Workplace alternative FAQ: Simpplr vs. Workplace by Meta

Organisations seeking a better intranet platform are asking these questions in the wake of the Workplace sunset announcement. My deep knowledge of the employee technology industry informs my answers, as does my experience with what businesses of all sizes — but especially those with 500+ employees — need to keep their workforce informed, aligned, and connected. Oh, and I sold Workplace by Facebook (later Meta) for four years before joining Simpplr.

What is Workplace by Meta?

Workplace is Meta’s all-in-one business communication platform. You can see from their website that it looks and feels a lot like Facebook, which is one of the reasons I think it has been so popular.

What basic details did Meta give customers in the Workplace sunset announcement?

According to their website, Meta announced that Workplace will be shut down. Customers can use Workplace as normal until August 31, 2025, after which it will become read-only until May 31, 2026. On June 1, 2026, Workplace will no longer be accessible.

What are some of the key reasons behind Meta’s decision to sunset the product?

Meta discontinued Workplace to “focus on building AI and other metaverse technologies,” according to information obtained by TechCrunch. Meta already declared artificial intelligence its top priority for 2024, with a strategy that revolves around using AI to enhance its advertising platform and improve business messaging capabilities, in addition to continued investment in augmented and virtual reality product development. It does seem like a harsh, even brutal step, but Workplace is an unnecessary distraction for Meta. However, it will be a pain felt by customers and partners who invested in the product for many years.

How does Workplace by Meta differ from Simpplr?

If you use Facebook, then you already have a good understanding of what Workplace looks and feels like. Workplace is essentially an enterprise social networking tool. To me, here’s the main difference between Workplace vs. Simpplr:

Simpplr is the leading AI-powered employee experience platform, and it’s much more than an intranet or social networking tool — delivering benefits across the employee lifecycle, from personalized onboarding to integrated recognition and automated service delivery.

Simpplr is trusted by over 1,000 leading organisations and we’re the only company that is both top-rated by Gartner and consistently recognized a Leader by Forrester. It’s worth noting that Workplace didn’t even rank in the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant for Intranet Packaged Solutions™ or Critical Capabilities report.

I think where Simpplr really excels and what excited me about the product was how we help our customers transform their employee experience with AI that is built to support EX (Simpplr AI·EX).

Simpplr:

• Provides one digital HQ for employees to connect and get everything they need, with AI-powered enterprise search that delivers personalized results, fast

• Unifies social capabilities that elevate employee engagement

• Seamlessly integrates employee recognition

• Provides consolidated and clear insights to understand employee sentiment and feedback

• Leverages purpose-built AI to personalize content and onboarding experiences

• Streamlines HR service delivery with AI

• And ensures that frontline workers remain as connected, informed and engaged as desked employees

Simpplr is a comprehensive employee experience platform; Workplace is like Facebook for work.

What first steps should Workplace customers take if they are considering switching to Simpplr?

Get in touch with our sales team and see what Simpplr looks like! Check out a short demo. Let us know if you work with a Workplace partner or not. And tell us if you’re a Workplace for Good customer, a program which offered Workplace for free to charities.

Want to learn more? Watch my Behind the Transition interview!