The Fountain Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Fountain in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Fountain
The Insider’s Guide
Hiring, onboarding and shift scheduling for frontline workers
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among HR software, read from Fountain’s own pages.
Made by Fountain (Onboard IQ) · checked Nov 12, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Fountain’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Fountain’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
1.8
GPA, above 13 of the 63 other HR software we grade
Fountain is a platform for employers that hire hourly and frontline workers in volume, such as restaurants, retailers and logistics firms. It combines sourcing, a CRM for past applicants, an applicant tracking system, onboarding and shift scheduling, with AI agents and an assistant called Cue that run parts of the process. Pricing is quoted per customer.
To get you started, here are 7 things to know about Fountain, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Which of those products you get depends on the quote.
- 1
Best for hiring hourly and frontline staff in volume
No price is published and the pricing page leads to a demo form.
- 2
It runs on Web
Web.
- 3
Sourcing
Finds and engages frontline applicants around the clock, according to the vendor.
- 4
CRM for rehiring
Keeps past applicants and former workers on file so they can be contacted when a role opens again.
- 5
Applicant tracking
Takes candidates from application to offer, including interview scheduling and automated offers.
- 6
A 1.8 GPA, above 13 of 63
That is against the other HR software we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 7
Keep it
To replace Fountain you would be making jobs posted to dozens of job boards at once, which takes an agreement with each board. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Fountain at a glance
- Pricing
- Paid
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Fountain (Onboard IQ), since 2014
- Category
- HR Software
- Our grade
- 1.8 GPA, weak
The report card
Best for hiring hourly and frontline staff in volume
Fountain handles hiring for hourly and frontline employers: sourcing, a rehire CRM, applicant tracking, onboarding and shift scheduling, with AI helpers. No price is published and the pricing page leads to a demo form. Which of those products you get depends on the quote.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | No price is published; the page leads to a demo form and says pricing is tailored to the product suite. |
| Free plan and trial | F | No free plan and no trial is on record in the listing or on its pricing page. |
| Features | B | Sourcing, a rehire CRM, applicant tracking, onboarding, shifts and scheduling, and AI recruiting helpers. The listing names no gap in the hiring job. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record. Hiring flows, messages and shift rules need building before a first hire. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Web only, with no apps or integrations list on record. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Fountain is for
- Fits if you hire hourly or frontline staff in volume, like restaurants or retail
- Works for firms that want hiring and shift scheduling in one tool
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want a price, as none is published
- Not for you if you hire for professional-services roles, which isn't its stated focus
- Watch out: separate products are listed, and which you get depends on the quote
- Skip it if you want a free plan or trial, as none is listed
Good to know
Good for
- Employers hiring hourly workers in volume across many locations
- Retail, food service, logistics and healthcare operators
- Staffing agencies and franchises with high applicant turnover
Worth knowing
- No prices are published: the pricing page leads to a demo request form and says pricing is tailored to the product suite.
- The site lists separate products (Source, CRM, ATS, Onboarding, Shift & Scheduling), and which ones a customer gets depends on the quote.
- The vendor describes the audience as frontline and hourly employers; professional-services hiring is not its stated focus.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Fountain's current pricing could not be confirmed from its own site.
No price is published; the page leads to a demo form and says pricing is tailored to the product suite.
We could not confirm Fountain’s current prices from its own site, so this guide lists no plans. fountain.com has them.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Hiring, onboarding and shift scheduling for frontline workers. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, AI agents, shift scheduling, applicant tracking, job board posting.
Sourcing, a rehire CRM, applicant tracking, onboarding, shifts and scheduling, and AI recruiting helpers.
- Sourcing
- Finds and engages frontline applicants around the clock, according to the vendor.
- CRM for rehiring
- Keeps past applicants and former workers on file so they can be contacted when a role opens again.
- Applicant tracking
- Takes candidates from application to offer, including interview scheduling and automated offers.
- Onboarding
- Collects forms and handles first-day steps for new hires, with an AI support agent for questions before day one.
- Shift and scheduling
- A scheduling product aimed at filling open shifts before gaps appear.
- AI recruiter and Cue
- An AI recruiter screens candidates, and the Cue assistant takes plain-language requests such as hiring ten associates or filling weekend shifts.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
Its own pages name no integrations.
Fountain is made by Fountain (Onboard IQ), and has been around since 2014.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
13/63
Other HR software it is graded above
Fountain's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 13 of the 63 other HR software we grade, and level with 16.
It stands best on features (B, above 41 of 63) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 64 HR software we grade, cut by the letter each got. Fountain’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 5 of 63
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 63
- BFeaturesAbove 41 of 63
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 63
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 63
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Fountain you would be making jobs posted to dozens of job boards at once, which takes an agreement with each board. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 34 of the 63 other HR software grade higher.
What you could make
- Applicant tracking: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Jobs posted to dozens of job boards at once, which takes an agreement with each board.
- An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
- A rota the whole staff sees on their phones, with swaps and alerts.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Fountain’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Workable, Greenhouse, Tellent Recruitee, Teamtailor and When I Work
The 5 tools Fountain is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.2GPA
Workable
Free trial · from $299/mo
Applicant tracking and HR software priced by company size.
- Only Workable lists iOS and Android apps.
- Only Workable lists a browser extension.
- Fountain also covers shift scheduling.
- 2.0GPA
Greenhouse
Paid
Structured-hiring ATS for growing and large companies, by quote.
- Only Greenhouse lists iOS and Android apps.
- Only Greenhouse lists a browser extension.
- Fountain also covers AI agents and shift scheduling.
- 2.4GPA
Tellent Recruitee
Free trial
Applicant tracking system with a careers site builder, by quote.
- Only Tellent Recruitee lists iOS and Android apps.
- Fountain also covers AI agents and shift scheduling.
- Tellent Recruitee also covers workflow automation and reports.
- 2.0GPA
Teamtailor
Paid
Applicant tracking and career sites with unlimited users, by quote.
- Only Teamtailor lists iOS and Android apps.
- Fountain also covers AI agents and shift scheduling.
- Teamtailor also covers workflow automation and reports.
- 2.8GPA
When I Work
Free trial · from $2.50/mo
Staff scheduling with auto-fill, shift trades and an add-on time clock.
- Only When I Work lists iOS and Android apps.
- Fountain also covers AI agents, applicant tracking and job board posting.
- When I Work also covers auto-scheduling, team chat, time clock and time off.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
9
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Fountain free?
No. Fountain is a paid product.
What platforms does Fountain work on?
Fountain is available on Web.
Does Fountain have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Fountain is listed for Web.
Does Fountain have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Fountain is listed for Web.
Is Fountain open source?
Fountain is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Who makes Fountain?
Fountain is made by Fountain (Onboard IQ). It dates from 2014.
What are the alternatives to Fountain?
The closest alternatives to Fountain in our directory are Workable, Greenhouse, Tellent Recruitee, Teamtailor and When I Work.
How does Fountain compare with other HR software?
Fountain's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 13 of the 63 other HR software we grade, and level with 16.
Could I make my own version of Fountain?
To replace Fountain you would be making jobs posted to dozens of job boards at once, which takes an agreement with each board.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Fountain’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 12, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Fountain's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Fountain (Onboard IQ). Prices change, so check fountain.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
5,038
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
5,038
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Fountain, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/fountain
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Fountain: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/fountain
Know someone choosing between HR software?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/fountain/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded HR software after Fountain, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- HR Software Insider's GuideEvery one of the 64 HR software we grade, compared
- Breathe Insider's GuideUK HR software for small firms, priced per business, not per person2.6 GPA
- Leave Dates Insider's GuideAnnual leave planner and absence tracker for small teams2.6 GPA
- TalentHR Insider's GuideHR records, time off, hiring and reviews for small teams2.6 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Fountain’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Fountain is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Fountain (Onboard IQ). Prices and plans change: check fountain.com before you buy.