BambooHR vs Bonusly
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BambooHR
Access essential HR functions on the go. View your company directory, manage time off requests, and stay updated with notifications. Securely access employee information and approve or deny leave requests from anywhere.
- Company directory access
- Time off requests and approvals
- View colleague information
- Add contacts to phone
- Check time off balances
- Push notifications for requests
- TouchID and passcode protection
Read full descriptionHide full description
BambooHR is online HR software for small and medium-sized businesses that have outgrown spreadsheets. We automate many of the most tedious HR functions and free you up to do meaningful work. The BambooHR app lets you take some of those most important functions with you, and makes your most common tasks in BambooHR simple and fast. * In order to do anything with the BambooHR app you will need a current BambooHR account. Find out more on our website. * The app fully supports single sign-on (SAML) to login Your Company Directory, Everywhere You Go Your company’s phone numbers, emails, photos, titles—your whole company directory goes wherever you do. * See colleague’s information and call, email, or message them with a tap * Quickly add someone’s info to your phone’s contacts Plan and Manage Time Off Planning a trip? Request time off when you’re out and about. Leave requests can be submitted in the app, and if you’re an approver, you can approve them there as well. * See who’s out of the office today and on any future date * See current and calculate your future time off balances * Submit, view, edit, and comment on your time off requests * Approve and deny time off requests * Push notifications keep you in the loop on the status of your requests And don’t worry, TouchID and passcode protection will help keep your information secure. Happy Bambooing!
Bonusly
This platform fosters stronger teams and better workplace cultures through recognition. It allows users to send appreciation, redeem rewards, conduct one-on-one meetings, and stay connected with colleagues, all from their mobile device.
- Send recognition tied to goals
- Record video messages for recognition
- Redeem rewards with gift cards
- Run 1:1 meetings and check-ins
- View company social feed
- Donate to charity
Read full descriptionHide full description
Experience stronger teams and better cultures with Bonusly, the recognition-first platform that brings connection, motivation, and performance into the palm of your hand. Send recognition, redeem rewards, run 1:1s, and stay connected with your team, no matter where you work. Bonusly for iOS works with any active Bonusly account. With Bonusly, celebrating wins and guiding performance happens in real time. Give recognition on the go, record a quick video to make it personal, or run a check-in between meetings. From peer-to-peer shoutouts to performance recaps, Bonusly helps you stay engaged, aligned, and ready to do your best work, right from your mobile device. CELEBRATE GOOD WORK, FROM ANYWHERE Give recognition tied to goals, values, or milestones Record a video message to make it feel more personal Add gifs, emojis, and tags to keep it fun and fresh REDEEM REWARDS YOU’LL LOVE Use points to shop 1,200+ digital gift cards Track your points balance and recent activity Donate to charity or pay it forward for even more recognition STAY SUPPORTED AS WORK UNFOLDS Run 1:1s and check-ins that work on the go Capture moments of peer recognition and guidance Bring hidden work and wins to light STAY CONNECTED TO YOUR TEAM See the latest recognition in your company’s social feed Join the conversation with likes and comments Feel part of the team—wherever you are
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: BambooHR at every 2 weeks against Bonusly's monthly. Bonusly's advantage is review sentiment (40% vs 26%) and iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for BambooHR against 4.8 for Bonusly. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13K and 4.5K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 26% of BambooHR's written reviews are positive against 40% of Bonusly's.
BambooHR ships an update every 2 weeks, Bonusly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BambooHR | Bonusly |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (13K ratings) | 4.8 (4.5K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 26.1% of reviews | 40.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 13K — better | 4.5K |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 16.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 287 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | BambooHR | Smartly, Inc. |
Customer experience
BambooHR
Bonusly
User reviews
BambooHR
From 13K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use for employer and employee
- 👍 Simple to use
- 👍 Professional approach
- 👍 User friendly
- 👍 Great app when it involves anything to do with my job
Room to improve
- 🐛 App ask for update to see inbox, people or my info
- 🐛 Locks you out
- 🐛 Spends a lot of time down, can't always see signature so you don't know if forms are actually filed out or not
- 🐛 Not user friendly
- 🐛 Freezes
Bonusly
From 4.5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Fun and easy to use
- 👍 Encourages team recognition
- 👍 Great for creating a positive work culture
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and errors
- 🐛 Unresponsive and slow performance
- 🐛 Login issues with Google authentication
- 🐛 Compatibility problems on older devices
- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable app experience
Bugs and requests
BambooHR
Reported bugs
14 issues- App ask for update to see inbox, people or my info
- Locks you out
- Spends a lot of time down, can't always see signature so you don't know if forms are actually filed out or not
- Freezes
- Notifications don't clear properly
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- Badges slow to update, annoying
- Poor crashes
- Log in is impossible
- Slow app
- Phone directory look up not working
- Contacts don't work
- Document Sigining not working
- Crashes on log in
- Crashes every time you try to save a contact locally
Requested features
14 requests- Dark mode option
- Advanced calendar view on app
- Allow employees to download letter of employment at their own
- Easier way to fix clocking issues
- Easier way to track lieu hours
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- Open app from email links
- More functionality on app compared to website
- Ability to cancel time off requests from app
- Include user on calendar/out today view
- Text-based recruiting services
- Ability to onboard new hires from app
- Allow document signing on mobile
- Announcements in the app
- Ability to view emergency contacts
Bonusly
Reported bugs
5 issues- Endless login loop with Google Authenticate
- 404 errors when trying to sign in
- Unknown errors when browsing rewards
- App crashing on launch or login
- Unresponsive buttons and screens
Requested features
4 requests- Improve app stability and fix bugs
- Enhance user interface and navigation
- Add more customization options
- Improve integration with other platforms
In-app purchases
BambooHR
No in-app purchases
Bonusly
No in-app purchases









