15Five Problems & Issues
Real user-reported problems, complaints, and limitations for 15Five. Based on analysis of 15 signals.
Issues by Category
Survey questions become repetitive causing engagement drop
After 7-8 months of use, engagement survey questions begin to feel redundant. Users report sharp decreases in employee engagement scores as fatigue sets in. The questions are difficult to personalize and can feel irrelevant, causing employees to treat check-ins as a meaningless weekly task.
UI navigation is unintuitive and confusing
Users frequently struggle to find things in the interface, describing it as 'not the most user-friendly' and requiring multiple clicks to reach common destinations. The UX and navigation flow are cited as ongoing frustrations even after months of use.
Small departments get unreliable data conclusions
The platform works well for larger departments but struggles with smaller teams. Users report that data is harder to draw reliable conclusions from with fewer people, making the engagement insights less actionable for small teams or departments.
High Fives recognition feature feels shallow and ineffective
While some users appreciate the High Fives peer recognition feature, others find it ineffective and believe it lacks depth. Critics say it fails to make a real impact on workplace culture and feels like a superficial add-on rather than meaningful recognition.
Costs escalate quickly with add-ons and growing teams
Base pricing doesn't tell the full story. Implementation fees range from $1,000-$5,000 based on company size. The HRIS Connector adds $1,200-$1,800/year. Manager coaching costs $399 per credit. Kona AI coach is $19/user/month extra. Users report final bills being 2-3x their initial quote.
Annual contracts only with no monthly option
15Five requires annual billing for all plans with no monthly option available. Users report feeling locked in, especially problematic for startups testing the platform. The Engage plan at $4/user/month and Perform at $11/user/month seem affordable until you realize it's a 12-month minimum commitment.
Manager training locked behind expensive Total Platform tier
The Transform manager training module is only available in the Total Platform tier ($16/user/month), not in Perform ($11/user/month). Companies wanting manager development features face a 45% price increase just to access training content.
Difficult cancellation process requiring support contact
Users cannot cancel subscriptions through the platform interface. You must contact support to cancel, and there's a strict 30-day notice period. One Trustpilot reviewer called it 'the most customer-hostile product I've ever used' after struggling to unsubscribe. Multiple users recommend getting cancellation instructions in writing.
High employee turnover affecting account management
One 3-year customer reported having 6 different account managers during their subscription, indicating significant internal turnover. This leads to inconsistent support and lost context on complex implementations. Users describe the company as 'clearly struggling' with staff retention.
Data upload for surveys is difficult and error-prone
Users report that the data upload process for surveys is difficult and 'never goes smooth.' Support teams are described as not always responsive or supportive when issues arise. This creates significant overhead for HR teams managing large survey deployments.
Mobile app lacks features and has navigation issues
The mobile app lacks full functionality compared to desktop, with navigation issues, missing features, and occasional bugs. Users report difficulty editing entries, updating comments, or resetting passwords from mobile. Performance problems make quick check-ins frustrating rather than convenient.
Software loads slowly, frustrating quick access
The software can be slow to load at times, which is particularly frustrating when trying to quickly access information or complete check-ins. Users in fast-paced environments find the delays disruptive to their workflow.
Microsoft Teams integration requires third-party connectors
Unlike native Slack integration, Microsoft Teams users need third-party connectors, creating friction for organizations in the Microsoft ecosystem. HRIS integrations sync only every 24 hours at 1 AM UTC, meaning employee changes take up to a day to reflect in 15Five.
Missing features force supplementary documentation
Some teams report that enough key features are missing that they end up producing Word or PowerPoint documents alongside their 15Fives. This defeats the purpose of a centralized performance management system and creates duplicate work.
102+ outages over 5 years affecting users
StatusGator monitoring shows over 102 outages affecting 15Five users since May 2020, with similar numbers for Login/SSO and API. Users report broken features when viewing team 15Fives or creating objectives, with lack of timely support during outages making the platform unreliable.
Regret Patterns
Common reasons users regret choosing 15Five.
Realized true costs after signing annual contract
Users locked into annual contracts discover implementation fees, HRIS connector costs, and essential add-ons weren't included in the quoted per-user price. By the time they see the full bill, they're committed for 12 months with no refund options.
Engagement scores dropped due to survey fatigue
After 7-8 months of weekly check-ins, employees treat surveys as meaningless tasks. Engagement scores plummet, but teams are locked into annual contracts. The very metric they bought 15Five to improve becomes worse due to fatigue.
Struggled to cancel despite clear intention to leave
Users attempting to cancel face no self-service option, 30-day notice requirements they weren't aware of, and support interactions described as 'customer-hostile.' Some were billed for additional months while trying to navigate the cancellation process.
Small team data proved statistically unreliable
Startups and small departments invested in 15Five hoping for engagement insights, only to find survey data from small groups couldn't produce reliable conclusions. The platform's strength (analytics) became useless at their scale.
Multiple account manager changes disrupted implementation
Companies experienced multiple account manager changes (up to 6 in 3 years), losing implementation context each time. Complex setups had to be re-explained, and strategic initiatives stalled with each transition.
Manager training required expensive tier upgrade
Companies on Perform tier discovered manager training microlearnings required upgrading to Total Platform, a 45% price increase. They either paid more than budgeted or had to run separate manager development programs.
When 15Five Breaks Down
Specific scenarios where 15Five fails or underperforms.
Company attempts to cancel subscription
No self-service cancellation exists. Users must contact support, wait for responses, navigate 30-day notice requirements, and often get billed for additional months during the process. The cancellation experience is consistently described as frustrating and hostile.
Team size falls below meaningful survey threshold
Layoffs or restructuring reduce department sizes to where survey data becomes statistically unreliable. Users continue paying for a platform that can no longer provide its core value proposition of actionable engagement insights.
Budget requires reducing per-user software costs
Annual contracts mean no flexibility to reduce seats mid-cycle. Companies paying for departed employees can't adjust until renewal. The lack of monthly billing prevents scaling down during financial constraints.
Organization migrates from Slack to Microsoft Teams
Native Slack integration doesn't translate to Teams. Third-party connectors are required, adding friction and potential failure points. Workflow integrations must be rebuilt, and some features may not work equivalently.
Implementation requires HRIS data sync
HRIS Connector costs additional $1,200-$1,800/year and only syncs every 24 hours at 1 AM UTC. New employee additions take up to a day to appear. Only one HRIS connection allowed at a time, problematic for companies with multiple systems.
Mobile-first workforce needs full functionality
Teams relying on mobile check-ins encounter missing features, navigation issues, and bugs not present in desktop. Frontline workers without regular computer access find the mobile experience frustrating and incomplete.