Short answer: for a small or mid-size business with hourly or field staff, Connecteam is the easiest place to start, since it has a free plan for up to 10 users and published prices after that. Blink is a strong mobile-first alternative with clear per-user pricing. For large frontline workforces, shortlist Staffbase, Workvivo by Zoom, and Flip. If recognition is the main gap, Guusto reaches workers who don’t have a company email address.
This guide is about apps your employees use on their phones: news feeds, chat, shift info, recognition, and quick surveys. If you’re looking for survey and analytics platforms that HR uses to measure engagement, read our guide to the best employee engagement software instead.
Pricing checked October 2026 on each vendor’s website. Confirm current pricing before you buy.
Quick picks
| App | Best for | Starting price (as published) | Free plan | Teams / Slack |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecteam | Small and mid-size deskless teams | $29/month for the first 30 users per hub, billed yearly | Yes, up to 10 users | Not confirmed |
| Blink | Mobile-first intranet and frontline comms | $3.75/user/month, billed annually (Core) | Free trial | Not confirmed |
| Workvivo by Zoom | Large companies wanting a social, mobile-first hub | Custom quote | No | Both listed |
| Staffbase | Enterprise comms across app, intranet, and email | Pricing on request | No | Teams listed |
| Flip | Workers with no company email or laptop | Pricing on request | No | Teams listed |
| Speakap | Branded frontline app with onboarding journeys | Quote-based | No | Not confirmed |
| YOOBIC | Retail store teams (tasks, comms, learning) | Modular, on request | No | Teams listed |
| Axonify | Frontline training and microlearning | Packages on request | No | Teams listed |
| Guusto | Recognition and rewards for deskless staff | $150/month (Lite) | Yes (Free tier) | Teams listed |
| Microsoft Viva Engage | Communities inside Microsoft 365 | $2.00/user/month, paid yearly (Viva comms tier) | No | Teams |
What makes an engagement app work for frontline teams
Most office tools assume a laptop and a company inbox. Frontline staff often have neither. Before you compare features, check four basics:
- Login without a work email. Phone number or code-based sign-in matters when half your staff don’t have a company address.
- A feed people actually open. Shift updates, schedules, and announcements give workers a practical reason to open the app, and that habit carries recognition and surveys along with it.
- Read receipts or acknowledgements. For safety notices and policy changes, you need to know who saw them.
- Shared-device and kiosk options. Some sites have one tablet in the break room. Connecteam, for example, offers a kiosk mode for clocking in on a shared device.
The apps
1. Connecteam
Connecteam is an all-in-one mobile app for deskless teams, and it’s the most budget-friendly entry on this list. The product is split into hubs. The Communications hub covers chat, an updates feed, a company directory, surveys, events, a knowledge base, and a help desk. Recognition, rewards, and birthday or anniversary celebrations live in the HR & Skills hub, next to time off, training courses, and documents. Operations tools (time clock, scheduling, forms, tasks) are a third hub.
Best for: Small and mid-size businesses in fields like construction, cleaning, healthcare, retail, and field services that want engagement features in the same app as scheduling.
Key features
- Company feed, chat, and read tracking on updates
- Surveys, events, and a knowledge base
- Recognition badges, rewards, and automated celebrations
- Time clock, scheduling, and task tools in the same app
Pricing: Free for up to 10 users. Paid hubs start at $29/month for the first 30 users when billed yearly ($35 billed monthly), with a small per-user fee above 30. There’s a 14-day free trial.
Slack / Teams: Not confirmed on the pages we checked. Connecteam is built to replace a chat tool for frontline staff more than to plug into one.
Pros: A genuine free plan, published prices, and engagement tools in the same app staff already open for their schedule. Cons: Pricing is per hub, so costs add up if you need communications, HR, and operations together.
2. Blink
Blink calls itself a mobile-first employee experience platform, and its pitch is replacing the bulletin board, morning huddle, and group text with one feed. It combines a social feed, chat, stories, and recognition with a hub for tools, tasks, shifts, and documents behind a single sign-on. Native apps are available for iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac.
Best for: Frontline-heavy businesses that want an intranet and a comms app in one, with transparent pricing.
Key features
- News feed, chat, and story-style shift briefs
- Recognition built into the social feed
- Knowledge hub and single sign-on to other tools
- Multi-language publishing with real-time translation (Pro)
- Employee feedback surveys (listed in the Enterprise tier)
Pricing: Core starts at $3.75 per user per month and Pro at $5.00, both billed annually. Enterprise is quoted. A free trial is available.
Slack / Teams: Not confirmed on the pages we checked.
Pros: Published per-user pricing, native apps on every platform, and a frontline focus throughout. Cons: Surveys appear in the Enterprise tier list, so check what Core and Pro include if surveys matter to you.
Visit: https://www.joinblink.com
3. Workvivo by Zoom
Workvivo is a social employee hub now owned by Zoom. It describes the experience as mobile-first “from the office to the frontline,” with a personalized activity feed, push notifications, chat and video calls, and guided journeys for onboarding and change programs. Its Seer product handles listening, turning employee sentiment and feedback into insight for leaders.
Best for: Larger organizations that want one engaging hub for both office and frontline employees.
Key features
- Personalized activity feed and push notifications
- Integrated chat and calls with AI summaries
- Journeys for onboarding and training
- Seer for employee feedback and sentiment
Pricing: Custom. Workvivo’s pricing page builds a proposal based on the plan and add-ons you choose.
Slack / Teams: Workvivo says it integrates with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and Slack, and its integrations page lists Teams.
Pros: Feels like a social app, which helps adoption. Cons: No public pricing, and it’s aimed at mid-size and larger companies.
Visit: https://www.workvivo.com
4. Staffbase
Staffbase covers internal communications from several directions: an employee app, an intranet, internal email, digital signage, and live town halls. Its frontline pitch is about shift workers, drivers, and retail staff “who never touch a laptop.” One policy update can go out to the intranet, mobile app, email, and Microsoft Copilot with acknowledgement tracking.
Best for: Enterprise internal comms teams reaching a mixed desk and frontline workforce.
Key features
- Branded employee app plus intranet and internal email
- Acknowledgement tracking and feedback loops on updates
- Digital signage for on-site screens
- Native integration with Teams, SharePoint, and Viva
Pricing: Pricing on request. The pricing page lists plans but no dollar amounts.
Slack / Teams: Teams integration is listed. Slack not confirmed.
Pros: Strong multi-channel reach and governance. Cons: Built for enterprises. Small businesses will find it more than they need.
Visit: https://staffbase.com
5. Flip
Flip targets one specific problem: frontline workers who have a phone but no company email, desk, or laptop. Its app combines communications, HR self-service (payslips, time-off requests, onboarding), AI workflows, and a frontline identity feature that gives workers one-touch access to other tools without separate passwords.
Best for: Manufacturers, retailers, logistics firms, and care providers with large deskless workforces.
Key features
- Communications feed and chat built for phones
- HR portal for payslips and time off
- Frontline identity and access to other apps
- Digital signage and an AI assistant
Pricing: Pricing on request. We didn’t find a public pricing page.
Slack / Teams: Teams is listed on Flip’s integrations page.
Pros: Solves the “no company email” problem directly. Cons: No published pricing, and the product leans toward large operations.
Visit: https://www.getflip.com
6. Speakap
Speakap is a frontline employee app with a strong onboarding and communications angle. The Basic plan includes a timeline with polls, news with acknowledgement, people profiles and directory, one-to-one and group chats, events, and group spaces. Premium adds fully branded, white-labeled iOS and Android apps, HR system sync, workforce analytics, and auto translation.
Best for: Retail, hospitality, and care organizations that want their own branded app.
Key features
- Timeline with polls and news acknowledgement
- Chats, events, and group spaces
- Onboarding and employee journeys
- Branded iOS and Android apps (Premium)
Pricing: All tiers are quote-based.
Slack / Teams: Not confirmed on the pages we checked.
Pros: Branded apps and built-in polls for quick pulse checks. Cons: You’ll need a sales conversation to see any price.
Visit: https://www.speakap.com
7. YOOBIC
YOOBIC is built around store execution. Tasks arrive on workers’ phones with instructions and photo proof of completion, and communications and mobile learning sit alongside them. The engagement angle is practical: staff get clearer instructions, quicker answers, and training that fits between customers.
Best for: Multi-location retailers that want communications tied to store tasks.
Key features
- Task management with photo verification
- Targeted communications for every shift
- Mobile microlearning
- AI assistant for instant answers from company knowledge
Pricing: Modular. YOOBIC says you pay only for the solutions you choose (task management, communications, learning, AI), with pricing on request.
Slack / Teams: Teams is listed on the integrations page.
Pros: Ties engagement to day-to-day store work. Cons: Retail-specific, so it’s a poor fit outside multi-site operations.
Visit: https://www.yoobic.com
8. Axonify
Axonify approaches frontline engagement through training. It delivers short, personalized microlearning and reinforcement on the job, with tools for managers to coach and communicate and leadership dashboards connecting floor activity to business goals. Its site frames engagement and retention as outcomes of workers feeling confident in their jobs.
Best for: Retail, grocery, hospitality, and logistics companies where training gaps drive turnover.
Key features
- Personalized microlearning and knowledge reinforcement
- Manager coaching and communication tools
- Leadership visibility into frontline execution
- Dedicated customer success manager after implementation
Pricing: Core, Pro, and Premium packages; no prices are published.
Slack / Teams: Teams is listed on Axonify’s integrations page.
Pros: Ties engagement to performance on the job. Cons: Training-first, so pair it with a comms app if you need a social feed.
Visit: https://axonify.com
9. Guusto
Guusto focuses on recognition and rewards, and it’s one of the few tools in this category that goes out of its way to reach offline and deskless staff. Rewards can be printed or routed to a manager for in-person delivery, and Guusto says it delivers to frontline, contingent, and offline workers. Pricing is based on who sends recognition, with recipients costing far less.
Best for: Companies with many hourly workers who want recognition that reaches everyone, not just people with inboxes.
Key features
- Milestones, birthdays, and anniversaries automated
- Peer-to-peer and manager recognition, nominations, and incentive awards
- Printable rewards and manager-delivered gifts
- TV and kiosk display options
Pricing: A Free tier is available (you pay for rewards you send). Lite is $150/month with one sender seat and 250 recipient seats. Essential and Premium are priced per sender and recipient seat, with minimum contracts of $200/month and $500/month respectively.
Slack / Teams: Microsoft Teams integration is listed on the pricing page.
Pros: Free entry point and genuine reach to offline workers. Cons: Recognition only, so you’ll still need a comms tool.
Visit: https://guusto.com
10. Microsoft Viva Engage
Viva Engage (the communities app in Microsoft 365) brings social conversations, communities, events, and personal “storylines” into Teams and Microsoft 365. Communicators get analytics on communities, events, and conversations. Frontline workers will need a suitable license and device access.
Best for: Companies already on Microsoft 365 that want company-wide communities without another vendor.
Key features
- Communities, posts, and @mentions across the company
- Storylines for personal updates
- Analytics on engagement across communities and events
- Works inside Teams (requires a Teams license for Teams features) and on the web
Pricing: Microsoft’s Viva pricing page lists the “Employee Communications and Communities” tier from $2.00 per user per month, paid yearly.
Slack / Teams: Teams native.
Pros: Low per-user cost if you’re already licensed for Microsoft 365. Cons: Less tailored to frontline workflows like shifts and tasks.
Visit: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-viva/engage
How to choose an employee engagement app
Start with access. List how many of your workers have a company email, a company phone, or neither. If most have neither, shortlist apps that support phone-based sign-in and shared devices, such as Connecteam or Flip.
Bundle with something people need. Engagement features get used when they sit next to things workers must check anyway, like schedules, payslips, or shift briefs. That’s why all-in-one apps tend to see better adoption on the frontline than standalone recognition tools.
Check languages early. Multi-language publishing and translation (offered by Blink Pro and Speakap Premium, among others) matter on mixed-language sites.
Be realistic about budget. Several enterprise apps here don’t publish pricing. If you have under 100 staff, start with tools that do: Connecteam, Blink, and Guusto. Our frontline and deskless category filters the directory further.
Plan how you’ll measure. A feed tells you who read a post, not whether people are engaged. Add a short pulse survey every month or quarter. Our guide to employee pulse survey software and our free eNPS calculator can help you get started.
FAQ
What is an employee engagement app?
An employee engagement app is a mobile-first tool employees use day to day, usually for company news, chat, recognition, and quick surveys. Unlike survey platforms used mainly by HR, these apps are designed for every employee to open regularly, including frontline and shift workers.
Which employee engagement app is best for frontline workers?
It depends on size and budget. Connecteam and Blink publish their prices and suit small to mid-size frontline teams. Staffbase, Workvivo, and Flip target larger organizations. Guusto is a good add-on if recognition is the priority.
Are there free employee engagement apps?
Yes. Connecteam is free for up to 10 users, and Guusto has a Free tier where you only pay for rewards. See our full list of free employee engagement apps.
Do frontline employees need a company email to use these apps?
Not always. Flip is built for workers without company email, and Connecteam offers a kiosk mode for shared devices. Ask each vendor how employees sign in before you commit.
How much do employee engagement apps cost?
Published prices in this guide start at about $2 per user per month (Microsoft Viva Engage’s communications tier, for Microsoft 365 customers), $3.75 per user per month (Blink Core), or $29 a month for up to 30 users per hub (Connecteam). Enterprise apps like Staffbase and Workvivo quote on request.
How we review: we check each vendor’s own website for pricing, features, and integrations, and rankings aren’t for sale. Some links on this page are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. Read our affiliate disclosure.