7 Lesser-Known Pulse Survey Tools

Pulse surveys are a quick way for companies to check in with employees and see how they’re feeling. Unlike long surveys only done once a year, pulse surveys are shorter and more frequent, giving regular updates on employee morale and engagement. This allows companies to notice issues early on and make changes to keep employees happy.

Different types of tools help with pulse surveys, each offering something unique depending on the company's needs. From tools that help collect feedback to ones that support mental health, companies have various options to meet their goals.

In this guide, we’ll look at lesser-known pulse survey tools and how each one helps gather feedback. But first, it’s important to understand why some companies choose a broader performance management platform like PerformYard instead of using a standalone pulse survey tool.

Why Companies Choose PerformYard Instead of Pulse Survey Tools

Dedicated pulse survey tools are designed primarily for quick, frequent feedback. They excel at capturing snapshots of employee sentiment through short, anonymous surveys. However, their focus is largely on engagement feedback, not on managing the broader performance cycle. They capture how employees feel right now, but they often don’t connect those insights to long-term performance management.

For companies interested in pulse surveys who also want integrated performance reviews, goal management, feedback, and alignment across the organization, PerformYard stands out as a top option.

PerformYard is unique in that it offers a two-in-one solution – it’s part performance management system and part employee engagement platform. In practice, this means you get all the quick feedback capabilities of a pulse survey tool plus a full suite of performance management features in one place.

PerformYard combines tools for formal performance reviews, goal setting and tracking, continuous feedback (like 1:1 check-ins and 360º feedback), and pulse surveys on the same platform. HR leaders and managers can run anonymous engagement surveys and then immediately tie those insights into development conversations, performance evaluations, and goal adjustments within PerformYard’s unified dashboard. The result is a more strategic approach to employee engagement. Instead of simply collecting data, you’re using it to drive improvement in performance over time.

To illustrate the difference: Imagine an HR manager using a standalone pulse survey app. They might learn this week’s employee pulse score is down and see comments about workload stress. That’s valuable information, but now the manager has to manually address it elsewhere – perhaps by emailing managers or making a note for the next review cycle. With PerformYard, the same HR manager could see the dip in engagement on their dashboard and immediately link it to performance management activities.

For example, they can assign an action item to department heads to discuss workload concerns in upcoming check-ins, or adjust team goals within the system to be more achievable. All the tools to act – from goal adjustments to scheduling one-on-one meetings and documenting feedback – are built into PerformYard. In this way, PerformYard turns quick pulse feedback into a springboard for continuous improvement, rather than an isolated data point.

7 Lesser-Known Pulse Survey Tools for Employee Feedback

Each of these tools brings something different to the table. Whether you need seamless Slack polls, email-embedded surveys, a gamified six-question pulse, or an all-in-one engagement platform, these lesser-known options can help you keep a real-time pulse on your team’s morale and feedback. By exploring alternatives, you might find a solution that better fits your team’s culture and workflow – and ultimately fosters a happier, more engaged workplace.

Polly

Polly is a lightweight survey tool that lives inside collaboration apps like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and even Zoom. It enables quick pulse polls and feedback collection within the tools teams already use, leading to exceptionally high response rates. Polly’s focus on in-the-flow feedback makes it ideal for fast-paced teams that want real-time insights.

Ideal for: Teams that communicate in Slack/Teams and need frequent, lightweight check-ins. 

Notable features:

• Native Slack/Teams integration – Distribute pulse surveys directly in chat channels for frictionless participation.
  
  
• Pre-built templates – Ready-to-use question sets (e.g. onboarding feedback, eNPS) to launch surveys in seconds.
  
  
• Real-time analytics – Instant visualization of responses and trends as feedback rolls in.
  
  
• Automated workflows – Schedule recurring pulses or trigger surveys based on events for continuous insight.

Pricing: Free tier available (unlimited responses to basic polls) with paid plans starting around $12 per user/month for expanded features. Enterprise plans with advanced capabilities are available by quote.

ContactMonkey

ContactMonkey takes a novel approach by embedding pulse surveys into company email. It’s primarily an internal communications tool that lets you insert one-click polls and feedback questions directly into Outlook or Gmail newsletters. This makes it easy to reach employees who may not use collaboration apps, and to capture sentiment right from their email inbox. 

Ideal for: Mid-to-large organizations where email newsletters are a key channel.

Notable features:

• Email-embedded surveys – Insert pulse questions into Outlook/Gmail emails so employees can respond with one click inside their email.
  
  
• Real-time analytics – Track opens, clicks, and survey responses live via an analytics dashboard.
  
  
• Customization – Create branded surveys with custom questions, and include ratings or emoji feedback in emails.
  
  
• Integrations – Works seamlessly with Outlook, Gmail, and even Microsoft Teams, fitting into existing communication workflows.
  

Pricing: Custom pricing based on organization size and needs. (For ballpark, the “Essential” plan starts around $600/month for 500 employees on an annual contract.) ContactMonkey offers tailored quotes for each client’s requirements.

Xoxoday Empuls

Empuls (by Xoxoday) is an all-in-one employee engagement platform that goes beyond surveys. It combines peer recognition, rewards, and pulse surveys into a single tool to help build a thriving workplace culture. Empuls approaches pulse feedback as part of a larger engagement cycle. Employees can voice opinions through quick surveys while also receiving recognition and perks, keeping morale high.

Ideal for: HR leaders and company founders who want a comprehensive engagement suite.

Notable features:

• Pulse surveys & feedback – Run regular short surveys (e.g. monthly or quarterly) to gauge sentiment, with anonymity options to encourage honesty.
  
  
• Integrated recognition & rewards – Built-in peer-to-peer recognition, points, and rewards marketplace to boost morale alongside collecting feedback.
  
  
• People analytics – Analytics on survey results and engagement metrics to identify trends and inform action plans.
  
  
• Community features – A social intranet with feeds, groups, and chats, so feedback and announcements coexist in one platform.
  

Pricing: Free trial for 14 days. Paid plans are approximately $3 per user/month (billed annually) for the core platform, with pricing scaling based on add-on features (recognition, rewards) and number of users. Volume discounts and annual subscriptions are available via custom quotes.

Sparkbay

Sparkbay is a data-driven employee engagement tool that focuses on actionable insights from pulse surveys. It’s a lesser-known platform that prides itself on asking the right questions at the right time and turning the data into guidance for managers. Sparkbay continuously monitors employee sentiment and flags areas of concern through intelligent questionnaires, helping leaders address disengagement before it becomes a bigger issue.

Ideal for: HR analysts, operations managers, or leadership at small-to-mid companies who want in-depth analytics from their pulse survey program.

Notable features:

• Intelligent question delivery – The system rotates and targets questions to specific employee segments to uncover issues promptly.
  
  
• Interactive dashboards – Real-time dashboards slice data by department, tenure, etc., giving managers actionable insights for their teams.
  
  
• Personalized recommendations – Sparkbay translates survey results into suggested actions for managers, effectively coaching them on improving team engagement.
  
  
• Science-based surveys – Uses questionnaires designed by psychologists, including validated metrics like eNPS, to ensure reliable measurement.
  

Pricing: Paid software with straightforward pricing – approximately $4 per user/month on the standard plan. (For example, a company of 50 employees would be around $200/month.) There is no free tier, but the value comes from the robust analytics and support provided.

ThriveSparrow

ThriveSparrow is an employee success platform (newly launched by the SurveySparrow team) that incorporates pulse surveys into a broader performance and engagement toolkit. While relatively niche, it offers modern features like AI-driven sentiment analysis on feedback and comprehensive eNPS tracking. ThriveSparrow’s pulse surveys are highly customizable and support multiple languages, aiming to help companies continuously gauge morale and act on issues in real time.

Ideal for: Growing companies and HR teams that want a modern, tech-forward solution.

Notable features:

• AI-powered insights – Automated analysis of written feedback to extract sentiment and key themes from pulse surveys.
  
  
• eNPS and advocacy tracking – Built-in employee Net Promoter Score surveys to measure loyalty and identify your promoters/detractors.
  
  
• Action plan recommendations – After surveys, the platform helps create targeted action plans so managers can respond to feedback and close the loop.
  
  
• Integrations galore – Connects with 50+ HR and productivity platforms for easy data import and workflow integration (HRIS, Slack, etc.), reducing manual work in managing surveys.
  

Pricing: Enterprise-focused pricing. There is no free tier; interested users should contact ThriveSparrow for a quote.

6Q

6Q is a simple but effective pulse survey tool that stands for “6 Questions.” True to its name, each survey consists of just six questions, making it quick for employees to complete (the average response time is under 2 minutes). This minimalist approach dramatically increases participation rates and provides a weekly snapshot of employee morale. 6Q may not have all the bells and whistles of larger platforms, but its focus on brevity and frequency is perfect for teams that want to check the pulse regularly without survey fatigue.

Ideal for: Small companies, startups, or any team that wants an ultra-lightweight, quick pulse survey sent weekly or bi-weekly.

Notable features:

• Microsurveys – Six-question pulse surveys that can be sent weekly or at any desired interval, ensuring feedback is timely and not burdensome.
  
  
• Question library – Access to 200+ expert-crafted questions to build your 6-question surveys, or use provided templates for topics like engagement, wellness, etc.
  
  
• No login required – Employees can answer directly via email link without needing to create accounts, reducing friction.
  
  
• Basic analytics – Provides easy-to-read reports and can segment results by team, location, etc., to spot trends in different groups.
  
  

Pricing: Offers a free trial, then uses tiered pricing by team size. For example, about $99/month for up to 50 users, $189/month for up to 100 users (larger plans available for bigger organizations).

Weekdone

Weekdone is primarily known as an OKR and status-tracking tool, but it also includes built-in employee feedback and pulse survey features. It enables weekly check-ins where team members update progress on goals and rate their satisfaction or mood, effectively combining performance tracking with pulse surveying. By aligning feedback with goal tracking, Weekdone gives managers a holistic view of how people feel as they work toward objectives.

Ideal for: Team leads and startup founders who are already using OKRs or weekly planning and want to blend engagement checks into that routine.

Notable features:

• Weekly/quarterly check-ins – Set up a cadence (e.g. every Friday) for team members to share accomplishments, plans, roadblocks, plus answer a quick pulse question about their week.
  
  
• OKR integration – Link pulse feedback to objectives: see if low morale is impacting goal progress or vice versa, since Weekdone tracks OKRs and weekly tasks alongside sentiment.
  
  
• Recognition features – Includes simple employee recognition (like giving high-fives or kudos within weekly reports) to celebrate wins, which keeps the feedback cycle positive.
  
  
• Third-party integrations – Connects with tools like Basecamp, Jira, Trello, and Microsoft Teams to pull in project updates or send reminders, fitting into your existing workflow.
  

Pricing: Weekdone is free for up to 3 users, making it accessible for very small startups or pilot testing. For larger teams, pricing scales by team size (e.g. around $90/month for 10 users, $135/month for 15 users on paid plans). Enterprise pricing for bigger organizations is available on request.