Compare/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 4 Nov 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 4 Nov 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 4 Nov 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?