CATS vs Crelate (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, CATS grades higher than Crelate: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
CATS grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
CATS
Applicant tracking and recruiting CRM with a single per-user plan
Crelate
Applicant tracking and recruiting CRM for staffing and search firms
Which one is for you
Pick CATS if
- Fits if you are a small recruiting agency that wants candidates and clients in one tool
- Works for recruiters who source from LinkedIn with a browser extension
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you have several recruiters, at $89 per user a month with the billing basis not shown
- Watch out: moving data from an old system costs $500 on an annual plan or $1,000 on a monthly one
- Watch out: SMS texting is listed for the US and Canada only
- Skip it if you want a free plan; after the 30-day trial it is paid only
Pick Crelate if
- Fits if you run a small search firm and want ATS and CRM in one
- Works for agencies that want a mobile app as well as the web
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you are bigger than 2 users, as Essentials stops there with 20k contacts
- Pricey if you send email campaigns or texts, as they cost extra
- Watch out: Business Plus has no published price
- Watch out: the page does not say if the $119 Business price is annual or monthly
How we grade them
| 2.4GPACATSFair | 2.2GPACrelateFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$89 per user a month against a $95 middle price for hiring tools, inside the middle of the range. The page does not say which billing period it assumes. | C$85 a user a month annual on Essentials and $119 on Business, against a category middle of $85 and a dearer quarter from $149. |
| Free plan and trial | CA free 30-day trial and no free plan. The page we read does not say whether a card is needed. | CA free trial is offered, but its length and whether a card is needed are not stated. |
| Features | BCustom workflows, candidate and client CRM, a sourcing extension, careers pages, scheduling, texting and reporting. No gap in the core job shows on the listing. | CATS, CRM, job portal, AI assistant and API. Email campaigns, texting and eSignature carry extra fees, and webhooks are not shown on Business. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Workflows, careers pages and posting integrations need building before use. | CNo rating on record. Recruiting software with portals and workflows to configure. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb and a browser extension, with LinkedIn, Monster, CareerBuilder and WordPress. No phone or desktop app. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Indeed, Dice, Zapier, Outlook and Gmail links. No desktop app. |
| Best for | an ATS for small recruiting agencies | ATS and CRM for staffing and search firms |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: CATS and Crelate. How we grade
Price against what you get
CATS starts at $89 a month for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Crelate starts at $85 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
CATS scores higher, and starts $4 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other hiring and applicant tracking tools on the chart, none scores higher than CATS for less, and 4 score higher than Crelate for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- CATS also covers sales pipeline, workflow automation and reports.
At a glance
| CATS | Crelate | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $89 per user / month (billing period not stated) | $85 per user / month, billed annually |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free 30-day trial | Free trial offered; its length is not stated on the pricing page. |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Top Echelon Software, LLC | Crelate, Inc. |
| Price read from | catsone.com | crelate.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
CATS
- The pricing page shows one per-user price and does not say whether it assumes monthly or annual billing.
- Data migration from an old system is a separate charge: $500 on an annual plan or $1,000 on a monthly one, per the migration page.
- SMS texting is listed for the US and Canada only.
- The terms of service name Top Echelon Software, LLC as the provider.
Crelate
- Essentials covers up to 2 users and 20k contacts, and is bought through sales.
- Email campaigns, text messaging, eSignature and contact enrichment carry an additional fee, per the plan table.
- Business Plus has no published price, and webhooks are not shown on the Business plan.
- The page does not say whether the $119 Business price is the annual or the monthly rate.
Key features
CATS
- Custom workflows
- Build the hiring pipeline stages your team uses, with multiple workflows for different teams or job types and automation triggered by status changes.
- Candidate and client CRM
- Keeps contacts, clients and candidates in one database with mass edit, a duplicate checker and custom fields.
- Sourcing extension
- Chrome and Firefox extensions parse candidate data from sites such as LinkedIn, Monster and CareerBuilder into the database.
- Careers pages and posting
- A customizable careers page or an embeddable jobs widget, multiple career portals and auto-publishing of jobs.
- Scheduling and texting
- A meeting scheduler for candidates and clients, 2-way calendar and email sync, and SMS texting in the US and Canada.
- Screening and reporting
- Knockout questions, scorecards, dashboards and reports, plus an API and webhooks for connecting other tools.
Crelate
- Applicant tracking and CRM
- One system holds candidates, client contacts and placements, with full-text and Boolean search and resume parsing.
- Job portal and job distribution
- A branded job portal with custom application forms. The comparison table lists free job board distribution at 50 postings per user.
- Client and team portals
- Clients and hiring managers get a portal to review candidates. User limits per portal differ by plan, from 10 to 100 users.
- AI assistants
- An AI Assistant is on Business, with Discover Agent for finding talent, Insights Agent and Data Quality Agents listed as options.
- Mobile recruiting
- The plan table lists mobile recruiting on iOS and Android on every plan.
- API and webhooks
- The plan table lists API access at 60 requests per minute on Business and 120 on higher plans; webhooks are not shown on Business.
Plans
CATS
Pro$89
per user / month (billing basis not shown)
Careers page or jobs widget, workflow, meeting scheduler, SMS texting, calendar and email sync. Shown beside a crossed-out $110.
Crelate
Essentials$85
per user / month, billed annually
Applicant tracking, recruiting CRM, job portal and resume parsing for up to 2 users and 20k contacts. Contact sales to buy.
Business$119
per user / month, annual or monthly
Adds the AI Assistant, client and team portals, reports and analytics, email connections and technical support.
Business PlusCustom
Adds advanced AI Assistant, premium client portals, automation and sequences, full API and more storage. Billed annually.
PlatformCustom
Usage-based pricing on a user or site license, quoted by sales.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, CATS or Crelate?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Crelate is cheaper to start with: $85 a month for each person, against $89 a month for each person for CATS. CATS starts at $89 per user / month (billing period not stated), and Crelate starts at $85 per user / month, billed annually.
Which has a free plan, CATS or Crelate?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither CATS nor Crelate has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do CATS and Crelate run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only CATS lists a browser extension and only Crelate lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.