Head to head

Fountain vs Team Engine

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

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

Team Engine

$500/mo

Text-first hiring and retention software for field and hourly teams. Essential is $500/mo billed yearly for up to 5 jobs and 50 employees.

Where Team Engine fits

Construction, warehousing, and field employers
HR teams that hire by text, not email
Operators with under 50 employees on a small job load
Companies that want surveys and 1:1 texts after the hire

At a glance

Detail	Fountain	Team Engine
Starting price	Quote-based	$500/mo
Free tier	–No	–No
MCP server	–No	–No
Public API	✓Yes	–No
Listed under	ATS, Onboarding, Texting	ATS, Texting
Capterra	4.6 from 39 reviews	Not 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

Team Engine

Stands out: SMS and WhatsApp to applicants and staff with no app install, built for people who are not at a desk.

Watch out: The public Essential card is annual. Growth and Enterprise are custom. HRIS sync sits on the higher plans.

Not the right fit for

Office hiring teams that live in email and LinkedIn
Buyers who need a month-to-month public card

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

Team Engine

Essential $500/mo yearly for 50 employees
SMS and WhatsApp with no worker app
Built for field and hourly hiring

Public Essential card is annual
Growth and Enterprise are quotes
Email-first office teams are a poor fit

What each one costs

Fountain

Quote-based

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

Checked 7 Sep 2026

Team Engine

$500/mo

Essential is $500/mo billed annually for up to 5 job postings and 50 employees. Growth is custom for up to 500 employees. Enterprise is custom above 500. HRIS integrations sit on Growth and Enterprise. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

Common questions

Can you try Fountain or Team Engine for free?

Neither carries a free tier on our listing.

Not the pair you wanted?

All Fountain alternatives All Team Engine alternatives Every ATS tool

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