HeyTaco

heytaco.chat
HR & Payroll
Weekend Project

Employee Recognition Software for Slack & Microsoft Teams

How to Replace HeyTaco

Overview

HeyTaco is employee recognition software built directly into Slack and Microsoft Teams that enables teams to give each other virtual tacos as peer-to-peer recognition. It removes friction from appreciation by integrating recognition into the tools teams already use daily, driving 67% daily employee engagement through simple, meaningful moments of gratitude.

Features

21 features across 11 categories

Analytics(2)

Company and Individual Insights

Analytics and tracking tools to understand where recognition is thriving, where it's missing, and where teams may be at risk

Enhanced Analytics & InsightsPremium

Deep analytics and insights with recognition segmentation by department, geography, or team

Also in: Hugging Face, Notion, Smartsheet

Assessment(1)

Recognition Assessment

Free 6-question assessment to see how your team compares on recognition and appreciation with personalized tips to improve

Automation(1)

Automated Milestone CelebrationsPremium

Automatically celebrate birthdays and work anniversaries in Slack or Microsoft Teams without manual work from managers

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Customization(2)

Custom BrandingPremium

Customize Taco Shop and recognition experience with custom branding

Custom Emoji TrackingPremium

Track up to 1 custom emoji in addition to tacos

Also in: monday.com, Obsidian, Smartsheet

Gamification(2)

Gamification

Stickers, levels, and Tacotars to make recognition fun and engaging

Leaderboards

Customizable leaderboards that celebrate team contributions and make appreciation momentum visible

Integration(1)

API IntegrationsPremium

API integrations with rewards providers for custom solutions

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Organization(2)

Recognition SegmentationPremium

Segment recognition by department, geography, or team for targeted insights

Unlimited Teams and Channels

Create recognition across unlimited teams, channels, and spaces

Also in: Hugging Face, Smartsheet, 1Password

Recognition(5)

Daily Taco Limits

Customizable daily taco limits that keep appreciation intentional and prevent recognition favoritism cliques

Peer-to-Peer Recognition

Everyone gets 5 tacos each day to recognize teammates directly in Slack or Microsoft Teams

Public Recognition Channels

Recognition appears in public Slack or Teams channels, making appreciation visible and reinforcing company values in real time

Taco Tags

Connect recognition to company core values using hashtag-style tags so people live company values through everyday recognition

Taco TV

Put recognition at the center of your culture by broadcasting appreciation across screens so great work never goes unnoticed

Rewards(2)

Instant Gift CardsPremium

Send digital gift cards across 100+ countries with 2,000+ options including Amazon, Starbucks, and more

Taco Shop

Create custom rewards that employees can redeem tacos for, including extra PTO, parking spots, lunch with CEO, charity donations, and team lunches

Security(1)

SSO Login

Secure login with Single Sign-On

Support(2)

Bi-Annual Recognition Program ReviewPremium

Bi-annual recognition program review with dedicated account manager

Dedicated Account ManagerPremium

Dedicated account support to help customize, optimize, and scale recognition strategy

Pricing

Classic

$3/user/month
  • Peer-to-peer recognition
  • Custom daily taco limits
  • Unlimited teams, channels, and spaces
  • Customizable leaderboards and Taco TV
  • Taco Shop: create your own rewards
  • Gamification: stickers, levels, and Tacotars
  • Company/individual insights and tracking tools
  • Integrations with Slack and Microsoft Teams
  • Secure login with SSO
  • World class customer support

Deluxe

Popular
$5/user/month
  • Everything in Classic
  • Automated milestone celebrations (birthdays, work anniversaries)
  • Instant gift cards (2,000+ options in 200+ countries)
  • Dedicated account manager to help customize, optimize, and scale

Supreme

Custom
  • Everything in Deluxe
  • Recognition segmentation (by department, geography, or team)
  • Taco Shop custom branding
  • API integrations with rewards providers
  • Custom emoji tracking (up to 1)
  • Enhanced analytics & insights
  • Bi-annual recognition program review with dedicated account manager

Enterprise

Custom
  • Custom pricing for large teams

Cost Calculator

Keep Paying HeyTaco

Monthly$3/mo
Yearly$36/yr
5-Year Total$180

Build It Yourself

Est. Build Time~2 hrs
Hosting$20/mo
DifficultyVery Easy

Total Cost Comparison

1 Year
SaaS
$36
DIY
$240
3 Years
SaaS
$108
DIY
$720
5 Years
SaaS
$180
DIY
$1.2k

DIY hosting estimate based on Vercel + Supabase free/pro tiers (~$20/mo). Build time estimated from 21 features at very easy complexity.

Build vs Buy

Should you build a HeyTaco alternative or buy the subscription? Estimate based on 21 features.

Buy HeyTaco

Better Value
Monthly cost$30/mo
3-year total$1,080
Time to deployDays

Build Your Own

Development cost$12,000
Maintenance$180/mo
3-year total$18,480
Dev time~1 months

Buying HeyTaco saves ~$17,400 over 3 years vs building.

Estimates based on 21 features and a BuildScore of 5/5. Actual costs vary.

Integrations

2 known integrations