?

Outlook Calendar has limited offline support. New Outlook caches only the past 30 days of calendar items. Shared calendars and group calendars are not supported offline. Changes sync when you reconnect.

Source
Outlook Calendar: What platforms does Outlook Calendar support?

Outlook Calendar is available on Windows (desktop and web), macOS (desktop and web), iOS, and Android. Real-time synchronization works across all devices.

Source
Outlook Calendar: Does Outlook Calendar integrate with Slack?

Yes. Outlook Calendar integrates with Slack to sync your status and receive meeting notifications. You can RSVP to invites directly in Slack and join Microsoft Teams meetings from Slack reminders.

Source
Outlook Calendar: Can you share calendars and set delegate permissions?

Yes. Outlook Calendar supports calendar sharing with delegate permissions, color categories for organization, and the Scheduling Assistant to view attendee availability for meeting times.

Source

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