HeyTaco vs. Terryberry: Which Is Right for Your Team in 2026?

Comparing HeyTaco and Terryberry? This guide covers pricing, features, and real stories from teams who switched.

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The Verdict

Choose HeyTaco if you want modern, chat-native daily recognition with digital rewards.

Choose Terryberry if you need traditional service awards with physical gifts and formal presentation kits.

Highlights

HeyTaco Wins On:

Daily recognition habit, chat-native experience, quick setup (5 min vs 2-4 weeks), and transparent pricing

Terryberry Wins On:

Multi-year service awards, physical award catalogs, formal presentation programs, and enterprise service

Bottom line: Many teams use both: HeyTaco for daily peer appreciation and Terryberry for major milestone awards. Modern recognition happens in chat, not catalogs.

Quick Comparison: HeyTaco vs. Terryberry

This side-by-side comparison breaks down the key features of HeyTaco and Terryberry, highlighting how each platform performs in critical areas of employee recognition.

Feature	HeyTaco	Terryberry
Primary Focus	Daily peer-to-peer recognition habit	Traditional service awards and milestone gifts
Recognition Model	Daily taco allowance (5/day)	Point-based with manager allocation
Recognition Cadence	Daily spontaneous peer recognition	Annual reviews, service anniversaries, formal programs
Where It Lives	Fully native in Slack/Teams	Dedicated web platform with login required
Company Heritage	Born digital (2015), built for modern teams	Traditional awards company (90+ years), adapting to digital
Setup Time	5 minutes	2-4 weeks (enterprise implementation)
Gamification	Leaderboards, Tacotars, stickers, levels	Points accumulation, badges
Rewards Style	Digital gift cards + custom non-monetary	Catalog-based: physical awards, jewelry, merchandise
Service Awards	Birthday/anniversary automation (Deluxe)	Multi-year service award programs with tiered gifts
Physical Awards	Not included (digital-first)	Plaques, trophies, jewelry, engraved items
Active User Rate	67% daily active users	Varies (formal programs less frequent)
Target Company Size	10-500 employees (SMB focus)	500+ employees (enterprise focus)
Pricing Model	$3-5/user/month, transparent pricing	Custom enterprise pricing (contact sales)
Free Trial	30 days, no card required	Demo only
Best For	Modern teams wanting daily peer recognition in chat	Enterprise organizations needing formal service award programs

What Terryberry Does Well

Before diving into differences, let's acknowledge what Terryberry does right. Terryberry is a traditional employee recognition company with real strengths:

Terryberry's Strengths

90+ years of experience: Terryberry has been in the recognition business since 1918, long before digital platforms existed. This deep heritage means they understand formal recognition programs, milestone celebrations, and traditional award structures.

Comprehensive service awards: Multi-year service award programs with tiered gifts (5, 10, 15, 20+ year milestones). Physical plaques, jewelry, watches, and custom engraved items that employees can display proudly.

Catalog-based shopping: Extensive merchandise catalogs where employees can select from thousands of physical products—electronics, home goods, jewelry, apparel, travel packages, and experience gifts.

Formal recognition programs: Structured programs for peer nominations, manager awards, annual recognition events, and corporate achievement celebrations. Enterprise-grade program design and consulting.

Custom branded materials: Physical award certificates, presentation folders, custom branded merchandise, and formal recognition kits for milestone presentations.

White-glove implementation: Dedicated account management, program design consulting, and implementation support for large enterprise deployments.

Where Teams Experience Friction with Terryberry

Despite these strengths, modern teams find challenges:

Annual vs. daily recognition: Terryberry excels at formal annual reviews and service milestones but doesn't facilitate daily peer-to-peer appreciation. Recognition happens a few times per year, not every day.

Platform complexity: Separate login required to access Terryberry's platform. Recognition doesn't happen in Slack/Teams where work occurs—employees must visit an external site to give or receive recognition.

Enterprise implementation timeline: Setup takes 2-4 weeks with dedicated onboarding, program design, catalog configuration, and training. This delays time-to-value for teams wanting to start recognizing immediately.

Custom enterprise pricing: No transparent pricing available. Requires lengthy sales process for quotes. Teams report enterprise contracts significantly more expensive than simple daily recognition platforms.

Legacy catalog feel: While comprehensive, Terryberry's merchandise catalogs feel traditional—physical products, printed catalogs, formal browsing experience. Less appealing to younger, digital-native workforces.

Physical award logistics: Plaques, trophies, and engraved items require shipping, handling, and presentation ceremonies. Remote teams find physical awards less practical than instant digital rewards.

Enterprise-focused: Terryberry is built for large organizations (500+ employees) with formal HR programs. SMBs and startups find the complexity and pricing prohibitive.

Top-down recognition model: Primarily manager-to-employee and formal nomination programs. Less emphasis on spontaneous peer-to-peer daily appreciation that builds team culture.

Why Teams Choose HeyTaco Over Terryberry

Daily Recognition vs. Annual Events

The most fundamental difference between HeyTaco and Terryberry:

Daily habit formation: HeyTaco gives everyone 5 fresh tacos every morning. This creates daily recognition habits—67% of users give tacos every single day. Terryberry focuses on annual reviews, service anniversaries, and formal quarterly programs.

Spontaneous vs. scheduled: HeyTaco recognition is spontaneous—see great work, give tacos immediately in Slack/Teams. Terryberry recognition is scheduled—formal nominations, approval workflows, designated award ceremonies.

Peer-to-peer culture: HeyTaco enables peers to appreciate each other directly without manager approval. Terryberry emphasizes formal programs where managers nominate and approve recognition.

Consistent vs. occasional: HeyTaco builds culture through daily appreciation touch points. Terryberry creates milestone moments a few times per year. Both have value, but daily recognition drives more sustained cultural impact.

"We had Terryberry for service awards—nice plaques for 5-year anniversaries, formal presentations. But our team needed daily appreciation, not annual ceremonies. HeyTaco gave us that constant recognition flow. Now we use HeyTaco for daily peer kudos and kept Terryberry just for the big milestone years." — Jessica M., VP People, 200-person technology company

Chat-Native Simplicity vs. Platform Complexity

Where recognition lives matters enormously:

In the workflow: HeyTaco is 100% native in Slack/Teams. Type @person :taco: right in your conversation. No separate login, no platform to visit, no context switching. Recognition is immediate and frictionless.

Separate platform friction: Terryberry requires logging into their dedicated platform to give recognition, browse catalogs, or check point balances. This creates adoption barriers—people forget to visit external sites.

5 minutes vs. 2-4 weeks setup: HeyTaco installs in 5 minutes. Add to Slack/Teams, set daily allowance, start recognizing. Terryberry takes 2-4 weeks with enterprise onboarding, program design, catalog configuration, and training.

Zero learning curve: Everyone knows how to use emojis. HeyTaco requires zero training. Terryberry requires teaching people to navigate catalogs, nomination workflows, approval processes, and redemption procedures.

"Terryberry's platform felt like homework. Log in, navigate menus, fill out nomination forms, wait for approval, browse catalogs. HeyTaco is just @person :taco: thanks for helping! Recognition went from occasional chore to daily celebration because it happens where we already work." — Marcus T., Engineering Director, 120-person startup

Modern Digital vs. Traditional Physical

Recognition rewards for the modern workforce:

Instant digital gratification: HeyTaco rewards are instant—redeem tacos for Amazon gift cards, donate to charity, or claim custom company rewards (extra PTO, parking spots, WFH days). No shipping wait, no logistics.

Physical award limitations: Terryberry's plaques, trophies, and jewelry require shipping, engraving, and formal presentations. Remote teams find physical awards impractical—where do you display a plaque at your home office?

Catalog shopping fatigue: Terryberry's merchandise catalogs require browsing hundreds of pages of products. Younger employees prefer simple digital gift cards they can use immediately online.

Custom non-monetary rewards: HeyTaco's custom rewards (extra PTO day, lunch with CEO, early leave pass) cost you $0 but employees love them. Terryberry's physical products require purchasing from their catalog at fixed prices.

"Our remote team doesn't want engraved plaques shipped to their homes. They want Amazon gift cards they can use today or extra PTO days they can take this month. HeyTaco's digital rewards fit how modern distributed teams actually work. Terryberry felt like recognition from another era." — Sarah K., Head of Remote, 95-person distributed company

Transparent Pricing vs. Enterprise Sales Process

Pricing philosophy reveals different target markets:

$3-5/user transparent pricing: HeyTaco Classic costs $3/user/month, Deluxe $5/user/month. Prices are public, no sales calls required, no negotiation. Credit card signup and start immediately.

Custom enterprise quotes: Terryberry requires contacting sales for custom pricing. Teams report lengthy RFP processes, multi-tier pricing based on features, plus catalog product costs on top of platform fees.

SMB accessibility: HeyTaco works for 10-person startups to 500-person scale-ups with no minimums. Terryberry is built for enterprise (500+ employees) with pricing that excludes smaller growing companies.

Predictable costs: HeyTaco's flat per-user pricing means predictable budgets. Terryberry's combination of platform fees plus catalog product costs creates variable spending that's harder to budget.

"We're a 75-person company. Terryberry's sales process assumed enterprise scale we don't have. The quote was 3x what we pay for HeyTaco, required 2-year commitment, and included features for 500+ person programs. HeyTaco's transparent $3/user was perfect for our size. No negotiation, no minimums, just recognition." — David L., CFO, 75-person marketing agency

Proven Daily Engagement

Engagement metrics tell the story:

67% daily active users: HeyTaco's daily taco reset creates consistent habits. Two-thirds of users give tacos every single day. This sustained engagement builds strong appreciation culture.

Annual vs. daily touch points: Terryberry's formal programs create 5-10 recognition moments per year (service awards, quarterly nominations, annual reviews). HeyTaco creates 365 daily opportunities for peer appreciation.

Public team celebration: HeyTaco recognition is visible to everyone in channels—whole team celebrates wins together. Terryberry's formal awards are often private manager-to-employee or small ceremony groups.

Values reinforcement: Custom taco types let you tag recognition with company values daily. Terryberry's annual programs can't reinforce values 365 days per year.

Side-by-Side: Why Teams Choose HeyTaco

"We Needed Daily Recognition, Not Annual Awards"

Terryberry's Focus:

Formal milestone programs:

Service anniversaries (5, 10, 15, 20+ years)
Annual recognition events and ceremonies
Quarterly nomination programs
Manager-driven formal awards
Recognition happens a few times per year

HeyTaco's Daily Habits:

5 fresh tacos every morning
Spontaneous peer-to-peer appreciation
Daily recognition touch points (365/year)
Immediate gratification when it happens
67% daily active user engagement

Result: Sustained daily culture building vs. occasional formal events

"Chat-Native Beat Separate Platform"

Terryberry's Platform Model:

Separate login required:

Visit dedicated Terryberry platform
Log in separately from daily tools
Navigate catalogs and nomination forms
Wait for approvals and processing
2-4 week implementation with training

HeyTaco's Chat-Native Approach:

100% in Slack/Teams where work happens
Type @person :taco: in any conversation
No separate platform, no context switching
Instant recognition, no approval workflows
5-minute setup, zero training needed

"Digital Rewards Fit Modern Teams"

Terryberry's Traditional Approach:

Physical awards and catalogs:

Plaques, trophies, engraved items
Jewelry (watches, pins, rings)
Printed merchandise catalogs
Shipping logistics and wait times
Formal presentation ceremonies required

HeyTaco's Digital Model:

Instant digital gift cards (1,000+ options)
Custom non-monetary rewards (PTO, parking, WFH)
Charitable donations
Immediate redemption, no shipping
Perfect for remote/distributed teams

"Transparent Pricing Won Us Over"

Terryberry's Enterprise Model:

Custom pricing (contact sales required)
Lengthy RFP and negotiation process
Platform fees + catalog product costs
Built for 500+ employee organizations
Multi-year commitments typical

HeyTaco's Accessible Pricing:

$3/user/month (Classic) - public pricing
$5/user/month (Deluxe) - all features
No minimums, works for 10-500 employees
Credit card signup, start immediately
Monthly or annual billing flexibility

"Speed to Value Mattered"

Terryberry's Implementation:

2-4 week enterprise onboarding
Program design consulting sessions
Catalog configuration and customization
Manager and admin training required
Delayed time-to-value

HeyTaco's Instant Start:

5-minute Slack/Teams installation
Set daily allowance (typically 5 tacos)
Start recognizing immediately
Zero training—everyone knows emojis
Immediate culture impact

Real Teams Who Switched from Terryberry

Case Study: SaaS Company
(150 employees)

Background:

Had Terryberry for 5 years for service awards
Excellent for 5/10/15-year milestones with plaques
But lacked daily peer recognition
Team wanted more frequent appreciation

Why they added HeyTaco:

Needed daily recognition without replacing service awards
Terryberry great for big moments, not everyday appreciation
Wanted chat-native recognition in Slack
Team too distributed for formal ceremonies

Results after running both for 6 months:

Kept Terryberry for service awards (5/10/15 year milestones)
Added HeyTaco for daily peer recognition
135 of 200 employees giving tacos regularly (67%)
Recognition frequency increased from 5-10/year to 365/year
Combined approach: daily culture + formal milestones

"Terryberry's 5-year plaques are perfect for big moments. But our team needed daily appreciation too. Now we have both: HeyTaco for everyday recognition, Terryberry for milestone celebrations. Best of both worlds." — Jessica M., VP People

Frequently Asked Questions: HeyTaco vs. Terryberry

How is HeyTaco different from Terryberry?

The fundamental difference is daily peer recognition vs. formal annual awards. HeyTaco gives everyone 5 fresh tacos daily for spontaneous peer appreciation in Slack/Teams—driving 67% daily active users. Terryberry focuses on formal service awards (5, 10, 15+ year milestones), quarterly nomination programs, and annual recognition events—creating a few milestone moments per year. HeyTaco is chat-native (100% in Slack/Teams), costs $3-5/user with transparent pricing, takes 5 minutes to set up, and uses digital rewards. Terryberry requires a separate platform login, custom enterprise pricing, 2-4 week implementation, and emphasizes physical awards (plaques, jewelry, catalog merchandise). Both have value, but HeyTaco drives more daily cultural impact while Terryberry excels at formal milestone celebrations.

Can I use both HeyTaco and Terryberry together?

Yes, and many teams do. Use HeyTaco for daily peer-to-peer recognition (constant appreciation culture) and Terryberry for major service milestones (5, 10, 15-year awards with formal plaques and presentations). HeyTaco builds the everyday culture, Terryberry provides the special ceremony moments. This combination gives you both daily engagement and traditional milestone recognition.

Is HeyTaco cheaper than Terryberry?

For most teams, yes—significantly cheaper. HeyTaco costs $3-5/user/month with no minimums or hidden fees. Terryberry requires custom enterprise pricing (contact sales) plus catalog product costs, typically targeting 500+ employee organizations. For a 200-person team, HeyTaco often costs $7,200-12,000/year total vs. enterprise Terryberry contracts that can exceed $50,000+ annually when including platform fees and award costs.

Does HeyTaco work for service awards like Terryberry?

HeyTaco Deluxe ($5/user) includes automated birthday and work anniversary celebrations. For simple milestone recognition, this works well. Terryberry offers more sophisticated multi-year service award programs with tiered physical gifts, formal presentation kits, and custom engraved items. If you need elaborate 5/10/15/20-year programs with traditional physical awards, Terryberry specializes in that. If you want basic milestone automation plus daily recognition, HeyTaco is simpler and more affordable.

Will my team use HeyTaco more than Terryberry?

Yes, because of frequency and friction. HeyTaco sees 67% daily active users—recognition happens 365 days per year in the chat tools people already use. Terryberry's formal programs create 5-10 recognition moments annually that require visiting a separate platform. Daily habits drive more sustained engagement than occasional formal programs. Teams consistently report higher participation with HeyTaco's spontaneous peer recognition vs. Terryberry's scheduled formal awards.

What about physical awards and plaques?

Terryberry excels at physical awards—engraved plaques, jewelry, trophies, presentation certificates. If your culture values traditional physical recognition for milestone years, Terryberry delivers. HeyTaco is digital-first—instant gift cards and custom non-monetary rewards. For modern distributed teams, digital rewards work better (no shipping, no home office plaque display issues). Choose based on your workforce: traditional office wants physical, remote/digital prefers instant electronic.

Can I keep my Terryberry recognition history when switching?

Yes. We can import recognition data from Terryberry and convert point balances to tacos. However, many teams keep Terryberry for formal service awards and add HeyTaco for daily peer recognition. They serve complementary purposes—annual milestone moments vs. everyday appreciation culture.

Why is HeyTaco's setup so much faster?

HeyTaco is built for modern chat-native simplicity. Add to Slack/Teams, set daily allowance, done in 5 minutes. Terryberry comes from a traditional enterprise software background requiring program design, catalog configuration, approval workflows, admin training, and formal onboarding. Their 2-4 week implementation makes sense for complex formal programs but creates delay for teams wanting to start recognizing today.

Does HeyTaco work for small companies like Terryberry does?

HeyTaco works better for SMBs. No minimums, transparent $3-5/user pricing, and 10-500 employee sweet spot. Terryberry is built for enterprise scale (500+ employees) with pricing and complexity that excludes smaller growing companies. If you're a startup, scale-up, or mid-market company (10-500 people), HeyTaco's accessibility and simplicity fit better than Terryberry's enterprise approach.

What if we need the formality and tradition of Terryberry?

Then Terryberry may be the right choice for your culture. Some organizations value formal recognition ceremonies, physical awards, and traditional milestone programs. Terryberry's 90+ year heritage in formal recognition serves that need. But recognize the trade-off: formal programs create occasional special moments (5-10x per year) while HeyTaco creates daily appreciation habits (365x per year). Most modern teams find daily recognition drives stronger culture than annual formality.

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HeyTaco is a leader in Employee Recognition on G2

Why Teams Choose HeyTaco

It's simple, but meaningful—being able to give a taco with a quick message of thanks or recognition helps build a stronger, more positive culture without feeling forced.
DeAnna R., QA Manager

I love how HeyTaco encourages peer-to-peer recognition in a lighthearted and engaging way. It has strengthened our team culture and helped everyone feel appreciated.
Daniel Alberto J., Fraud Analyst

It's simple, fast, and creates an instant boost in morale. People love getting acknowledged publicly, and the taco format makes it feel fun rather than forced. It's especially great in remote teams where spontaneous praise is harder to give. It also encourages a culture of gratitude.
Samantha G., Proposal Manager

It is a quick and easy way to show recognition and celebrate teammates. Initially, I thought it might be cheesy, but when you are able to acknowledge more wins throughout the organization, they quickly become meaningful.
Elaina C., Compliance Manager

It's low-effort, high-impact culture-building — and honestly, our Slack would feel weirdly empty without it.
Abhinav P., Solutions Engineering

It's brought us closer together as a team, and that's priceless. It also brings more awareness to what everyone's doing, which is another big plus!
Steven B., QA Automation Engineer