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Recruitment · head to head

Gem vs Greenhouse

Gem logo

Gem

Recruitment

Recruiting CRM and AI sourcing tool that layers onto an existing ATS or replaces it

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Greenhouse logo

Greenhouse

Technology

Hiring software for growing companies

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Gem pricing outside the small-startup tier is entirely custom and not published, so mid-size and enterprise buyers cannot benchmark cost before a sales call; Greenhouse core plan lacks talent discovery and contact lookups
  • They diverge on capability: Gem covers AI sourcing, Greenhouse covers Applicant tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Gem and Greenhouse actually diverge.

Attributes where Gem and Greenhouse differ
AttributeGemGreenhouse
Pricing modelPer user per month, by company size and seat typequote
PlatformsWeb, Chrome ExtensionWeb, Ios, Android, Api
CategoryRecruitmentTechnology
FoundedUnknown2012

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), 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 Gem

  • AI sourcing
  • Outreach sequences
  • ATS sync or replace
  • Analytics
  • Talent rediscovery

Only in Greenhouse

  • Applicant tracking
  • Interview scheduling
  • Scorecard system
  • Job board posting
  • Candidate CRM
  • Reporting & analytics
  • Offer management
  • EEO compliance

What people use each for

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

Gem

  • A talent acquisition team that wants sourcing, outreach and pipeline analytics without replacing an existing ATS such as Greenhouse or Workdaynot Greenhouse
  • An early-stage startup under 30 employees that qualifies for Gem's startup discount programme and wants sourcing tooling from day onenot Greenhouse
  • A company evaluating whether to consolidate its recruiting stack by moving off a separate ATS entirely onto Gem All-in-Onenot Greenhouse
  • A recruiting team that wants to resurface past applicants already in their data before opening a new external sourcing campaignnot Greenhouse

Greenhouse

  • Enterprise hiring and recruiting automationnot Gem
  • Multi-location and multi-team talent acquisitionnot Gem
  • Structured interview process managementnot Gem

Where each one falls short

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

Gem

  • Pricing outside the small-startup tier is entirely custom and not published, so mid-size and enterprise buyers cannot benchmark cost before a sales call
  • Choosing Gem All-in-One as an ATS replacement is a much larger migration decision than adding a sourcing layer, and the sales process does not surface that distinction clearly upfront
  • Seat types (standard versus AI-powered) gate which features a given recruiter can use, so a team can under-provision seats and lose access to sourcing features they assumed were included
  • The startup discount programme has eligibility cutoffs by employee count and age of company, so growing past 30 employees or beyond early stage removes the cheaper pricing path
  • Outreach effectiveness depends on email deliverability and candidate response rates that Gem does not control, so ROI varies by how saturated a company's target talent pool already is with recruiter outreach
  • Switching from Gem back to a standalone ATS after adopting All-in-One means re-migrating hiring pipeline data a second time, which is a cost most buyers do not model at signup

Greenhouse

  • Core plan lacks talent discovery and contact lookups
  • Core plan lacks email automation and applicant texting
  • Plus plan lacks resume anonymisation and application limits
  • Plus plan lacks audit logging and developer tools
  • Pricing customised by hiring volume and company size, not published
  • Only Pro tier offers audit logs and developer sandbox

Pricing, plan by plan

Gem

On request
  • Startup (1-10 FTE)$130/month
    • AI sourcing and CRM
    • Analytics
    • Scheduling
  • Gem + Your ATS / All-in-One$undefined/year
    • Custom pricing by FTE count and seat type

Greenhouse

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Greenhouse review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Gem if

  • You need ai sourcing.
  • You work on Web, Chrome Extension.
  • You also want outreach sequences.
Gem review

Choose Greenhouse if

  • You need applicant tracking.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want interview scheduling.
Greenhouse review

Questions people ask

Is Gem or Greenhouse better?
Neither clearly leads. Gem starts at On request and Greenhouse at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Gem or Greenhouse?
Gem starts at On request and Greenhouse at On request.
Does Gem or Greenhouse run on more platforms?
Gem runs on Web, Chrome Extension. Greenhouse runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
What is Gem best used for?
Gem is most often used for a talent acquisition team that wants sourcing, outreach and pipeline analytics without replacing an existing ats such as greenhouse or workday, an early-stage startup under 30 employees that qualifies for gem's startup discount programme and wants sourcing tooling from day one, a company evaluating whether to consolidate its recruiting stack by moving off a separate ats entirely onto gem all-in-one, a recruiting team that wants to resurface past applicants already in their data before opening a new external sourcing campaign. Of those, a talent acquisition team that wants sourcing, outreach and pipeline analytics without replacing an existing ats such as greenhouse or workday and an early-stage startup under 30 employees that qualifies for gem's startup discount programme and wants sourcing tooling from day one are not what Greenhouse is typically brought in for.
What can Gem do that Greenhouse cannot?
Gem covers AI sourcing, Outreach sequences, ATS sync or replace, Analytics. Greenhouse covers Applicant tracking, Interview scheduling, Scorecard system, Job board posting.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Gem: Do we need to replace our ATS to use Gem?

No, Gem can run alongside an existing ATS purely for sourcing and CRM; Gem All-in-One is a separate option that includes its own ATS.

Greenhouse: How much does Greenhouse cost?

Greenhouse does not publish specific pricing. The company states that pricing is customized based on your hiring needs, hiring volume, organizational complexity, and required features.

Source
Gem: Is there a published price for larger teams?

Only the 1-10 employee startup tier has a public price; larger teams are quoted based on FTE count and seat mix.

Greenhouse: What are the Greenhouse pricing tiers?

Greenhouse offers three plan levels: Core (basic hiring structure), Plus (multi-location optimization), and Pro (complex enterprise hiring). Exact pricing requires contacting Greenhouse for a custom quote.

Source
Gem: What is the difference between a standard and AI-powered seat?

Standard seats cover core sourcing, email-finding and ATS sync; AI-powered seats add sourcing agents, application review and fraud detection.

Greenhouse: Do all Greenhouse tiers include the same features?

No. Core includes sourcing and scheduling, Plus adds automation and texting, and Pro adds enterprise data configuration and audit logs. All tiers can be customized.

Source
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