Start with who you need to reach and who'll keep the content fresh. If most of your people work away from a desk, look at platforms built around frontline reach. If the bigger problem is that nobody can find policies and answers, a knowledge-led intranet will help more than another news feed.
Head office reads email. The shop floor, the warehouse and the care home usually don't. That gap is why internal comms teams buy employee apps in the first place, and it's the gap any replacement for Speakap has to close. Here are seven intranet and employee communication platforms, in no particular order, with a look at how each one gets news, documents and conversations in front of staff.
How each message reaches a person
The tool you're leaving pitches itself on bringing head office and frontline teams together, with smoother onboarding and better engagement. That's a sensible goal, but every platform in this category promises something similar, so the promise won't help you choose. The thing to test is far more practical: how news, documents and conversations reach your staff, and who manages the content once the launch buzz fades.
Think about the route a single announcement takes. Who writes it, who approves it, where does it appear, and what happens on a shared tablet in a break room or a personal phone outside work hours? Then think about the policy document someone needs at two in the morning, and whether they'll find it with a search or give up and ring a manager.
Content ownership is the part most teams underestimate. A platform that needs a full-time editor will go stale fast if comms is one person with three other jobs. Ask each vendor how local managers post, how old pages get retired, and how you'll know when something hasn't been read.
It's also worth mapping the devices your people really use. A warehouse team sharing one tablet, a field sales team on their own phones and an office team on laptops all need the same news, but they'll reach it in very different ways. Write those routes down before you look at any demo, and you'll know straight away which platforms can cover all three and which can't.
Seven employee communication platforms, A to Z
In no particular order and listed alphabetically. Each line reflects how the vendor describes its own product.
Haiilo
Best for: Teams wanting communication, company knowledge, analytics and everyday tools in one place, with AI support built in, according to the vendor.
Happeo
Best for: Companies that want verified knowledge kept central and searchable by connecting the tools staff already use; the vendor says it can launch within weeks.
LumApps
Best for: Organisations looking for a flexible intranet covering communication, productivity and learning, which the vendor now calls an AI employee hub.
Simpplr
Best for: Enterprises refreshing their internal communications and employee experience, which the vendor describes as an AI-powered intranet.
Staffbase
Best for: Businesses with hard-to-reach staff, such as frontline teams, who need trusted central communication; the vendor says it's built for exactly those employees.
Unily
Best for: Big organisations shopping at the enterprise end; the vendor describes an employee experience platform built around AI from the start.
Workvivo
Best for: Employers wanting one digital headquarters where people share knowledge and stay connected, which the vendor pitches as AI-native.
The shortlist in one table
| Tool | Kind of platform | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Haiilo | Employee experience platform | Communication, knowledge and everyday tools in one hub |
| Happeo | Intranet | One searchable home for verified company knowledge |
| LumApps | Intranet and employee hub | Communication, productivity and learning on one intranet |
| Simpplr | AI-powered intranet | Enterprises refreshing their intranet and internal comms |
| Staffbase | Employee experience platform | Reaching frontline and hard-to-reach employees |
| Unily | Enterprise employee experience | Very large organisations wanting an enterprise platform |
| Workvivo | Digital headquarters | A single digital home for every employee |
Frontline reach or a knowledge hub?
Built to reach people away from a desk
Staffbase talks directly about hard-to-reach employees, and Workvivo pitches a single digital headquarters for everyone. Haiilo brings communication, knowledge and everyday tools together. These suit retailers, manufacturers, healthcare groups and anyone whose people spend the day on their feet.
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Built around company knowledge
Happeo focuses on verified, searchable company knowledge that connects to tools staff already use. LumApps and Simpplr frame themselves as modern intranets covering communication and productivity, and Unily sits at the large enterprise end. These suit organisations where finding the right answer matters as much as hearing the latest news.
Advice for internal comms leads
Don't buy on the demo. Every vendor here will show you a beautiful feed full of perfect posts, and none of that tells you how the platform copes with your real staff, real devices and a small comms team. Ask for a pilot with one site or one department, including people who never sit at a desk, and watch what they open in the first fortnight.
Pay close attention to onboarding, because new starters are where an employee app earns its keep. If a new hire can find their first-week information without asking anyone, the platform is doing its job. My piece on bringing recognition and reward into onboarding has ideas you can build into the first weeks, and if your teams are spread across locations, my guide to collaboration tools for remote teams covers the day-to-day side.
Finally, plan the content before the launch. Decide who posts, who approves, how often old pages are reviewed and which channel wins when email and the app say different things. A platform with a clear owner and a simple publishing habit will beat a cleverer one that nobody looks after.
Do you make employee communication software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
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Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between an intranet and an employee app?
An intranet has traditionally been a desktop home for documents and news. An employee app puts communication on phones first, which matters for people who don't work at a desk. Many platforms now do both.
How do I reach frontline staff who don't have a work email?
Look for a platform that lets people sign in without a company email address and works well on personal phones and shared devices. Test this during a pilot with real frontline staff.
Who should own the content on an intranet?
Give one person or team overall ownership, then let local managers post for their own sites. Agree a simple review habit so old pages are updated or removed.
How long does it take to switch employee communication platforms?
It depends on how much content you're moving and how many people need accounts. Run a pilot first, then move content in stages rather than all at once.
What should I measure after launching a new intranet?
Look at who's signing in, which posts and pages people open, and what they search for and fail to find. Failed searches show you which content is missing or badly named.
Can employees use a staff app on their own phones?
Often, yes, but rules on working time and personal devices vary by country. Check your own employment guidance and agree a clear policy before launch.
