Microsoft Teams ships with a recognition feature and no rewards feature. Praise lets anyone send a badge with a note, and that is where it stops: no points, no gift cards, no catalog. So a rewards program on Teams always means a third-party app, one that has to clear a tenant admin and often a vendor gate on top, such as a premium plan or an assisted setup.
This guide covers eight apps that deliver rewards inside Teams and asks the questions that matter for rewards: is reward spend separate from the subscription, is there a fee or a minimum, does the recipient redeem inside Teams or in a portal, and how far does the catalog reach. Our recognition roundups judge how well these vendors prompt appreciation; this page judges what happens after the thank-you.
Last verified September 2026.
The short version
Matter, Bonusly, Awardco, Guusto, Motivosity, Workhuman, and Snappy all run natively inside Teams; Nectar gives natively and redeems in its web app. Matter, Bonusly, Guusto, and Snappy publish prices; the rest quote through sales. For a self-serve start with rewards billed only on redemption, Matter is the pick. For manager-sent gift cards across a frontline workforce, Guusto is the stronger fit. Workhuman has the strongest third-party Teams App Store showing and suits global enterprise award programs; Awardco suits Amazon-backed formal awards.
Quick comparison
| App | Native to Teams | Teams App Store rating | Starting price | Try before you buy | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matter | Yes, give and redeem | 5.0 across 1,476 | Free plan; Pro $3 per user/month, billed annually | 14-day free trial | Teams-first SMB and mid-size teams |
| Bonusly | Yes, give and redeem | 4.4 across 45 | Free up to 8 users; Team $3 per user/month | Free tier; 30 day trial | Points economy, large catalog |
| Nectar | Give in Teams, redeem in Nectar | 4.4 across 2,319 | Not published | Demo only | Recognition plus comms |
| Awardco | Yes, feed and approvals | 4.5 across 1,418 | Packages from $3,000 (100 employees or fewer) | No trial | Amazon-backed awards |
| Guusto | Yes, on premium plan | Listed, no ratings yet | Free plan; Lite $150/mo | Free plan; 30 day trial on Lite | Manager-sent gift cards, frontline |
| Motivosity | Yes, full platform | 4.2 across 58 | Custom, $3,000 minimum per year | No trial | Quote-based peer bonuses |
| Workhuman | Yes, awards and store | 4.7 across 2,979 | Not published | No trial | Global enterprise awards |
| Snappy | Yes, on paid tiers | Not listed | Free Essential; Teams delivery on Elevated, $2,000 per year | Free tier (no Teams delivery) | Occasion-based gifting |
Pricing verified September 2026 against each vendor's pricing page; ratings from G2 as of September 2026, with Microsoft Teams App Store ratings read by hand from the native ratings widget in August 2026.
How we evaluated these rewards apps
We build Matter, which runs recognition, rewards, celebrations, and surveys natively inside Microsoft Teams and Slack, so read our take on our own product with that in mind. For every other app we read the vendor's pricing page, Teams integration page, and help center, and pulled named G2 reviews; most we have not used hands-on. Pricing and availability were verified in September 2026 against each vendor's own pricing page and app listing; ratings are from G2 as of September 2026, and Teams App Store ratings were read by hand from the native ratings widget in August 2026.
Five criteria: whether giving and redeeming happen inside Teams; how rewards are funded and billed, including fees and minimums; catalog reach; what the tenant admin has to do to install it; and the Teams App Store rating, the one public signal of how an app behaves in real tenants.
One number shaped the weighting. In The Recognition Habit, Matter’s 2026 Benchmark Report, habit teams redeem 78% of earned coins vs 27% for everyone else, the median redemption is $30, and 40% are under $25. Small and frequent beats large and rare, so the redemption path carries real weight below. It also finds that almost half of teams (46%) send their first recognition within 15 minutes of setup, 1 in 3 within 5 minutes, and the figures are identical on Slack and Teams; on Teams, two-thirds of the team onboards within the first hour. More is at matterapp.com/research.
What to look for in rewards apps for Microsoft Teams
- Redeem in Teams or in a portal. Some apps put the catalog and wallet inside the Teams app; others link to a web app with its own login, and every extra login is a place where rewards go unclaimed.
- How the reward budget is billed. Is reward spend separate from the subscription, is there a convenience fee, and is a prepaid minimum the only way to avoid it? Several vendors publish nothing until the proposal.
- Tenant admin approval. A Teams admin has to allow the app in Manage apps and may need to add it to a setup policy and pin it. Some vendors also require a premium plan or assisted setup before the Teams app is available.
- Praise overlap. Praise already covers the free thank-you; a rewards app earns its place by adding the points, catalog, budget controls, and reporting that Praise lacks.
The best rewards apps for Microsoft Teams in 2026
1. Matter
Matter is a recognition and rewards app native to Microsoft Teams and Slack. We build it, so weigh this entry accordingly. Kudos, rewards, celebrations, and surveys happen inside Teams with no separate login, user management syncs from Teams, and setup takes about two minutes from AppSource. Leaders can also use Matter with Microsoft Copilot to surface recognition, celebrations, survey insights, and reward activity in natural language.
Feedback Friday™ (US Patent 12,199,935) prompts the team weekly; give-coins reset weekly, earned coins never expire. People redeem coins from inside Teams for 10,000+ eGift card options across 200+ countries, company swag (print-on-demand or self-fulfillment), or custom rewards you define, like a day off.
Standout strength: Matter rates 5.0 across 1,476 ratings on the Teams App Store, the only app here at 5.0 with meaningful volume. Rewards are billed only when an admin approves a redemption, prepaid or pay-as-you-go, custom rewards cost nothing, and there is no convenience fee or prepaid minimum. Matter hasn't raised prices in 8 years.
Watch out for: Rewards, swag, and challenges need Pro; the Free plan and Basic cover kudos, celebrations, and reporting but not the catalog. Surveys are a paid add-on, HRIS sync is Enterprise-only, and analytics are lighter than enterprise suites. The reviews on G2 give the unfiltered version.
Pricing: Free plan for unlimited users. Basic is $1 per user/month, billed annually. Pro, which includes rewards, is $3 per user/month, billed annually. Surveys add-on $2 per user/month, billed annually. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial, no credit card, and you are billed only for members of the connected team. Verified September 2026 on Matter’s pricing page.
Best for: Small and mid-size teams on Teams that want giving, redeeming, and billing in one native app at a published price.
2. Bonusly
Bonusly is the most established points-based app in the category. In Teams people can give recognition from a meeting, a chat, the search bar (type /bonusly), or the Bonusly Home tab, and a monthly allowance of points converts to gift cards and other rewards.
Standout strength: A full native experience across chat, meetings, and Home tab, plus a free tier for up to 8 users that includes the Teams integration. Bonusly holds 4.7 across 7,378 reviews on G2.
Watch out for: Rewards are billed separately: pay-as-you-go carries an 8% convenience fee, a Flex prepaid balance of $200 and up carries 5%, and only a Fixed prepayment of $2,500 or higher has no fee. Its Teams App Store base is thin, 4.4 across 45 ratings, and Bianca B., an onboarding specialist, noted in July 2026 that “The monthly points can run out quickly.”
Pricing: Free for up to 8 users. Team + Bizy is $5 per user/month, Team without Bizy is $3 per user/month or $30 per user paid annually, and Organization is custom pricing, with a free trial of 30 days on Team. Verified September 2026.
Best for: Mid-size companies that want a points economy and can fund rewards on top of seats. See our Bonusly vs. Matter comparison.
3. Nectar
Nectar packages recognition with internal comms. In Teams, employees send recognition in chats or channels and posts appear in the channels you choose; for history and rewards, people click through to the Nectar web app. Setup is listed at 10 to 20 minutes with Microsoft 365 or Teams admin approval required.
Standout strength: Scale on both marketplaces: 4.4 across 2,319 ratings on the Teams App Store and 4.7 across 8,626 reviews on G2.
Watch out for: No public pricing; every tier routes to a demo. Redemption happens outside Teams. Shelby H., a senior manager in people strategy, wrote in August 2026 that reporting “could be more robust.”
Pricing: Not published. Tiers are Nectar Recognize alone or bundled with Nectar Engage, Nectar Comms, or Nectar Flows, all quoted through sales. Verified September 2026.
Best for: Mid-size to large companies that want recognition and comms in one sales-led contract. Our Nectar vs. Matter comparison goes deeper.
4. Awardco
Awardco is a rewards-first platform built around an Amazon-backed catalog. Its Teams app lets employees recognize each other in Teams, shows the recognition feed inside Teams, and runs recognition approvals there too. Setup is Awardco-assisted and listed at one hour.
Standout strength: Catalog reach through Amazon, a 4.5 across 1,418 ratings on the Teams App Store, and a 4.9 across 6,378 reviews on G2, the highest G2 figure here.
Watch out for: No per-user price is published, reward spend is separate from the platform fee, and setup is vendor-assisted. Justin F., a support service manager, wrote in August 2026 that he wanted “some reminders that my awarding points are gonna expire.”
Pricing: Companies with 100 employees or fewer can contact sales for flexible packages starting at $3,000; everything else, including the A-Pay card and Company Store add-ons, is quoted. No free trial. Verified September 2026.
Best for: Mid-size to enterprise organizations that want Amazon-backed rewards and service awards under one contract. See our Awardco vs. Matter comparison.
5. Guusto
Guusto is a manager-to-employee gift-card rewards platform, and as of an August 2026 vendor update the full experience lives inside Teams and Outlook: managers send recognition, recipients claim gifts and view their wallet, all without switching to a browser. The Teams integration is available on the premium subscription plan.
Standout strength: A free plan, separate sender and recipient seat pricing, and the highest G2 rating in this set, 4.9 across 6,030 reviews on G2. It is a natural fit for frontline and shift teams where a manager sends the reward and the employee just needs to claim it.
Watch out for: No Slack integration yet, an admin must allow, policy-add, and pin the Teams app (up to 24 hours to propagate), and the Teams App Store listing has no ratings yet. Reward funds are loaded separately; Hayley M., a supply chain enablement manager, wrote in April 2026 that “The process to fund accounts is not as smooth as with all of our other vendors.”
Pricing: Free plan. Lite is $150/mo for 1 sender seat and 250 recipient seats, with a trial of 30 days. Essential has a minimum contract of $200/mo; Premium is $5.00/mo per sender seat and $1.00/mo per recipient seat with a minimum contract of $500/mo. Verified September 2026.
Best for: Manager-sent gift-card rewards for frontline and mixed workforces in Microsoft shops. See our Guusto vs. Matter comparison.
6. Motivosity
Motivosity pairs peer appreciation with small monetary bonuses. Its Teams app, the Motivosity Team Connector, gives people the full platform inside Teams: appreciations, the rewards store, awards, and Spaces. Admins can pin it org-wide through setup policies.
Standout strength: The full platform, rewards store included, without leaving Teams, with 4.7 across 3,617 reviews on G2.
Watch out for: Pricing is 100% custom with a $3,000 minimum, no free plan or trial, and a thin Teams App Store base at 4.2 across 58 ratings. Clayton M., a customer success manager, wrote in April 2026 that with a monthly budget “it felt like you were just trying to come up with something to compliment someone on.”
Pricing: Custom, shown as ranges by company size from $3,000 to $10,000 per year for 20 to 250 employees upward, with a $3,000 minimum annual investment. Verified September 2026.
Best for: Mid-market companies that want a quote-based recognition and rewards platform with a monthly peer bonus budget. See our Motivosity vs. Matter comparison.
7. Workhuman
Workhuman is the enterprise standard for budgeted, approval-based award programs. Inside Teams, employees send and receive awards, see their points balance, and reach the Workhuman Store to redeem for merchandise, gift cards, charities, or experiences; IT can deploy the app centrally.
Standout strength: The strongest third-party showing on the Teams App Store in this set, 4.7 across 2,979 ratings, and 4.7 across 2,516 reviews on G2.
Watch out for: Workhuman does not publicly disclose pricing, offers no trial or free plan, and the Teams app is for existing customers. Jason H., a principal user experience designer, wrote in February 2026: “I don't like that it is not cash because it is taxed as such.”
Pricing: Not published; quote via demo request. Verified September 2026.
Best for: Large enterprises running a global, budgeted awards program with approval workflows. See our Workhuman vs. Matter comparison.
8. Snappy
Snappy is a gifting platform, not a recognition program. Once installed from AppSource or the Snappy admin dashboard, you can send a gift from a Teams chat; recipients get the notification in Teams, pick a gift from a curated collection, and enter shipping details. Gift budgets run from $5 to $15,000.
Standout strength: Recipient-choice gifting to 176+ countries on a free Essential tier, and 4.8 across 313 reviews on G2.
Watch out for: Teams delivery is only on the Elevated and Enterprise tiers, and the platform fee is separate from gift spend. Jesus Alberto G., an admissions specialist, wrote in September 2026 that “the timing response is something they need to work on, particularly with customer service.”
Pricing: Essential is free with unlimited users; Elevated is $2,000 per year; Enterprise is quoted. Gift notifications directly in Microsoft Teams appear on Elevated and Enterprise only. Verified September 2026.
Best for: People teams sending occasion-based physical gifts at scale, alongside a separate recognition tool.
What it actually takes to get started
The first gate is the tenant. Most organizations block third-party apps until a Teams admin allows them in Manage apps, and app permission policies decide who can add them afterward; for an org-wide rollout the admin adds the app to a setup policy and pins it. Nectar, Motivosity, and Guusto all say admin approval is part of setup. Matter installs from AppSource in about two minutes once allowed, with no new logins and user management synced from Teams, which is the part IT admins tend to ask about first; the Teams installation guide covers the admin steps.
The second gate is the vendor: Guusto's Teams app needs its premium plan, Snappy's needs Elevated or Enterprise, Awardco's setup is vendor-assisted, and Workhuman's app is for existing customers. Then money: Matter and Bonusly let you start giving before any reward budget exists; Guusto loads funds separately; the sales-led vendors handle funding in the contract. None of the eight requires an HRIS to launch; Matter has 250+ HRIS integrations available on Enterprise, and no HRIS project is required because user management syncs from Slack or Teams. More than 3 in 4 teams that start recognizing on Matter send their first kudos within 24 hours of signing up.
How to choose the right rewards app for your team
Start with who sends the reward. If rewards flow peer to peer on a small, frequent allowance, Matter and Bonusly are built for that, and Matter's weekly coin reset keeps the spend predictable. If a manager sends the reward and the employee just claims it, especially across stores, plants, or clinics, Guusto is the better pick. If the program is a budgeted, approval-based awards scheme across thousands of people, Workhuman is built for that and its Teams App Store numbers back it up.
Then size and purchasing. Under about 200 people you want published pricing and no minimum: Matter, Bonusly, or Guusto. Between 200 and 1,000, Motivosity and Nectar come into play if procurement can handle a quote and an annual contract. Above 1,000, Awardco's Amazon-backed catalog and Workhuman's award workflows earn their price. Snappy sits alongside any of these for anniversaries and holiday gifts.
Finally, check what Praise already gives you for free and buy only the layer above it: the moment you need a gift card, a budget, or a report, you need one of the eight apps above.
Frequently asked questions about rewards apps for Microsoft Teams
Does Microsoft Praise include rewards?
No. Praise is Microsoft's built-in recognition feature in Teams: any Teams user can send a badge with one of 14 titles and a note of up to 500 characters. Microsoft's documentation describes no points, gift cards, catalog, custom badges, or admin reporting, and praise trends need a Viva Insights subscription at $4.00 user/month, paid yearly. Any rewards program on Teams needs a third-party app.
Which rewards apps have the best Teams App Store ratings?
As of August 2026, Matter rates 5.0 across 1,476 ratings, Workhuman 4.7 across 2,979, Awardco 4.5 across 1,418, Nectar 4.4 across 2,319, Bonusly 4.4 across 45, and Motivosity 4.2 across 58. Guusto is listed with no ratings yet, and Snappy is not listed in our verified set.
Can employees redeem rewards without leaving Microsoft Teams?
With most apps here, yes. Matter, Bonusly, Guusto, Motivosity, and Workhuman put the catalog, store, or wallet inside their Teams apps. Awardco and Nectar redeem in their own platforms, and Snappy recipients choose their gift on Snappy's site.
Do I need a Teams admin to install a rewards app?
Usually. Most tenants block third-party apps until a Teams admin allows them in Manage apps, and app permission policies control who can add them afterward. Nectar, Motivosity, and Guusto each state that admin approval is part of setup. Matter installs from AppSource in about two minutes once the app is allowed.
How much does an employee rewards app for Teams cost?
Matter, Bonusly, Guusto, and Snappy have free plans. Rewards on Matter start on Pro at $3 per user/month, billed annually, with a 14-day free trial; Bonusly's Team plan is $3 per user/month with rewards funded separately; Guusto's Lite plan is $150/mo. Nectar, Awardco, Motivosity, and Workhuman quote through sales. Reward spend is billed on top of every subscription.
The bottom line
Praise gives every Teams tenant a free thank-you; a rewards app has to add the points, catalog, and reporting on top. Matter is the self-serve pick with published pricing and redemption in Teams; Guusto is the pick for manager-sent gift cards on frontline teams; Workhuman and Awardco fit enterprise award programs; Bonusly, Nectar, and Motivosity fit mid-market points programs; Snappy covers physical gifts. If you also run Slack, see our guide to Slack apps for employee rewards and the combined Slack and Teams roundup.
For the wider picture, read our guides to employee rewards software and building an employee rewards program, see how Matter’s employee rewards work, or browse the best Teams apps for people teams. If you want rewards native to Teams, billed only on redemption, and priced in the open, Matter is built for that.
