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Employee Engagement · head to head

Empuls vs Perkbox

Empuls logo

Empuls

Employee Engagement

Employee engagement platform for connection and recognition

From
$1/month per employee
Rated
-
Perkbox logo

Perkbox

Employee Engagement

Employee perks, discounts, recognition and a wellbeing hub in one benefits platform

From
On request
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Empuls limited customization options for organizations with unique workflows; Perkbox perkbox no longer publishes any pricing, plan names or minimum headcount, so buyers must run a full sales process before they can compare it against Reward Gateway or Vantage Circle on price.
  • They diverge on capability: Empuls covers Social intranet, Perkbox covers Perks and discounts.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Empuls and Perkbox actually diverge.

Attributes where Empuls and Perkbox differ
AttributeEmpulsPerkbox
Starting price$1/month per employeeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
PlatformsWeb, Mobile, SlackWeb, iOS, Android
Founded2018Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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
  • Peer recognition
  • Rewards marketplace
  • Surveys
  • Analytics
  • Gamification
  • Slack
  • Microsoft Teams

Only in Perkbox

  • Perks and discounts
  • Perkbox Recognition
  • Wellbeing hub
  • Flexi points
  • Multi country delivery
  • Admin reporting

Both cover

  • Celebrations
  • Mobile app

What people use each for

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

Empuls

  • Employee recognitionnot Perkbox
  • Team engagementnot Perkbox
  • Pulse surveysnot Perkbox
  • Rewards programsnot Perkbox

Perkbox

  • A United Kingdom employer wanting a benefits perk that employees can see the value of immediately, where the discount catalogue is deepestnot Empuls
  • An organisation replacing several separate suppliers for discounts, recognition and wellbeing with one platform and one loginnot Empuls
  • A company with high volume frontline staff where a few pounds a month of real redeemable saving matters more than an abstract wellbeing programmenot Empuls
  • An HR team that wants automated celebration prompts so managers stop missing work anniversariesnot Empuls

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

Perkbox

  • Perkbox no longer publishes any pricing, plan names or minimum headcount, so buyers must run a full sales process before they can compare it against Reward Gateway or Vantage Circle on price.
  • The value depends entirely on redemption, and a catalogue weighted toward metropolitan retail and hospitality delivers much less to a distributed workforce in smaller towns, which is exactly the workforce most likely to have been sold on the saving.
  • Recognition points are funded by the employer on top of the platform fee, and that reward budget is usually the larger of the two numbers, so a quote that looks cheap can hide the real annual cost.
  • Catalogue depth outside the United Kingdom is thinner, so a multinational rolling out one platform gives materially different value to employees in different countries while paying a similar rate for each.
  • Perks platforms have low switching costs and high substitutability, which means renewal negotiations are competitive but also that Perkbox has limited ability to differentiate beyond catalogue and price.

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

Perkbox

On request
  • Perkbox$undefined/year
    • Quote only, with no plan names, rates or minimum headcount published
    • Recognition points funding is an employer cost separate from the platform fee
    • Rate varies by headcount, country mix and which modules are included

Which should you pick?

Choose Empuls if

  • You need social intranet.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Slack.
  • You also want peer recognition.

Choose Perkbox if

  • You need perks and discounts.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want perkbox recognition.

Questions people ask

Is Empuls or Perkbox better?
Neither clearly leads. Empuls starts at $1/month per employee and Perkbox at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Empuls or Perkbox?
Empuls starts at $1/month per employee and Perkbox at On request.
Does Empuls or Perkbox run on more platforms?
Empuls runs on Web, Mobile, Slack. Perkbox runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Empuls best used for?
Empuls is most often used for employee recognition, team engagement, pulse surveys, rewards programs. Of those, employee recognition and team engagement are not what Perkbox is typically brought in for.
What can Empuls do that Perkbox cannot?
Empuls covers Social intranet, Peer recognition, Rewards marketplace, Surveys. Perkbox covers Perks and discounts, Perkbox Recognition, Wellbeing hub, Flexi points. Both handle Celebrations, Mobile app.

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.

Source
Perkbox: Does Perkbox publish pricing?

No. The pricing page offers flexible packages and a quote form with no plan names, per employee rates or minimum headcount.

Empuls: 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.

Source
Perkbox: Is there a minimum number of employees?

None is published. Perkbox has moved upmarket from its earlier self service positioning, so smaller employers should confirm eligibility early in the conversation.

Empuls: 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.

Source
Perkbox: Is recognition reward budget included?

No. Recognition points are funded by the employer separately from the platform fee, and that budget is typically larger than the licence itself.

Empuls: 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.

Source
Perkbox: Does it work outside the United Kingdom?

Yes, in Australia and parts of Europe, but the discount catalogue is much deeper in the United Kingdom and value per employee differs accordingly.

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