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HR · head to head

Humaans vs Kudos

Humaans logo

Humaans

HR

API-first HRIS for fast-growing companies that treat employee data as a system of record other tools read from

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Kudos logo

Kudos

HR

Employee recognition that drives performance

From
$5/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Humaans there is no payroll engine anywhere in the product, so every country you employ in still needs its own payroll vendor and a synchronisation that someone owns when it breaks.; Kudos no pricing published; requires demo request or direct sales contact
  • They diverge on capability: Humaans covers Employee records, Kudos covers Peer-to-peer recognition.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Humaans and Kudos actually diverge.

Attributes where Humaans and Kudos differ
AttributeHumaansKudos
Starting priceOn request$5/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android, Api
FoundedUnknown2010

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (HR).

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 Humaans

  • Employee records
  • Workflows
  • Time off
  • Open API and webhooks
  • Onboarding
  • Reporting
  • App directory
  • Self service

Only in Kudos

  • Peer-to-peer recognition
  • Manager recognition
  • Social recognition wall
  • Points & rewards
  • Awards & nominations
  • Anniversary celebrations
  • Analytics dashboard
  • Company values alignment

What people use each for

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

Humaans

  • A 150 person technology company that wants employee data clean enough to drive access provisioning automaticallynot Kudos
  • An operations team that will build against an API rather than wait for a vendor integrationnot Kudos
  • A company replacing spreadsheets and Google Drive folders in weeks rather than running a six month HRIS projectnot Kudos
  • A multi-country employer that already has payroll handled per country and needs one consolidated employee recordnot Kudos

Kudos

  • Employee recognitionnot Humaans
  • Culture buildingnot Humaans
  • Employee engagementnot Humaans
  • Retention improvementnot Humaans
  • Values reinforcementnot Humaans

Where each one falls short

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

Humaans

  • There is no payroll engine anywhere in the product, so every country you employ in still needs its own payroll vendor and a synchronisation that someone owns when it breaks.
  • Applicant tracking, learning and benefits administration are absent, meaning a company wanting a single supplier will buy three or four contracts to match what a suite sells as one.
  • Acquisition by Employment Hero in 2024 puts an independent, integration-first product inside a vendor that sells a bundled employment platform, and buyers should ask directly how long the standalone product will be sold on its own terms.
  • Per employee per month pricing with tiered features means the cost rises with headcount growth at exactly the point a scale-up is least willing to renegotiate, and useful features such as workflows sit above the entry tier.
  • Country-specific compliance depth is limited, so statutory leave rules, local document requirements and reporting obligations often need configuring by hand rather than arriving as a maintained country pack.

Kudos

  • No pricing published; requires demo request or direct sales contact

Pricing, plan by plan

Humaans

On request
  • Humaans$undefined/year
    • Priced per employee per month with tiered feature sets
    • Employee records, time off and documents
    • Workflows and reporting on higher tiers

Kudos

$5/month
  • Plus$5/month
    • Peer recognition
    • Social recognition wall
    • Points system
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Everything in Plus
    • Awards & nominations
    • Advanced analytics

Which should you pick?

Choose Humaans if

  • You need employee records.
  • You also want workflows.
Humaans review

Choose Kudos if

  • You need peer-to-peer recognition.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want manager recognition.
Kudos review

Questions people ask

Is Humaans or Kudos better?
Neither clearly leads. Humaans starts at On request and Kudos at $5/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Humaans or Kudos?
Humaans starts at On request and Kudos at $5/month.
Does Humaans or Kudos run on more platforms?
Humaans runs on Web. Kudos runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
What is Humaans best used for?
Humaans is most often used for a 150 person technology company that wants employee data clean enough to drive access provisioning automatically, an operations team that will build against an api rather than wait for a vendor integration, a company replacing spreadsheets and google drive folders in weeks rather than running a six month hris project, a multi-country employer that already has payroll handled per country and needs one consolidated employee record. Of those, a 150 person technology company that wants employee data clean enough to drive access provisioning automatically and an operations team that will build against an api rather than wait for a vendor integration are not what Kudos is typically brought in for.
What can Humaans do that Kudos cannot?
Humaans covers Employee records, Workflows, Time off, Open API and webhooks. Kudos covers Peer-to-peer recognition, Manager recognition, Social recognition wall, Points & rewards.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Humaans: Does Humaans run payroll?

No. It holds the employee record and pushes data to payroll providers. You buy payroll separately in each country.

Kudos: How much does Kudos cost?

Kudos does not publish standard pricing on its website. To learn pricing, contact Kudos for a 30-minute demo or reach out directly at +1 (888) 915-8367 or [email protected].

Source
Humaans: Who owns it now?

Employment Hero acquired Humaans in 2024. It continues to be sold, but the parent company also sells a bundled employment platform.

Kudos: How can I get Kudos pricing information?

Contact Kudos through their website demo request form or directly at [email protected] to discuss pricing and setup for your organization.

Source
Humaans: Is the API genuinely complete?

Yes. It is the design centre of the product rather than an afterthought, with documented REST endpoints and webhooks across the core objects.

Humaans: How long does implementation take?

Typically weeks. There is no configuration consultancy requirement, which is a large part of why teams choose it over a mid-market suite.

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