Compare/Head to head

BrightHire vs Spark Hire

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

Spark Hire

$249/mo

One-way and live video interviews, with a separate ATS. Video starts at $249/mo billed annually.

Where Spark Hire fits

  • TA teams replacing live first rounds with one-way video
  • SMBs that want video without an enterprise HireVue contract
  • Companies that may grow into Spark Hire's ATS
  • Desks on Greenhouse or Lever that only need the video layer

At a glance

DetailBrightHireSpark Hire
Starting priceSales-quoted$249/mo
Free tier–No–No
MCP server✓Yes–No
Public API✓Yes✓Yes
Listed underAI note takers, InterviewingInterviewing
CapterraNot enough reviews4.7 from 109 reviews

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

Spark Hire

Stands out: Unlimited video interviews at a public $249/month annual start, then a full ATS if you want sourcing and workflows in the same vendor.

Watch out: The ATS (Recruit Pro) starts at $335/month billed annually, not $249. AI resume review and notetaker hours are metered by ATS plan. No free trial is advertised.

Not the right fit for

  • Enterprises standardised on HireVue
  • Buyers who thought $249 included the ATS
  • Teams that cannot ask candidates to record video

Pros and cons

BrightHire

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

Spark Hire

  • Public $249/mo annual start for unlimited video
  • One-way and live in the same product
  • Optional ATS if you want one vendor
  • ATS starts at $335/mo annual, not $249
  • No advertised free trial
  • AI notetaker hours are capped on ATS plans

What each one costs

BrightHire

Sales-quoted

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

Checked 4 Nov 2026

Spark Hire

$249/mo

Video interviewing from $249/mo billed annually. The applicant tracking system is a separate plan from $335/mo. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 4 Nov 2026

Common questions

Can you try BrightHire or Spark Hire for free?
Neither carries a free tier on our listing.
Does BrightHire or Spark Hire 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?

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