Softwr

Employee Engagement · head to head

Firstup vs Fond

Firstup logo

Firstup

Employee Engagement

Intelligent communication platform for workforce engagement

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Fond logo

Fond

Employee Engagement

Employee experience platform for modern teams

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Firstup none of the three packages carries a published price; every tier shows Get a Quote and the page directs buyers to Talk to sales; Fond fond.co redirects to Reward Gateway. No pricing plans or costs are published on Reward Gateway's website
  • They diverge on capability: Firstup covers AI-powered delivery, Fond covers Social recognition.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Firstup and Fond actually diverge.

Attributes where Firstup and Fond differ
AttributeFirstupFond
Pricing modelquotesubscription
Founded20082013

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), platforms (Web), 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 Firstup

  • AI-powered delivery
  • Personalized content
  • Multi-channel communication
  • Analytics and insights
  • Campaign management
  • Employee segmentation
  • Integrations
  • Microsoft 365

Only in Fond

  • Social recognition
  • Engagement tools
  • Culture programs
  • Analytics dashboard
  • Manager resources
  • Customizable workflows
  • Reporting
  • Microsoft Teams

Both cover

  • Mobile app
  • Workday
  • Slack

What people use each for

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

Firstup

  • Targeted internal communications to email, mobile app and desktop channelsnot Fond
  • Reaching frontline and deskless employees who lack corporate emailnot Fond
  • Automated employee journeys for onboarding and lifecycle momentsnot Fond

Fond

  • Peer-to-peer recognition with points employees send each othernot Firstup
  • Redeeming points against a rewards cataloguenot Firstup
  • Corporate perks and discounts for staffnot Firstup
  • Running a recognition programme across international officesnot Firstup

Where each one falls short

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

Firstup

  • None of the three packages carries a published price; every tier shows Get a Quote and the page directs buyers to Talk to sales
  • AI content creation, intelligent delivery timing, translations and user generated content all require the Professional package
  • Employee journey automation, the flow builder and journey analytics require the top Premier package
  • Intranet capabilities are a paid add-on on top of any package rather than part of the platform
  • No free tier, trial price or self-serve signup is published

Fond

  • Fond.co redirects to Reward Gateway. No pricing plans or costs are published on Reward Gateway's website
  • Requires contacting the company through demo request forms and ROI calculators for custom quotes

Pricing, plan by plan

Firstup

On request
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • AI personalization
    • Multi-channel delivery
    • Analytics

Fond

On request
  • Fond Platform$undefined/month
    • Recognition
    • Engagement tools
    • Culture building

Which should you pick?

Choose Firstup if

  • You need ai-powered delivery.
  • You also want personalized content.
Firstup review

Choose Fond if

  • You need social recognition.
  • You also want engagement tools.
Fond review

Questions people ask

Is Firstup or Fond better?
Neither clearly leads. Firstup starts at On request and Fond at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Firstup or Fond?
Firstup starts at On request and Fond at On request.
Does Firstup or Fond run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Firstup best used for?
Firstup is most often used for targeted internal communications to email, mobile app and desktop channels, reaching frontline and deskless employees who lack corporate email, automated employee journeys for onboarding and lifecycle moments. Of those, targeted internal communications to email, mobile app and desktop channels and reaching frontline and deskless employees who lack corporate email are not what Fond is typically brought in for.
What can Firstup do that Fond cannot?
Firstup covers AI-powered delivery, Personalized content, Multi-channel communication, Analytics and insights. Fond covers Social recognition, Engagement tools, Culture programs, Analytics dashboard. Both handle Mobile app, Workday, Slack.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Firstup: What are Firstup's pricing tiers?

Firstup offers three main tiers: Essential (basic employee communication reach), Professional (intelligent delivery with AI content creation), and Premier (hyper-personalized experiences at scale). An Employee Intranet add-on is available for any tier.

Source
Fond: Is Fond still operating under that brand?

Fond.co redirects to Reward Gateway, suggesting Fond has been acquired or rebranded under the Reward Gateway brand.

Source
Firstup: How much does Firstup cost?

Actual dollar amounts are not published. Customers must request a quote or speak directly with Firstup's sales team to receive pricing information.

Source
Fond: How does Reward Gateway publish pricing?

Reward Gateway does not disclose specific pricing tiers or costs on their website. Prospective customers must contact the company through demo requests or ROI calculators.

Source
Firstup: Do you offer volume discounts?

Firstup's pricing page includes a FAQ header for this question but does not provide the answer in the published content. This requires direct contact with sales.

Source
Firstup: Is pricing built to scale with workforce growth?

Yes. Firstup describes its pricing as built to grow with your workforce, meaning the cost structure adjusts as your organization changes.

Source
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