The Best Donut App Alternative for Employee Recognition

A More Fun & Organic Recognition Experience

Recognition that spreads because your team wants to, not because they're told to.

HeyTaco makes appreciation feel natural, social, and fun. Instead of relying on prompts from HR or managers, it taps into something deeper: people's desire to feel seen and to celebrate others. Giving tacos becomes a lightweight daily habit, not a task.

Unlike HeyTaco, Donut's Shoutouts feature typically operates as a weekly roundup, driven from the top. Managers are often the ones nudging the team to participate. The result? Recognition starts to feel like another Slack reminder—not something teammates initiate on their own.

What makes HeyTaco different:

• Teams give tacos in real time, when appreciation strikes, not batched at the end of the week.
• Recognition includes a personal message, not just a tag or emoji.
• HeyTaco builds a self-sustaining culture of recognition, where participation doesn't drop off if a manager forgets to prompt it.

🚀 Teams using HeyTaco consistently report:

• Higher adoption rates → Recognition happens without nudging
• More meaningful connections → Messages feel authentic and timely
• Daily engagement → Not a one-time moment in a weekly Slack thread

With HeyTaco, recognition becomes part of your team's rhythm, not just another item in a manager's playbook.

Transparent, Cost-Effective Pricing

Recognition shouldn't be gated behind complex pricing tiers.

HeyTaco keeps things simple with flat, predictable pricing: $3 per user per month. Every customer, regardless of team size, receives full access to recognition, leaderboards, team rewards, and more.

Donut, on the other hand, requires teams to upgrade to higher-tiered plans to unlock their Shoutouts feature. That means:

• You'll pay more just to access peer recognition
• You're often locked into annual contracts
• Their pricing scales in tiers, which can be confusing and costly, even at the top end

And once you're in?

Shoutouts are limited. No rewards. No gamification. No flexibility. Just a weekly message.

HeyTaco gives you everything upfront - no surprise upgrades, no hidden fees, and no pressure to redeem rewards before they expire.

Recognition should feel good, not like managing airline points ('cause we all know that can be a pain).

Gamification That Drives Real Participation—Not Just Admin Reports

If your team can't see it, it doesn't motivate them.

HeyTaco uses gamification to make recognition fun, visible, and habit-forming. It's not about points or prizes—it's about building a culture of appreciation that sticks.

• Public leaderboards motivate daily engagement and spotlight top givers and receivers, rather than being hidden away in admin dashboards, as with Donuts.
• Taco Levels reward consistency and longevity, not just bursts of activity.
• Tacotars and collectible stickers let people express personality and pride—unlockable only through ongoing recognition.
• Customizable visibility means you can turn off competition if it's not your team's style, without losing engagement.

Teams using HeyTaco often report:

• 📈 30—80% increase in peer recognition after enabling leaderboards
• 💬 More meaningful messages, as team members give tacos to climb levels or unlock stickers
• 🧠 Stronger memory of core values, when tied to gamified activity

In contrast, Donut's Shoutouts feature includes a leaderboard, but only admins can see it. There are no visible recognition incentives, no participation nudges, and no progress signals to your team. As a result, the behavior doesn't build—it fades.

With HeyTaco, gamification isn't a gimmick. It's a subtle yet powerful engine for cultural change.

More Ways to Reward & Celebrate

Flexible, meaningful rewards your team will actually love.

HeyTaco gives you the freedom to create a reward system that fits your culture, not the other way around. Whether you want to offer gift cards, custom experiences, or pool tacos for a charitable cause, HeyTaco makes it easy and fun.

Here's what you get with HeyTaco

• 🛍 Instant gift cards, fulfilled by HeyTaco (no admin hassle)
• 💡 Custom rewards like lunch with the CEO, team outings, or WFH perks
• 🤝 Collaborative rewards with Tacos for Charity—teams can pool their tacos for a shared cause
• 🌮 A crowdsourced library of reward ideas from real HeyTaco customers

Donut for Slack? Their Shoutouts feature doesn't support any kind of reward automation or variety. No gift cards. No customizable options. No way to link recognition to something tangible or collective. It's up to you to figure it all out—and manage it manually.

With HeyTaco, rewards feel personal, easy to manage, and aligned with how your team actually works.

What Customers Say

HeyTaco is loved by teams everywhere. ⭐ 4.8/5 Stars (500+ Reviews)

"What I like best about HeyTaco is how it encourages team appreciation in such a fun and lightweight way. 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. It makes people feel seen, and I love that it gives everyone, from the quiet achievers to the daily rockstars, a chance to be celebrated."

"Ease of use! Cute graphics - the taco stickers are handy and come through in the clutch when I need to expend some extra tacos day-to-day! The reporting is thorough and informative! I think I love it all."

"I love HeyTaco because it fosters a sense of community, encouragement, and empathy among workplace teams."

"What I like most is the simplicity and Stickers! Another thing that it allows is creativity; my team is constantly making new challenges where people can earn tacos."