Softwr

Recruitment · head to head

iCIMS vs Totara

iCIMS logo

iCIMS

Recruitment

Talent cloud for transformative hiring

From
$14500/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Totara logo

Totara

LMS

Open source learning, performance and collaboration platform derived from Moodle and sold through partners

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: iCIMS difficult customer support requiring escalation for resolution; Totara you cannot buy from the vendor. Every purchase runs through a partner who sets its own hosting, services and support pricing, so identical platforms are quoted at materially different totals and buyers must run a partner comparison as well as a product comparison.
  • They diverge on capability: iCIMS covers Applicant Tracking, Totara covers Organisational hierarchies.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which iCIMS and Totara actually diverge.

Attributes where iCIMS and Totara differ
AttributeiCIMSTotara
Starting price$14500/yearOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android, Linux
CategoryRecruitmentLMS
Founded1999Unknown

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 iCIMS

  • Applicant Tracking
  • CRM
  • Career Sites
  • Text Recruiting
  • Video Interviewing
  • AI Matching
  • Analytics
  • LinkedIn

Only in Totara

  • Organisational hierarchies
  • Compliance and certification
  • Totara Perform
  • Totara Engage
  • Self-hosting
  • Programs and learning plans

What people use each for

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

iCIMS

  • Enterprise applicant tracking with configurable hiring workflowsnot Totara
  • High volume hiring in retail, hospitality and healthcarenot Totara
  • Candidate relationship management and automated campaignsnot Totara
  • Career site and employer branding managementnot Totara
  • Employee onboarding after offer acceptancenot Totara

Totara

  • Health services and government bodies that must evidence mandatory training by job role across a large hierarchynot iCIMS
  • Organisations with data residency rules that require the platform to run on their own infrastructurenot iCIMS
  • Moodle users who need appraisal, competency and compliance features the academic product does not carrynot iCIMS
  • Buyers who want exit rights over the platform code rather than dependence on a single hosted vendornot iCIMS

Where each one falls short

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

iCIMS

  • Difficult customer support requiring escalation for resolution
  • Complex and dated user interface compared to modern cloud recruiting tools
  • CRM, ATS, and Text engagement systems do not sync well and require separate logins
  • Custom reporting is difficult to create without IT expertise

Totara

  • You cannot buy from the vendor. Every purchase runs through a partner who sets its own hosting, services and support pricing, so identical platforms are quoted at materially different totals and buyers must run a partner comparison as well as a product comparison.
  • Open source does not mean cheap. Subscription plus partner hosting plus implementation and version upgrade services commonly lands near commercial system cost, and the saving is in control and exit rights rather than in the invoice.
  • The administrative interface carries its Moodle lineage and is dense, so administrator training is a real project cost rather than an afterthought.
  • Major version upgrades are projects, especially where a partner has customised the deployment, and organisations that customise heavily find upgrades slower and dearer over time.
  • The learner facing experience is functional rather than engaging, and organisations wanting a consumer grade learning experience usually front it with something else.

Pricing, plan by plan

iCIMS

$14500/year

No published plan breakdown. See the iCIMS review.

Totara

On request
  • Totara subscription via partner$undefined/year
    • Sold only through distribution partners
    • Partner sets hosting, implementation and support pricing
    • Source available under the GPL, but subscription required for supported releases

Which should you pick?

Choose iCIMS if

  • You need applicant tracking.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want crm.
iCIMS review

Choose Totara if

  • You need organisational hierarchies.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Linux.
  • You also want compliance and certification.
Totara review

Questions people ask

Is iCIMS or Totara better?
Neither clearly leads. iCIMS starts at $14500/year and Totara at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, iCIMS or Totara?
iCIMS starts at $14500/year and Totara at On request.
Does iCIMS or Totara run on more platforms?
iCIMS runs on Web, Ios, Android. Totara runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux.
What is iCIMS best used for?
iCIMS is most often used for enterprise applicant tracking with configurable hiring workflows, high volume hiring in retail, hospitality and healthcare, candidate relationship management and automated campaigns, career site and employer branding management. Of those, enterprise applicant tracking with configurable hiring workflows and high volume hiring in retail, hospitality and healthcare are not what Totara is typically brought in for.
What can iCIMS do that Totara cannot?
iCIMS covers Applicant Tracking, CRM, Career Sites, Text Recruiting. Totara covers Organisational hierarchies, Compliance and certification, Totara Perform, Totara Engage.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

iCIMS: How much does iCIMS cost?

iCIMS pricing varies from $14,500 to $635,000 annually depending on organization size and modules. Mid-market companies typically pay $15,000-$35,000 annually, with larger enterprises exceeding $100,000 plus implementation fees.

Source
Totara: Is Totara free because it is open source?

No. The source is available under the GPL, but supported releases require a subscription, and it is sold through partners who add hosting, implementation and support costs.

iCIMS: What companies use iCIMS?

iCIMS serves more than 4,400 companies across 200 countries, including a quarter of Fortune 500 companies, particularly in retail, healthcare, manufacturing, and finance sectors.

Source
Totara: How is it different from Moodle?

Moodle is built around courses and academic delivery. Totara adds organisational hierarchies, role based automatic assignment, recurring certification and appraisal, which is what workplace compliance reporting needs.

iCIMS: Does iCIMS integrate with other HR systems?

Yes, iCIMS connects with more than 800 partner technologies including job boards, background check services, HR systems, and social platforms.

Source
Totara: Can we host it ourselves?

Yes. Self hosting is a genuine option and is one of the main reasons regulated and public sector buyers choose it over a hosted only competitor.

iCIMS: How long does iCIMS implementation take?

iCIMS implementation is typically lengthy and complex, with setup time varying based on workflow complexity, integrations, and organizational requirements. The process requires professional services and can involve extended ramp-up periods for configuration and training.

Source
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