Head to head

Bonusly vs Kudos

Same facts, side by side: starting price, free tier, MCP, API and what each one is actually built for.

Bonusly

$3/user/mo Free tier 30 day free trial

Peer recognition and rewards. Free for up to 8 users; cheapest paid Team is $3/user/mo without Bizy, or $5/user/mo with Bizy included.

Where Bonusly fits

Teams starting peer recognition in Slack or Teams
Companies under 8 people (free)
HR teams that want points and a rewards shop without an enterprise suite
Orgs willing to trial 30 days

Kudos

Sales-quoted

Employee recognition and rewards platform with peer feed, awards, and an AI assistant. Pricing is quote-based.

Where Kudos fits

HR teams building a company-wide recognition program
Managers who need top-down awards and budgets
Distributed teams that want a live recognition feed
Companies running nominations and incentive campaigns

At a glance

Detail	Bonusly	Kudos
Starting price	$3/user/mo	Sales-quoted
Free tier	✓Yes	–No
Free trial	30 day free trial	Not on record
MCP server	–No	–No
Public API	✓Yes	✓Yes
Listed under	Engagement, Recognition & rewards	Recognition & rewards
Capterra	4.8 from 1,611 reviews	4.8 from 1,125 reviews

Where they pull apart

Bonusly

Stands out: A real free plan plus a $3/user public Team seat, with Slack and Teams in the flow of work rather than a separate rewards portal nobody opens.

Watch out: Bizy, the AI recognition sidekick, is included on the $5 Team plan (or $2/user/month extra). Organization is quoted. HRIS provisioning is not on Free.

Not the right fit for

Enterprises that need Workhuman-scale programs
Buyers who want Bizy on the $3 seat
Companies that will not put recognition in Slack

Kudos

Stands out: Configurable peer recognition, automated milestones, awards, and incentives sit on one culture platform.

Watch out: There is no public rate card. Rewards catalogs and point budgets are scoped in a sales quote.

Not the right fit for

Buyers who want a public per-seat price
Teams that only need a simple Slack kudos bot

Pros and cons

Bonusly

Free plan up to 8 users
Public $3/user/mo Team seat
30-day trial with Bizy included

Bizy is extra on the $3 seat
Organization is quoted
Not a full engagement suite

Kudos

Peer feed plus awards and nominations
Automated birthday and service milestones
AI assistant for program admins

Quote-only, no public rate card
Rewards spend sits on top of software
Buying starts with a demo

What each one costs

Bonusly

$3/user/mo

Free plan for up to 8 users. Paid Team from about $3 per user a month without Bizy, or $5 with Bizy. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 12 Sep 2026

Kudos

Sales-quoted

Sales-quoted. No public rate card on the vendor site. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

Common questions

Can you try Bonusly or Kudos for free?

Bonusly carries a free tier on our listing. Bonusly offers a 30 day free trial.

Not the pair you wanted?

All Bonusly alternatives All Kudos alternatives Every Engagement tool

Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 12 Sep 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?