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HR · head to head

Guild vs Homebase

Guild logo

Guild

HR

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

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Homebase logo

Homebase

HR

Scheduling, time tracking and HR for hourly teams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Homebase has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Homebase free Basic plan is capped at 10 employees and a single location
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Guild and Homebase actually diverge.

Attributes where Guild and Homebase differ
AttributeGuildHomebase
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotesubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb

Identical on both: 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 Guild

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

Only in Homebase

Nothing recorded that Guild does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Guild

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

Homebase

  • Managing shift schedules across restaurant locationsnot Guild
  • Automating tip pool calculations and distributionnot Guild
  • Processing payroll directly from time trackingnot Guild
  • Onboarding and verifying hourly employeesnot Guild

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Homebase

  • Free Basic plan is capped at 10 employees and a single location
  • Paid plans are billed per location per month ($30, $70 or $120), so a multi-location business pays the rate again for each site
  • Payroll is a separate add-on at $39 per month plus $6 per month per employee paid
  • Tip Manager and Task Manager are further add-ons billed per location per month on top of the base plan

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Homebase

Free
  • BasicFree
    • Up to 10 employees per location
    • Basic scheduling
    • Time tracking
  • Essentials$24/month
    • Unlimited employees per location
    • Advanced scheduling
    • Time tracking
  • Plus$56/month
    • Unlimited employees per location
    • AI-powered scheduling
    • PTO controls
  • All-in-One$96/month
    • Unlimited employees per location
    • Employee onboarding
    • Labor cost management

Which should you pick?

Choose Guild if

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

Choose Homebase if

  • You want to start without paying.
Homebase review

Questions people ask

Is Guild or Homebase better?
Neither clearly leads. Guild starts at On request and Homebase at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Guild or Homebase?
Homebase has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Guild and Free for Homebase.
Does Guild or Homebase run on more platforms?
Guild runs on Web, iOS, Android. Homebase runs on Web.
Can I use Homebase for free?
Yes. Homebase has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Guild starts at On request.
What is Guild best used for?
Guild is most often used for a retailer with high hourly turnover that wants an education benefit with take-up rather than a reimbursement policy nobody claims, an employer trying to build internal pipelines into hard-to-fill roles from its existing frontline workforce, a company that wants participation and completion reporting to justify the benefit to a finance committee, replacing an in-house tuition reimbursement scheme whose administrative burden falls on an hr team that cannot advise on programme choice. Of those, a retailer with high hourly turnover that wants an education benefit with take-up rather than a reimbursement policy nobody claims and an employer trying to build internal pipelines into hard-to-fill roles from its existing frontline workforce are not what Homebase is typically brought in for.
What can Guild do that Homebase cannot?
Guild covers Curated provider network, Direct tuition payment, Coaching, Career pathing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Homebase: Does Homebase offer annual billing discounts?

Yes, Homebase annual billing offers savings: Essentials saves $72/year, Plus saves $168/year, All-in-One saves $288/year compared to monthly billing.

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.

Homebase: Is there a free trial for Homebase?

Homebase offers a free 14-day trial of the All-in-One plan with no credit card required.

Source
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.

Homebase: What does Homebase Payroll cost?

Homebase Payroll costs $39 per month base plus $6 per employee per month, with add-ons available for Tip Manager ($25/month) and Background Checks ($30 each).

Source
Guild: Does Guild work outside the United States?

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

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