Collective
AI sourcing agent Sherlock searches 800M+ profiles from a brief or an ideal candidate, then reaches the shortlist by email, chat and WhatsApp.
From €95/seat/mo Free tier MCP server API
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Bottom line
Paris based AI sourcing agent, called Sherlock, that turns a job description, a rough brief or one ideal candidate into a ranked shortlist from 800M+ profiles across 30+ public sources, then contacts the shortlist by email, chat or WhatsApp from one inbox. There is a free plan; paid seats start at €95/seat/mo billed yearly (€119 monthly), with ATS search, API and MCP access on the custom Pro plan. Collective has also launched Watson, a free job search agent for candidates with its own MCP server.
Stands out for: Lookalike search: give Sherlock one great hire and it finds people like them, running 10+ parallel searches and analysing up to 2,000 profiles per run. One tool covers search, an AI job board that posts to 25+ boards and scores applicants, and bulk outreach to 100 candidates at once. It now runs MCP on both sides of the market: recruiter MCP access on Pro, and a free Watson MCP that lets candidates search 40M+ jobs from ChatGPT or Claude.
Watch out for: It is a French product: euro only pricing, a French first website, and a customer list that is mostly French firms, so US coverage depth is unproven. ATS integration, searching your own ATS and LinkedIn network, and recruiter API and MCP access are Pro add ons with no published price; the free Watson MCP is for job seekers, not for sourcing. There are no outside reviews yet.
Overview
Collective started in 2021 in Paris as a platform for freelance teams and has since rebuilt itself around Sherlock, an AI sourcing agent. It sells to recruitment agencies, IT services firms, temp agencies, strategy consultancies, scale ups and enterprise teams, and says more than 10,000 recruiters use it.
Search works in plain language. You paste a job description, write an informal brief or point at an ideal candidate, and Sherlock runs a batch of parallel searches across Collective's own database and 30+ outside sources such as GitHub and Crunchbase, then ranks what it finds. It can also re-rank a long list you already have against your criteria.
The AI job board drafts a posting from notes or a voice memo, distributes it to 25+ job boards, has Sherlock invite matching profiles to apply, and scores every application as it arrives.
Outreach runs from one inbox: select up to 100 profiles, write the message once, and Collective adapts it per person and sends by email, SMS, chat and WhatsApp, with multichannel sequences, follow ups and open and reply tracking. Paid plans include a monthly allowance of verified emails and phone numbers.
Collective now has two MCP routes. Recruiters get API and MCP access as a Pro add on, so Sherlock's data can be reached from an AI assistant. Separately, Collective launched Watson, a free candidate side agent: a job seeker drops a resume or LinkedIn profile and Watson matches it against 40M+ job offers from 10,000+ sites, and the Watson MCP lets them run the same job search from ChatGPT, Claude or another AI assistant. Collective has not published a public endpoint address for either server.
The free plan gives limited AI searches and one basic job post. Basic is €95/seat/mo billed yearly (€119 monthly) with 30 Sherlock searches, 200 contact reveals and 200 exports a month. Start is €135/seat/mo yearly (€169 monthly) with 100 Sherlock searches, 500 reveals, WhatsApp bulk messaging, team collaboration and lookalike search. Pro is custom and adds ATS integration, AI search inside your ATS and LinkedIn network, unlimited usage, and API and MCP access.
Who it's for
Best for
- Recruitment agencies and IT services firms hiring in France and wider Europe
- Recruiters who want to search from a brief or an ideal profile instead of Boolean strings
- Teams that reach candidates on WhatsApp as well as email
- Agencies that want their old ATS records searchable and refreshed
Not ideal for
- US teams that need USD billing and proven US data depth
- Buyers who want ATS integration or recruiter MCP and API access at a published price
Key features
Sherlock AI search. Describe the role, paste a job description or pick an ideal candidate, and Sherlock runs 10+ parallel searches across Collective's database and 30+ outside sources, analysing up to 2,000 profiles and ranking the best.
Lookalike search. Point at one strong profile and Sherlock finds people like them (Start plan and up).
AI job board. Drafts a posting from notes, distributes it to 25+ job boards, invites matching profiles to apply and scores every application.
Multichannel outreach. Message up to 100 candidates at once by email, chat and WhatsApp, with sequences, follow ups and reply tracking in one inbox.
ATS rediscovery. On Pro, Sherlock searches and refreshes the candidates already in your ATS.
MCP. Recruiter API and MCP access is a Pro add on. Collective also runs a free Watson MCP for job seekers, who can search 40M+ job offers from ChatGPT, Claude or another AI assistant.
AI features
| What the AI does | Plan |
|---|---|
| Sherlock agent searches 800M+ profiles from a brief, job description or ideal candidate | Free |
| Lookalike search that finds candidates similar to a chosen profile | Start |
| Drafts job posts from notes and scores every applicant | Free |
| Adapts one outreach message per candidate across email, chat and WhatsApp | Basic |
| AI search inside your own ATS and LinkedIn network | Pro Add-on |
| Recruiter API and MCP access to Sherlock | Pro Add-on |
| Watson MCP: candidates search 40M+ jobs from ChatGPT or Claude | Free |
Only features named in the vendor's own documentation. Anything sold separately is marked as an add-on.
MCP server
First-party MCP confirmed; vendor has not published a public endpoint URL.
Setup steps and live status MCP Directory Check your stack in the MCP readiness checker
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | €0 | Limited AI searches, 1 basic job post |
| Basic | €95/seat/mo | Billed yearly (€119 monthly); 30 Sherlock searches, 200 reveals |
| Start | €135/seat/mo | Billed yearly (€169 monthly); 100 searches, WhatsApp, lookalikes |
| Pro | Custom | ATS integration, unlimited usage, API and MCP |
Free gives limited AI searches and one basic job post. Basic is €95/seat/mo billed yearly or €119 monthly, with 30 Sherlock searches, 50 MegaSearch searches, 200 email and phone reveals and 200 profile exports. Start is €135/seat/mo yearly or €169 monthly and adds team collaboration, 100 Sherlock searches, unlimited MegaSearch, 500 reveals, WhatsApp bulk messaging and lookalike search. Pro is quoted and adds ATS integration, AI search in your ATS and LinkedIn network, unlimited usage, and API and MCP access. No USD price is published. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.
Checked 11 Nov 2026. Vendors change prices without notice.
Is Collective expensive?
Collective starts at €95/seat/mo. We list 181 sourcing tools in total. 43 have a free tier, and those with a public price typically start around $99 a month.
- 46 quote-based
- 43 free tier
- 104 public price
Worked out automatically from every sourcing listing, so it updates as the directory changes.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Search from a brief, a job description or one ideal candidate
- Sourcing, AI job board and multichannel outreach in one tool
- Free plan, and paid seats can be billed monthly or yearly
- MCP access for recruiters on Pro, plus a free Watson MCP for candidates
Cons
- Euro only pricing and a France focused customer base
- ATS integration, recruiter API and MCP access only on the unpriced Pro plan
- No outside reviews yet
Integrations
ATS (100+ supported) WhatsApp Email API MCP ChatGPT (Watson MCP) Claude (Watson MCP)
What's new at Collective
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How Collective compares
See all Collective alternatives, with what each one does differently and a head to head for every pairing.
| Tool | Free tier | From | MCP | API | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | ✓ | €95/seat/mo | ✓ | ✓ | |
| | ✓ | €49/mo | ✓ | – | Compare |
| | ✓ | €299/mo | – | – | Compare |
 Huntlo Sources from 50+ platforms with email, WhatsApp and AI voice outreach, priced in USD from $99/month with a 7-day trial, for teams outside Europe. | – | $99/month | – | – | Compare |
€49/mo Free tier MCP
Also searches 800M+ profiles with multichannel outreach and an MCP server, with a free plan and paid plans from €49/mo, about half Collective's entry seat.
€299/mo Free tier
European AI sourcing that explains every match and sends outreach from your own inbox, from €299/mo, if match explanations matter more than WhatsApp.
Huntlo$99/month
Sources from 50+ platforms with email, WhatsApp and AI voice outreach, priced in USD from $99/month with a 7-day trial, for teams outside Europe.
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