Effy AI and Small Improvements serve distinctly different needs in the performance management space. Effy AI is a lightweight, AI-powered tool best suited for small teams or startups that primarily need an easy-to-use review system with automated question generation. Its simplified approach makes it ideal for organizations wanting to implement basic performance reviews without complexity. Small Improvements, conversely, is better suited for growing SMBs requiring a more comprehensive performance management solution, offering excellent 1:1 meetings, thorough 360-degree feedback, and better user experience across a wider range of features. While both tools handle performance reviews, they differ significantly in scope and capability, with Effy AI focusing on simplicity and AI assistance, and Small Improvements providing a more complete performance management ecosystem.
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Effy AI vs Small Improvements - Comparison 2025
Effy AI vs. Small Improvements
Last updated on
Reviewed by Paddy Stobbs
Stackfix Co-Founder & CEO
Advantages of Effy AI
Effy AI is significantly easier to use for basic performance reviews than Small Improvements
Effy AI offers superior AI-powered review question generation compared to Small Improvements
Advantages of Small Improvements
Small Improvements has vastly superior 1:1 meeting capabilities compared to Effy AI
Small Improvements offers significantly better 360-degree feedback functionality than Effy AI
Small Improvements has superior look and feel compared to Effy AI
Small Improvements offers much better customer support than Effy AI
Effy AI is best for
- Businesses with lean to no HR teams seeking AI-powered 360 reviews and feedback collection
- Businesses with minimal HR resources and limited performance management needs
- Who need AI assistance in creating and customizing review questionnaires
- And/or who need a streamlined, single-purpose 360 review tool integrated with Slack
Small Improvements is best for
- Businesses with lean teams seeking an intuitive, manager-driven performance management platform
- Businesses with managers who need to handle performance reviews without dedicated HR support
- Who need an exceptional 1:1 meeting and feedback system
- And/or who need streamlined 360-degree feedback capabilities
Effy AI is less good for
- Businesses needing comprehensive performance management beyond basic AI-powered reviews
- Businesses with complex performance management needs requiring goals tracking, OKRs, or detailed analytics
- Who need to schedule and manage recurring reviews or 1:1s automatically
- And/or who need extensive integrations beyond Slack for their HR tech stack
Small Improvements is less good for
- Businesses with complex performance tracking needs requiring detailed metrics and customization
- Businesses with dedicated HR departments requiring advanced controls and comprehensive performance analytics
- Who need extensive integration capabilities with their existing tech stack
- And/or who need advanced compensation management tied to performance
Gallery
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Small Improvements.png%2Fpublic&w=3840&q=75)
Pricing, features & ratings
 Effy AI Starting at $0Billed monthly |  Small Improvements |
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| Stackfix Verdict | ||
|---|---|---|
| Functionality | 4 <p>Effy AI specializes exclusively in the review cycle of Performance Management. It creates a seamless, easy feedback system where you can add employees, write reviews (or let AI generate them using natural language), and collect completed reviews. The review builder includes standard options like self-reviews and external reviewers for 360 feedback.</p><p>While Effy's natural language AI review template generation is innovative, the platform lacks all other performance management features - no 1:1s, goals, surveys, analytics, or anything else.</p> | 7 <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> |
| Ease of Use | 8 <p>Effy excels at simplicity for its single feature: performance reviews and feedback. Testing showed the process is straightforward—queue a review once, let the cycle run, close it, review data, and you're done. While its minimalist approach makes daily use effortless, the tool would be even more valuable if it included basic features like advance scheduling or recurring cycles. These additions would make it a truly low-effort solution for SMBs that could run automatically in the background.</p> | 9 <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> |
| Look and feel | 8 <p>Effy features a slick, modern interface with clear navigation, consistent design, and efficient workflows. While the site has limited functionality, its contemporary design is appealing, even if it feels somewhat template-based throughout.</p> | 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> |
| Customisability | 2 <p>Other than the questions portion which offers Google Forms level customisability, nothing else on the platform can be changed. This omits branding changes, form layout changes, visualisation dashboard changes, and more.</p> | 4 <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> |
| Ease of Setup | 9 <p>Effy's setup process is straightforward, mainly due to its limited connectivity and minimal feature set. Testing showed you only need to add team members (via email invites or Slack integration) and create a review by either prompting a question, specifying a use case, or using an existing template. We missed the ability to bulk import data via CSV—currently only available by contacting their team directly. Most users can master the platform in under 30 minutes and begin sending reviews within 2 hours of implementation.</p> | 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> |
| Customer Support | 7 <p>Effy AI has a relatively responsive chatbot, and we got a response within 20 minutes of our first contact with them. Effy claims personalised support from their founders, and we found a personalised contact point from their CEO himself offering a tour and to reach out with any questions regarding the platform.</p> | 7 <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> |
| Integratability | 2 <p>Other than their native integration with Slack, there are no integrations available. The useful connection with Slack is the only saving grace in a segment that typically has HRIS, Communications, and some calendar functionality.</p> | 5 <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> |
| Ease of Migration | 4 <p>You can export results via CSV and that's it, missing the option often available at full suite products like PDF, XML, and more.</p> | 5 <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> |
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