iCIMS Talent Cloud vs. SmartRecruiters

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
iCIMS
Score 7.7 out of 10
N/A
iCIMS is a web-based applicant tracking system (ATS). The tool's talent recruiting and management functions include features like social recruiting, talent sourcing, offer management, and onboarding. The programs are centralized on iCIMS’s UNIFi platform and are scaled for mid-sized to enterprise businesses.
$1,700
per month
SmartRecruiters
Score 9.2 out of 10
N/A
SmartRecruiters’ Talent Acquisition Suite is a cloud-based recruitment marketing and collaborative hiring platform. It features an open marketplace for third party recruitment services. SmartRecruiters also offers talent sourcing and screening as add-on features.
$0
per month
Pricing
iCIMS Talent CloudSmartRecruiters
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Corporate
Varies, per FTE
Billed annually
Global
Varies, per FTE
Billed annually
SmartStart
Free
up to 10 active job postings
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
iCIMSSmartRecruiters
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup fee$1,000
Additional DetailsEntry-level set up fee? - Implementation pricing is determined on a per-company basis. Starting price (does not include set up fee) - Pricing is determined on a per-company basis, tailored to organization size, configuration, and selected solutions.The software subscription is determined by the number of a company's full time employees. There is a one time cost to set up software, including customizations, integrations, data migration and training.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
iCIMS Talent CloudSmartRecruiters
Considered Both Products
iCIMS
Chose iCIMS Talent Cloud
iCIMS is way too complicated and visually not appealing at all. It's very complex and difficult to navigate. I used SmartRecruiters previously and the experience was so much more pleasant! It was easier for applicant tracking and bringing a candidate through the interview …
Chose iCIMS Talent Cloud
Overall, iCIMS offered a greater variety of features, integration options, and configurability than the competition, and offered greater value and cost savings.
SmartRecruiters
Chose SmartRecruiters
SmartRecruiters has less features, but therefore it is easier to learn and costs less. We had a much lower participation rate from franchisees when utilizing iCIMS. iCIMS is great for those that are willing to invest the time in learning it and of course the extra money. But …
Chose SmartRecruiters
Smartrecruiters matches all request from our recrutement team, specially about the fact that this is easy to use as we wanted managers to have the hand on the tool. This is also easy to train them with Smartrecruiters and wuth the help center, better than some other tools. It …
Chose SmartRecruiters
I have used several recruiting platforms during my career and every one has its pros and cons. SmartRecruiters is extremely helpful with cross-team collaboration and interview scheduling, however I think needs strong resume searching capabilities. I am overall satisified with …
Chose SmartRecruiters
SmartRecruiters was a good fit at the time of purchase. The price was competitive and the features were exactly what we needed to move as a blended company with multiple locations, brand names, and a large employee base. The company really did a good job of helping us get …
Chose SmartRecruiters
Overall, SmartRecruiters is more modern, cutting edge and has an easier learning curve than the others we evaluated.
Chose SmartRecruiters
I did not select SmartRecruiters, it was already in place when I started my employment.
Chose SmartRecruiters
SmartRecruiters won our RFP process largely in part because of the candidate experience. This in conjunction with the dynamic nature of their product releases allows us to stay ahead of most recruiting trends.
Chose SmartRecruiters
We found SmartRecruiters to be the easiest to use and to be the best fit for our needs.
Chose SmartRecruiters
It's the best of the bunch in that SmartRecruiters is modern, feels like a progressive tech company when you apply, thinks about integration and platform (and not just an electronic file cabinet) and there are a ton of bells and whistles yet you don't feel it. Whereas with a …
TrustRadius Insights
iCIMS Talent CloudSmartRecruiters
Highlights

TrustRadius
Research Team Insight
Published

SmartRecruiters and iCIMS Talent Acquisition Suite are both applicant tracking and talent acquisition systems. Both products focus on larger organizations with large-scale hiring, but they have different target segments and use cases. 

SmartRecruiters is more accessible to a wider range of company sizes, to the point of offering a free version to very small businesses, with flexibility for growing companies. In contrast, iCIMS focuses on large and very large enterprises that hire across multiple locations. 

Features

SmartRecruiters and iCIMS offer strong features designed to serve their target customer bases. 

iCIMS provides a range of capabilities designed to be highly scalable. For instance, the platform integrates excellently with the rest of the enterprise’s HR software stack, such as onboarding software. Additionally, users praise iCIMS for its candidate management features that can help recruiters manage candidate pools at scale. 

SmartRecruiters is more focused on tools for large and growing businesses to expand their companies. Its collaboration features stand out to reviewers, allowing multiple internal stakeholders to engage in the recruiting process as necessary. SmartRecruiter’s user interface is also accessible and easy to use across experience levels, including smaller organizations. 

Limitations

Despite strong capabilities, there are also some limitations to iCIMS and SmartRecruiters.

iCIMS’s focus on large-scale organizations also entails a very steep learning curve to effectively manage the platform. This issue is exacerbated when users lack sufficient training and information from the vendor. The learning curve issue manifests itself in areas like an unwieldy reporting mechanism. Customer support has also been criticized. 

On the other hand, SmartRecruiters has been criticized for its scalability among the largest organizations. For instance, platform performance has deteriorated under certain conditions, such as very high usage or high-volume activities. SmartRecruiters also lacks some of the batch or mass action abilities that are crucial for the highest scalability. 

Pricing

iCIMS pricing is available by quote from the vendor. 

SmartRecruiters is also priced by quote from the vendor, depending on the requested add-ons and the number of employees a company has. On top of the core platform, buyers can add on SmartCRM, SmartAssistant (an AI tool), SmartGlobal tailored to international recruiting, and Onboarding. Additionally, if a company is hiring for 10 roles or fewer, there is a basic package called SmartStart available for free. 

Features
iCIMS Talent CloudSmartRecruiters
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
iCIMS Talent Cloud
8.4
131 Ratings
6% above category average
SmartRecruiters
8.6
127 Ratings
8% above category average
Job Requisition Management7.7128 Ratings9.8109 Ratings
Company Website Posting8.8121 Ratings9.9114 Ratings
Publish to Social Media8.7106 Ratings7.5112 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting8.7111 Ratings8.0116 Ratings
Customized Application Form10.0113 Ratings9.7104 Ratings
Resume Management9.8124 Ratings5.6119 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention8.7117 Ratings9.6114 Ratings
Candidate Search8.0125 Ratings8.1122 Ratings
Applicant Tracking8.5126 Ratings9.9126 Ratings
Collaboration8.0114 Ratings9.6117 Ratings
Task Creation and Delegation7.097 Ratings9.997 Ratings
Email Templates8.8126 Ratings9.7114 Ratings
User Permissions7.8124 Ratings9.7109 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts7.8112 Ratings9.9119 Ratings
Reporting7.8125 Ratings1.7105 Ratings
Best Alternatives
iCIMS Talent CloudSmartRecruiters
Small Businesses
Breezy HR
Breezy HR
Score 9.2 out of 10
Breezy HR
Breezy HR
Score 9.2 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Breezy HR
Breezy HR
Score 9.2 out of 10
Breezy HR
Breezy HR
Score 9.2 out of 10
Enterprises
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
iCIMS Talent CloudSmartRecruiters
Likelihood to Recommend
9.5
(149 ratings)
7.9
(129 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.8
(31 ratings)
6.0
(15 ratings)
Usability
9.5
(70 ratings)
9.1
(12 ratings)
Availability
9.1
(5 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
8.2
(3 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
6.0
(103 ratings)
9.0
(10 ratings)
Online Training
7.9
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
6.3
(5 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Configurability
5.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
5.0
(1 ratings)
7.1
(12 ratings)
Product Scalability
7.8
(2 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
5.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
iCIMS Talent CloudSmartRecruiters
Likelihood to Recommend
iCIMS
iCIMSis is really good in managing high-volume federal recruitment where visibility into each stage of the hiring process is essential. Changing candidate statuses (e.g., referred, interviewed, selected) provides clear insight into pipeline progress and helps coordinate across multiple hiring managers.
Read full review
SAP
SmartRecruiters has allowed us to enable our hiring managers to self-service their requirements for recruitment, simplifying our internal processes. We have visibility of recruitment requirements and significantly improved our approvals process using the software. We have been able to configure our hiring processes relevant to different areas of the business. Collaboration for our hiring teams (managers and business partners) is simple and effective. Candidate experience is enhanced and engaging. The platform has brought many benefits to our Resourcing business partners and hiring managers. We have visibility and insightful data which has integrity, allowing us to make informed business decisions. Our offer process has seen significant improvements and provides an engaging candidate experience, previously this was a labour-intensive process that is now streamlined and automated. The recently launched Community for collaboration amongst customers is very helpful and insigtful for how other people are using the software and exploring ideas with each other
Read full review
Pros
iCIMS
  • The opt-out message after the 1st text helps weed out the people who are not interested.
  • Having the ability to have templates/answers to frequent questions saved and ready to use makes it easier/faster to talk to multiple people.
  • Being able to schedule text campaigns is amazing. Every Saturday I set up my campaigns for the next week. This gives me more time to focus on other things.
Read full review
SAP
  • Job Referrals - can easily refer others to a job posting and view the status
  • Job Postings - can easily search for job openings and read job description and criteria
  • Application online - Can easily apply for the job directly and see who the hiring manager and hiring recruiter is
Read full review
Cons
iCIMS
  • It is a little difficult to track internal applicants that are already active with our company.
  • Some of the fields when hiring an employee are a little difficult to change.
  • Not a sure way of identifying "eligible for rehire" within iCIMS for those that re-apply.
Read full review
SAP
  • Settings page can be difficult to navigate & find what you're looking for
  • Job approval chains would be better with additional qualifying fields so that we can segregate different areas of the business better
  • The ability to edit an existing offer template in-system would improve the experience, rather than having to edit offline and upload a whole new version.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
iCIMS
I would say that we are very likely to renew with iCIMS. They seem to continuously be improving their product based on the feedback from their clients. In addition, the thought have having to go through another implementation of this level is daunting and as long as the software continues to meet the business needs of the company and provides the appropriate level of support we will most likely stay. Costs regarding future renewals will also impact this decision and if necessary we will go to market to evaluate other options.
Read full review
SAP
I thoroughly enjoy using SmartRecruiters and have shared this feedback with those responsible, however I am not a decision maker in the process. I understand that at the moment there are lots of factors affecting the economy and business outcomes, so I cannot comment with certainty on the renewal of SmartRecruiters at this time, not involved in the confirmation of renewal.
Read full review
Usability
iCIMS
iCIMS was already in play by the time I moved into an executive role, but it made a significant impact in the 6 months from when I had previously done hiring using just emailed and printed applications, in my previous role as an HR Assistant. The ease of use was incredible. We had a full manual on how to use the system, but I felt, even as a first-time user, I didn't need to reference the manual much to navigate easily and figure out the system. As someone who likes to poke around in systems, I was able to comfortably get around and explore other functions with iCIMS.
Read full review
SAP
I would give this rating as overall it a great combo of all your problems. With just one click you can get away with all your problems such as recruitment, candidate update, Interview scheduling, updating candidates, reports of a job perspective, and recruiters perspective. Usability is worth of SmartRecruiters. The dashboard is also very attractive and once you open you will love working on this platform again and again. I would say it is the best platform to use once for smooth work in your organization.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
iCIMS
There is always ample advance notice before the software goes down for maintenance and this is usually done at off-peak hours. As for system failures - I can't think of any that have effected us in over two years od use.
Read full review
SAP
Rarely is there an issue and if the product is down, it typically is restored quickly.
Read full review
Performance
iCIMS
We can think of no dissatisfaction with our daily use of iCims, involving its response time to commands or incompatibility with any other software we presently use.
Read full review
SAP
I have no complaints about performance. The system works virtually flawless.
Read full review
Support Rating
iCIMS
Before pandemic and iCIMS Talent Cloud acquisitions I would give 10 without a doubt. Unfortunately, I see a strong decrease in the support model, which seems to be mainly connected with the fact that acquired companies/tools/features need to be integrated with the platform, and knowledge of newly provided services and tools were not yet incorporated fully into the support.
Read full review
SAP
Response is normally very fast. There are times, however, when the response is not useful. It is difficult to work with the reporting and the offer letter templates, and the front line support agents usually are not very knowledgeable. Second, if there are any issues with integrations, the regular support agents will not be able to help you. You'll have to create that ticket and ask them to escalate it to an integration specialist.
Read full review
In-Person Training
iCIMS
No answers on this topic
SAP
Quick and easy to learn.
Read full review
Online Training
iCIMS
I would say I believe iCims online training is very good. It's informative, visually appealing, and simple in explaining all the different aspects of iCims. I also really like the new candidate onboarding, and all the other training curricula you have up to be able to inform or send out to the candidate. I like you can attach a URL link for videos as well so you can really customize the training. I feel that overall, I would like to see more. Perhaps, more robust options with the training, if that's something iCims is expanding on in the future.
Read full review
SAP
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
iCIMS
I wasn't involved with the implementation. It was before my time
Read full review
SAP
It really was a painless and easy process to switch to SmartRecruiters.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
iCIMS
Fully available automation, lesser bad data quality, more information is gathered at the time of applicant profile creation without having the need to ask for any follow ups or additional notifications. Integrates better with Oracle, Workday and SAP than other similar systems. Service tickets are resolved faster than other vendors we worked with.
Read full review
SAP
I've really enjoyed using SmartRecruiters, but these other ATSs that we've checked out offer better reporting features and price points. Over time, we may be transitioning off of SmartRecruiters to one of these ATSs because the price is a set price where SmartRecruiters has employee-based pricing model. Also, these other software products offer better reporting features that would eliminate some of our manual tracking process that we're currently doing.
Read full review
Scalability
iCIMS
iCims is currently pretty good and the best TAS for us at our stage of growth - but further improvement and enhancements will only help make it even better.
Read full review
SAP
No explanation really, just a great product.
Read full review
Return on Investment
iCIMS
  • We implemented iCIMS Talent Cloud right before the pandemic. The pandemic created the most difficult recruitment environment ever. I cannot say that iCIMS Talent Cloud has helped us realize any advantageous success in this battle we are fighting. It gets the job done, but we have realized anything like filling jobs faster or having resources within iCIMS Talent Cloud to allow us to attract candidates differently. Status quo, I guess.
Read full review
SAP
  • In terms of ROI, SR helped our business greatly in returning precious time to my productivity in business management, as well as my team's, so that we could get back to the main work we were hired for. The SR process did most of the heavy lifting.
Read full review
ScreenShots

iCIMS Screenshots

Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of

SmartRecruiters Screenshots

Screenshot of a candidate experience to  reach, engage, and connect with talent wherever they are.Screenshot of engaged hiring managers empowered by collaboration tools and applicant tracking to drive better hiring decisions.Screenshot of digital offer management, onboarding, and reporting deliver a seamless journey for new hires and recruiters.Screenshot of how SmartRecruiters eases the burden of juggling multiple open roles and hiring large volumes.Screenshot of an example of the routine task automation that frees up hiring teams to focus on making great hires and delivering a better candidate experience.Screenshot of where to find and discover qualified talent while getting the most from the advertising budget.