Comparison
An alternative to Lattice for small business
Small teams who go looking for a Lattice alternative might be looking for the same two things: a price that makes sense at their size, and no annual contract. Here is how MARS compares to Lattice.
The short version: Lattice charges a minimum of $4,000 a year, no matter how small your team is, and bills for the whole year up front. MARS is $50 a month plus $10 per person, billed monthly, with no minimum*. A ten-person company pays $1,800 a year with MARS.
Why look for an alternative?
The $4,000 minimum
Lattice sets a minimum spend of $4,000 a year. On their Foundations plan at $13 per person per month, a ten-person team would come to $1,560 — but the minimum means you still pay $4,000. That is about $2,400 for seats you do not have.
Paying for a year up front
Lattice bills annually. If you have never run performance reviews 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. A yearly contract does not leave room for that.
Tools built for bigger companies
Features like succession planning and rating calibration exist to keep things consistent across dozens of managers who do not know each other's teams. If you have three or four managers who all talk to each other regularly, those features mostly add extra setup time, decisions, and feature costs you shouldn't need to take on.
Someone has to set it up
Building review cycles, rating scales, and competency lists takes real work. At a company with an HR team, that is somebody's whole job. At a company of twelve, it lands on the owner after hours. MARS allows you to do it on your own for free in a simple environment, with a DIY setup guide, or pay a small setup fee to get it done faster with expert guidance.
What each one costs a year
Here is list pricing for both, at team sizes common in small business. Lattice figures use their published rates and include their $4,000 minimum. MARS figures use our published $50 a month for the account plus $10 a month per active user.
| People | MARS | Lattice Foundations $13 per person / mo |
Lattice Performance $10 per person / mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | $1,200 | $4,000 (minimum) | $4,000 (minimum) |
| 10 | $1,800 | $4,000 (minimum) | $4,000 (minimum) |
| 15 | $2,400 | $4,000 (minimum) | $4,000 (minimum) |
| 25 | $3,600 | $4,000 (minimum) | $4,000 (minimum) |
| 30 | $4,200 | $4,680 | $4,000 (minimum) |
| 50 | $6,600 | $7,800 | $6,000 |
| 100 | $12,600 | $15,600 | $12,000 |
Our account fee is a flat $50 a month and does not increase with team size, so the gap is widest for smaller companies. At ten people you pay less than half with MARS. Even at 100 people, it's competitive and more flexible with MARS.
Check before you decide. Software prices change and sometimes vendors negotiate. Confirm current rates at lattice.com/pricing and on our pricing page, and ask for a quote at your exact team size.
Side by side
| MARS | Lattice | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | $50/mo for the account + $10/mo per person | Per person, $4 to $13 a month depending on plan |
| Minimum spend | None* | $4,000 a year |
| Billing | Monthly | Yearly |
| Cancelling | Any time, on your own | At the end of your contract (sometimes requiring 30 or 45 days advance notice or else auto-renewal kicks in) |
| Goals and OKRs | Yes | Yes |
| Ongoing feedback | Yes | Yes |
| One-to-ones | Yes | Yes |
| Performance reviews | Yes | Yes |
| Live dashboards | Yes | Yes |
| Setup help included | Yes, free through January 2027 | Included with a contract |
| Staff surveys | Not at this time | Yes, sold separately |
| Pay and compensation | Not at this time | Yes, add-on at $6 per person / mo |
| Succession planning | Not at this time | Yes |
| Career paths | Not at this time | Yes, add-on at $4 per person / mo |
| Built to be run by | An owner or ops lead, no HR team needed | An HR or people team |
What MARS focuses on
Transparent pricing. No minimum*, no seat count you have to hit, no yearly contract. A four-person company pays $90 a month. The account fee stays flat as you grow, so you are only paying more for the people actually using it.
A shorter setup. MARS is built so an owner with no HR background can run a full review cycle in about 1–2 hours a month. Dashboards give instant access to the employee. Send a quick congrats email, or even better meet or call them to congratulate them directly.
Month to month, on purpose. You can leave whenever you want, without a phone call. Our founders all come from small business environments. No one wants a hassle to cancel if they aren't happy.
Prices you can read without asking. Every number is on the pricing page, including our consulting rate. You can see the whole approach in our guide to performance management for small business.
Phase 2 beta is open. Beta members get the full platform and hands-on setup help free through January 2027. Request an account.
What MARS does not include at this time
MARS covers goals, feedback, one-to-ones, reviews, and dashboards. We are constantly working to improve the platform and add features, so your feedback will be appreciated. At this time though, it does not handle:
- Pay and compensation reviews. We do not set salary bands or run comp cycles.
- Staff engagement surveys. No pulse surveys or eNPS scoring.
- Succession planning and rating calibration. For large organizations.
- A long list of HR system integrations. Integrations are part of future planning.
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 there a cheaper alternative to Lattice for a small team?
For small teams, usually yes. Lattice charges a minimum of $4,000 a year no matter how many people you have. MARS just needs a registered company and at least one user — $50 a month plus $10 per person, with no minimum head count beyond that — which comes to $1,800 a year for a team of ten.
What is Lattice's minimum spend?
Lattice publishes a minimum of $4,000 a year, billed annually. Checked against lattice.com/pricing on 23 August 2026. Confirm current terms with Lattice, as published prices change.
How does the cost compare as my team grows?
Our account fee is a flat $50 a month and does not grow with headcount, so the savings are largest for smaller teams. At ten people MARS is less than half the cost. At fifty, MARS is $6,600 a year against $7,800 for Lattice Foundations.
What does MARS not do?
At this time MARS covers: goals, feedback, one-to-ones, reviews, and dashboards. It does not handle pay and compensation reviews, staff engagement surveys, succession planning, rating calibration, or external integrations. 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.
Do I have to pay for a year up front?
No. MARS bills monthly. You pay for the month you are in, and nothing beyond that.
Performance management priced for a small team
$50 a month plus $10 per person. No minimum*, no yearly contract, cancel yourself at any time. Built for companies with 2–100 people and no HR department.