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Smartrecruiters Pricing Is Smartrecruiters A Free Service

Posted on: February 2, 2026

SmartRecruiters pricing explained, showing how much SmartRecruiters costs for hiring teams

The prices shown here are for informational and comparison purposes only and may change. For the most up-to-date and official pricing, please visit our official Pricing Page.

SmartRecruiters Pricing: Is SmartRecruiters a free service?

SmartRecruiters pricing starts at around $15,000 per year, or roughly $1,250 per month, with pricing based on custom quotes and annual contracts. It’s built for mid-to-large enterprises and high-volume hiring teams, with costs increasing as companies add advanced features or AI-powered tools.

For startups and growing in-house teams, that level of commitment can feel heavy, especially when pricing isn’t published upfront.

AvaHR offers a more affordable, transparent alternative. Plans start at $99 per month, with flat-rate pricing designed for internal hiring teams that want to automate workflows, manage candidates, and post jobs to multiple job boards without long-term contracts.

Here’s how SmartRecruiters pricing compares to AvaHR at a glance:

Pricing criteria	AvaHR	SmartRecruiters
Starting price	$99/month (published)	~$15,000/year ≈ $1,250/month (quote-based)
Pricing structure	Flat monthly plans	Custom quotes, annual contracts
Budget predictability	Upfront, published pricing	Varies by hiring volume and plan scope
Best fit	Startups and SMBs with in-house hiring teams	Mid-to-large enterprises, high-volume hiring
ATS & workflows	ATS, automation, collaboration, candidate management	Enterprise ATS with configurable workflows
Job posting	Post to 50+ job boards	Available, varies by package
Time to start	Sign up and start quickly	Sales-led onboarding

✅ Quick takeaway: SmartRecruiters typically starts around $15,000 per year ($1,250/month) for enterprise hiring teams, while AvaHR starts at $99 per month with transparent pricing built for small and growing in-house teams.

AvaHR’s Lite and Plus plans are built for small and growing teams like yours that want predictable hiring costs from day one. Instead of committing to large annual contracts or navigating custom quotes, teams can choose a clear monthly plan and focus on running their hiring process.

SmartRecruiters is a strong option for enterprises with complex, high-volume hiring needs and dedicated talent acquisition teams. For startups and in-house hiring teams, however, the high entry cost and sales-led pricing model can be a barrier.

For teams that value simplicity, transparency, and cost control, AvaHR offers a straightforward alternative with pricing that stays easy to understand as hiring needs evolve.

👉 Say goodbye to enterprise-level pricing. AvaHR offers clear monthly plans, fast setup, and a user-friendly hiring platform built for small and growing in-house teams.

SmartRecruiters Pricing

SmartRecruiters uses custom, quote-based pricing, with entry-level plans typically starting at around $15,000 per year, or roughly $1,250 per month. Pricing scales based on hiring volume, workflows, and access to advanced features, which means total costs can increase as hiring needs grow.

SmartRecruiters does not publish fixed pricing and generally requires an annual contract and a sales process to receive a quote. While the platform is built for enterprise talent acquisition teams, the high entry cost can be a barrier for smaller teams.

Here’s a quick breakdown of SmartRecruiters pricing plans and what each includes:

SmartRecruiters Pricing Plans

Plan	Pricing (USD)	Key Details
Essential	~$15,000/year (estimate)	Entry-level enterprise plan. Core applicant tracking system (ATS), requisitions, hiring team collaboration tools, interview scheduling, job posting, career page tools, and basic reporting for structured hiring.
Professional	Custom quote	Expanded functionality for growing enterprise hiring teams. More automation and workflows, stronger integrations ecosystem, improved metrics and dashboards, and enhanced support for collaborative hiring and candidate experience.
High Volume (Most popular)	Custom quote	Built for high-volume hiring needs (e.g., healthcare, retail, hospitality). Includes higher job distribution capacity, automation at scale, recruiting workflows for speed, and tools that help reduce time-to-hire.
Complete	Custom quote	End-to-end enterprise hiring platform. Advanced recruitment marketing, deeper automation, advanced analytics and decision-making tools, expanded integrations, and enterprise-grade controls for large hiring teams.

⚠️ Disclaimer: SmartRecruiters pricing is generally quote-based and can vary by hiring volume, selected modules, add-ons (including AI-powered features), implementation needs, and contract terms. The “~$15,000/year” figure is a commonly referenced entry estimate for Essential plans and may vary.

SmartRecruiters uses custom, quote-based pricing, with entry-level plans typically starting around $15,000 per year. While the platform is well-suited for enterprise and high-volume hiring teams, the high entry cost and annual contracts can make budgeting less flexible for startups and smaller in-house teams.

AvaHR keeps budgeting simple. Plans start at $99 per month, with clear pricing that supports core hiring workflows without enterprise-level commitments or per-recruiter fees. Teams can manage job postings, candidates, and collaboration from day one without needing a sales call to understand costs.

Need room to grow? AvaHR’s higher tiers scale with published limits, and every plan includes a free trial, so teams can test real hiring workflows before committing.

👉 Choose transparent pricing over enterprise complexity, with a user-friendly applicant tracking system built for modern, growing teams.

AvaHR Pricing Plans

AvaHR is built for teams that want hiring software that’s easy to understand and easy to budget for. Pricing is fully published from the start, with no sales calls required and no hidden charges just to access core recruiting features.

Every plan comes with a free trial, allowing you to post real job openings to Indeed, Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter, and 50+ job boards and experience AvaHR in your day-to-day hiring workflow before making a commitment.

Plans begin at $99 per month with the Lite option. The Plus plan at $165 per month supports up to 5 users and up to 50 live job postings, making it a practical choice for small businesses and growing in-house hiring teams.

Higher tiers expand usage and unlock advanced capabilities through clearly defined limits, so scaling stays predictable. ✅

Across all plans, AvaHR includes automation, collaboration tools, hiring analytics, and complete candidate management, without per-user pricing, agency-focused complexity, or unclear upgrade paths.

🔐 Start with annual billing and save up to 17%, giving your team a modern, user-friendly applicant tracking system with consistent pricing and faster hiring.

Lite – $99/month ✅

3 live job postings
Unlimited candidates
1 user
1 location
1 culture profile
1 hiring pipeline
Candidate automations
Integrations with popular hiring tools

Plus – $165/month ✅

Up to 50 live job postings
Unlimited candidates
5 users
3 locations
Multiple culture profiles
Multiple hiring pipelines
Built-in onboarding support
Integrations with popular hiring tools

Premium – $332/month ✅

Unlimited live job postings
Unlimited candidates
Expanded user and location limits
Advanced hiring pipelines and workflows
AI-powered job and candidate scoring
AI job description generation

Max – Custom pricing (from $457+/month) ✅

Everything included in Premium
Unlimited users and locations
eSignatures and text messaging
Custom roles and permissions
HRIS integrations
Employee referral tracking

So, there you have it. All Ava’s prices in one place. Transparent and simple.

Many small businesses and growing teams choose AvaHR’s higher-tier plans for the flexibility they offer, including broader team access and higher job posting limits under one predictable monthly price. As hiring needs expand, your team can unlock deeper automation and integrations without committing to enterprise-level contracts or escalating costs.

❌ SmartRecruiters pricing is built around annual, quote-based plans that typically start at a much higher entry point.

✅ AvaHR bundles essential hiring tools, including automation, collaboration features, analytics, and integrations, into clear, published monthly plans.

👉 Scale your hiring with confidence, using a transparent, user-friendly applicant tracking system with pricing that stays easy to plan for as your team grows.

Say bye bye to enterprise-level pricing.

AvaHR offers clear monthly plans with core hiring features included and a free trial, so you can scale your hiring without long contracts or budget surprises.

Avahr Applicant Tracking System Dashboard Showing Candidate Pipeline With Ratings Interview Stages And Recruiter Reviewing Resumes

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Why AvaHR Delivers More Value

Pricing you can actually plan around: SmartRecruiters is built for large enterprises and comes with quote-based, annual pricing that often starts at a high entry point, for small and growing teams, that can feel like too much. AvaHR keeps things simple with clear, published monthly plans that include the core applicant tracking features you need, so you always know what you’re paying as your hiring needs evolve. Explore transparent AvaHR pricing plans.

Get hiring faster, without the friction: With AvaHR, there’s no long sales process or complex setup. You can sign up, post jobs to multiple job boards, and start reviewing candidates right away. Built-in automation, intuitive workflows, and responsive support help you keep hiring moving without slowing your team down. Discover AvaHR job board integrations.

Reach talent before they apply → Share openings on LinkedIn and other social media channels to connect with top talent early and broaden your talent pool. See how AvaHR supports candidate sourcing.

Enjoy collaborative hiring → Notes, permissions, and candidate ratings with scorecards all live in one place – no lost Slack threads between your human resources team members or scattered feedback. Your HR management team can easily access candidate profiles and collaborate effectively. Explore AvaHR collaboration tools.

Save hours with automation → From screening, resume parsing, interview scheduling, automated emails, to task reminders, notifications, and templates, AvaHR automates repetitive parts of the recruitment process so you can focus on talent acquisition and providing excellent talent candidate experience. Discover AvaHR automations.

Plug into your stack → Explore and connect AvaHR with 800+ apps like Slack and Zoom via Zapier. Check AvaHR integrations.

⭐ AvaHR can take care of your hiring needs! See why teams like yours love hiring with AvaHR and simplify your workflows with your all-in-one applicant tracking system.

FAQs: SmartRecruiters Pricing vs AvaHR

Is SmartRecruiters a free service?

No. SmartRecruiters is not a free service. It does not offer a free plan, and pricing is typically quote-based with annual contracts. Entry-level plans are commonly reported to start around $15,000 per year, with higher tiers and add-ons priced based on hiring volume and feature needs.

AvaHR does not offer a free plan either, but it provides a 7-day free trial on all plans, allowing teams to test real hiring workflows before committing.

How much does SmartRecruiters cost?

SmartRecruiters pricing is custom and not publicly published. The Essential plan is often cited as starting at approximately $15,000 per year (around $1,250 per month), while higher tiers such as Professional, High Volume, and Complete require custom quotes. Final pricing depends on company size, hiring volume, selected workflows, integrations, and AI-powered features.

Is SmartRecruiters good for small businesses?

SmartRecruiters is best suited for mid-to-large enterprises with complex or high-volume hiring needs, dedicated talent acquisition teams, and larger budgets. For small businesses or startups, the high entry cost and annual contract model can be a barrier.

Small and growing teams often prefer AvaHR because it offers lower monthly pricing, faster setup, and plans designed specifically for in-house hiring teams without enterprise-level commitments.

What types of companies use SmartRecruiters?

SmartRecruiters is commonly used by enterprise organizations, global companies, and industries such as healthcare, retail, and hospitality that require high-volume recruiting, advanced workflows, and large hiring teams. It is built to support end-to-end recruitment processes at scale.

Does SmartRecruiters include job posting and job boards?

Yes. SmartRecruiters supports job posting and job distribution to job boards and social media channels, including LinkedIn. The scope of job distribution and integrations can vary depending on the selected plan and contract.

AvaHR includes job posting to 50+ job boards directly within its plans, without requiring enterprise contracts.

Does SmartRecruiters offer onboarding or HRIS features?

SmartRecruiters focuses primarily on the recruitment process, including applicant tracking, candidate sourcing, interview scheduling, and collaboration. While it supports onboarding workflows, it is not a full HRIS and typically integrates with external HCM or HRIS systems.

AvaHR also focuses on recruitment and applicant tracking and integrates with other tools as needed.

Which platform is easier to budget for, SmartRecruiters or AvaHR?

AvaHR is generally easier to budget for because it uses published monthly pricing with clear plan limits. SmartRecruiters relies on custom quotes and annual contracts, which can make costs harder to predict for smaller teams.

SmartRecruiters Pricing vs AvaHR: What’s Your Choice?

SmartRecruiters is a powerful hiring platform built for enterprise teams with complex or high-volume hiring needs. With pricing typically starting around $15,000 per year and based on custom quotes, it’s a solid option for organizations that are ready for long-term contracts and larger budgets.

AvaHR is designed with small businesses and in-house hiring teams in mind. Plans start at $99 per month, with transparent pricing that includes automation, collaboration tools, analytics, and job posting to 50+ job boards, without enterprise-level commitments. Every plan comes with a free trial, so you can get started right away.

❌ SmartRecruiters requires high upfront investment and sales-led pricing.

✅ AvaHR keeps costs clear, flexible, and easy to plan as your team grows.

🔐 Save up to 17% with AvaHR’s annual plan and choose a hiring platform that supports growth without budget surprises.

Be the next success story like Gina.

Gina cut hiring costs and found the right talent faster with AvaHR – and you can too! Join growing teams that trust AvaHR for transparent pricing, job board reach, and powerful hiring tools.

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