Meta Workplace alternatives: 8 platforms to consider in 2024

On May 14th, 2024, Workplace from Meta announced that it would be closing, leaving its users looking for a new digital home.

Ten years ago, bringing social-media-style tools to the workplace was revolutionary. And Workplace by Meta (launched in 2016) was quick to bring its version of the social intranet to the market.

Since then, many organizations have relied on Workplace for employee engagement and internal communication. They liked the Workplace from Meta interface, which mirrored those of popular social media apps.The interface was intuitive and felt familiar, so employees found it easy to use.

But over the last few years, we’ve seen product development across various social intranet companies grind to a halt. The customers we speak to here at Blink say that they’re looking to change platforms because their workplace social channels are noisy and irrelevant. Others say that their chosen platform has such low adoption that the business gets no value from it.

Now, organizations are looking for workplace software that does it all. A platform that provides an attractive social feed along with features that boost communication and productivity.

Whether you’re a Workplace customer looking for an alternative or you’re looking to adopt a platform for the first time, here are our recommendations. On our list, you’ll find products that are doing exciting things within this space — and that offer a wide range of features and functionality for your organization.

Top 8 alternatives to Meta from Workplace

1. Blink

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Blink is the market leader in delivering world class access and user experience to your employees, regardless of their work environment or location.  It simplifies the digital experience with a single super-app. Employees can access the app via their smartphones, without using an email address. 

Blink’s employee app is also available in a desktop version so all employees enjoy a unified experience. They can access an engaging news feed, 1:1, and group chats. They can take part in two-way communication, knowledge sharing, and employee recognition. The platform makes it easy to gather employee feedback, too.

Productivity also gets a boost, thanks to custom micro-apps and deep integrations with your favorite tools. Via single sign-on, employees can use the Blink interface to request time off, view their schedules, manage tasks, and complete training courses.

By putting all of these tools and resources in one place, Blink’s app gets excellent rates of adoption (90%+) and usage (96% monthly active users). Managers can also track adoption, usage, employee sentiment, and engagement thanks to Blink’s robust analytics features. So they can make data-driven changes to improve employee performance, experience, and retention.

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Pros

• An engaging news feed: Blink has an intuitive social-media-style news feed that supports two-communication, employee recognition, and top-down updates. Admins can tailor the newsfeed so employees get relevant communications based on their teams, interests, and roles.
• Mobile-first: Designed for smartphones — and for the frontline workforce — Blink ensures both mobile and desktop apps have the same great features and functionality. And employees don’t need an email address to get set up.
• Analytics: Blink’s analytics features allow teams to dive deep into employee engagement data. They can learn about how employees engage with the organization and the platform and find actionable areas for improvement, too.
• A digital front door: Offering excellent integrations, the Blink super-app lets employees access all workplace tools and resources from a single, user-friendly dashboard. They can request time off, sign up for shifts, and access training resources.
• Customer support: Blink’s customer success managers are with you every step of the way — from set up to launch and beyond — helping you get the most from the platform and ensuring employee adoption.

Cons

• Frontline-focused: Blink was designed for frontline workers, however there is a best-in-class desktop application that allows for all employees to take advantage of the features and platform.

Pricing

Pricing is available on request.

Ratings

Capterra: 4.6/5

G2: 4.7/5

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2. Staffbase

Staffbase is a tool that focuses on employee communication. It offers email, messaging, and chat functions to connect employees, including frontline workers. Billed as an intranet solution to unite entire organizations, Staffbase's communication and intranet features make it a strong Workplace from Meta alternative.

Pros

• Content planning: Good content planning and goal-setting tools that help your content creators coordinate campaigns.
• Reporting: Staffbase analytics lets you see how many employees are using the platform and how they engage with your content.
• HR tools: This platform makes life easy for your HR team. They get communication tools, surveys, and analytics, while employees get self-service options.

Cons

• Pricing: Staffbase comes in at a high price point and there are added costs if you want to use all available modules.
• Mobile app: While Staffbase provides a mobile app, this takes time to set up as there aren’t many out-of-the-box features for frontline workers.

Pricing

Pricing is available on request.

Ratings

Capterra: 4.8/5

G2: 4.6/5

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3. Beekeeper

Beekeeper Around since 2012, Beekeeper is a tool that focuses only on the frontline organizations. The platform’s employee app provides lots of useful forms and integrations, meaning companies can give employees access to workplace tools from a single interface. However, Beekeeper doesn’t put a lot of emphasis on the office worker experience, which means your desk-based teams may need a separate system.

Pros

• Communication tools: Beekeeper provides a range of communication tools, including chats, streams, surveys, polls, and campaigns. Daily stand-up briefings and crisis communication allow critical comms to cut through.
• Employee services: The Beekeeper platform supports workplace and HR operations. Employees can request time off or view their shifts via the Beekeeper dashboard.
• Personalized comms: It’s possible to filter communications so employees only see information that’s relevant to them.

Cons

• A complicated interface: Some users say that the Beekeeper interface isn’t particularly user-friendly when compared to other apps and modern intranets on this list.
• Reliability: The platform sometimes takes a while to load, for both admins and end-users.
• Search functionality: You can’t prioritize or order search results so it can be hard to track down older posts and content.

Pricing

You can try Beekeeper for free for 14 days. There’s also a limited free plan for up to 30 users. Pricing for other plans is available on request.

Ratings

Capterra: 4.6/5

G2: 4.7/5

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4. Simpplr

Simpplr is an all-in-one social intranet platform with two priorities. First, to create a centralized social hub for sharing news and updates. And second, to provide an alternative to SharePoint for housing documents and policies. Simpplr’s advanced search capabilities promise a seamless experience and a simple interface is appealing to users.

Pros

• Customer support: Simpplr prides itself on customer service so customers can expect plenty of support.
• A minimal interface: The Simpplr interface is very simple and feels like a social media app. This makes it easy to navigate and understand.
• AI assistance: You can use AI chatbots to support employees with their queries. AI also comes in useful for automating processes and producing platform content.

Cons

• Lack of customization: Simpplr doesn’t provide a lot of design flexibility so users may find it hard to align the platform with their branding and company requirements.
• Integrations: Some users complain that there are limited integration options with third-party tools. 

Pricing

Pricing is available on request.

Ratings

Capterra: 4.8/5

G2: 4.7/5

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5. Yammer / Microsoft Viva Engage

Yammer, now also known as Microsoft Viva Engage, works well with other products in the Microsoft suite. This particular product focuses on communication and you’ll need to use other Microsoft products to create a fully-fledged intranet ecosystem. If you already use Microsoft products in your organization, Yammer is certainly a Workplace from Meta alternative worth considering.

Pros

• Microsoft integration: Viva Engage offers easy integration with other Microsoft tools and is familiar to those already working within the Microsoft suite.
• Communities: As well as keeping up-to-date on company news through the news feed, employees can create communities, connecting with co-workers with whom they share interests.
• Virtual town halls: Viva Engage allows you to create virtual events with video and Q&A functions, so both remote and office-based employees can be part of the company conversation.

Cons

• Interface: Some users complain that the Viva Engage interface isn’t particularly user-friendly, especially on the mobile app version.
• Unfiltered comms: Without comprehensive content filtering options, content in the news feed isn’t always relevant to individual employees.
• Notifications: Users complain about the number of email notifications they get from Yammer, which they say is frustrating and distracting.

Pricing

The full suite of Viva tools costs $12 USD per user per month. There’s a yearly commitment and prices aren’t inclusive of GST/VAT.

Ratings

Capterra: 4.2/5

G2: 3.6/5

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6. Workvivo

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Workvivo - has been named as Meta’s preferred migration partner. It’s a product that’s risen to prominence in recent years due to its acquisition by Zoom. Seamless integration with Zoom’s video conferencing software is a major platform selling point. Workvivo also provides a mobile app and a variety of communication channels. 

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Pros

• A variety of communication channels: Workvivo’s channels include a news feed, 1:1 chats, live streams, and podcasts. 
• Translation capabilities: The platform makes it easy for multilingual teams to publish and read content in their chosen languages.
• Microsites: Teams and special interest groups can create microsites, which are tailored to their community.

Cons

• Cost: Some features — like Workvivo TV and advanced analytics — are add-ons that cost extra.
• Personalization: Workvivo offers limited personalization options meaning users can’t configure the platform to suit their needs. 
• Notifications: This is another platform where notifications seem to be a problem. Users complain that excessive notifications disrupt their workday.

Pricing

Pricing is available on request

Ratings

Capterra: 4.7/5

G2: 4.8/5

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7. Happeo

Happeo is a Google-based social intranet that makes a good alternative to Workplace from Meta, particularly if you’re a Google Workspace organization. Happeo helps teams to share knowledge and manage internal communications. It offers a template-based page builder, which you can use to create intranet pages and employee content.

Pros

• Easy setup: It’s easy for organizations to get started with Happeo, particularly if they’re already using Google Workspace.
• Communities: Happeo allows users to create hubs and communities, based on departments, roles, or shared interests.
• Search functions: You can search people, posts, and integrated third-party apps to find exactly the information you’re looking for.

Cons

• Analytics: There’s a time delay on analytics, so it’s hard to get real-time insight. Some analytics features are only available as an add-on.
• Limited customization: Users can’t change notifications, page layouts, menus, or formatting to suit their needs and preferences.
• Content management: Some users say content management features could be improved so it’s easier to recognize old content and assign admins to update it.

Pricing

Pricing is available on request.

Ratings

Capterra: 4.5/5

G2: 4.5/5

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8. Igloo

Igloo is workplace experience software that offers a sense of community, recognition, and resources to employees. This cloud-based, mobile-optimized solution gives teams all the tools they need to collaborate, share knowledge, and communicate.

Pros

• A digital workplace: Igloo helps organizations create an effective digital workplace with tools like the news feed, polls, targeted content, and file sharing.
• Analytics: Igloos provides users with great analytics tools. These help you to improve your content, identify key creators, and understand user flow.
• Access to Igloo University: Customers can use Igloo’s education program to learn more about the platform and how to use it effectively.

Cons

• Integration: While Igloo makes workplace apps available via the one interface, integrations can be tricky and may require additional development resources.
• Lack of customization: Some users say they struggle to customize pages and the Igloo interface in the way they’d like.
• Complexity: Getting started with Igloo involves a steep learning curve that can be off-putting for users.

Pricing

Pricing is available upon request. Although Igloo does say that pricing typically starts at around $20,000 USD per year for an organization.

Ratings

Capterra: 4.5/5

G2: 4.2/5

In summary

Rest assured that there are plenty of excellent alternatives to Workplace from Meta. The platforms on this list all offer a social-media-style feed, along with other employee communication and engagement features.

For all organizations with a large frontline employee base, Blink is a standout option. With its user-friendly, mobile-first app it supports employee connection, even for hard-to-reach frontline teams. It gives employees a voice and makes their lives easier, giving them access to workplace tools from one simple, digital front door. 

Supporting communication, engagement, and productivity, Blink helps organizations to thrive. And it gives frontline workers the sense of belonging and connection they need to feel invested in their work and less likely to look for another job. 

Find out what Blink could do for your frontline organization. Book your Blink demo today to see our platform in action.

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