Guusto

guusto.com
HR & Payroll
Weekend Project

Employee Recognition Software and Rewards Platform

How to Replace Guusto

Overview

Guusto is an employee recognition and rewards platform that helps HR and Operations leaders create engagement programs for office and frontline workers. It streamlines rewards distribution, automates milestones, and enables peer-to-peer recognition programs across industries including healthcare, retail, hospitality, manufacturing, and financial services.

Features

39 features across 19 categories

Access(1)

Mobile App

Access recognition and rewards through mobile application

Administration(1)

Budget ManagementPremium

Empower managers with budgets and control spending limits across departments

Also in: Notion, Airtable, Smartsheet

Analytics(2)

Manager InsightsPremium

Provide managers with real-time insights and nudges on team engagement

Reporting and Analytics

Access reports and analytics on recognition programs and engagement

Also in: Hugging Face, Notion, Smartsheet

Automation(3)

Automation Claim Periods

Automatically set claim periods for recognition rewards

Milestone Automation

Automate recognition for milestones and birthdays

Schedule Rewards

Schedule recognition and rewards to be sent at future dates

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Budget Management(2)

Cancel Unclaimed Rewards

Cancel unclaimed gifts and receive credit back to budget

Enhanced Budget ControlsPremium

Advanced budget management with multiple programs and cost center controls

Also in: Melio, Plooto, Tipalti

Communication(4)

Offline Print Delivery

Print recognition cards for offline distribution

QR Code Recognition

Send and receive recognition through QR codes

SMS Recognition

Send recognition via SMS messaging

TV/Kiosk DisplayPremium

Display recognition on TV screens and kiosk displays

Also in: Jobber, Jira, Insightly

Core(2)

Employee Recognition

Send recognition and rewards to employees via multiple channels

Frontline Worker Support

Specialized support for frontline and hourly workers

Customization(2)

Custom Branding

Customize the platform with company branding

Custom Data FieldsPremium

Create custom data fields for tracking and segmentation

Also in: monday.com, Obsidian, Smartsheet

Delivery(2)

Direct Rewards

Send rewards directly to employees without requiring login

Route to Manager for DeliveryPremium

Route rewards to managers for in-person handoff to employees

Engagement(4)

Automated DrawsPremium

Automate random draws for recognition contests

LeaderboardsPremium

Display leaderboards of top recognizers and recipients

Peer-to-Peer RecognitionPremium

Enable full peer-to-peer recognition programs where employees can recognize each other

Social FeedsPremium

Display recognition in real-time social feeds

Integration(2)

API AccessPremium

Access to API for custom integrations and automations

HRIS IntegrationPremium

Integrate with HRIS systems for employee data synchronization

Localization(1)

Multiple Languages

Support for multiple language options

Recognition(1)

Non-Monetary Recognition

Send recognition without monetary rewards, such as shoutouts and badges

Reporting(1)

Custom Report AutomationPremium

Create and automate custom reports

Rewards(7)

Amazon Gift CardsPremium

Redeem rewards directly for Amazon gift cards

Charity DonationsPremium

Allow employees to donate their rewards to charitable causes

Custom RewardsPremium

Create fully custom reward options

Global RewardsPremium

Support for gift cards and rewards from merchants around the world

Multiple Reward Options

Redeem for gift cards from 100+ merchants, branded company swag, charity donations, and custom rewards

Prepaid Mastercard

Redeem rewards using prepaid Mastercard

Swag ProgramPremium

Manage branded company swag as a reward option

Security(1)

Single Sign-On (SSO)Premium

Enable single sign-on authentication

Sending(1)

Bulk Rewards

Send recognition and rewards in bulk to multiple recipients

Social Impact(1)

Social Impact Integration

Integrate social impact initiatives with One Drop Foundation for clean water donations

Support(1)

Dedicated Account ManagerPremium

Access to dedicated account manager support

Pricing

Free

Free
  • Send Rewards (Email, SMS)
  • Offline Print and QR Codes
  • 100+ Merchant Options
  • Multiple Languages
  • Cancel Unclaimed Rewards
  • Non-Monetary Recognition

Lite

$150/mo
  • 1 Full Seat and 250 Member Seats
  • Send Rewards (Email, SMS)
  • Offline Print and QR Codes
  • 100+ Merchant Options
  • Mobile App
  • Multiple Languages
  • Automate Milestones and Birthdays
  • Bulk Rewards
  • Schedule Rewards
  • Prepaid Mastercard
  • Cancel Unclaimed Rewards
  • Automate Claim Periods
  • Custom Branding
  • Reports and Analytics
  • Non-Monetary Recognition
  • Amazon Gift Cards
  • Up to 5 Workspaces

Essential

Popular
Sender Seat $6.72/mo, Recipient Seat $0.70/mo
  • Sender Seat $6.72/mo
  • Recipient Seat $0.70/mo
  • Minimum contract $200/mo
  • Send Rewards (Email, SMS)
  • Offline Print and QR Codes
  • 100+ Merchant Options
  • Mobile App
  • Multiple Languages
  • Automate Milestones and Birthdays
  • Bulk Rewards
  • Schedule Rewards
  • Prepaid Mastercard
  • Cancel Unclaimed Rewards
  • Automate Claim Periods
  • Custom Branding
  • Reports and Analytics
  • Non-Monetary Recognition
  • HRIS Integration
  • Real-Time Social Feeds
  • Leaderboards
  • Automate Random Draws
  • Route to Manager for Delivery
  • Charity Donation
  • Manager Insights - Direct
  • Amazon Gift Cards
  • Unlimited Workspaces
  • SSO
  • Microsoft Teams Integration
  • Sharepoint Integration
  • Outlook Integration
  • Budget Automation

Premium

Sender Seat $5.00/mo, Recipient Seat $1.00/mo
  • Sender Seat $5.00/mo
  • Recipient Seat $1.00/mo
  • Minimum contract $500/mo
  • Send Rewards (Email, SMS)
  • Offline Print and QR Codes
  • 100+ Merchant Options
  • Mobile App
  • Multiple Languages
  • Automate Milestones and Birthdays
  • Bulk Rewards
  • Schedule Rewards
  • Prepaid Mastercard
  • Cancel Unclaimed Rewards
  • Automate Claim Periods
  • Custom Branding
  • Reports and Analytics
  • Non-Monetary Recognition
  • HRIS Integration
  • Real-Time Social Feeds
  • Leaderboards
  • Automate Random Draws
  • Route to Manager for Delivery
  • Charity Donation
  • Manager Insights - Direct
  • Amazon Gift Cards
  • Unlimited Workspaces
  • SSO
  • Microsoft Teams Integration
  • Sharepoint Integration
  • Outlook Integration
  • Budget Automation
  • Approvals
  • Manager Insights - Indirect
  • Custom Data Fields
  • TV / Kiosk Display
  • Global Rewards
  • Custom Rewards
  • Swag Program
  • Custom Report Automation
  • Enhanced Budget Controls
  • Dedicated Account Manager
  • API

Enterprise

Custom
  • Enterprise-grade recognition solution
  • Customize, automate, and integrate with all systems
  • All Premium features plus custom configurations

Cost Calculator

Keep Paying Guusto

Monthly$150/mo
Yearly$1.8k/yr
5-Year Total$9k

Build It Yourself

Est. Build Time~3 hrs
Hosting$20/mo
DifficultyVery Easy

Total Cost Comparison

1 YearSave $1.6k
SaaS
$1.8k
DIY
$240
3 YearsSave $4.7k
SaaS
$5.4k
DIY
$720
5 YearsSave $7.8k
SaaS
$9k
DIY
$1.2k

DIY hosting estimate based on Vercel + Supabase free/pro tiers (~$20/mo). Build time estimated from 39 features at very easy complexity.

Build vs Buy

Should you build a Guusto alternative or buy the subscription? Estimate based on 39 features.

Buy Guusto

Monthly cost$1,500/mo
3-year total$54,000
Time to deployDays

Build Your Own

Better Value
Development cost$24,000
Maintenance$360/mo
3-year total$36,960
Dev time~2 months

Building could save ~$17,040 over 3 years.

Estimates based on 39 features and a BuildScore of 5/5. Actual costs vary.

Integrations

5 known integrations

APIHRIS IntegrationMicrosoft TeamsOutlookSharepoint