Head to head

Culture Amp vs Torch

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

Culture Amp

Sales-quoted

Employee engagement, performance and development platform with AI Coach built in. Pricing is quote-based, billed annually.

Where Culture Amp fits

People teams running engagement surveys
Companies pairing reviews with engagement data
Managers who want coaching in the tool
Firms of 1,000+ staff wanting expert help

Torch is a leadership coaching platform for mid-market and enterprise talent teams that want coaching tied to their own strategy. It is quote-only, with no public prices or trial. Spark AI simulations and before-and-after 360s give it a measurement angle that plain coaching marketplaces lack.

Where Torch fits

Mid-market and enterprise talent teams developing managers and executives
Companies going through AI adoption, restructuring or mergers
HR teams that need 360-based proof of behavior change
Programs that mix 1:1, group and AI coaching

At a glance

Detail	Culture Amp	Torch
Starting price	Sales-quoted	Sales-quoted
Free tier	–No	–No
MCP server	✓Yes	–No
Public API	✓Yes	–No
Listed under	Engagement, People analytics, Performance	Learning, Performance, Succession & internal mobility

Where they pull apart

Culture Amp

Stands out: AI Coach is built into Engage and Perform, plus an MCP connector for Claude and ChatGPT and a developer API.

Watch out: All products are billed annually and priced by headcount, product and service tier. The MCP connector needs sign-up.

Not the right fit for

Buyers who need a published per-employee price
Teams looking for HRIS or payroll

Torch

Stands out: Every Torch engagement starts by turning your strategy into a set of leadership capacities, then anchors a 360, coaching and the Spark AI agent to them, with a closing 360 on the same instrument. Its network of about 350 coaches is senior, and Torch says many hold doctoral qualifications in psychology or therapy.

Watch out: Torch does not publish prices or offer a trial, so budgets depend on a scoped quote. Integrations are limited to Slack, Zoom and SAML single sign-on, with no public API.

Not the right fit for

Organizations wanting a very large global coach pool in many languages
Buyers who need a public API or HRIS integration

Pros and cons

Culture Amp

Engage and Perform on one platform
AI Coach included in every plan
Developer API and MCP connector

No published price
Annual billing only
No HRIS or payroll

Torch

Coaching and AI tied to your own leadership capacities
Before-and-after 360s measure behavior change
Spark AI simulations extend practice beyond coaching sessions

No published pricing or trial
Small integration list and no public API
Coach network is smaller than global coaching marketplaces

What each one costs

Culture Amp

Sales-quoted

Sales-quoted. No public rate card on the vendor site. All products are billed annually, priced by employee count, products chosen and service tier. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

Torch

Sales-quoted

Torch does not publish pricing. Its own comparison page says pricing is enterprise-quoted, based on seat count, contract length and the mix of 1:1 coaching, group coaching and Spark AI access. No free trial is listed. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

Common questions

Can you try Culture Amp or Torch for free?

Neither carries a free tier on our listing.

Does Culture Amp or Torch have an MCP server?

Culture Amp ships a first party MCP server, so an AI assistant can work the product directly.

Not the pair you wanted?

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Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 19 Sep 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?