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When it comes to streamlining high-level hiring processes, executive search professionals turn to advanced software solutions. Executive search software is a game-changer in simplifying the complexities of sourcing, engaging, and managing top talent for leadership roles.
Manatal is a well-known player in this space, offering features designed to meet the unique demands of executive recruitment. However, many alternatives provide similar or even enhanced functionalities tailored to the needs of executive search firms—often at a more competitive price point.
Let’s explore why these alternatives are worth considering.
Just as any market leader faces competition, Manatal has rivals that deliver comparable features with improved flexibility and affordability, ensuring executive recruiters of all sizes can access the tools they need for success.
While Manatal is a strong contender, its pricing plans and feature set might not align perfectly with the needs of specialised executive search needs or those seeking more customized solutions. This creates a gap that many alternative software providers are stepping in to fill.
Here’s why you should be switching to Manatal competitors:
- - Limited scalability for specialised executive search needs
- - Features not tailored exclusively for C-level recruitment
- - Integrations with fewer third-party tools compared to competitors
- - Advanced features available only in higher plants
- - Personalised user onboarding & support are not up to the mark
Despite its strengths, Manatal might not be the perfect fit for every executive search firm due to these limitations.
In this post, we will review the best alternatives to Manatal so you can choose the executive search software that aligns with your firm’s requirements and empowers your hiring strategy.
Top Manatal Alternatives in Overview
Looking for the best software like Manatal but don’t have time to dive into detailed comparisons? The table below offers a quick overview of the top alternatives, highlighting their key features and pricing models, so you can identify the best fit for your executive search needs.
iSmartRecruit
|
Manatal
|
Vincere
|
FireFish
|
Talentis Global
|
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pricing Starts From | - |
$19 |
£85 |
£80 |
$88 |
Free Trial | Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Ease of Use | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 3 |
Customer Service | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4 |
Features | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 3 |
Value for Money | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 3 |
Capterra Rating | |||||
G2 Rating |
Pricing Starts From -
Free Trial: YES
Ease of Use: 4.5
Customer Service: 4.7
Features: 4.6
Value for Money: 4.6
Capterra Rating:
G2 Rating:
Pricing Starts From $19
Free Trial: YES
Ease of Use: 4.7
Customer Service: 4.6
Features: 4.5
Value for Money: 4.6
Capterra Rating:
G2 Rating:
Pricing Starts From £85
Free Trial: NO
Ease of Use: 4.7
Customer Service: 4.7
Features: 4.7
Value for Money: 4.8
Capterra Rating:
G2 Rating:
Pricing Starts From £80
Free Trial: NO
Ease of Use: 4.6
Customer Service: 4.7
Features: 4.3
Value for Money: 4.6
Capterra Rating:
G2 Rating:
Pricing Starts From $88
Free Trial: YES
Ease of Use: 3
Customer Service: 4
Features: 3
Value for Money: 3
Capterra Rating:
G2 Rating:
Best Manatal Alternatives for All Business Types
1. iSmartRecruit
Suitable For:
Small, mid-size, and large staffing firms, recruitment agencies, executive search firms, and in-house HR teams.
Star Rating:
4.8 on G2 & 4.6 on Capterra
Apps:
Android and iOS Mobile App and Web Version.
Key Features:
- Sourcing Mailbox
- Assign Multiple Recruiters
- Revenue
- Knockout Screening
- Pre-Assessment Screening
- Autopilot Workflow
- Smart Search
- Fuzzy & Proximity Search
- Self Scheduling Interviews
- AI features - Matching jobs & candidates, suggesting candidates.
- Pipeline Management
- IMAP Configuration (Communication)
- Client & Candidate Portal
- Client Job Tracker
- Seamless Data Migration
- Languages
- Vendor Management
- Referral Campaign
PROS
Supportive customer service, custom solutions and value for money.
Highly customisable with robust Java-based features.
User-friendly and easy to onboard HR teams.
Ideal for startups needing affordable, quick setups.
Easy-to-use features.
Flexible and Innovative, consistently improving based on feedback.
Self-service portals for clients and candidates.
Excellent customer support.
Strong job posting and regular updates.
Streamlined candidate tracking and reporting with a clear dashboard.
Excellent recruitment database for resume search and candidate tracking.
iSmartRecruit has been a lifesaver for streamlining our application tracking. Since it’s cloud-based, our team members can manage everything from job posts to candidate tracking, no matter where we are. It keeps all our data in one easy-to-navigate dashboard, so we no longer have to jump between spreadsheets and emails—it's a huge time-saver.
CONS
Minor display and loading delays.
Pastel colour palette reduces visibility.
No automatic record display for incoming calls.
Platform speed can be slow at times.
Occasional errors and missing functionalities.
Training is necessary for effective use.
Limited file upload options.
Complex settings, though CS is helpful.
Sometimes it takes time to load a single page while doing bulk upload.
2. Vincere
Suitable For:
For Recruitment Companies and Staffing Agencies, including startups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), temp agencies, and permanent recruitment agencies.
Star Rating:
4.6 on G2 & 4.48on Capterra
Apps:
Android and iOS Mobile App and Web Version.
Key Features:
- Talent Pool
- Language supported: German, English, Japanese, Dutch, Spanish, Chinese
- Screening with Vinneo Video interview software
- Time Temp management: Availability & schedule shift, online timesheet.
- VinnyChat: embedded chat collaboration tool.
- Recruitment automation: Lead-gen with CRM automation and custom LinkedIn automation.
- Candidate and Client Portals.
PROS
Highly organised system with focused analytics for valuable insights.
Strong LinkedIn integration enhances usability.
Fast speeds suit dynamic business needs. Ideal for efficiency.
Stable, flexible database with excellent back-end support.
Cloud-based, modern design, easy deployment, and smooth onboarding.
User-driven updates and responsive support, especially for LinkedIn and job board tools.
Quick access to candidates, jobs, and companies with powerful bulk contact and parsing features.
Recent UI updates improve clarity and ease of navigation.
The platform is so user friendly and makes everything a swift and easy process. On top of that, they incorporate a dashboard for monitoring your stats which I know from others CRM systems, is at an extra cost.
CONS
Buggy system that requires multiple clicks, causing daily frustration for users.
Outdated and inefficient platform with excessive clicks and poor search functionality.
Limited customisation; minor changes apply universally to all customers.
Feature overload makes it complex, needing costly training.
Difficult contract cancellation process, with ignored requests and continued billing.
Unresponsive customer support leads to delays and unresolved issues.
Slow web-chat support with hours-long delays and no direct contact number.
Frequent lag and basic issues, with support often suggesting lengthy workarounds.
Very slow, user interface not intuitive. Software is getting old, 1990's interface.
3. FireFish
Suitable For:
Recruitment companies of all sizes and industries.
Star Rating:
4.4 on G2 & 4.6 on Capterra
Apps:
Android and iOS Mobile App and Web Version.
Key Features:
- LinkedIn Chrome Extension
- Industry benchmarking
- Potential matching: Automatically matching candidates to clients and Jobs.
- Zapier Integrations
- Hiring manager Portals
- Water-tight Compliance Workflow to protect agency, candidates & clients.
- Real-time recruitment reporting dashboard.
PROS
Firefish is user-friendly, with excellent support and training, easing new user adaptation.
Highly recommended by users, showing strong satisfaction and reliability for start-ups.
Fast and dependable, with a support team focused on effective solutions.
Intuitive dashboard and advanced features enhance navigation and workflow for recruiters.
Customisable email templates and easy candidate management streamline recruitment.
Supports company-wide recruitment involvement with prompt, friendly assistance.
Regular updates ensure value and cost-effectiveness.
Competitive pricing, seamless integration, and efficient cloud hosting make it appealing over traditional CRMs.
The streamlined process of candidate sourcing is what I like the most about the software. The customization options makes it easy to use and use. Additionaly, the customer support is the best.
CONS
Limited functionality for retainers and requires CV downloads for calls.
Global dropdown menus lack customisation.
Hidden costs and restrictive 12-month contract despite workload changes.
Support falls short of claims of being small-business-friendly.
Inadequate search functionality with no keyword tailoring or past role search.
Prone to glitches and lacks two-way API integration with lead platforms and job boards.
Lacks efficient pipeline management features, with GDPR concerns, no spell check, limited document handling, and inconsistent email templates.
Pricing: pricing plans is abit higher, especially for smaller recruitment agencies or businesses with limited budgets.
4. Talentis Global
Suitable For:
Executive Search firms, large and small, by in-house Executive Search and sourcing teams in major corporations as well as non-profit organisations, including many top universities.
Star Rating:
3.0 on Capterra
Apps:
Android and iOS Mobile App and Web Version.
Key Features:
- Provides long-lasting functionalities & features, making Talentis versatile enough to be used independently or seamlessly integrated with third-party recruitment software or ATS.
- Talentis Chrome extension to find, research, source, and hire the right candidate across the web.
- Talentis subscribers also receive free access to the GatedTalent executive talent pool.
- TalentGraph search allows one to search for candidates across the web.
- The platform continuously updates essential biographical information on tracked talent, ensuring the accuracy of candidate data.
PROS
Easy to create and identify connections between candidates and companies.
Comprehensive CV search with customisation options.
Flexible report creation capabilities.
Regular updates to enhance functionality.
It is easy to create and discover links between candidates and companies.
CONS
Limited Outlook synchronisation, falling behind competitors.
Lacks alignment with business processes, complicating daily use.
Clunky interface with a learning curve.
Underdeveloped AI that fails to ease recruiter tasks.
Some processes feel outdated, even compared to older Filefinder versions.
Support claims improvements are coming, but customer volume raises doubts.
The interface is a little clunky and takes some getting used to.
Wrapping Up
Manatal has long been a prominent player in the executive search software market, but over time, numerous competitive alternatives like iSmartRecruit have emerged, offering users unique features and delivering better results at more affordable price points.
Furthermore, executive search firms, often constrained by budget, need to carefully evaluate where they invest their resources. But with alternatives like iSmartRecruit, the decision becomes easier, offering powerful tools at a cost-effective range.
Take advantage of iSmartRecruit’s capabilities and stay ahead of the competition. Plan a robust recruitment strategy with the right executive search software to streamline your hiring processes and improve outcomes.
Not sure yet? Explore how iSmartRecruit compares to other top tools.
Get started with iSmartRecruit today
We will handle your data migration and provide fully personalised onboarding to ensure a smooth and hassle-free transition from manatal.