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Comparing Hives.co and Vetter? Both platforms help organizations collect employee ideas, but they come from very different starting points. Vetter is a dedicated online suggestion box tool built for simplicity and affordability. Hives.co is an idea management platform designed for structured evaluation and implementation at scale. This comparison will help you figure out which approach fits your organization.
What Is Vetter?
Vetter is an online employee suggestion box software based in the US/UK. Founded over 10 years ago, it focuses on one thing: making it easy for employees to submit ideas and for managers to review them. Vetter has built a strong reputation in manufacturing, particularly for QR code submissions from the factory floor.
Pricing is straightforward and affordable: Basic at $99/month (up to 60 users), Plus at $199/month (up to 150 users), and Premium at $299/month (up to 250 users). They offer a 30-day free trial and emphasize hands-on setup support from founder Duncan. Notable case studies include Georg Fischer, which reported $300,000+ in gains over 2 years.
What Is Hives.co?
Hives.co is a Scandinavian idea management platform for mid-to-large organizations (500+ employees). It goes beyond suggestion collection into structured evaluation workflows, idea scoring, implementation tracking, and engagement analytics. Key clients include Volvo, Scania, Halfords, and VINCI Energies. Pricing starts at €695/month for up to 500 contributors.
Feature Comparison
Idea submission. Both platforms make submission easy and support anonymous contributions. Both offer QR code access for frontline workers. Vetter adds image uploads to submissions and a profanity/NSFW blocker. Hives.co adds Microsoft Teams integration and structured submission forms tied to specific campaigns.
Rating and feedback. Vetter allows employees to rate and comment on each other's ideas (with the option to disable this). Hives.co offers structured evaluation with custom scoring criteria, weighted assessments, and multi-stage review workflows.
Challenges and campaigns. Both platforms support targeted challenges (time-bound calls for ideas on specific topics). Hives.co's campaign system is more developed, with dedicated landing pages, engagement tracking, and automated notifications. Vetter's challenges feature is functional but simpler.
Reporting. Vetter provides reports on who is submitting, commenting, and what has been implemented, with CSV and PDF exports. Hives.co offers deeper analytics with dashboards for submission rates, implementation rates, engagement over time, and ROI tracking.
Gamification. Vetter includes a point system for recognizing contributors. Hives.co focuses on recognition through transparent feedback and implementation visibility rather than points-based gamification.
Where Hives.co Wins
- Scale. Hives.co is built for organizations with 500+ employees. The flat-rate pricing (€695/month for up to 500 contributors) means costs do not escalate per user. Vetter's per-user pricing caps at 250 users on Premium, which is limiting for larger organizations.
- Structured evaluation. Hives.co's custom scoring criteria, weighted assessments, and multi-stage workflows turn idea management from a suggestion box into a decision-making system. Vetter's review process is simpler (approve/reject with comments).
- Enterprise clients. Volvo, Scania, Halfords, and VINCI Energies use Hives.co. These are organizations with thousands of employees across multiple sites. Vetter's sweet spot is smaller manufacturers and mid-sized companies.
- Innovation intelligence. Through the Findest merger, Hives.co is building capabilities to combine internal idea management with external technology scouting. This is unique in the market.
Where Vetter Wins
- Affordability for small teams. At $99/month for up to 60 users, Vetter is significantly cheaper for small organizations. If you have under 250 employees and need a simple suggestion box, Vetter is hard to beat on price.
- Pure simplicity. Vetter does one thing and does it well. There is virtually no learning curve. For organizations that genuinely just want a digital suggestion box without evaluation workflows or analytics complexity, Vetter is purpose-built.
- Hands-on founder support. Vetter's founder Duncan personally helps with setup and best practices. You get direct access to someone with over 10 years of suggestion program experience. This personal touch is valuable for organizations running their first idea program.
- Proven manufacturing ROI. Georg Fischer's $300,000+ in documented gains over 2 years is a compelling proof point. Vetter has deep experience specifically in manufacturing suggestion programs.
- Duplicate detection. Vetter includes duplicate idea detection technology, helping reduce redundant submissions without manual moderation.
Pricing Comparison
Vetter: Basic $99/month (60 users), Plus $199/month (150 users), Premium $299/month (250 users). Per-user pricing with hard caps per tier. 30-day free trial available.
Hives.co: Core €695/month (500 contributors), Pro €1,495/month, Enterprise €1,995/month. Flat-rate pricing with higher contributor limits.
For a 200-person organization, Vetter ($299/month) is significantly cheaper. For a 1,000-person organization, Hives.co (€695/month) is actually more cost-effective since Vetter would require a custom plan beyond 250 users.
Who Should Choose Which?
Choose Hives.co if: You have 500+ employees, need structured evaluation beyond simple approve/reject, want enterprise-level analytics and ROI tracking, or are rolling out across multiple sites and departments. You want an idea management system, not just a suggestion box.
Choose Vetter if: You have under 250 employees, want the simplest possible suggestion tool at a low price point, are running your first idea program and want founder-level setup support, or you specifically need a digital replacement for a physical suggestion box without additional complexity.
Want to see how Hives.co works? Book a 20-minute demo and we will show you how organizations collect, evaluate, and implement ideas at scale.
