Culture Amp Reviews - Pricing, Pros/Cons, User Reviews

Discover Culture Amp, the leader in employee engagement and analytics. Explore its pricing, features, and tools to boost workplace culture and performance management.

Brett Ungashick
OutSail HRIS Advisor
January 7, 2025
User looking at computer with Culture Amp logo

Culture Amp transforms HR strategies by focusing on employee engagement and data-driven decisions. As a leader in employee engagement surveys and people analytics, it offers organizations practical tools to gather, analyze, and respond to employee feedback. The platform supports engagement initiatives, performance management, and DEI efforts, offering actionable insights that help businesses foster a motivated and productive workforce. This review dives deep into Culture Amp’s pricing structure, standout features, potential limitations, and overall value for businesses aiming to improve employee experience and organizational performance. Whether you’re a growing company or a large enterprise, Culture Amp could be a vital addition to your HR toolkit.

Overview of Culture Amp

Culture Amp is an employee engagement and people analytics platform that empowers HR teams with actionable insights. Since its inception, Culture Amp has been recognized as a pioneer in engagement surveys, helping businesses of all sizes measure and improve employee satisfaction, productivity, and overall workplace culture.

The platform is particularly known for its advanced people analytics capabilities, allowing organizations to gain visibility into departmental and location-based data and easily share insights. In addition to its core engagement tools, Culture Amp has expanded its offerings to include performance management, goal tracking, and position management through its acquisition of Orgnostic.

The Strengths of Culture Amp

1. Leadership in Engagement Surveys and Analytics

Culture Amp is widely regarded as the leader in employee engagement surveys. It provides HR teams with detailed insights into organizational performance, helping businesses:

  • Identify trends and patterns across departments and locations.
  • Share actionable insights with stakeholders through intuitive dashboards.
  • Make informed decisions to improve workplace culture and employee satisfaction.

2. Actionable Employee Data with In-Context Guidance

Beyond gathering feedback, Culture Amp equips HR leaders with templates, tools, and training to act on the collected data. This includes:

  • Contextual training to address specific areas of concern.
  • Guidance on implementing actionable steps to improve employee engagement.
    This ensures that employee feedback translates into meaningful improvements rather than simply being collected and stored.

3. Robust Performance Management Suite

Culture Amp offers a comprehensive performance management system, including:

  • Goal Tracking: Align individual and team objectives with broader organizational goals.
  • 1-on-1s: Facilitate productive conversations between employees and managers.
  • 360 Reviews: Provide holistic feedback from peers, managers, and direct reports.
  • Shoutouts: Recognize and celebrate employee achievements to foster a positive workplace culture.
    These tools ensure that organizations can manage employee performance effectively while maintaining a strong focus on engagement.

4. Strategic Acquisitions for Expanded Functionality

Culture Amp’s recent acquisition of Orgnostic, a position management platform, has added new capabilities to its suite, including:

  • Turnover Models: Predict employee turnover and identify areas for improvement.
  • End-of-Year Budgeting Tools: Help HR teams plan strategically for the year ahead.
    This acquisition demonstrates Culture Amp’s commitment to staying ahead of industry trends and continually expanding its functionality.

5. Easy Reporting for Stakeholders

Culture Amp makes it simple for administrators to export dashboards and insights for C-suite executives and other stakeholders. These intuitive reports ensure that leadership teams can access clear, actionable data supporting decision-making.

Learn More: Compare Culture Amp and other leading HR Tech platforms on OutSail's marketplace

Points to Consider with Culture Amp

1. Customer Support for Smaller Clients

While Culture Amp is a top choice for enterprise-level organizations, smaller businesses may find the customer support experience lacking. Basic packages do not include live support, making it challenging for smaller companies to resolve issues quickly.

2. Limited HRIS Integrations in Basic Packages

Culture Amp’s entry-level packages lack HRIS integrations, a feature that many competitors include. This could pose challenges for organizations that streamline their data management and integrate Culture Amp with existing systems.

3. Growth-by-Acquisition Challenges

Culture Amp has adopted a growth-by-acquisition strategy to add new features quickly. While this approach enables rapid expansion, it can lead to:

  • Fragmented User Experiences: Features may not feel fully integrated, creating a less unified experience for administrators.
  • Learning Curves: New functionality may require additional training and onboarding for HR teams.

4. Pricing and Value for Smaller Organizations

Smaller organizations may find Culture Amp’s costs challenging to justify, especially given the lack of bundled features like live support and HRIS integrations. Businesses should carefully evaluate whether the platform’s capabilities align with their needs and budget.

Pricing Structure

Culture Amp operates on a per-employee-per-month (PEPM) pricing model, with costs estimated at $9-14 PEPM. The total cost depends on factors like the number of employees and the selected features.

Key pricing considerations include:

  • Base Pricing: $9-14 PEPM for access to core engagement and performance tools.
  • Enterprise Plans: Larger organizations may negotiate pricing based on their specific needs and scale.
  • Add-On Features: Access to advanced features like position management and turnover models may require additional costs.

Organizations should also factor in the potential need for external resources to manage or integrate the platform with existing systems.

Deciding if Culture Amp is Right for Your Business

Leveraging Strengths

  • Comprehensive Engagement Tools: Culture Amp excels in providing actionable employee insights that help organizations improve workplace culture and satisfaction.
  • Robust Performance Management: The platform’s performance management tools, including goal tracking and 360 reviews, make managing and developing employees easy.
  • Strategic Analytics: Turnover models and budgeting tools support long-term workforce planning.
  • User-Friendly Reporting: Intuitive dashboards and exportable reports ensure that insights are easily shared with stakeholders.

Addressing Challenges

  • Support for Smaller Clients: Organizations with limited budgets should consider the lack of live support in basic packages.
  • Integration Limitations: Evaluate whether the platform’s integration capabilities align with your HRIS and existing workflows.
  • Fragmented Features: Assess whether the platform’s growth-by-acquisition approach impacts your user experience.

Who Should Use Culture Amp?

Culture Amp is ideal for:

  • Large Enterprises: Businesses that need robust engagement and performance tools with advanced analytics.
  • Data-Driven Organizations: HR teams that prioritize actionable insights and reporting to inform decision-making.
  • HR Teams Seeking Flexibility: Companies are looking for tools to gather employee feedback and act on it meaningfully.

Conclusion

Culture Amp is a market leader in employee engagement surveys and analytics. It offers a robust platform that empowers HR teams with the tools they need to improve workplace culture and performance. Its comprehensive performance management tools and advanced analytics suite make it a valuable solution for large organizations seeking actionable insights.

However, the platform’s pricing, support limitations for smaller clients, and fragmented user experience due to its growth-by-acquisition strategy may not make it the best fit for every business. Organizations should carefully assess their specific needs, budget, and existing HR ecosystem before investing in Culture Amp.

For businesses focused on engagement, performance management, and data-driven insights, Culture Amp is a strong contender that continues to innovate and evolve to meet the needs of modern workplaces.

FAQs

1. What are the key strengths of Culture Amp?

Culture Amp excels in employee engagement surveys, people analytics, and performance management. Its tools provide actionable insights, advanced analytics, and seamless stakeholder reporting.

2. What are the limitations of Culture Amp?

Limitations include a lack of live support and HRIS integrations in basic packages, fragmented features due to growth-by-acquisition, and higher costs for smaller organizations.

3. What is Culture Amp’s pricing model?

Culture Amp operates on a per-employee-per-month (PEPM) basis, with costs estimated at $9-14 PEPM. Additional fees may apply for advanced features and add-ons.

4. Is Culture Amp suitable for smaller businesses?

Culture Amp is better suited for enterprise-level organizations. Smaller businesses may find its costs and support limitations challenging.

5. What type of organizations benefit most from Culture Amp?

Culture Amp will benefit large enterprises and data-driven organizations that prioritize engagement, performance management, and actionable insights.

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Meet the Author

Brett Ungashick
OutSail HRIS Advisor
Brett Ungashick, the friendly face behind OutSail, started his career at LinkedIn, selling HR software. This experience sparked an idea, leading him to create OutSail in 2018. Based in Denver, OutSail simplifies the HR software selection process, and Brett's hands-on approach has already helped over 1,000 companies, including SalesLoft, Hudl and DoorDash. He's a go-to guy for all things HR Tech, supporting companies in every industry and across 20+ countries. When he's not demystifying HR tech, you'll find Brett enjoying a round of golf or skiing down Colorado's slopes, always happy to chat about work or play.

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