CliftonStrengths alternative

The whole picture, not just your strengths

CliftonStrengths identifies what you are naturally good at and gives you a language for it. It gives less attention to the rest. Polaris covers your strengths and the more difficult half: blind spots, behavior under pressure, friction with opposite styles, and how others experience you.

Try Polaris for $14.99
One-off payment. No subscription. Around 15 minutes.

Why look for an alternative to CliftonStrengths?

People searching for a CliftonStrengths alternative have usually found value in identifying their talents but want the other half of the picture. Polaris Profile is an alternative to CliftonStrengths that covers your strengths and your blind spots, pressure behavior and friction with opposite styles, individually written from your answers, for a single price of $14.99, with the complete report included.

CliftonStrengths and Polaris, side by side

The two are built for different purposes. The differences below are the ones that matter in practice.

CliftonStrengths
The strengths specialist

Strengths first, by design

Gallup’s philosophy is to develop talent and manage weakness. The full 34 report does note potential blind spots, but the emphasis throughout is on what you do well rather than what trips you up.

34 named themes

Your result ranks 34 themes like Achiever and Woo. The core theme descriptions are shared by everyone with that theme, with some personalized report content on top.

Two price tiers

Top 5 strengths for $19.99, or your full 34 ranking for $49.99.

Wide workplace adoption

Tens of millions of completions and a network of Gallup certified coaches.

Polaris Profile
The individually written profile

Strengths and blind spots

Your strengths, your blind spots, your under-pressure pattern and how to work with your opposite, all in one report. Development needs both.

Written, not ranked

Your four colors and 32 facets are scored, but the profile itself is around 3,000 words written from your answers, not a ranked list of themes.

One price

$14.99, one-off, at launch. The full profile is included.

What the team gains

Your report includes a section on what a team gains with you in it. Your online profile also shows your results mapped to DISC, the Big Five and Learning Styles.

The design difference is simple: CliftonStrengths names your talents. Polaris describes your working self as a whole, including the areas that need attention. If identifying your strengths was useful, the next question is what sits behind them. Polaris answers that question.

The details

CliftonStrengths Polaris Profile
Price $19.99 for Top 5, $49.99 for all 34 $14.99 launch price, reduced from $49.00
Time Around 30 to 45 minutes, 177 paired statements Around 15 minutes, 25 sets of four statements
Result A ranked list of 34 talent themes A percentage color mix and an exact map position
Covers weaknesses? Briefly, in the full 34 report. The emphasis is on strengths Yes. Blind spots, pressure behavior and friction styles included
Written for you? Theme descriptions with some personalization Yes. Every profile is individually generated from your specific answers
How you buy Online from Gallup, tiered reports Buy online, complete it today, download your PDF

An honest guide to choosing

Choose CliftonStrengths if you

  • Want a vocabulary focused on talents rather than blind spots
  • Only want to see your strengths, without a comprehensive profile
  • Are content with a report made of paragraphs written in advance, where your answers decide which ones you receive

Choose Polaris if you

  • Want your blind spots and pressure patterns described, not only your talents
  • Prefer a profile written from your own answers
  • Want the complete report for $14.99 rather than a two-tier purchase

Questions

Does Polaris cover strengths too?
Yes. Your report includes a strengths section drawn from your color mix and 32 facets, plus what a team gains with you in it. The difference is that Polaris pairs them with blind spots and pressure behavior, because the two halves explain each other.
Why does covering weaknesses matter?
Blind spots grow out of strengths, which is why people rarely see their own. A profile that only names talents leaves out the patterns most likely to cause friction at work, and those are often the patterns colleagues notice.

More comparisons

Polaris vs DISC Polaris vs MBTI Polaris vs 16personalities Polaris vs Hogan Polaris vs the Enneagram Polaris vs Big Five Polaris vs Eysenck All comparisons

So, what's your color?

One questionnaire. Fifteen minutes. Around 3,000 words written from your answers.

Start the questionnaire