Leapsome for goal tracking: pros, cons and an alternative
Leapsome is an all-in-one HR platform with goals and OKRs inside. Clearahead tracks the company’s goals and what’s in the way, with AI keeping it current
The short answer
Leapsome is an HR platform from Berlin and New York that combines core HR with performance reviews, engagement surveys, goals and OKRs, learning, compensation, 1:1s and feedback, with AI agents across the lot. It’s often named as the closest alternative to Lattice. Clearahead is goal tracking software for the company itself: each goal, the constraints holding it back and the moves that clear them, kept current by AJ, its AI. If you want one platform for people and HR, Leapsome is strong. If you want the leadership team aligned on what’s in the way of the company’s goals, use Clearahead.
Weighing up other options too? See Lattice alternatives compared.
What is Leapsome?
Leapsome is an all-in-one HR platform. On one side is core HR: employee profiles, absences, time tracking, documents, onboarding and payroll preparation. On the other is what Leapsome calls its talent suite: performance reviews, engagement surveys, goals and OKRs, learning, compensation, instant feedback, 1:1s and team meetings, and competency frameworks. AI agents, analytics and workflows run across all of it.
Goals in Leapsome can be set for the company, teams and individuals, as OKRs or simpler goals, aligned to each other and updated by owners. Because they sit next to reviews and 1:1s, a manager can see what someone is working on, talk about it in their 1:1 and refer to it at review time.
Leapsome now describes itself as an agentic HR platform built for lean people teams, and says it serves more than 2,000 companies, including Notion, Mercedes-Benz and Bolt. When AI tools are asked for alternatives to Lattice, Leapsome is usually the first name they give.
Where Leapsome came from
Jenny Podewils and Kajetan Armansperg founded Leapsome in Berlin in 2016, and still lead it as co-CEOs. It began as a tool for continuous performance management and employee development, part of the same move away from annual reviews that produced Lattice and 15Five, and grew into a full HR suite by adding engagement, learning, compensation and core HR.
The company has raised $60 million and opened a US base in New York. Its European roots still show: EU data hosting, GDPR compliance and ISO 27001 certification are part of the pitch, which matters to UK and European buyers.
Leapsome pros and cons
What Leapsome does well, and where it struggles.
Where Leapsome shines
- One platform for HR, performance, engagement, learning and goals.
- Goals and OKRs link to reviews, 1:1s and development.
- Strong in Europe, with EU data hosting and GDPR compliance.
- AI is included in the base price and runs across modules.
- Used by over 2,000 companies, from startups to large enterprises.
Where Leapsome struggles
- Built for people teams; company goals are one module among many.
- Goals linked to reviews tend to become safe, individual targets.
- Shows whether goals are on track, not what’s holding the company back.
- Annual contracts with a one-year minimum term.
- A lot of platform if all you need is company goal tracking.
Leapsome vs Clearahead: side by side
| Leapsome | Clearahead | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An HR platform: core HR, performance, engagement, goals and OKRs, learning, compensation | AI goal tracking software for the company: goals, constraints and the moves that clear them |
| Who it’s built for | People and HR teams, and managers | Founders, leadership teams and the people who own the work |
| Whose goals | Company, team and individual goals and OKRs, linked to reviews | The company’s goals, one per workspace, worked on by everyone |
| The question it answers | How are our people performing, growing and feeling? | What is holding each goal back, and who is clearing it? |
| Keeping it current | Goal updates and check-ins by owners, with AI help | Owners tell AJ in a sentence; AJ updates the model and writes a weekly brief |
| People features | Reviews, surveys, 1:1s, feedback, learning, HRIS, payroll prep | None. Owners on every move and three roles in the app |
| Cost | Annual contracts, priced on request; free trial | Free for up to 3 people and 1 workspace; £297/month or £2,997/year for the whole company |
How Leapsome differs from Clearahead in practice
Leapsome and Clearahead both have “goals” on the menu. They’re built for different people and different questions.
An HR platform, or a leadership tool
Leapsome is bought and run by people teams. Goals are one part of a system for managing, developing and paying people. Clearahead is bought by founders, CEOs, COOs and heads of growth, and it only does one thing: keep the company aligned on its goals and moving on what’s in the way. It’s the tool the leadership team opens on a Monday, not the one HR opens at review time.
Individual targets, or the company’s goals
In an HR platform, goals naturally become individual targets that roll up. In Clearahead, each goal belongs to the company and gets its own workspace: grow revenue, launch a product, close the round. Everyone who can help is on it. Heads of department own the constraints, their teams own the moves, and advisers and the board follow along as Viewers.
On track, or in the way
Leapsome’s goal views show progress. Clearahead shows what’s holding each goal back, as a short list your team puts in order, with the moves that clear each one. That’s the Theory of Constraints applied to a company goal, and it means a slipping goal comes with a reason and an owner, not just a colour.
AI across HR, or AI that runs the loop
Leapsome’s AI helps people teams and managers across reviews, surveys and goals. AJ, the AI inside Clearahead, is the product. Owners tell AJ what happened in a sentence; AJ updates the model, keeps the evidence, challenges loose assumptions, suggests next moves and writes This week from AJ, with the wins and up to three things that need a decision.
What Clearahead doesn’t do
Clearahead has no HR records, absence tracking, payroll, reviews, surveys, learning or compensation. If you need those, Leapsome is a strong choice, and Clearahead won’t replace it.
Running Leapsome and Clearahead together
Companies that use both tend to split the work cleanly. Leapsome holds everything about people: profiles, time off, reviews, surveys, learning and individual development goals. Clearahead holds the company’s goals: what the company is trying to achieve this year, what’s holding each goal back and who is moving on it. The leadership team works in Clearahead every week; managers and the people team work in Leapsome around 1:1s and review cycles. Because the company’s goals sit outside the review process, owners can say a move is stuck without worrying how it will look in their next review, and that honesty is what makes the picture useful. Advisers, investors and the board can follow along in Clearahead as Viewers at no extra cost.
Should you choose Leapsome or Clearahead?
Choose Leapsome if
- You want one platform for HR records, performance, engagement and learning.
- You have a people team that will own and run it.
- You want goals connected to reviews and development plans.
- You need EU data hosting and an HR suite that grows with you.
Choose Clearahead if
- Your challenge is a company goal that keeps slipping, not managing people.
- You want the leadership team agreeing on what’s in the way, not a goal for everyone.
- You want goal tracking kept separate from reviews, so updates stay honest.
- You don’t have an HR team yet, or don’t want an annual HR contract.
- You want AI to do the upkeep from a sentence, not more check-ins.
Our honest read
If you have a people team and want one platform for HR and performance, Leapsome is one of the best, especially in Europe. Goals tied to reviews and development are exactly what a people platform should offer.
But a people platform won’t align a leadership team on why the company’s goal is slipping. That needs a shared, ordered view of what’s in the way, updated as the work moves, and kept apart from anyone’s review so people are honest about it.
Many startups buy an HR suite too early because it promises goals as well. If you don’t yet have people to manage at scale, start with alignment: Clearahead is free for up to three people. If you already run Leapsome, keep it for your people and run the company’s goals in Clearahead. See also our Lattice alternatives roundup and Goal tracking vs a business operating system.
Questions about Leapsome
What is Leapsome?
Leapsome is an HR platform founded in Berlin in 2016 by Jenny Podewils and Kajetan Armansperg, with offices in Berlin and New York. It covers core HR, performance reviews, engagement surveys, goals and OKRs, learning, compensation, 1:1s and feedback.
Is Leapsome a Lattice alternative?
Yes, it’s often described as Lattice’s most direct competitor. Both are people platforms with goals built in. For a fuller list, see our Lattice alternatives roundup.
Is Clearahead an alternative to Leapsome?
Only for company goals. Clearahead has no HR records, reviews, surveys or learning. It’s an alternative to running the company’s priorities in an HR tool’s goals module, and works alongside Leapsome for everything else.
How much does Leapsome cost?
Leapsome prices on request, with annual contracts, a one-year minimum term, a free trial and special pricing for startups and NGOs. Clearahead is free for up to three people, then £297 a month for the whole company.