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Recruitment · head to head

HackerRank vs Lever

HackerRank logo

HackerRank

Recruitment

Technical hiring platform with a metered attempt allowance and per-attempt overage charges on its entry tier

From
On request
Rated
-
Lever logo

Lever

Recruitment

Talent acquisition suite built for collaboration

From
On request
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: HackerRank the Starter tier meters candidate assessment attempts (120 a year included) with roughly 20 US dollars per additional attempt, so a hiring surge or an unexpectedly popular job posting turns directly into overage costs.; Lever customized pricing requires sales contact, no public pricing
  • They diverge on capability: HackerRank covers Coding assessments, Lever covers Applicant Tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which HackerRank and Lever actually diverge.

Attributes where HackerRank and Lever differ
AttributeHackerRankLever
Pricing modelPer month by tier, with a metered annual candidate attempt allowance and per-attempt overage on Starterquote
FoundedUnknown2012

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), platforms (Web), 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 HackerRank

  • Coding assessments
  • Structured technical interviews
  • Screen and Interview modules
  • Role-specific question libraries
  • Proctoring and integrity checks
  • ATS integration

Only in Lever

  • Applicant Tracking
  • Candidate CRM
  • Sourcing
  • Interview Management
  • Analytics
  • Offer Management
  • LinkedIn
  • Indeed

What people use each for

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

HackerRank

  • A startup hiring a small, steady volume of engineers where the Starter plan's 120 annual attempts comfortably covers the pipelinenot Lever
  • A larger engineering organisation needing unlimited user seats across many hiring managers, better served by Pronot Lever
  • A company wanting both automated screening and live structured technical interviews in one platformnot Lever
  • An organisation that wants a large, established question library spanning algorithms, system design and role-specific skillsnot Lever

Lever

  • Applicant tracking from sourcing through offernot HackerRank
  • Building and nurturing talent pipelines of passive candidatesnot HackerRank
  • Automating interview scheduling, follow-ups and offer lettersnot HackerRank
  • Reporting on hiring performance across sourcesnot HackerRank
  • Screening at volume with AI ranking and recommendationsnot HackerRank

Where each one falls short

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

HackerRank

  • The Starter tier meters candidate assessment attempts (120 a year included) with roughly 20 US dollars per additional attempt, so a hiring surge or an unexpectedly popular job posting turns directly into overage costs.
  • Starter includes only one user licence, so any team with more than one recruiter or hiring manager needing direct platform access must jump to the far larger Pro commitment.
  • The jump from Starter to Pro is a large step, roughly 100 to 450 US dollars a month, with no published mid-tier option for a team that has outgrown Starter but does not need Pro's full scale.
  • As with any automated coding assessment tool, heavy reliance on it as an early filter risks screening out strong candidates who underperform in artificial timed test conditions.
  • Enterprise-tier features such as custom question libraries and SSO are quote-only, making full cost comparison against Codility or other competitors impossible without entering a sales process.

Lever

  • Customized pricing requires sales contact, no public pricing
  • Premium features like advanced CRM functionality require additional fees
  • Implementation requires some technical configuration

Pricing, plan by plan

HackerRank

On request
  • Starter$100/month
    • 1 user licence
    • Screen and Interview modules included
    • 120 candidate attempts per year included, roughly $20 per additional attempt
  • Pro$450/month
    • Unlimited user seats
    • 4,000+ question library
    • ATS integrations included
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Custom quote
    • Custom question libraries and SSO
    • Dedicated support and account management

Lever

On request
  • LeverTRM$undefined/month
    • ATS
    • CRM
    • Sourcing
  • LeverTRM for Enterprise$undefined/month
    • All LeverTRM features
    • Advanced Security
    • Dedicated Support

Which should you pick?

Choose HackerRank if

  • You need coding assessments.
  • You also want structured technical interviews.

Choose Lever if

  • You need applicant tracking.
  • You also want candidate crm.

Questions people ask

Is HackerRank or Lever better?
Neither clearly leads. HackerRank starts at On request and Lever at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, HackerRank or Lever?
HackerRank starts at On request and Lever at On request.
Does HackerRank or Lever run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is HackerRank best used for?
HackerRank is most often used for a startup hiring a small, steady volume of engineers where the starter plan's 120 annual attempts comfortably covers the pipeline, a larger engineering organisation needing unlimited user seats across many hiring managers, better served by pro, a company wanting both automated screening and live structured technical interviews in one platform, an organisation that wants a large, established question library spanning algorithms, system design and role-specific skills. Of those, a startup hiring a small, steady volume of engineers where the starter plan's 120 annual attempts comfortably covers the pipeline and a larger engineering organisation needing unlimited user seats across many hiring managers, better served by pro are not what Lever is typically brought in for.
What can HackerRank do that Lever cannot?
HackerRank covers Coding assessments, Structured technical interviews, Screen and Interview modules, Role-specific question libraries. Lever covers Applicant Tracking, Candidate CRM, Sourcing, Interview Management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

HackerRank: What happens if we exceed our included assessment attempts on Starter?

Each additional attempt beyond the included 120 a year is billed separately, at roughly 20 US dollars per attempt.

Lever: What is Lever used for?

Lever is modern recruiting software that centralizes recruiting into a single system for sourcing candidates, managing applications, scheduling interviews, collaborating with hiring managers, automating workflows, and measuring hiring performance.

Source
HackerRank: How many users does Starter support?

One user licence; teams needing more than one seat must move to the Pro plan.

Lever: Does Lever include both ATS and CRM?

Yes. Lever integrates comprehensive Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and Candidate Relationship Management (CRM) functionalities within a single offering called LeverTRM, with features like AI-powered screening and interview transcripts.

Source
HackerRank: Does HackerRank offer live interviews as well as automated tests?

Yes, both a Screen module for automated assessment and an Interview module for live, collaborative technical interviews are included from Starter upward.

Lever: What integrations does Lever support?

Lever integrates with 300+ tools including Slack for notifications, Zoom for interviews, calendar applications for scheduling, background check services, job boards, and leading HRIS platforms for talent management workflows.

Source
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