Head to head

EmployeeReferrals.com vs Hellora

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

EmployeeReferrals.com is a classic employee-referral portal with gamification, leaderboards, and automated social sharing. Pricing is quoted. A mobile progressive web app mirrors the desktop portal.

Where EmployeeReferrals.com fits

  • Corporate TA teams that want a branded referral site employees will actually open
  • Program owners running competitions, leaderboards, and social advocacy
  • HR teams that need bonus timing, points, and gift cards in one rewards engine
  • Employers whose workforce lives on email and LinkedIn rather than SMS

Hellora

Sales-quoted

Hellora is the new name for Eqo. It is a frontline SMS referral program, strongest in healthcare, where employees refer from a phone with no app and no login. Pricing is quoted.

Where Hellora fits

  • Health systems and senior-living operators with large nursing and clinical hourly teams
  • TA leaders replacing spreadsheet referral tracking with text-to-refer
  • Program owners who will send department- and location-targeted SMS campaigns
  • Orgs that want automatic status texts at applied, interviewed, hired, and paid

At a glance

DetailEmployeeReferrals.comHellora
Starting priceSales-quotedSales-quoted
Free tier–No–No
MCP server–No–No
Public API–No–No
Listed underEmployee referralsEmployee referrals
Capterra4.6 from 74 reviewsNot enough reviews

Where they pull apart

EmployeeReferrals.com

Stands out: Auto Share schedules posts on social networks and tracks credit. Rewards mix cash, points, gift cards, raffles, and micro-rewards for referrals, applications, and hires.

Watch out: This is a portal-and-leaderboard product. Deskless teams that will not log in should look at SMS-first tools. ATS, HRIS, and payroll automation are part of the quoted implementation.

Not the right fit for

  • Hourly frontline groups that will only refer by text (see ERIN or Hellora)
  • Staffing agencies that need a Bullhorn-native talent-referral SKU

Hellora

Stands out: Fairview moved referrals from 6% to 41% of hires and sourced 589 nursing hires with 92% retention. Eve is an AI assistant that captures referrals made on applications and matches messy names.

Watch out: The product is built for frontline healthcare, senior living, and similar hourly workforces. A general corporate referral intranet is a different buy. SMS short-code programs need employee-comms consent.

Not the right fit for

  • Tech companies whose employees will use a desktop portal and LinkedIn Auto Share
  • Staffing firms that need a Bullhorn talent-referral network product

Pros and cons

EmployeeReferrals.com

  • Portal plus PWA with leaderboards and social Auto Share
  • Rewards engine for cash, points, gift cards, raffles, and micro-rewards
  • Capterra 4.6 from 74 reviews on the matching EmployeeReferrals product
  • Quoted only. No public per-employee rate
  • Portal login is a weaker fit for deskless SMS-first workforces
  • ATS names are described generically on the homepage, not as a logo wall

Hellora

  • Text-to-refer with no app or login, built for healthcare frontline
  • Published case studies with 6% to 41% referral-hire share at Fairview
  • Eve AI captures off-platform referrals and messy name matches
  • Quoted only. Healthcare-weighted, not a general corporate portal
  • SMS-first. Weak fit if the workforce will not use text short codes
  • Homepage also sells a healthcare recruiting CRM, so scope the referral module in the quote

What each one costs

EmployeeReferrals.com

Sales-quoted

EmployeeReferrals.com quotes after a demo. The vendor does not publish a per-employee or per-hire table. The portal, mobile PWA, Auto Share, gamification, and rewards engine are sold as a branded referral program. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

Hellora

Sales-quoted

Hellora (formerly Eqo) quotes the frontline SMS referral program after a conversation. The vendor does not publish a per-employee or per-location table. Case studies and Eve sit on the referral module. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

Common questions

Can you try EmployeeReferrals.com or Hellora for free?
Neither carries a free tier on our listing.

Not the pair you wanted?

All EmployeeReferrals.com alternatives All Hellora alternatives Every Employee referrals tool

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