HeyTaco vs. Matter Comparison: Pricing & Reviews [2024 Guide]

Choosing the right recognition platform is crucial for businesses that enhance employee engagement and foster a culture of appreciation. Organizations seek solutions that make employees feel valued while supporting their objectives of building high-performing teams. Matter understands these needs, offering a platform that easily integrates with Slack and Microsoft Teams and includes features like customizable kudos and automated Feedback Friday to promote continuous recognition and engagement. By comparing HeyTaco vs. Matter, this guide can assist you in identifying the instrument that is most appropriate for the objectives of your company.

HeyTaco vs. Matter: Overview comparison

When choosing an employee recognition platform, it's important to consider how each tool aligns with your organization's goals for engagement, appreciation, and employee retention. While HeyTaco and Matter aim to enhance workplace culture through recognition, Matter offers a far more comprehensive and effective solution.

Matter is designed to seamlessly integrate with Slack and Microsoft Teams, making recognition an effortless part of daily communication. Its unique weekly resetting coin system encourages frequent and meaningful recognition, promoting a culture of continuous appreciation and engagement. With over 1,600 reward options from 1,500+ merchants globally, Matter allows organizations to provide a diverse and meaningful reward selection that aligns with employee preferences and values.

On the other hand, HeyTaco is a basic recognition tool that focuses on Slack integration and uses a simple points-based system where employees give each other "tacos" as tokens of appreciation. While HeyTaco promotes a fun and engaging atmosphere, it lacks the advanced features, automation, and robust analytics that Matter provides. It does not offer the same level of flexibility in reward options or the deep integration capabilities that make Matter a more powerful solution for organizations looking to build a truly positive workplace culture.

HeyTaco vs. Matter: features

When comparing the features of HeyTaco and Matter, It is evident that Matter provides a more comprehensive and adaptable suite of tools that are intended to improve employee engagement and establish a positive workplace culture. Here's how the two platforms compare:

Matter's features

• Deep integration with daily tools: Matter integrates seamlessly with Slack and Microsoft Teams, making it a natural part of daily workflows. Employees can send kudos, participate in surveys, and engage in recognition activities without leaving their primary communication platforms. This deep integration helps foster a culture of continuous recognition and appreciation.
• Unique weekly resetting coin system: Unlike traditional points systems, Matter uses a coin system that resets weekly. This approach encourages frequent and meaningful recognition, ensuring that recognition remains fresh and relevant. Employees are motivated to consistently acknowledge their colleagues' efforts, creating a dynamic and engaged workplace.
• Extensive rewards catalog: Matter provides access to over 1,600 reward options, including digital gift cards, charitable donations, prepaid Visa/Mastercards, and custom-branded rewards. This extensive catalog allows organizations to cater to diverse employee preferences and values, enhancing the overall effectiveness of their recognition programs.
• Comprehensive automation: Matter automates many recognition activities, such as Feedback Friday prompts, birthday and anniversary celebrations, and rewards distribution. This automation reduces the manual workload on HR teams and ensures no milestone is missed, helping maintain a vibrant recognition culture.
• Robust analytics: Matter offers detailed analytics that provides insights into recognition trends, employee engagement, and alignment with company values. These insights enable companies to make decisions based on data, which enhances their recognition programs and overall workplace culture.

HeyTaco's features

• Simple recognition system: HeyTaco uses a straightforward, points-based system where employees give each other "tacos" as tokens of appreciation. The platform emphasizes a fun and easy way to recognize colleagues by allowing users to award up to five tacos daily. This simplicity makes HeyTaco easy to use but may not encourage the same level of frequent and impactful recognition as Matter.
• Limited rewards options: HeyTaco allows employees to redeem their earned tacos for various rewards, but its reward catalog is more limited than Matter's extensive selection. HeyTaco focuses primarily on smaller rewards, such as individual recognition and team-based rewards, but lacks the depth and variety of Matter's offerings.
• Basic integration with Slack and Teams: HeyTaco integrates with Slack and Microsoft Teams, allowing users to give recognition directly within these platforms. However, its integration is less comprehensive than Matter's, which includes additional features like automated surveys and advanced analytics.
• Gamification elements: HeyTaco incorporates gamification features like leaderboards and achievement levels to motivate employees to recognize their co-workers. While this adds an element of fun, it may not drive the same depth of engagement or cultural impact as Matter's more structured and strategic approach.

Key takeaways on features: When comparing HeyTaco and Matter's features, Matter offers a more robust and versatile solution for employee recognition. Matter's deep integration capabilities, extensive rewards catalog, unique recognition system, and comprehensive automation make it the ideal choice for organizations looking to foster a continuous appreciation and engagement culture. In contrast, HeyTaco focuses on a simpler, more casual approach to recognition that may be less effective for organizations seeking a more impactful and strategic recognition program.

HeyTaco vs. Matter: Integration options

Integration capabilities are a critical consideration when selecting an employee recognition platform. Seamless integration with existing tools can significantly enhance the user experience, drive higher engagement, and reduce administrative overhead. Matter offers extensive integration options that make recognition activities a natural part of daily workflows, while HeyTaco provides more basic integration features with limited capabilities.

Matter integration options

• Deep integration with Slack and Microsoft Teams: Matter is built as a Slack-first and Teams-first platform, ensuring that all recognition activities occur naturally within employees' daily tools. This deep integration allows employees to send kudos, participate in surveys, and engage in recognition without leaving their primary communication platforms. Matter also supports advanced features like automated surveys and real-time feedback directly within Slack and Teams, ensuring high participation rates and engagement.
• Extensive HRIS integration: Matter integrates with over 250 HRIS platforms, such as ADP, BambooHR, Gusto, and Workday. This capability allows for automatic synchronization of employee data, ensuring timely and accurate recognition. The integration also streamlines onboarding and updates, reducing manual work and improving the efficiency of HR processes.
• Custom integrations via API access: Matter provides API access, allowing organizations with complex needs to create custom integrations that connect the platform to other enterprise systems. This flexibility makes Matter adaptable to various organizational requirements and helps ensure that recognition programs are tailored to specific workflows and processes.

HeyTaco integration options

• Basic integration with Slack and Microsoft Teams: HeyTaco integrates with Slack and Microsoft Teams, enabling users to give recognition in the form of "tacos" directly within these platforms. However, this integration is more limited than Matter, as it lacks support for advanced features like automated feedback, surveys, and extensive analytics that provide deeper insights into employee engagement.
• No HRIS or custom integration options: HeyTaco does not offer integration with HRIS platforms or provide API access for custom integrations. This limitation means that organizations may need to perform more manual tasks to keep employee data updated and manage recognition activities, potentially reducing the platform's overall effectiveness.

Key takeaways on integration options: Regarding integration capabilities, Matter clearly offers a more comprehensive and flexible range of options. Its deep integration with Slack and Microsoft Teams, extensive HRIS connections, and custom API access provide unmatched versatility, making it an excellent alternative for businesses of any size or complexity. In contrast, HeyTaco's more basic integration options and lack of advanced features may limit its effectiveness, especially for larger organizations or those with specific needs for automated and data-driven recognition programs.

HeyTaco vs. Matter: Pricing and plans

Understanding the pricing structures of recognition platforms is crucial to choosing the right one for your organization's budget and needs. Matter provides a range of flexible pricing options with comprehensive features across all tiers, making it accessible for organizations of any size. In contrast, HeyTaco offers a simpler pricing model with fewer features, which may not provide the same value as Matter.

Matter pricing and plans

Matter offers a range of pricing plans designed to accommodate various organizational needs, from small teams to large enterprises:

Free Forever:

• Cost: $0 per user per month.
• Ideal for: Small teams and startups.
• Features:
  • Unlimited users.
  • Access to Feedback Friday and kudos with a limit of 5 kudos per channel per week.
  • Nine default kudos templates with options to create custom kudos aligned with company values.
  • Thirty days of analytics history.
  • Integration with Slack and Microsoft Teams.
  • Security features, including single sign-on (SSO) support.

Basic:

• Cost: $1 per user per month, billed annually, with monthly billing option.
• Features: All features included in Free Forever, plus:
  • Unlimited kudos recognition.
  • Advanced analytics with unlimited history.
  • Customizable Feedback Friday.
  • Integration with Slack and Microsoft Teams.
  • Email and live chat support.

Pro:

• Cost: $3 per user per month, billed annually, with monthly billing option.
• Features: All features included in Basic, plus:
  • Advanced HRIS integrations allow seamless synchronization with platforms like ADP, BambooHR, and Workday.
  • Access to peer-to-peer feedback tools.
  • Gift card rewards are available in over 100 countries.
  • Custom company-branded rewards.
  • Automated birthday and work anniversary celebrations with rewards.

Pro + Surveys:

• Cost: $5 per user per month, billed annually, with monthly billing option.
• Features: All features included in Pro, plus:
  • Automated pulse surveys and eNPS capabilities.
  • Rewards for survey completions.
  • Custom surveys with advanced delivery options and analytics.

Enterprise:

• Special Pricing: Available for large organizations with tailored solutions.
• Features:
  • All features from Pro + Surveys, with additional enterprise-level customization and support.
  • Advanced integration capabilities and priority support.

Advantages of Matter's pricing

• Flexibility and scalability: Matter's pricing options are suitable for organizations of any size, ensuring that businesses only pay for the features they need.
• Advanced features at lower costs: Matter includes advanced features like automated surveys, extensive HRIS integrations, and a broad rewards catalog at competitive price points, providing more value compared to HeyTaco.
• Comprehensive free plan: The free forever plan offers significant value with unlimited users and essential features, making it ideal for small teams or organizations just starting their recognition journey.

HeyTaco pricing and plans

HeyTaco offers a straightforward pricing model focused primarily on its Slack integration:

Flat-rate pricing:

• Cost: $3 per user per month.
• Features:
  • Unlimited taco points for recognition.
  • Access to basic rewards options that each organization can customize.
  • Integration with Slack and Microsoft Teams.
  • Gamification elements like leaderboards and achievement badges.
  • Email support.

Limitations of HeyTaco's pricing

• Higher base cost for fewer features: HeyTaco's flat-rate pricing is higher than Matter's entry-level plan, but it does not offer the same range of features, such as advanced analytics, automated surveys, or extensive HRIS integration.
• Lack of flexibility: HeyTaco's single-tier pricing may not be as adaptable for organizations with varying sizes and needs, potentially making it less attractive for businesses looking for scalable solutions.
• Limited free option: HeyTaco does not offer a free plan comparable to Matter's free forever plan, which might deter smaller teams from adopting the platform without first committing financially.

Key takeaways on pricing and plans: When comparing the pricing and plans of HeyTaco and Matter, Matter stands out as the more cost-effective and flexible option, providing a comprehensive range of features at competitive prices. Whether seeking a free entry-level solution or a robust platform with advanced features, Matter offers unmatched flexibility, automation, and integration capabilities. It is the superior choice for organizations focused on creating a continuous recognition and appreciation culture.

HeyTaco vs. Matter: Customer support

Customer support is critical when picking an employee recognition program, as it ensures that organizations can effectively implement and maintain their programs. Matter offers a more comprehensive and hands-on customer support experience compared to HeyTaco, providing greater value and assistance for organizations looking to optimize their recognition efforts.

Matter customer support

• Live chat and email support: Matter provides all users with responsive live chat and email support, ensuring quick assistance with platform-related questions or issues. This level of support is particularly valuable for HR teams and administrators who need fast resolutions to keep their recognition programs running smoothly.
• Dedicated account management: Matter offers dedicated account management for organizations on higher-tier plans, such as the Pro + Surveys and Enterprise plans. This service includes personalized guidance from a dedicated customer success manager who helps organizations optimize their platform use, develop effective recognition strategies, and achieve employee engagement goals.
• Extensive help center and resources: Matter maintains a robust help center filled with articles, tutorials, and FAQs, which are designed to help users navigate the platform and troubleshoot common issues independently. These resources are regularly updated to reflect new features and best practices, providing a valuable self-service option for users.
• Onboarding and training: Matter supports smooth onboarding with options for live team training sessions and custom video tutorials, ensuring high adoption rates and effective platform use across the organization. This is key to ensuring employees and managers quickly learn how to leverage Matter's features to their fullest potential.

HeyTaco customer support

• Basic email support: HeyTaco offers basic email support for users, which provides assistance with general inquiries and troubleshooting. While useful, this level of support may not match the immediacy and depth provided by Matter's live chat and dedicated account management options.
• Help center: HeyTaco includes a help center with various articles and guides to assist users in using the platform and solving common problems. However, the scope and depth of these resources may not be as comprehensive as those offered by Matter, which could limit their effectiveness in more complex scenarios.
• Limited onboarding and training resources: HeyTaco provides basic guidance for setting up the platform and launching rewards, but there is less emphasis on live training sessions or custom onboarding services compared to Matter. This could result in slower adoption or less effective use of the platform, especially for organizations that are new to employee recognition tools.

Key takeaways on customer support: When comparing customer support offerings, Matter provides a more robust and proactive approach. With live chat, dedicated account management, comprehensive onboarding resources, and an extensive help center, Matter guarantees that users may fully utilize the platform to improve employee engagement and maintain a high-performing culture. In contrast, HeyTaco's support is limited to email and basic self-service resources, which may not provide the same personalized service or assistance, particularly for larger organizations or those requiring more in-depth support.

HeyTaco vs. Matter: Customer reviews

Customer reviews provide valuable insights into how effectively each employee recognition platform meets user needs, improves employee engagement, and promotes a great workplace culture. Matter consistently receives higher praise for its ease of use, integration capabilities, and impact on organizational culture, while HeyTaco is also appreciated but has noted areas for improvement.

Matter customer reviews

Matter holds a strong G2 score of 4.7/5, reflecting high user satisfaction across categories like ease of use, integration, and effectiveness in boosting employee morale. Customers often highlight Matter's seamless integration with Slack and Microsoft Teams, user-friendly interface, and significant positive impact on company culture and engagement. Some examples of what users are saying:

• Michael Margolese, Senior Human Resources Manager at Trend Hunter: "I love how easy it is for employees to recognize each other with kudos. Matter has boosted morale, increased employee engagement, and it's now a strong presence in our company culture."
• Autumn Amescua, Chief Culture & People Officer at SXSW: "Matter helps us encourage behaviors that align with our company values and allows us to recognize and reward those who exemplify our values."
• Jeff Hagel, President at McInnis & Holloway: "Our company's culture & morale changed overnight! In under 2 months, we've had over 2,000 kudos sent and 80%+ engagement across all employees. Matter has motivated people to participate like no other software we have ever used."

These reviews highlight that Matter significantly impacts fostering a high-performing culture by facilitating frequent and meaningful recognition, supported by its deep integration and automated features.

HeyTaco customer reviews

HeyTaco has a G2 score of 4.8/5, with users praising the platform's simplicity and fun approach to employee recognition. The platform's integration with Slack and Microsoft Teams is noted for its ease of use, allowing employees to give "tacos" as recognition directly in their communication channels. However, some users have pointed out limitations in the platform's capabilities:

• Jill D.- "The most popular, social/collaborative, or vocal team members always end up getting the most tacos. Would be great to include features that prompt users to acknowledge more introverted and/or individual workers. I also find the gifts a bit pointless and don't use them -- they don't even give tacos!"
• Verified User in Information Technology and Services- "Wonderfully easy to give thanks to team members. The UX on the redemption page is clunky."

These reviews suggest that while HeyTaco effectively creates a light-hearted recognition environment, it may lack the depth of features, automation, and analytics needed for more strategic employee engagement initiatives.

Key takeaways from customer reviews: Both Matter and HeyTaco receive positive feedback from users, but Matter stands out for its comprehensive features, seamless integration, and significant positive impact on workplace culture. Matter's advanced analytics, automation tools, and extensive rewards catalog make it a more versatile and strategic solution for organizations wanting to build a continuous recognition and engagement culture. While HeyTaco is valued for its simplicity and fun approach, it may not provide the same level of flexibility or impact, especially for organizations with more complex recognition needs.

HeyTaco vs. Matter: Which is the right tool for you?

Selecting the ideal employee recognition platform depends on your organization's unique needs and goals for employee engagement, appreciation, and culture-building. While both HeyTaco and Matter offer valuable solutions, Matter emerges as the superior choice for several reasons.

Why Matter might be the perfect fit for your organization

1. Seamless integration with existing workflows: Matter integrates deeply with both Slack and Microsoft Teams, allowing recognition activities such as kudos, feedback, and surveys to occur naturally within the tools your employees already use daily. This seamless integration fosters ongoing engagement and simplifies the recognition process, making it a core part of the daily workflow without requiring additional tools or logins.
2. Comprehensive features to boost engagement levels: Matter provides robust features, including a unique weekly resetting coin system that encourages frequent and meaningful peer recognition. This system prevents points from accumulating indefinitely, ensuring that recognition remains fresh and impactful. Additionally, Matter's extensive reward catalog offers over 1,600 options, including digital gift cards, charitable donations, and custom rewards, catering to diverse employee preferences.
3. Advanced automation and analytics: Matter offers automated features such as Feedback Friday reminders, automated reward delivery, and birthday and work anniversary celebrations. These tools reduce the manual workload for HR teams while maintaining consistent engagement. Moreover, Matter provides advanced analytics to track engagement levels, recognition trends, and alignment with company values, assisting organizations in the development of data-driven decisions that enhance their programs.
4. High customer satisfaction and strong support: With a G2 score of 4.7 out of 5, Matter is praised for its ease of use, seamless integration with communication tools, and positive impact on workplace culture. The platform offers 24/7 support, extensive onboarding resources, and a dedicated customer success team, ensuring that organizations can fully leverage its capabilities.

How to determine the right tool for your organization

To decide between HeyTaco and Matter, consider the following:

• Integration needs: If your team uses both Slack and Microsoft Teams, Matter's seamless integration with both platforms provides more flexibility and reach.
• Recognition strategy: If frequent and meaningful recognition is a priority, Matter's weekly resetting coin system and comprehensive rewards catalog provide more substantial benefits. HeyTaco may suit organizations looking for a simpler, more fun approach.
• Automation and analytics: For organizations that want to reduce manual tasks and gain detailed insights into employee engagement, Matter's advanced automation features and analytics tools offer a significant advantage.
• Support and scalability: If your organization requires a scalable platform that provides robust assistance as your business expands and offers strong support, Matter's range of pricing options, robust features, and 24/7 support make it the better choice.

Key takeaways: While both platforms offer valuable employee recognition tools, Matter stands out for its comprehensive features, seamless integration, advanced automation, and extensive support options. It is the ideal choice for organizations fostering a culture of continuous recognition and engagement.

Final summary: Why Matter is the clear choice

Choosing the right employee recognition platform is essential for building a positive workplace culture, boosting employee morale, and enhancing overall engagement levels. While both HeyTaco and Matter offer solutions designed to improve employee appreciation, Matter stands out as the clear choice for several compelling reasons:

1. Comprehensive features tailored to unique needs: Matter provides a wide array of features beyond the basic peer recognition options in HeyTaco. From its unique weekly resetting coin system that fosters continuous engagement to its comprehensive reward catalog with over 1,600 options—including digital gift cards and charitable donations—Matter is designed to cater to diverse employee preferences and organizational values.
2. Advanced integration capabilities: Matter integrates seamlessly with Slack and Microsoft Teams, making recognition a natural part of existing workflows. This integration is more extensive than HeyTaco's, which focuses primarily on Slack. Matter also offers integrations with over 250 HRIS platforms, ensuring that all recognition activities are timely, accurate, and effectively managed.
3. Robust automation and analytics: Matter automates key recognition tasks, from Feedback Friday reminders to reward delivery, helping organizations save time and maintain consistent engagement. Additionally, Matter provides robust analytics to monitor engagement levels, recognition trends, and alignment with core values, empowering organizations to make data-driven decisions that improve employee satisfaction and retention.
4. Superior support and customer satisfaction: Matter consistently receives high praise for its user-friendly platform, seamless integration, and impact on workplace culture, boasting a G2 score of 4.7 out of 5. With live chat support, dedicated account management, and comprehensive onboarding resources, Matter provides companies with the necessary direction and support to optimize the advantages of their recognition programs.
5. Flexibility and scalability for businesses of any kind: Matter offers flexible pricing plans that cater to small teams and large enterprises alike, ensuring that every organization can find a solution that meets its needs and budget. With features that scale as organizations grow, Matter remains an effective choice for fostering a culture of recognition at every stage.

Why Matter is the best choice for your organization

In today's competitive business environment, fostering a culture of continuous recognition is crucial to boosting employee morale, enhancing engagement, and achieving better retention rates. Matter excels in all these areas with its comprehensive features, seamless integration with tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams, advanced automation, and robust support.

Matter offers an unparalleled solution for organizations looking to create a meaningful and engaging recognition experience that aligns with their core values and unique needs. Ready to transform your workplace culture? Get started with Matter for free today and discover how it can help your team feel more appreciated, motivated, and connected.