Head to head

Criteria vs SHL

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

SHL

Sales-quoted

Enterprise talent assessments: personality, cognitive, skills, coding simulations, and AI video interviews. Quote-based.

Where SHL fits

  • Global TA teams running assessment programs
  • I/O psychology-led hiring processes
  • Enterprises that buy through a formal RFP
  • Companies replacing a patchwork of tests

At a glance

DetailCriteriaSHL
Starting priceSales-quotedSales-quoted
Free tier–No–No
Free trial14 day free trialNot on record
MCP server–No–No
Public API✓Yes✓Yes
Listed underAssessmentsAssessments

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

SHL

Stands out: One of the broadest assessment portfolios in the market, with more than 80 ATS integrations.

Watch out: There is no self-serve plan. Buying runs through sales, and rollout is usually a scoped program rather than a quick setup.

Not the right fit for

  • Startups that want a self-serve monthly plan
  • Buyers who need a published price

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

SHL

  • Very broad assessment catalog
  • Connects to more than 80 ATS platforms
  • Covers hiring and development
  • No published price
  • Enterprise buying process
  • Heavier rollout than self-serve tools

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

SHL

Sales-quoted

Sales-quoted. No public rate card on the vendor site. Pricing is scoped by volume, roles, and languages, usually as an enterprise program. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

Common questions

Can you try Criteria or SHL for free?
Neither carries a free tier on our listing. Criteria offers a 14 day free trial.

Not the pair you wanted?

All Criteria alternatives All SHL alternatives Every Assessments tool

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