As businesses prioritize employee recognition to build more engaged, productive teams, platforms like Nectar and Guusto provide solutions designed to foster peer-to-peer recognition, boost employee morale, and reward great work. This 2024 unbiased comparison explores the strengths and key differences between these two leading platforms, helping you determine which best meets your company's needs.
Both platforms excel in providing companies with flexible recognition options. While Nectar emphasizes peer-driven recognition tied to company values, Guusto stands out for its flexible reward options, including gift cards, swag, and charity donations, redeemable at over 60,000 locations globally.
Nectar vs. Guusto: Overview comparison
Nectar and Guusto provide effective platforms for employee recognition and rewards, though their approaches and feature sets differ. Below is an overview of how these two platforms compare:
Nectar: Nectar is designed around peer-to-peer recognition, allowing employees to send shoutouts tied directly to the company's core values. It fosters frequent recognition and engagement through Nectar points, which employees can accumulate and redeem for rewards like gift cards, branded merchandise, or charitable donations.
Its emphasis on value-based recognition helps companies create a positive work culture where appreciation is an everyday occurrence. In addition, Nectar automates recognition for work anniversaries and birthdays, ensuring important milestones are celebrated. The software interacts effortlessly with widely-used platforms such as Slack and Microsoft Teams, allowing employees to give and receive recognition within their daily workflow.
Guusto: Guusto emphasizes flexibility and simplicity in rewards. It allows employees to choose from a wide selection of gift cards redeemable at over 60,000 global locations. One of Guusto's standout features is its no-cost setup, with companies only being charged when recognition is actually sent. This makes it a cost-effective solution for businesses that want to offer customizable rewards without being locked into long-term contracts or expensive setup fees. Additionally, Guusto supports peer-to-peer recognition and automates milestones like birthdays and anniversaries, giving organizations flexibility in recognizing their employees.
In summary, Nectar fosters peer-driven recognition tied to core values, making it ideal for companies looking to build a value-based culture. Guusto stands out with its flexible rewards system, offering gift cards and easy-to-use options that are accessible without upfront costs.
Nectar vs. Guusto: Features
Both platforms offer robust features to support employee engagement and recognition, but they differ in how they structure rewards and recognition.
Nectar features:
- Peer-to-peer recognition: Nectar allows employees to send recognition via shoutouts tied to core company values, promoting alignment between daily work and organizational goals.
- Nectar points: Employees earn points for recognition, which can be exchanged for diverse rewards such as gift cards, swag, or charity donations.
- Automated milestones: Nectar automates work anniversaries and birthdays, ensuring no important event is missed.
- Integrations: Seamless integration with Slack, Microsoft Teams, and major HRIS systems simplifies the process, allowing employees to engage with the platform using the tools they already use.
Guusto features:
- Flexible rewards: Employees can redeem rewards at over 60,000 global locations, choosing from a wide selection of gift cards without using a points system.
- No-cost setup: Companies are only charged when recognition is sent, making Guusto a cost-effective solution with no long-term commitments or upfront fees.
- Peer recognition and automation: Guusto supports peer-to-peer recognition and automates recognition for milestones like birthdays and work anniversaries, similar to Nectar.
- Charitable giving: Guusto also allows companies to integrate charitable donations into their recognition programs.
In conclusion, Nectar builds engagement through value-based recognition and points-driven rewards. At the same time, Guusto offers a more flexible, cost-effective approach with global gift card rewards and minimal overhead.
Nectar vs. Guusto: Integration options
Regarding integrations, both Nectar and Guusto enable businesses to seamlessly embed recognition into their existing workflows, supporting collaboration and HR systems to streamline recognition processes.
Nectar integrations:
- Slack and Microsoft Teams: Nectar integrates directly with Slack and Microsoft Teams, allowing employees to recognize peers with shoutouts in real-time without leaving their workspace.
- HRIS systems: Nectar connects with leading HR platforms like BambooHR, Workday, and ADP, automating employee data synchronization and ensuring that important milestones like birthdays and work anniversaries are recognized.
- Single sign-on (SSO): Nectar provides SSO integrations with providers like Okta and Azure, ensuring secure access for all users without needing multiple logins.
Guusto integrations:
- HRIS platforms: Guusto integrates with HR systems to simplify employee data management, ensuring employee lists are always current.
- Slack and Microsoft Teams: Similar to Nectar, Guusto integrates with both Slack and Microsoft Teams, bringing peer recognition and rewards to where your employees work.
- Single sign-on (SSO): Guusto offers SSO integrations, making login experiences seamless and secure and ensuring smooth access for large teams.
Both platforms excel in providing seamless integration options. However, Nectar offers deeper integrations with HRIS systems and is ideal for companies focused on core value recognition. Guusto emphasizes simplicity and ease of use, with robust options for frontline and remote workers, making it a great fit for diverse teams.
Nectar vs. Guusto: Pricing and plans
Pricing is a vital factor when choosing an employee recognition platform, and both Nectar and Guusto offer flexible options that cater to businesses of various sizes but with different pricing approaches.
Have a look at a more detailed overview of Nectar's plans and pricing.
Nectar pricing:
- Plus $5/user/month, billed annually
- Premium $6/user/month, billed annually
- Custom [Book Demo for Quote]
Have a look at a more detailed overview of Guusto's plans and pricing.
Guusto pricing:
- Free: $0 per month, single-user account
- Lite: $40 per month, single-user account
- Essential: $120 per month, Starts with 30 seats
- Premium: $400 per month, Starts with 80 seats
While Nectar provides a pay-per-active-user model ideal for companies wanting to manage costs associated with inactive users, Guusto's free plan and tiered pricing offer flexibility, especially for businesses that want to start small and scale as needed. Both platforms are scalable, but Guusto's pricing model allows companies to control costs more easily when expanding recognition efforts.
Nectar vs. Guusto: Customer support
Customer support is essential in the successful implementation and ongoing use of Nectar and Guusto. Both platforms offer robust options, but there are key differences in their approaches to support.
Nectar customer support:
- Dedicated account manager: For higher-tier plans, Nectar offers a dedicated account manager to ensure businesses have personalized assistance during onboarding, customization, and regular use.
- Live chat and email support: Nectar provides standard live chat and email support that is accessible from their website, giving users direct access to help during business hours.
- Help center: Nectar offers a comprehensive help center with articles and guides to troubleshoot common issues and explore platform features.
- Support for premium plans: For those on the Premium plan, access to dedicated, more personalized support is provided, ensuring that more complex needs are met effectively.
Guusto customer support:
- Instant support and help desk: Guusto provides real-time customer support through an in-app help desk and online chat. Their goal is to offer prompt responses to queries, ensuring minimal downtime.
- Dedicated customer success: For larger clients, Guusto provides account managers who offer personalized guidance and ensure that recognition programs run smoothly.
- Comprehensive resources: Guusto also provides resources like video tutorials, help center articles, and an FAQ section to guide users through setup and use of the platform.
Key differences: While both platforms offer strong customer support, Nectar focuses more on self-service support through their help center and provides more personalized assistance for premium clients. Guusto, on the other hand, emphasizes instant support and dedicated help desk services, making it more accessible for businesses that need real-time assistance or have fast-paced environments.
Nectar vs. Guusto: Customer reviews
Real-world user experiences provide valuable insight into how these platforms perform in action. Here's what users have to say about Nectar and Guusto:
Nectar customer reviews
G2 rating: Nectar holds a G2 score of 4.7/5 based on over 200 reviews.
Users praise Nectar for its user-friendliness and integration with popular tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams, making it simple to recognize peers. Some users mentioned that while the platform is great for creating engagement, there could be more features to ensure inclusive recognition across all employees. Positive feedback on how peer recognition is tied to core values, ensuring meaningful interactions within the organization.
- "I struggled to properly give points to my team members in the beginning. The provided graphics, while simple, didn't clearly define the order of operations to mention, assign points, and assign a hashtag to the post. Perhaps a short video or animation on the three step process would be helpful." - Kelly S. (Customer G2 Review).
- "App is a little clunky. Not all website features are available on the app." - Verified User in Hospital & Health Care (Customer G2 Review).
- "An encouraging way to connect with people. It seems like a way to just obtain a reward for sake of false encouragement." - Verified User in Primary/Secondary Education.
Guusto customer reviews
G2 rating: Guusto holds a G2 score of 4.9/5 based on over 5,000 reviews.
Ease of use and flexibility in choosing rewards are major highlights, with users appreciating how simple it is to set up and distribute rewards at over 60,000 locations. Users also commend Guusto's customer service, citing it as fast and helpful, which is particularly important for companies with frontline or desk-less employees. Some reviews emphasize Guusto's impact on improving employee engagement and retention, making it a popular choice for businesses aiming to boost morale.
- "Most nominations are team events, yet only single persons are recognized. Would be nice to see a group award." - Verified User in Food Production (Customer G2 Review).
- "I like the rewards and the frequency of them, but it makes me log in every single time." - David B.
- "The limited number of merchants in the list. Also an offer was provided if we give a G2 review. It was a bogus offer as I have not seen that offer." - Verified User in Insurance.
Both Nectar and Guusto are highly regarded by users, with Nectar praised for its peer-to-peer recognition features and Guusto standing out for its flexible rewards and excellent customer service.
Nectar vs. Guusto: Which is the right tool for you?
Choosing between Nectar and Guusto depends on your company's unique needs, employee preferences, and the type of recognition program you want to implement. Both platforms provide excellent solutions, but they cater to different business priorities. Here's a breakdown to help you decide which platform aligns best with your business goals.
Choose Nectar if:
- Your company values peer-to-peer recognition and wants to tie recognition to core values. Nectar encourages employees to give meaningful shoutouts linked to company culture, fostering a sense of community and frequent recognition.
- You prefer a pay-per-active-user model, which allows for cost-effective management by charging only for employees actively using the platform. This structure helps businesses control costs while maintaining an engaged workforce.
- HR integrations such as BambooHR, ADP, and Workday are important for automating recognition tied to real-time employee data.
- Your business is looking for a broad selection of rewards, including gift cards, company-branded swag, and charity donations, to provide diverse options that resonate with employees' personal values and interests.
Check out our Nectar vs. Matter guide for a full comparison.
Choose Guusto if:
- Flexibility is a top priority for your organization. Guusto allows employees to choose from various global rewards redeemable at over 60,000 locations, including gift cards, company merchandise, and charitable donations.
- You are looking for a free or no-cost setup option. Guusto's pricing model is extremely flexible, allowing companies to start with a free plan and scale up as needed, making it perfect for businesses that want to grow their recognition programs gradually.
- Your organization employs a frontline workforce that may not have access to traditional recognition methods. Guusto is built to be accessible for deskless and frontline employees, with flexible delivery methods such as email, SMS, and QR codes.
- You need a platform that requires minimal setup time and instant access, offering a user-friendly, fast solution that helps businesses run recognition programs without complex onboarding.
Check out our Guusto vs. Matter guide for a full comparison.
Ultimately, Nectar is ideal for companies prioritizing peer recognition and creating a value-driven culture with a flexible cost model. At the same time, Guusto excels in offering flexible reward options and serving frontline workers effectively. Both platforms are excellent choices, but selecting the right one depends on your company's specific needs and structure.
Matter: The best alternative to Nectar and Guusto
With the additional insights about Matter, it becomes clear why it stands out as a leading Nectar and Guusto alternative. Matter provides a flexible, user-friendly, and highly customizable recognition platform designed to enhance peer-to-peer recognition and foster continuous feedback in the workplace.
Why Matter stands out:
- Slack-first and Teams-first integration: Matter seamlessly integrates with Slack and Microsoft Teams, making it the perfect tool for companies that rely on these communication platforms. This ensures that employees can give and receive recognition without disrupting their daily workflows.
- Customizable kudos cards: Matter enhances recognition by allowing employees to send personalized kudos cards, which can be customized to align with company values, special occasions, or team events, adding a fun and meaningful touch to the recognition process.
- Automated and easy-to-use platform: With automated features like Feedback Friday, Matter encourages employees to recognize peers regularly. The platform is designed for minimal setup, taking only a few minutes to install and customize, ensuring a seamless experience for HR teams.
- Flexible rewards system: Matter provides many reward options, including digital gift cards, prepaid Visa/Mastercard options, and custom rewards like company-branded merchandise. The system's coin-based rewards are refreshed weekly, promoting consistent and frequent recognition.
Matter offers a comprehensive solution for businesses of all sizes looking to balance ease of use, automation, and robust reward options, making it a powerful alternative to Guusto and Nectar competitors as well. Whether your company values frequent recognition or scalability, Matter provides a complete system designed to grow with your organization.
Nectar vs. Guusto: FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions to help you determine whether Nectar or Guusto is the best fit for your company's employee recognition program.
Q: How do Nectar and Guusto compare in terms of features?
A: Nectar focuses on peer-to-peer recognition, emphasizing core values and frequent shoutouts. It also automates work anniversaries and birthdays, providing global reward options such as gift cards and branded swag. In contrast, Guusto excels at flexibility, offering reward choices redeemable at over 60,000 locations worldwide, including gift cards, charity donations, and custom rewards.
Q: Which platform is better suited for large, global organizations?
A: Guusto is more suited for large organizations due to its global reach and the ability to serve frontline workers with easy-to-access rewards via SMS, QR codes, and mobile apps. While effective for mid-sized companies, Nectar emphasizes frequent peer recognition and core value-based engagement, making it suitable for organizations focused on building company culture.
Q: How do these platforms integrate with existing tools?
A: Nectar integrates seamlessly with major HR systems like BambooHR, ADP, and Workday, automating recognition based on real-time employee data. It also integrates with Slack and Microsoft Teams for easy recognition within communication tools. Guusto offers similar integrations, but it also stands out with delivery options tailored for frontline workers, using SMS, QR codes, and TV displays for recognition.
Q: How do Nectar and Guusto handle customer support?
A: Nectar offers live chat, email support, and a dedicated account manager for premium clients. It also provides a self-service help center for troubleshooting common issues. Guusto, on the other hand, provides real-time support via an in-app help desk, live chat, and personalized customer service tailored to businesses that need quick responses from frontline employees.
Q: Are there any alternatives to Nectar and Guusto?
A: Yes, if you're looking for Nectar alternatives or Guusto competitors, Matter is an excellent choice. Matter integrates with Slack and Microsoft Teams, offering customizable kudos cards for peer recognition and automating milestone celebrations. It also provides a flexible coin-based reward system that resets weekly to encourage frequent participation.
Q: How do these platforms manage user interaction and connection with the system?
A: Nectar provides an intuitive platform where employees can easily send shoutouts via Slack or Teams. Guusto stands out by offering flexible delivery methods for recognition, including options for employees without regular digital access, such as SMS and print options, making it highly adaptable for frontline workers.
Both Nectar and Guusto offer valuable employee recognition solutions designed to enhance employee engagement and boost workplace morale. While Nectar focuses on peer-to-peer recognition tied to core company values, Guusto excels with its flexible reward options redeemable at over 60,000 locations, making it ideal for global and diverse workforces. Whether your business prioritizes value-driven recognition or global reward flexibility, both platforms provide effective tools to support your team's engagement.
If you're looking for an alternative combining Nectar and Guusto's best features, Matter stands out as a user-friendly, customizable kudos platform. With seamless integration into Slack and Microsoft Teams, automated milestone celebrations, and a flexible coin-based reward system, Matter also provides an all-in-one solution for businesses. When comparing to Nectar and Guusto competitors, Matter also stands out for improving employee engagement and fostering a positive workplace culture.
Get started with Matter for free today and elevate your recognition efforts to the next level!
