Performance management software is the modern and efficient way to evaluate employee performance.
Historically, managers would rate employee performance during an annual or quarterly review. This typically involved a face-to-face meeting and a lot of paperwork.
By incorporating performance management software, managers can eliminate paper-based performance reviews and digitalize the entire process. This allows them to review employees quickly and efficiently, since the data they need is just a mouse click away.
If you’re ready to upgrade your performance management process, you’ve come to the right place. I dug deep and reviewed the best performance management software on the market today.
Read on to discover what makes each choice stand out, and find the best solution for your needs.
The Top 8 Best Performance Management Software
15FiveLatticeKissflow HR CloudReviewsnapEngagedlyTrakstarNamelyClearCompany
After extensive research analyzing dozens of performance management tools, we’ve narrowed down eight options that we can confidently recommend. This guide contains the features, benefits, use cases, pricing, and potential drawbacks for the software on our list.
#1 – 15Five — Best Performance Management Software For Remote Teams
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Today, more than ever before, businesses of all shapes and sizes are running remotely. This can be challenging from a management perspective, as you’re not getting the in-person interaction that you’d normally have in a traditional office environment.
But remote work is the way of the future, so organizations must adapt to keep their employees engaged.
15Five is our top recommendation for remote team performance management. The software provides managers the resources and tools required to keep their staff engaged from anywhere.
The software is used by brands like Capital One, Spotify, and Credit Karma—all of which have remote employees.
I like 15Five because it has the ability to give employees a voice. It’s easy for them to update managers with challenges or recent wins that they’ve experienced. The software helps maintain a close-knit company culture, even as teams work remotely.
The software comes with features and functionality like:
Question banksSlack integrationiOS and Android mobile appsSurvey templatesAdmin controlsSelf-reviews1:1 assessmentsPollsObjectives (OKRs)HRIS integration
The list goes on and on. Not every feature is available for all plans. Here’s a look at the plan types and rates offered by 15Five:
Free – $0 (for up to 20 people)Basic – $7 per employee per monthPlus – $14 per employee per monthPerformance – Custom pricing
Regardless of your team size or industry, 15Five can accommodate your needs. All rates are based on an annual contract.
#2 – Lattice — Best For Continuous Performance Management
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Lattice is one of the best performance management systems on the market today. The software makes it easy for leaders to empower employees, create winning cultures, and inspire high-performing teams.
More than 1,800+ businesses use Lattice for performance management, including companies like Asana, Reddit, and Slack.
The software has everything your managers need to provide continuous performance management. You’ll benefit from features and functionality for things like:
Individual performance reviewsReal-time feedback and constructive criticism1:1 collaborationsEmployee goalsPraise and recognition for achievementsStatus updates
Lattice also comes with tools for people analytics, question templates, and company benchmarks to help measure the health of your total organizational culture.
The software seamlessly integrates with other tools that you’re using, like BambooHR, Zenefits, Workday, Slack, G Suite, and more.
Lattice is designed for everyone. The software works great from multiple perspectives, including managers, employees, and HR departments.
Whether you have three employees, 30 employees, or 3,000+ employees, Lattice is equipped to accommodate your needs. To learn more about plans and pricing, request a demo to get started.
#3 – Kissflow HR Cloud — Best For Employee Lifecycle Management
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Kissflow HR Cloud is more than just a performance management tool. It’s a complete solution for managing employees from the onboarding process through offboarding. 10,000+ businesses like Pepsi, Domino’s, Comcast, and HubSpot trust Kissflow.
In addition to performance management, the software has features for applicant tracking, leave management, attendance management, and more.
For those of you who want to seamlessly manage employees from hiring to retiring, Kisslow HR Cloud will be the best option for you.
Kissflow makes it easy for you to view all of the most crucial employee performance metrics from a single dashboard. You can monitor work efficiency, timeliness, and other skills based on evaluations from managers, peers, and even self-evaluations.
Use the data to recognize your top performers, reduce turnover, and identify performance gaps.
The software comes with other features, tools, and benefits like:
Custom training plansPerformance analyticsRewards and recognitionCustom workflowsGoals and milestone planning
If employees are underperforming, management has the ability to create performance improvement plans directly within the software.
Kissflow Cloud HR is designed for larger teams. Plans start at $690 per month, which accommodates up to 100 users. Enterprise pricing with unlimited users, applicating tracking, and the HR help desk starts at $1,290 per month.
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#4 – Reviewsnap — Best Software For Employee Evaluations
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As the name implies, Reviewsnap makes it easy for managers to create employee reviews during evaluations. The software can essentially be used as a digital performance review.
More than 1,000 organizations trust Reviewsnap for performance management. It’s used by Stanley Black & Decker, Fidelity Bank, USA Football, and more.
The software is fully automated and easy for anyone to use. Even if your managers aren’t very tech-savvy, the solution is straightforward and easy to navigate.
With Reviewsnap, you’ll benefit from tools, features, and benefits like:
Review templatesVisual reportingGoal trackingCompetency library360-degree feedbackUnrestricted reporting and SSOPerformance notes
Overall, the software allows teams of all sizes to manage employee performance online and in real-time. These digital employee evaluations are the modern way to measure performance.
To learn more about the Reviewsnap plans and pricing, request a free demo to get started.
#5 – Engagedly — Best Performance Management Software For Employee Engagement
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Engagedly is another platform built for continuous performance management. The software allows managers to give and receive feedback in real-time.
As you can guess from the name, Engagedly strives to build employee engagement. They make it easy for management to set up frequent check-ins, reviews, and competency assessments to keep their staff highly engaged.
The software comes with helpful features and functionality like:
GamificationEmployee recognitionAwards points and badgesSocial praise and shout outsEmployee surveys and feedbackLearning management systemMentoring programAnonymous feedback
As you can see, all of these cool capabilities give your employees more of an incentive to participate and view their performance in a positive light. Engagedly comes with arguably the best mobile app in this category as well. Everything can be managed from the palm of your hand, whether you’re a manager or employee.
So much data might seem a bit overwhelming. But Engagedly provides managers with in-depth analysis of incoming and outgoing feedback. It’s easy to quickly understand what’s going on so you can make actionable decisions.
Engagedly is user-friendly, and you can deploy it within hours. Request a free demo to get started.
#6 – Trakstar — Best Easy-to-Use Performance Management Software
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Trakstar is a modern way to manage employee performance. It’s trusted by 1,000+ businesses of all shapes and sizes.
This online performance management software removes the complexity that’s commonly found within other tools in this category.
Trakstar isn’t quite as feature-rich as the other tools on our list. But it definitely has everything you need in a performance management solution. Some of the top benefits include:
Performance reviewsCustom rating scales, questions, and competenciesPerformance expectationsGoal settingReal-time feedback
Trakstar has separate solutions for employee engagement and even a product for succession planning. But you can bundle any combination of these options into a single software to accommodate your needs.
Overall, the solution makes it easy for managers and employees alike to manage performance with 360-degree feedback. You’ll gain useful information from peers, clients, and employee self-appraisals.
To get started, just sign up for a free live demo online.
#7 – Namely — Best Performance Management Software For Mid-Sized Businesses
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Namely is branded as a “people operations platform.” It’s an all-in-one HR solution with a wide range of products and tools for recruiting, benefits administration, payroll, and more.
The software is definitely designed for larger organizations and mid-sized companies. It’s trusted by 1,400+ HR professionals worldwide.
Performance management falls within the talent management scope of the software. You’ll also benefit from features that go above and beyond assessments, like:
Paperless onboarding and e-signatureEmployee and company-level goal planningAutomated review cyclesDefine competenciesEmployee recognition and appreciationCustom templates
Namely offers unlimited reviews, so you can run performance assessments as frequently as you desire.
The Namely HR package also comes with tools for an employee directory, time-off management, and more. So if you’re only looking for a performance management tool on its own, this probably won’t be the best option for you.
But for midsize organizations seeking a total HR solution with the ability to add-on features beyond performance management, Namely is perfect for your needs.
#8 – ClearCompany — Best Custom Performance Management Software
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ClearCompany has been a player in the talent management space for 15 years. More than 2,000+ businesses trust this platform for performance management and applicant tracking.
They work with companies across a wide range of industries, including healthcare, hospitality, nonprofit, government, retail, technology, skilled labor, energy, education, finance, and more.
I like ClearCompany’s software because it’s flexible and highly customizable. You can create your own scales, sections, and questions. You’re also able to do things like setting up a multi-stage review process with approval and timed stages.
Other top highlights of ClearCompany include:
Time-based reviewsPeer reviewsMobile performance reviewsGoal planningReal-time feedbackEmployee recognitionReporting and analytics
In addition to performance management, you can also use the software for recruiting, onboarding, and employee engagement. Overall, ClearCompany can do as much or as little as you need it to do. It’s robust, intuitive, and user-friendly.
If it sounds like ClearCompany is right for you, get a free demo and request a quote.
How to Find the Best Performance Management Software For You
Most performance management solutions will have similar features. All of the tools on our list accommodate digital performance reviews. But beyond those basic features, there are certain factors that must be taken into consideration as you’re evaluating different options.
Generally speaking, there is no “best for everyone” performance management tool. So use the methodology below to determine what’s best for your unique situation.
360-Degree Feedback
The best performance management software goes above and beyond management feedback. To get a full scope of how your staff is performing, the software should allow for peer reviews, self-assessments, client reviews, and more.
Even the best managers can’t monitor an employee every minute of the day, nor should they have to. So 360-degree feedback is the best way to get a fair and honest assessment from multiple vantage points.
Furthermore, employees should be able to evaluate management’s performance as well. All of this feedback should be facilitated in real-time.
Recognition and Rewards
Do performance reviews tend to have a negative connotation in your business? That shouldn’t be the case. The best way to change that mindset and improve your company culture is by praising your staff for a job well done.
Look for a software that allows you to give points, badges, and other rewards to recognize achievements.
This type of positive reinforcement will keep your top-performers motivated and give other employees something to strive for.
Goal Planning
It’s tough for employees to perform well if they don’t know what you expect from them. So I recommend a performance management solution with goal planning features.
This will give your staff an actionable plan to ensure they’re doing what you expect of them.
Since all of this information is digital, they can access the goal planning and corresponding strategies from anywhere, anytime, including a mobile app. They don’t have to try and remember what was said during an annual or quarterly review.
HR Tools
Some performance management solutions are bundled within complete HR solutions. So you might see features for things like employee onboarding, applicant tracking, payroll, time-off management, benefits administration, and more.
While these extras are great to have, not every business needs them. Only consider this type of software if you require a complete HR solution. Otherwise, you’ll likely be paying extra for features you’ll never use.
Conclusion
What’s the best performance management software? There’s no single answer to this question, as it depends on what you’re looking for.
We recommend Lattice for continuous performance management. Kissflow HR Cloud and Namely are both great options if you want an all-in-one HR solution. If you have remote teams and want to prioritize engagement, try 15Five, Reviewsnap, or Engagedly. ClearCompany is a great for businesses seeking a custom performance management solution. Trakstar is our top pick for simplicity and ease of use.
Regardless of your business size or industry, you can use this guide to find the best performance management software for you. Our list has something for everyone.
