CATS vs Recruit CRM (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, CATS grades higher than Recruit CRM: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
CATS grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, 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
Recruit CRM
ATS and client CRM for recruitment agencies, with AI agents
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 Recruit CRM if
- Fits if you place candidates with clients and bill for contractors' hours
- Works for agencies that source most candidates from LinkedIn
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you're hiring your own staff, as it's built for agencies
- Tight if you run more than one pipeline, as Pro allows 1, with 15 custom fields and 1 sequence
- Pricey if your whole team needs a seat, at $95 each a month, or $135 for the open API and SSO
- Watch out: AI sourcing, posting, texting, calling and analytics all draw on credits, and more cost extra
- Watch out: timesheets use credits for each active contractor every month, and the website builder is extra
How we grade them
| 2.4GPACATSFair | 2.2GPARecruit CRMFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | DGraded against the agency tools it's listed beside. Pro is $95 a user a month on yearly billing ($109 monthly), so ten users is $950. That buys 100 credits a user, unlimited jobs and the AI submission agents, but it's the dearest per seat of the lot. |
| 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. | CNo free plan, but a 30-day free trial. The listing doesn't say whether the trial needs a card. |
| 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. | BCandidates, clients, jobs and placements together, AI agents for submissions and pitches, sourcing, sequences over email, LinkedIn and WhatsApp, and timesheets that flow into invoices. The whole agency job, with contractor billing on top. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Workflows, careers pages and posting integrations need building before use. | CNo App Store rating on record, and credits for sourcing, posting and texting take some working out. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb and a browser extension, with LinkedIn, Monster, CareerBuilder and WordPress. No phone or desktop app. | BWeb, iPhone, Android and a Chrome extension, with LinkedIn, Gmail, Outlook, Zoom, Teams, Zapier and Broadbean, and an open API on Business. No desktop app. |
| Best for | an ATS for small recruiting agencies | recruitment agencies placing candidates |
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 Recruit CRM. 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. Recruit CRM starts at $95 a month for each person and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and CATS starts $6 a month lower. Of the other hiring and applicant tracking tools on the chart, none scores higher than CATS for less, and none scores higher than Recruit CRM 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 and reports.
- Recruit CRM also covers time tracking and AI agents.
At a glance
| CATS | Recruit CRM | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $89 per user / month (billing period not stated) | $95 per user / month, billed annually ($109 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free 30-day trial | 30-day free trial |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Top Echelon Software, LLC | Workforce Cloud Tech, Inc. |
| Price read from | catsone.com | recruitcrm.io |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 18, 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.
Recruit CRM
- Built for agencies placing candidates with clients, not for a company hiring its own staff.
- AI sourcing, data enrichment, job posting, texting, calling, workflow automation and analytics all use credits from a shared pool; more can be bought.
- Pro allows 1 hiring pipeline, 15 custom fields, 1 mailbox per user and 1 outreach sequence.
- Timesheets use credits for each active contractor every month, and the Recruit Craft website builder is priced separately except on Enterprise.
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.
Recruit CRM
- ATS and client CRM
- Candidates, client companies, contacts, jobs and placements in one system, with hotlists, talent pools and a kanban pipeline.
- AI agents
- Agents parse custom fields from resumes, build client-ready submissions, write candidate pitch emails and, from Business, reformat resumes in your branding.
- Sourcing and enrichment
- A Chrome extension adds profiles from LinkedIn and the web; AI search of 800M+ profiles and contact enrichment use credits.
- Outreach
- Two-way email and calendar sync, bulk email with open tracking, and sequences across email, LinkedIn and WhatsApp.
- Job multiposting
- Posts a job to 3,000+ boards for credits, with XML job feeds and Broadbean, LogicMelon and CV-Library on Business.
- Timesheets and billing
- Contractors log hours, managers approve them and approved time flows into invoicing, with contractor and client portals.
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.
Recruit CRM
Pro$95
per user / month, billed annually ($109 billed monthly)
100 credits per user a month, unlimited jobs and candidates, 1 hiring pipeline, 15 custom fields, the Chrome extension and AI submission agents.
Business$135
per user / month, billed annually ($159 billed monthly)
200 credits per user a month, 100 pipelines, a resume formatting agent, multichannel sequences, job feeds, open API, SSO and audit logs.
Enterprise$215
per user / month, billed annually ($259 billed monthly)
Sold through a demo. 2,000 credits per user a month, the Recruit Craft website builder and a named account manager.
Ways to pay less
CATS
No public discounts listed.
Recruit CRM
- Annual discount
Save up to 17% with annual billing
Recruit CRM's pricing page says annual billing saves up to 17%: Pro is $95 per user a month billed annually against $109 billed monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, CATS or Recruit CRM?
As of Nov 13, 2026, CATS is cheaper to start with: $89 a month for each person, against $95 a month for each person for Recruit CRM. CATS starts at $89 per user / month (billing period not stated), and Recruit CRM starts at $95 per user / month, billed annually ($109 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, CATS or Recruit CRM?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither CATS nor Recruit CRM has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do CATS and Recruit CRM run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Recruit CRM lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app and a browser extension. 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.