Compare/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.

Starting price

Criteria

Sales-quoted 14 day free trial

Pre-employment testing and video interviewing sold as three packages: Assess, Interview, and Hire. All three are quote-based.

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

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
  • Standard ATS integrations, SSO and MFA in every package
  • 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 on request by goals and headcount, with AI upgrades and the Develop add-on on top. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 4 Nov 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 4 Nov 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 4 Nov 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?