6 BetterUp alternatives to develop your people

People-first organizations understand the importance of development. They know by investing in training, they can demonstrate their commitment to employees and foster a nurturing professional environment. Therefore, they might consider using software like BetterUp to provide individuals and teams with personalized coaching and training programs.

While BetterUp is a great learning and development platform, it may not be right for everyone. It requires users to outsource coaching, which some companies might find doesn’t allow for the degree of customization that they require.

Other organizations may find that BetterUp isn’t comprehensive enough. A holistic approach to employee development includes feedback cycles and goal setting tools to enable continues growth and conversation with your team. BetterUp lacks dedicated performance and goal management tools that provide a framework for setting and tracking career goals.

That’s why we’ve compiled this list of the top BetterUp alternatives.* This article compares the best development platforms on the market based on their key features, pricing, and user experiences so you can make an informed choice when deciding which one to invest in.

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*The information below is based on our research in May 2023. All user feedback referenced in the text has been sourced from independent software review platforms such as G2 and Capterra in May 2023.

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Companies

Pricing

Language options

Customer rating

Leapsome

Pricing starts at US$8 per user per month. Free trial available.

13

4.8

BRIDGE

Bridge (Betterup)

Starts at US$4/month per user when billed monthly.

27

4.3

Cornerstone

Cornerstone (Betterup)

Pricing not readily available.

42

4.1

entomo

entomo (Betterup)

Pricing not readily available.

8

4.6

Mesh.ai

Mesh.ai (Betterup)

Starts at US$4/month per user when billed monthly.

1

4.2

Plum

Plum (Betterup)

Pricing not readily available.

14

4.4

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Leapsome — goal-setting

Leapsome pricing starts at US$8 per user per month, depending on the number of employees you have and the combination of modules you want. You can also try it for free for 14 days.

13

4.8

Key criteria to look for in an employee training tool

Before we explore our list of alternatives, let’s discuss some key features a good training platform should have:

Customizable learning paths

Although BetterUp’s coaches are effective, they won’t have in-depth knowledge about your company processes. They may not be able to tailor training to employees’ specific development needs. Ideally, you should look for a platform that allows you to create custom courses from a blend of internal and external resources.

Competency Framework

Great training tools support different types of development plans so you can fit individualized learning paths into your organization’s bigger picture. That means you can map out all the different positions within your company, how these interrelate, and what opportunities are available to employees based on their training and experience.

Promotion and compensation management

Salary and career progression are two common motivators for employees. As such, they may pursue training to advance professionally and reach a higher pay band. That’s why it makes sense to tie development plans to promotions and pay raises and create a career progression framework.

Goal and performance management

Setting objectives and tracking employee progress is critical to the success of any training program. Doing so allows managers to guide their reports more effectively. Plus, in recent years, people ops professionals have started tying reviews and development together more closely as they’ve recognized the impact and growth potential.

Quizzes and surveys

ou need methods to check the efficacy of your training. Questionnaires enable you to do so by testing knowledge, collecting feedback, and investigating engagement levels. Additionally, good platforms provide a variety of survey formats to measure the impact of your initiatives, both pre-made and templates, so you can tailor the questions to your internal requirements.

In-depth reporting

By collecting information on training initiatives, businesses can gain insights into areas like employee performance and the effectiveness of specific courses. This can help organizations make data-driven decisions about what they need to improve and which types of training to invest in next.

Leapsome tackles employee training from all angles

Users can create personalized learning pathways and sync them with goals, performance reviews, and competency frameworks.

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^1. Leapsome

‍If you like BetterUp but need a more flexible and robust platform, Leapsome is the one for you.
Leapsome recognizes that training goes beyond simple coaching and courses. Our software offers seven interconnected modules that address different aspects of the employee experience:

Leapsome’s features provide essential support for training programs. Our Reviews, Meetings, and Instant Feedback modules facilitate continuous communication and collaboration. You can use them to guide employee performance and help individuals reach their personal and professional training goals. Additionally, our Surveys module uncovers whether your development initiatives are making an impact on company morale and what further opportunities would motivate your team.

Our Learning module can support all your employee training needs. For instance, it allows you to create learning paths that are based on the skills and knowledge your team needs to develop in order to advance and thrive. Then, you can automatically or manually assign those paths to employees after they’ve reached certain points on their competency frameworks.

In addition, our versatile reporting and analytics features mean that you can gain actionable insights and turn this into training. For example, the 9-box tool can help you visualize your team members’ level of expertise across specific skills and in relation to each other. This allows an overview of which team members could benefit most from further development, and determine who is an ideal candidate for internal promotion.
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Notable features
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A built-in learning management system (LMS) with personalized pathways
Integrations with top learning content providers
5 free courses provided by Goodhabitz + discounts for combined use
Flexible goal and OKR management
Performance reviews
Versatile competency frameworks
Powerful data analytics
Communication tools for optimal meetings and a thriving feedback culture
Customizable survey and quiz features
Promotion and compensation management tools

Pros

Easy-to-use, intuitive user interface (UI)
Comprehensive employee training tool
Modular pricing
Available in 13 languages
Highly scalable
Responsive customer service
GDPR compliant and ISO-27001 certified

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cons

Continuous iteration can lead to occasional bugs
Mobile app not yet available

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Trusted By:

“Apart from being the only tool that offers the level of customizability we needed for our behavior-based competency model, Leapsome provides a great user experience. [...]

A smooth and uncomplicated user experience is crucial in ensuring widespread acceptance and implementation, and Leapsome was the best tool on the market for us.”

Tara Todorovic

People Development Manager at SIDES

Read case study

^2. BRIDGE

If the bulk of your team’s work involves computer software, you may be interested in Bridge. The software’s video tool allows employees to create audiovisual learning content by recording themselves and capturing their screens. In addition, in order to make the materials more interactive and accessible, users can add other multimedia elements like captions, presentations, and question prompts. That means anyone can share their dynamic computer-based workflows with the rest of their team.
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Notable features
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Built-in LMS
Goal and performance management features
Reporting
Survey and feedback tools
Video capture capabilities

Pros

Mobile app available
27 languages supported
Simple UI

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cons

Limited customization capabilities
Slow loading speeds
Challenging to set up

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^3. Cornerstone

With Cornerstone’s focus on compliance training, it’s a good pick for healthcare and higher education businesses that have many regulations to follow. It allows managers to automate compliance workflows, track whether everyone’s up to date, and gain insights into training effectiveness. There are also alerts and reminders for when employee certifications are about to expire so companies don’t risk incurring any penalties.
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Notable features
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Built-in LMS
Goal and performance management features
Competency frameworks
Reporting

Pros

Mobile app available
42 languages supported
Highly customizable

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cons

Unresponsive customer support
Time-consuming set up
Dated interface design

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^4. entomo

Entomo is another performance management platform with an interesting feature regarding learning. It offers personalized recommendations that help you to pinpoint your employees’ training needs. This means each team member receives information about relevant courses based on their interests, experience, and performance data. The app also provides progress bars, so everyone can see how far they’ve advanced toward their established goals.
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Notable features
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Personalized learning paths and recommendations
Goal and performance management features
Competency frameworks
Promotion management tools
Reporting

Pros

Mobile app available
Easy to use, simple UI
Robust self-assessment tools

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cons

Can’t be customized to industry-specific needs
Limited flexibility
Time-consuming to navigate and use

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^5. Mesh.ai

‍Companies that already have a robust in-house training program and only require complementary learning and development features may want to consider Mesh.ai. The platform has career paths, data insights, and review tools that can support managers in coaching their reports. However, this also makes Mesh.ai an unsuitable option for startups and fast-growing businesses that are developing new training programs and require full support.
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Notable features
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Career pathways
Goal and performance management features
Feedback and recognition tools
1:1 meeting features
Coaching insights

Pros

Mobile app available
Easy to use, intuitive UI

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cons

Lacks LMS features and integrations
Meeting and coaching tools not included in the lowest-cost plan
Only one language supported

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^6. Plum

‍With Plum’s strong emphasis on hiring and talent assessments, it’s a platform worth considering if you operate in a high-turnover industry like tech or retail. For instance, syncing your recruitment and training programs can save you a lot of time in the hiring process. The platform allows you to test applicants based on certain skill sets and build upon the successful candidate’s capabilities once they start their position.
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