Culture Amp
⭐️ 4.5/5 (1,600+ reviews)
Based on G2 & Industry Benchmark user reviews
- Science-Backed Engagement Surveys
- Performance Reviews
- Development Plans
- People Science Benchmarks
Growing companies formalizing 360-degree review cycles, OKRs, and performance calibration sessions.
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Primary Terms & Pricing Audited Q3 2026 | Unbiased Data
⭐️ 4.5/5 (1,600+ reviews)
Based on G2 & Industry Benchmark user reviews
⭐️ 4.5/5 (600+ reviews)
Based on G2 & Industry Benchmark user reviews
Compliance standards, native integrations, support SLAs, deployment type, and ideal headcount for Culture Amp vs ClearCo.
| Capability | Culture Amp | ClearCo |
|---|---|---|
| Compliance Standards | Compliance Standards:
| Compliance Standards:
|
| Native Integrations | Native Integrations:
| Native Integrations:
|
| Support & SLAs | Support & SLAs: Dedicated CSM, Enterprise SLA, Knowledge Base | Support & SLAs: Dedicated CSM, Ticketed SLA, Knowledge Base |
| Deployment Type | Deployment Type: Cloud / SaaS | Deployment Type: Cloud / SaaS |
| Ideal Headcount | Ideal Headcount: 250–1000+ enterprise | Ideal Headcount: 50–250 seats |
The bottom line for Scaleups
Culture Amp is the top-recommended platform for Scaleups. It is the stronger overall fit for this workflow. ClearCo is the stronger alternative when you need talent suite + performance bundle.
Detailed capability breakdown tailored for Scaleups. Checkmarks indicate native platform support, while crosses highlight functional gaps or required third-party integrations.
| Capability | Culture Amp | ClearCo |
|---|---|---|
| OKRs & goals | Goals exist in Perform; Culture Amp is still bought first for engagement science, not OKR software. | Goal alignment inside the talent suite that also includes ATS/onboarding, not a specialist OKR product. |
| Continuous feedback | Feedback in Perform/Develop; 1:1 meeting tools are not a 15Five-level product. | Feedback exists; depth trails 15Five weekly check-ins and Lattice continuous feedback. |
| Structured & billable reviews | Performance reviews plus development plans; less compensation-tied than Lattice. | Hiring-to-performance handoff for scaleups standardizing on one talent suite rather than Lattice + Greenhouse. |
| Calibration | No Lattice-grade compensation calibration. Talent decisions are insight-led from survey science. | No Lattice-style compensation calibration. Talent reviews are suite-adjacent, not a talent-day OS. |
| Engagement surveys & HRBP dashboards | First statistically useful engagement census once headcount supports anonymity thresholds. | Engagement surveys in-suite; people-science benchmarks trail Culture Amp. |
| Compensation | Compensation is not the system of record. HRBPs export insights into a separate comp process. | Compensation is not a first-class module. Best value only when buying the broader talent suite. |
| Manager cadence | Manager action planning from surveys, not a weekly check-in OS. 1:1 agendas are not first-class. | No dedicated 1:1 coaching product. Manager tools are review-workflow, not weekly cadence. |
| SSO, Slack/Teams, GitHub/Jira | SAML SSO, HRIS, Slack/Teams. HRBP analytics dashboards are the integration story, not GitHub/Jira reviews. | SSO on suite contracts; Slack/Teams present. GitHub/Jira are not engineering-native. ATS handoff is the integration win. |
For Scaleups, 360-degree peer review calibration now includes skip-level talent huddles and a first tabletop talent review during a series-b headcount wave. Culture Amp vs ClearCo should run calibration sessions on real manager data and sketch a 9-box talent matrix without pretending Scaleups is already enterprise. Review cycle automation has to hit a mid-year cycle lock and year-end without a third survey tool. Quota-carrying managers will skip a sandbox demo dataset.
For Scaleups, OKR & goal tracking alignment breaks on a product-vs-sales collision when each function keeps a spreadsheet. Culture Amp or ClearCo must cascade department OKRs into reviews so Scaleups can see goal attainment next to calibration, not in a sidecar. Third-survey sprawl is how this buy fails.
For Scaleups, continuous manager check-ins & engagement surveys compete with an incumbent pulse vendor. Culture Amp vs ClearCo needs anonymous sentiment analysis that HRBPs trust, plus check-in completion Scaleups can report to the exec team without CSV gymnastics. A compensation-module sticker quoted after kickoff wrecks the Finance case.
For Scaleups, 360-degree peer review calibration now includes skip-level talent huddles and a first tabletop talent review during a series-b headcount wave. Culture Amp vs ClearCo should run calibration sessions on live manager data and sketch a 9-box talent matrix without enterprise theater. Review cycle automation needs a mid-year cycle lock and year-end pass Scaleups will actually complete. Quota-carrying managers will not sit through a sandbox demo dataset.
For Scaleups, OKR & goal tracking alignment breaks on a product-vs-sales collision when product, sales, and people keep separate trackers. Culture Amp vs ClearCo must cascade department OKRs into reviews so Scaleups sees goal attainment beside calibration, not in a sidecar spreadsheet. Third-survey sprawl is the failure mode.
For Scaleups, continuous manager check-ins & engagement surveys compete with an incumbent pulse vendor. Culture Amp vs ClearCo needs anonymous sentiment analysis HRBPs trust and check-in completion Scaleups can show the exec team without a CSV merge. Ask for the compensation-module sticker in the same quote.
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