Compare/Head to head

Elly vs Paraform

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

Starting price

Elly

$5,000/yr

Elly is an AI-native ATS and recruiting service from New York that pairs AI interviews, AI sourcing and scorecard automation with optional recruiter-run searches. The self-serve Platform plan is $5,000/yr, and a Full Search costs 10% of first-year salary per hire. It suits early-stage companies whose founders still run hiring.

Where Elly fits

  • Early-stage startups with founder-led hiring
  • Teams that want software and recruiter help from one vendor
  • Companies filling a few critical roles per year

Paraform

Sales-quoted

Recruiter marketplace with AI agents. You pay on hire. Vendor materials put the fee at about 25% of first-year salary.

Where Paraform fits

  • Startups filling engineering, GTM, or legal roles
  • Teams that will only pay on a closed hire
  • Companies that want many recruiters on one req
  • Hiring managers who want a dedicated talent strategist

At a glance

DetailEllyParaform
Starting price$5,000/yrSales-quoted
Free tier–No–No
MCP server–No–No
Public API–No–No
Listed underATS, AI interviewing, AI screening, AI sourcingSourcing

Where they pull apart

Elly

Stands out: The same account works as software or as a managed search, and everything learned during a Full Search stays in the platform afterward. Its AI candidate matching has been audited for bias by Warden AI on more than 13,000 interview samples, with results published. The AI Interviewer asks real-time follow-up questions instead of recording one-way answers.

Watch out: The company's messaging has moved toward recruiter-led searches since a September 2026 launch, so buyers who only want software should confirm the product roadmap. No free trial or free plan is listed on the pricing page. Integrations are described only as connections to your ATS, with no named partners.

Not the right fit for

  • Buyers who want a free trial before paying
  • High-volume hourly hiring on a small budget
  • Teams that need a named integration list

Paraform

Stands out: Expert recruiters plus custom AI agents, with $0 due until someone accepts an offer.

Watch out: There is no self-serve rate card. The fee is a contingency cut, not a SaaS seat.

Not the right fit for

  • Teams that need a cheap monthly sourcing seat
  • Employers who will not pay agency-like percentages

Pros and cons

Elly

  • Published pricing for all three options
  • Independent bias audit by Warden AI
  • Search history and scorecards carry over to future roles
  • No free trial or free plan listed
  • No named integrations
  • Focus is shifting toward recruiter-led service

Paraform

  • Pay nothing until a hire accepts
  • Recruiters plus custom AI agents
  • One intake unlocks a large recruiter pool
  • Fee is about 25% of first-year pay
  • No self-serve monthly SaaS plan
  • Buying still starts with a demo

What each one costs

Elly

$5,000/yr

Elly sells three options. Platform costs $5,000/yr and covers AI application review and scoring plus the AI Interviewer for teams that run hiring in-house. Candidates costs $10,000 for one batch of sourced, screened and scorecarded candidates, with no subscription. Full Search costs 10% of first-year salary per hire, paid when the hire starts, with a minimum fee that applies on salaries under $80,000 and an optional 90-day replacement guarantee for an extra 4% of salary. No free trial is listed. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 28 Sep 2026

Paraform

Sales-quoted

Sales-quoted contingency. Vendor comparison materials put the fee at about 25% of first-year salary, due only when a candidate accepts. No public SaaS rate card. /pricing was not a live price table. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

Common questions

Can you try Elly or Paraform for free?
Neither carries a free tier on our listing.

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Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 28 Sep 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?