Compare/Head to head

BrightHire vs Lavalier

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

Starting price

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

Lavalier

$499/mo Free tier

Lavalier is interview intelligence from the team behind Textio that turns each role into a structured interview plan, coaches interviewers live and compares candidates on the evidence they gave. It suits TA teams and hiring managers who want consistent, defensible interviews rather than an AI that interviews for them. A free plan covers unlimited users with 100 credits a month, and Pro starts at $499/month for 500 credits.

Where Lavalier fits

  • TA teams rolling out structured interviewing across many hiring managers
  • Hiring panels that want shared plans and evidence-based debriefs
  • Teams that interview in person as well as over video
  • Companies that want unlimited users without seat pricing

At a glance

DetailBrightHireLavalier
Starting priceSales-quoted$499/mo
Free tier–No✓Yes
MCP server✓Yes–No
Public API✓Yes–No
Listed underAI note takers, InterviewingInterviewing, AI note takers

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

Lavalier

Stands out: Pricing is by credits with unlimited users, so a whole hiring panel can use it without seat fees. Live Guidance tracks which planned questions have been covered during the interview and suggests follow ups, and it works for in-person interviews as well as phone and video.

Watch out: ATS integrations are not on the free plan, and reporting and SSO only come with Enterprise. Heavy interviewers can burn credits fast at up to 30 credits per long interview, and paid plans are bought through a demo rather than a self-serve checkout.

Not the right fit for

  • Teams that want an AI to run screening interviews unattended
  • Small teams that need ATS writeback but not a $499/month bill

Pros and cons

BrightHire

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

Lavalier

  • Free plan with every core feature and unlimited users
  • Live guidance during phone, video and in-person interviews
  • Published credit prices with no seat fees
  • No ATS integration on the free plan
  • Reporting and SSO only on Enterprise
  • Paid plans go through a demo, not self-serve checkout

What each one costs

BrightHire

Sales-quoted

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

Checked 4 Nov 2026

Lavalier

$499/mo

Lavalier prices by monthly credits, with unlimited users on every plan. Free: $0 for 100 credits a month (about 5 roles a year), with every core feature but no ATS integrations, company values, reporting or SSO. Pro: $499/month for 500 credits, $849/month for 1,000 credits or $1,399/month for 2,000 credits (about 10+ roles a year at the entry level), adding ATS integrations and company values. Enterprise: custom credits, adds reporting and SSO. Credits are spent per interview (10 credits up to 30 minutes, 18 up to 60, 25 up to 90, 30 up to 180) and 25 per role created. Paying yearly gives all credits up front and saves 20%. Unused credits roll over up to a cap. Pro and Enterprise are bought through a demo. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 4 Nov 2026

Common questions

Can you try BrightHire or Lavalier for free?
Lavalier carries a free tier on our listing.
Does BrightHire or Lavalier have an MCP server?
BrightHire ships a first party MCP server, so an AI assistant can work the product directly.

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