HR · head to head
Achievers vs SmartRecruiters

SmartRecruiters
Recruitment
Talent acquisition suite for hiring success
- From
- $14995/year
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Achievers pricing is not published and requires a demo; SmartRecruiters no native video interviewing tool; requires third-party solution
- They diverge on capability: Achievers covers Peer-to-peer recognition, SmartRecruiters covers Applicant Tracking.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Achievers and SmartRecruiters actually diverge.
| Attribute | Achievers | SmartRecruiters |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | $14995/year |
| Platforms | Web, Ios, Android, Api | Web |
| Category | HR | Recruitment |
| Founded | 2002 | 2010 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Achievers
- Peer-to-peer recognition
- Manager recognition
- Points-based rewards
- Marketplace rewards
- Pulse surveys
- Employee connections
- Analytics dashboard
- Values alignment
Only in SmartRecruiters
- Applicant Tracking
- CRM
- Recruiting Marketing
- AI Matching
- Onboarding
- Analytics
- Marketplace
Both cover
- Workday
- Slack
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Achievers
- Employee recognitionnot SmartRecruiters
- Rewards programnot SmartRecruiters
- Engagement measurementnot SmartRecruiters
- Culture buildingnot SmartRecruiters
- Retention improvementnot SmartRecruiters
SmartRecruiters
- Reducing time-to-hire from 23 days to 9 daysnot Achievers
- Scaling high-volume hiring with 50% increase in velocitynot Achievers
- Engaging candidates with conversational AI chatbotsnot Achievers
- Automating interview scheduling reducing administrative work by 97%not Achievers
- Screening candidates with AI talent matching enginenot Achievers
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Achievers
- Pricing is not published and requires a demo
- Aimed at mid-market and enterprise organisations rather than small teams
- Sold as separate named modules, Recognize, Reward and Celebrate, so a full programme means more than one line on the quote
SmartRecruiters
- No native video interviewing tool; requires third-party solution
- Reporting tools lack advanced customization; creating custom reports is difficult
- Mobile app functionality is limited compared to desktop version
- Integration with external HR systems can be unreliable with synchronization problems
- Limited customization options to capture position-specific information
- Subscription fees locked during contract term even if company headcount decreases
Pricing, plan by plan
Achievers
On request- Recognize$undefined/month
- Peer-to-peer recognition
- Manager recognition
- Points & rewards
- Listen$undefined/month
- Engagement surveys
- Pulse surveys
- Analytics
- Connect$undefined/month
- Employee connections
- Interest groups
- Events
SmartRecruiters
$14995/year- Essential$14995/year
- ATS functionality
- CRM features
- Onboarding
- Professional$null/year
- All Essential features
- AI-powered Hiring Agent
- AI Talent Matching Engine
- High Volume$null/year
- All Professional features
- AI-powered Candidate Screening
- Conversational AI Chat
- Complete$null/year
- Full suite with Advanced Analytics
- Advanced Sandbox
- Custom in-app guidance
Which should you pick?
Choose Achievers if
- You need peer-to-peer recognition.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
- You also want manager recognition.
Questions people ask
- Is Achievers or SmartRecruiters better?
- Neither clearly leads. Achievers starts at On request and SmartRecruiters at $14995/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Achievers or SmartRecruiters?
- Achievers starts at On request and SmartRecruiters at $14995/year.
- Does Achievers or SmartRecruiters run on more platforms?
- Achievers runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. SmartRecruiters runs on Web.
- What is Achievers best used for?
- Achievers is most often used for employee recognition, rewards program, engagement measurement, culture building. Of those, employee recognition and rewards program are not what SmartRecruiters is typically brought in for.
- What can Achievers do that SmartRecruiters cannot?
- Achievers covers Peer-to-peer recognition, Manager recognition, Points-based rewards, Marketplace rewards. SmartRecruiters covers Applicant Tracking, CRM, Recruiting Marketing, AI Matching. Both handle Workday, Slack.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Achievers: How much does Achievers cost?
Achievers uses custom pricing tailored to team size, priorities, and goals. The company states it provides clear, upfront pricing with no hidden fees, no shipping charges, and no surprise markups, but specific rates are not published and require requesting a quote.
SourceSmartRecruiters: Does SmartRecruiters have a free tier?
No. As of 2026, SmartRecruiters discontinued the free SmartStart tier. The platform requires a demo and evaluation call; entry-level Essential tier pricing starts around $15,000 per year.
SourceAchievers: Does Achievers charge annual commitment or points?
Achievers explicitly states no annual points commitment is required. Fixed costs and financial reports show where budget goes, indicating predictable monthly or annual billing without variable point-based charges.
SourceSmartRecruiters: How does SmartRecruiters billing work?
SmartRecruiters charges by total company headcount, not by recruiter seats. Subscription fees cannot decrease during a contract term even if headcount shrinks mid-contract.
SourceAchievers: What features are included in Achievers subscription?
Every Achievers subscription includes custom-branded platform, mobile access, AI-powered newsfeed, 24/7 multilingual support, campaign templates, analytics, enterprise integrations, and SSO compatibility. Separate products available for Recognition and Reward Platform and Years of Service tracking.
SourceSmartRecruiters: What integrations does SmartRecruiters support?
SmartRecruiters integrates with Slack, Microsoft Teams, and offers a Slack marketplace integration for sending interview notifications and scheduling updates directly to channels.
SourceSmartRecruiters: What are SmartRecruiters' core features?
SmartRecruiters offers end-to-end recruiting including Winston AI talent matching, job distribution, career site builder, applicant tracking, interview scheduling, analytics, and onboarding tools.
Related pages
More on SmartRecruiters
Other head to heads
- Achievers vs Culture Amp
- Achievers vs Workday
- Achievers vs BambooHR
- Achievers vs Freshteam
- Achievers vs Kudos
- Achievers vs Bonusly
- Achievers vs Motivosity
- Achievers vs Nectar
- Achievers vs TINYpulse
- Achievers vs HiBob
- Achievers vs 15Five
- Achievers vs Lattice
- Achievers vs Oyster HR
- Achievers vs Pinpoint
- Achievers vs Unmind
- Achievers vs Cezanne HR
- Achievers vs Darwinbox
- Achievers vs Employment Hero
- Achievers vs iCIMS
- Achievers vs Breezy HR
- Achievers vs Jobvite
- Achievers vs Lever
- Achievers vs Ashby
- Achievers vs JazzHR
- Achievers vs Teamtailor
- Achievers vs Oracle Taleo
- Achievers vs Rippling
- Achievers vs Workable
- Achievers vs Deel
- Achievers vs Factorial
- Achievers vs BrightHire
- Achievers vs Bullhorn
- Achievers vs Checkr
- Achievers vs Comeet
- Achievers vs Findem
- Achievers vs JobAdder
- SmartRecruiters vs Culture Amp
- SmartRecruiters vs Workday
- SmartRecruiters vs BambooHR
- SmartRecruiters vs Freshteam
- SmartRecruiters vs Kudos
- SmartRecruiters vs Bonusly
- SmartRecruiters vs Motivosity
- SmartRecruiters vs Nectar
- SmartRecruiters vs TINYpulse
- SmartRecruiters vs HiBob
- SmartRecruiters vs 15Five
- SmartRecruiters vs Lattice
- SmartRecruiters vs Oyster HR
- SmartRecruiters vs Pinpoint
- SmartRecruiters vs Unmind
- SmartRecruiters vs Cezanne HR
- SmartRecruiters vs Darwinbox
- SmartRecruiters vs Employment Hero
- SmartRecruiters vs iCIMS
- SmartRecruiters vs Breezy HR
- SmartRecruiters vs Jobvite
- SmartRecruiters vs Lever
- SmartRecruiters vs Ashby
- SmartRecruiters vs JazzHR
- SmartRecruiters vs Teamtailor
- SmartRecruiters vs Oracle Taleo
- SmartRecruiters vs Rippling
- SmartRecruiters vs Workable
- SmartRecruiters vs Deel
- SmartRecruiters vs Factorial
- SmartRecruiters vs BrightHire
- SmartRecruiters vs Bullhorn
- SmartRecruiters vs Checkr
- SmartRecruiters vs Comeet
- SmartRecruiters vs Findem
- SmartRecruiters vs JobAdder

