Comparison
An alternative to 15Five for small business
Small teams comparing MARS and 15Five are usually weighing one trade-off above all: 15Five's published pricing is billed annually — a year committed up front — while MARS is billed month to month. Here is the honest version of how the two compare.
The short version: 15Five Perform is $11 per person a month billed annually, so you commit to a full year up front. MARS is $50 a month plus $10 per person, billed monthly, with no minimum* and no contract. If you want to try performance management before marrying it, that billing difference is the whole decision.
Who 15Five is genuinely good for
If you need engagement surveys with benchmarking, AI-assisted review writing, 360° feedback, career path frameworks, and manager training content in one place — and you have someone whose job is to run all of that — their platform might be right for you. Its per-person rates are also published openly, which we respect, because most of this industry hides behind "contact sales."
Why small teams look for an alternative
A year, paid up front
15Five's published prices are billed annually. If you have never run structured performance management before, that is a full year committed to a process you are still figuring out. Sometimes a small company needs to try performance management for a few months before fully committing — an annual bill does not leave room for that. (There is a 14-day free trial, but two weeks tells you whether the software works, not whether the habit sticks.)
More platform than a small team runs
Surveys with heat maps, 360° cycles, career path matrices, manager microlearnings — each is a feature someone has to configure, schedule, and keep running. With an HR or people team, that is somebody's job. At a company of twelve, every module you will not run is setup time and decisions you shouldn't need to take on.
Add-ons that grow the bill
The headline rate is rarely the whole rate once a team wants more: compensation is $9 per user a month extra, the Kona meeting assistant $2 per employee, Kona Coach $19 per manager, manager content $49 per manager — all billed annually. None of these are hidden, but a small team comparing headline prices should compare configured prices.
What each one costs a year
Here is list pricing for both, at team sizes common in small business, using 15Five's published annual-billing rates for Perform ($11 per person a month) and Total Platform ($16). MARS figures use our published $50 a month for the account plus $10 a month per active user. What you are getting with MARS is monthly billing, no annual commitment, and a platform sized to what a small team actually runs.
| People | MARS | 15Five Perform $11 per person / mo |
15Five Total Platform $16 per person / mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | $1,200 | $660 | $960 |
| 10 | $1,800 | $1,320 | $1,920 |
| 15 | $2,400 | $1,980 | $2,880 |
| 25 | $3,600 | $3,300 | $4,800 |
| 50 | $6,600 | $6,600 | $9,600 |
| 100 | $12,600 | $13,200 | $19,200 |
The structural difference: 15Five is priced purely per person and grows with every hire. MARS carries a flat $50 account fee plus a lower $10 per person, so the gap widens in MARS's favor as you grow. But the yearly totals hide the real difference: 15Five's number is one invoice at the start of the year, MARS's is twelve monthly ones you can stop at any time.
Check before you decide. Software prices change and sometimes vendors negotiate. Confirm current rates at 15five.com/pricing and on our pricing page, and ask for a quote at your exact team size.
Side by side
| MARS | 15Five | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | $50/mo for the account + $10/mo per person | Per person, $4 to $16 a month depending on plan |
| Minimum spend | None* | None published |
| Billing | Monthly | Yearly, up front (published pricing) |
| Cancelling | Any time, on your own | At the end of your annual term |
| Free trial | Beta access by request | 14 days |
| Goals and OKRs | Yes | Yes (Perform) |
| Ongoing feedback | Yes | Yes |
| One-to-ones | Yes | Yes |
| Performance reviews | Yes, monthly cycle | Yes, AI-assisted (Perform) |
| Live dashboards | Yes | Yes |
| Setup help included | Yes, free through December 31, 2026 | Onboarding varies by plan |
| Staff surveys | Not at this time | Yes (Engage, $4 per person / mo) |
| 360° feedback | Not at this time | Yes (Perform) |
| Career paths | Not at this time | Yes (Perform) |
| Pay and compensation | Not at this time | Yes, add-on at $9 per person / mo |
| Manager training content | Not at this time | Yes (Total Platform / add-ons) |
| Built to be run by | An owner or ops lead, no HR team needed | An HR or people team gets the most from it |
Who should not choose MARS
So you know before you sign up, rather than after. Choose 15Five — or stay with it — if any of these describe you:
- Engagement surveys are a must-have. 15Five's Engage product is a real survey platform with benchmarking. MARS does not do surveys at this time.
- You run 360° reviews. MARS reviews are manager-and-employee; it does not collect 360° feedback at this time.
- You want career frameworks and manager training in the tool. Those are 15Five strengths and are not in MARS at this time.
- You have a people team ready to run a bigger platform. If configuring surveys and 360 cycles is somebody's actual job, the extra surface is a feature, not a cost.
We are constantly working to improve the platform and add features, so your feedback will be appreciated — but a comparison page should tell you what is true today. What MARS focuses on instead is the loop a small team actually keeps: goals, feedback, one-to-ones, monthly reviews a manager runs in 1–2 hours, and live dashboards — the approach in our guide to performance management for small business.
How to switch
If you decide to move, this order may cause the least disruption:
- Export first. Pull your old reviews, goals, and feedback out before you cancel anything. Some performance records have to be kept for a set number of years depending on where you are, so check before deleting.
- Move between review cycles. The gap after a cycle closes is the easiest time. Switching mid-cycle means running two systems at once.
- Bring goals, not archives. Current goals need to come with you. Years of old review documents can stay in the export file.
- Check your renewal date. Yearly contracts often renew on their own unless you give notice by a certain date. Find that date before you plan the move.
Not ready to switch anything yet? Take our free performance review template and run one cycle by hand. It is free, there is no sign-up, and it will tell you a lot about what you actually need.
Questions
Is MARS cheaper than 15Five?
It depends on your team size and how you want to pay. 15Five's published pricing is billed annually up front; MARS is billed monthly with no contract, so you are never committed to more than a month. From fifty people up, MARS also costs less than 15Five Perform at list price. The comparison table on this page shows both at common team sizes.
What does 15Five cost?
15Five publishes three plans, priced per user per month with annual billing: Engage at $4, Perform at $11, and Total Platform at $16, plus paid add-ons such as compensation at $9 per user. Checked against 15five.com/pricing on 4 October 2026. Confirm current terms with 15Five, as published prices change.
Does 15Five require an annual contract?
15Five's published prices are all stated as billed annually, so the list price assumes a year paid up front. For any other payment schedule you would need to speak with their sales team. MARS bills monthly by default and you can cancel at any time.
What does MARS not do that 15Five does?
At this time MARS does not include engagement surveys, 360-degree feedback, career path frameworks, manager training content, or compensation management. MARS covers goals, feedback, one-to-ones, monthly reviews, and live dashboards. As our customer base grows and our staffing grows, we can expand capabilities.
Can I cancel MARS at any time?
Yes! MARS is month to month from day one, with no yearly contract and no minimum head count. You can cancel it yourself without contacting anyone. But of course, if you are not happy with the product or service we would want to know why.
Try it monthly, not yearly
$50 a month plus $10 per person, billed monthly. No minimum*, no yearly contract, cancel yourself at any time. Built for companies with 2–100 people.