You’re here because you run HR or People in an EU or DACH company and you want to replace 15Five in the next 3–9 months. You need a platform that handles skills frameworks, career paths, calibration, EU data residency, and SSO/SCIM—not just weekly check-ins.

Most teams outgrow 15Five when they start doing skills-based talent decisions, promotions, and internal mobility at scale. Pain points usually cluster around shallow competency models, no real career-pathing, limited calibration support, US-centric hosting, and weak coverage for mixed blue- and white-collar workforces.

This guide focuses on “true replacements” for 15Five that can handle skills, careers, and compliance for EU/DACH organizations. You’ll get a curated comparison of leading tools, a concrete 8–10 step migration playbook from 15Five, and anonymised pricing/TCO benchmarks for 50/200/500 FTE.

If you want more background on modern review cycles and continuous check-ins, you can also use the broader performance management guide and the overview of integrated talent management platforms as reference while you shortlist vendors.

1. The Modern Checklist: What to Look For in 15Five Alternatives

Choosing your next platform is less about “more features” and more about fit for size, governance, and growth. The most successful DACH buyers think in processes: reviews, skills, careers, and internal mobility across multiple countries and works councils.

According to Gartner research, 87% of HR teams now require GDPR-ready platforms with AI-driven analytics. That shift reflects what you likely feel already: you need data that supports promotions, pay, and succession decisions, not just “engagement vibes”.

Consider a manufacturing group with 200 blue-collar and 100 white-collar employees across Germany and Austria. They need modular workflows, audit logs, multilingual support, and strict EU data residency. Their platform must connect frontline reviews, skill matrices, and career paths into one stack, ideally tied into a broader talent management and development platform.

When you compare 15Five alternatives, focus on these critical areas:

Migration support matters as much as features. The best platforms bring migration specialists, templates, and training plans so you don’t lose history or break a cycle. Ask each vendor to share a 15Five-specific project plan and a checklist you can reuse across your first two review cycles.

2. Above-the-Fold Comparison Matrix: Vendor Features, Pricing & Best Fit

Not all 15Five alternatives are equal. Some tools go deep on skills frameworks, career paths, and calibration. Others focus on engagement surveys or simple review cycles for US-based SMBs. Your goal: shortlist three to four “true replacements” that can support EU/DACH skills- and career-based decisions.

Josh Bersin points out that only around 30% of platforms offer advanced AI assistance beyond basic analytics. Many vendors talk about AI; far fewer help you draft reviews, build IDPs, or run evidence-based calibration sessions automatically.

For most former 15Five customers in EU/DACH, the deciding questions are: Who gives me a real skills taxonomy and career framework? Who supports evidence-based calibration and promotion committees? And who can go live in 6–12 weeks without risky custom projects?

Integration depth drives time-to-value more than feature lists. Platforms with strong APIs and pre-built connectors to HRIS and collaboration tools can cut implementation by weeks. If you work in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland, cross-check vendors with a DACH-focused overview of performance management software for DACH buyers so you don’t hit surprises with works councils or data residency later.

3. Migration Playbook: 8–10 Steps to Replace 15Five Without Losing Data

Migration is where many 15Five replacement projects slow down. You want a precise, numbered playbook so you don’t lose review history or delay merit and promotion decisions.

SHRM research shows 62% of HR managers rank historical data migration as their top concern when switching performance tools. That’s especially true for EU and DACH organizations that need documentation to support pay, promotion, and regulatory audits.

Use this 8–10 step migration playbook for a clean cutover from 15Five:

When you evaluate vendors, add explicit migration questions to your RFP or selection checklist:

If you’re running a formal selection, combine this playbook with a structured RFP. A dedicated performance management software RFP template and the broader talent management RFP checklist help you surface hidden costs, migration support quality, and real security posture before you sign.

4. Calculating ROI: Time Savings, Skills Data & Engagement Uplift

A good 15Five alternative is not only cheaper or more modern. It should shorten cycles, reduce admin, improve skill visibility, and support better promotion decisions.

Gallup data links better engagement and feedback to stronger business outcomes. When you combine structured reviews, clear skill frameworks, and AI-supported feedback, you usually see faster decisions and less noise around ratings.

Imagine a logistics firm replacing 15Five and moving to a skills-based platform with AI support. They cut review cycle time by two weeks, saved around $8,000 per year in admin, and finally had consistent skills data to feed into internal mobility and training plans.

Track these metrics to build your internal ROI case:

The biggest upside often comes from better talent decisions. A platform that ties reviews, skills, and career paths together—supported by AI such as Atlas AI for performance and talent—helps you spot internal candidates faster and defend promotion and pay decisions with evidence. For deeper cost benchmarks you can plug into your own model, use the dedicated guides on performance management software pricing and talent management software pricing.

5. Enterprise Readiness & Security: What Large EU/DACH Organizations Need

Larger EU and DACH organizations replacing 15Five can’t compromise on compliance, security, or scalability. Your new platform must satisfy internal audit, work seamlessly with your IdP and HRIS, and handle promotions and talent reviews without privacy risks.

The Okta “Businesses at Work” report shows that almost all companies with more than 500 employees now require SSO, and most expect SCIM as well. Without that, you’re back to manual user admin and inconsistent access controls.

Think of a multinational retailer with stores across Germany and Austria. They need detailed audit logs, EU-only data residency, and strict access controls for sensitive talent review data. At the same time, store managers must use the system on shared devices without friction.

Paper certifications are table stakes. Ask vendors to walk your security team through their incident processes, DPIAs, and audit trails. For DACH deployments, combine these checks with a view on DACH-specific talent management requirements so you’re clear on GDPR and works-council implications from day one.

6. Usability for Blue-Collar & White-Collar Teams

15Five is often used mainly by white-collar staff. If you’re upgrading, you may want a platform that truly serves both office and frontline workers across EU/DACH sites.

HR Technologist highlights that mobile-first HR platforms see much higher adoption among non-desk workers. Without that, your performance and skills data gives you only half the story.

Picture a construction firm rolling out mobile check-ins and skill updates for field teams. Engagement doubles compared to their old desktop-only setup. Supervisors can give real-time coaching, while workers see their skills, safety certifications, and next career steps in one place.

If you want to go deeper on skills data across both populations, pair your performance tool with a consistent skill management framework. That way, every review and check-in updates a living skills graph you can use for staffing, training, and internal mobility.

7. Pricing Patterns & TCO: EU/DACH Benchmarks for 50 / 200 / 500 FTE

When you move away from 15Five, you need a realistic view of total cost: licenses, implementation, integrations, and change management. Headline per-user prices alone won’t tell you if a US suite, EU suite, or lightweight SMB tool is the better deal.

G2 research suggests implementation times range from a few weeks to several months depending on integrations and support. In EU/DACH, you often add extra weeks for GDPR reviews and works council consultations.

Use these anonymised EU/DACH benchmarks as a starting point (annual license ranges, excluding one-time services):

These ranges reflect aggregated deals across EU and DACH buyers in 2024–2025 and assume standard review, 1:1s, and basic analytics. Skills graphs, career paths, internal mobility, and AI assistants (for IDPs or calibration) typically sit at the upper end of each band.

Watch for hidden or semi-hidden costs compared to 15Five:

To build a robust three-year TCO comparison, pair these ranges with the detailed guides on performance management pricing and talent management pricing. For AI-heavy, skills-first platforms, also factor in the value of automation around reviews, IDPs, and calibration when you compare against 15Five.

Conclusion: A 15Five Alternative That Grows With Skills, Careers & Compliance

Choosing the right 15Five alternative is about fit with your skills strategy, governance model, and workforce mix—not the longest feature list. You want one platform that supports structured reviews, skills and careers, fair calibration, and internal mobility across EU and DACH locations.

Three points should shape your shortlist. First, fit beats features: tools that match your processes, tech stack, and blue-/white-collar realities win on adoption and data quality. Second, migration and ROI tracking matter as much as day-one functionality, so insist on a clear migration plan, pilot, and KPIs for your first two cycles. Third, enterprise readiness—GDPR, EU data residency, SSO/SCIM, and audit-ready skills and talent decisions—becomes non-negotiable once you scale.

Start by shortlisting two or three platforms that can cover performance, skills, and careers in one place and support your EU/DACH compliance needs. Use the migration playbook above, plus the broader performance management and talent development guides, to structure your pilot. Then measure cycle time, admin hours, engagement, and internal mobility after each cycle so your 15Five replacement is clearly tied to better decisions, not just a nicer UI.

Frequently Asked Questions

What must-have features should I prioritize beyond 15Five’s standard toolkit?

Prioritize EU-ready compliance (GDPR, EU data residency, SSO/SCIM), end-to-end workflows (reviews, 1:1s, 360°, skills, career paths, calibration), and practical AI that drafts reviews and IDPs instead of just charts—especially if you run mixed blue- and white-collar teams in DACH.

How long does it take to migrate from 15Five, and what are the key steps?

Most EU/DACH mid-sized companies switch from 15Five in 4–8 weeks by exporting reviews/goals/1:1s, mapping ratings to a new competency or skills framework, setting up SSO/SCIM and HRIS sync, running one pilot cycle in the new tool, then training managers and employees before full cutover.

What are typical pricing ranges for 15Five alternatives at 50, 200, and 500 employees?

In EU/DACH, modern 15Five alternatives usually land around €5–€15 PEPM, which translates roughly to €3k–€5k per year for 50 employees, €10k–€20k for 200, and €20k–€40k+ for 500 depending on whether you add skills graphs, career paths, and AI modules.

How do GDPR, data residency, and SSO/SCIM work with modern 15Five alternatives?

Serious 15Five alternatives for EU and DACH offer EU-only data residency, signed DPAs, clear retention/deletion rules, audit logs, and full SSO/SCIM so identities sync from your IdP; always ask vendors where data is hosted, how they handle exports, and whether SSO/SCIM or EU hosting costs extra.