Head to head

Criteria vs HiPeople

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

Criteria

Sales-quoted 14 day free trial

Pre-employment testing and video interviewing sold as three packages: Assess, Interview, and Hire. Quote-based, with a 14-day free trial.

Where Criteria fits

  • HR teams adding validated pre-hire tests
  • Companies that want cognitive plus personality tests
  • Teams that want tests and video interviews together
  • Buyers who want a free trial before a demo

HiPeople

$70/mo Free tier

HiPeople automates reference checks, skills surveys, and AI hiring workflows. A permanent Free plan covers one candidate. Paid Grow starts at $70/month with unlimited candidates, references, and users.

Where HiPeople fits

  • TA teams replacing manual reference calls with 24-hour surveys
  • Startups that will live on Free for a single candidate, then Grow at $70/mo
  • Mid-market desks that need ATS sync and 360 references on Scale
  • Employers that want fraud detection on references before an offer

At a glance

DetailCriteriaHiPeople
Starting priceSales-quoted$70/mo
Free tier–No✓Yes
Free trial14 day free trialNot on record
MCP server–No–No
Public API✓Yes–No
Listed underAssessmentsAssessments, Background check
CapterraNot enough reviews4.8 from 1,563 reviews

Where they pull apart

Criteria

Stands out: Cognitive, personality, emotional intelligence, risk, and skills tests on one platform, with video interviews in the same suite.

Watch out: All three packages are sales-quoted. AI proctoring, the AI interview agent, and AI scoring are paid upgrades, and Develop is a separate add-on.

Not the right fit for

  • Engineering teams that only need a live coding pad
  • Buyers who need a published price

HiPeople

Stands out: Grow at $70/month adds fraud detection, PDF exports, and branded surveys on top of 50-plus templates. Scale at $98/month adds ATS integrations, 360-degree references, title verification, and a talent pool.

Watch out: HiPeople does not keep a self-serve pricing page. The live figures sit on a vendor compare page. Enterprise (API, CSM, SOC 2 Type II report, SLAs) is quoted. The homepage now leads with AI recruiting agents as well as reference checks.

Not the right fit for

  • Companies that only need a criminal background check, not a reference survey
  • Buyers who want one self-serve pricing page rather than figures on a compare page

Pros and cons

Criteria

  • Broad test catalog in one platform
  • Video interviewing in the same suite
  • 14-day free trial
  • No published price
  • AI features cost extra
  • Develop is a separate add-on

HiPeople

  • Permanent Free plan for one candidate, then Grow at $70/mo
  • Capterra 4.8 from 1,563 reviews on the matching HiPeople listing
  • Fraud detection and 50-plus reference templates on paid plans
  • Plan figures live on a compare page rather than a pricing page
  • ATS connectors start on Scale at $98/mo, not Grow
  • API, CSM, and SOC 2 report wait for Enterprise quote

What each one costs

Criteria

Sales-quoted

Sales-quoted. No public rate card on the vendor site. Three packages (Assess, Interview, Hire) are priced by headcount, with AI upgrades and the Develop add-on on top, and a 14-day free trial is available. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

HiPeople

$70/mo

Free covers one candidate, 50-plus templates, AI surveys, and custom questions. Grow is $70 per month with unlimited candidates, references, and users, plus fraud detection, PDF exports, and branded surveys. Scale is $98 per month and adds ATS integrations, talent pool, title verification, 360 references, and onboarding insights. Enterprise (API, CSM, SOC 2 Type II, SLAs) is quoted. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

Common questions

Can you try Criteria or HiPeople for free?
HiPeople carries a free tier on our listing. Criteria offers a 14 day free trial.

Not the pair you wanted?

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Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 19 Sep 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?