15 best employee benefits software & platforms in 2024

Managing employee benefits can be a real headache without the proper tools.

On the one hand, you want to offer customized, high-value benefits plans to keep job satisfaction high and retain talented employees. On the other hand, manually managing custom benefits plans at scale is labor-intensive and prone to errors. So what's the best way to handle this?

The easiest, most cost-efficient way to solve this problem is to use flexible employee benefits software. These tools and platforms are designed to streamline employee benefits management, helping HR professionals, benefits managers, and other stakeholders create benefits plans that your employees will love.

Quite a few software and platforms offer this service. This makes it difficult to find a benefits solution that fits your needs.

So, to make things easier, we have compiled a list of the best employee benefits software and platforms on the market in 2024.

Let's get into it.

Best employee benefits software

• Forma
• Workhuman
• Wishlist
• Virgin Pulse
• ThrivePass
• Lively
• Joon
• PerkUp
• WorkTango
• Motivosity
• Guusto
• Blueboard
• Cooleaf
• Awardco

1. Forma

Forma helps companies manage and provide flexible benefits at scale. The benefits software suite helps businesses consolidate employee perks and benefits into a single, easy-to-use platform. 

Employees will love the ease with which they can use the benefits on products or services they actually want and need. And, your HR staff will appreciate the ability to create custom plans through Forma’s streamlined web dashboard, reducing costs and saving hundreds of hours.

Forma is easy to integrate with your tech stack thanks to our guided onboarding process and our dedicated customer support team. Employers can deploy within weeks of signing up and enhance your benefits with various customizable spending accounts, helping you hire and retain top industry talent.

When signing up with Forma, companies gain access to the following features.

Forma features

• A wide selection of customizable spending accounts, including Lifestyle Spending Accounts (LSAs), Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), Healthcare Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs), and more.
• Easy way to claim benefits with a seamless reimbursement process. Employees can access discounted offerings from global brands in the Forma Store. Finally, with the Forma Card that’s powered by Visa, employees can spend their benefit allowances at the point of purchase without any extra steps.
• A streamlined user interface powered by a modern, reliable backend, ensuring constant up-time and frictionless checkout for employee perks and benefits. As your organization grows, Forma's scalable architecture will keep pace, future-proofing your benefits program.
• World-class customer service thanks to Forma’s team of experts. Customers and employees can access support 24/7 via email and live chat.
• Extensive real-time analytics tools available through Forma's admin dashboard. Track budget utilization rates and gain access to rich insights with only a few clicks.

Forma benefits

Forma offers numerous benefits to organizations in a wide variety of industries, such as technology, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, financial services, professional services, and media.

Streamlined costs

In contrast to providers that offer point solutions where you have to pay a fixed amount for each employee. With Forma, companies only pay for funds that actually get used. This way the business can dramatically cut costs while maintaining a high level of support.

Reduced administrative oversight

Forma lets enterprises consolidate different benefits programs, stipends, and perks into custom spending accounts. We handle everything related to implementation, program design, claims administration, member support, and vendor management.

Higher budget utilization rate

With Forma's platform as the single source of benefits, admins and employees no longer need multiple access points to claim different benefits, removing usage barriers and driving budget utilization.

Global benefits

Forma operates in 100+ countries worldwide, allowing companies to deliver custom benefits to each employee independent of where they live. This eliminates discontent that may arise when international employees cannot access benefits that HQ-based workers already have.

Enterprise-grade tech

Forma is SOC 2 certified, GDPR compliant, and adheres to WCAG standards expected of global enterprises. Businesses can use Forma in even the most stringent regulatory environments without incurring penalties.

If you’re ready to upgrade your benefits package today, <span class="text-style-link text-color-blue" fs-mirrorclick-element="trigger" role="button">schedule a consultation</span> with one of our experts today.

2. Workhuman

Workhuman is an employee recognition platform that helps organizations build a culture of care and respect. The platform utilizes a system whereby monetary rewards are sent to employees when they go above and beyond their job requirements. Recognition can flow in multiple directions, including employee-to-employee recognition, manager-to-employee recognition, and more.

Features

• Social recognition: Workhuman uses social recognition to encourage employees to acknowledge and celebrate each other's achievements.

• Continuous performance management: The platform focuses on continuous performance management, moving away from traditional annual reviews to promote ongoing feedback and development.
• Mobile-friendly: Workhuman aims to foster a positive workplace culture by emphasizing continuous appreciation and acknowledgment of employees' contributions.

3. Wishlist

Wishlist is a rewards platform that helps employers develop stronger community bonds, retain more employees, and keep employees engaged with the company’s mission. Wishlist allows you to send gifts to employees automatically on meaningful occasions in their lives. You can also reward employees for specific actions that align with company goals or values. This way your employees will remain focused on high-priority goals.

Features

• Customized recognition: Employees can customize their recognition messages to add a personal touch and make the acknowledgment more meaningful.
• Recognition analytics: Managers can access analytics and reporting tools, allowing them to track and analyze recognition trends, providing insights into employee engagement and performance.
• Recognition wall: Wishlist provides a public recognition wall where employees can showcase their achievements, fostering a sense of community and visibility.

4. Virgin Pulse

The Virgin Pulse platform offers a suite of features designed to promote employee wellness, including personalized well-being plans, fitness challenges, and rewards programs. The platform is notable for integrating gamification elements, such as collecting reward points, to make wellness initiatives engaging and enjoyable for employees.

Features

• Personalized well-being plans: Virgin Pulse offers personalized well-being plans for employees, tailoring health and wellness recommendations based on individual needs and goals.

• Fitness challenges: The platform includes fitness challenges, encouraging employees to engage in physical activities and promoting a culture of regular exercise.
• Gamification and rewards programs: Virgin Pulse integrates gamification elements into its platform, making wellness initiatives enjoyable and engaging. Employees can earn rewards for participating in challenges and meeting well-being goals.

5. ThrivePass

ThrivePass is a cloud-based benefits platform that offers convenient benefits management. ThrivePass can facilitate a variety of benefit plans, including tuition reimbursement, COBRA, and pre-tax spending accounts. ThrivePass often integrates challenges and rewards into its programs, encouraging active participation from employees. Clients can also offer Thrive Accounts, custom spending accounts that employees can use to claim a variety of rewards.

Features

• Fitness programs: ThrivePass offers access to fitness classes and programs aimed at promoting physical well-being among employees.
• Financial wellness tools: ThrivePass provides services and tools designed to enhance employees' financial well-being, such as budgeting assistance or financial planning resources.
• Engagement tracking: ThrivePass comes with tools for tracking employee engagement with well-being programs, offering insights into participation levels and program effectiveness.

6. Navia

Navia is an employee benefits administration service that provides features that streamline and manage various employee benefit programs. The platform includes tools for managing FSAs, commuter benefits, HSAs, LSAs, and more. The platform offers integration with other HR systems, ensuring consistency in benefits administration across the organization

Features

• Benefits administration: Navia offers features for administering benefits, facilitating contributions for expenses, and providing employees with a platform to manage and utilize these benefits.
• Claims processing: Navia provides tools for processing and managing claims related to eligible medical expenses, streamlining the reimbursement process for employees.
• Automated notifications: Navia's automated communication notifies employees about important benefit-related information, deadlines, and changes.

7. Lively

Lively is a benefits provider specializing in HSAs. Their clients are typically small businesses. The platform offers a range of features related to HSA management, including tools for contributions, investment management, and access to funds for qualified medical expenses. In addition, Lively recently started offering FSAs, too. 

Features

• Investment management: Lively enables employees to invest their HSA funds to potentially grow their savings over time.
• Educational resources: Lively maintains a knowledgebase of learning resources for educating employees about HSAs, including the advantages, tax benefits, and guidelines for managing and utilizing these accounts effectively.
• Automatic contribution management: Lively provides automation features that allow employees to set up recurring contributions to their HSAs, ensuring consistent savings without manual intervention.

8. Joon

Joon is a wellness benefits platform that makes it easy for employers to take better care of their people. Joon offers a variety of Lifestyle Spending Accounts (LSAs) primarily aimed at wellness spending. With Joon, you can customize your allowances, cadences, and eligibility down to the individual merchant. Joon is used primarily by smaller companies.

Features

• Card-connected benefits solution: Joon allows employees to connect personal cards and bank accounts for purchases and reimbursements.
• Automatic reimbursement: Employees can make purchases with their personal credit or debit cards and Joon will automatically classify eligible purchases and send reimbursements.
• Payroll integration: Joon seamlessly integrates with your existing HR stack, reducing costs and making for quick deployment upon signing up for the service.

9. PerkUp

PerkUp is a rewards platform that allows employers to send gifts and rewards to employees upon reaching certain milestones. You can choose gifts from PerkUp's curated list of products, as well send cash rewards and let employees choose how they want to spend them. PerkUp operates globally, making it ideal for companies with a remote workforce.

Features

• Easy flexible benefits: Employees can use PerkUp to claim a variety of rewards from a curated list of vendors.
• Good UX: PerkUp's UX is very user friendly, it takes only a few clicks to select and redeem the rewards you want.
• Cash rewards: PerkUp enables employers to send cash rewards, giving employees the choice on how they want to spend their rewards allowance. 

10. WorkTango

WorkTango is an employee feedback, engagement, and rewards platform that provides a range of features to enhance communication and collaboration within organizations. WorkTango allows employers to conduct surveys and gather feedback from employees, enabling leaders to gain insights into the organization's culture and employee sentiment.

Features

• Continuous feedback and surveys: WorkTango allows employers to conduct continuous feedback surveys, enabling regular check-ins on employee sentiment, engagement, and other relevant topics. 
• Performance management tools: WorkTango includes tools for performance management, such as goal setting, ongoing performance conversations, and development planning. 
• Rewards marketplace: WorkTango has a built-in marketplace to make rewards redemption easy for workers. Employees can access various products and gift cards, finding relevant items no matter their preference. 

11. Motivosity

Motivosity is an employee recognition and engagement platform designed to foster a positive workplace culture through peer-to-peer recognition. Motivosity offers a range of features centered around acknowledging and appreciating employees' contributions. One key feature is the ability for employees to give each other micro-bonuses as a form of recognition for a job well done. This micro-bonus system provides a tangible and immediate way for colleagues to express gratitude and appreciation.

Features

• Micro-bonuses: Motivosity allows employees to give each other micro-bonuses as a form of recognition.

• Social recognition walls: Motivosity provides a social recognition wall feature where employees can publicly acknowledge and celebrate their peers' achievements. 

• Mobile app: Motivosity's mobile app gives employees the ability to interact with their peers, take surveys, send and receive appreciation, and cash in their gift cards.

12. Guusto

Guusto is an employee recognition and rewards platform built for frontline workers that stands out for its focus on thoughtful and personalized gifting. Guusto enables employees and employers to send digital gift cards to colleagues as a form of recognition and appreciation. One of Guusto's key features is its extensive catalog of gift cards from various retailers, allowing employees to choose a reward that aligns with their preferences.

Features

• Personalized gifts: Guusto emphasizes personalized employee recognition by allowing senders to choose from a diverse catalog of digital gift cards, enabling them to tailor rewards to individual preferences.
• Meaningful recognition programs: Guusto includes tools for setting up and managing recognition programs within the organization, allowing managers to establish structured programs that align with company values.
• Flexible reward redemption: Guusto gives employees the flexibility to redeem their digital gift cards at a variety of retailers, offering a broad selection of choices.

13. Blueboard

Blueboard is an employee recognition platform known for its unique focus on experiential rewards. Instead of traditional tangible gifts, Blueboard offers employees the opportunity to choose from a selection of memorable experiences. These experiences can range from spa days and adventure activities to travel packages. Blueboard's emphasis on experiential rewards aims to provide a more personalized and meaningful recognition experience, contributing to a positive workplace culture.

Features

• Experiential rewards catalog: Blueboard distinguishes itself with a catalog of experiential rewards, offering employees the opportunity to choose memorable experiences, such as spa days or adventure activities.

• Personalized recognition experiences: Blueboard allows for a personalized approach to recognition by tailoring experiential rewards, fostering a deeper connection between the recognition and the individual preferences of employees.

• Seamless redemption process: Blueboard facilitates a user-friendly and seamless redemption process, ensuring that employees can easily access and enjoy their chosen experiential rewards, enhancing the overall recognition experience.

14. Cooleaf

Cooleaf is an employee engagement platform designed to enhance workplace culture and performance through a variety of features. Cooleaf includes tools for employee recognition, allowing colleagues to acknowledge each other's contributions with kudos and shoutouts. With Cooleaf you can also facilitate team-building through challenges and activities, fostering a sense of camaraderie and collaboration.

Features

• Holistic employee recognition: Cooleaf provides a holistic approach to employee recognition, encompassing kudos, shoutouts, and team-based acknowledgments to foster a positive workplace culture.
• Dynamic team challenges: Cooleaf allows employers to create engagement among employees through dynamic team challenges and activities, promoting collaboration and building a sense of community within the workplace.
• Integrated wellness programs: Cooleaf integrates wellness programs into its platform, offering fitness challenges and mental health resources to support employees in maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

15. Awardco

Awardco is an employee recognition and rewards platform designed to foster a positive workplace culture. Awardco provides employers with a customizable solution for recognizing and rewarding employees. Potential rewards include gift cards, merchandise, and experiences, allowing employees to choose rewards that align with their preferences.

Features

• Extensive reward catalog: Awardco stands out with its extensive catalog of reward options, including gift cards, merchandise, and experiences, providing employees with a diverse range of choices.
• Customizable recognition programs: Awardco offers customizable recognition programs, allowing employers to tailor acknowledgment efforts to align with their unique company culture and values.
• Friendly UI: Awardco provides a user-friendly interface that enhances the employee experience, making it easy for both managers and employees to navigate and participate in recognition and rewards programs.

How to choose the best employee benefits platform for you

Choosing the best benefits platform for your organization involves considering several criterias to ensure it meets your specific needs and aligns with your company's objectives. Here are key criteria to consider.

1. Flexibility

Employees have diverse needs, and a platform offering a variety of benefits ensures that individuals can choose options aligned with their specific requirements. One of the best ways to offer flexible benefits is through customizable spending accounts such as Lifestyle Spending Accounts (LSAs), and other types of pre-tax spending accounts.

2. UX/UI

The user interface is the gateway to the benefits platform. An intuitive and user-friendly design reduces the learning curve for employees, increases engagement, and contributes to overall satisfaction with the platform.

3. Global availability

In a globally distributed workforce, the availability of benefits in different regions is vital. This criterion ensures that employees worldwide can access and utilize benefits no matter where they’re located that are relevant to their regional context, promoting inclusivity.

4. Payment options

Providing diverse payment options cater to the preferences of a varied workforce. Whether it's through traditional methods like cards or modern digital stores, this flexibility enhances the overall convenience of using benefits.

5. Customer support

Robust customer support is crucial for addressing queries, issues, and ensuring a smooth experience. This criterion establishes trust and confidence in the platform, benefiting both employers managing the system and employees navigating it. It contributes to a positive perception of the benefits program overall.

How do these employee benefits software solutions compare?

Here is a table summarizing the benefits platforms we’ve explored.

Getting started with Forma

The landscape of benefits platforms is diverse, each offering unique features catering to the dynamic needs of modern workplaces. 

Our comprehensive analysis reveals that flexibility in benefit options, intuitive UX/UI design, global accessibility, diverse payment methods, and robust customer support are pivotal considerations. Ultimately, the ideal benefits platform aligns seamlessly with organizational goals, promotes employee well-being, and contributes to a thriving workplace culture.

If you wish to offer comprehensive benefits packages at scale, <span class="text-style-link text-color-blue" fs-mirrorclick-element="trigger" role="button">schedule a consultation</span> with one of our experts. We’ll help you find a benefits package that’s easy to manage, increases benefits utilization, and, most importantly, your workforce will love.