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HR · head to head

Freshteam vs Guild

Freshteam logo

Freshteam

HR

Smart HR software for growing businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Guild logo

Guild

HR

Employer-funded education benefit administered as a curated marketplace of degree and skilling programmes

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Freshteam has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Freshteam no pricing information published on the website; Guild no pricing is published at any level, and because the programme cost combines a platform relationship with tuition funding, comparing Guild against running reimbursement in-house requires modelling that Guild is best placed to supply and least neutral about.
  • They diverge on capability: Freshteam covers Applicant Tracking, Guild covers Curated provider network.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Freshteam and Guild actually diverge.

Attributes where Freshteam and Guild differ
AttributeFreshteamGuild
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
Founded2010Unknown

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

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 Freshteam

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

Only in Guild

  • Curated provider network
  • Direct tuition payment
  • Coaching
  • Career pathing
  • Talent analytics
  • Benefit administration
  • Financial aid navigation

What people use each for

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

Freshteam

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

Guild

  • A retailer with high hourly turnover that wants an education benefit with take-up rather than a reimbursement policy nobody claimsnot Freshteam
  • An employer trying to build internal pipelines into hard-to-fill roles from its existing frontline workforcenot Freshteam
  • A company that wants participation and completion reporting to justify the benefit to a finance committeenot Freshteam
  • Replacing an in-house tuition reimbursement scheme whose administrative burden falls on an HR team that cannot advise on programme choicenot Freshteam

Where each one falls short

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

Freshteam

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

Guild

  • No pricing is published at any level, and because the programme cost combines a platform relationship with tuition funding, comparing Guild against running reimbursement in-house requires modelling that Guild is best placed to supply and least neutral about.
  • The provider network is curated, so an employee who wants a specific local institution or an unusual specialism may find it is not available, which undercuts the benefit for exactly the motivated employees you most want to retain.
  • The whole model assumes US higher education, accreditation and federal financial aid, so it does not extend to a multinational workforce and cannot be a global benefit.
  • The retention case rests on outcome measurement that the vendor supplies, and independent scrutiny during 2025 and 2026 has questioned completion and career-mobility results, so a buyer should insist on raw participation and completion data rather than curated case studies.
  • Value depends almost entirely on take-up among frontline staff, and take-up depends on manager encouragement and shift scheduling that Guild does not control, so an employer with weak middle management can pay for a benefit that goes largely unused.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Guild

On request
  • Career Opportunity Platform$undefined/year
    • Enterprise agreement with no published rate card
    • Priced against workforce size and programme scope
    • Tuition funding is a separate employer cost from the platform relationship

Which should you pick?

Choose Freshteam if

  • You need applicant tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want onboarding.
Freshteam review

Choose Guild if

  • You need curated provider network.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want direct tuition payment.
Guild review

Questions people ask

Is Freshteam or Guild better?
Neither clearly leads. Freshteam starts at Free and Guild at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Freshteam or Guild?
Freshteam has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Freshteam and On request for Guild.
Does Freshteam or Guild run on more platforms?
Freshteam runs on Web, Ios, Android. Guild runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Freshteam for free?
Yes. Freshteam has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Guild starts at On request.
What is Freshteam best used for?
Freshteam is most often used for onboarding new hires through automated employee lifecycle workflows, processing expense and procurement approvals without manual email routing, managing maintenance requests with centralized tracking and approval trails, automating contract reviews and document request handling. Of those, onboarding new hires through automated employee lifecycle workflows and processing expense and procurement approvals without manual email routing are not what Guild is typically brought in for.
What can Freshteam do that Guild cannot?
Freshteam covers Applicant Tracking, Onboarding, Time Off, Employee Directory. Guild covers Curated provider network, Direct tuition payment, Coaching, Career pathing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Guild: Is Guild the same as Guild Education?

Yes. The company dropped Education from its name in 2023 when it repositioned around career mobility rather than degree programmes alone.

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
Guild: Who pays, the employer or the employee?

The employer funds the benefit and pays Guild. Employees generally access approved programmes without paying tuition upfront.

Guild: Can employees study anywhere?

No. Programmes come from a curated network of vetted academic and skilling providers, which is the point of the model but also its main limitation.

Guild: Does Guild work outside the United States?

No. It is built around US institutions, accreditation and financial aid.

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