Looking for a Billy the Birthday Bot alternative?
Billy, from BuddiesHR, is a dedicated birthday and work-anniversary bot for Slack and Microsoft Teams. Here is an honest look at how PrizeBot compares, and who each one is genuinely best for.
Short answer: Billy is a great choice if all you want is birthdays and anniversaries done well at the lowest possible cost, and it is free for teams under 10. PrizeBot is the better fit if you want celebrations and an actual engagement program: peer recognition, a redeemable prize shop, automated raffles, and a spin wheel, all in one Slack app at a flat $2 per active user per month. Billy has no recognition or rewards of its own; those are separate BuddiesHR apps, and none of them advertise a prize shop, raffles, or a spin wheel on their published pages.
This comparison was published by PrizeBot, so we are not a neutral party. Every detail about Billy comes from its own public pages as of 2026, and we have tried to be fair about where it is the better choice. Pricing and features change, so confirm on Billy's own site before you buy.
Billy does one job and does it genuinely well: automated birthday and work-anniversary celebrations with date collection, reminders, and thoughtful touches like weekend handling. The comparison with PrizeBot is really a scope question. Billy is celebrations only; peer recognition lives in a separate BuddiesHR app (Clappy), and no redeemable prize shop, raffles, or spin wheel is advertised anywhere in the suite's published pages. PrizeBotbundles celebrations with a full recognition and rewards program in one app. Here is the honest breakdown, drawn from BuddiesHR's own public pages as of 2026.
| Feature | PrizeBot Our pick | Billy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2 / active user / mo, flat | $1/user/mo billed yearly ($1.25 monthly); free under 10 |
| Peer recognition | Yes (any emoji) | Separate app (Clappy) |
| Redeemable prize shop | Yes, you pick the prizes | No |
| Automated raffles | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spin wheel | ✓ | ✗ |
| Birthday & anniversary celebrations | Included | Yes, its specialty |
| Slack | ✓ | ✓ |
| Microsoft Teams | ✗ | ✓ |
| Free option | 30-day trial, no card | Free under 10 users; 30-day trial |
Details from Billy's own public pages, 2026. Confirm current pricing and features on their site.
What Billy is genuinely great at
- Celebrations done properly. Automatic date collection, advance reminders, weekend handling, custom events, GIFs, and customizable messages. As a pure birthday bot, it is excellent.
- Genuinely cheap. Free forever for teams under 10, and about $1 per user per month on yearly billing beyond that.
- Slack and Microsoft Teams. Billy runs on both, while PrizeBot is Slack-only.
- A modular suite behind it. BuddiesHR offers separate apps for kudos, coffee chats, surveys, and org charts that can be bundled together.
Where PrizeBot is different
- One app instead of a stack. Billy is celebrations only. To add recognition you would install a second BuddiesHR app (Clappy), and even the full BuddiesHR bundles do not include a redeemable prize shop, raffles, or a spin wheel per their published pages. PrizeBot ships celebrations, recognition, a prize shop, raffles, and a spin wheel in one Slack app.
- A program, not just a calendar. Birthday messages are a nice touch; a prize shop, raffles, and a spin wheel give people a reason to participate every week. PrizeBot turns recognition into something people look forward to, with celebrations included.
- Simple flat pricing. PrizeBot is $2 per active user per month, billed monthly, everything included. Billy's $1 rate is billed yearly ($1.25 monthly), and each extra BuddiesHR app or bundle adds to the bill.
- Prizes you choose. PrizeBot's shop is stocked by you: gift cards, swag, lunch, time off, anything that fits your team. Billy advertises no reward or prize features on its own pages; it is positioned as a pure celebrations bot.
Who should pick which
Pick PrizeBot if
You want celebrations plus a real engagement program, peer recognition, a prize shop, automated raffles, and a spin wheel, in one Slack app at one flat $2 per active user per month.
Pick Billy if
You only want birthdays and work anniversaries automated, at the lowest possible cost, especially if your team is under 10 people and can use Billy free, or you are on Microsoft Teams.
Comparing more than two apps? Read our full comparison of 10 Slack recognition apps.
Frequently asked questions
Is PrizeBot a good alternative to Billy the Birthday Bot?
Yes, if you want more than birthdays. PrizeBot includes automated birthday and work-anniversary celebrations and adds peer recognition, a redeemable prize shop, automated raffles, and a spin wheel at a flat $2 per active user per month. If you truly only want birthday messages, Billy is cheaper.
Does Billy do peer recognition or rewards?
No. Billy is a dedicated celebrations bot. Peer recognition is a separate BuddiesHR app called Clappy, and no BuddiesHR app offers a redeemable prize shop, raffles, or a spin wheel per their published pages.
How much does Billy cost compared to PrizeBot?
Billy is free for teams under 10, then about $1 per user per month billed yearly, or $1.25 billed monthly. PrizeBot is $2 per active user per month billed monthly, and that includes celebrations plus the whole recognition and rewards program. Confirm current pricing on BuddiesHR's site.
Can PrizeBot replace a birthday bot?
Yes. PrizeBot posts birthday and work-anniversary celebrations automatically, and the same app runs peer recognition, the prize shop, raffles, and the spin wheel.