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BrightMove vs Recruitly

BrightMove vs Recruitly: Full Feature & Pricing Guide

Which tool is the Right Choice?

Quick Summary

BrightMove and Recruitly sit in different corners of the recruitment software market, even though both aim to help agencies and talent teams move candidates through a pipeline more efficiently. BrightMove operates as a customisable ATS and CRM built for staffing firms, RPOs and PEOs, with pricing set at a Standard plan starting around $125 per user per month, with Advanced and Enterprise tiers priced on request. Its standout capability is its large resume database network and PEO-branded ATS option, but a notable share of user reviews describe stability issues and inconsistent candidate application experiences on mobile.

Recruitly is a cloud-based recruitment CRM, ATS, email marketing and job distribution platform for agencies, priced a professional monthly plan metered by active user, with optional feature add-ons priced on request. It tends to appeal to teams that value CRM strength, responsive customer support and a steady pace of feature updates, although it currently has no API, which can limit deeper integrations for agencies with more complex tech stacks.

We'll also look at iSmartRecruit, an AI-powered ATS and recruiting CRM platform, as a further option worth comparing alongside BrightMove and Recruitly.

Metrics Comparison of BrightMove vs Recruitly

BrightMove
BrightMove
Recruitly
Recruitly
iSmartRecruit
iSmartRecruit
Pricing Starts From

$125

$30

Free Trial

Best For RPO Companies, Staffing Agencies and HR Professionals Staffing & Recruiting agencies (also used by HR teams and IT/Technical recruiters), Small and Mid-Sized Businesses Corporate HRs, Mass recruiters, Hiring managers, Employment and recruiting agencies, Executive search firms, Staffing firms, Small businesses and startups
Help Videos

New Release/Updates Monthly Monthly Monthly
Trustpilot Score 3.8 3.9 4
Software Suggest Score - - 4.7
SaaSWorthy Score 3.9 4.3 4.6
Capterra - Ease of Use 4.4 4.8 4.5
Capterra - Customer Service 4.4 4.9 4.7
Capterra - Features 4.2 4.7 4.6
Capterra - Value for Money 4.4 4.9 4.6
Mobile Application

Capterra Rating
G2 Rating
BrightMove

Pricing Starts From $125

Free Trial:

Ease of Use: 4.4

Customer Service: 4.4

Features: 4.2

Value for Money: 4.4

Capterra Rating:

G2 Rating:

Recruitly

Pricing Starts From $30

Free Trial:

Ease of Use: 4.8

Customer Service: 4.9

Features: 4.7

Value for Money: 4.9

Capterra Rating:

G2 Rating:

iSmartRecruit

Pricing Starts From: Get Quote

Free Trial: Get a Trial

Ease of Use: 4.5

Customer Service: 4.7

Features: 4.6

Value for Money: 4.6

Capterra Rating:

G2 Rating:

Overview of BrightMove

BrightMove is an ATS software from the United States. It was started in 2005. It helps staffing agencies, RPOs, and in-house recruitment teams manage hiring in one system.

BrightMove lets teams post jobs, applicant tracking, and recruiter communication candidate search tools in one place. It combines applicant tracking with CRM tools so recruiters can find and contact people more easily. It also manages the full recruitment lifecycle in real time.

Some useful features include automated emails, candidate scoring, advanced search, and recruitment analytics. BrightMove connects with LinkedIn, Gmail, and other tools. It works on the web and mobile, which is helpful for remote teams.

BrightMove has many helpful features and can be used by growing teams. But some users say the design looks a bit outdated. It may also take time to learn if you want to use advanced features. It works best for teams that need more control and automation. Small teams may want a simpler option.

pros

Pros

cons

User-friendly interface.

cons

Powerful candidate sourcing tools.

cons

Customisable workflows.

cons

Cloud-based system.


Verified User in Information Technology and Services

"Affordable and Customizable"
I have found BrightMove to be highly customizable, especially when compared to a higher priced ATS. You can run standard and customized reports.

Verified G2 Review

pros

Cons

cons

Interface can feel outdated.

cons

Limited automation.

cons

Occasional system slowness during high-traffic usage periods.

cons

Mobile app functionality is basic.


Verified Reviewer

"I have used BrightMove for almost four years"
The application process for our candidates have not been the best. They system is not compatible for all users and candidates have had trouble trying to apply using their phones at times. There seems to be glitches every now and then in the application process.

Verified Capterra Review

Overview of Recruitly

Recruitly is a cloud-based recruitment platform built by UK firm The SOO Group, combining an applicant tracking system, recruitment CRM, marketing automation and job distribution tools into a single agency-focused workspace. The company positions itself as an alternative to juggling separate point solutions, aiming to replace what it estimates as roughly $429 a month in stitched-together ATS, CRM, job board and automation tools with one subscription.

On the workflow side, Recruitly covers candidate sourcing, CV parsing, job advert posting across 50-plus job boards, pipeline and deal management, and multi-channel outreach sequences spanning email and WhatsApp. Agencies can also build branded candidate portals, manage placements, apply GDPR automation to candidate records, and customise workflows for staffing, executive search, technical recruitment or boutique agency models.

Its more distinctive additions sit in the AI layer: an AI copilot called Simi that drafts emails and pipeline updates but waits for human confirmation before acting, AI-assisted candidate matching and CV rewriting, semantic search across a claimed 800 million-plus people database, and a Model Context Protocol (MCP) connector that lets the CRM talk directly to Claude.

Pricing runs on a per-user, per-month model, starting with a genuinely free plan on capped record limits and scaling through Solo, Professional and Enterprise tiers priced from around $25 to $120 a user per month on annual billing, with add-ons for sourcing credits, SMS, digital signatures and AI agent actions charged separately.

Recruitly tends to suit solo recruiters, boutique agencies and small-to-mid-size staffing businesses that want ATS, CRM and outreach in one login rather than a best-of-breed stack. Larger or multi-brand agencies with more complex compliance, reporting or integration needs may want to weigh it against other recruitment CRM platforms, including iSmartRecruit, before committing.

pros

Pros

cons

Easy to use, intuitive interface for recruiters and admins.

cons

AI-assisted candidate matching and CV parsing praised as accurate.

cons

Responsive, hands-on customer support and onboarding.

cons

Strong perceived value for money versus stitched-together tool stacks.

cons

All-in-one CRM, ATS, sourcing and outreach in a single platform.

cons

Frequent feature releases based on user feedback.


Romanos Y.

"Very user friendly and effective product"
i like all functionalities and the fact that is very user friendly

Verified Capterra Review

pros

Cons

cons

Fewer native ATS integrations than some larger competitors.

cons

Occasional bugs or stability issues reported after updates.

cons

Learning curve for advanced search and CRM configuration.

cons

Limited job board coverage outside the UK and US for some users.

cons

No native Google Docs upload for CVs.


Lisanne M.

"Recruitly review "
It has some bugs and occasionally when updates happen some previous changes revert back, allowing issues that had been solved to re-emerge.

Verified Capterra Review

Features Comparison

BrightMove
BrightMove
Recruitly
Recruitly
iSmartRecruit
iSmartRecruit
API
Activity Dashboard
Activity Tracking
Alerts/Notifications
Applicant Tracking
Application Management
Approval Workflow
Assessment Management
Billing & Invoicing
Boolean Search
Built-in ATS
CRM
Calendar Management
Campaign Analytics
Campaign Management
Candidate Management
Candidate Profiles
Candidate Sourcing
Candidate Tracking
Careers Page
Chatbot
Collaboration Tools
Commenting/Notes
Compliance Management
Compliance Tracking
Configurable Workflow
Contact Database
Content Management
Customisable Branding
Customisable Forms
Customisable Reports
Customisable Templates
Data Import/Export
Document Management
Electronic Signature
Email Management
Email Marketing
Email Templates
Employee Database
Employee Onboarding
Employee Referral Management
For Recruiting Agencies
For Small Businesses
For Staffing Agencies
Full Text Search
HR Management
Internal Chat Integration
Internal HR
Interview Management
Interview Scheduling
Job Application Management
Job Board Software
Job Management
Job Posting
Job Requisition
Job Tracking
Lead Management
Marketing Automation
Matching Engine
Mobile Access
Multi-Channel Marketing
Onboarding
Pipeline Management
Pipeline Reports
Question Library
Real-Time Analytics
Real-Time Reporting
Recruiting Firms
Recruitment Management
Reference Checking
Reminders
Reporting & Statistics
Reporting/Analytics
Resume Database
Resume Parsing
Resume Search
Resume Storage
SMS Messaging
Scoring
Search/Filter
Self Service Portal
Skills Assessment
Social Media Integration
Social Recruiting
Status Tracking
Tagging
Talent Acquisition
Talent Pool
Task Management
Temporary Staffing
Third-Party Integrations
Workflow Management

Find the perfect features for your hiring needs!

Why iSmartRecruit is Best?

iSmartRecruit is worth comparing against both BrightMove and Recruitly for teams that want AI woven through the full hiring workflow rather than confined to a single feature. Its AI Agents, generative AI and conversational AI support sourcing, job description drafting, candidate summaries and interview feedback, going beyond what either BrightMove or Recruitly typically offers on the automation front.

iSmartRecruit also supports multilingual candidate engagement across 14+ languages, and its combined ATS and Recruiting CRM covers candidate and client management, customisable pipelines, job board integrations, reporting and compliance on one shared data layer. For agencies comparing BrightMove's pricing model against Recruitly's, iSmartRecruit is a reasonable third option to evaluate. Start a free trial to see how it fits your recruitment workflow.

Our Client Testimonial Speaks Louder Than Words!

Our Client Testimonial Speaks
Louder Than Words!

Our Client Testimonial Speaks Louder Than Words!

Conclusion

Ultimately, the choice between BrightMove and Recruitly comes down to what your recruitment process actually needs day to day. BrightMove is the stronger option for teams focused on its large resume database network and PEO-branded ATS option, while Recruitly suits teams that lean on CRM strength, responsive customer support and a steady pace of feature updates.

If neither fully covers what you're after, iSmartRecruit is a worthwhile alternative, pairing a full ATS and Recruiting CRM with AI Agents, generative AI and multilingual candidate engagement. Book a free demo to explore it further.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the main difference between BrightMove and Recruitly?

BrightMove is a customisable ATS and CRM built for staffing firms, RPOs and PEOs, while Recruitly is a cloud-based recruitment CRM, ATS, email marketing and job distribution platform for agencies.

2. How does BrightMove pricing compare to Recruitly?

BrightMove runs from around $125 per user/month. Recruitly runs metered per active user (quote required). Exact costs vary by team size, so it's best to request a quote from either vendor.

3. Which platform offers stronger AI capabilities?

BrightMove offers candidate scoring and automated email tools, without a distinct AI-branded feature set. Recruitly offers AI-assisted candidate recommendations layered onto its CRM, lighter than dedicated AI-first platforms. Neither goes as deep on AI automation as platforms built specifically around AI Agents and generative AI.

4. Who is BrightMove best suited for?

BrightMove is generally best suited to staffing firms, RPOs and PEOs that want a large resume database and PEO-branded deployment option.

5. Who is Recruitly best suited for?

Recruitly is generally best suited to small to mid-sized recruitment agencies that want a well-supported, modular ATS-CRM without excess complexity.

6. What do users say about BrightMove and Recruitly?

Feedback on BrightMove is mixed on Capterra, with 68% of negative reviews citing frequent glitches and slowdowns. Feedback on Recruitly is consistently strong reviews on Capterra and Software Advice for its CRM depth.

7. Is iSmartRecruit a reasonable alternative to BrightMove and Recruitly?

Yes. iSmartRecruit combines applicant tracking, Recruiting CRM, AI Agents, generative AI and multilingual candidate engagement in one platform, making it a practical alternative for teams comparing BrightMove and Recruitly that want broader AI automation and flexible, quote-based pricing.

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