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Employee Engagement · head to head

O.C. Tanner vs Viral Loops

O.C. Tanner logo

O.C. Tanner

Employee Engagement

Culture and engagement solution for purpose-driven organizations

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Viral Loops logo

Viral Loops

Affiliate Marketing

Viral and referral marketing made simple

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Viral Loops has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: O.C. Tanner pricing is not published and requires a demo; Viral Loops pricing is relatively high for small startups and bootstrapped businesses ($35/mo minimum)
  • They diverge on capability: O.C. Tanner covers Recognition programs, Viral Loops covers Campaign templates.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which O.C. Tanner and Viral Loops actually diverge.

Attributes where O.C. Tanner and Viral Loops differ
AttributeO.C. TannerViral Loops
Starting priceOn requestFree
Free tierNoYes
CategoryEmployee EngagementAffiliate Marketing
Founded19272016

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 O.C. Tanner

  • Recognition programs
  • Reward fulfillment
  • Manager coaching
  • Analytics and insights
  • Mobile app
  • Customizable workflows
  • Integration hub
  • Training & support

Only in Viral Loops

  • Campaign templates
  • Milestone rewards
  • Leaderboards
  • Referral widgets
  • Viral analytics
  • Shopify
  • Mailchimp
  • Klaviyo

What people use each for

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

O.C. Tanner

  • Service award and milestone recognition programmesnot Viral Loops
  • Peer-to-peer recognition across a large workforcenot Viral Loops
  • Physical and collectible awards alongside digital recognitionnot Viral Loops
  • Lifestyle spending accounts as an employee benefitnot Viral Loops
  • Culture and engagement measurement at enterprise scalenot Viral Loops

Viral Loops

  • affiliate marketing managementnot O.C. Tanner
  • Workflow automationnot O.C. Tanner
  • Reportingnot O.C. Tanner

Where each one falls short

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

O.C. Tanner

  • Pricing is not published and requires a demo
  • Aimed at large enterprises rather than small or mid-sized employers
  • Sold as several named pieces, Culture Cloud, Say Thanks, Careerscape and lifestyle spending accounts, rather than one subscription

Viral Loops

  • Pricing is relatively high for small startups and bootstrapped businesses ($35/mo minimum)
  • Advanced features are only available on higher-tier plans, limiting smaller businesses
  • Limited customization without technical development for highly branded campaigns
  • Customer support response times may vary by region and time zone

Pricing, plan by plan

O.C. Tanner

On request
  • O.C. Tanner Platform$undefined/month
    • Recognition programs
    • Reward fulfillment
    • Analytics

Viral Loops

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1,000 participants
    • All templates
    • Basic features

Which should you pick?

Choose O.C. Tanner if

  • You need recognition programs.
  • You also want reward fulfillment.
O.C. Tanner review

Choose Viral Loops if

  • You need campaign templates.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want milestone rewards.
Viral Loops review

Questions people ask

Is O.C. Tanner or Viral Loops better?
Neither clearly leads. O.C. Tanner starts at On request and Viral Loops at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, O.C. Tanner or Viral Loops?
Viral Loops has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for O.C. Tanner and Free for Viral Loops.
Does O.C. Tanner or Viral Loops run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Viral Loops for free?
Yes. Viral Loops has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. O.C. Tanner starts at On request.
What is O.C. Tanner best used for?
O.C. Tanner is most often used for service award and milestone recognition programmes, peer-to-peer recognition across a large workforce, physical and collectible awards alongside digital recognition, lifestyle spending accounts as an employee benefit. Of those, service award and milestone recognition programmes and peer-to-peer recognition across a large workforce are not what Viral Loops is typically brought in for.
What can O.C. Tanner do that Viral Loops cannot?
O.C. Tanner covers Recognition programs, Reward fulfillment, Manager coaching, Analytics and insights. Viral Loops covers Campaign templates, Milestone rewards, Leaderboards, Referral widgets.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

O.C. Tanner: How much does O.C. Tanner cost?

O.C. Tanner does not publish pricing tiers on its website. To obtain pricing information, organizations must request a demo at /contact-us/demo or contact customer support directly.

Source
Viral Loops: What does Viral Loops pricing start at?

Viral Loops pricing starts at $35/month and ranges up to $208/month depending on the plan. The platform offers a 14-day free trial, flat-rate pricing (no per-campaign charges), and 30% discount for annual billing.

Source
O.C. Tanner: Does O.C. Tanner offer transparent pricing?

O.C. Tanner focuses on demonstrating ROI benefits and customer testimonials rather than displaying transparent pricing models; pricing is disclosed through individual demos and customer support contacts.

Source
Viral Loops: What types of campaigns can Viral Loops create?

Viral Loops allows creation of referral programs, giveaways, waiting lists, and sweepstakes/competitions. Campaigns can be integrated into websites or mobile apps within minutes using pre-built templates.

Source
Viral Loops: Does Viral Loops offer custom pricing?

Yes. Beyond the standard $35-208/month plans, Viral Loops offers custom pricing for larger teams and enterprises with specific feature requirements.

Source
Viral Loops: What happens to campaigns after I cancel Viral Loops?

Users can export large files of mailing lists in several data formats, allowing campaign data to be migrated to another platform if needed after cancellation.

Source
Viral Loops: How quickly can I launch a campaign with Viral Loops?

Campaigns can be launched within minutes using Viral Loops' template-based, intuitive interface that requires no technical expertise or coding knowledge.

Source
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