BambooHR vs Lever
A side-by-side look at 2 Productivity tools for 2026 — the verdict, pricing, ratings, features, and what readers think.
bamboohr.com
Best for small and mid-sized US companies that want HR, hiring and optional payroll in one system
HR software for growing companies: employee records, hiring, time off, performance and optional US payroll in one platform.
Visit BambooHR
lever.co
Best for growing and enterprise recruiting teams that want ATS and CRM in one tool
Applicant tracking system and recruiting CRM in one platform, with built-in AI screening and analytics.
Visit LeverPricing compared
BambooHR
$10.25/employee/mo
Lever
Custom quote; no public price list
Head to head
| BambooHR | Lever | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $10.25/employee/mo | Custom quote; no public price list |
| Free tier | No | No |
| Free trial | Free demo available | — |
| Platforms | Web | Web |
| HQ | Draper, Utah, USA | — |
Pros & cons
BambooHR
Pros
- Covers employee records, time off, hiring and onboarding in one platform.
- Optional payroll, benefits administration and time tracking can be added later.
- More than 150 pre-built integrations listed on its site.
- Annual third-party SOC 1 and SOC 2 audits stated on its security page.
- Elite plan adds compensation planning, benchmarks and custom dashboards.
Cons
- Pricing is quote-based and the final price depends on headcount.
- Payroll and benefits administration are for US employees only.
- Performance, compensation and dashboards sit behind the higher Pro and Elite plans.
- Applicant tracking is capped by plan (5, 25 or 50 job openings).
- No free plan is listed.
Lever
Pros
- Combines ATS and recruiting CRM, so passive candidates and applicants live in one system.
- Every plan includes reporting and analytics plus key integrations, per Lever.
- Unlimited AI interview transcripts and summaries are part of the core platform.
- States SOC 2 Type II certification.
- Optional add-ons (AI screening, onboarding) let you buy only what you need.
Cons
- Pricing is only available through a custom quote.
- No free plan or self-serve trial is listed on the pricing page.
- Add-ons such as AI screening and onboarding are priced separately.
- Quote-based pricing makes budget comparison slower than with tools that publish prices.