7 Best 360 Feedback Tools for HR Leaders

By

Ben Goodey

Published on

May 3, 2024

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360 feedback is crucial for driving real behavioral change in your organization, especially amongst leaders who may have more resistance to being challenged or questioned on how they lead.

When feedback comes from one person and one person only, it creates tunnel vision for employees.

They end up viewing their performance through one lens—their manager—which is often a lens that lacks clarity on the granular, wide-reaching impact of that employee's performance.

Instead of continuously iterating quickly to a performing team member, upon receiving one-time, one-person feedback, employees often:

Only develop the skills through their manager's narrow viewpoint
Ignore or become dejected by the feedback because it’s not accurate
Miss out on a lot of truly useful feedback and encouragement from those in the know

To counter this conundrum and avoid administrative burden, businesses are implementing continuous 360 feedback into their workflows—with the help of 360 feedback tools.

These tools automate, streamline, and enhance the feedback process, ensuring a diverse range of perspectives from supervisors, colleagues, and direct reports.

Curious about which 360 feedback tools come highly recommended? We’ve consulted our People Science team here at Mesh to compile a list of the 7 best 360 feedback tools on the market.

We’ve also broken down their pros, cons, costs, and user reviews to help you make your decision.

Jump Ahead:

Analysis: 3 Factors You Should Look For
Review: 7 Best 360 Feedback Tools for Leaders

Full transparency, we’re kicking this list off with our own product, Mesh. I think we'll impress you, but I also want to make it clear that this article won't dump on our competitors. We can acknowledge their strengths and the situations where they’re a better fit than we are.

Why HR Leaders Need a 360 Feedback Tool in 2024

A 360 feedback tool is an online system that collects feedback from an employee's:

Supervisors
Colleagues
And direct reports.

It also involves self-reflection on the employee’s part. A 360 feedback tool for leaders does the same thing.

By sourcing input from multiple people, all with different relationships and perspectives, the tool can provide a comprehensive view of the employee's strengths, weaknesses, and overall performance.

But why do you even need a 360 feedback tool in the first place?

Because 360 feedback is crucial for driving real behavioral change in your organization, especially amongst leaders who may have more resistance to being challenged or questioned on how they lead.

What’s the Purpose of 360 Feedback?

When feedback comes from one place, those in positions of power can easily dismiss it, with their superiority lending them a false sense of righteousness.

But, if multiple people provide similar feedback, the need for improvement becomes undeniable.

A 360-feedback process, when done right, greatly increases the chances that change will occur. When leaders find out that others see them differently than they intend or want to be seen, they have a simple choice. Either they redefine how they see themselves, or they change their behavior.—Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman of Zenger/Folkman, HBR

The 360 feedback can also help leaders see how their leadership varies between team members.

Let’s imagine there’s a team of five led by a 44 year old man. Two of his reports are men while the other three are women, all of varying ages.

After completing 360 feedback, it’s clear that the male reports are happy with this leader’s management style and performance. However, it’s equally clear that his female reports feel their input isn’t sought or respected in meetings.

Similar feedback was shared by a female peer on the leadership team.

This round of 360 feedback has shed light on a bias the leader was unaware of and can now address.

But 360 feedback isn’t solely for identifying areas of improvement, it can also be used to encourage behaviors already on display.

For example, this same leader has a great communication style and all of his reports have highlighted that in their feedback. He can confidently continue with this and even use it to communicate how he’ll address the issues brought up by his female colleagues.

And two Gallup studies prove 360 feedback works for managers::

In a study of 6530 work units, managers who received feedback showed an increase of 12.5% productivity.
A study of 469 business units showed managers who received strengths feedback showed 8.9% greater profitability post-intervention.

Unfortunately, not every organization is using 360 feedback effectively. They’re falling into common pitfalls, such as:

Those providing feedback are afraid to be honest
Those providing feedback don’t know how to write feedback effectively (specific and actionable)
The person receiving the feedback isn’t open to constructive criticism
There is no follow-up or support to help the person implement changes based on the feedback

A great 360 feedback tool will help you avoid those pitfalls by helping you build a culture of continuous improvement, coaching employees on how to give more meaningful feedback, and supporting follow-up actions off the back of receiving it.

📚 Hungry for more? Check out our guide: 360-Degree Reviews: The Easy Guide

3 Factors to Look for in a 360 Feedback Tool

We asked our People Science team what to look for in a 360 feedback tool that truly enables meaningful and holistic performance reviews.

Gaurav Chaubey, our People Science Leader, recommends you look for these three factors:

Factor 1: Ensures 360 performance reviews are unbiased

360 feedback tools should help minimize bias in performance reviews by gathering input from multiple sources.

This ensures feedback received isn’t solely influenced by a single person's opinion or unconscious biases.

This might seem obvious given the point of 360 feedback is to be comprehensive but some tools make it easier and more automated then others.

And truly great 360 feedback tools will help individuals eliminate bias in the feedback they give by surfacing data points from across the performance period. Because getting feedback from multiple sources isn’t enough if every person is falling victim to recency bias.

Factor 2: Coaches managers and employees on giving better feedback

Effective 360 feedback tools will have features in place to help managers and employees learn how to write feedback that is specific, constructive, and actionable.

The best tools will use AI to pinpoint feedback that is poorly worded and make suggestions to the employee on how to improve it.

This makes sure feedback that’s given will be received well and likely to lead to action.

Factor 3: Links 360 feedback to core capabilities for meaningful development

Feedback without follow-up is pointless. A great 360 feedback tool helps leaders take action by ensuring feedback is linked to the core capabilities and skills required for success in their role, helping them set goals to achieve those identified capabilities, and nudging them to complete those goals.

It will also facilitate development conversations between the leader and their manager to increase the likelihood that positive change occurs.

The 7 Best 360 Feedback Tools

Mesh - A Great 360 Feedback Tool For Improving Performance
Engagedly - A Great 360 Feedback Tool with a Reward Focus
15Five - A Great 360 Feedback Tool with Coaching
Reflektive - A Great 360 Feedback Tool For Values-Based Recognition
SurveySparrow - A Great 360 Feedback Tool For Spotting Discrepancies in Self-Reflection and Group Ratings
PerformYard - A Great 360 Feedback Tool For for Traditional HR Teams
Qualtrics - A Great 360 Feedback Tool For Creating 360 Feedback Surveys

1. Mesh | Best 360 Feedback Tool for Improving Performance

Mesh is a 360 feedback tool and performance enablement platform where you can manage and analyze 360 feedback to improve the performance of your leaders and employees.

On Mesh, the feedback-giver (either a manager or an employee) has a 360-view of the receiver’s performance across every goal and project. This means they can always give fair and objective feedback, rather than basing it off of memory or gut.

You can either give “Praise” or “Advice” and choose the privacy setting of your choice. For instance, if it's positive praise, you can set it to “Public”, while if it's negative advice, you can set it to “Receiver and Manager.”

Don’t know what to write about? No worries. Mesh brings data gathered through continuous check-ins, 1:1s, and feedback right in the feedback form experience to provide referenceable data while providing feedback.

Our AI coaching pilot, Maven, can also give you ideas to write or help refine your feedback to make sure it’s fair and constructive.

How AI coaching pilot helps managers and employees write better feedback - Mesh

Mesh also comes with an AI nudge system that delivers timely prompts to share or request feedback based on lifecycle events (such as goal and initiative completion, work anniversaries, and time elapsed since last feedback).

Through convenient nudge cards, Mesh prompts managers and employees to share praise or advice, and request feedback at the right times.

These nudges ensure you never miss an opportunity to share or seek feedback when it matters most.

Want to see Mesh in action? Book a demo with a member of our team and get a tailored walk through of the product.

Now, let’s look at how Mesh meets the three factors we outlined earlier.

→ Factor 1: How Mesh ensures 360 performance reviews are unbiased

Mesh makes 360 feedback unbiased by helping managers choose a well-rounded group to give feedback to their direct reports.

They’re able to see who the employee has requested feedback from (called peer nominations) and make their own recommendations—usually choosing peers the employee works closely with and who can offer the most relevant insights.

Beyond that, Mesh surfaces data to reviewers that can help them complete 360 feedback without personal bias getting in the way. It brings that data into the 360 feedback form directly.

Customers using Mesh for 360 feedback see a ~138% boost in feedback throughout the year compared to their typical periodic review cycles.

→ Factor 2: How Mesh coaches managers and employees on giving better feedback

Mesh uses advanced AI technology, called Maven, to coach users on providing feedback that is:

Specific
Constructive
Actionable

How? By analyzing feedback entries for clarity and relevance, offering real-time suggestions to refine and improve the delivery.

This improves the quality of feedback and helps employees learn for next time. So not only is it helping them improve the performance of their colleagues, it’s helping improve their own performance in real-time.

Want to learn more about the Mesh's AI, Maven? Check out our product page here.

→ Factor 3: How Mesh links 360 feedback to core capabilities for meaningful development

With Mesh, you’re able to design your 360 review to measure the capabilities that matter most to your business performance.

For leaders, that could mean measuring skills that help them be more effective communicators, delegators, and strategists. Then they can see how they ranks on those capabilities and diligently work toward improving them.

You can also change the questions for different roles and performance cycles to reflect changing focuses:

Mesh Pros, Cons, and User Reviews

Pros:

Ensures 360 feedback is unbiased, comprehensive, and well written to increase effectiveness
Puts feedback into employees’ flow of work by integrating it into their workplace communication tools
Does more than just feedback, enabling performance through additional features like goal setting and performance reviews

Cons:

Requires a shift from traditional performance management systems to employee performance enablement that some organizations might struggle with
Volume of data, insights, and notifications could become overwhelming
Unable to download documents and data from the platform

User Reviews:

Want to see more? Head to our G2 profile.

Mesh Costs

Our pricing is designed to meet and scale to your organization’s employee assessment needs.

That’s why there’s more than one package to choose from: Base, Premium, and Enterprise.

Base: $4 per user, per month
Premium: $7 per user, per month
Enterprise: Custom pricing

You can see what features are included in each:

→ Want a 360 feedback tool where everyone is given the information they need to change their behavior for better performance? Get in touch to schedule a demo of the product. ←

2. Engagedly - Best 360 Feedback Tool with a Reward Focus

Engagedly is a 360 feedback tool that offers organizations the ability to build a reward program off the back of analyzing performance metrics. With Engagedly you can take positive feedback and use it to determine employee rewards and recognition.

This can inspire leaders to improve their performance and work toward the rewards they’ve seen others earn.

Some of Engagedly’s core features include:

360 Feedback
Social Recognition & Rewards
Goal Setting & Alignment
Learning Management System (LMS)
Gamification (where employees can earn badges)

Engagedly Pros, Cons, and User Reviews

We looked through real user experiences and reviews to find out what it’s really like to be a Engagedly customer. Here’s what we found:

Pros:

Social recognition and rewards features cultivate a culture of appreciation, improving morale and employee engagement
Integrated LMS encourages ongoing personal and professional development
Gamification can make it more fun for employees to engage with the platform

Review from an Engagedly user:

“Building a better workforce that has the skills that our business need is easy with Engagedly. Talent analytics gives all the data we need about our employees skills and what skills that our business currently needs. We use the learning software integration to close the skills gap between workers. All this process is easy to setup and we had help from the support team.”

Cons:

Too many features and tools within Engagedly can lead to challenges in adoption and integration
Smaller organizations or teams might find the comprehensive suite of features more than they need
Difficulty navigating the tool with a poor UI

Review from an Engagedly user:

“Honestly, the UI reads like someone whose second language is English wrote it. There are areas that are unnecessarily verbose and sometimes finding the "team view" is hard compared to self. The search function could also be improved. Lastly, Marissa (their AI assistant) was largely unhelpful in trying to write reviews.”

Engagedly Costs

With Engagedly, all plans start at $5,000.

Beyond that they have a base package offered at $9 per member/month with 4 add-on packages.

The ‘Reward and Recognition’ and the ‘Growth and Learning’ packages are each an additional $5 per member/month. The ‘Mentoring Suite’ is an additional $2 per member/month.

3. 15Five - Best 360 Feedback Tool with Coaching

15Five is a 360 feedback tool with management training and coaching built-in. This is useful for organizations who want to give individual third-party coaching access to their leaders.

Off the back of receiving 360 feedback, managers can strategically work on improving the behaviors and skills identified by peers, subordinates, and superiors.

They also have curated learning pathways, where managers can take part in bite-size training modules.

Some of 15Five’s core features include:

Continuous Feedback
Coaching
Engagement surveys
Weekly Check-Ins
OKR & Goal Management

15Five Pros, Cons, and User Reviews

We looked through real user experiences and reviews to find out what it’s really like to be a 15Five customer. Here’s what we found:

Pros:

Combines goal tracking with continuous feedback, allowing for real-time progress assessments and adjustments
Offers extensive resources and training for managers and employees to enhance their coaching and feedback skills
Customizable check-in questions, enabling organizations to tailor conversations and feedback

Review from a 15Five user:

“It's scalable and has some great features that aren't locked behind a higher tier/out of reach of small companies.”‍

Cons:

Some users find the full range of features overwhelming at first
Can be difficult to get in touch with support
Clunky UX

Review from a 15Five user:

“Sometimes the UX feels a bit clunky, and it can be slow to load on occasion. I feel the OKR tracking mechanism could improve, as sometimes it feels complicated to submit them, edit them, and set them up.”

15Five Costs

15Five’s pricing starts at $4 per user/per month and is billed annually.

It comes in three tiers:

Engage: $4 per user/per month
Perform: $10 per user/per month
Total Platform: $16 per user/per month

4. Reflektive - Best 360 Feedback Tool for Values-Based Recognition

Reflektive is a 360 feedback tool that emphasizes values-based recognition and real-time feedback.

It aims to improve employee performance by fostering a culture of appreciation aligned with company values.

When leaders and employees know what values they’re living by and which one’s they’re falling short on, they can focus on developing in a way that meets the expectations of the company from a values perspective.

For example, if a company has the value ‘fail fast to learn fast’ they expect employees to rapidly experiment without fear of failure. If an employee does well, the platform allows them to be recognized for that.

But if they aren’t living up to this value, a colleague or manager can deliver feedback framed to encourage this behavior in future.

Some of Reflektive’s core features include:

Real-Time Feedback and Recognition
Goal Management
Performance Reviews & Analytics
Engagement Surveys

Reflektive Pros, Cons, and User Reviews

We looked through real user experiences and reviews to find out what it’s really like to be a Reflektive customer. Here’s what we found:

Pros:

Contributions are recognized in alignment with organizational values, enhancing motivation and engagement
Makes it simple for employees to receive acknowledgment alongside constructive feedback
Users find Reflektive's platform intuitive and easy to navigate

Review from a Reflektive user:

“Using Reflektive to thank a coworker is so much better than just sending them an email because they get recognized by the whole company and can also cash in their points for rewards! This tool empowers every employee to recognize the people that have done stellar work!”

Cons:

Some features have a steep learning curve, requiring additional training
Certain users report difficulties in integrating Reflektive with existing HR decision-making systems
Pricing can be a hurdle for smaller organizations or those with limited budgets‍

Review from a Reflektive user:

“I do not like how buttons and actions are hidden. I think these should be in plain sight. I would also like to be able to choose full teams/departments and not have to enter individual names when working through adding folks for quarterly reviews.”

Reflektive Costs

Reflektive doesn’t list its pricing model publicly. We’ll update this article with that information should they share it in the future.

5. SurveySparrow - Best 360 Feedback Tool for Spotting Discrepancies in Self-Reflection and Group Ratings

SurveySparrow stands out as a 360 feedback tool designed specifically to identify gaps between self-assessment and peer reviews, offering a clear picture of an employee’s performance and perception alignment.

This focus helps organizations strengthen their feedback mechanisms and enhances individual self-awareness across teams.

For example, if an employee rates themselves highly on communication but receives lower scores from peers, SurveySparrow highlights these discrepancies.

Some of SurveySparrow’s core features include:

Comparative reporting
Customizable feedback forms
Personal development plans
Analytics dashboard

SurveySparrow Pros, Cons, and User Reviews

We looked through real user experiences and reviews to find out what it’s really like to be a SurveySparrow customer. Here’s what we found:

Pros

Comprehensive feedback reports
Users liked that it helps identify areas for improvement
Chat-like survey experience, which feels conversational and engaging for respondents

Review from a SurveySparrow user:

There are a lot of different templates for 360 surveys. It gave us tons of ideas for new questions and fields we should be adding to them to get as much info as possible. I also really like how easy and smooth it works. Looks very professional.

Cons

One user shared that it was ‘expensive for what it is’ while several others cited cost as a concern, especially for smaller businesses
User interface, while generally intuitive, could use some refinement
Support function is slow to respond to semi-urgent request

Review from a SurveySparrow user:

The integration with certain HR systems might be a bit finicky. We encountered some minor issues when trying to sync the data with our existing tools, which led to extra troubleshooting. However, the support team was so helpful to address the issues.

SurveySparrow Costs

SurveySparrow doesn’t publicly list their pricing. You can submit your email and information to ‘unlock’ the cost on their website.

6. PerformYard - Best 360 Feedback Tool for Traditional HR Teams

PerformYard is a 360 feedback software designed to streamline and enhance the traditional performance review process. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools to facilitate comprehensive feedback.

When an organization isn’t quite ready to embrace continuous performance enablement, software like PerformYard is a great midway point.

Some of PerformYard’s core features include:

Continuous Feedback
Simplified Performance Reviews
Goal Management and Tracking
Employee Engagement Tracking
New Hire Assessments

PerformYard Pros, Cons, and User Reviews

We looked through real user experiences and reviews to find out what it’s really like to be a PerformYard customer. Here’s what we found:

Pros:
Breathes new life into traditional performance management processes with modern tools for feedback

Encourages ongoing development and dialogue between manager and employee
Ensures that individual and team objectives are clearly defined

Review from a PerformYard user:

“It is an easy way for us to check in with our manager. It allowed for feedback in a positive and productive way.”

Cons:

While PerformYard offers flexibility, setting up and customizing the system to fit specific organizational needs can be complex and time-consuming
Focus on traditional performance management, even with modern enhancements, might still prioritize structure over the more nuanced aspects of employee performance and development
Users expressed a desire for more customization around 360 review due dates and reporting

Review from a PerformYard user:

“We wish we could customize the due dates of 360 peer feedback. We would also like to see more customizable reporting for current review cycles (include identifiers like business unit and department).”

PerformYard Costs

You can access PerformYard for $5-10 per person/month. You also have the option to ‘add on’ their engagement features for an extra $1-3 per person/month.

7. Qualtrics - Best 360 Feedback Tool for Creating 360 Feedback Surveys

Qualtrics is a 360 feedback survey tool organizations can rely on to provide comprehensive surveys that accurately reflect an employee’s performance over a given period.

The platform allows for the seamless integration of feedback into the employee development process. By enabling organizations to tailor surveys that reflect specific competencies and values, Qualtrics ensures that feedback is both relevant and actionable.

‍

Some of Qualtrics’ core features include:

360 feedback surveys
Employee engagement surveys
People analytics
Candidate experience analytics

Qualtrics Pros, Cons, and User Reviews

We looked through real user experiences and reviews to find out what it’s really like to be a Qualtrics customer. Here’s what we found:

Pros

Users love how easy it is to use
HR teams love that they can build surveys and get real insights into engagement and performance
360 feedback is consolidated into individual reports

Review from a Qualtrics user:

What do you like best about Qualtrics Employee Experience? Ability for managers to track their team feedback to get better understanding of the team engagement and morale.

Cons

Users complained about how expensive it is and said it’s hard to justify to leadership teams
There were reports of glitches and platform complexity that made it difficult to use
Some users complain about the lack of or difficulty around SSO and integration

Review from a Qualtrics user:

Qualtrics Employee Experience is not always the most accurate tool. It can sometimes Struggle to capture the data we need, which can make it less useful for making decisions about our employee experience.