Betterteam vs Handshake (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Betterteam grades higher than Handshake: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Betterteam grades higher on value for money and platforms. Handshake grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Betterteam
Job posting to many boards, priced by active jobs
Handshake
Early-career hiring network with free job posting
Which one is for you
Pick Betterteam if
- Fits if you hire one or two roles at a time and want them on many boards
- Works for small employers who want applicants handled without a full ATS
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you hire in bulk, as each extra active job moves you up a tier
- Skip it if you want a full applicant tracker, as this is mostly posting and a career page
- Watch out: promotion on ZipRecruiter or Indeed is billed by those boards on top
- Watch out: the pricing page is behind a bot check, so prices come from its help centre
Pick Handshake if
- Fits if you hire interns and new graduates and post a few jobs a year
- Works for employers that want school and event connections
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to hire experienced staff, since the pool is early-career
- Tight if you message candidates, since Basic allows 10 a month
- Pricey if you want Pro, at $450 a month with no billing basis stated
- Watch out: promoted jobs are an add-on from $34 a day
- Watch out: ATS and XML integrations, school search and premium support are Enterprise only
How we grade them
| 2.2GPABetterteamFair | 2.0GPAHandshakeFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$39 a month for 1 active job, $19.50 a month on yearly billing, against a category cheaper quarter that starts at $69. Three jobs is $99, so cost climbs with each opening. | DPro is $450 a month, above the dearest tenth of hiring tools, and promoted jobs cost extra from $34 a day. Basic is free. |
| Free plan and trial | DA 4-day free trial that starts when the first candidate arrives. That is shorter than a week. | BBasic gives unlimited job posts, 10 messages a month and a company presence, and an occasional hirer could live on it. |
| Features | CJob board posting, a career page designer and an Indeed link. It does the posting job fully, but that is a smaller job than a full applicant tracker. | CEarly-career talent pool, messaging, matches, promoted jobs, events and analytics. 50+ filters and ATS integration are Enterprise only. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. You write the job and set up boards and a career page. | CNo rating on record. You set up a company profile and post roles. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Indeed and ZipRecruiter links. | CA web service, with integrations only on the Enterprise plan. |
| Best for | posting one job to many boards | posting jobs to early-career candidates |
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: Betterteam and Handshake. How we grade
Price against what you get
Betterteam starts at $39 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Handshake starts at $450 a month and scores 2.0.
Betterteam scores higher and starts $411 a month lower. Of the other hiring and applicant tracking tools on the chart, 2 score higher than Betterteam for less, and 33 score higher than Handshake 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
- Handshake also covers reports.
At a glance
| Betterteam | Handshake | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $39 per month for 1 active job | $450 per month |
| Free plan | None | Basic: free job posting, 10 candidate messages a month and a simple company presence. |
| Free trial | 4-day free trial that starts when the first candidate arrives. | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Betterteam | Handshake |
| Price read from | support.betterteam.com | joinhandshake.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Betterteam
- The pricing page is behind a bot check; these prices are from Betterteam's own help center article.
- Cost follows active jobs, so each extra concurrent opening moves you up a tier.
- Promotion on ZipRecruiter or Indeed is priced by those boards and paid separately.
- The help center says refunds are available within 100 days of the first payment.
Handshake
- Basic allows only 10 candidate messages a month.
- Pro's page does not say whether $450 a month is billed monthly or annually.
- ATS and XML integrations, school search and premium support are Enterprise-only.
- Promoted jobs are an extra cost on Basic and Pro, starting at $34 a day.
Key features
Betterteam
- Job board syndication
- A post is shared with a network of job boards, including Indeed and ZipRecruiter, and edits are syndicated afterward.
- Career page designer
- Each account gets a career page at its own subdomain, with logo, color and font options.
- Indeed integration
- The help center says Betterteam has been an Indeed ATS Partner since 2016 and supports Indeed Apply and candidate sync.
- Optional promotion
- Posts can be promoted on Indeed or ZipRecruiter for an extra fee, which is paid to the job board directly.
- Free sub-accounts
- Teams that need separate accounts can get free sub-accounts, with no data shared between them.
Handshake
- Early-career talent pool
- Jobs reach a network the vendor puts at 30 million job seekers, including alumni, master's and PhD students, through 1,600+ university partners.
- Candidate messaging
- Message candidates from the dashboard: 10 a month on Basic, 200 on Pro and a custom volume on Enterprise.
- Talent matches and filters
- Pro shows up to 100 matches per job and filters by school year, major, GPA, skills and location. Enterprise unlocks 50+ filters.
- Promoted jobs
- A paid boost for visibility. Basic and Pro buy it as an add-on from $34 a day, and Enterprise includes custom promotion.
- Events and school connections
- Enterprise adds custom school lists, career fair and event promotion across schools, and messaging to attendees before and after.
- Analytics
- Campaign analytics on Pro, and full-funnel dashboard reports on how the hiring team is performing on Enterprise.
Plans
Betterteam
1 active job$39
per month for 1 active job, billed monthly
No limit on applicants. Yearly billing is $234.
3 active jobs$99
per month for 3 active jobs, billed monthly
No limit on applicants. Yearly billing is $594.
10 active jobs$139
per month for 10 active jobs, billed monthly
No limit on applicants. Yearly billing is $834.
20 active jobs$209
per month for 20 active jobs, billed monthly
No limit on applicants. Yearly billing is $1,254.
50 active jobs$398
per month for 50 active jobs, billed monthly
No limit on applicants. Yearly billing is $2,388.
200 active jobs$598
per month for 200 active jobs, billed monthly
No limit on applicants. Yearly billing is $3,588.
Handshake
Basic$0
Unlimited job posting, 10 messages a month and a simple company presence. Promoted jobs from $34 a day as an add-on.
Pro$450
per month
200 messages a month, AI applicant tools, team collaboration, automation and 3 promoted-job days a month that roll over.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited messaging, 50+ filters, ATS integration, event support and funnel analytics. Annual plan, sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
Betterteam
- Annual discount
Half price when paying yearly
Betterteam's help center says paying yearly is half price: 1 active job is $234 a year against $39 a month.
Handshake
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Betterteam or Handshake?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Betterteam is cheaper to start with: $39 a month, against $450 a month for Handshake. Betterteam starts at $39 per month for 1 active job, and Handshake starts at $450 per month.
Which has a free plan, Betterteam or Handshake?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Handshake has a free plan. Betterteam does not, though it has a free trial.
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.