Give River vs Bonusly
Both have a free plan and per-user monthly pricing, and both run peer recognition with rewards inside Slack and Microsoft Teams. Bonusly leans toward continuous performance management (goals, 1:1s, AI-written recaps) and a very large rewards catalog. Give River runs recognition in time-bound Seasons and adds micro-learning, wellness, and charitable impact, with a River Guide coach on paid plans.
Where Give River stands apart.
$4.99 per user, everything included
Core covers recognition, rewards, micro-learning, gamified Seasons, and surveys for $4.99 per user per month. No add-on modules, no hidden upcharges or fees, no long-term contract.
90% average adoption
Customers average 90% adoption, against the 20–30% typical of workplace tools. Seasons give people a reason to come back.
Built around the game
Seasons, team challenges, River Rankings leaderboards, and streaks are the product, not badges added to a recognition feed.
Built on the 5G Method
Gratitude, Gamification, Growth, Generosity, and Guidance: a framework drawn from the sports psychology behind championship teams.
Which should you choose?
Choose Give River if…
- You want recognition, micro-learning, and charitable giving in one platform rather than three tools.
- Engagement fades a few months after launch, and you want structured, time-bound Seasons to keep it going.
- You'd like a coach who designs your programs and reads the data with you.
- You're a nonprofit (discounted pricing) or a team of roughly 10–500 people who want to launch in about two weeks.
Choose Bonusly if…
- You want goals, 1:1 meetings, and AI-generated performance recaps in the same tool as recognition.
- A very large rewards catalog matters most, including cash-out options such as PayPal and Venmo.
- You need a long list of HRIS connectors or Google Chat.
- You're a larger organization that wants Bonusly's enterprise plan features, such as SAML single sign-on.
Feature by feature.
| Feature | Give River | Bonusly |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes, up to 25 members | Yes, up to 8 users |
| Paid plans start at | $4.99/user/mo (Core) | $5/user/mo (Team, with Bizy AI) or $3 without |
| Free trial | 30 days on paid plans | 30 days on Team |
| Peer recognition tied to company values | ✓ | ✓ |
| Time-bound gamified programs | Seasons, 1–3 months | Flash Points campaigns (Organization) |
| Leaderboards | ✓ | Organization plan |
| Micro-learning content | River Runs, 5–20 min (Core) | Not listed |
| Goals and 1:1s | Goals and coaching (Growth) | Goals, 1:1s, AI recaps |
| Pulse surveys | Surveys, polls, eNPS (Core) | Pulse checks (1–5 rating) |
| Birthdays and work anniversaries | Milestones on every plan; custom awards on Core | Team plan and up |
| Rewards catalog | Gift cards and custom rewards (Core) | 1,200+ rewards, incl. cash-out |
| Charitable donations | ✓ | ✓ |
| Volunteer management | Growth plan | Not listed |
| Wellness programs | Wellness Seasons | Not listed |
| Slack and Microsoft Teams | Both, on Core and Growth | Both, all plans |
| HRIS sync | BambooHR, ADP, Rippling, Workday, and other HRIS integrations available. | 30+ systems (Team and up) |
| Single sign-on | Core and Growth | Google on all plans; SAML on Organization |
| iOS and Android apps | Every plan, Free included | All plans |
| Coach or success manager | River Guide: shared on Core; coaching and goal tracking on Growth | Dedicated CSM (Organization) |
| Typical implementation | About 2 weeks | 4–6 weeks, faster for small teams |
Bonusly details come from Bonusly's public website and help center, checked October 4, 2026 (sources below). Plan names in a cell show where a feature sits. “Not listed” means we couldn't find it on their site. Products change, so confirm with Bonusly before you decide.
What Give River looks like.
5–20 minute modules on wellness, professional growth, and soft skills, plus your own.
Time-bound 1–3 month Seasons with a team leaderboard.
Employees turn Drops into donations to the causes they choose.
An engagement coach who designs your Seasons and reads the data with you.
Peer shout-outs tied to your company values, with Drops attached.
Engagement trends, Drops activity, and eNPS results in one dashboard.
What each one costs.
Give River
Free plan for teams of up to 25 members. Core is $4.99 per user per month; Growth is $8.99 per user per month, each with a 30-day free trial. A card is required for every plan: Free is never charged, and a trial bills when it ends unless you cancel. No long-term contracts, no hidden upcharges or fees, and discounted nonprofit pricing. Your rewards budget is separate and set by you. See all plans.
Bonusly
Free for up to 8 users. Team is $5 per user per month including the Bizy AI assistant, or $3 without it, and $50 per user per year billed annually (new customers). Organization is custom-priced. Rewards are billed at face value, plus a convenience fee when paid by card; prepaying by bank transfer has no fee.
Give River vs Bonusly: common questions.
Yes, especially if you want micro-learning and charitable giving alongside recognition. Both platforms run peer recognition with rewards in Slack and Microsoft Teams, with a free plan and per-user monthly pricing. Give River adds River Runs micro-learning, Wellness Seasons, and volunteer management, and organizes engagement into 1–3 month Seasons with a River Guide coach.
Both have a free plan. Give River's covers teams of up to 25 members; Bonusly's covers up to 8 users. Give River Core is $4.99 per user per month; Bonusly Team is $5 with its Bizy AI assistant, or $3 without. Give River's Growth plan is $8.99 per user per month, and Bonusly's Organization plan is custom-priced.
Give River includes River Runs, 5–20 minute micro-learning modules on wellness, professional development, and soft skills, plus your own content. We couldn't find a learning content library on Bonusly's site; it offers goals, 1:1s, and AI performance recaps instead.
Yes. Bonusly includes both on every plan. Give River includes Slack and Microsoft Teams on Core and Growth, and iOS and Android apps on every plan, Free included.
Sources, checked October 4, 2026
- Bonusly pricing
- Understanding Bonusly plans
- What you get on the Organization plan
- Paying for Bonusly rewards plans
- Bonusly rewards
- Leaderboard
- Flash Points
- Goals
- 1:1 meetings in Bonusly
- Managing pulse checks
- Celebrations in Bonusly
- Setting up direct HRIS integrations
- Bonusly integrations
- Single sign-on with SAML
Spotted something out of date? Email hello@giveriver.com and we'll fix it. Give River facts: giveriver.com/facts.
See Give River in action.
Free for up to 25 members, or try Core or Growth free for 30 days. A card is required; Free is never charged, and a trial bills when it ends unless you cancel.