Oak Engage Vs Staffbase: Here’s why businesses choose Oak Engage

With so many employee intranet platforms out there, each promising to boost engagement and streamline communication, choosing the right one can be challenging. That’s why we’re taking a closer look at how Oak Engage, a leading employee intranet solution, compares to Staffbase.

In this blog, we’ll evaluate both platforms against key benchmarks, using insights from trusted sources like G2 and ClearBox Consulting to ensure a balanced and transparent review. From set up and support to essential features like content creation, we’ll highlight where each platform shines – so you can make a confident decision for your organisation.

What is Oak Engage?

Oak Engage is an award-winning employee engagement app and intranet software that empowers deskless and desk-based teams by getting the right message to the right people, at the right time. Oak Engage’s mission is to make communication smarter, streamlining the admin experience to personalise the delivery of comms and cut through the noise. Trusted by some of the world’s largest brands, customers of Oak Engage include Five Guys, Burger King UK, NatWest and Aldi.

What is Staffbase? 

Staffbase is an employee experience platform that enables HR, IT and internal communication teams to reach, connect and engage employees across an organisation. It delivers targeted, personalised content to employees wherever they are. Your teams can access company information, business applications and other resources and tools for their daily work.

Industry rankings: How does Oak Engage compare as an alternative to Staffbase?

If you’re considering Staffbase and looking at alternatives like Oak, then independent industry analysis is a great way to see beyond the bold marketing claims and get the full, honest picture. We’ve taken a look at leading analyst ClearBox Consulting to get a comprehensive breakdown of how the different intranet and digital workplace platforms perform. 

ClearBox’s Intranet and Employee Experience Platforms report praises Oak for its rapid deployment: 

“Their agile approach enables deployments to take place in as little as 48 hours.”

It also rates the Oak team highly when it comes to providing ongoing customer support:

“Supported by a CSM and wider team they’ll ensure a close productive relationship for the duration of the partnership.”

ClearBox highlights user feedback on the straightforward admin experience: 

“The user experience was consistently praised by those who responded, where a frequent comment was Oak is simple to use. This extends into the admin experience too.”

The report also includes direct customer feedback on Oak’s employee engagement features:

“The platform also helps us engage and communicate, which has improved overall team performance.”

While Staffbase is also viewed as a leading employee intranet platform overall, its enterprise-focused set up takes longer and is more complicated. Users also comment on the less personal quality of support on offer. 

Customer feedback: How do users view Oak Engage as a Staffbase alternative? 

Customer reviews are an important tool if you’re looking for an alternative to Staffbase. They offer valuable perspectives on the actual usability of core features while cutting through the jargon. 

G2 is one of the largest and most highly trusted sources for software reviews in the marketplace, where verified users provide honest ratings. Let’s look in more detail at how Oak has been reviewed as a Staffbase competitor:

According to G2 reviewers, Oak performs much better than Staffbase when it comes to employee communications - scoring a market-leading 90% user satisfaction rating versus Staffbase’s 70%. 

For HR teams, this is a crucial function of an intranet system. The more employees engage with the platform, the more they can benefit from timely company updates and a sense of community. Meanwhile, administrators can engage employees with valuable feedback and deliver recognition where it’s needed.

Oak’s tailored approach to branding, content creation and personalised newsfeeds means the platform provides employees with relevant comms and the right time. Users also comment on how easy and intuitive the platform’s content tools are to use. Oak performs better than Staffbase for quality of support - 96% compared with Staffbase’s 94%. With new software implementation impacting every level of the organisation, companies want to know they have a partner who’s available to support them every step of the way. Oak’s personal approach means customers receive ongoing support from set up to future improvements and optimisations, with many G2 reviewers commenting on their positive experiences with the support team and helpdesk. 

Oak also pulls ahead on administrative access scoring 97% where Staffbase scores just 88%. Users find it easy to create new pages and content, customising the platform to their needs. On the other hand, Staffbase users comment that customisation tools are lacking and it’s difficult to create new content in the way you want to. 

Key features: How does Oak perform as an alternative to Staffbase?

Need more information to be sure that Oak is the best alternative to Staffbase? You’re in the right place. 

We’ve taken a deep dive into specific features to help you compare how both platforms stack up against your own internal comms objectives, based on real customer feedback and independent analysis.

Oak Engage vs Staffbase: How do implementation processes compare? 

When it comes to launching your new employee intranet, you’re looking at a company-wide undertaking. For some platforms, like Staffbase, this can take weeks or even months. From planning and designing to key integrations and training, it’s a huge project to take on board. 

Oak takes a consultative approach to set up, meaning the customer’s needs are always the focus. Oak’s clear, flexible and agile approach is designed to minimise disruption and ensure a smooth and streamlined transition. 

Oak’s attentive support teams play a hands-on role every step of the way, from defining your business goals and project scope to launch communications and ongoing support post-launch.

Restaurant chain Five Guys was testing its ‘Chatty Patty’ intranet platform when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, giving new urgency to the project. Oak was able to launch the app within just 48 hours and achieve a 97% adoption rate. 

Bastian Bauermeister, Head of Internal Communications at Five Guys commented: 

“Chatty Patty became a lifeline during the pandemic. We used it to reassure our teams, check in with them and keep them posted on how the business was managing. I strongly believe that our ability to stay connected with our workforce during this time is a large part of why our retention rates remained strong – 90 per cent of our people came back to our stores.”

Staffbase’s implementation process requires much more support from internal IT departments, with one G2 user describing it as “bumpy”. This might be possible if you’re a large enterprise business with enough resources, but not ideal for small to medium sized organisations who need personalised support. 

Oak Engage vs Staffbase: Which intranet platform provides the best customer support? 

Getting the most from your employee intranet platform shouldn’t stop after go-live. Oak’s support team continues working with you to provide ongoing technical support and maintenance, regular check-ins and recommendations for continuous improvement. 

For organisations without an internal HR help desk, Oak provides 24/7 support built in, with easy reporting so you can keep across everything your team needs. Liz Flynn, Communications Director, Acquisitions and Special Programs at Sevita said: 

“Sevita selected Oak Engage as a clear winner. They were the only vendor that checked all the boxes of what Sevita needed. When Oak Engage stepped in during COVID to create a product to meet the high demands of the healthcare industry, the Sevita team knew Oak was the right team to help solve their other internal communication issues. It’s a triple threat. Oak delivered a COVID reporting platform, a HR help desk and an intranet that brought together essential tools and services now available to Sevita employees.”

Oak’s ongoing customer support has also received excellent ratings on G2, with one user saying that Oak “are always on hand to make sure we are getting the most out of the platform and continuously improve how we communicate.” 

Staffbase users, however, have described not knowing who to contact for ongoing support and troubleshooting, and mentioned a high turnover of account managers, in some cases. 

Oak Engage vs Staffbase: Which platform delivers the best social and community features? 

With remote working on the rise, dispersed teams and frontline working to contend with, boosting employee engagement and creating community spaces isn’t an added bonus - it’s imperative to employee wellbeing. 

While both Oak and Staffbase are designed to be used by large teams wherever they work, Oak’s targeted content approach and customisable design mean employees can feel more seen, heard and recognised by peers and managers. 

ClearBox praised Oak’s community features like hubs, social timelines and polls. It notes how configurable and easy to personalise they are, enabling admins and users to tailor the content they see. This makes it easy to create dedicated community spaces that encourage collaboration and peer-to-peer engagement. One G2 user said:

“You're able to fully brand the platform and customise it with your branding. With a lot of widgets available, you can create a range of different pages for different purposes to cover a range of needs.”

While Staffbase also includes personalisation features, they are limited and require much more effort on the part of the user.  Oak also integrates recognition and reward features that make employee appreciation a visible part of the daily experience. The ‘Quick Thanks’ and ‘Awards’ features all contribute to a culture of positivity and inclusion. The result is not just higher engagement metrics but a stronger emotional connection across the organisation.Staffbase users, on the other hand, say that while the basic features of the platform all do what they should, it needs “more tools to actively engage users”. 

How does Oak Engage compare to Staffbase on pricing? 

Oak delivers cost-effective solutions with flexible pricing options designed to meet the unique needs of organisations of various sizes – particularly those with significant frontline or hybrid workforces. Lots of users mention its good value and transparency on pricing, which is a big bonus for mid-sized organisations versus Staffbase’s enterprise tiering. 

For companies prioritising tailored, hands-on support and a rapid time-to-value, Oak is engineered to be a cost-efficient platform that doesn’t compromise on quality or the depth of its core communication features.

When choosing your next employee intranet platform, it’s worth considering the total cost of ownership required to meet your requirements for engagement, ongoing support and ease of use. A lower price point may seem attractive, but won’t add value to your organisation if only one of your core internal comms objectives is being met, requiring multiple add-ons or various low budget platforms running concurrently. 

 

Is Oak Engage the best Staffbase alternative for your business? 

Oak’s platform is designed to support the individual needs of your business at every stage of the journey. From understanding your internal culture, challenges and objectives to helping you create and maintain relevant, targeted content for your employees - with confidence - Oak is a strong partner. 

While both Oak and Staffbase can deliver high-performing platforms that leading analysts favour, they solve different problems and serve different strategic goals. Staffbase has the basic tools to connect large enterprises, but Oak delivers on the personalised experience that will make implementing and running an employee intranet platform a walk in the park. 

If your primary challenges are building a solid community and culture and ensuring the technical side of things is taken care of, then Oak is demonstrably the stronger choice. 

How to choose an employee intranet platform

As with any major platform decision, you must ask yourself: 

• What are the key features of a good employee intranet?

• Can the intranet platform be customised for my branding, messages and different teams?

• How much ongoing support do I need from my employee intranet provider?

If these are some of the questions you’re asking within your internal comms team, then Oak might be the right intranet solution for you. To support your research, we’ve also compared Oak with other providers, including Unily and Interact.

Get in touch today to find out how Oak can support your individual internal comms needs.