Softwr

CRM · head to head

Gong vs SmartRecruiters

Gong logo

Gong

CRM

Revenue intelligence platform

From
$1600/user-per-year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SmartRecruiters logo

SmartRecruiters

Recruitment

Talent acquisition suite for hiring success

From
$14995/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Gong pricing not published; custom quotes and high platform fees make budget forecasting difficult; SmartRecruiters no native video interviewing tool; requires third-party solution
  • They diverge on capability: Gong covers Call recording, SmartRecruiters covers Applicant Tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Gong and SmartRecruiters actually diverge.

Attributes where Gong and SmartRecruiters differ
AttributeGongSmartRecruiters
Starting price$1600/user-per-year$14995/year
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWeb, Cloud-based SaaSWeb
CategoryCRMRecruitment
Founded20162010

Identical on both: 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 Gong

  • Call recording
  • AI transcription
  • Deal intelligence
  • Market intelligence
  • Team coaching
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • Zoom

Only in SmartRecruiters

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

Both cover

  • Slack
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Gong

  • Call analysisnot SmartRecruiters
  • Deal forecastingnot SmartRecruiters
  • Sales coachingnot SmartRecruiters
  • Win/loss analysisnot SmartRecruiters

SmartRecruiters

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

Where each one falls short

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

Gong

  • Pricing not published; custom quotes and high platform fees make budget forecasting difficult
  • Built for sales calls only; limited contact center and multi-channel conversation coverage
  • Forecasting and Engage modules use keyword-based analysis with 20-30 minute processing delay, not generative AI
  • Conversation analysis cannot capture internal buyer meetings or decision-making discussions

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

Gong

$1600/user-per-year

No published plan breakdown. See the Gong review.

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 Gong if

  • You need call recording.
  • You work on Web, Cloud-based SaaS.
  • You also want ai transcription.
Gong review

Choose SmartRecruiters if

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

Questions people ask

Is Gong or SmartRecruiters better?
Neither clearly leads. Gong starts at $1600/user-per-year and SmartRecruiters at $14995/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Gong or SmartRecruiters?
Gong starts at $1600/user-per-year and SmartRecruiters at $14995/year.
Does Gong or SmartRecruiters run on more platforms?
Gong runs on Web, Cloud-based SaaS. SmartRecruiters runs on Web.
What is Gong best used for?
Gong is most often used for call analysis, deal forecasting, sales coaching, win/loss analysis. Of those, call analysis and deal forecasting are not what SmartRecruiters is typically brought in for.
What can Gong do that SmartRecruiters cannot?
Gong covers Call recording, AI transcription, Deal intelligence, Market intelligence. SmartRecruiters covers Applicant Tracking, CRM, Recruiting Marketing, AI Matching. Both handle Slack, Web support, Ios support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Gong: How much does Gong cost?

Gong pricing starts around $1,600 per user per year, with a mandatory platform fee of $5,000-$50,000 annually. Exact pricing is custom and requires a sales consultation.

Source
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
Gong: Does Gong integrate with Salesforce?

Yes. Gong integrates with Salesforce via REST API to import account data and export conversation summaries, enabling searchable calls by CRM fields.

Source
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
Gong: What conversations can Gong capture?

Gong was built primarily for sales call analysis and captures calls through integrations with major dialer systems. Coverage for contact center and multi-channel conversations is limited.

Source
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
Gong: Does Gong have an on-premise option?

Gong is a cloud-based SaaS platform without an on-premise deployment option. All conversation analysis and storage occurs in Gong's cloud infrastructure.

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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