Employee Engagement · head to head
Empuls vs Guusto
Empuls
Employee Engagement
Employee engagement platform for connection and recognition
- From
- $1/month per employee
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Guusto has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Empuls limited customization options for organizations with unique workflows; Guusto gift card merchants are limited primarily to US brands and digital formats; international options are limited
- They diverge on capability: Empuls covers Social intranet, Guusto covers Gift card rewards.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Empuls and Guusto actually diverge.
Identical on both: pricing model (Unknown), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Employee Engagement).
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 Empuls
- Social intranet
- Rewards marketplace
- Surveys
- Celebrations
- Gamification
- Google Workspace
- Workday
Only in Guusto
- Gift card rewards
- Milestone celebrations
- Budget management
- Charitable giving
- Multiple gift options
- Chrome extension
- Outlook
Both cover
- Peer recognition
- Analytics
- Mobile app
- Slack
- Microsoft Teams
- BambooHR
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Empuls
- Employee recognition
- Team engagementnot Guusto
- Pulse surveysnot Guusto
- Rewards programsnot Guusto
Guusto
- Employee recognition
- Gift givingnot Empuls
- Milestone awardsnot Empuls
- Social impactnot Empuls
Both are used for employee recognition, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Empuls
- Limited customization options for organizations with unique workflows
- Integration with third-party HR and payroll systems is restricted, often requiring manual workarounds
- Mobile app is less stable and slower than desktop version with reported bugs
- Limited options to customize user interface for brand alignment
- Platform can feel overwhelming due to large number of features
Guusto
- Gift card merchants are limited primarily to US brands and digital formats; international options are limited
- Recipients must create a Guusto account to claim rewards, creating friction for deskless workers
- No physical goods fulfillment or home delivery for tangible merchandise and branded swag
- Limited customization options for branding and reward options compared to enterprise alternatives
- Regional restrictions on merchant availability in certain geographic areas
Pricing, plan by plan
Empuls
$1/month per employee- Reward & Recognize$3/month per employee
- Recognition badges
- Reward catalog
- Points management
- Surveys & Feedback$3/month per employee
- Engagement surveys
- Pulse surveys
- Analytics
- Perks & Benefits$2/month per employee
- Perks catalog
- Benefits management
- Social Intranet$1/month per employee
- Internal communications
- Announcements
- Employee directory
Guusto
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Guusto review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Empuls if
- You need social intranet.
- You work on Web, Mobile, Slack.
- You also want rewards marketplace.
Choose Guusto if
- You need gift card rewards.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want milestone celebrations.
Questions people ask
- Is Empuls or Guusto better?
- Neither clearly leads. Empuls starts at $1/month per employee and Guusto at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Empuls or Guusto?
- Guusto has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $1/month per employee for Empuls and Free for Guusto.
- Does Empuls or Guusto run on more platforms?
- Empuls runs on Web, Mobile, Slack. Guusto runs on Web.
- Can I use Guusto for free?
- Yes. Guusto has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Empuls starts at $1/month per employee.
- What is Empuls best used for?
- Empuls is most often used for employee recognition, team engagement, pulse surveys, rewards programs. Of those, team engagement and pulse surveys are not what Guusto is typically brought in for.
- What can Empuls do that Guusto cannot?
- Empuls covers Social intranet, Rewards marketplace, Surveys, Celebrations. Guusto covers Gift card rewards, Milestone celebrations, Budget management, Charitable giving. Both handle Peer recognition, Analytics, Mobile app, Slack.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Empuls: What are the main features of Empuls?
Empuls is an AI-led employee engagement platform combining social intranet, recognition and rewards, surveys and feedback, employee gifting, and perks and benefits—all in one platform built on four pillars: communication, alignment, empowerment, and motivation.
SourceGuusto: Does Guusto work with deskless and remote employees?
Yes, Guusto is designed for frontline and deskless workers. It delivers recognition through SMS, push notifications, QR codes, and print options, making it accessible to employees without desk access or company email.
SourceEmpuls: How much does Empuls cost?
Empuls pricing is module-based: Reward & Recognize at $3 per employee/month, Surveys at $3 per employee/month, Perks & Benefits at $2 per employee/month, Social Intranet & Employee Communication at $1 per employee/month, plus Employee Gifting & Service Rewards with no platform fees.
SourceGuusto: What reward options does Guusto support?
Guusto cards can be redeemed for hundreds of different gift cards from around the world, branded company swag, charity donations, and custom rewards. However, gift card merchants are primarily limited to US brands.
SourceEmpuls: Does Empuls integrate with Slack?
Yes, Empuls integrates with Slack to enable peer recognition, badge sending, polls, surveys, and achievement celebrations directly within Slack without app switching, with automatic social notifications to the channel.
SourceGuusto: How does Guusto pricing work?
Guusto offers a Free tier with no minimum spend, Essential at $200 per month (annual billing), and Premium at $500 per month (annual billing). You pay face value for gift card rewards; Guusto charges merchants instead, so every dollar goes to employees.
SourceEmpuls: Can I use Empuls APIs to customize integrations?
Yes, Empuls provides APIs for sending appreciations and gifts, redeeming reward points, accessing reports (awards and core values), and embedding employee engagement features into other work tools via API and SDK.
SourceGuusto: Can Guusto integrate with HRIS systems?
Yes, Guusto syncs with HR management systems to automate anniversaries, milestones, birthdays, and other events. It also offers SSO integrations and Slack integration for bringing recognition into daily workflows.
SourceGuusto: Do employees need a Guusto account to receive gifts?
Yes, recipients must create a Guusto account to claim rewards, which some users find inconvenient compared to simpler delivery methods.
SourceGuusto: Does Guusto offer physical goods and merchandise?
Guusto focuses on gift cards and digital rewards. It does not have a robust physical fulfillment arm, so industrial or field workers cannot receive tangible goods delivered to their homes.
Source