Treegarden vs BambooHR: ATS-first or HR-first?
BambooHR is an HR platform with applicant tracking included in its published plans. Treegarden sells an ATS priced by active jobs and offers HR as a separately priced module. For a small US team, the better fit depends on peak open roles, recruiting workflow and whether employee management belongs in the same purchase.
Decision table
Compare the same hiring and HR scope
| Decision factor | Treegarden | BambooHR |
|---|---|---|
| Primary product | ATS first; optional HR module, priced separately | HR platform with ATS included in Core, Pro and Elite |
| Recruiting capacity | Startup ATS: up to 10 active jobs | Core: 5; Pro: 25; Elite: 50 job openings. Confirm the counting rules. |
| Pricing unit | ATS by active-job tier; unlimited user accounts. HR by employee tier. | Flat monthly rate at 25 or fewer employees; per-employee rates above 25, with volume discounts. |
| Candidate workflow | ATS pipeline, candidate records and hiring-team collaboration; demo the stages you need. | Candidate records, job posting, email and offer templates; demo interview and approval workflows. |
| Employee records and onboarding | Available in the separately priced HR module | Included in the HR platform; confirm the chosen plan's onboarding scope. |
| Time off | Available in the separately priced HR module | Included in Core and higher plans. |
| Payroll and benefits | Confirm integrations and required scope with Treegarden. | Payroll and benefits administration are add-on solutions; confirm price and eligibility. |
| Contract term | Annual commitment; monthly instalments available | Month-to-month or extended term offered; confirm quote and discounts. |
Worked example
25 employees and 8-10 roles open at once
Assume a US employer with two recruiters and four hiring managers. The 8-10 roles are concurrently open, not annual hires or all jobs ever created. Under Treegarden's published annual-commitment prices, Startup ATS covers up to 10 active jobs at $299/month equivalent; user accounts do not change that ATS price. BambooHR's Core plan is $250/month for 25 or fewer employees, but lists only five job openings. Its Pro plan at $425/month is the first published tier whose 25-opening limit covers this example.
ATS-only decision: Treegarden publishes a $299 ATS-only option. BambooHR Pro at $425 includes HR as well as ATS; its ATS cost cannot be isolated from that bundle. ATS + HR decision: adding Treegarden's separately priced Startup HR module for 25 employees brings its published total to $598/month equivalent. BambooHR Pro is $425/month for this headcount, before optional add-ons or discounts. The lower BambooHR figure does not establish feature equivalence: compare the actual recruiting, HR and integration requirements, along with contract terms, in both demos.
If hiring rises above the stated job-opening or active-job limit, obtain a current quote before projecting costs. Do not substitute annual hires, paid seats or job listings created over time for concurrent openings.
Best fit
Choose by your operating priority
Choose Treegarden when recruiting leads
The ATS-only purchase and active-job capacity are clear, and six team members can use the ATS without user-account pricing changing. Treegarden is less suitable if your requirements depend on an unverified integration or if a lower-cost HR-led bundle already meets the full recruiting workflow.
Choose BambooHR when HR leads
Employee records, time off and onboarding are central to its plans, with ATS capacity specified by tier. BambooHR may be less suitable if you need an ATS-only purchase or if the plan's job-opening limit and recruiting workflow do not fit peak demand. Confirm add-ons and hiring-manager access with BambooHR.
Questions to ask both vendors
- How are active jobs or job openings counted, and what happens when we exceed the included capacity?
- Can two recruiters and four hiring managers complete their work without additional charges or permission limits?
- Which interview, approval, reporting and candidate-communication workflows are included in the proposed plan?
- How do candidate data, onboarding and employee records move between the ATS and HR system?
- Which payroll, benefits, job-board and calendar connections are included, extra-cost or unavailable?
- What are the renewal terms, implementation responsibilities and total price with required add-ons?
Last verified: October 14, 2026. Treegarden authored this page and sells one of the products compared. We used public BambooHR pricing and feature information and Treegarden pricing. This is not an independent hands-on test. Ask both vendors to confirm current terms and demonstrate the capabilities you plan to use.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Compare your hiring workflow with Treegarden
See the ATS pipeline, hiring-team roles and optional HR handoff in a product demo.