Software · head to head
Folk vs BambooHR
The short version
- Only Folk has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Folk no native mobile app, only works through mobile browser which is not optimized for phones; BambooHR organisations of 25 or fewer employees pay a flat rate starting at $250 a month, so a very small team pays far more per head than the listed per-employee price
- They diverge on capability: Folk covers Contact management, BambooHR covers Employee database.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Folk and BambooHR actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 Folk
- Contact management
- Email tracking
- Mail merge
- Chrome extension
- Tags & groups
- Notes & activities
- Import/export
- Search & filters
Only in BambooHR
- Employee database
- Time-off management
- Benefits tracking
- Performance reviews
- Onboarding
- Reporting & analytics
- Mobile access
- Document management
Both cover
- GDPR
- Data encryption
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Folk
- Contact managementnot BambooHR
- Sales outreachnot BambooHR
- Networkingnot BambooHR
- Recruitmentnot BambooHR
- Investor relationsnot BambooHR
BambooHR
- HR system of record with employee data and documentsnot Folk
- Time off tracking and approvalsnot Folk
- Applicant tracking and onboardingnot Folk
- Performance reviews and 1:1s on the Pro tiernot Folk
- Compensation planning and benchmarking on Elitenot Folk
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Folk
- No native mobile app, only works through mobile browser which is not optimized for phones
- Limited workflow automation capabilities compared to enterprise CRMs
- No automatic phone call tracking, requires manual entry
- Limited reporting and analytics features
- Monthly caps on email sends and enrichment credits on lower tiers
- LinkedIn Chrome extension sometimes has synchronization problems
- Email sent through Folk sometimes doesn't appear as sent in user's Outlook account
BambooHR
- Organisations of 25 or fewer employees pay a flat rate starting at $250 a month, so a very small team pays far more per head than the listed per-employee price
- Per-employee pricing starts at 26 employees, from $10 on Core
- Performance management, 360 reviews and recognition all require Pro at $17 per employee per month
- Compensation management, salary benchmarking and advanced analytics are Elite only at $25 per employee per month
- Compliance training is rationed by tier, at 1 course on Core against 300 on Elite
Pricing, plan by plan
Folk
Free- Standard$24/month
- Pipeline management
- Email campaigns
- Contact enrichment
- Premium$48/month
- Custom objects
- Email sequences
- Dashboards
- Enterprise$80/month
- Dedicated account manager
- Custom integrations
- Priority support
BambooHR
$10/month per employeeNo published plan breakdown. See the BambooHR review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Folk if
- You need contact management.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want email tracking.
Choose BambooHR if
- You need employee database.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
- You also want time-off management.
Questions people ask
- Is Folk or BambooHR better?
- Neither clearly leads. Folk starts at Free and BambooHR at $10/month per employee, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Folk or BambooHR?
- Folk has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Folk and $10/month per employee for BambooHR.
- Does Folk or BambooHR run on more platforms?
- Folk runs on Web. BambooHR runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
- Can I use Folk for free?
- Yes. Folk has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. BambooHR starts at $10/month per employee.
- What is Folk best used for?
- Folk is most often used for contact management, sales outreach, networking, recruitment. Of those, contact management and sales outreach are not what BambooHR is typically brought in for.
- What can Folk do that BambooHR cannot?
- Folk covers Contact management, Email tracking, Mail merge, Chrome extension. BambooHR covers Employee database, Time-off management, Benefits tracking, Performance reviews. Both handle LinkedIn, GDPR, Data encryption.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Folk: What are Folk's pricing plans?
Folk offers three plans: Standard at $24/month per member (billed annually), Premium at $48/month with custom objects and email sequences, and Enterprise from $80/month with advanced security and dedicated support. New workspaces get a 2-week free trial with all Premium features.
SourceFolk: Does Folk offer a mobile app?
Folk does not have native iOS or Android apps. The web interface technically works on mobile browsers but is built primarily for desktop use.
SourceFolk: Does Folk track phone calls automatically?
No, Folk does not automatically track phone calls. All call interactions must be manually entered into the system.
SourceFolk: What integrations does Folk support?
Folk supports over 5,000 integrations through platforms like Zapier and Make. It includes native email, calendar, and WhatsApp sync, LinkedIn extension, and can enrich contact data using its built-in enrichment tool.
Source