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One Price for Everything vs Three Tiers to Get What You Need
15Five is a strong performance management platform with a particular focus on manager enablement and coaching. PerformSpark is built specifically for performance management, with every feature, including calibration, PIPs, TrAI bias detection, and 360-degree reviews, included at one flat price. If you are comparing PerformSpark vs 15Five and want to know which platform fits your team's stage and budget, this page gives you the full picture.
At a Glance
PerformSpark
Purpose-built performance management
All features included in one price
$6 per user per month
No add-ons, no upgrade tiers
Reviews, goals, calibration, check-ins, feedback, 360s, IDPs, PIPs, and TrAI in one platform
Built for companies between 50 and 1,000 employees
Setup in one to two weeks
White-glove customer support included at standard pricing
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15Five
Performance management with manager enablement focus
Three-tier pricing: Engage ($4), Perform ($11), Total Platform ($16) per user per month
Manager training (Transform) locked to Total Platform only
Kona AI coach available as a separate add-on at $19 per user per month
Calibration and advanced analytics require Total Platform
Strong manager enablement focus
Implementation timelines vary by tier and configuration
Dedicated CSM included in higher tiers only
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Where PerformSpark and 15Five Differ
One Price vs Three Tiers
15Five structures its platform across three pricing tiers. Engage covers engagement surveys and basic check-ins at $4 per user per month. Perform covers performance reviews, OKRs, 1-on-1s, and career growth tools at $11 per user per month. Total Platform adds manager training microlearnings, advanced calibration, and the Manager Effectiveness Indicator at $16 per user per month.
PerformSpark includes every feature in a single plan at $6 per user per month. Performance reviews, calibration, goal management, 1-on-1 check-ins, feedback, and pulse surveys, 360-degree reviews, individual development plans, PIPs, and TrAI are all available from day one. There are no tier decisions to make and no upgrades required as your needs grow.
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A team of 200 on 15Five Total Platform pays $3,200 per month. The same team on PerformSpark pays $1,200 per month, with every equivalent feature included.
TrAI vs AMAYA: Performance AI vs Insights AI
15Five has made significant AI investments with AMAYA, its AI agent for HR insights, and Kona, an AI coaching tool for managers available as a separate add-on at $19 per user per month. AMAYA focuses on surfacing engagement and retention insights from 15Five's data. Kona focuses on giving managers real-time coaching prompts in Slack.
The key distinction is that TrAI is built into PerformSpark at standard pricing with no add-on cost. Kona costs an additional $19 per user per month on top of 15Five's Perform or Total Platform tier. For a 200-person team, that is an additional $3,800 per month for AI coaching alone. See how this applies in calibration practice in our guide to performance calibration strategy.
Enterprise performance management vs Performance AI vs Insights AI
Calibration: Included vs Tier-Locked.
Calibration is one of the most important steps in any performance management cycle. It is how organizations ensure that ratings are consistent across managers, that high performers are recognized fairly, and that bias is surfaced before it becomes a documented outcome.
In 15Five, calibration tools and advanced analytics are available in the Total Platform tier only. Teams on the Perform tier, which is 15Five's standard performance management offering at $11 per user per month, do not have access to calibration workflows. They either upgrade the entire organization to Total Platform or run calibration manually outside the platform.
PerformSpark includes AI-powered calibration in every plan. TrAI analyzes rating distributions before each calibration session, flags statistical outliers, and identifies bias patterns so HR leaders and managers can focus their calibration time on the most important discrepancies rather than building comparison spreadsheets.
Performance Improvement Plans: Structured vs Missing
A performance improvement plan is one of the most consequential documents an HR team produces. When a PIP is poorly structured, inconsistently applied, or not connected to the employee's goal and development history, it creates legal exposure and rarely produces the intended outcome.
15Five does not offer structured PIP workflows. Teams using 15Five for performance management still handle PIPs in separate documents, shared drives, or their HRIS, disconnected from the performance data that should inform them.
PerformSpark includes structured PIP workflows as a standard feature.
Manager Enablement: Add-On vs Built-In
15Five has built one of the strongest manager enablement offerings in the performance management market. The Transform module provides curated manager development tracks and microlearnings. Kona delivers AI-powered real-time coaching via Slack. The Manager Effectiveness Indicator gives HR a data-driven score of each manager's capabilities across eight leadership competencies.
These are genuinely valuable capabilities. The limitation is that Transform and the Manager Effectiveness Indicator require Total Platform at $16 per user per month, and Kona is an additional $19 per user per month on top of that. For organizations that want all of 15Five's manager enablement capabilities, the total cost is $35 or more per user per month.
See our guide on enterprise performance management vs specialized software.
Feature by Feature
A direct comparison of what is included at each platform's standard pricing.
Feature
PerformSpark
15Five
Performance reviews
Included
Included in Perform tier ($11/user)
Pulse surveys and eNPS
Included
Separate Engage tier ($4/user)
360-degree reviews
Included
Included in Perform tier
Performance calibration
Included with AI calibration
Total Platform only ($16/user)
1-on-1 check-ins
Included
Included in Perform tier
Individual development plans
Included
Included in Perform tier
Performance improvement plans
Included
Not available as structured workflow
AI-powered bias detection
TrAI, purpose-built
General AI writing assist
Manager coaching tracking
TrAI coaching participation insights
Manager Effectiveness Indicator (Total Platform)
Manager training content
Not included
Total Platform only ($16/user)
Compensation planning
Not included
Separate add-on
Setup timeline
One to two weeks
Varies by tier and configuration
Pricing model
One price, all features
Three tiers, features gated by tier
Starting price
$6 per user per month
$11 per user per month (Perform)
White glove support
Included at standard pricing
Higher tiers and add-on only
Best fit
50–1,000 employees
Teams prioritizing manager enablement
Who Each Platform Is Built For
If you are still evaluating your options, our guide to [choosing performance management software](/blogs/choosing-performance-management-software) covers the full framework HR leaders use to make this decision.
Choose PerformSpark if:
You have 50 to 1,000 employees
You want every performance feature in one price
You need to be up and running in days, not months
You want AI that helps you make fairer decisions
You already have an HRIS and need a dedicated layer
Your HR team is lean and needs independent management
You are looking for a Lattice alternative with simpler pricing
Choose 15Five if:
Manager enablement is your primary investment priority
You want structured manager training content alongside performance tools
You have budget for the Total Platform tier at $16 per user per month
You want dedicated AI coaching for managers via Kona
Engagement surveys are central to your HR strategy
Not sure which fits?
Book a 30-minute call with the PerformSpark team. We will show you a direct comparison for your team size and feature needs, even if the answer is that we are not the right fit.
What Teams Say After Switching
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“We were on 15Five Perform and kept hitting walls every time we needed calibration or structured PIP workflows. PerformSpark gave us both, plus TrAI insights, for less than we were paying for Perform alone.”
“The pricing clarity was the first thing that stood out. With 15Five we were always calculating which tier covered what. With PerformSpark there is nothing to calculate.”
“TrAI caught a rating inconsistency in our first calibration session that we had been missing for two cycles. That alone made the switch worth it.”
FAQ
Common Questions About Switching from 15Five
Have more questions? Our team is happy to walk you through a direct comparison for your specific team size and review structure.
Ready to Manage Performance Fairly and Effectively?
Create structured, transparent PIPs that guide improvement and protect your organization.
Can I migrate our existing performance data from 15Five to PerformSpark?
Does PerformSpark replace everything in 15Five's Total Platform?
How does PerformSpark's pricing compare to 15Five Total Platform?
Does PerformSpark include engagement surveys like 15Five's Engage module?
How does PerformSpark handle manager development without a training content library?
What support is included with PerformSpark?
Ready to See the Difference?
Book a demo and we will show you a complete performance management cycle configured for your team size, your review structure, and your calibration process, all in under 30 minutes.
Make Performance Reviews Your Growth Lever
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