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Recruitment · head to head

Gem vs Workable

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
Workable logo

Workable

Recruitment

Recruitment and employee engagement platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Workable has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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; Workable the Standard plan is $299 a month and still charges separately for texting at $89, video interviews at $109 and assessments at $59 a month
  • They diverge on capability: Gem covers AI sourcing, Workable covers Job posting.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Gem and Workable actually diverge.

Attributes where Gem and Workable differ
AttributeGemWorkable
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelPer user per month, by company size and seat typeusage-based
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Chrome ExtensionWeb
FoundedUnknown2012

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Recruitment).

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
  • Talent rediscovery

Only in Workable

  • Job posting
  • Applicant tracking
  • Candidate management
  • Onboarding
  • Employee engagement
  • Mobile app
  • Integrations
  • Slack

Both cover

  • Analytics

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 Workable
  • An early-stage startup under 30 employees that qualifies for Gem's startup discount programme and wants sourcing tooling from day onenot Workable
  • A company evaluating whether to consolidate its recruiting stack by moving off a separate ATS entirely onto Gem All-in-Onenot Workable
  • A recruiting team that wants to resurface past applicants already in their data before opening a new external sourcing campaignnot Workable

Workable

  • Posting jobs and tracking candidates through an applicant tracking systemnot Gem
  • Running structured interviews, assessments and offers in one placenot 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

Workable

  • The Standard plan is $299 a month and still charges separately for texting at $89, video interviews at $109 and assessments at $59 a month
  • Reaching a plan where those three are included means Premier at $599 a month
  • Unlimited active jobs is qualified by a fair usage limit rather than being an actual cap
  • AI features run on credits, and credits expire one year from purchase
  • Published plan prices cover 1 to 20 employees, so larger headcounts are quoted separately

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

Workable

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Basic recruitment
    • Limited hires
    • Basic tracking
  • Plus$undefined/month
    • Advanced recruitment
    • Engagement tools
    • Analytics

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 Workable if

  • You need job posting.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want applicant tracking.
Workable review

Questions people ask

Is Gem or Workable better?
Neither clearly leads. Gem starts at On request and Workable at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Gem or Workable?
Workable has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Gem and Free for Workable.
Does Gem or Workable run on more platforms?
Gem runs on Web, Chrome Extension. Workable runs on Web.
Can I use Workable for free?
Yes. Workable has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Gem starts at On request.
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 Workable is typically brought in for.
What can Gem do that Workable cannot?
Gem covers AI sourcing, Outreach sequences, ATS sync or replace, Talent rediscovery. Workable covers Job posting, Applicant tracking, Candidate management, Onboarding. Both handle Analytics.

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.

Workable: What does a Workable subscription cost and how is it billed?

Workable offers three pricing tiers: Standard at $299/month ($3,588/year with 20% discount), Premier at $599/month ($7,188/year), and Enterprise at $719/month ($8,628/year). Annual plans save 20% compared to monthly billing.

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.

Workable: Does Workable offer a free trial?

Yes, Workable offers a 15-day free trial that requires no credit card.

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.

Workable: What happens to AI credits if I don't use them before they expire?

AI credits are non-refundable and expire 1 year from purchase. If you purchase additional credits beyond the 3,000 included with your plan, unused credits will be forfeited after 12 months.

Source
Workable: Do I get support included with my Workable subscription?

Workable includes priority support for advanced features, and the pricing page mentions GDPR automation tools for compliance, though specific support response times are not detailed on the pricing page.

Source
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