Small Improvements and ThriveSparrow offer distinct advantages for different types of organizations. Small Improvements excels with its exceptional 1:1 functionality, intuitive setup process, and polished user interface, making it ideal for SMBs prioritizing manager-driven reviews and regular employee communication. ThriveSparrow, conversely, stands out with superior customization options, advanced goal alignment capabilities, and AI-powered insights, better serving larger organizations requiring sophisticated performance management tools. While both platforms share similar core functionality ratings, their strengths cater to different organizational needs - Small Improvements for teams seeking simplicity and ease of use, ThriveSparrow for those requiring deeper customization and advanced analytics.
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ThriveSparrow vs Small Improvements - Comparison 2025
ThriveSparrow vs. Small Improvements
Last updated on
Reviewed by Paddy Stobbs
Stackfix Co-Founder & CEO
Advantages of ThriveSparrow
ThriveSparrow offers superior customization options compared to Small Improvements
ThriveSparrow provides better goal alignment capabilities than Small Improvements
ThriveSparrow features superior AI-powered insights compared to Small Improvements
Advantages of Small Improvements
Small Improvements is significantly better at 1:1 meetings than ThriveSparrow
Small Improvements offers superior ease of setup compared to ThriveSparrow
Small Improvements delivers a more polished user interface than ThriveSparrow
ThriveSparrow is best for
- Businesses with complex review needs seeking highly customizable performance management
- Businesses with complex goal alignment requirements across multiple project management tools
- And/or who need AI-enhanced performance analytics and insights
- And/or who need hands-on implementation support for custom integrations
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
ThriveSparrow is less good for
- Businesses needing robust 1:1 management and compensation tracking capabilities
- Businesses with complex integration needs requiring native connections to multiple HR and project management tools
- Who need dedicated 1:1 meeting management outside of review cycles
- And/or who need compensation management tied to performance reviews
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
 ThriveSparrow Starting at $5employee / month Billed monthly |  Small Improvements |
|---|
| Stackfix Verdict | ||
|---|---|---|
| Functionality | 7 <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> | 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 | 7 <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> | 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 | 7 <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> | 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 | 9 <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> | 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 | 7 <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> | 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 | 9 <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 <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 | 5 <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> | 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>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 <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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