Effective employee communication is essential for keeping teams aligned and engaged, as highly engaged teams can lead to benefits like 23% higher profitability. Firstup is a well-known player in the internal communications space, offering digital and mobile solutions to connect employees with company updates.

But how does it compare to Guru? In this guide, we'll explore Firstup's features, strengths, and limitations before comparing it directly with Guru to help you determine which tool is best suited for your team.

What is Firstup?

Firstup is an employee communications platform that delivers real-time company updates across digital and mobile channels to improve employee engagement, a critical goal when only 21% of employees worldwide are considered engaged.

The platform was created to help large enterprises bridge communication gaps for in-office, remote, and frontline workers—a crucial distinction since the majority of U.S. workers, or 61% do not have jobs that can be done from home—by ensuring internal messages reach the right people at the right time.

Firstup's key differentiators include:

• AI-driven personalization: Targets content based on employee roles, locations, and engagement history

• Industry focus: Widely used in healthcare, retail, and manufacturing for reaching dispersed workforces, which often includes the 41% of remote-capable employees who are now working a hybrid schedule

• Automated messaging: Streamlines communication delivery across multiple channels

Key features of Firstup

Firstup offers a range of features to enhance internal communications and employee engagement:

• Personalized content delivery: Uses AI to deliver customized news, updates, and messages to employees based on their preferences and job roles.

• Multi-channel communication: Supports content distribution across mobile apps, email, desktop, and digital signage.

• Automation and scheduling: Allows teams to schedule and automate communication campaigns to ensure timely delivery.

• Employee engagement insights: Provides analytics to track how employees interact with messages, including open rates, engagement trends, and survey responses.

• AI-driven recommendations: Suggests relevant content to employees based on past interactions.

• Two-way communication: Enables employees to provide feedback and engage with company updates, creating a more interactive experience.

Who uses Firstup?

Firstup is primarily used by large enterprises and internal communications teams that need to reach and engage employees across multiple locations. The platform is particularly valuable for organizations with frontline or deskless workers, such as those in healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and logistics.

Pros and cons of Firstup

Like any platform, Firstup has strengths and weaknesses. Here's a closer look:

Pros:

• Real-time mobile access: Employees can receive updates instantly, no matter where they are.

• AI-driven personalization: Ensures that employees see the most relevant content.

• Multi-channel reach: Enables communication across mobile, email, and digital signage.

• Strong customer community: Users benefit from networking opportunities and Firstup-hosted events.

Cons:

• Frequent team changes: Some users report inconsistencies in account management and support.

• Limited feature retention from past platforms: Users who previously used the Dynamic platform note missing features they wish were carried over.

• More focused on communication than knowledge management: While Firstup excels at distributing messages, it lacks structured knowledge storage and retrieval capabilities.

Pricing and implementation considerations

Evaluating enterprise software requires understanding both the cost structure and the deployment model to ensure the solution aligns with your organization’s scale and technical ecosystem.

Firstup

Pricing Model: Based on the number of employees reached
Implementation Focus: Integrates with HRIS systems, audience lists, and communication channels
Deployment Time: Typically takes several weeks for full configuration

Firstup’s pricing scales according to employee reach, making it a strong fit for large organizations that need to manage internal communications across multiple departments or locations. Implementation focuses on connecting to HR and communication infrastructure—ensuring the right content reaches the right audiences—but this setup can take several weeks to complete.

Guru

Pricing Model: Based on user seats and usage, including answers, Research, and MCP calls
Implementation Focus: Focuses on connecting data sources to build an organization-wide knowledge network and deploying the Knowledge Agent for AI-driven insights
Deployment Time: Can be set up in days, with scalability increasing as usage expands

Guru’s model prioritizes quick adoption and incremental growth. Teams can start small—connecting core systems and enabling the Knowledge Agent—then scale as usage and value increase. This makes Guru ideal for organizations looking to deploy fast and iterate without lengthy onboarding cycles.

Guru vs. Firstup

Now, let's compare Firstup with Guru to see which tool is better suited for different business needs.

Guru's strengths

• AI-powered enterprise search with customizable Knowledge Agents: Guru allows employees to find accurate, up-to-date knowledge instantly by searching across all connected workplace apps. Its personalized Knowledge Agents let teams like IT, HR, Support, Sales, and Product customize search experiences to surface the most relevant information for their needs. While a company-wide search is useful, Knowledge Agents provide a more focused and efficient way for teams to find what matters most to them.

• Custom Pages for curated team knowledge: Guru's Pages allow teams to create fully customizable landing pages within the dashboard, ensuring critical information is easy to find. Whether it's a dynamic page with the latest updates or a curated space for key resources, Pages give departments like IT, HR, and Sales the flexibility to organize knowledge in a way that best fits their needs. While the main homepage serves as a central hub, Pages provide tailored spaces for specific teams, projects, or initiatives.

• In-context knowledge delivery: Guru proactively delivers relevant information directly in the tools employees already use, such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, and web browsers.

• Deep integrations: Guru integrates seamlessly with a wide range of tools, including Google Docs, Salesforce, Zendesk, and Confluence.

• Real-time collaboration: Teams can edit, verify, and share knowledge collaboratively, ensuring accuracy and alignment across departments.

Firstup's strengths

• Automated and personalized messaging: Firstup ensures that employees receive targeted updates based on their role and preferences.

• Multi-channel communication: Supports distribution across email, mobile, desktop, and digital signage.

• Engagement analytics: Provides insights into how employees interact with internal messages.

Integration and user experience

While Firstup is designed for internal communications, it doesn't offer the same depth of knowledge management as Guru. Guru's AI-driven approach makes it easy for employees to access verified information within their workflow, while Firstup focuses more on distributing company updates. Additionally, Guru integrates with a broader range of workplace tools, making it a more comprehensive solution for organizations looking to centralize knowledge.

Integration and deployment comparison

Integration capabilities determine how well these platforms fit your existing technology stack:

Firstup integration approach:

• Connects with HRIS platforms for employee data sync

• Pushes information through dedicated channels (mobile app, email, digital signage)

• Focuses on one-way communication distribution

Guru integration approach:

• Connects to multiple knowledge sources (Google Drive, Confluence, Slack, Zendesk)

• Delivers answers within existing tools (Slack, Teams, browser extensions)

• Powers other AI assistants via MCP/API for enterprise AI governance

What customers are saying

Both Firstup and Guru have dedicated users, but they serve different needs. Here's what customers are saying about each platform:

A Firstup user on G2 highlights the platform's ability to improve engagement but notes some challenges with team consistency and missing features:

"Firstup has allowed us to bring everyone into the fold with real-time digital and mobile access to company information and communications. It's provided a whole new world of connectivity and engagement for our employees, addressing a common remote work challenge, as 53% of workers say working from home hurts their ability to feel connected with co-workers. The Firstup Customer community has also fostered some great connections for us as communicators/administrators of the platform, and we've found significant value from the in-person events that Firstup puts on."

However, they also mention some drawbacks:

"There can be frequent team changes as far as who you work with, and as a customer who was previously on the Dynamic platform there are a handful of features from that platform that we REALLY wish could be carried over and implemented in the Firstup platform."

On the other hand, Guru users appreciate its ability to provide instant access to verified knowledge. A G2 reviewer says:

"Guru makes accessing information incredibly easy and convenient. The platform's intuitive design and automatic updates ensure that I receive the latest announcements and relevant info in real time. This saves me from needing to reach out to colleagues or support channels for updates, enabling me to work more efficiently. With Guru, I can quickly stay informed on any changes or new practices, making it an invaluable tool in my workflow."

Choosing the right tool for your team

If your primary need is distributing internal communications across multiple channels with AI-driven personalization, Firstup might be a good choice. However, if you're looking for a platform that provides instant access to trusted knowledge, integrates deeply into your workflow, and ensures information remains accurate over time, Guru is the better fit.

Want to see how Guru can transform the way your team accesses and manages knowledge? Check out our demo!