Overview

Founded in 2015 and based in Austin, Texas, SkillsEngine connects custom profile building with skills analysis and U.S. labor-market context. It supports skill gap analysis, career pathways, skills inference, workforce planning, and both skill taxonomies. That range serves employers, educators, government agencies, credential providers, coaches, recruiters, job seekers, and students, but the one-profile free cap makes it a limited option for people who need to build out a larger skills portfolio.

Key features

Its AI-driven translation tool converts job posts, resumes, curriculum, and other text into skills profiles. Users can create profiles for jobs, curriculum, credentials, and individuals, then share and co-edit them with partners and experts. This makes SkillsEngine a stronger fit for multi-party work than a tool focused only on personal skills tracking.

A curated library of profiles, skill sets, skills, and templates offers a starting point for profile creation. The platform can also survey subject-matter experts for feedback and validation of skill requirements at scale, which is useful when teams need to establish or review requirements across a broader group.

SkillsEngine integrates U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data for labor-market insights. Its APIs are in beta and included with custom organization accounts; endpoints can translate unstructured text, search skills and skill sets, find job-profile templates, retrieve profile skills, and list organization profiles. The API add-ons are paid separately from Basic Team, so API use raises the monthly cost beyond the base team plan.

The security and compliance statements call for care with sensitive information: SSL encryption is described at 128-bit strength, and the privacy policy refers to HIPAA and FERPA standards while telling users not to submit data protected by those acts. Support aims to respond within two business days. There is no mobile application.

Pricing

The Free personal account is free and permits one skill profile using the library and tool suite. It is appropriate for an individual evaluating the workflow or maintaining a single profile, but not for ongoing multi-profile work.

Basic Team costs 999.00 USD per month, billed monthly, and includes unlimited seats. That seat policy suits teams that need broad participation, though it does not remove the cost barrier for smaller groups. The 30-day trial gives prospective users a defined period to evaluate the service before paying.

The Advanced API add-on costs 499.00 USD per month, billed additional to Basic Team; the Big Data API add-on costs 999.00 USD per month, also additional to Basic Team. These add-ons are for organizations that need API access and should be budgeted on top of the team subscription, not treated as standalone plans. Organization accounts have custom pricing and include advanced features, data, and multi-member collaboration.

Platforms

SkillsEngine is available on the web and through its API. The absence of a mobile application rules it out for teams that require a dedicated phone app.

Who it's for

Choose SkillsEngine when work spans employers, educators, credential providers, or other partners and requires shared skill profiles, external validation, or labor-market context. It is less suited to individuals needing multiple free profiles or teams that need mobile access.

Pros and cons

Pros: Converts varied work and learning documents into skills profiles, and supports shared editing and expert validation.
Pros: Combines a curated profile library with U.S. labor data and analysis capabilities including career pathways and workforce planning.
Cons: The free account stops at one profile, while team access starts at 999.00 USD per month.
Cons: API access is in beta and adds 499.00 USD or 999.00 USD per month to Basic Team, depending on the add-on.
Cons: There is no mobile application, and the stated two-business-day support response aim may not fit urgent support needs.

Alternatives

Skills Management Software is the broader category for comparing tools. Pick Open Skills Management Tool (OSMT) if open-source, self-hosted software across desktop platforms matters more than SkillsEngine’s labor-market context and profile collaboration. Skills Base is a web and API freemium option with a free tier for up to 25 users and 250 skills, plus unlimited assessments and reports; it is worth considering for teams prioritizing a defined free allowance. Skima is another free option, including self-hosted and desktop platforms.

Talentguide offers a free sandbox for up to five seats with skills-gap analysis, development plans, evaluation, and workforce planning, making it a candidate for small-team evaluation. Cornerstone Learning is worth comparing when Android or iOS access is needed; its price varies by organization and size. SkillsTX offers a free-for-life personal option with a skills profile and career development plan, better aligned to individual career development. DevLevelUp is another freemium alternative for individual career tools. TalentGuard is a paid alternative with a free trial.

Verdict

SkillsEngine is a strong choice for organizations that need a shared skills language across work and learning, with profile conversion, expert validation, and U.S. labor context in one platform. The main reason to look elsewhere is cost: one free profile is restrictive, and team pricing plus API add-ons can make broader adoption expensive.

	SkillsEngine	Skilltype
Free plan	Yes	No
Free trial	Yes
Paid from	$499/mo	$125/mo
Platforms	api, Web	api, Web
Free plan	Yes	No
Skill taxonomy	both	built_in
Skill gap analysis	Yes	Yes
Career pathways	Yes	Yes
Skills inference	Yes
Workforce planning	Yes
Learning recommendations		Yes

SkillsEngine vs Skilltype

SkillsEngine

Skilltype