Head to head

Handshake vs Yello

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

Handshake

Quote-based Free tier

University recruiting and early-career talent, with a free tier for employers.

Where Handshake fits

  • University recruiting teams
  • Early-career programmes at large employers
  • Talent teams filling intern and graduate roles
  • Campus teams already working in Handshake

Yello

Contact for pricing

Campus and early-talent CRM for events, sourcing, and interview scheduling. Pricing is sales-quoted.

Where Yello fits

  • Enterprise campus recruiting programs
  • Early-talent teams that live on career fairs and events
  • Companies that need event-to-interview scheduling next to the ATS
  • TA orgs already on Lever, Workday, iCIMS, or LinkedIn Recruiter

At a glance

DetailHandshakeYello
Starting priceQuote-basedContact for pricing
Free tier✓Yes–No
MCP server–No–No
Public API–No–No
Listed underJob boardsRecruitment marketing, Scheduling
CapterraNot enough reviews3.8 from 18 reviews

Where they pull apart

Handshake

Stands out: The campus network students already use, so the pipeline is there before you are.

Watch out: It is a supply channel, not a tracker, and it is weak for senior hiring.

Not the right fit for

  • Senior professional hiring only
  • Agencies buying contact data

Yello

Stands out: It is purpose-built for campus: event capture, school planning, on-the-spot scheduling, and a campus AI agent for admin work, which general-purpose Workday recruiting still does not replace for university desks.

Watch out: This is a quote-only early-talent platform, not a general ATS. If you do not run a campus or event program, you will pay for a workflow your recruiters will not open. The AI agent is a product pillar on the vendor site; it is not a self-serve add-on with a public price.

Not the right fit for

  • Teams with no campus or event hiring
  • SMBs that need a self-serve scheduler
  • Buyers who need a public seat price

Pros and cons

Handshake

  • The default campus network
  • Early-career focus is the product
  • Free tier to start on
  • Not an ATS
  • Weak for senior hiring
  • Paid employer pricing is quoted

Yello

  • Purpose-built campus planning, events, and scheduling
  • LinkedIn Recruiter CRM Connect and Lever integrations
  • AI agent aimed at event and scheduling admin, not a generic chatbot
  • Sales-quoted, no public seat price
  • Wrong tool if you do not run campus or events
  • Not an ATS of record

What each one costs

Handshake

Quote-based

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

Checked 7 Sep 2026

Yello

Contact for pricing

Confirm current pricing on the vendor site.

Checked 7 Sep 2026

Common questions

Can you try Handshake or Yello for free?
Handshake carries a free tier on our listing.

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