--- title: Buying Guide date: 2026-09-17T15:32:28Z modified: 2026-09-17T16:19:54Z permalink: "https://www.contactmonkey.com/internal-communications-software-guide" type: page status: publish excerpt: "" wpid: 162302 parent: "" ancestors: [] children: [] author: Peter Wong --- ###### BUYING GUIDE 2026 # Everything you need to evaluate internal communications software If you’re an internal communicator looking to buy internal communications software, you’re in the right place. Here you’ll find the guides, vendor comparisons, and resources you need, based on where you are in your journey. [Book a demo](https://www.contactmonkey.com/internal-comms-demo)[Tour the platform](https://www.contactmonkey.com/product-tour) ![](https://www.contactmonkey.com/cm_wp/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Buying-Guide_v2-scaled.webp "Buying Guide_v2") ## What is internal comms software? Internal communications software helps organizations send and track communication to employees, across channels like email, intranet, mobile, and digital signage. It’s distinct from external marketing tools because it’s built for your own employees and workforce-specific needs like frontline or deskless reach. **New to internal comms terminology?** If you’re new to internal comms software, you’ll run into plenty of unfamiliar terms while researching and comparing platforms. Our IC glossary covers all of them in one place. [See the full glossary](https://www.contactmonkey.com/resources/internal-communications-glossary) ## Not sure where to start? Pick your stage Every internal comms buying process looks different. We’ve broken down the research for you, from just getting started to comparing vendors, to ready to buy and build the case for leadership. Whatever stage you’re at, you’ll find what you need below. - [Just getting started](#just-getting-started) - [What to look for in an internal communication platform](#what-to-look-for-in-an-internal-communication-platform) - [Already using Staffbase, Poppulo, PoliteMail, or Workshop?](#already-using-staffbase-poppulo-politemail-or-workshop) - [ContactMonkey vs. other internal communications software](#contactmonkey-vs-other-internal-communications-software) - [Building the business case](#building-the-business-case) 1 ##### Just getting started New to internal comms software and not sure what’s out there? Here are the guides we created that we think will really help you, before you start comparing vendors. [![best employee feedback tools](https://www.contactmonkey.com/cm_wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/15-Best-Employee-Feedback-Tools-Must-Use-Software-Platforms-and-Apps-for-2024.png) ](https://www.contactmonkey.com/blog/employee-feedback-tools)[15 Types of Employee Feedback Tools to Use in 2026 (With Real Data)](https://www.contactmonkey.com/blog/employee-feedback-tools) [Read blog](https://www.contactmonkey.com/blog/employee-feedback-tools) [![7 steps to an effective internal communication plan plus template](https://www.contactmonkey.com/cm_wp/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/7-Steps-To-An-Effective-Internal-Communication-Plan-Plus-Template.png) ](https://www.contactmonkey.com/blog/internal-communications-plan)[How Can You Build an Effective Internal Communications Plan?](https://www.contactmonkey.com/blog/internal-communications-plan) [Read blog](https://www.contactmonkey.com/blog/internal-communications-plan) [![](https://www.contactmonkey.com/cm_wp/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/BLOG-THUMBNAIL_5-7-10-Internal-Communication-Case-Studies-and-Examples-To-Follow-scaled.png) ](https://www.contactmonkey.com/blog/internal-communication-case-study)[5 Internal Communication Case Studies and Examples To Follow](https://www.contactmonkey.com/blog/internal-communication-case-study) [Read blog](https://www.contactmonkey.com/blog/internal-communication-case-study) [![](https://www.contactmonkey.com/cm_wp/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/BLOG-THUMBNAIL_15-Reasons-Why-Internal-Communication-Is-So-Important-For-2026--scaled.png) ](https://www.contactmonkey.com/blog/why-is-internal-communication-important)[Why Is Internal Communication So Important in 2026?](https://www.contactmonkey.com/blog/why-is-internal-communication-important) [Read blog](https://www.contactmonkey.com/blog/why-is-internal-communication-important) [![](https://www.contactmonkey.com/cm_wp/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/BLOG-THUMBNAIL_Best-Practices-For-Effective-Internal-Communication-In-2026--scaled.png) ](https://www.contactmonkey.com/blog/internal-communication-best-practices)[What Are the 15 Best Practices for Effective Internal Communication in 2026?](https://www.contactmonkey.com/blog/internal-communication-best-practices) [Read blog](https://www.contactmonkey.com/blog/internal-communication-best-practices) [![](https://www.contactmonkey.com/cm_wp/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/BLOG-THUMBNAIL_Complete-Guide-To-Internal-Communications-2026-scaled.png) ](https://www.contactmonkey.com/blog/internal-communication)[Internal Communication: 2026 Complete Guide for IC Professionals](https://www.contactmonkey.com/blog/internal-communication) [Read blog](https://www.contactmonkey.com/blog/internal-communication) 2 ##### What to look for in an internal communication platform Internal communications platforms differ on a handful of core capabilities. These are the ones that matter most when you’re evaluating a platform for your team. #### Employee feedback tools Can employees respond to surveys inside the emails they already open, and can you break results down by team, location, or role? [Explore surveys](https://www.contactmonkey.com/solutions/employee-surveys) #### Audience segmentation Can you build employee segments straight from your HR data, like location or tenure, instead of maintaining lists by hand? [Explore audience segmentation](https://www.contactmonkey.com/features/audience-segmentation) #### Targeting and personalization Can the same email show different content, images, or links to different employees based on things like location, department, or role? [Explore dynamic content](https://www.contactmonkey.com/features/dynamic-content) #### AI capabilities Does AI work alongside you in your workflow to help build emails, review content before you send, offer pre-send feedback, and pull insights from your data automatically? [Explore AI overview](https://www.contactmonkey.com/features/ai) #### Analytics and reporting Can you see opens, clicks, and employee engagement broken down by team or location, in one dashboard instead of piecing it together channel by channel? [Explore analytics](https://www.contactmonkey.com/solutions/analytics) #### Scalability and enterprise comms Can it support a large, distributed workforce across locations and roles, while meeting the security and IT requirements that come with comms at that scale? [Explore enterprise comms](https://www.contactmonkey.com/solutions/enterprise-communication) #### On-brand employee emails Can you build branded emails with a drag-and-drop editor, without needing IT or a designer every time you send? [Explore employee emails](https://www.contactmonkey.com/solutions/employee-email) #### On-brand employee newsletters Can you build an engaging newsletter with feedback built directly into it, and reuse a saved template so you’re not rebuilding it every send? [Explore employee newsletters](https://www.contactmonkey.com/solutions/employee-newsletters) #### Integrations Does it integrate with your existing tools, your HR system, Outlook or Gmail, your SSO provider, saving you the time of keeping everything in sync manually? [Explore integrations](https://www.contactmonkey.com/integrations) 3 ##### Already using Staffbase, Poppulo, PoliteMail, or Workshop? We’ve put together breakdowns of alternatives worth considering, including what most internal communicators on these platforms typically switch to. Best Workshop Alternatives in 2026 [Read blog](https://www.contactmonkey.com/blog/workshop-alternatives) Best PoliteMail Alternatives in 2026 [Read blog](https://www.contactmonkey.com/blog/politemail-alternatives) Best Poppulo Alternatives in 2026 [Read blog](https://www.contactmonkey.com/blog/poppulo-alternatives) Best Staffbase Alternatives in 2026 [Read blog](https://www.contactmonkey.com/blog/staffbase-alternatives) Check out the full landscape of internal communication platforms Not locked into any platform yet? Our guide to the best internal communications platforms and best AI tools for internal communication covers the broader landscape. The Best Internal Communication Tools for 2026 [Learn more](https://www.contactmonkey.com/blog/best-internal-communication-tools) What Are the Best AI Tools for Internal Communication in 2026? [Learn more](https://www.contactmonkey.com/blog/ai-internal-communication-platforms) 4 ##### ContactMonkey vs. other internal communications software Compare ContactMonkey to Staffbase, Poppulo, PoliteMail, and Workshop, with an easy feature-by-feature breakdown of what each platform is actually built for. All the research is already done and in one place, so you don’t have to dig for it yourself. ContactMonkey vs Staffbase [Compare](https://www.contactmonkey.com/compare/staffbase) ContactMonkey vs Workshop [Compare](https://www.contactmonkey.com/compare/staffbase) ContactMonkey vs Politemail [Compare](https://www.contactmonkey.com/compare/staffbase) ContactMonkey vs Poppulo [Compare](https://www.contactmonkey.com/compare/staffbase) 5 ##### Building the business case Now that you’ve done your research, it’s time to build the case. Why should your team invest in internal communications software? Pull from ContactMonkey’s industry reports and budget guides to build a case leadership will actually approve. #### Build Your Business Case Enter your own employee engagement metrics and ContactMonkey builds the ROI case for leadership, covering cost, time saved, and engagement lift. [Try now](https://www.contactmonkey.com/build-your-business-case) ###### Report 2026 Global State of Internal Comms Report [Read blog](https://www.contactmonkey.com/ebook/global-state-of-internal-communications-report-2026) ###### Report 2026 Internal Email Benchmark Report [Read blog](https://www.contactmonkey.com/ebook/internal-email-benchmark-report-2026) ###### Report How to Build a Business Case for Internal Communications Software [Read blog](https://www.contactmonkey.com/blog/business-case-internal-communications-software) ###### Report How to Get a Bigger Internal Communications Budget [Read blog](https://www.contactmonkey.com/blog/internal-communications-budget) Internal comms built for today’s workplace ## Transform how employees experience internal communications Your people want clarity, recognition and a voice. Deliver this with ContactMonkey. [Book a demo](https://www.contactmonkey.com/internal-comms-demo)[Tour the platform](https://www.contactmonkey.com/product-tour)