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Most buyers should pick Workable.
Pick Workable if you want the lower listed entry price and recruiting plus HR: Standard is $299/month, and it offers a 15-day trial. Pick Ashby if you want ATS, CRM, sourcing, scheduling and analytics bundled, or need recruiting analytics alongside an existing ATS. Ashby Foundations is $400/month, discounted to $360/month with an annual commitment, for companies up to 100 employees. Neither has a free plan; Workable's listed prices cover 1–20 employees, while Ashby's larger tiers are custom-priced.
01Side by side
| Ashby | Workable | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $400/mo; $360/mo with annual commitment | $299/mo |
| Free plan | No free plan | No free plan |
| Best for | All-in-one recruiting, from startups to enterprises | Recruiting plus HR tasks after hire |
| Core strength | ATS, CRM, sourcing, scheduling, analytics | AI sourcing, screening, ATS and HR |
| Learning curve | Review ease-of-use score: 6/10 | Review ease-of-use score: 7/10 |
| Integrations/data | Analytics for teams using an existing ATS | MCP, REST API, webhooks; 400M+ profiles |
| Team/seat costs | Up to 100 employees; larger plans are custom | Listed prices cover companies with 1–20 employees |
| Support | Review support score: 5/10 | Review support score: 6.5/10 |
Ashby Choose Ashby if
- Choose Ashby if you want ATS, CRM, sourcing and scheduling together.
- Choose Ashby if your team has up to 100 employees.
- Choose Ashby if you need analytics alongside an existing ATS.
Workable Choose Workable if
- Choose Workable if the $299/month listed entry price matters.
- Choose Workable if you want recruiting plus post-hire HR tools.
- Choose Workable if you want a 15-day trial or API options.
02Pricing compared
Workable has the lower listed entry price: Standard is $299 per month for companies with 1–20 employees. The plan includes 3,000 AI credits, SSO and priority support; there’s also a 15-day trial, but no free plan. Texting, video interviews, assessments and Performance & Engagement cost extra on Standard.
Ashby Foundations costs $400 per month, or $360 per month with an annual commitment, for companies with up to 100 employees. It includes 200 sourcing email lookups and 1,000 outbound texts per month, with limits on surveys and offer templates. Ashby Plus and Enterprise are custom-priced; Analytics is usage-based. Neither product has a free plan. Compare the employee bands carefully: Workable’s listed prices cover 1–20 employees, while Ashby Foundations covers up to 100.
03Features and depth
Ashby bundles applicant tracking, CRM and sourcing, scheduling, and recruiting analytics. Its Foundations plan includes 200 sourcing email lookups and 1,000 outbound texts per month; larger plans have different text allowances and brand limits. The product also offers custom reporting, and Ashby says AI is embedded across its recruiting platform. Ashby Analytics is a separate usage-based option for companies using an existing ATS.
Workable combines an ATS with HR tools and an AI agent. The agent can search 400M+ profiles, screen against up to 14 job criteria, and contact candidates. Workable also lists job distribution to 200+ boards and social platforms, plus HR features for onboarding, performance, time off, attendance, employee records and payroll reporting. Its Standard plan has 3,000 AI credits; additional credit bundles cost extra. Workable also offers an API, webhooks and MCP for connecting workflows. Choose Ashby for a bundled recruiting stack or analytics alongside another ATS; choose Workable if hiring and post-hire HR belong in one system.
04Ease of use and learning curve
The available information doesn’t establish which product is easier to learn, so we wouldn’t treat feature breadth as proof of simpler day-to-day use. Ashby combines ATS, CRM, sourcing, scheduling and analytics; that may reduce the need to connect separate recruiting tools, but its larger plans and add-ons make the buying decision less straightforward.
Workable puts recruiting and HR in one platform, with more features and add-ons depending on the plan. Our review scores rate ease of use 6/10 for Ashby and 7/10 for Workable, but they don’t explain the reasons. Ask both vendors to show the workflows your team will use, and confirm which features and usage limits are included in the quoted plan.
Questions people ask
Which is cheaper, Ashby or Workable?
Workable has the lower listed entry price: Standard is $299 per month for companies with 1–20 employees. Ashby Foundations is $400 per month, or $360 per month with an annual commitment, for companies up to 100 employees. Add-ons and employee bands differ, so compare a quote against your actual needs.
Does Ashby or Workable offer a free plan or trial?
Neither product has a free plan in the published pricing details. Workable lists a 15-day trial. Ashby’s trial availability is not published on the vendor's site, so confirm directly with the vendor before planning a migration or evaluation.
What is Ashby, and how is an ATS different from a CRM?
Ashby is a recruiting platform that combines ATS, CRM and sourcing, scheduling, and analytics. An ATS supports applicant and hiring workflows; a CRM helps manage candidate relationships and sourcing. The published information describes Ashby as offering both, but doesn’t detail the boundary between the tools.
Should I choose Ashby or Workable for HR as well as recruiting?
Workable is the clearer fit in the published feature details if you need HR functions after hiring, including onboarding, performance, time off, attendance and employee records. Ashby’s listed scope centers on recruiting; the published information doesn’t list equivalent HR management features.