Cernor
AI applicant evaluation priced per role: reads every record against one approved standard, checks the evidence and asks targeted follow ups.
From $199/role Free trial
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Bottom line
AI applicant evaluation for teams with more applications than time to read them: Cernor scores every record against a standard you approve, checks whether the evidence backs each claim and asks follow ups where it does not. At $199 per role for up to 300 candidates with no subscription, it suits occasional hiring, but it is a young product with no published customers and ATS integration only on Enterprise.
Stands out for: Cernor keeps fit, credibility and proof apart for every requirement instead of blending them into one keyword score. Eleven trust checks flag JD mirroring, timeline conflicts and ownership gaps, and follow up questions are built from each candidate's own gaps, with each answer shaping the next. Pricing is per role with no subscription or seat fees, which is rare in AI screening.
Watch out for: Cernor holds no SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certification and says so on its security page. ATS integration is listed only under Enterprise, and the site names no customers, reviews or team. Pricing does not say how long a role stays live, so check that before buying for a slow search. It evaluates and ranks only; it does not source, schedule or run interviews.
Overview
Cernor is an AI hiring evaluation platform built around one promise: know who to interview, and know why. Instead of matching keywords, it reads each candidate's whole application record against the same role standard, and your team makes the final call.
Setup starts with the Standard. Cernor turns your job description into clear requirements, you set each as must have, important or advisory, and the Standard is versioned and locked before any candidate is scored. If the role changes, Cernor reopens only the decisions the new version affects and keeps earlier versions available to compare.
Each candidate gets a Current Fit score and a trust status of Clear, Review or Follow Up, based on 11 trust checks for patterns like JD mirroring, evidence light optimization, timeline conflicts and ownership gaps. Where a claim is unresolved, Cernor drafts adaptive follow up questions that an operator approves before they go out; the vendor puts a typical follow up at about six minutes.
The Decision Packet then shows the first screen score, how follow up changed it, what evidence settled each requirement and what to focus on in interview. Cernor says it does not use customer content or candidate data to train or fine tune generalized foundation models, and it offers its architecture and controls for security review in place of a certification.
Pricing is per role with no subscription: $199 for up to 300 candidates, $89 per extra 100, and Enterprise on quote with ATS integration and volume pricing. The first five candidates are free with no card.
Who it's for
Best for
- Teams hiring a few roles a year who do not want a subscription
- Roles that draw many polished, keyword matched applications
- Hiring panels that need a written record of why each candidate advanced
Not ideal for
- Buyers who need SOC 2 or ISO 27001 today
- Teams wanting sourcing, scheduling or AI interviews in the same tool
- High volume teams that need ATS sync without an Enterprise deal
Key features
Role Standard. Cernor turns your job description into clear requirements, you mark each as must have, important or advisory, and the Standard is versioned and locked before any candidate is scored.
Evidence and trust checks. Every candidate gets a Current Fit score plus a trust status of Clear, Review or Follow Up from 11 checks, including JD mirroring, timeline conflicts and ownership gaps.
Targeted Follow-Up. Questions are drafted from the gaps in each candidate's own evidence, an operator approves them before they go out, and each answer shapes the next question.
Decision Packet. Shows the first screen score, how follow up changed it, what evidence settled each requirement and where to focus the interview. When the role changes, only the affected decisions reopen.
AI features
| What the AI does | Plan |
|---|---|
| Turns a job description into weighted, versioned role requirements | Standard |
| 11 trust checks for JD mirroring, timeline conflicts and ownership gaps | Standard |
| Adaptive follow up questions built from each candidate's evidence gaps | Standard |
| Decision Packet showing what evidence changed each score | Standard |
Only features named in the vendor's own documentation. Anything sold separately is marked as an add-on.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free trial | Free | First five candidates, no card |
| Standard | $199/role | One time per role. Up to 300 candidates, follow up included, unlimited team; $89 per 100 more |
| Enterprise | Quote | Volume pricing, ATS integration, security review, deployment options |
Standard is $199 per role, paid once with no subscription, and covers up to 300 candidates on that role. Targeted follow up, the Decision Packet with change history and unlimited team members are included. Extra capacity is $89 per 100 candidates on the same role. Enterprise is quoted and adds volume pricing, ATS integration, a security review and deployment options. The first five candidates are free with no card. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.
Checked 26 Sep 2026. Vendors change prices without notice.
Is Cernor expensive?
Cernor starts at $199/role. We list 47 AI screening tools in total. 5 have a free tier, and those with a public price typically start around $149 a month.
- 28 quote-based
- 5 free tier
- 19 public price
Worked out automatically from every AI screening listing, so it updates as the directory changes.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Per role pricing with no subscription or seat fees
- Separates fit from credibility and proof for each requirement
- Follow up questions built from each candidate's own evidence gaps
Cons
- No SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certification yet
- ATS integration listed only under Enterprise
- No published customers or reviews yet
How Cernor compares
See all Cernor alternatives, with what each one does differently and a head to head for every pairing.
| Tool | Free tier | From | MCP | API | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cernor (this tool) | – | $199/role | – | – | |
| | – | $249/mo | – | ✓ | Compare |
| | – | $299/mo | – | – | Compare |
| | – | Quote | – | – | Compare |
$249/mo API
AI resume screening with candidate fraud detection and ATS sync on a monthly plan from $249/mo, better if you hire all year and need your ATS connected.
$299/mo
Interactive AI screening interviews with a trust score and unlimited jobs and applicants from $299/mo, for steady volume rather than a few roles.
Quote
First pass CV screening that writes explained evaluations inside your existing ATS, with quoted pricing and named enterprise customers.