Xref Alternative for South African Hiring | RefWorthy
Looking for an Xref alternative? RefWorthy is reference check software made for South African recruiters and HR teams. It automates the requests, the chasing and the reporting, and gives you a clearer, scored view of every candidate so you can make the hire with confidence.
Looking for an Xref alternative? Most teams want fast, reliable reference checks without paying for a global HR platform built around much more than that. RefWorthy is reference check software made for South African recruiters and HR teams. It automates the requests, the chasing and the reporting, and gives you a clearer, scored view of every candidate so you can make the hire with confidence.
Below, we walk through what RefWorthy does, then how it compares with Xref on features and price, so you can see where it fits your team.
What RefWorthy does as an Xref alternative
RefWorthy focuses on getting hiring decisions right: structured, verifiable references, backed by a clear picture of each candidate. It works for recruitment agencies checking candidates on behalf of clients, and for in-house HR teams hiring for their own business.
The process starts with the candidate. On the Pro tier and above, upload their CV and RefWorthy pulls out the relevant details to build a candidate profile, and you can add a work style assessment if you'd like a sense of how they prefer to work. From there, you choose the reference questions, either from a template or by building your own questionnaire. Each question can be weighted by how much it matters for the role, and RefWorthy turns referees' answers into a candidate score.
Referees receive an email with a link to an online form, which they complete in their browser whenever it suits them. There's nothing to reply to. If a referee hasn't responded, RefWorthy follows up with automated reminders, and if you'd rather speak to someone directly, you can request a phone call instead. Emails can also be sent from your own domain, so referees see your agency or HR team's name rather than an unfamiliar sender.
Behind the scenes, RefWorthy runs several suspicious-activity checks on every response. These include IP matching, flagging references completed on the same network as the candidate, and confirming referees' email domains. The finished report carries your branding, ready to send to a client or share with a hiring manager.
RefWorthy is priced in rand, with tiers based on how many candidates you check, and you can start on a free tier with your first three candidates. It's designed with POPIA in mind, and if you'd like it connected to your ATS, custom integrations are available on a quoted basis.
RefWorthy vs Xref: feature comparison
Xref is a broad employee-lifecycle platform, spanning everything from hiring to exit surveys, for organisations worldwide. RefWorthy puts all of its focus on the hiring decision. It pairs reference checks with CV-based candidate profiles, weighted scoring and work style assessments, and it's built for teams in South Africa.
RefWorthy | Xref | |
|---|---|---|
Free option | Free tier with your first 3 candidates | Free trial |
Users | One on the free tier, unlimited on paid tiers | Unlimited on all plans |
Reaching referees | Online surveys with automated email reminders; phone call on request | Online surveys with automated email reminders |
Custom email domain | Emails can come from your own domain | Emails come from Xref |
Custom questions | Templates and survey builder; custom questions on higher plans | Templates and survey builder; custom questions on higher plans |
Candidate scoring | Weighted questions produce a candidate score based on your question preferences | Sentiment analysis and benchmarking graphs |
Candidate profiles | Built automatically from an uploaded CV and reference results with exportable profile page in your branding | Standard records that store each candidate's checks and surveys |
Work style assessment | Optional, added to the candidate profile | Not listed |
Fraud checks | Multiple suspicious-activity alerts, including IP matching, same device or network detection and email domain confirmation | Suspicious-activity alerts across multiple data points |
Branded reports | Yes, on every tier | Report sharing and tracking on higher plans |
Background and ID checks | No | Through partner providers |
Employee surveys | No | Pulse, exit and engagement surveys |
ATS integrations | Custom integrations | Ready-made integrations |
What Xref offers
Xref is an established platform with a wide scope. Alongside reference checks, it offers pulse, exit and engagement surveys, and it connects to background-checking partners through its Trust Marketplace. It has ready-made integrations with major ATS platforms, ISO 27001 certification and a large international customer base.
That breadth suits organisations that want one tool from hiring through to exit. If your priority is making better hiring decisions and you already have software you’re happy with, though, much of it goes unused. Xref's plans are priced by headcount and billed in foreign currency, and every plan bundles in its survey tools, so you're paying for a lifecycle platform even when references are all you need. RefWorthy puts that focus, and that budget, into the hire itself.
RefWorthy vs Xref pricing
The two price on different things, so it's worth comparing the model before the numbers.
Xref prices its plans by the size of your organisation, with a yearly cap on how many people you can check or survey. Plans are billed in foreign currency, with a discount for paying annually, and the largest organisations get custom pricing. See Xref's pricing page for current rates.
RefWorthy prices by the number of candidates you check. You can start on a free tier with one user and your first three candidates, then move to a paid tier, from Starter up to Unlimited, with unlimited users. Branded reports are included on every tier, and CV processing comes with Pro and above. See RefWorthy pricing for current plans.
If what you need is better hiring decisions through referencing, RefWorthy is likely to give you more of what you'll actually use for your budget, with no exchange-rate surprises. Xref's pricing makes more sense if you'd also use its employee surveys and background checks.
Is RefWorthy the right Xref alternative for you?
RefWorthy is the better fit if you:
hire in South Africa, whether you're an agency or an in-house HR team
want to score candidates using your own weighted questions
would like CV-based candidate profiles and work style assessments alongside references
want branded reports for clients or hiring managers
Xref may suit you if you:
want employee engagement and exit surveys on the same platform as references
need background checks from the same provider
are a large multinational that needs enterprise account management
The easiest way to see the difference is to try it. Check your first three candidates with RefWorthy for free, with no sales call needed. Start with 3 free candidates
Xref alternative FAQs
Is RefWorthy a direct replacement for Xref?
For reference checking, yes, and it adds CV-based candidate profiles, scoring and work style assessments. If you also use Xref's pulse, exit or engagement surveys, or its background checks, you'd need another tool for those.
Does RefWorthy work for in-house HR teams?
Yes. Agencies use it to check candidates for their clients, and HR teams use it for their own hiring. The process and reports work the same way for both.
Can recruitment agencies use Xref?
Yes. Xref has a dedicated offering for staffing and recruitment firms. Its pricing is based on organisation size, so it's worth checking how that maps to your agency's referencing volume.
Does Xref work in South Africa?
Xref is used internationally, and nothing on its site suggests South African teams can't use it. It doesn't price in rand, though, so costs will move with the exchange rate.
Which is faster?
Both automate referee requests and reminders, so both remove most of the chasing. In practice, turnaround depends mostly on how quickly referees respond.
Can I connect RefWorthy to my ATS?
Yes. RefWorthy builds custom integrations with your ATS, priced on a quote basis. Xref offers ready-made integrations with a range of ATS platforms.
What's the best Xref alternative for South African teams?
For teams hiring in South Africa, RefWorthy is built specifically for the local market. It combines automated reference checks with candidate scoring, CV-based profiles and fraud alerts, prices in rand and is designed with POPIA in mind, so it covers what most agencies and HR teams need without the extra modules.
