Lever vs SmartRecruiters

A detailed comparison of Lever and SmartRecruiters. See how they stack up on features, pricing, and user ratings.

Lever

Combined ATS and CRM (LeverTRM) that unifies sourcing, nurturing, and hiring. Strong for relationship-driven recruiting.

Rating 4.4/5
Best for Mid-Market
Free trial No
Free plan No
Visit Lever →

SmartRecruiters

Enterprise hiring platform with marketplace of integrated recruiting tools. Offers a free plan (SmartStart) for small teams.

Rating 4.3/5
Best for Enterprise
Free trial No
Free plan Yes
Visit SmartRecruiters →

Feature Comparison

Feature Lever SmartRecruiters
Workflow Automation
Reporting Dashboard
Time-to-Hire Tracking
Interview Feedback
Team Scorecards
Email Templates
GDPR Compliance
Candidate Pipeline
Career Page Builder
Job Posting
Offer Management
Resume Parsing
API Access
Multi-Job Board Posting
Calendar Sync
Self-Scheduling

Pricing Comparison

Lever

LeverTRM Custom
LeverTRM for Enterprise Custom

SmartRecruiters

SmartStart Free
SmartRecruit Custom
SmartRecruit Enterprise Custom

Pros & Cons

Lever

Pros

  • +Combined ATS + CRM in one platform (LeverTRM)
  • +Clean, modern interface
  • +Strong candidate relationship nurturing
  • +Good sourcing and pipeline management

Cons

  • -Custom pricing only — not transparent
  • -Reporting can be limited on lower tiers
  • -No free trial or free plan
  • -Part of Employ Inc. — product roadmap uncertainty

SmartRecruiters

Pros

  • +Free SmartStart plan for small companies
  • +Large marketplace of recruitment tool integrations
  • +Global hiring capabilities and compliance
  • +AI-powered candidate matching

Cons

  • -Enterprise pricing is opaque
  • -Free plan is very limited
  • -Can be slow with large candidate databases
  • -Some features require marketplace add-ons

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Lever if:

  • • Your company is Mid-Market size
  • • Combined ATS + CRM in one platform (LeverTRM)
  • • Higher user ratings matter to you (4.4 vs 4.3)

Choose SmartRecruiters if:

  • • Your company is Enterprise size
  • • You want to start with a free plan
  • • Free SmartStart plan for small companies