Compare/Head to head

HireVue vs The Cognitive

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

Starting price

HireVue

Sales-quoted

Enterprise structured video interviews with assessments wired into the hiring stages. Quote-based.

Where HireVue fits

  • Enterprise talent teams standardising video interviews
  • Teams that need assessments before an onsite
  • High-volume employers that cannot run live first rounds
  • Buyers comparing validated assessment vendors

The Cognitive

$99/mo Free trial

The Cognitive does both halves of early-stage recruiting: AI sourcing with verified contact reveals, and live two-way AI video interviews that return scorecards with a quote behind every rating. Interviews start at $99/mo for 15 and sourcing at $99/mo for 1,200 credits, and a 7-day free trial covers both. It suits SMB and mid-market teams and agencies that want to source and screen in one pipeline.

Where The Cognitive fits

  • Staffing and recruitment agencies screening high applicant volumes
  • SMB and mid-market teams that want sourcing and first-round interviews in one tool
  • Teams hiring across time zones that need interviews run evenings and weekends

At a glance

DetailHireVueThe Cognitive
Starting priceSales-quoted$99/mo
Free tier–No–No
Free trialNot on recordYes
MCP server–No✓Yes
Public API–No–No
Listed underAssessments, Candidate fraud & AI detection, Interviewing, AI screeningAI interviewing, AI screening, AI sourcing
Capterra4.5 from 50 reviewsNot enough reviews

Where they pull apart

HireVue

Stands out: Video interviews and validated assessments in one enterprise suite.

Watch out: No published price, and it is far heavier than a small team needs for async video.

Not the right fit for

  • Small businesses that want a cheap async video tool
  • Desks that only need interview notes

The Cognitive

Stands out: The interviewer is live and two-way rather than a one-way recording: it picks each follow-up in the moment from the candidate's resume and earlier answers, and every score links to the exact quote and timestamp. Sourced candidates flow straight into interviews, and a 22-tool MCP server lets Claude create roles and read interview feedback.

Watch out: Interviews and sourcing are separate products with separate plan credits that refresh monthly and do not roll over, so running both starts at about $198/mo. ATS integration is only included on Sourcing Max, Interviews Pro and Max, Business and Enterprise plans. The MCP endpoint is set up per account by request, not self-serve.

Not the right fit for

  • Teams that only need a contact-data lookup tool
  • Buyers who want one combined plan instead of two separate subscriptions
  • Small teams that need ATS sync on a low tier

Pros and cons

HireVue

  • Video and assessments in one suite
  • Built for defensible high-volume screening
  • Connects to the major enterprise trackers
  • No published price
  • No API or MCP
  • Too heavy for small-team async video

The Cognitive

  • Live two-way interviews with adaptive follow-ups
  • Every score tied to a quote and timestamp
  • Published prices and a free start with no card
  • Sourcing and interviews billed as separate products
  • ATS integration only on higher tiers
  • Unused credits expire each cycle

What each one costs

HireVue

Sales-quoted

Enterprise. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 4 Nov 2026

The Cognitive

$99/mo

The Cognitive sells two products separately, each billed monthly or yearly at 17% off. AI Interviews: Starter $99/mo ($984/yr) for 15 interviews, Growth $299/mo for 50, Pro $499/mo for 100 and Max $999/mo for 225, plus seat-based Team at $199/seat/mo (3 seats minimum) and Business at $299/seat/mo (10 seats minimum). Interview top-ups run from 5 to 500 interviews.

AI Sourcing runs on credits: Starter $99/mo ($990/yr) for 1,200 credits, Growth $199/mo for 2,800, Pro $299/mo for 4,500 and Max $499/mo for 8,000, plus Team at $149/seat/mo and Business at $249/seat/mo. Each person a search shows costs 1 credit, an email reveal 4 and a phone reveal 12, charged only when the reveal succeeds. Plan credits refresh monthly and do not roll over; top-up credits carry over. ATS integration comes with Sourcing Max, Interviews Pro and Max, Business and Enterprise. Enterprise is custom. Every new workspace gets a 7-day free trial with 2 AI interviews and 100 sourcing credits, no card needed. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 4 Nov 2026

Common questions

Can you try HireVue or The Cognitive for free?
Neither carries a free tier on our listing. The Cognitive offers a free trial.
Does HireVue or The Cognitive have an MCP server?
The Cognitive ships a first party MCP server, so an AI assistant can work the product directly.

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Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 4 Nov 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?