Compare/Head to head

Crelate vs SmartSearch

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

Starting price

Crelate

$85/user/mo Free trial

Boutique agency recruiting CRM built around notes, hotlists and email sync. Essentials is $85 per user/month paid annually, with a free trial.

Where Crelate fits

  • Boutique staffing agencies
  • Desks that live in email and hotlists
  • Small teams that want a recruiting CRM rather than a corporate ATS
  • Buyers comparing CATS and Recruit CRM

SmartSearch

Quote-based

Staffing ATS and CRM from Cleveland, Ohio for recruiting firms across education, construction, corporate, executive search and RPO, with AI Smart matching, onboarding and vendor management in one system. SmartSearch does not publish prices and sells through a demo request, and it is rated 4.5 on Capterra across 53 reviews.

Where SmartSearch fits

  • US staffing and recruiting firms
  • Education and construction staffing desks
  • Teams wanting matching and onboarding together

At a glance

DetailCrelateSmartSearch
Starting price$85/user/moQuote-based
Free tier–No–No
Free trialYesNot on record
MCP server–No–No
Public API✓Yes–No
Listed underATS, CRMATS, CRM
Capterra4.5 from 443 reviews4.5 from 53 reviews

Where they pull apart

Crelate

Stands out: Desktop-class notes, hotlists and email sync for small agency desks.

Watch out: No MCP, and the published price is annual billing rather than month to month.

Not the right fit for

  • Corporate in-house talent teams
  • Teams that need MCP

SmartSearch

Stands out: AI Smart matches candidates on skills, prior behavior and historical hiring patterns, alongside resume parsing and intelligent candidate scoring. The company cites over 38 years of client work, and teams export jobs through eQuest and text or call with RingCentral.

Watch out: There is no public price, so budgeting starts with a demo. The SmartSearch name is shared with unrelated products, including a UK background screening brand, and this SmartSearch is the Cleveland staffing system at smartsearchinc.com.

Not the right fit for

  • Buyers who need a public seat price
  • Teams seeking UK background screening
  • Developers wanting published API docs

Pros and cons

Crelate

  • Hotlists and email sync built for boutique desks
  • Public API
  • Free trial available
  • No MCP
  • Published price is annual billing
  • Not a corporate hiring platform

SmartSearch

  • AI Smart matching on skills and hiring patterns
  • CRM, onboarding and vendor management included
  • Rated 4.5 on Capterra across 53 reviews
  • No public price
  • Open API without published documentation
  • Name shared with unrelated SmartSearch brands

What each one costs

Crelate

$85/user/mo

Essentials is $85 per user per month paid annually and Business is $119 per user per month. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 21 Sep 2026

SmartSearch

Quote-based

SmartSearch does not publish prices. Buyers request a demo online or call sales at (216) 255-5428 to get a quote. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 27 Sep 2026

Common questions

Can you try Crelate or SmartSearch for free?
Neither carries a free tier on our listing. Crelate offers a free trial.

Not the pair you wanted?

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Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 21 Sep 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?