Compare/Head to head

Ashby vs SmartRecruiters

Same facts, side by side: starting price, free tier, MCP, API and what each one is actually built for.

Starting price

Ashby

$400/mo

All-in-one ATS plus analytics for growth teams. Foundations starts at $400/month for up to 100 employees, with 10% off annual.

Where Ashby fits

Growth-stage talent teams
Companies that want analytics without a second tool
Desks that want MCP on hiring data
Teams comparing Ashby against Greenhouse

SmartRecruiters

Sales-quoted

Global enterprise talent acquisition suite with a job-board marketplace and CRM. Pricing is quoted by sales, with no plans or prices published.

Where SmartRecruiters fits

Global in-house talent teams
Teams that buy job-board marketplace access with the ATS
Enterprises running hiring programmes across countries
Buyers comparing enterprise suites

At a glance

Detail	Ashby	SmartRecruiters
Starting price	$400/mo	Sales-quoted
Free tier	–No	–No
MCP server	✓Yes	–No
Public API	✓Yes	✓Yes
Listed under	ATS, Dashboards & leaderboards, CRM	ATS, CRM, Recruitment marketing
Capterra	4.4 from 15 reviews	4.2 from 151 reviews

Where they pull apart

Ashby

Stands out: Scheduling, CRM, reporting and analytics in one ATS, with a hosted MCP.

Watch out: The $400/month floor is real, and the higher tiers go back to a sales conversation.

Not the right fit for

Agencies that need a staffing CRM
Buyers who cannot start at $400/month

SmartRecruiters

Stands out: A marketplace of job boards plus CRM inside one enterprise suite.

Watch out: No published price, and SAP now owns the company, so licensing may shift.

Not the right fit for

Small businesses that need a three-figure monthly price
Agencies that want a staffing CRM

Pros and cons

Ashby

Analytics inside the ATS rather than a separate product
Hosted MCP plus API
Published entry price

$400/month floor
Higher tiers are quote-only
Priced on headcount, not recruiter seats

SmartRecruiters

Multi-country hiring programmes in one suite
Job-board marketplace inside the suite
Public API

No MCP
No published price
Every plan is quote-only

What each one costs

Ashby

$400/mo

Foundations is $400 a month for companies with up to 100 employees, billed monthly, with 10% off for an annual commitment. Plus (101 to 1,000 employees) and Enterprise are custom-priced. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 4 Nov 2026

SmartRecruiters

Sales-quoted

Sales-quoted. The vendor's pricing page no longer lists plans or prices: SmartRecruiters and the Winston Chat add-on are both priced through a conversation with sales. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 4 Nov 2026

Common questions

Can you try Ashby or SmartRecruiters for free?

Neither carries a free tier on our listing.

Does Ashby or SmartRecruiters have an MCP server?

Ashby ships a first party MCP server, so an AI assistant can work the product directly.

Not the pair you wanted?

All Ashby alternatives All SmartRecruiters alternatives Every ATS tool

Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 4 Nov 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?