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Windmill vs Lattice: AI Performance Management vs Traditional HR

Compare Windmill and Lattice for performance management. See how AI-native automation stacks up against enterprise HR software for reviews, feedback, and employee engagement.

Windmill and Lattice both handle performance reviews, goals, and feedback—but take opposite approaches. Windmill automates everything through AI from day one. Lattice offers a comprehensive HR suite with AI added on top.

The choice depends on whether you want performance management that runs itself or a customizable enterprise platform.

What Is Windmill?

Windmill automates performance management through conversational AI. The AI assistant Windy works in Slack and Teams, syncing data from 20+ tools like GitHub, Jira, and Salesforce to track what employees accomplish.

Windy conducts reviews through natural conversations, generates 1:1 agendas automatically, and creates comprehensive reports without manual work.

Core features:

  • AI assistant conducting reviews via conversation
  • Auto-sync from GitHub, Jira, Asana, Salesforce, 20+ tools
  • AI-powered 1:1s with auto-generated agendas
  • Continuous feedback and weekly recaps
  • Performance review automation
  • Goal tracking with automated monitoring
  • Fast calibration dashboard

What Is Lattice?

Lattice is an enterprise HR platform covering performance reviews, engagement surveys, compensation, and HRIS. Founded in 2015, it offers a dashboard where HR teams manually configure cycles, surveys, and reports.

Recently added AI features help with summarization and coaching insights, but the platform requires significant manual setup and configuration.

Core features:

  • Customizable 360-degree review cycles
  • OKR and goal management
  • Engagement surveys and pulse checks
  • 1:1 meeting templates
  • Compensation and succession planning
  • HRIS with onboarding and payroll
  • AI summarization and coaching insights
  • Analytics dashboards

Key Differences

AI: Built-In vs Added On

Windmill runs on AI from the ground up. Windy conducts the entire performance process through conversations—no forms, no dashboards. Employees chat with Windy about work, and the AI combines this with data from integrated tools to create complete reports.

Result: 86% cycle time savings.

Lattice added AI features to its existing platform. The AI helps with tasks like summarization and answering questions, but managers still log into dashboards, configure cycles, and gather context manually.

Result: Users report spending weeks on performance reviews.

Where Work Happens

Windmill lives in Slack. Self-reviews, peer feedback, and 1:1 agendas happen in your team’s daily workspace. No separate login or context switching.

Lattice requires a separate platform. While it offers Slack integration for recognition, core workflows happen in the Lattice dashboard—valuable for compliance-focused teams, but overhead for speed-focused ones.

Performance Reviews

Windmill cuts review time from 3+ hours to 6 minutes:

  1. Windy chats with employees during the review period, gathering context. Self-reviews are 80% written when it’s time.
  2. Windy interviews peer nominees with thoughtful follow-ups.
  3. Managers get a complete report combining self-reviews, peer feedback, and tool data. They select key points and edit the draft.
  4. The calibration dashboard flags discrepancies, speeding up meetings.

Setup takes 5 minutes. Saves 6 hours per person, per cycle.

Lattice offers customizable cycles but remains manual. HR configures, employees fill forms, managers write from scratch. AI summarization helps condense feedback, but the process still takes weeks for larger teams.

Goal Tracking

Windmill monitors goals automatically by syncing project management data. Windy flags at-risk goals early. Check-ins happen through conversation without extra meetings.

Lattice offers robust OKRs with customizable frameworks, but requires manual updates and status meetings to stay aligned.

1:1 Meetings

Windmill auto-generates 1:1 agendas from Slack conversations, calendar events, and tool activity. Managers get data-backed talking points covering blockers, wins, and priorities—turning 1:1s into coaching sessions, not status updates.

Lattice provides templates for agendas and note-taking, but managers manually gather context and prepare talking points before each meeting.

Data Integration

Windmill syncs 20+ tools (GitHub, Jira, Asana, Salesforce, etc.) automatically. Managers see pull requests, tasks, deals, and collaboration without asking for updates.

Lattice integrates with HRIS systems (BambooHR, Workday, ADP) for employee data and org charts. Performance data—actual work—requires manual entry.

Setup

Windmill takes under an hour. Connect integrations, invite your team to Slack, launch a review cycle in 5 minutes.

Lattice requires two-week implementation with onboarding sessions. Custom cycles, integrations, and admin training take time upfront—worthwhile for enterprises, overhead for fast-moving teams.

Pricing

Windmill flat-rate:

  • $500/month (under 100 employees)
  • $1,000/month (101-250 employees)
  • $2,000/month (250-500 employees)
  • Enterprise (custom)

No per-employee fees. Unlimited reviews, feedback, 1:1s, goals.

Lattice per-employee pricing: $8-22/month depending on modules. Base Performance Management starts at $9 per employee. $4,000 annual minimum.

For 100 people: $900-2,200/month. As companies grow, Windmill’s flat rate becomes more advantageous.

When to Choose Windmill

Best for teams that want:

  • AI that runs performance management autonomously
  • 86% cycle time reduction (6 hours saved per person per cycle)
  • Data-driven reviews pulling from actual work tools
  • Performance management in Slack—no separate platform
  • Flat-rate pricing
  • Setup in under an hour
  • Modern, AI-native automation

Ideal for tech companies, startups, and firms doing work online who want continuous, automated performance management.

When to Choose Lattice

Best for organizations that need:

  • Comprehensive HR suite (performance, engagement, compensation, HRIS)
  • Highly customizable workflows with granular control
  • Compliance tools for regulated industries
  • Advanced analytics and benchmarking
  • Succession planning frameworks
  • Separate platform from daily tools
  • Established enterprise vendor

Works well for large enterprises with dedicated HR teams and complex compliance needs.

Bottom Line

Lattice built an HR platform over a decade and added AI on top. It’s powerful and customizable for HR teams wanting centralized control.

Windmill built with AI from day one. Windy runs performance reviews, not just assists. The result: less admin overhead, more time coaching and developing talent.

Large enterprise with deep HR needs? Lattice is solid.

Tired of reviews consuming weeks? Want continuous, automated performance management? Try Windmill.