In today’s hybrid work environment, companies need an easy and streamlined way to facilitate internal communication, employee engagement, and workflows for office and front-line workers. This is where employee apps come in. Employee apps are digital platforms for improving employee experience in the workplace. Compared to regular employee engagement software, they are available and mainly used on mobile devices.
In this article, we’ve reviewed and defined the seven best employee apps based on their features, pros and cons, third-party reviews, and value propositions. But first, what is a company app for employees?
- 1. Haiilo - Best Employee Experience App
- 2. 15Five - Best for Performance Management
- 3. Slack - Best for Instant Messaging
- 4. Bonusly - Best for Employee Recognition
- 5. Monday.com - Best for Project Management
- 6. BambooHR - Best for Hiring and Onboarding
- 7. TalentLMS - Best for Learning and Development
- 8. Apploye - Best for Time Tracking and Productivity
What is an employee app?
An employee app is a company app for employees that allows you to quickly and easily provide your workforce with company-relevant information and to communicate across office locations and departments, often as a mobile extension of the intranet. It is an employee engagement software in the form of a mobile app with one or more functions.
Company apps can have different functions. For example, Slack is predominantly for instant messaging, whereas the Haiilo employee experience app empowers companies to drive employee engagement, and Flock combines internal messaging with calendar scheduling. Employee apps can be dedicated to different parts of employee journeys, including:
- Internal communications;
- Employee engagement;
- Performance management;
- Instant messaging;
- Recognition;
- Project management;
- HR & onboarding;
- Learning and development.
Different types of employee apps
Employee apps can facilitate essential company functions like internal communications, HR, time tracking, and engagement. A company mobile app can either have multiple functions or be solely focused on one task. For example, MS Teams is predominantly an employee communication app, whereas the Haiilo app empowers companies to drive employee experience and engagement.
Here are some different types of employee apps depending on their function:
- Employee communication apps (for example, Slack or MS Teams);
- Employee engagement apps (for example, Haiilo or 15Five);
- Employee tracking apps (for example, Connecteam or Clockify)
- Employee recognition apps (for example, Bonusly).
Other types of employee management software include employee information apps, employee recognition apps, and employee scheduling apps. In this guide, we’ve chosen the seven best company apps for employees for different functions and employee journeys.
Reach office, remote, and frontline employees all in once place with your own branded mobile app.
7 Best employee apps for your company
A well-chosen employee app can help streamline processes, boost employee productivity and foster stronger connections between teams everywhere. Below, we’ve reviewed and chosen the seven best employee apps by function, including employee experience and engagement, instant messaging, performance management, employee recognition, HR and onboarding, as well as learning and development apps.
1. Haiilo – Best employee experience app
Reviews: 4.6 / 5 (out of 262 reviews on G2)
Best for: employee experience, employee engagement, internal communications, advocacy, knowledge sharing
Overview: Haiilo is one of the best employee apps for improving employee engagement and experience. This employee engagement software is designed to streamline internal communications in organizations and keep the workplace informed, engaged, and aligned with the business goals and core company values.
With the emergence of remote and hybrid work, Haiilo has become a must-have employee experience platform for many companies aiming to improve team communication. It allows a 360° overview of internal comms (top-down, bottom-up and non-vertical). Furthermore, it is particularly valuable for industries that mainly deal with frontline workers. Haiilo is the only employee experience app on the market with which you can seamlessly combine multichannel internal communications with best-in-class intranet, engagement surveys, and employee advocacy functionalities.
Key features and functionalities:
- Personalized newsfeed with important company information and updates;
- Filtering and segmentation to distribute content relevant to employees’ interests, job functions, departments, and locations;
- Intuitive content builder;
- Powerful analytics, insights, and acctionable recommendations for improving company’s internal communication efforts and campaigns that align with the ultimate business goals;
- Engaging employee newsletters;
- Content collaboration functionalities and approval flows appropriate for complex organizational structures;
- White labeling and branded mobile app;
- Employee engagement surveys with valuable insights and recommendations for improvement;
- Employee advocacy features that make employees the best brand ambassadors;
- Powerful integration capabilities with workplace tech stack and APIs for custom integrations (integrates with Google Workspace and Microsoft 365).
Haiilo has been named a leader in the employee communications category due to its top-notch features and excellent customer service.
Disadvantages, according to users:
- No LinkedIn API;
- Excel exports can be improved;
- The mobile version can be improved.
Pricing: Haiilo offers flexible pricing packages. Request a demo to find out more.
Download Haiilo employee experience app:
Download the Haiilo Android app
💡 Also, learn about the top 5 internal communication apps out there!
2. 15Five – Best for performance management
Reviews: 4.6 / 5 (out of 1769 reviews on G2)
Best for: performance management, feedback, employee recognition
Overview: 15Five is a continuous performance management solution that helps employees and managers align with their company’s objectives and key results. Weekly check-ins empower managers to impact employee performance. It also includes features such as continuous feedback, objectives (OKR) tracking, recognition, 1-on-1s, and reviews. Its powerful analytics and qualitative responses are the basis for managers to learn how much support and guidance to provide to their teams.
Key features and functionalities:
- Weekly check-ins;
- Performance reviews and management;
- OKRs and goals management tracking;
- Continuous feedback loops;
- 1-on1s;
- Peer-to-peer recognition;
- Learning solutions for manager upskilling.
Disadvantages, according to users:
- Lack of enhanced reporting features and the status of the organizational goals;
- Limited integrations;
- The interface can be challenging to use.
Pricing: 15Five has flexible modular pricing. For example, if you want to use only the feedback tool, you will pay $4 per user per month. If you add the performance module, you pay an additional $8 per user per month.
Download 15Five employee app:
3. Slack – Best for instant messaging
Reviews: 4.5 / 5 (out of 32,825 reviews on G2)
Best for: instant messaging, employee communications
Overview: Slack is a cloud-based digital workspace and information management system used to manage productivity and improve team efficiency. It is mainly used for instant messaging and synchronous virtual communication in the workplace. By creating designated groups and channels, Slack is really one of the best employee apps that makes communication more organized. Its numerous integrations with bots and other apps help employers build smart workflows to improve their employees’ productivity at work. Used by many organizations across the globe (soon to surpass 20 million users), Slack is now considered one of the leading employee apps available on the market.
Key features and functionalities:
- Channels to make communications more organized;
- Slack Connect enables collaboration with teams in other companies;
- Powerful workflow builder to automate repetitive tasks;
- Integrations with over 2200 other services;
- Enterprise Key Management for user control and role-based permissions;
- IOS certifications, data protection, and information governance;
- Search and file sharing;
- Video and audio conferencing.
Disadvantages, according to users:
- Limited message history in the free version
- Video and audio conferencing can be improved
- Paid versions are on a pricey side
Pricing: Slack has its free version with limited features and functionalities. The Pro version (for small teams) starts at $7.25 per active user per month. A more advanced, Business+ version costs $12.50 per active user per month.
Download Slack employee app:
4. Bonusly – Best for employee recognition
Reviews: 4.8 / 5 (out of 3409 reviews on G2)
Best for: employee recognition, employee motivation, engagement
Overview: Bonusly is one of the best employee apps for employee recognition and rewards. If your goal is to improve your employee motivation, engagement, and morale, this app can certainly help. It makes peer-to-peer recognition easy, fun, and rewarding. Companies can set up formal employee recognition programs and align them with their company’s goals and core values. By making recognition social and interactive, it can also be a powerful tool in building a positive workplace culture.
Key features and functionalities:
- Monetary and non-monetary recognition programs;
- A rich, global catalog of attractive gifts from popular brands;
- Various redemption options;
- Integrations with Slack, Microsoft Teams, Yammer, Chatter, HRIS/HRMS, and SSO software such as Zenefits, BambooHR, Workday, ADP, Okta, OneLogin;
- Digital signage to keep recognition on top of employees’ minds;
- Powerful recognition analytics;
- Newly added feedback functionality.
Disadvantages, according to users:
- Integration with Slack could be improved;
- Gifting and redemption options are limited according to some users (more donation options or gifts such as gym memberships could be added);
- Lack of private recognition options.
Pricing: Bonusly’s core version starts at $2.70 per user per month, and the more advanced Pro version is $4.50 per user per month.
Download Bonusly employee app:
5. Monday.com – Best for project management
Reviews: 4.7 / 5 (out of 12,245 reviews on G2)
Best for: project management, team collaboration, employee productivity
Overview: Monday.com is one of the best employee apps for team collaboration. If you are looking for a powerful team app to help your teams manage tasks and projects, Monday.com is the way to go! While it now offers a CRM as well, it was designed mainly for task, workflow, and project management. While it may seem like Monday has limitless features and functionalities, at its core, it serves the 3 main purposes: team collaboration, improved productivity with project planning funtionalities, and team alignment for increased visibility and transparency.
Key features and functionalities:
- To-do lists, task management, prioritization, assignments, due dates, and dependencies;
- Billable time rate management – administrators can adjust rates based on user, role, task, project assignments;
- GANTT charts;
- Workflows for approval processes;
- Automated reminders;
- Policy compliance management;
- Role-based permissions to access based on the users, user role, groups, etc;
- Pre-built and custom reports;
- Internationalization – content available in multiple languages and currencies;
- Custom APIs and integrations with important workplace technologies.
Disadvantages, according to users:
- Steep learning curve due to many different features and functionalities;
- Pricey compared to some other tools available on the market;
- Integration with Google Calendar can be improved.
Pricing: For up to two seats, you can use Mondya.com for free. The Basic paid version starts at 8 euros per seat per month, and the Pro version is 16 euros per seat per month.
Download Monday.com employee app:
6. BambooHR – Best for hiring and onboarding
Reviews: 4.5 / 5 (out of 2252 reviews on G2)
Best for: hiring, employee onboarding, HR, compensation , payroll, time tracking
Overview: BambooHR is a multi-purpose employee app that many companies choose to improve their hiring, onboarding, and other core HR activities. It is an award-winning HR platform with a company app that enables employers to automate, centralize, and connect their people data all in one place. With BambooHR you can manage employee data and gather valuable insights, find, hire, and onboard new hires, and streamline payroll, track hours, as well as capture benefits.
Key features and functionalities:
- Secured, centralized, and organized employee data;
- Applicant tracking system for hiring;
- People analytics, data, and reporting;
- Digital new-hire onboarding, offboarding, and electronic signature;
- Time tracking, payroll, mobile-enabled vacation requests, and multiple approvals, PTO forecasting, and more;
- Performance management, pulse surveys, and eNPS;
- Marketplace and pre-built integrations to help companies keep all their employee data connected.
Disadvantages, according to users:
- ATS search function can be improved;
- Lack of customization;
- Integration with Trax can be improved.
Pricing: The standard package with limited features starts at $5.25 per user per month, while the more advanced version costs $8.57 per user per month.
Download BombooHR employee app:
7. TalentLMS – Best for learning and development
Reviews: 4.6 / 5 (out of 726 reviews on G2)
Best for: employee training, employee development, personalized training
Overview: TalentLMS is the leading employee app in the Learning Management System category. It is a training platform designed to help great teams grow. With this software, employers are more equipped to close the skill gaps in their organizations by creating personalized training for every employee. It is customizable, making it a great fit for companies with different needs and challenges. Backed by Epignosis, a global leader in learning technologies, TalentLMS aims to democratize training, serving over 70 000 teams worldwide.
Key features and functionalities:
- Drag and drop to add all types of media to your course – like videos, presentations, and docs;
- Online or in-person training;
- Training registrations and reminders;
- Quizzes, tests, assignments, and surveys to evaluate learners and learning materials;
- Custom certifications;
- Learning paths and completion rules;
- Custom roles and permissions;
- Custom look and feel to match the company’s brand guidelines;
- Content localization and gamification with badges, points, levels, leaderboards, and rewards.
Disadvantages, according to users:
- May need CSS or HTML skills to customize some features;
- Limited authoring tools, especially in video and animation creation;
- Not all desktop features are available in the app.
Pricing: TalentLMS offers a free version with up to 10 courses. The starter pack is $69 per month and the price can go up to $459 per month.
Download TalentLMS employee app:
8. Apploye – Best for time tracking and employee productivity
Reviews: 4.5 / 5 (out of 100+ reviews on G2)
Best for: time tracking, employee monitoring, productivity tracking
Overview: Apploye is a user-friendly time-tracking and employee-monitoring app designed to help you manage your team’s work and productivity more effectively. Whether your employees are working in the office, remotely, or on the go, Apploye gives you the tools to track their work hours, monitor progress on tasks, and see how time is being spent across different projects.
With Apploye, you can easily log employee hours, get detailed reports, and keep an eye on how productive your team is being throughout the day. It’s especially helpful for remote teams, allowing you to ensure that everyone stays on track, meets deadlines, and works efficiently. You can also assign tasks, monitor project progress, and identify areas where productivity can improve.
Key features and functionalities:
- Real-time time tracking
- Employee productivity monitoring
- Project and task management
- Detailed reports on employee activities
Disadvantages, according to users:
- Limited integrations compared to other platforms
- UI could be improved for better navigation
Pricing: Starts at $2.5 per user per month.
Download Apploye employee app:
Who can benefit from a company app for employees?
Having a company app for employees is useful for any business. However, it is even more necessary for companies with a hybrid workforce and particularly important for organizations that employ many frontline workers who may not have designated working space and technology.
Employee apps can streamline paperwork, timesheets, and training, or improve employee experience, engagement, advocacy, and trust. When implemented effectively, a company app for employees can boost productivity, improve communication, and strengthen company culture by bringing remote and on-site staff closer together on a single digital platform.
Other best employee apps to consider
As shown in this blog, there are many different employee app categories that help companies enable their biggest asset, people, for success. While the mentioned categories are some of the most common ones companies use, there are other employee apps to consider.
For example, employee experience platforms are an emerging workplace tech category that continues to gain popularity in the market. These platforms are disrupting the HR tech market as they put people at the core of everything an organization does. They usually have a set of various features and functionalities necessary to make digital workplaces more successful.
Also, as more and more companies are becoming aware of the value of employee ambassadorship, employee advocacy software are also becoming a part of the must-have workplace tech stack. These employee apps make it easy for employers to internally distribute their company’s content and motivate employees to share it with their personal networks. By doing so, employees play a big role in driving the organization’s marketing, sales, and talent acquisition success.
To conclude
In this guide, we reviewed the seven best employee apps across categories. The employee engagement software solutions highlighted represent versatile options, like employee experience and engagement, internal communication, employee recognition, and HR. Employee apps can increase employee engagement, streamline HR processes, boost productivity, and strengthen company culture. When implemented strategically, a company app for employees can empower distributed teams to feel more connected.
If you are looking for a powerful employee app to improve your employees’ engagement and keep them informed and connected, schedule a Haiilo demo today!
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