About Kudos

Kudos® is the only employee recognition platform that offers multiple levels of recognition supporting appreciation and performance.

Learn more about Kudos

Pros:

Easy to useAffordable pricing compared to competitorsEmployee recognitions are displayed to all for the management to noticeReminder can be sent to provide recognition.

Cons:

May be just a couple of buttons for just the user rather than navigating on drop downs etc.

Kudos ratings

Average score

Ease of Use
4.8
Customer Service
4.7
Features
4.7
Value for Money
4.7

Likelihood to recommend

9.5/10

Kudos has an overall rating of 4.8 out 5 stars based on 878 user reviews on Capterra.

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Filter reviews (878)

Tyson
Tyson
Regional Director Of Operations in Canada
Verified LinkedIn User
Hospitality, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Nothing short of an exceptional experience! Our team is in loving with having Kudos.

5.0 5 years ago

Comments: More customizing options for the pages feature, but not really a con. I've found a work around by creating custom graphics with my preferred images and fonts and uploading. Very easy to read on mobile phones which is so nice! This has become our company "go to" for resources such as our benefit program overview.

Pros:

The program is incredibly user friendly and availability on all platforms: computer, mobile, Gmail build in, and more. We have employees with language barriers that can use the program with ease! The program has connected our company and solidified our core values of team. With hotels spread out our province, all the teams can come together to recognize, share best practices, and celebrate success. It has also helped me get to know our team and helps our ownership group stay involved with day to day news. One of the customer rep, from the beginning, has been incredibly helpful and efficient. Kudos Support help answer any questions I have so quickly and properly. Not to mention, I have given multiple improvement requests which have come through shortly after! Kudos truly cares and we feel valued... most importantly, our team feels valued having this incredible tool to recognize and communicate with each other. I would not hesitate to recommend Kudos to any other organization.

Moin
Administrator in Saudi Arabia
Education Management, 1,001–5,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Kudos performance

5.0 2 months ago New

Comments: I am happy with the performance since i am using Kudos.

Pros:

Kudos is a path to connect with team members and recognise their work and appreciate them.

Cons:

In my point of view there is nothing to say to be improved because need requirements are covering with their features.

Alternatives Considered: Achievers

Reasons for Switching to Kudos: Kudos was our first priority

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Telecommunications, 10,000+ Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Recognition made easy

3.0 4 years ago

Comments: I love it, I use it everyday and recommend its use to everyone irrespective of your job level.

Pros:

The structure and ease of use has allowed me to very easily recognize my peers , leaders and staff. The integrated dashboards also creates competitiveness which makes it even more fun.

Cons:

The software needs to have some build in moderation to identify "fake" recognition's. An exceptional category gets selected with the contents saying thank you.

Rose
HR Specialist in US
Individual & Family Services, 501–1,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Kudos is a must for employee recognition!

5.0 2 months ago

Comments: From my first demo to my last onboarding session, I have had nothing but wonderful experiences working with the Kudos Team. They have gone above and beyond to meet my agency's needs and have helped me set up the platform for launch day. I can't say enough great things about Kudos! I have also really enjoyed several webinars run by the Kudos Team.

Pros:

Very easy to use and navigate. Very similar to other social media platforms. I like how we can access the platform on our computers via the internet, phone, Outlook, and/or Teams.

Cons:

Hoping for a swag store to be integrated into the platform!

Alternatives Considered: 360 Recognition, Motivosity and Nectar

Reasons for Choosing Kudos: Not everyone had access to the platform in our agency and the gift items were not interesting to the team members. It was not user friendly and it was very hard for HR/IT to update the data for new hires and terms.

Reasons for Switching to Kudos: I liked that Kudos put recognition first, above rewards, and didn't show the earned points on profiles for everyone to see. I also like the reporting data and was cost efficient.

Shannon
Patient Account Representative in US
Hospital & Health Care, 10,000+ Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Helps employees of orgs feel appreciated

5.0 2 months ago New

Pros:

It's easy to use and a great way for employees to feel appreciated and recognized in their organization with both tangible rewards and incentives and with messages of appreciation and recognition - both feel good to receive.The option to select qualities to include and tracking them on your profile are a fun and interesting touch.You can a sort of "scoreboard" of the top senders and receivers of recognition in your organization, just to look at or maybe see which managers show the most gratitude if you wanted to know for whatever reason :)There's a huge variety of gift cards and donations to choose from, AND the option to redeem for a prepaid visa card if you can't find a certain store or gift card offered

Cons:

In your rewards history, there doesn't seem to be any information about how many Kudos points you received and from who. Just the history of the rewards you redeemed for Kudos points in the past. I think including this feature would be a great help for employees to make sure they have received rewards they are expecting to receive.Having the option to post a general message instead of a recognition one feels a bit redundant.Who the message is from is on the bottom when you see the posts and so it looks a bit confusing at first.There seems to be no explanation of what different levels of recognition (Thank you, Good job, Impressive, Exceptional) mean exactly (or if there is, it's not in an easy to find place in my opinion)

Abhishek
Abhishek
Associate Consultant in India
Verified LinkedIn User
Market Research, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Excellent tool for employee engagement & recognition!

4.0 2 months ago

Comments: It is an excellent platform to boost the morale of your employees and give them the recognition that they deserve.

Pros:

It is a great tool to encourage, motivate, and appreciate your employees. Very easy to use and its reward section is also very useful. It is also mobile-friendly.

Cons:

Monthly limit of the points can be improved. More options can be added to redeem points.

Cherry
Cherry
Virtual Assistant in Philippines
Verified LinkedIn User
Writing & Editing, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: Free Trial
Reviewer Source

User Experience - KUDOS

5.0 4 weeks ago New

Comments: While Kudos is a powerful tool for employee recognition and engagement, users may encounter some challenges with its cost, customization, and reporting features. Despite these potential drawbacks, I still believe that Kudos is a valuable platform for organizations looking to improve their employee recognition programs and overall employee engagement.

Pros:

As a user of Kudos, I have had a very positive experience with the software. One of the standout features of Kudos is its user-friendly interface. The platform is intuitive and easy to navigate, which has made it easy for me to use it daily.Another great feature of Kudos is its ability to track and manage employee recognition programs. As a manager, I have found it invaluable to have a platform that allows me to track employee recognition and provide real-time feedback easily. This has not only helped me to manage my team better, but it has also improved employee morale and engagement.

Cons:

One of the cons of using Kudos is that it can be a bit pricey, especially for smaller organizations. As a manager in a smaller organization, I found that the cost of Kudos was a significant investment, and I had to weigh the benefits against the cost carefully.Another potential downside is that Kudos can be somewhat limited in customization. While the platform offers a range of features and tools, it may not be as customizable as some users would like. This may be a drawback for organizations with specific needs or requirements.

Stephanie
Snr Student Support Specialist in US
Hospital & Health Care, 5,001–10,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Kudos program is AWESOME

5.0 2 months ago New

Comments: Trying to get some of the people I'm working with to do things in a timely manner. I start handing out Kudos (publicly) so others see it, and it inspires them and others to do the things I need them to do, not just on time, but in several cases, before it's due.

Pros:

I think getting Kudos in appreciation for the things you do is great positive reinforcement and at the very least will bring a smile to the person who is receiving them. It's extremely easy to use. Fast and Almost fun when you start sending them out and knowing in the back of your mind that the people receiving them - you've probably made their day if they were having a tough one. It is truly nice to be appreciated

Cons:

I can see no cons. I truly appreciate this software

Navdeep
Insurance Advisor in Canada
Insurance, 501–1,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Product Review

5.0 last week New

Pros:

Recognition of upper management and peers and tracking

Cons:

I didn't come across any cons for this software for now.

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Hospital & Health Care, 5,001–10,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Kudos helps with Kudos!

5.0 2 months ago

Comments: I think people like being recognized.

Pros:

Easy to use, to add cute GIFs and emojis. You can read others' kudos, which is a nice way to see people being recognized. I like the reminders as well, if you haven't given a kudos in a while.

Cons:

I don't always know I have a Kudos. I also sometimes have trouble adding more than one person to a kudos. I also didn't know I could agree or thumbs up other people's kudos for a while.

Brandon
VP Operations in US
Internet, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Kudos has helped us all remember (and reward) our important employee contributions.

5.0 5 years ago

Comments: More employee engagement, visibility into employee traits, and more workplace fun.

Pros:

Kudos' web-based application makes it easy and fun for employees to thank each other, and we've had great success integrating it into our existing Employee Rewards program. We reviewed five similar employee incentive websites, and Kudos definitely had the best interface, reward options, and price. With Kudos, employees are allotted a predetermined amount points every first of the month. You give these points -- tied with a number of present qualities -- to teammates in a public or private post. That feature (along with the reporting) gives us valuable insight into what kinds of things people are getting recognized for over time. But the most important points-related aspect is that you can't spend points unless you receive them from others giving you thanks/kudos. So, everyone has separate giving and spending balances in this system. Spendable points quickly accrue towards a number of digital gift cards for venues like Amazon.com, but we've also created custom, company-specific rewards like time off or vending machine coins for free food and drinks. Kudus even automatically gives points for employee birthdays and work anniversaries. I also like that Kudos is being updated with new features and fixes every month or two, including things I thought about or suggested. There are many more features and benefits to mention here; you'll just have to take a demo to see it in action.

Cons:

There isn't much that I don't like about Kudos. Some of the backend features are put in places you wouldn't expect, so the website could be more intuitive. Also, there really isn't a good way to correct points given in error, whether the points were given to an unintended person or the points were the wrong amount.

Amos
Customer Service Adviser in Uganda
Telecommunications, 1,001–5,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

KUDOS FOR KUDOS

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: Being a user of Kudos, the experience has generally been positive and exciting, kudos has totally changed the way people in my organization say thank you, appreciating you using kudos feels more different and feels more rewarding than when somebody just tells you thank you verbally, i feel like every month comes with a gift in form of kudos points.
One negative thing i would love to note is that kudos is loosing meaning because now for someone to send you kudos, you must equally be willing to send the same amount of kudos points to the back to the person who sent you their Kudos points, that makes it feel like its a batter trade not an appreciation. for example, one comes to you and tells you i have 50 Kudos points, if you also have 50 kudos points, lets exchange, To me that ceases to be an on spot appreciation or a way of saying thank you but it becomes a batter trade where you exchange something for something.

Pros:

The software helps you recognize and appreciate a colleges good work on spot in a more rewarding way. The Software equally acts as a chatting platform i.e after sending a college Kudos, someone has a provision of where to leave a comment thus creating a chatting platform where two or more people can leave or exchange congratulatory messages. The software also has privacy features that is to say one can choose to send kudos but make the message private. you could be sending kudos to your girlfriend with the same company so the privacy feature helps make your conversation private. The notification messages like the birthday notifications, how long you have been working in the company etc are also one feature i love.

Cons:

1) Few rewards to redeem, sometimes you have the points but no rewards to redeem that is to say there are limited options of rewards to redeem 2)Some rewards don't make you feel the value of your hardly earned kudos points. 3)The colours on the site are a little too bright to a naked eye.

Heather
HR/Administrative Coordinator in US
Banking, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Excellent. From the demo through the implementation and beyond the customer service has been awesome

5.0 5 years ago

Pros:

This has been a huge improvement over our last employee recognition program. It was nearly barbaric in comparison. Imagine having to physically write a thank you on a card! In actuality, we made the decision to move because we have five locations and the physical cards took so long to get to staff between branches. I think we lost a lot of meaning in the recognition. Now as soon as the good stuff happens staff can thank their co-worker and everyone can see it immediately. KUDOS has been an easy transition for staff. Because the majority are familiar with social media the idea of the "wall" and "postings" is simple to relate to. I appreciate the ability to customize how many points each person can give. For instance, I have one manager with 1 employee and another with 20. Or if we put out a cross-marketing incentive I can increase the management KUDOS allotment to allow for extra points. Staff have been redeeming for gift cards, but they have also enjoyed the custom rewards. We added in things such as logo wear, PTO days and sweet treats. Who wouldn't love to come in to a little dessert once in awhile! I love the full scope of reporting that KUDOS offers. This has been instrumental in showing Senior Management the positive engagement that we are seeing. I hope to implement individual KQ's into our performance management process soon. I haven't taken advantage of the survey options yet, but that is next in exploring all the things that KUDOS offers.

Cons:

Nothing that I can think of. I would love if they would look at implementing a performance management feature in the future.

Aleksandr
Director of Client Partnerships in US
Verified LinkedIn User
Information Technology & Services, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Thumbs Up

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: Very positive experience.

Pros:

Kudos is a great platform for sharing accolades and praise with colleagues and teammates. We've used it to manage incentive programs, wellness initiatives, and re-enforce our organization's values. It's improved morale and become a staple of our culture.

Cons:

The platform could have more built in social features - such as the ability to post pictures as comments, gifs, etc. Also, we used to be able to give K+ points from an individual's bank of Kudos they had received - this feature has vanished after an upgrade, and now Kudos are given with no points once a teammate has run out. The ability to give from your own awards really increased the meaning of those thoughtful thank-you(s). Also the Slack integration is clunky and confusing.

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Investment Management, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Company culture

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: Kudos has become a part of our company culture- ways to recognize employees on a regular basis, opportunities for others to see what is going on throughout the company and come together for fun events throughout the year.

Pros:

The ease of use for employees, the ability to recognize employees from your desk or mobile phone!

Cons:

There are some features that we would like to customize, but currently there isn't that flexibility. However, if you put in your request with Kudos, they are great about finding ways to make it happen!

Kudos Response

4 years ago

Hello! It's really great to hear that Kudos has become a part of your company culture! It's really rewarding to know that it's making a difference to your work day. :) We're working on a ton of cool features and functionality that will give you more control over aspects of Kudos. Stay tuned and be sure to keep sending us any feedback you have on Kudos! We love hearing from you!

Sarah
Director in Canada
Human Resources, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Excellent Product that Keeps Improving with the Times

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: A lot of the team members work in remote locations so the tool is an excellent way of bringing remote workers closer together to replicate an office environment.

Pros:

Ease of use for staff members to share praise. This is very valuable to our team!

Cons:

It may be cool to have this as an APP that can be more readily pinned to taskbar for faster praise and easier use.

Kudos Response

4 years ago

Hi Sarah, It's awesome to hear that you're finding Kudos so easy to use! We're also daily Kudos users, so we appreciate how important it is that it be user-friendly and intuitive. That's a great idea to have an app for desktop/laptop computers! There are a couple of ways that we can make Kudos more accessible; have you tried the Kudos browser extension? It allows you to send and receive Kudos in your browser without needing to go to your Kudos page. This is great if you spend a lot of time in your browser. Our extension is compatible with Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer. You can grab the extension by visiting https://support.kudosnow.com/hc/en-us/articles/203808586-Using-the-Kudos-Browser-Add-on You could also create a shortcut to your Kudos page on your desktop and place it on your Taskbar. This would open Kudos in your preferred web browser whenever you click it. Hopefully one of those options helps! Remember that we're always here to at [email protected]!

Michelle
Director in Australia
Accounting, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

A nimble and easy platform that has an immediate and lasting positive impact on our team.

5.0 5 years ago

Comments: A quick, transparent and effective means of communication amongst our team on performance.

Pros:

The ease and transparency that Kudos provides in allowing us to recognise employees' effort and contribution, fits perfectly within our culture of recognition and reward in a timely manner. Allows all our members of our team to appreciate each other. We have now been using for three years and it hasn't lost its momentum. We use as a tool to send announcements, newsletters, share corporate event photos - which brings our team back to the site which reinvigorates further use. Our team use the app at lunch breaks to send and like each other Kudos.

Cons:

As we use pages for newsletters some more options around graphics would be great.

Kim
Sr Security & Compliance Analyst in US
Insurance, 501–1,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Excellent way to pat your Co-workers on the back

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: My overall experience has been very positive.

Pros:

What I appreciate most about Kudos is that on a my daily basis it provides a listing of the individuals in my company that are having birthday and/or work anniversary. I personally like this because it gives me an added layer of insight about my co-workers that is just told me with having to research. I grow-up in the South so it is natural for me to speak and greet my co-workers. I really like the fact that Kudos is an electronic way for me to do that to my co-workers

Cons:

I would like for Kudos give out reminder that you have earned so many points, which is worth this much in reward.

Jordan
Supervisor in US
Retail, 1,001–5,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Kudos for Kudos

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: Kudos is an amazing tool that helps with morale and growth at a subconscious level. It's truly an amazing program that allows so much interaction which otherwise may not ever happen.

Pros:

This software encourages employee engagement to the next level and does so in the most positive manner. Recognizing peers for accomplishments as well as thanking them for assistance is really neat!

Cons:

I feel like that Kudos could improve with some of the UI. It can be difficult to search for specific people sometimes when giving Kudos. Another thing is when attaching a photo to an award and then changing the amount removes the photograph. Very minor inconvenience -

Isaiah
IT Support in Canada
Information Technology & Services, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

A Fulfilling Way to Show Your Appreciation

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: Overall, my experience with Kudos is extremely positive! I feel good when I receive Kudos from a colleague, and even better when I can give them out. I highly recommend employing Kudos in your business!

Pros:

Kudos provides a fantastic platform to show your appreciation for your colleagues. Doing my day to day work has become a much more gratifying experience. I feel like my work has a much bigger impact when I receive Kudos.

Cons:

Kudos, in general, is a very easy to use platform, but I would like to see its user interface become a tad more modern. The current interface looks a little dated when comparing to other modern sites.

Breland
Line Tech in US
Health, Wellness & Fitness, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

KUDOS for the win!

5.0 3 years ago

Pros:

What I love about Kudos the most is that there are so many options to cash in for your gift card. You name a place, and there's a gift card for it on there. I love it. It is fast and friendly! Its a great way for employees to interact with other employees. Money is one of the best incentives a company can give and with Kudos you're able to spend it however you like. When I have my own business I will be sure to use Kudos and nothing else!

Cons:

I don't like how you can't see what everyone says about a person unless you see it scrolling. I'd like it even better if we were given the option to click on someones name and then you could see all of the Kudos posted.

Janell
First Impression Specialist in US
Computer Software, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Keeps Our Company Connected

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: We have a mostly remote team that loves to give Kudos to each other! This is a software that I believe firmly ties in to our culture and helps strengthen our core values! We give so much Kudos, it's crazy! I love the team, the customer service and the fact that everyone can spend their kudos on what they love.

Pros:

It allows our people to stay connected and recognize each other real time while giving them the ability to cash in their points at stores that they love!

Cons:

I wish the stickers would get updated more frequently, as none have changed or been added for at least 2 years.

Greg
Lean Transformation Leader in US
Legal Services, 201–500 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Kudos helps to enhance employee engagement

5.0 4 years ago

Pros:

The Kudos platform has been a big success at our company. It provides an easy method of thanking our co-workers for assistance to recognizing them for a major accomplishment on a project. I enjoy reading the news feed of Kudos recognition throughout our organization. It helps me learn about many of the great things taking place throughout our company.

Cons:

I've been using the Kudos platform for over 2 years and have not experienced any issues or concerns.

Emily
Account Manager in US
Nonprofit Organisation Management, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Feel Good, Doing Your Job!

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: My experience was Kudos is truly positive. I find my self connecting with more of my co-workers on a deeper level. It helps to encourage a positive work environment and overall strong mentality. When I get kudos, I instantly get a smile on my face and then want to give someone that same feeling by sending out my own!

Pros:

Kudos is a wonderful platform that allows employees to feel connected with their co-workers in a positive way. The act of giving and receiving kudos helps to generate positive interoffice relationships. On are the more individual basis, this platform allows for instant gratification. By having this instant positive affirmation, I feel more encouraged to continue producing high-quality work.

Cons:

I truly believe the platform is in a great spot. I sometimes wish there were more characteristics to choice from but other than that - no complaints!

Jackie
Director of Human Resources in US
Hospital & Health Care, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Kudos Employee Recognition Software

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: Kudos has been an easy transition for us from a HR professional standpoint and for our employees. The ease of the program has been nice and an easy platform for our employees to connect with one another.

Pros:

Software is easy to use and a great tool for employee engagement.

Cons:

I don't have any negatives to share about the software. If I think of an enhancement that would benefit our group, I share with the Kudos team and they look into ways to implement.

Kudos Response

4 years ago

Hi Jackie, It's great to hear that you find Kudos easy to use and that you're having success using it to drive employee engagement! We're excited for you to see some of the cool things we're working on to make Kudos even more fun, more useful, and more impactful to your organization!