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Best Performance Management Software for Startups 2025

Written by Paddy Stobbs

Co-Founder & CEO

Edited by Camin McCluskey

Co-Founder & CTO

Updated onApr 28, 2025

Choosing the right performance management software is crucial to nurturing talent. As independent experts, we've analyzed the top options for 2025. This guide focuses on tools that excel at setting clear goals, facilitating regular feedback, streamlining performance reviews, and supporting employee development.

We'll help you find the best fit for your startup's unique needs, ensuring your team thrives and contributes effectively to your company's success.

Best Performance Management tools for different use cases

For ease of use:

Small Improvements product logo

Small Improvements

Stackfix Rating:

7.8 / 10

For startups prioritizing speed and simplicity, Small Improvements stands out. It earns a perfect 10/10 for ease of setup, with teams able to get started within hours, not days. In our review, onboarding was exceptionally smooth — we were able to navigate confidently and complete the initial setup within just a few hours, with full proficiency achievable in a couple of days.

Beyond setup, day-to-day usability is a real strength. Small Improvements scores 9/10 for ease of use, making performance management tasks simple for both managers and employees — without needing dedicated HR support. Our testing confirmed its intuitive design, with clean workflows that guide users naturally.

Key features like 360 reviews, 1:1 meetings, and pulse surveys are all built for simplicity, making them easy for startups to adopt and run with immediately. That focus on ease of use drives high adoption and minimal training overhead.

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For balancing power and ease of use:

Lattice product logo

Lattice

Stackfix Rating:

7.8 / 10

Lattice is one of the most popular performance management tools for startups - particularly scale-ups looking for a comprehensive, easy-to-use platform.

We found its 1:1 meeting module exceptional, offering a simple interface for setting talking points and tracking meetings, supported by strong privacy controls. Lattice’s OKR framework is equally impressive, with an intuitive card-based system for goal updates and clear parent-goal alignment, making it ideal for companies serious about driving goal clarity.

Review cycle management is another strength. The platform offers clear status tracking and an intuitive, guided process that makes running complex review cycles across multiple teams feel manageable. Day-to-day usability is excellent, with a consistent interface and a personalized landing page that makes it easy for users to stay on top of tasks and goals.

We were also impressed by Lattice’s survey capabilities, particularly the Engage module’s extensive template library and flexible question banks, though pulse survey setup can feel a little complex at first.

That said, Lattice has some limitations. Recurring review functionality is basic, forcing teams to manually schedule cycles like 360 reviews. Integration options are also limited — missing connections with popular tools like Zapier, Monday, Trello, and Notion, which could be a barrier for teams heavily invested in those platforms.

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For highly customizable performance review forms:

ThriveSparrow product logo

ThriveSparrow

Stackfix Rating:

7.2 / 10

ThriveSparrow stands out for performance review form customization, earning a strong 9/10 in our testing for customizability thanks to its powerful block builder. In our review, we found it particularly well-suited for startups needing highly tailored review processes.

The platform offers granular control over review forms — from question types and rules to feedback mechanics and branding. Startups can also speed up form creation by using pre-tested question banks or combining existing forms as templates, further strengthening its flexibility.

Beyond customization, ThriveSparrow supports a wide range of question formats, review flows, branding options, and automatic translation across 20 languages.

One limitation is that it currently lacks natural language processing to automatically generate review questions from prompts — something that could help startups set up even faster.

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For pulse surveys:

Leapsome product logo

Leapsome

Stackfix Rating:

7.5 / 10

Leapsome provides one of the most comprehensive toolkits in its category, covering 1:1s, reviews, feedback, goal tracking, surveys, and more to meet the needs of almost any team. But the platform’s depth comes with a trade-off. Complex processes like implementing 360 reviews mean startups will get the most out of Leapsome when they have a dedicated HR team or managers committed to fully using its capabilities. It’s a powerful platform — but it takes proper effort to unlock its full potential.

Leapsome particularly excels when it comes to pulse surveys. The platform natively supports the automation of engagement tracking through recurring survey scheduling, pre-built templates, cycle settings, and configurable permissions. This makes it easy for startups to consistently monitor employee sentiment with minimal manual effort.

Another strength of Leapsome, in our view, is its data analysis. The survey visualization is exceptional, offering clear trends, heatmaps, and participation metrics that go well beyond basic summaries. This enables a much deeper understanding of engagement data — a key advantage for teams serious about improving culture and performance.

While Leapsome is generally easy to use, the depth of its automation and customization options can make the initial setup feel more complex than simpler tools. That said, for startups willing to invest the time, Leapsome offers one of the most powerful pulse survey solutions on the market for 2025.

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For extensive integrations:

15Five product logo

15Five

Stackfix Rating:

7.8 / 10

15Five delivers a strong, well-rounded performance management platform, covering surveys, 1:1s, goals, feedback, and reviews with well-implemented functionality. It stands out for its robust HRIS and core tool integrations (earning a 9/10 for integratability), helping startups streamline workflows by connecting to Slack, Jira, BambooHR, Deel, Rippling, and major calendars.

Broader automation is limited by the lack of native Zapier or Webhook support, and connecting to project management tools like Asana or Trello requires external connectors. Data export options are standard, earning a 5/10 for exportability.

A few functional gaps remain — including slightly less efficient support, no AI assistance for question generation, and fewer options for pulling in external sources during reviews.

That said, for startups looking for a quality review and feedback platform with strong native automations and seamless system integration, 15Five remains a top choice.

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PS

Meet your expert: Paddy Stobbs

Stackfix Co-Founder & CEO

I've spent over a decade deep in the world of business software - personally managing more than $2M in purchases across companies I've built and led. From intimate 10-person teams to organizations of 150+, I've developed a particular obsession with Sales and HR tools – testing, implementing, and scaling them at every stage of growth. My journey started at Cambridge University, led me through Google, and most recently culminated in selling my previous venture to TikTok. Now, I'm channeling all of that hands-on experience into helping others navigate the complex landscape of business software.

Small Improvements logo

Small Improvements

Lattice logo

Lattice

ThriveSparrow logo

ThriveSparrow

Leapsome logo

Leapsome

15Five logo

15Five

Our rating
Functionality
7

Functionality

7/10

<p>Small Improvements provides engaging, intuitive performance management tools well-suited for most SMBs. While it lacks features like detailed performance metrics tracking, AI-assisted analysis, compensation reviews, granular goal-to-objective linking, and performance improvement plans, it excels in usability and functionality focused on frequent manager-driven reviews rather than broad HR initiatives. Exceptionally well designed anytime feedback, 1:1 meetings, and pulse surveys features in particular aid in use by managers instead of requiring dedicated HR resources to manage.</p>
9

Functionality

9/10

<p>Lattice is a top-tier Performance Management platform that packs extensive features and AI tools throughout its system. While it excels in most areas, it lacks some quality-of-life features found in competing platforms - most notably, pre-built pulse surveys that are ready for immediate use.</p>
7

Functionality

7/10

<p>ThriveSparrow stands as a well-equipped solution in the performance management category, offering a lot of features expected from a dedicated tool.</p><p>During testing, we discovered valuable capabilities such as creating action plans within reports, using AI to generate survey insights, and summarizing organizational metrics for potential review points.</p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">We also found innovative elements like its kudos points system, an effective employee engagement add-on feature for rewarding performance. </span></p><p>One large limitation is its relatively basic analytics and reporting dashboard as well as its lack of a dedicated 1:1 scheduling functionality.</p>
8

Functionality

8/10

<p>Leapsome offers core performance management features like 1:1 meetings, feedback, reviews, surveys, and goal tracking—matching competitors Lattice and 15Five. While an optional learning module is available, the platform lacks performance improvement plans and has limited performance tracking capabilities.&nbsp;</p>
9

Functionality

9/10

<p>15Five provides a robust performance management solution with nearly all essential features needed in this category. Our testing revealed well-implemented functionality across the platform. The few noteworthy gaps include the inability to create or edit performance improvement plans within employee profiles, no AI assistance for question generation, lack of compensation review and benchmarking tools, and limited options for incorporating external sources in reviews.</p>
Ease of Use
9

Ease of Use

9/10

<p>Small Improvements delivers exceptional day-to-day usability. During testing, we found the platform particularly easy and enjoyable for both employees and managers, with an interface that effectively guides users to appropriate tasks and provides clear direction when setting up new workflows.</p><p>For example, creating a new 360 review involves a simple vertical scrolling interface with distinct card sections for selecting templates, review audiences, scheduling, and other options.</p><p>The admin view proved highly intuitive—something most team managers could likely configure and manage independently when needed.</p>
8

Ease of Use

8/10

<p>Lattice's consistent interface design helps users get up to speed quickly. The personalized landing page gives immediate access to tasks, goals, and key information. Once users master 1-2 modules, they can easily navigate the rest of the platform. A standout feature is the guided workflow that walks users through outstanding tasks via an information-rich yet well-designed interface. For administrators, expect a somewhat steeper learning curve due to the platform's extensive functionality.</p>
7

Ease of Use

7/10

<p>The platform features a simple navigation system with clear tabs for tracking feedback and reviews. Ready-to-use templates make creating surveys effortless, while automated scheduling handles review cycles smoothly. Users can quickly set up and manage reviews without needing to manually repeat tasks.</p>
7

Ease of Use

7/10

<p>Leapsome provides regular users with a streamlined experience, offering clean interfaces and effective prompts for upcoming deadlines and tasks. This simplicity creates an intuitive environment for team members who aren't involved in administration.</p><p>For managers and administrators, however, the platform demands greater involvement. The extensive customization options introduce complexity through varied permissions, admin roles, and cycle ownership designations. Common elements like performance tracking dashboards require manual setup rather than being readily available. This added complexity makes Leapsome better suited for mid-market organizations with dedicated HR personnel who can properly configure and maintain the system while maximizing its robust feature set.</p>
8

Ease of Use

8/10

<p>We thoroughly enjoyed using this product. Between the engaging and intuitive interface as well as the easy to set up automations, we found a compellingly powerful software suite relative to its ease of use.</p><p>Using 1-2 modules should be sufficient for a user to feel confident with the platform. With the automations and templates available, we can see limited need to access the configurations of the platform. Instead, users can focus on the actual content of the site such as reviews, feedback, and acting on insights from the data suite.</p>
Look and feel
10

Look and feel

10/10

<p>Small Improvements features excellent design with an intuitive user experience. Its attractive interface uses consistent card layouts throughout all pages, creating a polished look. The system maintains this consistency even in complex areas like surveys and reviews by using a guided approach.</p><p>The warm color palette and friendly illustrations make the platform approachable, though some larger companies might prefer a more traditional business appearance. Our only minor issue was with occasional dense text on some cards, which can be slightly harder to read.</p>
9

Look and feel

9/10

<p>Lattice offers intuitive interfaces for both managers and end users. Managers and team members enjoy a professional, visually appealing platform with consistent design across all modules. HR executives and administrators benefit from a clean, comprehensive console that remains visually engaging even during long sessions. However, a few pages (like the Explorer and personal development sections) suffer from visual clutter and feel more complex than the rest of the platform.</p>
7

Look and feel

7/10

<p>ThriveSparrow presents a clean, modern interface that feels surprisingly lightweight despite its extensive feature set.</p><p>During testing, we found the light blue theme in the admin console particularly well-designed, offering comfortable use and navigation.</p><p>The platform features efficient module navigation through a top bar that triggers a pop-up side column for additional options. Each module page and feature demonstrates thoughtful design attention to usability.</p>
8

Look and feel

8/10

<p>Leapsome's interface features clear navigation and an informative landing page for all users. While the design is clean and customizable, some information is hard to find, requiring extra exploration to locate specific features.</p>
9

Look and feel

9/10

<p>15Five is fantastic at consistently executing a modern and engaging user interface across all its modules and pages. This looks and feels like a platform that has been meticulously bult as a cohesive whole.</p><p>In our own usage, we particularly liked the warm feeling imparted by the UI, and the only thing holding this back from a perfect score could be occasional pops of colour or visual variance to make this comfortable to use for days on end.</p>
Customisability
4

Customisability

4/10

<p>Small Improvements offers limited customization, with minimal options for changing branding, appearance, data visualizations, and page layouts.</p><p>While the cohesive user experience typically comes at the expense of customizability, we expected more flexibility within the platform's feature set.</p>
7

Customisability

7/10

<p>Lattice provides standard visual customization options including logos and themes.</p><p>Where it truly excels is in its extensive data configuration capabilities, allowing administrators to load chosen datasets into an explorer tab for further analysis and visualisation.</p><p>Each feature page also includes multiple data views, complemented by the dedicated explorer for creating custom visualisations.</p><p>However, Lattice's customisation capabilities are somewhat limited when it comes to documents, forms, and surveys compared to some competitors like ThriveSparrow which offers extensive visual and structural changes to their review forms.</p>
9

Customisability

9/10

<p><span style="color: hsl(var(--foreground));">ThriveSparrow provides excellent customisation options precisely where needed. Their performance feedback form creation stands out with a powerful block builder supporting all standard question formats and review flows. </span></p><p><span style="color: hsl(var(--foreground));">The platform offers granular control over form branding, content integration including images, and automatic translation across 20 languages. The ability to access pre-tested question banks and combine existing forms as templates significantly accelerates survey and form development.</span></p><p>We also appreciated the Notion-style block builder in the Performance Plan feature, enabling quick creation of detailed, well-structured feedback forms.</p><p>The platform also allows basic site customization and branding options, including logo and name changes to align with company identity.</p>
7

Customisability

7/10

<p>Leapsome provides marginally above-average customization capabilities. While it covers basic options like logo changes, its dashboard creation tools offer somewhat better functionality than competitors, including tile resizing and various data visualization options. However, these enhancements represent only modest improvements over standard industry offerings.</p>
7

Customisability

7/10

<p>15Five offers solid customization options with data sources, appearances, and text inputs, placing it ahead of many competitors though not at the segment's leading edge.</p><p>During testing, we found essential features like company logo uploads and custom question templates.</p><p>However, the platform lacks more granular controls for certain elements including form customization, comprehensive interface branding, and custom data visualisations.</p>
Ease of Setup
10

Ease of Setup

10/10

<p>Small Improvements provides exceptional setup and onboarding. Our testing began with a generous 30-day free trial before even booking a demo. This offered immediate access to a populated sandbox with multiple employee viewpoint toggles.</p><p>After just 45 minutes exploring the sandbox, we could confidently navigate the platform, load information, and set up initial reviews within the first few hours. User onboarding is straightforward, with most organizations able to implement their first reviews and recurring surveys within a day. Becoming proficient with the platform takes only an additional day or two.</p>
8

Ease of Setup

8/10

<p>Lattice provides a smooth onboarding process with helpful guided walkthroughs and a well-designed trial account. The pre-populated sample data effectively demonstrates all platform functions and serves as a setup guide. During testing, we had accounts running and surveys deployed within a day—suggesting most organizations could be operational just as quickly. One area for improvement is Lattice's integration capabilities, which are only slightly above average and might limit data importing options.</p>
7

Ease of Setup

7/10

<p>ThriveSparrow offers an intuitive setup and onboarding process thanks to its well-designed interface and excellent support throughout a free trial period.</p><p>During testing, we found the initial sales call sufficient to navigate our account effectively, with additional support available through a dedicated customer success manager and accessible help resources.</p><p>Getting started on ThriveSparrow should take around a day to get set up on the platform, with another half day to get your first review cycles sent out.</p>
8

Ease of Setup

8/10

<p>Leapsome offers one of the better setup experiences in its category, featuring excellent onboarding with a helpful sandbox mode containing dummy data to help users understand the platform's workflows. However, this sandbox has limitations—users cannot independently test creating reviews themselves.</p><p>The platform loses some points for navigation intuitiveness. Likely due to its high customizability, establishing processes like goals and review workflows requires more time than expected.</p><p>Regarding implementation timeframe, teams should plan for 1.5-2 days to fully configure the platform. Teams led by HR executives who can leverage the extensive customization options will trend toward the shorter end of this estimate.</p>
7

Ease of Setup

7/10

<p>15Five provides a straightforward setup process, offering immediate sandbox access to begin implementation. The platform features a category leading HRIS integration list to efficiently populate your data. During actual operation, navigating the goals framework required a brief learning period (approximately half a day), but overall configuration and deployment should require no more than 2 days to complete.</p>
Customer Support
7

Customer Support

7/10

<p>We liked the clean and easy to access customer service tab on the platform, offering a chat bubble in the bottom right corner that pulled up several options.</p><p>When we opted to chat, we found a much appreciated label of when support would next be online. When prompted with a question on implementing a feature we weren't sure was available, an AI chatbot responded with some relevant resources. From there, users have the option to then connect to a human.</p><p>In testing, we got a response within an hour of opting to connect to a human.</p>
5

Customer Support

5/10

<p>We found Lattice's chat support bot to be easily accessible with a single click. However, its effectiveness is limited by one significant drawback: conversations don't persist when users navigate between pages, forcing them to restart their support queries with each page change.</p>
9

Customer Support

9/10

<p>ThriveSparrow offers outstanding customer support through multiple channels. Their chat system connects users to live agents within 2 minutes, with complex inquiries resolved through escalation to specialists. The support team demonstrates thoroughness by providing prompt responses (within 5 minutes) and following up via email the next day through dedicated account managers.</p>
7

Customer Support

7/10

<p>Leapsome features one of the better help systems in its category, with an accessible chat bubble that provides both an AI chatbot and various support resources directly from the main interface.While the bot doesn't always provide perfectly matched answers, it smoothly transitions complex inquiries to human support via email follow-up.</p><p>In our testing, we got a follow up response to our request for a human answer after 45 minutes.</p><p>The platform's help documentation also includes convenient 15-minute support calls that users can schedule through Calendly during business hours.</p>
5

Customer Support

5/10

<p>Support access requires navigating through menus to reach an external support page. The support team operates Monday-Friday from 8 AM to 8 PM EST, with a response time target of within 2 business days for all tickets.</p>
Integratability
5

Integratability

5/10

<p>Small Improvements offers a limited set of native integrations, connecting primarily with common HRIS platforms and Slack for communication. While they provide a Single-Page Application based on a REST API that allows developer teams to connect data with your HRIS, organizations seeking extensive yet ready-to-use connectivity may find integration capabilities challenging.</p>
6

Integratability

6/10

<p>Whilst not the most extensive in the category, Lattice offers a decent suite of native integrations. These span your typical top HRIS platforms plus a few across ATS, communication, IAM, background checks, and benefits.</p><p>We would have liked to have seen some native integrations for project management software like Jira, having to instead rely on their API.</p>
5

Integratability

5/10

<p>ThriveSparrow provides basic integrations with common business apps. While their native integration options are limited, they offset this by offering custom integration development, typically completed within one month. Their customer success team supports the implementation process, including manager training, to ensure effective platform adoption.</p>
9

Integratability

9/10

<p>Leapsome offers an extensive integration library, connecting with numerous HRIS platforms and management tools like Jira. While unlisted software still requires custom API integration, the platform's comprehensive integration options greatly increase the chances of importing your employee data without complications.</p>
9

Integratability

9/10

<p>15Five features an extensive integration library for HRIS software and connects with management tools like Jira. While custom API integration remains necessary for unlisted software, the platform's robust integration options increase the likelihood of seamlessly importing your employee data.</p>
Ease of Migration
5

Ease of Migration

5/10

<p>Small Improvements offers standard data export options, including CSV and PDF formats, along with basic sharing capabilities via link, email, and Slack. There are no exceptional or standout features in its exportability functions.</p>
5

Ease of Migration

5/10

<p>Due to the limited number of native integrations, Lattice only connects and exports through the typical formats of PDF, CSV, and pushing to Slack amongst others.</p>
4

Ease of Migration

4/10

<p>ThriveSparrow provides most standard data export options found in comprehensive suites, including CSV, PDF, API, and others. The platform scores slightly lower in this area due to its limited native integrations, which may require custom engineering support from their dedicated success team to extract data through channels beyond the currently available options.</p>
5

Ease of Migration

5/10

<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">In testing, we found Leapsome to be largely in line with the average exportability features we see in the segment. We found the typical export functionalities of CSV and PDF within the reports, and some level of integrations with Slack amongst others to bring Leapsome's data beyond the software.</span></p>
5

Ease of Migration

5/10

<p>We found the typical export functionalities of CSV and PDF within the reports, and some level of integrations with Slack amongst others to bring 15Five's data beyond the software. This is largely in line with the average exportability in the segment.</p>

Best for ease of use

Small Improvements product logo
Small Improvements

Stackfix Rating:

7.8 / 10

Visit website

Updated onApr 28, 2025

For startups prioritizing speed and simplicity, Small Improvements stands out. It earns a perfect 10/10 for ease of setup, with teams able to get started within hours, not days. In our review, onboarding was exceptionally smooth — we were able to navigate confidently and complete the initial setup within just a few hours, with full proficiency achievable in a couple of days.

Beyond setup, day-to-day usability is a real strength. Small Improvements scores 9/10 for ease of use, making performance management tasks simple for both managers and employees — without needing dedicated HR support. Our testing confirmed its intuitive design, with clean workflows that guide users naturally.

Key features like 360 reviews, 1:1 meetings, and pulse surveys are all built for simplicity, making them easy for startups to adopt and run with immediately. That focus on ease of use drives high adoption and minimal training overhead.

Want to know more? Get a full breakdown of Small Improvements's features and pricing.

Pros

  • Outstanding User Experience and Interface Design

  • Superior 1:1 Meeting Management

  • Exceptional 360 Feedback System

  • Excellent Customer Support Access

  • Streamlined Setup and Onboarding

Cons

  • Limited Customization Options

  • Poor Performance Metrics Visualization

  • Limited Integration Options

Compare all Performance Management toolsRead the full review

Best for balancing power and ease of use

Lattice product logo
Lattice

Stackfix Rating:

7.8 / 10

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Starting at

$11

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Updated onApr 28, 2025

Lattice is one of the most popular performance management tools for startups - particularly scale-ups looking for a comprehensive, easy-to-use platform.

We found its 1:1 meeting module exceptional, offering a simple interface for setting talking points and tracking meetings, supported by strong privacy controls. Lattice’s OKR framework is equally impressive, with an intuitive card-based system for goal updates and clear parent-goal alignment, making it ideal for companies serious about driving goal clarity.

Review cycle management is another strength. The platform offers clear status tracking and an intuitive, guided process that makes running complex review cycles across multiple teams feel manageable. Day-to-day usability is excellent, with a consistent interface and a personalized landing page that makes it easy for users to stay on top of tasks and goals.

We were also impressed by Lattice’s survey capabilities, particularly the Engage module’s extensive template library and flexible question banks, though pulse survey setup can feel a little complex at first.

That said, Lattice has some limitations. Recurring review functionality is basic, forcing teams to manually schedule cycles like 360 reviews. Integration options are also limited — missing connections with popular tools like Zapier, Monday, Trello, and Notion, which could be a barrier for teams heavily invested in those platforms.

Want to know more? Get a full breakdown of Lattice's features and pricing.

Pros

  • Outstanding 1:1 Meeting Management

  • Comprehensive OKR Framework

  • Sophisticated Review Management

  • Intuitive User Experience

  • Advanced Survey Capabilities

Cons

  • Limited recurring review functionality

  • Restricted integration options

Compare all Performance Management toolsRead the full review

Best for highly customizable performance review forms

ThriveSparrow product logo
ThriveSparrow

Stackfix Rating:

7.2 / 10

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Starting at

$5

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Updated onApr 28, 2025

ThriveSparrow stands out for performance review form customization, earning a strong 9/10 in our testing for customizability thanks to its powerful block builder. In our review, we found it particularly well-suited for startups needing highly tailored review processes.

The platform offers granular control over review forms — from question types and rules to feedback mechanics and branding. Startups can also speed up form creation by using pre-tested question banks or combining existing forms as templates, further strengthening its flexibility.

Beyond customization, ThriveSparrow supports a wide range of question formats, review flows, branding options, and automatic translation across 20 languages.

One limitation is that it currently lacks natural language processing to automatically generate review questions from prompts — something that could help startups set up even faster.

Want to know more? Get a full breakdown of ThriveSparrow's features and pricing.

Pros

  • Sophisticated Goal Alignment Tools

  • Intelligent Performance Analytics

  • Comprehensive Pulse Survey System

  • Flexible Review Scheduling

  • Outstanding Customer Support

  • Highly Customizable Performance Forms

Cons

  • Poor 1:1 Meeting Management

  • Limited Integration Capabilities

  • Restricted Data Export Options

  • No Lifecycle Surveys

  • No Compensation Integration

Compare all Performance Management toolsRead the full review

Best for pulse surveys

Leapsome product logo
Leapsome

Stackfix Rating:

7.5 / 10

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Starting at

$8.13

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Updated onApr 28, 2025

Leapsome provides one of the most comprehensive toolkits in its category, covering 1:1s, reviews, feedback, goal tracking, surveys, and more to meet the needs of almost any team. But the platform’s depth comes with a trade-off. Complex processes like implementing 360 reviews mean startups will get the most out of Leapsome when they have a dedicated HR team or managers committed to fully using its capabilities. It’s a powerful platform — but it takes proper effort to unlock its full potential.

Leapsome particularly excels when it comes to pulse surveys. The platform natively supports the automation of engagement tracking through recurring survey scheduling, pre-built templates, cycle settings, and configurable permissions. This makes it easy for startups to consistently monitor employee sentiment with minimal manual effort.

Another strength of Leapsome, in our view, is its data analysis. The survey visualization is exceptional, offering clear trends, heatmaps, and participation metrics that go well beyond basic summaries. This enables a much deeper understanding of engagement data — a key advantage for teams serious about improving culture and performance.

While Leapsome is generally easy to use, the depth of its automation and customization options can make the initial setup feel more complex than simpler tools. That said, for startups willing to invest the time, Leapsome offers one of the most powerful pulse survey solutions on the market for 2025.

Want to know more? Get a full breakdown of Leapsome's features and pricing.

Pros

  • Industry-Leading Review Management

  • Advanced Review Scheduling

  • Extensive Integration Capabilities

  • Sophisticated Survey Tools

  • Polished User Interface

Cons

  • Limited Data Export Capabilities

  • No Performance Improvement Plan Feature

  • Limited Integration Options

  • No AI-Powered Review Question Generation

Compare all Performance Management toolsRead the full review

Best for extensive integrations

15Five product logo
15Five

Stackfix Rating:

7.8 / 10

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Updated onApr 28, 2025

15Five delivers a strong, well-rounded performance management platform, covering surveys, 1:1s, goals, feedback, and reviews with well-implemented functionality. It stands out for its robust HRIS and core tool integrations (earning a 9/10 for integratability), helping startups streamline workflows by connecting to Slack, Jira, BambooHR, Deel, Rippling, and major calendars.

Broader automation is limited by the lack of native Zapier or Webhook support, and connecting to project management tools like Asana or Trello requires external connectors. Data export options are standard, earning a 5/10 for exportability.

A few functional gaps remain — including slightly less efficient support, no AI assistance for question generation, and fewer options for pulling in external sources during reviews.

That said, for startups looking for a quality review and feedback platform with strong native automations and seamless system integration, 15Five remains a top choice.

Want to know more? Get a full breakdown of 15Five's features and pricing.

Pros

  • Exceptional 360 Review Capabilities

  • Powerful 1:1 Meeting Management

  • Sophisticated Analytics and Metrics Dashboard

  • Intuitive User Interface

  • Advanced Review Scheduling

Cons

  • Limited Customer Support Availability

  • Basic Export Capabilities

Compare all Performance Management toolsRead the full review

How we test products

With so many Performance Management software options available, we focus on identifying the best solutions for small and midsize businesses. Our evaluation process reflects real-world usage, prioritizing functionality, ease of use, and overall value. Here's how we do it:

Functionality

Performance Management software should streamline review processes, facilitate goal setting, and enhance employee development. We start by identifying key use cases—performance reviews, goal tracking, feedback collection, development planning, and analytics—then test how well each platform supports these needs. Tools that offer essential features without unnecessary complexity score highest.

User Experience & Onboarding

A great Performance Management tool should be intuitive for both managers and employees. We test each platform's interface by navigating core features without prior training and track onboarding time—from account setup to completing the first performance cycle. Platforms that require complex setup or manual adjustments lose points.

Automation & AI Capabilities

HR teams need automation to manage performance cycles efficiently. We evaluate each platform's automation features, such as review reminders, feedback prompts, and AI-driven performance insights. Tools that enhance efficiency without adding unnecessary complexity score highest.

Integrations & Compatibility

Performance Management software must integrate smoothly with HRIS platforms, communication tools, and learning management systems. We test how well each product connects with essential business systems and assess whether native integrations or third-party connectors are required.

Pricing & Value

We compare pricing across competitors, analyzing what each plan includes and whether critical features are locked behind paywalls. Hidden costs—such as per-user fees, add-ons for advanced analytics, or required enterprise plans—are factored into our assessment. Platforms that offer strong core functionality at a fair price score highest.

Stackfix's Fit Score

All of these factors contribute to Stackfix's Fit Score, a proprietary ranking system that measures how well each Performance Management tool aligns with a buyer's needs. It combines two key elements:

  • Requirements Met — How many buyer requirements the software fulfills
  • Stackfix Rating — Our expert assessment of the software's overall quality, usability, and value

The result? A clear, data-driven recommendation that helps businesses choose the right Performance Management software—without hours of trial and error.

Compare other Performance Management Tools

View our comparisons of other Performance Management

PW

PerformYard vs Workleap