Head to head

BrightHire vs Carv

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

BrightHire

Sales-quoted

Interview intelligence that records, transcribes and coaches, sitting on top of your ATS. Quote-based, with MCP available.

Where BrightHire fits

  • Talent teams on Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby or Workday
  • Panels where someone always misses the interview
  • Teams coaching their interviewers
  • Organisations that want notes without a separate note-taker

Carv

$60/user/mo

AI interview notes, write-ups, and ATS fill for recruiting agencies. Recruitment Pro is commonly quoted at $60/user/mo; the vendor has no published price grid.

Where Carv fits

  • Recruiting agencies that live on intake calls
  • Desks on Bullhorn, Greenhouse, Lever, or Workable
  • Recruiters drowning in notes and write-ups
  • Teams that will accept AI in the interview workflow

At a glance

DetailBrightHireCarv
Starting priceSales-quoted$60/user/mo
Free tier–No–No
MCP server✓Yes–No
Public API✓Yes–No
Listed underInterviewingInterviewing

Where they pull apart

BrightHire

Stands out: Interview recordings and coaching attached to the candidate record in the ATS.

Watch out: No published price, and it needs an ATS underneath it.

Not the right fit for

  • Small businesses with no ATS
  • High-volume hourly chat screening

Carv

Stands out: Joins the interview, writes the note, and pushes a candidate presentation back to Bullhorn, Greenhouse, Lever, or Workable.

Watch out: Packaging is demo-led and the product now leans toward agentic volume hiring, so confirm the seat price on a call rather than budgeting from the $60 figure. The five-meeting free plan is a usage cap, not a timed trial.

Not the right fit for

  • Enterprises that need HireVue-style structured video
  • TA teams that will not record interviews
  • Buyers who need a published price grid

Pros and cons

BrightHire

  • Works with the major modern trackers
  • MCP available
  • Coaching sits alongside the recording
  • No published price
  • Requires an ATS underneath

Carv

  • Notes and write-ups that actually land in the ATS
  • Bullhorn, Greenhouse, Lever, Workable, and Teams named
  • Built for agency intakes, not enterprise video exams
  • No published pricing grid
  • Product marketing has shifted toward agentic volume hiring
  • Five-meeting free plan is not a timed trial

What each one costs

BrightHire

Sales-quoted

Quote-based. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 17 Sep 2026

Carv

$60/user/mo

Free trial of 5 meetings. Recruiter Pro from about $60/user/mo. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 15 Sep 2026

Common questions

Can you try BrightHire or Carv for free?
Neither carries a free tier on our listing.
Does BrightHire or Carv have an MCP server?
BrightHire ships a first party MCP server, so an AI assistant can work the product directly.

Not the pair you wanted?

All BrightHire alternatives All Carv alternatives Every Interviewing tool

Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 17 Sep 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?