Compare/Head to head

Fountain vs StaffedUp

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

Starting price

Fountain

Quote-based

High-volume hourly ATS for warehouses, quick-service restaurants and healthcare aides. Text-to-apply and onboarding in one workflow. Quote-based.

Where Fountain fits

  • Warehouses and distribution
  • Quick-service restaurants and hourly retail
  • Healthcare aide and similar volume roles
  • Multi-location hourly employers

StaffedUp

$20/mo

Low-cost ATS for restaurants and other high-turnover hourly employers that want jobs pushed to the big boards and applicants pre-screened automatically. Starter is $1 for the first week then $20/mo for one job, and unlimited jobs start at $49/mo, or $39/mo billed annually.

Where StaffedUp fits

  • Restaurant groups hiring hourly staff
  • Multi-location hospitality and retail operators
  • Owners wanting Indeed and ZipRecruiter posting in one click

At a glance

DetailFountainStaffedUp
Starting priceQuote-based$20/mo
Free tier–No–No
MCP server–No–No
Public API✓Yes–No
Listed underATS, Onboarding, TextingATS, Onboarding, Scheduling
Capterra4.6 from 39 reviewsNot enough reviews

Where they pull apart

Fountain

Stands out: Text-to-apply paths built for deskless, high-volume hiring.

Watch out: No published price, and the AI recruiter is a paid add-on rather than included.

Not the right fit for

  • Professional salaried hiring
  • Agencies placing permanent office roles

StaffedUp

Stands out: Built by restaurant owners, it pairs hourly hiring with a Work Opportunity Tax Credit screening service and pushes new hires straight into Square or Nory. Setting a role to Hiring auto-posts it to Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Google Jobs, LinkedIn, Glassdoor and Monster.

Watch out: Starter covers one active job, and the AI Recruiting Assistant, onboarding paperwork and extra users sit on Pro at $99/mo. Paid accounts need 15 days' notice before the next bill to cancel.

Not the right fit for

  • Salaried or professional hiring
  • Agencies managing clients and placements
  • Teams needing onboarding on the cheapest plan

Pros and cons

Fountain

  • Text-to-apply built for deskless candidates
  • Onboarding in the same hourly flow
  • Public API
  • No published starting price
  • No MCP
  • AI screening is a paid add-on

StaffedUp

  • Starts at $20/mo with a $1 first week
  • Auto-posts to Indeed, ZipRecruiter and Google Jobs
  • Pushes new hires into Square and Nory
  • Starter limited to one active job
  • Onboarding and AI assistant only on Pro
  • 15 days' notice needed to cancel

What each one costs

Fountain

Quote-based

Quote-based. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 7 Sep 2026

StaffedUp

$20/mo

Starter costs $1 for the first week, then $20/mo for one active job with unlimited applicants. Smarter is $49/mo monthly, $44/mo billed $264 every six months or $39/mo billed $468 a year, with unlimited job posts, SmartMatch scoring and social recruiting. Pro is $99/mo monthly, $89/mo every six months or $79/mo annually, adding digital onboarding, 20 video interview credits a month, the AI Recruiting Assistant and multi-user access. Plans are month to month with 15 days' notice to cancel, and multi-unit discounts are available. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 27 Sep 2026

Common questions

Can you try Fountain or StaffedUp for free?
Neither carries a free tier on our listing.

Not the pair you wanted?

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Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 7 Sep 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?