Is Firstup or Perkbox better?

Neither clearly leads. Firstup starts at On request and Perkbox at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Firstup or Perkbox?

Firstup starts at On request and Perkbox at On request.

Does Firstup or Perkbox run on more platforms?

Firstup runs on Web. Perkbox runs on Web, iOS, Android.

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 Perkbox is typically brought in for.

What can Firstup do that Perkbox cannot?

Firstup covers AI-powered delivery, Personalized content, Multi-channel communication, Analytics and insights. Perkbox covers Perks and discounts, Perkbox Recognition, Wellbeing hub, Celebrations. Both handle Mobile app.

Employee Engagement · head to head

Firstup vs Perkbox

Firstup

Employee Engagement

Intelligent communication platform for workforce engagement

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

Perkbox

Employee Engagement

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

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

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; 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: Firstup covers AI-powered delivery, Perkbox covers Perks and discounts.
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Firstup and Perkbox actually diverge.

Attributes where Firstup and Perkbox differ
Attribute	Firstup	Perkbox
Platforms	Web	Web, iOS, Android
Founded	2008	Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), 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 Firstup

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

Only in Perkbox

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

Both cover

Mobile app

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 Perkbox
Reaching frontline and deskless employees who lack corporate emailnot Perkbox
Automated employee journeys for onboarding and lifecycle momentsnot Perkbox

Perkbox

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

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

Firstup

On request

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

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 Firstup if

You need ai-powered delivery.
You also want personalized content.

Firstup review

Choose Perkbox if

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

Perkbox review

Questions people ask

Is Firstup or Perkbox better?: Neither clearly leads. Firstup starts at On request and Perkbox at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Firstup or Perkbox?: Firstup starts at On request and Perkbox at On request.
Does Firstup or Perkbox run on more platforms?: Firstup runs on Web. Perkbox runs on Web, iOS, Android.
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 Perkbox is typically brought in for.
What can Firstup do that Perkbox cannot?: Firstup covers AI-powered delivery, Personalized content, Multi-channel communication, Analytics and insights. Perkbox covers Perks and discounts, Perkbox Recognition, Wellbeing hub, Celebrations. Both handle Mobile app.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Firstup vs Perkbox

Firstup

Perkbox

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Firstup

Only in Perkbox

Both cover

What people use each for

Firstup

Perkbox

Where each one falls short

Firstup

Perkbox

Pricing, plan by plan

Firstup

Perkbox

Which should you pick?

Choose Firstup if

Choose Perkbox if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Firstup

More on Perkbox

Keep looking

Other head to heads