In today’s workplace, stipend programs are no longer limited to traditional allowances like meals or transportation. They have evolved into flexible tools for supporting employee well-being, boosting retention, and meeting the diverse employees' needs of hybrid and global teams. Many companies now combine a competitive benefits package with employee stipends to attract and retain top talent. However, managing these stipend programs efficiently can be challenging or time-consuming.

That’s where employee stipend platforms come in. These platforms help companies distribute perks and allowances for programs like wellness, learning, childcare, and home-office setup tools. What’s even better is that these platforms simplify compliance and let employees choose how to use their benefits based on their actual unique needs and lifestyle.

What is an employee stipend platform?

An employee stipend platform is a system or software that allows you to manage and distribute work stipends to your employees for various purposes, whether it’s for lifestyle or work-related expenses. These platforms simplify the process of offering and administering stipends, ensuring that your employees can easily access and utilize their allowances while streamlining administrative workflows for your HR and finance teams.

If you’re just starting out on your journey to find the stipend platform most suitable for your needs, then this blog will assist you in your research. Below, we’ve reviewed the top 8 stipend platforms for 2025 based on functionality, user experience, flexibility, and global reach.

What are the top 8 employee stipend platforms for wellness in 2025?

Hoppier

If you’re looking to offer stipends for your global team, Hoppier is designed for you. Hoppier is a flexible stipend platform. Of all the platforms on this list, Hoppier offers the most control for distributed and remote workers. Its prepaid virtual debit cards provide flexibility with precise spending controls, making it perfect for remote work teams spread across multiple countries.

Key features

• Prepaid virtual debit cards for employee stipends

• Real-time spend tracking and budget control

• Custom expiration dates and merchant category restrictions

Advantages

• Funds can be spent wherever Visa is accepted, giving employees choice and allowing set category restrictions (e.g., food or wellness only)

• No need for expense reports: admins load the card, and employees spend what they’re given

• Works globally in 60+ countries, ideal for remote workers and international teams.

Use cases

• Hoppier is commonly used for various use cases such as wellness stipends, remote employee gifts, team lunch budgets, and virtual event engagement

• Hoppier is great for virtual meal stipends that remote employees can spend at DoorDash, Uber Eats, local restaurants, and thousands of other vendors globally

Compt

Compt focuses on personalized lifestyle rewards. It allows employees to choose rewards they prefer, like gym memberships, work-from-home equipment, or professional development. It serves US-based teams only.

Key features

• 20 spending categories for employers to choose from

• Customizable reward catalog personalized to employees’ interests

• Automated tax and compliance management

Advantages

• Personalized reward options based on employees’ needs

• Integrates with payroll and HRIS systems

• Handles claim verifications, reimbursements, and tax compliance

Use cases

• Compt can be used to support continuous learning by reimbursing the costs of employees’ professional development courses

• The platform is good for wellness and lifestyle benefits

Benepass

Benepass is ideal for offering meaningful benefits programs in meal, transit, and wellness categories. It provides flexible and tax-advantaged stipend programs that meet your team’s diverse unique needs.

Key features

• Fintech that either accepts or rejects transactions based on your pre-programmed spending rules

• Integration with payroll or HRIS

• SOC 2 certified and bank-level encryption

Advantages

• Has a card-first technology that offers your employees flexibility when it comes to spending

• Supports multiple benefits packages, such as food, commuting, and fitness, but with limited vendors

• Provides real-time metrics on use engagement and spending data

Use cases

• The platform is used to cover employee commuting costs to encourage sustainable transit or ease financial burdens

• Benepass can also be used for wellness programs that promote physical and mental health, whether it’s yoga classes or therapy sessions

Thrivepass

If you’re looking to combine traditional stipends with gift cards and wellness credits, then Thrivepass can be a good option. This platform aims to enhance employee satisfaction through a wide variety of flexible perks.

Key features

• Dashboard for stipends, gift cards, tuition reimbursement, and wellness credits

• 150 spending categories

• Offers an online platform called Marketplace where employees can spend their funds

Advantages

• You have complete control over your budget and funding frequency

• Digital reimbursements and currency conversions are available for international teams

• Forms of reimbursement include Direct Deposit, PayPal, & Gift Cards

Use cases

• You can automatically send gift cards for team recognition, work anniversaries, or other milestones

• Thrivepass can be used to reimburse employees who completed required credits, paid off a degree, or attended work-related events

Perkbox

Perkbox provides a comprehensive platform that helps nurture your company culture. It has a mobile app where you can access benefits packages you can offer your employees.

Key features

• Offers more than 9,000 perks, discounts, and benefits

• Has an app that employees can access at any time, anywhere

• Integration with your existing HR platform

Advantages

• Benefits can be customized depending on the team and region

• Existing benefits like pensions and health insurance can be added to the Perkbox platform

• Your employees can choose which benefits they want

Use cases

• Perkbox is a good option when you want to recognize your employees’ hardwork in a more personalized way

• The platform can also be used to support your team members’ wellbeing through curated resources, such as yoga and meditation videos

Forma

Forma is designed to simplify your benefits programs. It supports pre-tax and post-tax spending accounts alongside a multi-payment benefit system.

Key features

• Benefits can be accessed through preloaded Forma Visa Cards, reimbursements, and the Forma Store

• Flexible spending accounts that enable you to offer pre-tax and post-tax benefits 

• Can be integrated with 40+ HRIS

Advantages

• Various spending account types such as Lifestyle Spending and Health Reimbursement Arrangements

• Automated claims processing

• Real-time reporting on program effectiveness and budget tracking

Use cases

• You can reduce your administrative burdens by automating benefits claims and compliance through Forma

• Forma can also help you enhance employee engagement by allowing your team to choose the perks they prefer

Fringe

Fringe’s main focus is to support personalized employee stipends that help you stay competitive while simplifying the distribution and administration of employee benefits.

Key features

• Points for stipends, birthdays, rewards, subsidies, and more can be allocated

• Has 130+ vendors

• Services are available in more than 60 countries

Advantages

• Your employees can select the rewards they want to ensure satisfaction

• Streamlines global/distributed workforce programs

• You, as an admin, can set budgets and categories

Use cases

• Fringe is a platform you can use to promote your employees’ holistic wellbeing, from mental health and financial wellness to physical fitness

• The platform is also a good way to give shout-outs or celebrate an outstanding employee

Sodexo

Sodexo is a widely used digital solutions platform that will allow you to distribute meal, gift, and wellness benefits across international teams.

Key features

• Investments in systems that digitize services and generate data on consumer behaviors, trends and requirements

• Uses 100% renewable energy in directly operated sites and facilities

• Has various food brands

Advantages

• Deep merchant network and extensive global reach

• Highly customizable programs based on country regulations

• Recognized for security and compliance

Use cases

• Good choice if you want to offer meal and lifestyle stipends for your employees

• Due to its extensive network, Sodexo is a good option for stipends for teams in Latin America, Europe, and Asia 

Conclusion

The best stipend programs in 2025 emphasize flexibility, personalization, and ease of use for HR teams and employees alike. When choosing a stipend platform, consider integration with existing systems, user control, and how employees will benefit.

Remote work and work-from-home cultures benefit significantly from home office and work stipend offerings. You must recognize your employees’ needs with cost-effective benefit programs that support lifestyle spending accounts, wellness stipends, and experiences.

Alongside such programs, companies increasingly offer stipends to aid employee satisfaction, health care, and daily productivity. Managing these through a centralized stipend platform simplifies automation of claim processes, tax compliance (IRS considerations), and everyday workflows.

While stipend platforms offer flexibility for personal and professional perks, companies looking to go beyond digital allowances often turn to swag. That’s where PerkUp comes in. As a swag management platform, PerkUp helps HR teams deliver meaningful, branded swag for onboarding, milestones, or employee recognition. If you’re using stipends to show appreciation, consider complementing them with custom swag that employees can hold onto and remember. PerkUp makes it easy to manage swag gifting at scale, with global warehousing, automated delivery, and seamless integrations with your HR systems.