Softwr

Recruitment · head to head

Bullhorn vs Freshteam

Bullhorn logo

Bullhorn

Recruitment

Applicant tracking and CRM for staffing and recruitment agencies, including contract placement, timesheets and pay-bill

From
On request
Rated
-
Freshteam logo

Freshteam

HR

Smart HR software for growing businesses

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Freshteam has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Bullhorn pricing is per user on annual contracts with minimum seat counts, so agencies with seasonal consultants pay for licences that sit idle for months.; Freshteam no pricing information published on the website
  • They diverge on capability: Bullhorn covers Recruitment CRM, Freshteam covers Applicant Tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bullhorn and Freshteam actually diverge.

Attributes where Bullhorn and Freshteam differ
AttributeBullhornFreshteam
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotesubscription
Free tierNoYes
CategoryRecruitmentHR
FoundedUnknown2010

Identical on both: platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Bullhorn

  • Recruitment CRM
  • Applicant tracking
  • Pay and bill
  • Bullhorn Automation
  • Analytics
  • Executive search
  • Salesforce edition

Only in Freshteam

  • Applicant Tracking
  • Time Off
  • Employee Directory
  • Time Tracking
  • Documents
  • Org Chart
  • Freshdesk
  • Freshsales

Both cover

  • Onboarding

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Bullhorn

  • A contract staffing agency that needs worked hours to become both a worker payment and a client invoice against one placement recordnot Freshteam
  • A recruitment firm where consultants sell to clients and manage candidates in the same working daynot Freshteam
  • An agency consolidating several acquired offices onto one system of recordnot Freshteam
  • An executive search practice needing assignment-based workflow rather than requisition-based trackingnot Freshteam

Freshteam

  • Onboarding new hires through automated employee lifecycle workflowsnot Bullhorn
  • Processing expense and procurement approvals without manual email routingnot Bullhorn
  • Managing maintenance requests with centralized tracking and approval trailsnot Bullhorn
  • Automating contract reviews and document request handlingnot Bullhorn
  • Routing HR, Finance, Facilities, Legal requests through structured catalogsnot Bullhorn

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Bullhorn

  • Pricing is per user on annual contracts with minimum seat counts, so agencies with seasonal consultants pay for licences that sit idle for months.
  • The product estate has been assembled through a decade of acquisitions, which leaves overlapping modules, inconsistent interfaces and more than one supported way to do the same task.
  • Implementation and data migration are multi-month projects requiring paid services, and agencies moving from another system routinely underestimate the effort of cleaning candidate and client records first.
  • The interface is dated relative to newer recruitment tools, and consultants coming from consumer-grade software need real training rather than picking it up unaided.
  • It is built for agency economics and is a poor fit for corporate in-house hiring, where the client and margin concepts are meaningless and the licence cost buys capability that will never be used.

Freshteam

  • No pricing information published on the website
  • Requires contacting sales or requesting a demo for pricing details

Pricing, plan by plan

Bullhorn

On request
  • Bullhorn ATS and CRM$undefined/year
    • Priced per user per month on an annual contract
    • Minimum user counts apply
    • Implementation and data migration quoted separately

Freshteam

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 50 Employees
    • Basic ATS
    • Time Off
  • Growth$1.2/month
    • All Free features
    • Onboarding
    • Time Tracking
  • Pro$2.4/month
    • All Growth features
    • Custom Reports
    • Advanced Workflows

Which should you pick?

Choose Bullhorn if

  • You need recruitment crm.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want applicant tracking.

Choose Freshteam if

  • You need applicant tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want time off.

Questions people ask

Is Bullhorn or Freshteam better?
Neither clearly leads. Bullhorn starts at On request and Freshteam at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bullhorn or Freshteam?
Freshteam has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Bullhorn and Free for Freshteam.
Does Bullhorn or Freshteam run on more platforms?
Bullhorn runs on Web, iOS, Android. Freshteam runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Freshteam for free?
Yes. Freshteam has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Bullhorn starts at On request.
What is Bullhorn best used for?
Bullhorn is most often used for a contract staffing agency that needs worked hours to become both a worker payment and a client invoice against one placement record, a recruitment firm where consultants sell to clients and manage candidates in the same working day, an agency consolidating several acquired offices onto one system of record, an executive search practice needing assignment-based workflow rather than requisition-based tracking. Of those, a contract staffing agency that needs worked hours to become both a worker payment and a client invoice against one placement record and a recruitment firm where consultants sell to clients and manage candidates in the same working day are not what Freshteam is typically brought in for.
What can Bullhorn do that Freshteam cannot?
Bullhorn covers Recruitment CRM, Applicant tracking, Pay and bill, Bullhorn Automation. Freshteam covers Applicant Tracking, Time Off, Employee Directory, Time Tracking. Both handle Onboarding.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Bullhorn: Is Bullhorn suitable for in-house corporate recruiting?

No. It is built around client relationships, margins and placements. Corporate teams should buy a requisition-based ATS instead.

Freshteam: How much does Freshteam cost?

Freshteam (formerly Freshservice HRMS) does not publish specific pricing information. The vendor focuses on describing product features and benefits across HR, Finance, Facilities, and Legal departments on their public website.

Source
Bullhorn: Who owns Bullhorn?

Insight Partners has held a majority stake since 2012, and the company has grown substantially through acquisition since then.

Freshteam: Does Freshteam offer a free version?

Freshteam includes a 'Start for free' call-to-action on their website, suggesting a freemium model or free trial option. However, specific details about free tier capabilities or duration are not published.

Source
Bullhorn: Does it handle temporary worker payroll?

It captures time, calculates pay and bill rates and produces payroll and invoicing outputs. Actual payroll processing is done by a payroll provider it exports to.

Bullhorn: What does implementation involve?

Data migration, workflow configuration and training, typically several months for an established agency, with services charged on top of the licence.

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