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Recruitment · head to head

Glassdoor vs SmartRecruiters

Glassdoor logo

Glassdoor

Recruitment

Employer review and salary transparency app owned by Recruit Holdings, the same parent as Indeed

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SmartRecruiters logo

SmartRecruiters

Recruitment

Talent acquisition suite for hiring success

From
$14995/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Glassdoor has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Glassdoor it shares the same parent company, Recruit Holdings, as Indeed, whose revenue depends on employer ad spend, which sits in tension with Glassdoor's role as an independent employer watchdog.; SmartRecruiters no native video interviewing tool; requires third-party solution
  • They diverge on capability: Glassdoor covers Employee reviews, SmartRecruiters covers Applicant Tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Glassdoor and SmartRecruiters actually diverge.

Attributes where Glassdoor and SmartRecruiters differ
AttributeGlassdoorSmartRecruiters
Starting priceFree$14995/year
Pricing modelFree for job seekers, employers pay for branding and recruiting productssubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsiOS, Android, WebWeb
FoundedUnknown2010

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Recruitment).

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 Glassdoor

  • Employee reviews
  • Salary reports
  • Interview insights
  • CEO approval rating
  • Job listings
  • Company comparisons

Only in SmartRecruiters

  • Applicant Tracking
  • CRM
  • Recruiting Marketing
  • AI Matching
  • Onboarding
  • Analytics
  • Marketplace
  • LinkedIn

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Glassdoor

  • Researching a company's culture and management reputation before accepting a job offernot SmartRecruiters
  • Comparing self-reported salary data for a role before a negotiationnot SmartRecruiters
  • Reading anonymous interview reports to prepare for a specific company's processnot SmartRecruiters
  • Checking CEO and leadership approval trends before joining a companynot SmartRecruiters

SmartRecruiters

  • Reducing time-to-hire from 23 days to 9 daysnot Glassdoor
  • Scaling high-volume hiring with 50% increase in velocitynot Glassdoor
  • Engaging candidates with conversational AI chatbotsnot Glassdoor
  • Automating interview scheduling reducing administrative work by 97%not Glassdoor
  • Screening candidates with AI talent matching enginenot Glassdoor

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Glassdoor

  • It shares the same parent company, Recruit Holdings, as Indeed, whose revenue depends on employer ad spend, which sits in tension with Glassdoor's role as an independent employer watchdog.
  • Review authenticity cannot be independently verified, and companies have periodically been accused of soliciting favourable reviews from current employees to offset negative ones.
  • Self-reported salary data is not verified against payroll records, so figures for a given role and company can be inconsistent or dated.
  • Older accounts were required to submit their own review or salary before unlocking others' data, and remnants of that give-to-get pressure can still affect what gets submitted.
  • Employers can purchase enhanced branding pages, which changes what job seekers see on a company's page compared with a company that has not paid for branding.

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

Glassdoor

Free
  • Job seeker accountFree
    • Free browsing of reviews, salaries and listings

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 Glassdoor if

  • You need employee reviews.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want salary reports.
Glassdoor review

Choose SmartRecruiters if

  • You need applicant tracking.
  • You also want crm.
SmartRecruiters review

Questions people ask

Is Glassdoor or SmartRecruiters better?
Neither clearly leads. Glassdoor starts at Free and SmartRecruiters at $14995/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Glassdoor or SmartRecruiters?
Glassdoor has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Glassdoor and $14995/year for SmartRecruiters.
Does Glassdoor or SmartRecruiters run on more platforms?
Glassdoor runs on iOS, Android, Web. SmartRecruiters runs on Web.
Can I use Glassdoor for free?
Yes. Glassdoor has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. SmartRecruiters starts at $14995/year.
What is Glassdoor best used for?
Glassdoor is most often used for researching a company's culture and management reputation before accepting a job offer, comparing self-reported salary data for a role before a negotiation, reading anonymous interview reports to prepare for a specific company's process, checking ceo and leadership approval trends before joining a company. Of those, researching a company's culture and management reputation before accepting a job offer and comparing self-reported salary data for a role before a negotiation are not what SmartRecruiters is typically brought in for.
What can Glassdoor do that SmartRecruiters cannot?
Glassdoor covers Employee reviews, Salary reports, Interview insights, CEO approval rating. SmartRecruiters covers Applicant Tracking, CRM, Recruiting Marketing, AI Matching.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Glassdoor: Is Glassdoor free to use?

Yes for job seekers; employers pay for enhanced branding and recruiting products.

SmartRecruiters: 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.

Source
Glassdoor: Are Glassdoor and Indeed the same company?

No, they are separate products but share the same parent company, Recruit Holdings.

SmartRecruiters: 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.

Source
Glassdoor: Are Glassdoor reviews verified?

No, reviews and salary reports are self-reported and anonymous; Glassdoor applies moderation but does not verify employment or salary details against payroll records.

SmartRecruiters: 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.

Source
SmartRecruiters: 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.

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