SquadBear vs Humaans
SquadBear is leave, time and health you run from Claude. Humaans is a polished HRIS for scaling tech teams. Honest comparison.
Comparison last reviewed 2026-09.
TL;DR: Humaans is the pretty, modular HRIS for a scaling startup that already bought Greenhouse and wants a system of record. SquadBear is the suite that also does the Tuesday: leave, hours on a Linear issue, a health check, and Claude can operate all of it. If you are assembling a best-of-breed stack, they are the hub. If you do not want a stack, we are the product.
At a glance
| Capability | SquadBear | Humaans |
|---|---|---|
| Operating model | Web app, Slack leave, Claude / ChatGPT / Cursor over MCP | Web app, spreadsheet-like UI, in-app AI |
| AI | Open MCP. Your assistant, your permissions | Proprietary Athena inside their app |
| Leave | Policies, coverage, auto-reroute, sick notes | Time-off, calendars |
| Time tracking | Built-in, Jira / Linear / GitHub / Asana, submit and approve, R&D / CapEx | Not offered (bring Harvest) |
| Team health | Live health checks, eNPS, retros, actions | 360 reviews. Surveys usually via integrations |
| Core HR | Directory, custom fields, processes on hire, sign-the-handbook | Employee database, org charts, heavy workflow engine |
| Integrations | Slack, iCal, Google Calendar app, issue trackers, MCP, REST | Deep ATS / LMS / e-sign catalogue (Greenhouse, Ashby, Lattice, DocuSign, Slack) |
| Free tier | Free for 5 people, same product | Free trial only |
| Price | $4 / active person / month | From ~$7 / seat / month, then quoted |
Where SquadBear is the stronger choice
Bring the assistant you already have. Athena lives in Humaans. Claude lives in the engineer's editor. Connect MCP once and "log 6 hours on Platform v2" or "who's out next week" happens where work already happens. No vendor chatbot to train people on.
Time tracking is not a connector tax. Software teams should not pay Harvest to explain last week to the accountant. Timesheets know about leave. Categories support R&D credits. Hide the module if you are a product company that does not log hours.
Health without Culture Amp. An anonymous health check, a retro, an action with an owner. Included. Not a second contract.
Self-serve price. Free for 5. $4 after that. No minimum seats, no onboarding consulting to turn the lights on.
Where Humaans is the stronger choice
- ATS-native. Greenhouse, Ashby, Workable: candidates become employees without a CSV. We start after hire.
- A serious workflow builder for IT provisioning, kit shipping, multi-step cross-team sequences. Our processes cover joiner / leaver style work. They go further.
- 360 performance and compensation cycles, with in-app AI summaries.
- The data grid. Keyboard-fast HR admin over hundreds of records. That is their UX bet, and it is a good one.
Who should pick which
- Pick SquadBear if you are an engineering-led or EU team that wants leave, time, health and records in one affordable suite, operated from Claude, not a second AI inside an HRIS.
- Pick Humaans if you are 50–500 people, already on Greenhouse and Lattice, and you want a premium system of record for complex People Ops.
Related
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between SquadBear and Humaans?
Humaans is a design-forward HRIS for the employee record, ATS/LMS integrations and enterprise workflows, from about $7/user. SquadBear is leave, built-in engineering time tracking, team health and core HR, operated over open MCP, at $4/user with a free tier for 5.
How do their AI features compare?
Humaans has a proprietary in-app assistant (Athena). SquadBear uses MCP, so Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor (the tools you already pay for) talk to HR under your own login. We do not lock you into our chatbot.
Does Humaans include time tracking and team health?
No. Humaans is core HRIS, time off and workflows. Time tracking and engagement usually mean Harvest, Toggl or Culture Amp on the side. SquadBear builds leave-aware timesheets and health checks into the product.
How do they price?
Humaans starts around $7/seat/month, then sales-quoted Growth and Enterprise. SquadBear is free for 5 people, then $4/active person/month, no per-module pricing.
Try SquadBear on your own team
Free for up to 5 people, the full product on every plan. Connect Claude or ChatGPT and see the AI-native workflow for yourself.
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