FAQ
Things teams ask before they sign up.
Six categories. Search if you know what you're looking for, or browse below.
Getting started
How do I get started with LVL Up Performance?
Sign up for a free account, complete the guided onboarding wizard to set up your company profile, and invite your team. The wizard walks you through goals, performance review cycles, and feedback systems. Most teams are up and running in minutes.
Is there a free tier available?
Yes. The Free plan is free forever for teams of up to 10 people, with core performance features included. No credit card required. Every new workspace also gets a 14-day trial of the full feature set. For larger teams, paid plans add capacity and advanced features.
How long does it take to set up?
Basic setup takes minutes. The guided onboarding walks you through company setup, team structure, and basic configuration. For larger enterprises, we can help with a customized rollout plan.
Can I import data from my existing HR or performance system?
Yes — CSV imports for employees, departments, and historical performance data. If you're coming from BambooHR, Workday, or Lattice, export your data and email the founder — he'll personally help you map the fields and get it imported.
Do I need technical expertise to use it?
No. The product is designed to be intuitive with drag-and-drop interfaces, pre-built templates, and step-by-step guides. Comprehensive help docs and live support back it up.
Can I customize the platform for my company's needs?
Yes. You can tailor review templates, goal frameworks, and feedback categories to your company values. Custom branding is available on Norming and Performing. Custom workflows are on the roadmap and are not included today.
Pricing & billing
What pricing tiers are available?
Five tiers based on Tuckman's Team Development Model: Free (up to 10 people), Forming ($29/mo, up to 25), Storming ($79/mo, up to 100), Norming ($149/mo, up to 500), Performing ($299/mo, unlimited). Flat monthly rate, no per-seat fees.
What's included in the Free plan?
Free for teams of up to 10. Includes basic goal setting, simple feedback tools, employee recognition, and the team directory with org chart. No credit card. Upgrade when you need more capacity or advanced features.
Monthly or annual billing?
Both. Annual subscriptions get a 20% discount (two months free). You can switch billing cycles any time and we'll prorate.
Can I cancel any time?
Yes — one click in account settings, no calls required. You retain access until the end of the current billing period. No lock-in contracts.
What's your refund policy?
If you're not getting value in your first 30 days on a paid plan, email us and we'll work out a refund — we err on the side of the customer. Annual subscriptions can be prorated for unused months. The binding details are in our Terms of Service.
Are there hidden fees?
No. Every plan is a flat monthly rate. HR tools, storage, data export, and core integrations are included.
Do you offer enterprise or custom pricing?
Performing is a self-serve $299/month plan with unlimited team members, phone support, and a dedicated account manager. SSO/SAML and custom workflows are on the roadmap, not included today. Contact us if you need help evaluating fit or planning a rollout.
Discounts for nonprofits or education?
Yes — we offer discounts for verified nonprofits and educational institutions. Email us with your organization details and we'll set one up for you.
Features
How do Goals and OKRs work?
Cascading objectives from company level down to individuals. Quarterly OKRs with measurable key results, visual progress, dependent goal links, and alignment views that show how individual work connects to company priorities.
What is 360-degree feedback and how does it work?
Multi-source feedback — self, manager, peers, and external stakeholders. Easy to request, collect, and aggregate. Responses can be anonymous or attributed; AI-powered insights surface patterns and growth areas.
How do performance reviews work?
Fully customizable review cycles (quarterly, semi-annual, annual). Pre-built or custom templates, self-assessments, multi-rater feedback, and approval workflows. Reviews integrate with goals and continuous feedback data.
What is LVL Proof?
A career portfolio that travels with the employee — verified accomplishments, completed goals, received recognition, and feedback highlights bundled into a portable professional portfolio.
How does the recognition and rewards system work?
Peer-to-peer kudos, manager shoutouts, company-wide celebrations. Recognition tied to company values, with a social feed showcasing achievements. Optional rewards integration attaches points or gift cards. Leaderboards and badges add a gamified layer.
What HR features are included?
Employee directory, org charts, PTO/time-off tracking, benefits enrollment, document management, employee profiles, and payroll exports. A complete people-management surface, not just performance.
1:1 meeting support?
Agenda templates, talking-point suggestions, action item tracking, meeting notes history, and built-in video calls. 1:1 insights feed performance reviews. Google Calendar sync is in flight.
Analytics and reporting?
Dashboard for goal completion rates, review scores, feedback trends, engagement metrics, and recognition patterns. CSV export throughout, with predictive analytics on higher tiers.
Manager team-tracking?
Dedicated manager dashboard with team goals, pending reviews, feedback received, recognition given, upcoming 1:1s. Team health indicators, manager effectiveness coaching insights based on engagement data.
AI-powered features?
Feedback summarization, writing assistance for reviews, role-aware goal suggestions, sentiment analysis, predictive engagement analytics. AI helps speed and insight without replacing human judgment.
How does eNPS work?
Standard NPS formula applied to pulse-survey responses. Color-coded scores (green >30, yellow 0–30, red <0), 12-week trend charts, department drill-down, and auto-generated action items based on score thresholds.
How does the Manager Approval Hub work?
Unified queue at /approvals for PTO requests, document acknowledgments, and time entry approvals. One-click approve or deny per item. No tab-switching across pages.
Can I manage PTO and time off?
Yes — request, approve, and adjust balances with an audit trail. Export Report downloads a real CSV with balances, accrued hours, and usage. Accrual rules, carryover policies, and blackout periods are configurable.
Drag-and-drop org chart?
Yes — at /team/org-chart. Reassign reporting lines by dragging. The system blocks circular references. Cards show XP level badges and engagement indicators.
Recognition + company values?
When giving recognition, tag the value the person demonstrated (Innovation, Teamwork, Leadership, etc.). Admins create and manage custom badges in /settings/badges. Visibility controls cover public, team-only, and private.
Security & privacy
Where does my data live?
Managed PostgreSQL on Supabase, hosted in SOC 2 certified US data centers. App on Vercel. Your data never lives on a laptop, thumb drive, or shared spreadsheet. Full details on the Security page; a downloadable whitepaper is available.
How is my data encrypted?
TLS 1.2+ in transit (HSTS enforced). AES-256 at rest at the database level. Sensitive fields like SSNs and salary get an extra AES-256-GCM field-level encryption layer with per-account keys, so raw DB access alone doesn't expose them.
Can other companies using LVL Up see our data?
No. Row-Level Security policies enforced at the PostgreSQL level guarantee data isolation between organizations. Database-enforced, not just application logic.
Two-Factor Authentication?
Yes — authenticator apps (Google Authenticator, Authy, 1Password) and backup recovery codes. Admins can require 2FA org-wide. Accounts auto-lock after repeated failed login attempts.
Who can see SSNs and salary?
Only HR Admin and Payroll Admin roles. Sensitive fields are encrypted with per-account keys; every access is logged with who, when, and from where. IP allowlisting and MFA enforcement are available for HR admin functions.
SOC 2 and compliance?
Infrastructure providers (Vercel, Supabase, Stripe) maintain SOC 2 Type II. Our application follows SOC 2 aligned practices including access controls, encryption, monitoring, and audit logging. OWASP Top 10 protections, NIST password guidelines, GDPR/CCPA aligned, PCI DSS Level 1 via Stripe.
Who owns the data?
You do. We're custodians. Export at any time in CSV, JSON, or PDF. We never sell your data or use it outside delivering our service.
How often do you back up data?
Automatic daily backups with 7-day retention and point-in-time recovery. Encrypted, stored separately from the primary database in geographically isolated infrastructure.
What if a device is lost or stolen?
Users and admins can view and revoke active sessions instantly. Accounts are protected by MFA. Session cookies are HTTP-only with SameSite=strict to prevent session theft.
Downloadable security document?
Yes. Visit /security and download the Security Whitepaper PDF — encryption, isolation, authentication, compliance, infrastructure, FAQs. Share it with leadership, IT, or prospects.
Integrations
What integrations does LVL Up support?
Slack, Google sign-in and Calendar, CSV import/export, and our REST API are available today. Microsoft Teams and Zapier are in flight. Full list with status (Available / In flight / On request) on the Integrations page.
Can LVL Up sync with my HRIS?
BambooHR sync is in flight, and Workday/ADP integrations are on the roadmap — reach out and we'll scope a custom build for your team on the Performing tier. In the meantime, CSV import covers employees, departments, and historical data.
Single Sign-On?
Google OAuth sign-in is available today. SAML 2.0 SSO — Okta, Azure AD, Google Workspace, OneLogin, Ping Identity — is planned for the Performing tier and coming soon.
Is there an API for custom integrations?
API access is included on the Storming plan and above: API-key read endpoints for employees, goals, recognition, review cycles, and feedback, plus outbound webhooks for the events we emit — OpenAPI docs at /api-docs.
Slack or Microsoft Teams?
Slack is live today for recognition shout-outs, with more notification types rolling out. Microsoft Teams is in flight.
Support
What support channels are available?
Free is self-serve. Forming includes email support. Storming and Norming add priority chat and email. Performing adds phone support and a dedicated account manager.
Support hours and response times?
Support is founder-led — you usually get a reply within a day, often much sooner. Higher tiers get priority handling. We'd rather be honest about being a small team than promise a fake SLA.
Onboarding assistance?
All paid plans include complimentary onboarding — account setup, data migration help, admin training, best-practice guidance. Enterprise customers get dedicated implementation managers.
Training resources?
Help center with video tutorials, step-by-step guides, webinars, best-practice docs. Live training for admins and end-users. Monthly Office Hours for direct product-team Q&A.
Reporting bugs or requesting features?
Bugs via in-app chat, email, or help center. Feature requests on the public roadmap — submit ideas, vote on others'. Many of our best features came from customer requests.
Still stuck?
Email the founder. Most replies come back within a day.