Software · head to head
Reward Gateway vs Cooleaf
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Reward Gateway the pricing URL resolves to a contact and demo request page with no plan, no per-employee rate and no minimum published; Cooleaf cooleaf's archived 2013 employer pricing (under its original wellness-marketplace business model, before its pivot to employee engagement) shows tiered per-employee-count fees rather than flat per-seat pricing: the mid Healthy Partnership tier had a $1,000 setup fee and monthly fees ranging from $150 for 1-100 employees up to $250 for 201-500 employees, with 500+ employees requiring a custom quote (archived pricing page, 31 August 2013)
- They diverge on capability: Reward Gateway covers Benefits administration, Cooleaf covers Peer recognition.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Reward Gateway and Cooleaf actually diverge.
| Attribute | Reward Gateway | Cooleaf |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | $4/month |
| Founded | 1997 | 2014 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 Reward Gateway
- Benefits administration
- Recognition programs
- Engagement tools
- Rewards catalog
- Analytics dashboard
- Reporting
- Integrations
- SAP SuccessFactors
Only in Cooleaf
- Peer recognition
- Rewards marketplace
- Wellness challenges
- Team activities
- Gamification
- Analytics
- Social feed
- Slack
Both cover
- Mobile app
- Workday
- ADP
- BambooHR
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Reward Gateway
- Employee recognition and reward programs with a points based currencynot Cooleaf
- Employee discount and benefits marketplacenot Cooleaf
- Internal communications and pulse surveys for frontline workforcesnot Cooleaf
Cooleaf
- Employee recognitionnot Reward Gateway
- Wellness programsnot Reward Gateway
- Team buildingnot Reward Gateway
- Culture improvementnot Reward Gateway
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Reward Gateway
- The pricing URL resolves to a contact and demo request page with no plan, no per-employee rate and no minimum published
- The only routes offered are a 30-minute demo request, a broker referral or a phone call
- The platform is split into separately named products for recognition, wellbeing, commuter benefits and discounts, none of which carries a published price
- The company now trades as Reward Gateway | Edenred following the Edenred acquisition
Cooleaf
- Cooleaf's archived 2013 employer pricing (under its original wellness-marketplace business model, before its pivot to employee engagement) shows tiered per-employee-count fees rather than flat per-seat pricing: the mid Healthy Partnership tier had a $1,000 setup fee and monthly fees ranging from $150 for 1-100 employees up to $250 for 201-500 employees, with 500+ employees requiring a custom quote (archived pricing page, 31 August 2013)
Pricing, plan by plan
Reward Gateway
On request- Reward Gateway Suite$undefined/month
- Benefits platform
- Recognition
- Engagement programs
Cooleaf
$4/month- Essentials$4/month
- Recognition
- Rewards catalog
- Mobile app
- Premium$undefined/month
- Wellness challenges
- Advanced gamification
- Custom integrations
Which should you pick?
Choose Reward Gateway if
- You need benefits administration.
- You also want recognition programs.
Questions people ask
- Is Reward Gateway or Cooleaf better?
- Neither clearly leads. Reward Gateway starts at On request and Cooleaf at $4/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Reward Gateway or Cooleaf?
- Reward Gateway starts at On request and Cooleaf at $4/month.
- Does Reward Gateway or Cooleaf run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- What is Reward Gateway best used for?
- Reward Gateway is most often used for employee recognition and reward programs with a points based currency, employee discount and benefits marketplace, internal communications and pulse surveys for frontline workforces. Of those, employee recognition and reward programs with a points based currency and employee discount and benefits marketplace are not what Cooleaf is typically brought in for.
- What can Reward Gateway do that Cooleaf cannot?
- Reward Gateway covers Benefits administration, Recognition programs, Engagement tools, Rewards catalog. Cooleaf covers Peer recognition, Rewards marketplace, Wellness challenges, Team activities. Both handle Mobile app, Workday, ADP, BambooHR.