Homebase vs Loom
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Homebase and Loom.
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Verdict: Loom wins
Loom scores 4.3/5, edging out Homebase at 4.0/5. Distributed teams that already live in Atlassian tools and want to replace status meetings and long emails with quick screen-and-face video messages.
Homebase Personeelsplanning & payroll | Loom Record and share video messages effortlessly | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.0 (1 review) | 4.3 (1 review) |
| Pricing Model | paid | freemium |
| Starting Price | Pricing varies | Free tier available |
| Best For | Best for US single-site or small multi-site businesses with hourly workers — restaurants, retail, salons, clinics — that want scheduling and time clocks free and payroll attached later. | Distributed teams that already live in Atlassian tools and want to replace status meetings and long emails with quick screen-and-face video messages. |
| Free Tier | ||
| API Access | ||
| Team Features | ||
| Open Source | ||
| Tags | — | api accessteam featuresfree tier |
| Visit Loom → |
Homebase
Pros
- + Free Basic plan genuinely covers a small shop — one location, up to 10 employees, scheduling and time tracking with POS integration (joinhomebase.com/pricing)
- + Deepest shift-rule customisation I have tested in this class: per-location break/overtime rules, no-show and overtime alerts, role-based scheduling (PCMag reached the same conclusion)
- + Per-location pricing with unlimited employees on paid tiers means adding staff never raises the bill
- + Mobile manager experience handles real tasks — fixing missed clock-outs, approving swaps, checking attendance — from a phone
- + Payroll add-on ($39/month + $6/employee) runs full-service tax filing from the same timesheets, closing the loop from clock-in to payday
Cons
- - Two-part pricing (core plan + payroll add-on) makes the payroll configuration more expensive than Gusto or OnPay for small teams, as PCMag also found
- - Vendor pages conflict on the free plan cap (10 employees on the pricing page, 20 on an older solutions page)
- - US-only: no international payroll, EOR or non-US tax handling
- - Payroll preview detail and custom reporting are thin until higher tiers; earnings columns need horizontal scrolling in the payroll worksheet
- - AI scheduling, PTO controls and departments are gated to Plus ($70/location), and HR/compliance tooling to All-in-One ($120/location)
Loom
Pros
- + Record-to-share loop is the fastest I have measured in this category — a five-minute take was shareable in under 30 seconds in my testing, with processing happening behind a live link
- + Transcriptions and closed captions in 50+ languages are now included on the free plan, which removes what used to be the main reason to upgrade
- + Edit-by-transcript and filler-word removal on the Business + AI plan save real editing time on narrated walkthroughs
- + Deep Atlassian integration (Confluence/Jira recording entry points, Rovo/MCP search) makes it a natural fit for teams already on that stack
- + Comments, emoji reactions, calls-to-action, and viewer insights turn a one-way video into an actual async conversation
Cons
- - Starter's 25-video and 5-minute caps hit fast — I reached the video ceiling in about three weeks of moderate use, and free users cannot download their own videos
- - Seat economics are confusing after the Atlassian migration: Creator Lite free seats are deprecated for new signups after February 2026 and billing differs between loom.com and atlassian.com
- - Loom AI cannot be bought as an add-on — getting AI titles/summaries means moving the whole team to the $24 tier
- - No contractual uptime SLA and no advanced retention/audit controls below Enterprise pricing
- - Editing is intentionally shallow (trim, stitch, overlays only) — anything production-grade needs an external editor
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better, Homebase or Loom?▼
Loom scores higher at 4.3/5 vs 4.0/5 for Homebase, making it the better-rated option in our comparison.
What is the difference between Homebase and Loom?▼
Homebase: Homebase handles scheduling, time clocks, hiring and payroll for small businesses with hourly staff. Loom: Screen and camera recording tool with AI-powered editing and collaboration features for asynchronous video communication.
Is Homebase or Loom more affordable?▼
Homebase starts at €0/mo, Loom starts at €0/mo. Check the comparison table above for current pricing.
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