Manatal vs Recruit CRM in 2026

Short answer. Pick Manatal if you hire for your own company ($15/user/mo billed annually, 2026-08-28). Pick Recruit CRM if you run a recruiting agency. Skip Recruit CRM for in-house hiring.

Pick Manatal if you hire for your own company. Pick Recruit CRM if you run a recruiting agency. This is not a tie. Manatal Professional is $15 per user per month billed annually (up to 15 jobs, 10,000 candidates, unlimited hiring managers) on manatal.com/pricing, checked 2026-08-28. Recruit CRM’s lowest public card — labeled Pro on recruitcrm.io/pricing — is $95 per user per month billed annually ($1,140/year) in the USD prices that page loads, checked the same day. An in-house founder who buys Recruit CRM because a roundup called it “an ATS” pays agency money for a client CRM they will not use. An agency that buys Manatal because the seat is cheaper will miss deal pipelines, invoicing, and bulk texting.

Some links may be affiliate links. Ranking is not for sale. See disclosure. Hirelane is an independent English ATS review site, not a vendor. How we price tools: methodology.

Quick comparison

Figures dated 2026-08-28. Recruit CRM’s HTML does not print dollar amounts; the USD figures below are the prices the live pricing page loads for USD (the page’s published USD fallback). Currency on that site follows your location — a same-day request from outside the US returned CAD, not these dollars.

Verdict: who should pick which

If you have one open role and a spreadsheet, neither of these is the first stop — use a free SMB ATS on the best ATS for small business guide. If you are choosing among agency platforms, see ATS for recruiting agencies. Cost models: ATS pricing.

Pricing, dated, with 1-seat vs 3-seat math

Hirelane only quotes dollars that were on a vendor page we opened. We do not average review-site rumors. Sources for this section: Manatal pricing and Recruit CRM pricing, both 2026-08-28. Recruit CRM also geo-prices; we quote USD.

Manatal (per user, USD)

From the yearly / monthly toggle on manatal.com/pricing:

Manatal’s own FAQ on that page: Professional is $15 USD per user/month (billed annually) with 15 jobs and up to 10,000 candidates; Enterprise $35; Enterprise Plus $55. The job limit is per account, not per user, and a job is not a headcount. 14-day free trial, no card required. Fees are charged net of tax except for Singapore tax residents (GST; FAQ stated 9% on 2026-08-28). AI Interviewer is listed as an add-on with no public dollar — we omit a price. Trial access is not every paid feature: the FAQ withholds free/premium job-board posting, sending email from the Manatal domain, mass email, email automations, AI-generated job descriptions, and the GDPR consent tool until you subscribe and the account is verified.

Limitation: there is no forever-free plan. After 14 days you pay or lose access until a card is on file. Professional’s 15-job cap is the line that pushes small teams onto Enterprise.

Recruit CRM (per user, USD)

The live page at recruitcrm.io/pricing lists Pro, Business, and Enterprise, a monthly/annual toggle, and “Save up to 20%.” Dollar amounts are injected in the browser. The USD prices that page ships (checked 2026-08-28):

Pro is sold as the essential stack: Chrome sourcing extension, AI resume parser, GPT integration, unlimited email templates, integrated mailbox, deal pipelines, phone calling & recording, reporting, unlimited open jobs, job board posting, AI sourcing. Business adds automated email sequencing, bulk texting, executive search report generator, resume formatting, custom roles & teams, multiple hiring pipelines, IP whitelist, audit logs, SSO, and two email connections. Enterprise adds workflow automation, advanced analytics, LinkedIn messaging, data enrichment, calling & texting credits, Recruit Craft, and job multiposting — “all enterprise features included in one price” on that tier; Pro and Business say those features are billed separately.

Add-ons on the same pricing page (USD, 2026-08-28), billed on top of Pro/Business:

• LinkedIn Messages Integration: $15/user/mo monthly or $150/user/year. Footnote: billed per user on your total user count. Free on Enterprise.
• Advanced Analytics: $30/user/mo monthly or $300/user/year. Same total-user billing. Free on Enterprise.
• Data Enrichment: 25 free credits on all plans. Paid credit packs on the page; the lowest USD yearly pack in that table is 3,000 credits / $250. Enterprise includes 500 credits per user per month.
• Workflow Automation: credit-tier add-on on lower plans. Enterprise includes 1,000 tasks per user per month.
• Job Multiposting & Advertising: credit-tier add-on. Enterprise includes 10 jobs per user per month.
• Recruit Craft (career site builder): tiered by job count. USD “up to 5 jobs” is $50/mo or $500/year in the page’s price table; a free tier is listed at $0. Unlimited jobs on Enterprise.

The public pricing page did not list a candidate-database cap. Recruit CRM’s help center article “Managing Your Recruit CRM Subscription,” opened 2026-08-28, does: free trial 50 candidates / 50 companies / 50 contacts / 4 jobs; Pro 10,000 of each per user; Business 20,000; Enterprise 30,000; jobs unlimited on paid plans; limits pool at the account. An “Additional Records Limit” add-on is $25 for 10,000 more candidates, contacts, and companies each. That $25 is a help-center figure, not a pricing-page print. The help center also says currency and amount vary by the country your company is based in, monthly billing charges provisioned seats at the start of each cycle, annual is a discounted per-month rate paid upfront, and they do not refund unused seat time.

Trial copy on the pricing page: you get hands-on access before choosing a plan; “certain usage limits may apply.” It did not state a number of days. CSV/Excel import of candidates, companies/clients, and linked notes is free; paid migration is “priced based on the amount of data,” 10–14 business days. You can cancel anytime; no refund for unused subscription time (help center / pricing FAQ).

Limitation: the sticker is the license. Automation, boards, enrichment, LinkedIn, and analytics are extra on Pro and Business, and two of those lines multiply by every seat you own.

1 recruiter vs 3 seats (annual licenses only)

This is the math a founder actually needs. Hiring managers on Manatal are not extra seats. Recruit CRM users are.

Three recruiter seats on Manatal Professional ($45/mo) still cost less than one Recruit CRM Pro desk ($95/mo). That is the comparison. It does not make Manatal an agency CRM, and it does not make Recruit CRM “expensive Manatal.” They are priced for different buyers. If a three-desk agency also turns on LinkedIn messages and analytics on Pro, those add-ons are another $150 + $300 per user per year ($450 and $900 across three seats) on the USD table above — before multiposting or automation credits.

Features that actually differ

Both tools parse resumes, run pipelines, offer a Chrome sourcing extension, and talk about AI. The buy decision is not “who has a kanban.”

1. In-house hiring vs client work

Manatal’s published plans are built around jobs, candidates, hiring managers, a career page, and AI ranking. That is how a 20-person company hires. Recruit CRM’s Pro card leads with deal pipelines, invoicing, calling, a mailbox, and companies/contacts as first-class records (help-center limits treat candidates, companies, and contacts as three parallel pools). That is how a desk runs a client. If you do not have clients, you are paying for a CRM object model you will ignore.

2. Who is a paid seat

Manatal: pay for recruiters; unlimited hiring managers on Professional, Enterprise, and Enterprise Plus. Recruit CRM: you are charged for provisioned seats. There is no “free hiring manager” line on the pricing page. For an in-house team that wants three interviewers in the tool, Manatal’s model is the one that stays cheap. For an agency where every login is a producing consultant, both are per-desk — and Recruit CRM’s desk costs more because it includes the sales stack.

3. Job and database caps

Manatal Professional will stop you at 15 jobs and 10,000 candidates. That is fine for a small in-house pipeline and a hard stop for a multi-client agency. Recruit CRM lists unlimited open jobs on Pro. Candidate matching on the comparison grid is not unlimited AI: 2 matches on Pro, 50 on Business and Enterprise. Custom fields: up to 15 on Pro, 150 on the two higher tiers. Hiring pipelines: 1 on Pro, multiple above. Open API and LogicMelon job posting in the grid are not on Pro (the Pro card still lists “job board posting” — ask which applies before you sign). We will not invent a candidate-cap from the pricing page; use the help-center table if you need one.

4. Where the AI actually lives

Manatal puts enrichment, recommendations, Copilot, fit/gap, interview prep, and AI scoring on the plan comparison for Professional. That is why it shows up as the low paid-AI seat in our small-business ATS guide. Recruit CRM puts a parser, GPT, and AI sourcing on Pro, then meters matching (2 vs 50) and sells enrichment as credits. If “AI” means rank-and-summarize inside the $15 seat, that is Manatal. If it means parser-plus-GPT on an agency desk, Pro has that — and matching gets real at Business.

5. Agency operations Recruit CRM has and Manatal does not advertise the same way

On Recruit CRM’s public grid: deal pipeline, invoicing, phone calling and recording, bulk texting (Business+), email sequencing (1 sequence on Pro; unlimited with a 500-active-user note on higher tiers), executive search report generator (Business+), resume formatting (Business+). Manatal’s pricing page lists CRM, mass emailing, email-marketing integration, document signing, and sales reports, plus a career page. It does not list invoicing or bulk texting as plan features. An agency that lives on placements and invoices should not reverse-engineer that out of Manatal’s CRM label.

6. Add-ons vs a higher plan

Manatal’s step-up is mostly plan-shaped: workflow automation at Enterprise ($35), API/SSO/user groups at Enterprise Plus ($55). Recruit CRM’s step-up is plan-shaped and meter-shaped. Enterprise is the bundle (1,000 automation tasks, 10 multiposting jobs, 500 enrichment credits per user per month; LinkedIn and analytics included). Credits on Enterprise do not roll over month to month except additional calling credits, per recruitcrm.io/enterprise-features (opened 2026-08-28).

Who should skip each

Skip Manatal if you…

• Run a recruiting agency that invoices clients. You will feel the missing deal/invoice/bulk-SMS stack, and Professional’s 15-job cap is not an agency cap. Use Recruit CRM or another agency ATS — agency guide.
• Will have more than 15 open jobs and refuse Enterprise. Professional is not “unlimited ATS at $15.” Unlimited jobs start at $35/user/mo billed annually.
• Need a free plan. There isn’t one. After 14 days you pay. Spreadsheet teams should start on Breezy or Zoho free instead.
• Need SSO, the open API, or user groups on day one and will not pay Enterprise Plus ($55/user/mo billed annually / $59 monthly).
• Are shopping only for AI interviews. AI Interviewer is an add-on with no public price on the pricing page. We will not pretend it is included in $15.

Manatal limitation (even if you should buy it): per-user pricing still bites when the second and third people need recruiter seats, not hiring-manager seats. Three recruiter logins on Professional are $45/mo annual, not $15. And the 14-day trial is not the full paid product.

Skip Recruit CRM if you…

• Hire for your own company. You do not need deal pipelines or placement invoices. Manatal Professional, or a flat-fee SMB ATS, matches the job. See best ATS for small business.
• Are comparing on Manatal’s $15 seat. Recruit CRM Pro is $95/user/mo annual. That is a different product category, not a close substitute.
• Want hiring-manager logins that are not seats. The pricing page does not offer a free-interviewer tier. Every provisioned user is paid.
• Need the Pro sticker to include automation, multiposting, LinkedIn inbox, and analytics. Those sit on Enterprise, or as add-ons that can bill across every seat.
• Need a candidate-cap printed on the pricing page before you will sign. It was not there on 2026-08-28. The help center has the table; if that split bothers you, wait or pick a vendor that prints the cap next to the price.

Recruit CRM limitation (even if you should buy it): Pro matching is 2 matches, 15 custom fields, one hiring pipeline, and no open API on the comparison grid. A lot of agencies will land on Business ($135/user/mo annual) before the product matches the demo. Add-ons then multiply by headcount.

FAQs

Which is better in 2026, Manatal or Recruit CRM?

Neither is a universal winner. Manatal is the better buy for in-house small-business hiring: Professional is $15 per user per month billed annually, with unlimited hiring managers. Recruit CRM is the better buy for a recruiting agency that needs ATS plus client CRM (deal pipelines, invoicing, calling). An in-house team should not pick Recruit CRM on price; an agency should not pick Manatal just because the seat is cheaper.

How much does Manatal cost versus Recruit CRM?

Checked 2026-08-28. Manatal Professional is $15 per user per month billed annually ($19 monthly); Enterprise $35 ($39); Enterprise Plus $55 ($59). Recruit CRM Pro is $95 per user per month billed annually ($109 monthly); Business $135 ($159); Enterprise $215 ($259). One Manatal Professional recruiter is $15/mo; three recruiter seats are $45/mo. One Recruit CRM Pro user is $95/mo; three users are $285/mo, licenses only.

Is Manatal good for recruiting agencies?

Some agencies use it — Manatal’s pricing page lists CRM, mass emailing, and a Chrome sourcing extension, and vendor testimonials include search firms. Hirelane still would not start an agency there. Recruit CRM’s public grid is built around clients: deal pipelines, invoicing, bulk texting, sequences, and (on Business) custom roles, SSO, and an open API. Manatal Professional also caps you at 15 jobs and 10,000 candidates.

Is Recruit CRM a good ATS for in-house small businesses?

Not at the published seat price. Recruit CRM Pro is $95 per user per month billed annually — more than six times Manatal Professional — and every provisioned seat is paid. In-house teams that need a careers page, AI matching, and hiring-manager access without extra seats should use Manatal or a flat-fee SMB ATS, not an agency CRM.

What are the job and candidate limits?

Manatal Professional (pricing page, 2026-08-28): up to 15 jobs per account and up to 10,000 candidates; Enterprise and Enterprise Plus list unlimited jobs and candidates. The job cap is per account, not per user. Recruit CRM’s pricing page lists unlimited open jobs on Pro and did not print a candidate-database cap. The help center, opened the same day, lists 10,000 candidates per user on Pro, 20,000 on Business, 30,000 on Enterprise, pooled at the account, and 50 candidates / 4 jobs on the free trial.

Do Manatal and Recruit CRM offer free trials?

Manatal: 14-day free trial, no credit card required. After the trial, a card on file is required to keep access; some features wait until you subscribe and the account is verified. Recruit CRM’s pricing page advertises a free trial and “Start free,” and says certain usage limits may apply. It did not list a trial length in days on 2026-08-28.

Why is Recruit CRM so much more expensive per seat?

It is sold as recruitment-agency software (ATS plus CRM), not as a small-company hiring tool. The Pro card includes deal pipelines, invoicing, phone calling and recording, a mailbox, and AI parsing/GPT. Business adds sequencing, bulk texting, SSO, and API access. Enterprise bundles workflow automation, multiposting, enrichment, LinkedIn messaging, and analytics. That package is priced for desks that bill clients, not for a founder hiring two engineers.

Close

Two products, two buyers. Manatal is the in-house AI ATS you can price from a public page: Manatal / pricing / start trial. Recruit CRM is the agency ATS+CRM: Recruit CRM. Do not split the difference. If you hire for yourself, pay Manatal’s $15 (or $35 if you need unlimited jobs). If you hire for clients, budget Recruit CRM’s $95 floor and read the add-on footnotes.

Next: best ATS for small business, ATS for recruiting agencies, ATS pricing, how Hirelane reviews tools, affiliate disclosure.