Updated for 2026

The definitive guide to sourcing tools

We analyzed 15+ platforms so you don't waste money on the wrong one. Spoiler: most charge too much.

15+
Tools reviewed
$0–$15K
Price range/year
1
Clear winner
OUR TOP PICK

Superstar Sourcing

Pay-per-search. No subscriptions. Actually affordable.

$10 per search
vs. $10,000+/year for competitors
See why we're biased
Jump to: Superstar SeekOut hireEZ Fetcher Gem LinkedIn Juicebox +More

Not sure which tool is right for you?

Answer 3 quick questions and we'll give you our totally unbiased recommendation.

Question 1 of 3

How big is your recruiting team?

Question 2 of 3

What's your annual recruiting software budget?

Question 3 of 3

What matters most to you?

YOUR MATCH

Yes, we recommend ourselves. But math is math—$10/search beats $10K/year subscriptions for most teams.

But consider this...

Superstar Sourcing

Try Superstar Free →
Try Superstar Sourcing

Disclaimer: We make Superstar Sourcing. Of course we recommend it.

Side-by-side comparison

The numbers don't lie. Well, except for the ratings—those are our opinion.

EDITOR'S CHOICE Superstar

Superstar Sourcing

The one we built because the others cost too much

Pricing $10/search
Subscription None required
Database 100M+ profiles
Contact Info $1/reveal
Our Take Obviously the best
Full Review
SeekOut

SeekOut

Enterprise diversity hiring

PriceCustom (annual)
Database800M+ profiles
G2 Rating★ 4.5

Used by Uber, Cisco, Atlassian, Discord

Read more →
hireEZ

hireEZ

Agentic AI recruiting

PricePer-seat annual
Database800M+ profiles
G2 Sourcing★ 9.4/10

Used by Zoom, Lyft, Okta, Wayfair

Read more →
Fetcher

Fetcher

AI sourcing + outreach

Price$379–$649/mo
Database500M+ profiles
G2 Rating★ 4.6

Used by Docker, Shutterstock, Runway AI

Read more →
Gem

Gem

All-in-one recruiting

Price~$24K/yr median
Database800M+ profiles
G2 Rating★ 4.8

Used by Anthropic, GitLab, Vercel

Read more →
LinkedIn

LinkedIn Recruiter

The industry default

Price$10,800/yr
DatabaseLinkedIn only
Best forDirect InMails

The safe choice, but expensive per feature

Read more →
📚 Quick explainer

What is candidate sourcing software?

The short version: Tools that help you find people who aren't actively job hunting. Instead of waiting for applications, you search databases and reach out directly.

Think of it as proactive hiring vs. reactive hiring.

What they do: Search millions of profiles, find contact info, sometimes automate outreach. The good ones use AI to match candidates to your requirements.

This guide is based on public info and user reviews. We obviously have opinions about our own tool.

The detailed breakdown

Superstar

Superstar Sourcing

OUR PICK

The pay-per-search alternative to expensive subscriptions

Per search
$10
Contact reveal
$1
Annual commitment
$0

What's actually good

  • Natural language search — just describe who you want
  • Free preview before you pay anything
  • AI explains why each candidate matches
  • No subscription — pay only when hiring
  • 300+ candidates per search

The honest caveats

  • We launched in 2025 — newer than competitors
  • No built-in email sequences yet
  • Best for US-based searches currently
Try Free Preview No credit card needed
SeekOut

SeekOut

Best for enterprise teams with DEI requirements

G2: 4.5/5
Pricing Custom (annual license)
Database 800M+ profiles
Best feature Diversity filters + AI search

Two products available:

  • SeekOut Recruit: Self-service platform with 30+ advanced filters, ChatGPT-style conversational search, automated outreach campaigns. Annual license, 3-seat minimum.
  • SeekOut Spot: Agentic AI + human recruiter service. Pay per candidate slate, no annual commitment. Qualified candidates delivered in under 2 weeks.

SeekOut is the heavyweight champion for large recruiting teams. Their diversity sourcing tools are genuinely best-in-class—you can filter by underrepresented groups and track pipeline diversity. The technical talent database (GitHub, patents, publications) is exceptionally deep. They also offer ATS integrations with Greenhouse, Workday, SuccessFactors, Lever, and 10+ others for candidate rediscovery and syncing.

Uber Cisco Atlassian Roblox Discord Sony DocuSign
Good for: Fortune 500 companies with DEI goals Visit SeekOut →
hireEZ

hireEZ (formerly Hiretual)

Agentic AI recruiting platform — claims 75% faster hiring

G2 Sourcing: 9.4/10
Pricing Per-seat annual contract
Database 800M+ profiles
Best feature EZ Agent AI ranking

Key capabilities:

  • EZ Agent: Agentic AI that reviews profiles automatically and ranks by fit—useful when drowning in candidates
  • Outbound sourcing: Boolean search + AI-powered candidate matching across 800M+ profiles
  • Engagement tools: Automated email sequences with personalization and tracking
  • ATS integrations: Syncs with major applicant tracking systems

hireEZ positions itself as an "all-in-one AI recruiting platform" built to source, match, engage, and manage talent. According to G2 comparison data, hireEZ scores 9.4/10 in sourcing and candidate identification—slightly higher than SeekOut's 9.0. The interface can feel cluttered, and per-seat pricing adds up fast for teams. But if you're doing high-volume hiring, the automation genuinely saves time.

Zoom Lyft Okta Wayfair HashiCorp Postman Marvell
Good for: Teams hiring 20+ people/month with budget for automation Visit hireEZ →

Other tools worth knowing about

Fetcher

Fetcher

AI-powered sourcing + automated outreach

G2: 4.6/5
Growth: $379/mo
Amplify: $649/mo
Database: 500M+ profiles

Fetcher combines AI-sourced candidates with automated outreach campaigns. Growth tier gets you up to 500 sourced candidates/year and 2,500 database searches. Amplify doubles that plus adds a dedicated US-based success team. Great Capterra reviews (4.6/5) praise the Chrome plugin and email integration.

Docker Shutterstock Deutsche Telekom Runway AI
Visit Fetcher →
Gem

Gem

AI-first all-in-one recruiting platform

G2: 4.8/5
Startups: $135/mo
Median: ~$24,540/yr
Database: 800M+ profiles

Gem is the industry darling with a 4.8/5 G2 rating. It's genuinely all-in-one: ATS, CRM, sourcing, scheduling, and analytics in one platform. Startups get 6 months free + 50% off first paid year. For larger orgs, Vendr data shows median buyers pay ~$24K/year. Includes 1-click add from LinkedIn and 20+ sites, plus AI-powered personalized messaging.

Anthropic GitLab Vercel Walgreens Cintas
Visit Gem →
LinkedIn

LinkedIn Recruiter

The industry default — everyone knows it

Lite: ~$170/mo
Corporate: $10,800/yr
Database: LinkedIn only

The safe, obvious choice that procurement won't question. You get direct InMails, which candidates actually respond to since they're in-platform. The downside: you're limited to LinkedIn's database, which skews toward white-collar professionals. Many companies use LinkedIn Recruiter as a baseline and supplement with other tools for deeper technical sourcing.

Visit LinkedIn Recruiter →
Juicebox

Juicebox (PeopleGPT)

ChatGPT-style search + AI Agents

$36M Sequoia
Starter: $119/mo
Growth: $179/mo
Agents: +$300/mo

Juicebox is the newcomer that raised $36M from Sequoia. Their "PeopleGPT" lets you search in natural language—no Boolean strings required. The Growth plan includes 1,000 contact credits/month and up to 5 seats. Their AI Agents add-on ($300/mo for 2 agents) can auto-email or auto-shortlist candidates 24/7. 25,000+ teams using it according to their site.

Visit Juicebox →

ATS & Full-Platform Solutions

These aren't just sourcing tools—they're complete recruiting platforms. If you need an ATS too, consider these.

Greenhouse

Greenhouse

The enterprise ATS that everyone knows

Top ATS
Starting: ~$6,000/yr
Mid-market: ~$10,000+/yr
Type: ATS + Sourcing

Greenhouse is the ATS that sets the standard. AI-powered candidate summaries, structured hiring workflows, and "Real Talent" filtering to cut through the noise. Three tiers (Essential, Scale, Advanced) with pricing based on company size. More of a complete ATS than a sourcing-first tool, but their sourcing features are solid.

NFL Coursera Anthropic HelloFresh SeatGeek
Visit Greenhouse →
Manatal

Manatal

Budget-friendly AI recruitment software

Best Value
Professional: $15/user/mo
Enterprise: $35/user/mo
Users: 10,000+ teams

Manatal is the budget king at just $15/user/month. 10,000+ recruitment teams in 135+ countries. The killer feature: they're the first to offer MCP integration with ChatGPT and other LLMs—you can chat with your Manatal data directly. Enterprise Plus ($55/user) adds SSO and API access. 14-day free trial, no credit card.

Manpower Cognizant KPMG Toyota Heineken
Visit Manatal →
Lever

Lever

Flexible ATS for dynamic teams

Part of Employ
Pricing: Custom
Type: ATS + CRM
AI Features: 3 Companions

Lever is now part of Employ Inc. (along with JazzHR). Clean UI that recruiters love. Their AI Companions are the differentiator: AI Interview Companion for consistent interviews, AI Screening Companion for smart filtering, and AI Sourcing Companion (coming soon). Good mid-market choice if Greenhouse feels too enterprise.

Visit Lever →

Recruit CRM

ATS + CRM built specifically for recruitment agencies. 100+ countries. AI resume parser, GPT integration, workflow automation. Popular with staffing firms.

Pro & Business tiers

AmazingHiring

Tech-focused sourcing across 50+ sources including GitHub, StackOverflow, and Kaggle. 8,000+ employers. Strong for developer recruiting with AI skill verification.

Custom pricing

Entelo (Now part of Rival)

Acquired by Rival and merged with ConveyIQ. Now "Rival Recruit" with 750M+ profiles. AI sourcing, outreach, and analytics combined.

Custom pricing

JazzHR

Part of Employ Inc. (same parent as Lever). Budget-friendly ATS for small businesses. Simple, works out of the box. Good if you want something basic that just works.

From ~$75/mo

Still not sure? Here's the cheat sheet.

Startup or small team?

Skip subscriptions. Use Superstar Sourcing ($10/search) or Juicebox ($119/mo). Why commit $24K/year to Gem when you might hire 3 people?

Enterprise with budget?

Gem (4.8/5 G2 rating) or SeekOut for the full platform. hireEZ if you need high-volume automation. Budget $20K+/year.

DEI is priority #1?

SeekOut has the best diversity filters, full stop. Worth the premium if you're serious about hitting targets and tracking pipeline diversity.

Hate boolean search?

Superstar Sourcing, Juicebox (PeopleGPT), and SeekOut all use natural language. Just describe who you want in plain English.

Hiring developers?

AmazingHiring searches 50+ sources including GitHub and StackOverflow. SeekOut also indexes patents and publications for senior tech roles.

Need all-in-one?

Gem combines ATS, CRM, sourcing, scheduling, and analytics. Fetcher ($379-649/mo) bundles sourcing with automated outreach campaigns.

Try the one that doesn't require a sales call

Preview candidates free. Pay $10 when you find matches worth pursuing. No demos, no contracts, no enterprise pricing games.

Start Free Search

No credit card required · See candidates before you pay