Guusto
Guusto is a Vancouver-based SaaS platform providing employee recognition and rewards software for HR and Operations leaders, with multi-channel delivery (SMS, QR codes, print) designed to reach frontline and deskless workers across healthcare, retail, hospitality, manufacturing, and financial services organizations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersVancouver, Canada
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Guusto does
Guusto is a Vancouver-based SaaS company, founded in 2013 and operating as Guusto Gifts Inc., that provides employee recognition and rewards software primarily to HR and Operations leaders. The platform enables peer-to-peer shoutouts, manager-led recognition, milestone awards (anniversaries, birthdays), and performance-based incentives delivered via email, SMS, push notifications, QR codes, TV display, and offline print — explicitly designed to reach frontline and deskless workers in healthcare, retail, hospitality, and manufacturing who lack company email access. Named enterprise customers include Marriott, Fairmont, Unilever, Maple Leaf Foods, Compass One Healthcare, Rexall, Canada Life, Cooperators, DLA Piper, Arcteryx, The Body Shop, Carlton Cards, Bell Media, Edmonton Oilers, and Toronto Raptors.
Guusto firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Guusto
- Legal name
- Guusto Gifts Inc.
- Website
- https://guusto.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Guusto is a Vancouver-based SaaS platform providing employee recognition and rewards software for HR and Operations leaders, with multi-channel delivery (SMS, QR codes, print) designed to reach frontline and deskless workers across healthcare, retail, hospitality, manufacturing, and financial services organizations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Guusto industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Employee Recognition Software
- akta.pro primary industry
- Rewards, Incentives & Gift Card Program Services (MPAAAIAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Loyalty, Rewards & Incentive Programs (BPAFAMAE), Compensation, Benefits & Total Rewards Advisory (BPACAJAG)
Keywords
Where Guusto is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vancouver
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Guusto business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subscription Fees (Sender Seats): Guusto charges subscription fees based on the number of sender seats (managers/admins who can send recognition), not all employees. This pay-for-sender model keeps costs scalable for large workforces. Pricing tiers are Lite ($150/month), Essential (minimum $200/month), and Premium (minimum $500/month).
- Gift Card Revenue (Merchant Commission): Guusto sells gift cards at face value to companies and earns revenue through commissions charged to merchants when rewards are redeemed. This means 100% of the reward budget goes to employees and Guusto monetizes through merchant fees.
- Free Tier / Guest Redemption: Free tier allows single users to send unlimited rewards with no subscription cost. Guest redemption allows non-users to redeem rewards. These serve as acquisition and top-of-funnel mechanisms for converting to paid plans.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free - Single user free plan with limited features |
| Subscription | Monthly | Lite - $150/month, 1 sender + 250 recipient seats |
| Subscription | Annual | Essential - $200/month minimum, per-seat pricing |
| Subscription | Annual | Premium - $500/month minimum, per-seat pricing with unlimited workspaces |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
Guusto product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Guusto is a cloud-based employee recognition and rewards software platform that enables HR and Operations leaders to recognize employees through peer-to-peer shoutouts, manager-led recognition, milestone awards, and performance incentives. Rewards are delivered as dollar amounts via email, SMS, QR codes, TV display, and offline print, redeemable at 100+ merchants worldwide as gift cards, charity donations, branded company swag, or custom rewards.
Product overview
Guusto is an employee recognition software and rewards platform offering a unified solution with multiple modules. The core platform consists of Employee Recognition (peer-to-peer and manager-led shoutouts), Milestone Awards (automated anniversaries and birthdays), Offline Recognition (QR/SMS/print for frontline workers), Customer Rewards, and Gift Cards (100+ merchant options). The platform is delivered across four pricing tiers: Free (basic email/SMS rewards), Lite ($150/month with automation), Essential ($6.72/seat with HRIS integration and social features), and Premium ($6.72/seat with enterprise features including API, SSO, and advanced integrations). Key differentiators include no-points approach with dollar-for-dollar value, delivery to deskless workers via multiple channels, AI-driven recognition gap analysis, and social impact through One Drop Foundation partnerships.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Guusto Employee Recognition Platform
Quantifiable outcome
- 28% higher retention among Gem Award winners at Compass One Healthcare
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Guusto
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Guusto technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability2 records
Feature8 records
Guusto partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- One Drop FoundationcoreGuusto has partnered with the One Drop Foundation to donate and contribute to clean water initiatives for every Guusto gift sent. This social impact partnership is integrated into the platform at no additional cost, with a portion of every gift contributing to clean water projects worldwide.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Guusto competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Motivosity: Motivosity is an employee recognition software platform focused on peer-to-peer recognition, manager-led praise, and rewards, targeting HR and people leaders. Co-listed with Guusto in the FeaturedCustomers Market Leader report, making it a directly comparable mid-market peer.
- Perkbox: Perkbox is an employee engagement and rewards platform combining perks, recognition, and wellbeing for SMB and mid-market customers. It is grouped with Guusto as a FeaturedCustomers Market Leader and overlaps on reward delivery and engagement use cases.
- Kudos: Kudos is an employee recognition and culture platform offering peer-to-peer recognition, milestone awards, and analytics. It is a directly comparable peer with overlapping product modules (recognition, milestones, analytics) for HR teams.
- Awardco: Awardco is an employee recognition platform that leverages Amazon's catalog for reward redemption, similar to Guusto's merchant-network approach. It serves enterprise customers and is grouped with Guusto in FeaturedCustomers' Market Leader tier.
- Reward Gateway: Reward Gateway offers employee engagement, recognition, and benefits technology for mid-market and enterprise HR teams. Featured alongside Guusto in the same Market Leader tier, it competes directly on recognition program scope and global reward delivery.
- Terryberry: Terryberry provides employee recognition programs including service awards, peer recognition, and wellness rewards for organizations of all sizes. It is grouped with Guusto in the FeaturedCustomers Market Leader list and serves overlapping buyer personas.
- Workhuman: Workhuman (formerly Globoforce) is a leading provider of employee recognition and rewards software, serving large enterprises with a points-based recognition platform and global reward network. It is the most-established direct competitor in the same product category as Guusto.
- Achievers: Achievers is an employee recognition and rewards platform targeting enterprise HR teams, with a global rewards catalog and analytics. Listed alongside Guusto as a FeaturedCustomers Market Leader in employee recognition, making it a directly comparable competitor.
Emerging players
- Blueboard: Blueboard offers employee rewards and recognition through experiences, gift cards, and custom rewards for hourly and frontline workforces. Its focus on memorable reward experiences overlaps with Guusto's frontline-worker positioning.
- Nectar: Nectar is an employee recognition and rewards platform focused on SMB and mid-market customers with points-based recognition, milestones, and a reward catalog. It competes with Guusto on the same HR buyer use cases but with a younger feature set.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Guusto social profiles
Digital presenceGuusto compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Guusto financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Guusto leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Guusto funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Guusto M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Guusto
What does Guusto do?
Guusto is a cloud-based employee recognition and rewards software platform that enables HR and Operations leaders to recognize employees through peer-to-peer shoutouts, manager-led recognition, milestone awards, and performance incentives. Rewards are delivered as dollar amounts via email, SMS, QR codes, TV display, and offline print, redeemable at 100+ merchants worldwide as gift cards, charity donations, branded company swag, or custom rewards.
Is Guusto a public or private company?
Guusto is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Guusto founded?
Guusto was founded in 2013. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Guusto based?
Guusto is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Guusto make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Subscription Fees (Sender Seats) is the primary driver. The others are gift Card Revenue (Merchant Commission) and free Tier / Guest Redemption.
Who are Guusto's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Motivosity, Perkbox, Kudos, Awardco, Reward Gateway, Terryberry, Workhuman and Achievers. Emerging players are Blueboard and Nectar.
Does Guusto have an API?
Yes. API is listed as a Premium tier feature. No additional details provided about API type, authentication method, rate limits, or developer documentation.
What industry is Guusto in?
Guusto's product category is Employee Recognition Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAAIAG, Rewards, Incentives & Gift Card Program Services, with a secondary code of BPAFAMAE, Loyalty, Rewards & Incentive Programs.