Vantage Circle vs Awardco

by Gralio Feb 09, 2025

Vantage Circle and Awardco both offer employee engagement solutions, but cater to different needs. Vantage Circle is better for companies seeking a holistic platform with wellness and feedback tools, while Awardco is better for those prioritizing a wide selection of rewards and seamless integration with Amazon Business.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 5014 reviews and 60 websites, saving 1 day, 4 hours, 21 minutes of reading.

Vantage Circle

Website LinkedIn Twitter

Awardco

Website LinkedIn Twitter

About

Vantage Circle is an employee engagement platform for mid-sized to large companies. It offers various software products, including tools for employee rewards and recognition, wellness programs, employee feedback surveys, and corporate discounts. Vantage Circle aims to improve company culture and employee productivity through its platform and its various integrations with popular workplace tools.

Awardco is an employee recognition and rewards platform designed for mid-sized to large companies. It allows you to create and manage recognition programs, service awards, and incentives all in one place. A standout feature is its vast rewards network, powered by Amazon Business, offering employees diverse options like gift cards, merchandise, and experiences. Awardco also simplifies tax compliance through its partnership with Deloitte. It's used by various industries, with a strong focus on healthcare, financial services, and technology.

Summary

Main difference

Vantage Circle offers a broader suite of employee engagement tools, including wellness programs and feedback surveys, while Awardco focuses primarily on rewards and recognition, leveraging its extensive Amazon Business integration for diverse reward options.

Relative strengths of Vantage Circle (compared to Awardco)

Wider range of employee engagement features beyond rewards and recognition.
Strong focus on customer service and building long-term relationships.
More affordable pricing plans for smaller budgets.

Relative weaknesses of Vantage Circle (compared to Awardco)

Limited reward options compared to Awardco's Amazon Business integration.
Less modern user interface and some reported technical issues.
Fewer integrations with popular HR and payroll systems.

What companies are using Vantage Circle and Awardco?

Cognizant

airtel

Hyundai Capital Canada

No data

Who should use Vantage Circle VS. Awardco

Vantage Circle is an employee engagement platform best for mid-size to large companies. Users love its easy-to-use interface and wide selection of gift card options. However, some find the redemption options limited and experience occasional technical issues. Vantage Circle offers various tools, including rewards programs, wellness initiatives, and feedback surveys, to boost company culture and employee productivity.

Awardco is a robust employee recognition and rewards platform praised for its diverse reward options and user-friendly interface. Users appreciate the quick reward delivery and seamless integrations. While some experience delays in points appearing and limited filtering options for rewards, the overall positive feedback highlights Awardco's effectiveness in boosting employee morale and engagement.

Best for medium to large companies seeking enhanced employee engagement.
Ideal for IT, professional services, and marketing firms.

Best for medium and large businesses.
Ideal for Healthcare, Finance, Retail, Manufacturing, Tech, and Non-profit sectors.

Vantage Circle and Awardco features

Supported

Partially supported

Not supported

Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

Recognition Programs Management

Supported

Vantage Circle allows creating and managing recognition programs in one platform.

Supported

Awardco allows creating and managing recognition programs centrally.
Service Awards Management

Supported

Vantage Circle supports service awards through features like Service Yearbook and integrations with HR systems.

Supported

Awardco fully supports service awards management, including automation and customization.
Rewards Management

Supported

Vantage Circle offers a global rewards catalog with various options and integrations.

Supported

Awardco offers a vast reward network through its partnership with Amazon Business.
Automated Incentive Programs

Supported

Vantage Circle offers automated incentive programs through its Vantage Rewards platform.

Supported

Awardco automates incentives based on goals and tasks, simplifying reward management.
Reward redemption for gift cards

Supported

Employees can redeem points for gift cards from many brands.

Supported

Awardco allows employees to redeem points for gift cards.
Reward redemption for experiences

Supported

Vantage Circle allows employees to redeem points for experiences like travel and concerts.

Supported

Awardco supports reward redemption for experiences like concerts and travel.

Qualities

Value and Pricing Transparency

+0.13

Neutral sentiment

+0.31

Rather positive sentiment
Customer Service

+0.58

Rather positive sentiment

+0.78

Strongly positive sentiment
Ease of Use

+0.88

Strongly positive sentiment

+0.94

Strongly positive sentiment
Reliability and Performance

+0.22

Neutral sentiment

+0.6

Rather positive sentiment
Ease of Implementation

+0.64

Rather positive sentiment

+0.55

Rather positive sentiment
Scalability

-0.75

Strongly negative sentiment

-0.14

Neutral sentiment

Vantage Circle and Awardco Pricing

Vantage Circle offers three main plans for its employee recognition and rewards platform: Grow, Transform, and Enterprise. Each plan includes a variety of features, such as peer-to-peer recognition, nomination-based awards, and global redemption options. The platform also offers several add-ons, including Vantage Fit for employee wellness, Vantage Pulse for real-time employee feedback, custom integrations, and change management services.

Plans

User sentiment

Neutral

+0.13

See full Pricing page

No data

User sentiment

Rather positive

+0.31

See full Pricing page

Vantage Circle and Awardco review insights

5011 reviews analysed from

Users love

Easy-to-use interface for both giving and receiving recognition.
Wide range of gift card options for popular brands.
Instant voucher delivery via email.
Points do not expire, allowing for accumulation.
Helpful customer support via email and chat.

Wide variety of reward options, from gift cards to merchandise, experiences, and even charitable donations.
User-friendly interface, making it easy to navigate, redeem points, and recognize colleagues.
Fast and efficient reward delivery, especially for digital gift cards.
Seamless integration with other platforms like Amazon Business and company swag stores.
Excellent customer service, responsive and helpful in resolving issues.

Users dislike

Limited redemption options, especially for merchandise or experiences.
Occasional technical issues or glitches on the platform.
Points can take time to be credited after earning them.
Limited integrations with certain payroll or HR systems.
UI design of website and app can appear dated.

Points awarded through recognitions can be slow to appear in user accounts.
Limited filtering options within reward categories, making it difficult to find specific items.
Virtual Visa gift cards can have issues with being declined or not working at certain retailers.
Difficulty returning or exchanging items purchased through the Amazon integration.
Discrepancies between Awardco listed point prices and prices on other retailers like Amazon.

Vantage Circle and Awardco Ratings

G2

4.7/5

(2568)
TrustPilot

3.9/5

(3)

G2

4.8/5

(2463)
Glassdoor

4.1/5

(224)

Company health

Employee growth

16% increase in the last year

27% increase in the last year

Web traffic

16% decrease in the last quarter

Financing

May 2014 - $200K

July 2021 - $70M

How do Vantage Circle's redemption options compare to Awardco's Amazon integration?

Vantage Circle offers a variety of redemption options including gift cards, merchandise, company-branded items, and experiences, while Awardco's strength lies in its deep integration with Amazon Business, providing access to a vast catalog of Amazon products. Essentially, Vantage Circle offers a broader range of redemption categories, while Awardco offers a larger selection within a more limited range (primarily focused on Amazon's offerings).

Which platform offers better long-term scalability for reward programs?

Awardco offers better long-term scalability for reward programs. While both platforms cater to mid-size and large companies, Awardco demonstrates stronger indicators of scalability with a higher LinkedIn employee growth rate (27.33% vs 15.64%), better non-functional scalability score (-0.14 vs -0.75), and a wider range of industry coverage. Its integration with Amazon Business provides access to a vast and readily expandable reward catalog, further enhancing its ability to accommodate growing reward program needs.

What are the advantages of Vantage Circle?

Vantage Circle offers a wide range of gift card options and a user-friendly interface praised for ease of use in both giving and receiving recognition. Points do not expire, allowing for accumulation, and the platform provides helpful customer support via email and chat. Vantage Circle also offers unique company-branded merchandise redemption options through features like Vantage Gifting and Vantage Onboarding.

What are the disadvantages of Vantage Circle?

Vantage Circle suffers from limited redemption options, occasional technical issues, slow point crediting, limited integrations with some payroll/HR systems, and a dated UI design. Users also report that the platform's reward catalog is not as extensive as some competitors, particularly for merchandise and experiential rewards. Additionally, Vantage Circle's scalability is a concern, indicated by a negative score in that area.

Alternatives to Vantage Circle and Awardco

Guusto

Guusto is a software platform designed for companies with over 200 employees to give meaningful rewards and recognition to their team. It's particularly useful for companies with many "deskless" workers, like those in retail or healthcare. Unlike points-based systems, Guusto lets you give actual gift cards from popular brands, charitable donations, or even company swag. Guusto is simple to use, lets you start for free, and only requires paid accounts for managers. It's a great way to build a strong company culture and improve employee retention.

Empuls

Empuls is an all-in-one employee engagement platform designed to help HR professionals improve employee satisfaction and retention. It offers tools for employee recognition and rewards, perks and benefits programs, pulse surveys and feedback gathering, and communication and community building through a social intranet. Empuls is designed to be easy to use and quick to implement, with a focus on providing data-driven insights to help organizations measure and improve their engagement initiatives.

Cooleaf

Cooleaf is an employee engagement platform designed for mid-sized to large companies in various industries. It offers a suite of features, including employee recognition, rewards programs, pulse surveys, and performance incentives. Cooleaf aims to help companies improve employee morale, gather feedback, and drive positive workplace culture. It integrates with existing HR and communication tools and provides data insights and expert guidance to support your engagement strategy.

JobPts

JobPts is a cloud-based employee recognition and rewards platform designed for medium to large businesses. It helps you manage company-wide recognition programs, aligning your workforce with company values and goals. Key features include a customizable rewards catalog, performance tracking, and integrations with popular HR platforms like SAP and Oracle. JobPts emphasizes its ability to boost employee engagement, improve communication, and provide insights into company culture through its analytics dashboard.

ChangeEngine

ChangeEngine is a software platform designed for mid-sized and larger businesses to improve employee experiences. It combines communication tools, automated workflows, and data insights to streamline HR processes like onboarding, employee recognition, and development programs. The platform features ready-made templates and integrations with existing HR systems, aiming to save time and centralize employee engagement efforts.

Rippling

Rippling is a comprehensive employee management platform designed for businesses of all sizes. It streamlines and automates various HR, IT, and finance processes, including payroll, benefits, device management, and expense tracking. By centralizing these functions, Rippling aims to simplify employee lifecycle management, reduce administrative burden, and improve operational efficiency for businesses. The platform is particularly valuable for companies with global operations, offering localized solutions for international payroll, benefits, and compliance.

Page co-authored by

Michal Kaczor

CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

Tymon Terlikiewicz

CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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