Pick a Happeo replacement by where your staff work and who'll keep the content fresh. Office-based teams usually do well with a classic intranet that connects to the tools they already use. If many people work on shop floors or in the field, look for a mobile-first employee app. Then name the people who'll publish, because an intranet nobody updates stops being read.
Most intranets don't fail on launch day. They fail quietly a few months later, when the news page hasn't changed in weeks and people go back to asking questions in chat. Happeo's pitch is an easy-to-launch intranet that keeps verified knowledge searchable by connecting to the tools teams already use. If you're looking at other options, here are seven, in no particular order, with the full list first and the thinking after.
Seven intranet platforms from A to Z
Sorted alphabetically. Each line sums up what the vendor says about its own platform.
Haiilo
Best for: Teams wanting communication, a knowledge base, analytics and everyday tools together, with AI support built in according to the vendor.
LumApps
Best for: Organisations that want an intranet they can shape around communication, productivity and learning, with the vendor leaning on flexibility and scale.
Simpplr
Best for: Enterprises updating how they handle employee communications, where the vendor describes an AI-powered intranet covering comms and the wider employee experience.
Speakap
Best for: Businesses with frontline staff away from desks who want to connect them with head office and make onboarding simpler, per the vendor.
Staffbase
Best for: Comms teams trying to reach employees who are hard to get hold of, with the vendor focused on centralised, trusted messages wherever people work.
Unily
Best for: Large enterprises after a single employee experience platform, where the vendor's own pitch is built around AI and keeping a big organisation moving.
Workvivo
Best for: Companies wanting one digital home for every employee, which the vendor says brings knowledge, understanding and engagement together.
How they line up
| Tool | Platform type | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Haiilo | Employee experience platform | Comms, knowledge and analytics in one place |
| LumApps | Flexible intranet | Companies wanting an intranet they can shape |
| Simpplr | AI intranet | Enterprises modernising employee communications |
| Speakap | Frontline communication | Linking head office with frontline teams |
| Staffbase | Employee communication platform | Reaching employees who rarely sit at a desk |
| Unily | Enterprise employee experience | Large organisations wanting one enterprise platform |
| Workvivo | Digital headquarters | One shared hub for every employee |
Desk-based teams or frontline crews?
The biggest split in this category is who you're trying to reach. Some platforms assume your staff sit at a laptop most of the day. Others are built for people who don't have a company email address and check messages on a phone between shifts.
Mostly office and hybrid staff
LumApps, Simpplr and Unily are pitched at larger organisations that want a full intranet: news, pages, documents and tools in one place. Haiilo covers similar ground and adds analytics and a knowledge base, so it suits teams that want to see what people read.
Lots of frontline and deskless staff
Speakap and Staffbase both talk about reaching the employees who are hardest to reach, such as retail, hospitality and field teams. Workvivo describes itself as a digital headquarters for every employee, which puts it somewhere between the two camps.
Who keeps the news fresh?
The thing to test in any replacement is how news, documents and conversations reach staff, and who manages the content. Every platform here can publish an announcement. The difference is what happens after that: does it land in a feed people already check, as a push notification on their phone, or on a page they have to remember to visit?
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Then there's ownership. Some platforms are designed for a central comms team that publishes everything. Others expect departments and local managers to post their own updates, which keeps content current but needs simple tools and clear rules. Before you sign anything, write down who publishes what, how often, and who removes out-of-date pages. If that list is short, choose a platform that makes publishing easy for non-specialists.
Practical advice for comms leads
Don't move every page across. Most intranets carry years of stale content, and a migration is the best chance you'll get to clear it out. Keep what people searched for and read most, archive the rest, and launch with a smaller, tidier site. Staff will forgive a missing page far more easily than a search that returns ten old versions of the same policy.
Involve frontline managers early if you have them, because they'll decide whether their teams open the app. For ideas on keeping a spread-out team connected, see my remote team communication tips, and my piece on the return on employee engagement is useful when you need to explain why the intranet matters to the board.
Your first month on a new intranet
- Week one: name a content owner for each section and agree who can publish.
- Week two: move the pages people used most and archive the rest.
- Week three: test notifications with a few frontline and office staff and fix what they miss.
- Week four: launch with one useful piece of news, then check what people opened and searched for.
Do you make intranet or employee communication software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
What should I look for in a Happeo alternative?
Start with where your staff work. Office teams need good search and connections to the tools they use, while frontline teams need a simple mobile app. Then check that non-specialists find publishing simple.
What's the difference between an intranet and an employee app?
An intranet is usually a website for news, documents and pages, used mainly on a computer. An employee app is built for phones and reaches people who don't sit at a desk. Many platforms now offer both.
How do I get staff to use a new intranet?
Give them a reason on day one: news they need, a policy they look for or a form they use. Keep content current and make search work, because people stop coming back the moment it feels stale.
Who should manage intranet content?
A central comms team usually owns the structure and company news, while departments keep their own pages up to date. Write the ownership down before launch so nothing is left without a name.
Can frontline staff use an intranet without a company email?
Several platforms are built for this, using phone numbers or other sign-in options. Check how each vendor handles sign-in and access for workers without company accounts before you choose.
Do I need to think about data protection for an intranet?
Yes. An intranet holds staff data and internal documents. Requirements vary by country, so check how each vendor stores data and ask your data protection lead or regulator what applies to you.
