Both platforms enable continuous feedback. But one charges immediately for single-day seat additions, creates survey fatigue after 7 months, and is called "the most dodgy SaaS product" by users. The other offers transparent flat-rate pricing and flexible surveys.
The critical differences between Blik and 15Five
| Feature | Blik | 15Five |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment Options | SaaS (€49/mo) OR Self-hosted (Free) You choose what fits |
SaaS only Vendor lock-in |
| SaaS Pricing Model | €49/month flat rate Unlimited users |
$4-16/user/month Scales with headcount |
| Implementation Cost | $0 (docker compose up) Ready in <1 hour |
Minimal (SaaS) But billing traps await |
| Billing for Temporary Adds | No per-user billing Add anyone, anytime |
"Bills immediately for 1 day" "Most dodgy SaaS product" |
| Refund Policy | Reasonable cancellation Self-hosted = full control |
"Absolutely no refund" "Non-refundable, non-cancellable" |
| Survey Freshness | Flexible questionnaires Customize every cycle |
"Sharp engagement drop after 7 months" "Questions become repetitive" |
| Deployment Control | Self-hosted or managed Your servers, your rules |
SaaS only "Can't cancel, can't pause" |
| True Anonymity | ✓ Cryptographically guaranteed Impossible to trace reviewers |
⚠ Standard anonymous surveys Platform holds all data |
| SSO Access | Standard feature No upgrade required |
$8/user tier only Paywall for security |
| HRIS Connectors | Direct integration Your data, your control |
$540/year for Justworks Extra fees for connections |
| Cancellation Process | Self-hosted = cancel anytime No vendor lock-in |
"Cannot unsubscribe via platform" "30-day notice period" |
15Five's billing practices generate some of the harshest user reviews across any performance review platform.
"If you so much as add a single additional employee for a single day, they will bill you immediately. If you seek to put a hiatus on using 15Five services, they will NEVER refund or credit or work with you in any way."
— Technology Director, Capterra Review
"In my opinion, 15Five's customer service is among the worst I have experienced from a software company. They will nickel and dime you and use hidden fine print to wring as much money as they can from you."
— TrustRadius Review
"The most dodgy SaaS product I've ever subscribed to. You cannot unsubscribe via the platform. You need to contact support and you will be invoiced another month because you have a '30 days notice period'."
— Trustpilot Review
Choose SaaS convenience or open source freedom. Both honest.
"Devil-in-the-details fine print" — actual user quote
A user explained: "We know that 15Five can easily prorate their charges based on usage because they will do so whenever it suits their interests. However, if you ask them to prorate your usage based on needing to pause 15Five, they will say that it is impossible." This asymmetry—billing you instantly for additions but refusing credits for reductions—represents a fundamental trust violation that colors the entire relationship.
€588/year
All features, unlimited users
$2,400/year
Basic features only
$9,600/year
With Performance + Compensation
Blik saves €1,600-€8,600 annually vs 15Five
"While you are able to choose from a library of preselected questions for your time-triggered surveys (we did 2x month), the questions begin to become repetitive over time. This caused a sharp decrease in engagement scores after 7/8 months."
— Small Business User, Capterra (October 2023)
Engagement stays high when questions evolve with your team's needs.
Repetitive surveys train employees to auto-pilot through feedback.
Continuous feedback sounds appealing—until questions become predictable. Research shows survey fatigue sets in when respondents can predict what you're going to ask. 15Five's time-triggered surveys from a fixed library create exactly this problem. By month 7-8, employees are clicking through without thinking. Blik takes a different approach: deeper, less frequent reviews with fresh questions that adapt to your organization's evolving needs. Quality over quantity.
Source: Vendr, user reviews
Source: Capterra reviews
Source: G2 reviews
Source: User reviews
Source: Capterra reviews
Blik is open source (AGPLv3). Deploy it yourself for free and never worry about billing surprises, or use our managed hosting for €49/month. No credit card required to explore.
Don't get trapped by aggressive billing practices and repetitive surveys. Blik offers transparent flat-rate pricing, flexible questionnaires that stay fresh, and true anonymity that builds trust. Join organizations who value honesty over vendor lock-in.
Get Started with Blik€49/month managed hosting • Open source available on GitHub