Referoo Alternative in South Africa | RefWorthy vs Referoo
Looking for a Referoo alternative that fits South African hiring? RefWorthy takes reference checking off your plate from start to finish, and gives you a fuller picture of each candidate along the way.
A Referoo alternative built for South African hiring teams
Looking for a Referoo alternative that fits South African hiring? Referoo is a well-known reference-checking platform in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. If you hire in South Africa, though, you'll likely want reference check software that prices in rand, works with POPIA in mind and gives you more than a reference report, without having to buy into a wider screening suite.
That's where RefWorthy comes in. This page explains what RefWorthy does, then shows how it compares with Referoo on features, pricing and fit.
What you get with RefWorthy as a Referoo alternative
RefWorthy takes reference checking off your plate from start to finish, and gives you a fuller picture of each candidate along the way. Recruitment agencies and in-house HR teams use it in exactly the same way.
On the Pro tier and above, it begins with the CV. Upload it and RefWorthy pulls the key details into a candidate profile, so nobody has to retype a work history. If you'd like to understand how someone prefers to work, you can add a work style assessment to the same profile.
Next come the questions. You can start from a ready-made template or write your own questionnaire, then weight the questions that matter most for the role. RefWorthy uses those weightings to give each candidate a score, which makes a shortlist much easier to explain.
Referees get an email, sent from your own domain, with a link to a short online form. They fill it in from their browser, and RefWorthy sends automated reminders to anyone who hasn't responded yet. When you'd rather talk it through, you can request a phone call instead.
Every response is screened for suspicious activity. RefWorthy uses IP matching, flags references submitted from the same network as the candidate and checks referees' email domains, among other checks. The finished report carries your branding, whether it's going to a client or to a hiring manager down the corridor.
Because it's built for South African hiring, RefWorthy is priced in rand and designed with POPIA in mind. Custom ATS integrations are available on a quoted basis, and you can start on a free tier with your first three candidates.
RefWorthy vs Referoo: features side by side
Both tools automate the referee process well. Referoo leans towards breadth, bundling references with background, ID and right-to-work checks for its home markets. RefWorthy goes deeper on the candidate, adding weighted scoring, CV-based profiles and work style assessments, all built for South African teams.
RefWorthy | Referoo | |
|---|---|---|
Users | One on the free tier, unlimited on paid tiers | Not listed |
Reaching referees | Online surveys with automated email reminders; phone call on request | Email or SMS with scheduled reminders, or a recorded phone template |
Custom email domain | Yes | Custom domains, on Referoo Hub |
Questionnaires | Templates or your own, with weighted questions | Customisable by role, business unit or check type |
Candidate scoring | Score generated from weighted questions | Not listed |
CV processing and candidate profiles | Yes, on Pro and up, with an optional work style assessment | Not listed |
Fraud checks | Multiple suspicious-activity alerts, including IP matching, same device or network detection and email domain confirmation | IP matching, suspicious-pattern alerts, LinkedIn verification and optional referee ID checks |
Branding | Branded reports on every tier | White-label branding across emails, portal and reports |
Background, ID and right-to-work checks | No | Yes, through Referoo Hub |
Integrations | Custom ATS integrations, quoted per project | Ready-made integrations with a wide range of HR and ATS platforms |
Pricing | Published tiers in rand | Quote-based |
Free option | Free tier with your first 3 candidates | Free trial |
What Referoo offers
Referoo is a platform with a few notable features. Referees can respond by SMS as well as email, there are templates for logging phone references, and its Referoo Hub bundles references with background, ID and right-to-work checks. It also offers ready-made integrations with a range of HR and ATS platforms, and layered fraud checks including IP tracking and LinkedIn verification.
Those features are built around hiring in Australia, New Zealand and the UK, where its compliance checks and partnerships are focused. For South African teams, much of that screening suite is less relevant, and pricing is only available by quote. RefWorthy concentrates on what matters most for local hiring: trustworthy references, a scored view of each candidate and transparent pricing in rand.
RefWorthy vs Referoo pricing
Referoo doesn't publish prices. It offers a reference-checking package and a broader package covering all of its employment checks, and you request a quote for either. Some checks, such as background checks, carry an extra fee per check.
RefWorthy publishes its pricing in rand at refworthy.com/pricing. Plans are tiered by how many candidates you check. A free tier gets you started with one user and your first three candidates, and every paid tier, from Starter to Unlimited, includes unlimited users. Branded reports come with every tier, and CV processing is included from Pro upwards.
Is RefWorthy the right Referoo alternative for you?
RefWorthy is the stronger choice if:
you hire mainly in South Africa and want POPIA built into the process
you'd like to score candidates against weighted questions you set yourself
CV-based candidate profiles and work style assessments would help alongside references
you'd like to see the price upfront before speaking to anyone
Referoo may suit you if:
most of your hiring happens in Australia, New Zealand or the UK
you need right-to-work or criminal checks from the same provider
you reach referees mainly by SMS
The quickest way to compare is to try RefWorthy on real hires. Your first three candidates are free. Try RefWorthy with 3 free candidates
Referoo alternative FAQs
Can Referoo check referees in South Africa? Referoo's main markets are Australia, New Zealand and the UK, but it says it routinely contacts international referees. So it can reach South African referees, though its pricing, support and compliance focus are built around its home markets.
Does RefWorthy do background or criminal record checks? No. RefWorthy focuses on reference checks. If you need criminal, credit or qualification checks too, you'd pair it with a local screening provider.
Who is each tool for: agencies or HR teams? Both. Referoo and RefWorthy are each used by recruitment agencies and in-house HR teams.
Can I speak to referees directly? Yes, with both. Referoo offers phone templates for recording calls, and RefWorthy lets you request a phone call with a referee instead of the online form, following the same question set.
What's a good Referoo alternative in South Africa? RefWorthy is built for South African recruiters and HR teams. It offers automated online reference checks, weighted candidate scoring, CV-based profiles and multiple fraud alerts, all priced in rand and designed with POPIA in mind.
