Ashby vs Gem (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Gem grades higher than Ashby: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Ashby grades higher on features. Gem grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Ashby
All-in-one ATS, sourcing, scheduling and analytics priced by headcount
Which one is for you
Pick Ashby if
- Fits if you want hiring numbers you can dig into, with an AI report builder
- Works for teams that do their own sourcing and outreach
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to try it before a demo, as there's no free plan or trial
- Tight if you're about to pass 10 staff, as the price steps up with headcount, to $400 a month at 11 to 25
- Pricey if you need SSO, at $100 a month extra on Foundations, with the AI Notetaker and Advanced Scheduling as add-ons
- Not for you if you hire from a phone, as there's no native app, only the browser
- Watch out: texting covers US and Canada only, extra messages are $90 per 1,000, and Plus and Enterprise are quoted
Pick Gem if
- Fits if you are an early-stage company under 30 employees and qualify for the Startup Program
- Works for teams that want sourcing and an ATS in one tool
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a list price, as both main plans are sold through sales
- Pricey if you are past the startup band, as the crossed-out $270 hints at the standard rate
- Watch out: AI agents need an AI-Powered seat
- Watch out: load balancing and capacity management for scheduling are add-ons
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAAshbyFair | 2.2GPAGemFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CFoundations is $270 a month on yearly billing for up to 10 employees ($300 monthly), so that's a ten-person company's bill. That's high for this category, and 11 to 25 people pay $400 a month, billed monthly. Pricing is reassessed each year. | C$130 a month on the Startup Program for 1 to 10 employees, with $270 crossed out beside it. Bigger companies get a quote, so we grade it as ordinary. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan or trial on record. Foundations is sold after a demo. | CThe Startup Program is free for six months for firms under 30 employees. Everyone else has no free plan or trial. |
| Features | BSourcing and outreach sequences, AI application review with fraud checks, booking links and visual scheduling, offers with e-signatures, approval chains and an AI report builder. The whole job in one product. | CSourcing, CRM, ATS, scheduling and analytics. Interviewer load balancing and capacity management are add-ons, and AI agents need an AI-Powered seat. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record, and with this much in one product, there's a fair bit to set up. | CNo rating on record. A platform with sourcing and ATS to connect and set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb and a Chrome extension, with Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack, LinkedIn, Indeed and Workday, plus an MCP server for ChatGPT and Claude. No phone app, only the browser. | BWeb only, with Greenhouse, Workday and Slack links. |
| Best for | startups that want tracking and analytics in one ATS | AI sourcing and CRM for recruiting teams |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Ashby and Gem. How we grade
Price against what you get
Ashby starts at $270 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Gem starts at $130 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
Ashby scores higher, and starts $140 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other hiring and applicant tracking tools on the chart, 1 scores higher than Ashby for less, and 6 score higher than Gem for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Ashby also covers workflow automation and job board posting.
- Gem also covers AI agents and dashboards.
At a glance
| Ashby | Gem | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $270 per month for up to 10 employees, billed annually ($300 billed monthly) | $130 per month for 1-10 employees (Startup Program), billed yearly |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Ashby, Inc. | Gem |
| Price read from | ashbyhq.com | gem.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Ashby
- Only Foundations, for up to 100 employees, has a published price; Plus and Enterprise are quoted, and pricing is reassessed each year.
- SSO costs $100 a month on Foundations, and the AI Notetaker, Advanced Scheduling and candidate data enrichment are paid add-ons.
- Texting covers US and Canada numbers only, with extra messages at $90 per 1,000.
- There is no native phone app: mobile use is through the browser.
Gem
- Both main plans are priced by company headcount and sold through sales; no list price is shown.
- Seats come as Standard or AI-Powered, and the AI agents need an AI-Powered seat.
- Interviewer load balancing and advanced capacity management are listed as scheduling add-ons.
- The startup price shown is for 1-10 employees; the other size bands sit behind a selector.
Key features
Ashby
- Sourcing and outreach
- A Chrome extension, sourcing projects, AI candidate search and multi-step sequences over email and LinkedIn, with 200 email lookups a month.
- AI application review
- AI checks inbound applications against criteria you set, flags fraudulent candidates and resurfaces past applicants, using AI credits.
- Interview scheduling
- Direct booking links, availability requests, visual scheduling, interviewer limits and reminders, with an Advanced Scheduling add-on.
- Analytics
- Job and core dashboards, a report library, drilldowns and an AI report builder, with custom dashboards and alerts from Plus.
- Offers and approvals
- Offer letters from templates with e-signatures, and approval chains for offers, jobs and openings, approvable from Slack.
- AI assistant and agents
- A chat assistant that answers questions and acts across Ashby, custom AI agents and an MCP server for ChatGPT and Claude.
Gem
- AI sourcing
- An AI Sourcing Agent searches 800M+ profiles, and a rediscovery agent resurfaces past candidates from the CRM and ATS.
- CRM and outreach
- One-click add from 20+ sourcing sites, talent pools, multi-channel sequences and unlimited email finding.
- Applicant tracking
- Requisition management, posting to 100+ boards, scorecards, offer management and an AI application review agent.
- Interview scheduling
- Candidate self-scheduling, panel and multi-day scheduling, and interviewer load balancing as an add-on.
- Analytics
- Pipeline dashboards, a forecasting calculator, industry benchmarks and DEI insights.
- AI fraud detection
- An agent scores suspicious applications using several signals.
Plans
Ashby
Foundations$270
per month for up to 10 employees, billed annually ($300 monthly)
Sold after a demo, for companies of up to 100. Rises with headcount: $400 a month at 11–25 employees and $900 at 76–100, billed monthly.
PlusCustom
For about 101 to 1,000 employees, priced on company size, usage and commitment; adds up to 5 brands, custom dashboards and alerts.
EnterpriseCustom
For 1,000+ employees, with unlimited brands and custom permission roles, on a predictable pricing model.
Gem
Gem + Your ATSCustom
AI sourcing, CRM and outreach on top of an existing ATS. Priced by company headcount; sold through sales.
Gem All-in-OneCustom
Sourcing, CRM, built-in ATS, scheduling and analytics. Priced by company headcount; sold through sales.
Startup Program$130
per month for 1-10 employees, billed yearly
All-in-One for early-stage firms; the page shows $270 crossed out. Free six months under 30 employees.
Ways to pay less
Ashby
- Annual discount
10% off with an annual plan
Ashby's pricing page says annual plans save 10% against the equivalent monthly option, for example $270 against $300 a month for up to 10 employees.
- By country
Emerging market pricing
The pricing page says pricing for emerging markets is available on Foundations; the discount and the countries are not stated.
Gem
- Startups
Free for six months under 30 employees
The pricing page says companies with under 30 employees get Gem All-in-One free for six months, then 50% off when moving to a paid plan.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Ashby or Gem?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Ashby starts at $270 per month for up to 10 employees, billed annually ($300 billed monthly), and Gem starts at $130 per month for 1-10 employees (Startup Program), billed yearly. One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Ashby or Gem?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Ashby nor Gem has a free plan.
Which platforms do Ashby and Gem run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Ashby lists a browser extension. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.