Head to head

BerniePortal vs Thatch

Same facts, side by side: starting price, free tier, MCP, API and what each one is actually built for.

BerniePortal

$5/employee/mo

Broker-sold HR and benefits for small employers, with direct Starter at $5/employee/mo plus a $25 base fee.

Where BerniePortal fits

  • US small employers buying benefits admin plus COBRA in one login
  • Shops that want a printed per-employee rate instead of an enterprise quote
  • Brokers who resell BerniePortal with customized employer pricing
  • Teams that may later add payroll and PTO on Standard or Plus

Thatch

Sales-quoted

Thatch is an ICHRA platform where the employer sets a monthly healthcare budget and employees pick individual medical, dental, and vision plans. The vendor charges a simple monthly fee per employee with no setup fees or long-term contracts, and does not print the dollar amount.

Where Thatch fits

  • Startups hiring across states that do not want to shop a new group plan each time
  • Employers replacing a rising group premium with a fixed ICHRA budget
  • Remote-first companies whose people need local individual networks
  • HR teams that want enrollment, carrier payments, and compliance reporting handled by the vendor

At a glance

DetailBerniePortalThatch
Starting price$5/employee/moSales-quoted
Free tier–No–No
MCP server–No–No
Public API–No–No
Listed underBenefits administrationBenefits administration
Capterra4.3 from 130 reviewsNot enough reviews

Where they pull apart

BerniePortal

Stands out: bernieportal.com/pricing prints four direct plans: Starter $5/ee/mo, Standard $19, Plus $23, and Enterprise $29, each with an EIN base fee after Starter.

Watch out: Starter covers recruiting, onboarding, benefits, compliance, and COBRA only. PTO, time, payroll, and performance start on Standard, and each of those modules is capped at one approver and one subgroup.

Not the right fit for

  • Global employers that need multi-country payroll as the core product
  • Enterprises that want unlimited subgroups without moving to the $29/ee/mo Enterprise tier

Thatch

Stands out: Leftover budget loads onto a Thatch Card for copays, prescriptions, and other qualified medical expenses, so employees are not filing reimbursement forms after the premium is paid.

Watch out: There is no public PEPM. You upload a census into a quoting tool or book a call. Thatch Market (plan shopping) is included at no extra platform fee, but the per-employee software fee is still sales-quoted.

Not the right fit for

  • Buyers who need a printed dollar rate before a census quote
  • Employers that only want a GCHRA on top of a group plan they already like

Pros and cons

BerniePortal

  • Printed Starter through Enterprise rates on the vendor pricing page
  • COBRA administration is in Starter, not gated to the top tier
  • Broker channel plus a direct-buy path for employers
  • Starter omits PTO, time, payroll, and performance
  • Standard and Plus cap approvers and subgroups until Enterprise
  • No published trial length, only a demo CTA

Thatch

  • No setup fee and no long-term contract on the vendor FAQ
  • ICHRA classes can vary by location and age so the budget is not a single national number
  • Thatch Card spends leftover allowance without a reimbursement queue
  • The per-employee software fee is not printed
  • It is ICHRA, not QSEHRA or a GCHRA supplement
  • You still fund the actual insurance allowance on top of the platform fee

What each one costs

BerniePortal

$5/employee/mo

Direct Starter is $5 per employee per month plus a $25 base fee and covers recruiting, onboarding, benefits, compliance, and COBRA. Standard is $19/ee/mo plus $40/EIN. Plus is $23/ee/mo plus $40/EIN. Enterprise is $29/ee/mo plus $40/EIN. Brokers offer customized pricing. PTO, time, payroll, and performance start on Standard. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

Thatch

Sales-quoted

Thatch charges a monthly fee per employee. The vendor states there are no setup fees, long-term contracts, or hidden costs, and asks you to contact them for pricing based on team size. Thatch Market plan shopping is included at no additional platform fee. The software fee itself is not printed. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

Common questions

Can you try BerniePortal or Thatch for free?
Neither carries a free tier on our listing.

Not the pair you wanted?

All BerniePortal alternatives All Thatch alternatives Every Benefits administration tool

Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 19 Sep 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?