Polinode

Polinode is browser-based software for organizational network analysis. It is strongest for people analytics teams, consultants and researchers who need to collect or import relationship data and examine how connections form across an organization.

Overview

Polinode brings network data collection, visualization and analysis together. Teams can build a network from customizable relationship surveys, import Excel, GEXF or JSON files, or use passive data queries on organization accounts. Surveys can also collect demographic, engagement, culture and open-text responses, useful context when a study needs to explain connections rather than simply map them.

The visualization tool supports networks of up to 50,000 nodes and 250,000 edges, with more than 30 metrics on paid plans. This capacity and metric range suit substantial organizational studies, but the free plan’s six basic metrics make it better for an initial or limited analysis than ongoing work that depends on richer measures. AI networks chat can answer questions about network data, calculate metrics, interpret results and find shortest paths.

Key features

Surveys, imports and integrations

Custom surveys let teams gather relationship data alongside broader workforce responses. File imports provide a route for existing network data, while passive integrations can access metadata from Office 365, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace and Slack. Polinode says those integrations do not read or store message content, and connected data refreshes daily. Passive integrations require an organization account, so individuals cannot use them on the lower-cost individual plans.

Network analysis and security

Paid plans include all 30-plus metrics, while the free plan is limited to six basic metrics. Polinode says it is AICPA SOC 2 certified, encrypts stored data with AES-256 and uses SSL/TLS for transmission. Its infrastructure is hosted in AWS Ireland; other AWS regions may be supported on request. These stated safeguards and hosting arrangements may matter to organizations evaluating a workforce-data tool, though hosting outside Ireland should be discussed directly if required.

Pricing

Polinode uses a freemium model. Its free and individual paid plans are single-user accounts; respondent credits cost $2 per respondent where needed. The plan choice turns on private-network access, analysis depth and the number of views each network can hold.

Plan	Price and terms	What it includes
Free	free, billed per month	1 user, 5 public networks, 6 basic metrics, community support and $2 per respondent credit if needed. No private networks.
Lite	$40 a month, billed per month	1 user, up to 50 public networks, 5 private networks, all 30+ metrics, 5 views per network, $2 per respondent credit and email support.
Professional	$80 a month, billed per month	1 user, up to 50 public networks, 50 private networks, all 30+ metrics, 200 views per network, roll-up functionality, template views, $2 per respondent credit and email support.
Consultant	Custom pricing	Multiple users, all 30+ metrics, 50 private networks per user, an account manager, 24/7 support with an SLA and volume discounts for respondent credits.
Enterprise	Custom pricing	Multiple users, all 30+ metrics, 50 private networks per user, an account manager and 24/7 support with an SLA; passive integrations are optional extra.

Free is suitable for a small public-network project, but it excludes private networks and most metrics. Lite is the entry point for private analysis and the full metric set; its five views per network may constrain teams that need to present many versions of a network. Professional costs twice as much as Lite but raises the private-network allowance to 50 and the view limit to 200, and adds roll-up functionality and template views. Consultant and Enterprise are the choices for multiple users and higher-touch support; Enterprise is the plan that can add passive integrations. A free trial is available.

Platforms

Polinode runs in a web browser. That keeps access centered on a browser-based workflow rather than a separate desktop or mobile app.

Who it's for

People leaders and people analytics teams can use Polinode to examine workplace relationships and pair network data with engagement, culture or demographic responses. Consultants, academics, researchers, not-for-profits, and developers or software vendors are also among its intended users. Its survey and import options suit studies that begin with collected responses or existing network files; organizations seeking passive metadata analysis need an organization account and should account for the optional extra on Enterprise.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Surveys combine relationship mapping with demographic, engagement, culture and open-text questions, giving a study useful workforce context.
• Excel, GEXF and JSON imports support existing network data, while the visualization capacity reaches 50,000 nodes and 250,000 edges.
• Paid plans provide more than 30 metrics, and Professional adds 200 views per network plus roll-up functionality and template views.
• Polinode states that passive integrations use metadata rather than message content, an important distinction for workplace data collection.

Cons

• The free account has no private networks and only six basic metrics, limiting its usefulness for confidential or deeper analysis.
• Lite and Professional are each limited to one user, so teams needing multiple accounts must consider custom-priced organizational plans.
• Passive integrations are unavailable to individual accounts and are an optional extra on Enterprise.
• Lite’s five views per network may be restrictive for projects that need multiple network views.

Alternatives

For broader HR and relationship-focused categories, browse HR Analytics Software and Relationship Intelligence Software.

• Zoho Analytics is worth considering if a free self-hosted option with two users, 10,000 rows and five workspaces better fits the job than organizational network analysis.
• Workday Adaptive Planning is a paid option with a 30-day trial and broad platform support.
• PeoplesHR People Analytics is a paid web and mobile option whose Manage plan covers HR records, organizational structure, employee lifecycle management, standard dashboards and alerts.
• Reejig is a paid alternative with a listed $250,000.00 USD per 12 months price and a 12-month contract.
• OrgMapper is another paid web-based option.
• Parity Software is a paid web option with a free trial plan covering up to three employees and three job descriptions, pay equity analysis, demographic reporting and “What if” pay scenarios.
• ChartHop is a paid web option with a Core plan that includes people analytics, dashboards, AI insights, an org chart, employee profiles, a map view and a company calendar.

Verdict

Choose Polinode if you need browser-based organizational network analysis built around surveys, imported files or network metrics. Its combination of collection methods, substantial network capacity and paid-plan analysis tools gives people analytics teams and researchers a focused toolkit. Look elsewhere if you need passive integrations on an individual account, private networks on the free plan, or multiple seats without moving to custom pricing.