A store manager who opened Workplace on her phone every morning for years now sees a read-only screen. The shift swaps, the weekly sales post and the thread where her team traded tips are all frozen.
Meta moved Workplace to read-only on August 31, 2025, and set May 31, 2026 as the data deletion deadline. It named Zoom's Workvivo as its preferred migration partner, but that is one option, not the only one.
If your team is still deciding, the choice is bigger than copying a feed. Gartner found that 47% of digital workers struggle to find the information they need to do their jobs, and Gallup puts global engagement at just 20%.
We compared 10 employee intranet and communication platforms on engagement features, frontline reach, integrations and independent reviews. The list groups platforms by who they suit best, not by score.
Disclosure: Xoxoday publishes this guide and Empuls is one of the 10. All are judged on the same criteria.
The Best Facebook Workplace Alternatives
- Xoxoday Empuls for an intranet where recognition, surveys and rewards live in the same feed (G2 4.6/5)
- Workvivo for teams that want the closest match to a Workplace-style social feed (G2 4.8/5)
- Simpplr for large enterprises that want an AI-led intranet with IT governance (G2 4.6/5)
- Staffbase for frontline-heavy companies that reach staff through an app, SMS and email (G2 4.6/5)
- Connecteam for deskless teams that need scheduling, forms and updates in one phone app (G2 4.6/5)
- LumApps for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace shops that want an employee hub with workflows (G2 4.4/5)
- Poppulo for internal comms teams that publish to screens, email and an app (G2 4.3/5)
- Jostle for distributed mid-size teams that want a simple intranet with built-in recognition (G2 4.6/5)
- Happeo for Google Workspace teams that want a quick-to-launch intranet (G2 4.5/5)
- Microsoft Viva Engage for Microsoft 365 organizations that want communities and leadership posts inside Teams and Outlook (G2 3.6/5)
What Makes a Strong Workplace Alternative?
A replacement only works if employees open it, and most teams find that out after launch.
47%
Struggle to find information
digital workers, to do their jobs effectively
20%
Of employees engaged
worldwide, the lowest level since 2020
Aug 31, 2025
Workplace went read-only
data deletion deadline: May 31, 2026
Source: Gartner, press release, May 2023; Gallup, State of the Global Workplace 2026; Meta, Workplace shutdown notice.
We judged every platform on five tests:
- Feed and engagement features. Recognition, polls, surveys and communities keep people coming back between announcements. See employee engagement software platforms.
- Frontline reach. Staff without a desk or company email need a phone-first way in, such as an app or employee ID sign-in. See recognition for remote and frontline teams.
- Migration and onboarding. A good platform helps you bring groups, content and habits over, not just accounts.
- Integrations and fit. The platform should work with your existing stack, whether that is Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Slack or a mix.
- Independent reviews. G2 and Capterra scores and named analyst reports show how real customers and researchers rate day-to-day use.
Feed and engagement features and frontline reach carried the most weight, since they decide whether a Workplace replacement gets used after launch. Feature claims come from each vendor's public pages, written in our own words. Ratings come from G2 and Capterra as of November 2026, and analyst recognition comes from the named reports. Where a score rests on fewer than 20 reviews, we show the count.
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The Best Workplace Alternatives at a Glance
- Xoxoday Empuls
- Best for
- An intranet where recognition, surveys and rewards live in the same feed
- Standout feature
- Recognition, surveys and rewards share the intranet feed, so engagement data and communication sit in one place
- Rating
- G2 4.6 (Xoxoday)
- Workvivo
- Best for
- Teams that want the closest match to a Workplace-style social feed
- Standout feature
- Feed-first layout feels familiar to teams coming off Workplace
- Rating
- G2 4.8 · Capterra 4.7 · Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader, 2026
- Simpplr
- Best for
- Large enterprises that want an AI-led intranet with IT governance
- Standout feature
- AI search and agents sit beside communications in one place
- Rating
- G2 4.6 · Capterra 4.8
- Staffbase
- Best for
- Frontline-heavy companies that reach staff through an app, SMS and email
- Standout feature
- Employee app, email, SMS and signage run from one content editor
- Rating
- G2 4.6 · Capterra 4.7
- Connecteam
- Best for
- Deskless teams that need scheduling, forms and updates in one phone app
- Standout feature
- Scheduling, time tracking and communication share one app
- Rating
- G2 4.6 · Capterra 4.6
- LumApps
- Best for
- Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace shops that want an employee hub with workflows
- Standout feature
- Micro-Apps put HR and IT requests inside the hub
- Rating
- G2 4.4 · Capterra 4.1 (39 reviews)
- Poppulo
- Best for
- Internal comms teams that publish to screens, email and an app
- Standout feature
- Intranet, email, app and signage share one content workflow
- Rating
- G2 4.3
- Jostle
- Best for
- Distributed mid-size teams that want a simple intranet with built-in recognition
- Standout feature
- Recognition and celebrations are built into the intranet
- Rating
- G2 4.6 · Capterra 4.4
- Happeo
- Best for
- Google Workspace teams that want a quick-to-launch intranet
- Standout feature
- Connected Search spans Drive, Gmail and Slack
- Rating
- G2 4.5
- Microsoft Viva Engage
- Best for
- Microsoft 365 organizations that want communities and leadership posts inside Teams and Outlook
- Standout feature
- Works inside Teams, Outlook and SharePoint
- Rating
- G2 3.6 · Capterra 4.2
1. Xoxoday Empuls
Xoxoday Empuls pairs a social intranet with the engagement tools most intranets leave to other vendors. The home page carries a personalized feed, spotlight announcements, polls, quick links and celebrations, and the same feed runs peer recognition, pulse surveys and a rewards catalog.
Communities for employee resource groups and hobby clubs sit next to an org chart and directory, plus classifieds for referrals and carpooling. Employees can sign in with an employee ID or mobile number, which matters for staff without company email. Integrations cover Microsoft Teams, Slack and Google Workspace, and the platform supports 50+ languages.
- Recognition, surveys and rewards share the intranet feed, so engagement data and communication sit in one place
- Employee ID and mobile sign-in reach staff without company email
- Rewards are available in 150+ countries and 50+ currencies
- Lighter on document-library and records management than a SharePoint-class platform
2. Workvivo
Workvivo is the platform Meta named as its preferred migration partner for Workplace customers. It is now part of Zoom, and it is built around a social feed, Knowledge Hubs for policies and documents, and Journeys that walk employees through onboarding or a life event.
Its AI layer includes Ask HQ for questions across company knowledge and Catch Me Up for summaries of what an employee missed. The mobile-first design and 60+ integrations, including Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Slack and Workday, suit teams that mix office and frontline staff.
- Feed-first layout feels familiar to teams coming off Workplace
- Ask HQ and Catch Me Up bring AI answers and summaries into the feed
- Journeys turn onboarding and other moments into guided steps
- Recognition and rewards depth varies by plan, so confirm what is included before you shortlist
3. Simpplr
Simpplr brings internal communications, enterprise search and knowledge management into one intranet. AI agents answer employee questions and automate routine requests, and IT teams get governance controls over what the AI can reach.
It also includes engagement tools such as recognition, surveys and listening, and it publishes analytics for communicators. The company says it serves more than 1,000 customers and 2M+ active users.
- AI search and agents sit beside communications in one place
- AI governance controls give IT a say in what employees can access
- Reviewers on G2 mention limited design customization, so check page flexibility in a demo
4. Staffbase
Staffbase treats the employee app as the front door. Staff who never open a desktop intranet get news in a branded mobile app, and the same story can also go out by email, SMS and digital signage from one editor.
Its Navigator assistant answers questions from governed company content, and the platform connects to Microsoft 365, Workday and ServiceNow. The company says it works with more than 1,500 enterprise customers.
- Employee app, email, SMS and signage run from one content editor
- Navigator limits AI answers to governed company content
- Reviewers mention limited design options, so ask to see page templates in your brand
5. Connecteam
Connecteam starts from the shift, not the intranet. A single app holds the time clock, schedules, task checklists and digital forms, with team chat and company updates alongside them.
A knowledge base, training and onboarding tools, an employee directory and recognition round out the set. It fits construction, retail, healthcare, cleaning and field service teams where most staff work from a phone.
- Scheduling, time tracking and communication share one app
- Built for staff who work from a phone, not a desktop
- A workforce-management app first, so it offers less depth for corporate news and long-form content
6. LumApps
LumApps pulls communication, learning and business tools into a single employee hub. Micro-Apps handle requests such as HR questions, IT tickets and payslips without sending an employee to another system, and no-code workflows add digital forms and tasks.
A mobile experience includes shift scheduling and secure chat with inline translation. Agent Hub lets admins decide which company-approved AI tools each role can use, and connectors cover Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, ServiceNow and Workday.
- Micro-Apps put HR and IT requests inside the hub
- Agent Hub controls which AI tools each role can reach
- Chat translates inline for multilingual teams
- Some reviewers on G2 mention limited customization, so test your brand layout early
7. Poppulo
Poppulo is built for communicators who publish to many places. One platform covers an intranet, email, a branded mobile app and digital signage for screens in break rooms, plants and stores.
An AI assistant helps write content and search, and engagement tracking includes surveys and eNPS. Analytics show which channels reach which locations, which helps when a message has to land in a warehouse and a head office on the same day.
- Intranet, email, app and signage share one content workflow
- Channel analytics show which locations a message reached
- Aimed at communications teams, so HR-led recognition programs may need a separate tool
8. Jostle
Jostle positions itself as a simpler alternative to a traditional intranet. Company news, documents and peer recognition live in one place, with a mobile app for field and remote staff and an email digest for people who rarely log in.
JostleAI answers questions from curated company information, and JostleTV carries content to digital signage. It connects to Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 and offers an API for custom integrations.
- Recognition and celebrations are built into the intranet
- Email digest reaches staff who rarely log in
- Some G2 reviewers mention inconsistent search, so test finding a policy during a pilot
9. Happeo
Happeo is a social intranet built to sit on top of Google Workspace. Pages hold knowledge-base content, Channels support collaboration, and Connected Search looks across Google Drive, Gmail and Slack from one box.
It includes a people directory with an org chart, analytics and governance controls, and a mobile app. The company is ISO 27001 certified and says it can go live in weeks.
- Connected Search spans Drive, Gmail and Slack
- Fits Google Workspace, so rollout stays light
- Best suited to small and mid-size teams, so very large global programs should test governance depth
10. Microsoft Viva Engage
Viva Engage is Microsoft's successor to Yammer. Communities form around interests, departments and job types, Storylines give each person a feed, and Leadership Corner helps employees follow leaders and find experts.
Copilot in Viva Engage helps draft posts, and analytics cover communities, events and campaigns. It lives inside the Microsoft 365 apps people already use, which keeps rollout light for teams already on Teams and Outlook.
- Works inside Teams, Outlook and SharePoint
- Leadership Corner and campaigns give executives a channel to staff
- Reviewers on G2 mention distractions and weak notifications, so plan how employees will be alerted
What to Ask Before You Switch Platforms
Most comparisons skip what decides whether a move goes well: what happens to your groups, posts and habits on the way over. Ask every vendor these four questions.
- What can we import from Workplace, and what do we rebuild? Ask for an export plan that separates groups, posts, files and permissions, and check the data deletion date first.
- How does a frontline employee sign in and find today's update? Test it on a phone, without a company email.
- Who owns the first 90 days? Get a written timeline with a pilot group, not a promise of full rollout on day one.
- Where do recognition and surveys live? If they sit in a separate tool, price the second system and the second login. See how a social intranet works.
Which Workplace Alternative Should You Choose?
Teams that want the most familiar social feed should look at Workvivo. Large enterprises with strict IT governance can compare Simpplr and LumApps. Frontline-heavy organizations should weigh Staffbase and Connecteam, communications teams that publish to screens fit Poppulo, and Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace shops can start with Viva Engage or Happeo. If you want recognition, surveys and rewards running in the same feed as your news, start with Xoxoday Empuls.
Whichever you shortlist, pilot with one team before you commit. For a related look at the intranet side of this choice, see intranet software for employee engagement.
Book your Empuls demo
Frequently asked questions
It depends on your team. Workvivo is the closest feed-first match, Staffbase and Connecteam suit frontline teams, and Empuls suits teams that want recognition and surveys in the same feed. Pilot two or three with real content before choosing.
Meta moved Workplace to read-only on August 31, 2025, and set May 31, 2026 as the data deletion deadline. Check Meta's Workplace help center for the current status of your account and any export options.
Meta advised customers to download their data before the shutdown, so check the export tools in your admin settings. Ask each vendor what they can import, since groups, posts and files do not always move one for one.
Look for a feed people open daily, phone-first access for staff without company email, and integrations with your existing tools. Recognition and surveys in the same feed, as in Empuls, keep engagement data in one place.
It depends on content volume, groups and integrations. Ask each vendor for a written timeline and pilot one team or region first.


























































































































































































































































































































































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