What are the best Clockwork alternatives?
- Kepler — AI-first CRM where you ask AI Chat, one plan at USD 99.
- Ezekia — executive search platform organised around the assignment.
- Invenias by Bullhorn — executive search software that runs inside Outlook on Windows.
- Loxo — ATS and CRM with an external people graph and AI agents.
- Crelate — US recruiting platform with client portals and an AI assistant.
- Recruiterflow — agency ATS and CRM built around outbound sequences.
- Spott — AI-native ATS and CRM with many switchable AI features.
Why do agencies look for a Clockwork alternative?
Each reason below comes from Clockwork’s own pages or knowledge base.
- No built-in AI search across your database. Clockwork’s candidate search matches names and keywords, with filters. Its Cai AI works inside a project and rates candidates fifty at a time.
- AI across records costs a second subscription. For work across records, Clockwork connects your own ChatGPT, Claude or Copilot, and that provider bills you for it.
- No meeting notetaker of its own. AI meeting notes come through Clockwork’s Quil partner integration.
- Migration and support are extra. Clockwork prices data migration by volume and scope. Premium Support is USD 3,500 per year, and Elite onboarding and advisory is USD 25,000.
How do the Clockwork alternatives compare at a glance?
The price is the tier that carries each vendor’s AI, on annual billing, read on the vendor’s own pricing page on 13 Sep 2026.
| Tool | What it is | Matched plan, per user / month, annual | AI in that plan | Publishes pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kepler | AI-first CRM where you ask AI Chat | One plan, USD 99 | Yes, AI Chat on every plan | Yes |
| Ezekia | Executive search platform | Enterprise, not published | Yes, in Enterprise | No |
| Invenias by Bullhorn | Executive search inside Outlook | Executive Edition, not published | Optional, on your own OpenAI account | No |
| Loxo | ATS and CRM with a people graph | Professional, USD 199 | Only on Professional | Yes |
| Crelate | US recruiting platform | Business Plus, not published | Advanced AI only on Business Plus | Two of three tiers |
| Recruiterflow | ATS and CRM built on sequences | AIRA Plan, not published | AIRA agents only on the AIRA Plan | Platform Plan only |
| Spott | AI-native ATS and CRM | Pro, USD 199 | Yes, with enrichment credits extra | Yes |
How did we evaluate these alternatives?
Every claim about a vendor comes from that vendor’s own pricing page, product pages or help centre, read on the date in the sources. The price shown is the plan that carries the AI, on annual billing. “Not published” means the vendor gives no figure. Kepler publishes this post.
The 7 best Clockwork alternatives in 2026
1. Kepler
Kepler is an AI-first recruitment CRM. You ask AI Chat in plain English, and it searches your CVs, notes, emails and call transcripts and updates records once you approve. A partner who remembers someone by a line in an old report, or something said on a call, can find them by asking.
What Kepler does for a search firm:
- scores every candidate from 0 to 100 against a brief, using criteria from the job description that you can edit, with the line from the CV, call or email behind each one
- joins Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Google Meet calls and files the summary, next steps and transcript on the record
- turns emails and calls into proposed updates a person approves
- gives each hiring manager a portal to rate, comment on and request interviews with the shortlist, optionally blind
- keeps a consent record with a lawful basis and an expiry date for each candidate
Kepler also has contact enrichment and an MCP server for Claude or ChatGPT. Single sign-on is available on the Enterprise plan.
Pricing: USD 99 per user per month billed annually, or USD 129 monthly. One plan with every feature and unlimited records and storage. AI Chat is included on every plan, monthly and annual, with no add-on or upgrade needed. Migration is done for you, free, and you can export everything at any time with no exit fee.
See Kepler’s pricing and the feature pages.
2. Ezekia
Ezekia is a BD, CRM and ATS platform for executive search firms. Its data model is the search itself: Lists, Opportunities and Assignments, with off-limits flags, organisation charts and a white-labelled client portal.
Pricing: one paid tier, Enterprise, priced “CUSTOM” per user and billed monthly. It carries “AI-powered workflows & search” (checked 13 Sep 2026).
Side by side: Kepler vs Ezekia · the Ezekia review.
3. Invenias by Bullhorn
Invenias is executive search software organised around the assignment, now part of Bullhorn. It covers longlists, off-limits policies, branded candidate reports in Word, GDPR consent requests and the Invenias Client portal. Its full product is a Windows desktop application inside Outlook.
Pricing: Bullhorn publishes no price for any Invenias edition. Invenias Client comes only in the Executive Edition, the premium bundle, which an account manager quotes. The AI Assistant is optional and only runs on an OpenAI or Azure OpenAI account the firm supplies (checked 13 Sep 2026).
Side by side: Kepler vs Invenias · the Invenias review.
4. Loxo
Loxo is a talent intelligence platform for contingency and retained agencies, weighted to the US. It wraps an ATS and CRM around its own graph of professionals, with agents that source, rank and reach out.
Pricing: Loxo Source, the agents and Loxo AI Chat are only on the more expensive Professional plan, from USD 199 per user per month billed annually and paid up front, with 2,500 credits per seat per month. Core, from USD 149, does not include them (read 13 Sep 2026).
Side by side: Kepler vs Loxo · the Loxo review.
5. Crelate
Crelate is a US recruiting platform for boutique and mid-size agencies. Its plans include client portals and an AI Assistant.
Pricing: the Advanced AI Assistant, sequences and the full API are only on Business Plus, the top tier, listed as “Custom”. Business is USD 119 per user per month billed annually or USD 149 monthly, and Essentials is USD 85 billed annually for up to two users. Migration is a separate package scoped by sales (read 13 Sep 2026).
Side by side: Kepler vs Crelate · the Crelate review.
6. Recruiterflow
Recruiterflow is an ATS and CRM for boutique and mid-size agencies built around outbound sequences across email, calls and SMS. Its AI is a set of AIRA agents, including a notetaker, a matchmaker and a field-updates agent.
Pricing: the AIRA agents are only on the AIRA Plan, which is “Let’s chat custom pricing”. The Platform Plan is USD 119 per user per month billed annually or USD 149 monthly, without them. White-glove migration is paid, priced by data volume (read 13 Sep 2026).
Side by side: Kepler vs Recruiterflow · the Recruiterflow review.
7. Spott
Spott is an AI-native ATS and CRM for recruitment agencies, weighted to the EU. It ships many AI features, each with its own switch, and an Ask AI panel for one record. Work across records goes to ChatGPT or Claude through an MCP server.
Pricing: automations, sequences, a marketing suite and enrichment are only on Pro, at USD 199 per user per month billed annually or USD 249 monthly. Core is USD 139 billed annually. AI usage is included and enrichment credits cost extra (read 13 Sep 2026).
Side by side: Kepler vs Spott · the Spott review.
Which Clockwork alternative should you choose?
Four questions separate these tools faster than a feature list:
- How do you want to find people? Run your hardest real search in each demo: a person you remember by something said on a call, not by a job title.
- Where does the AI run, and on which tier? Ask whether it works inside the product or through your own chat subscription, and whether the quoted tier includes it.
- Is the price published? Kepler, Loxo and Spott publish their matched plans. The others quote them.
- What sits outside the seat price? Migration, support, enrichment credits and AI subscriptions appear as separate lines across this set.
Where Kepler fits. Kepler is built for a search firm that wants a simple CRM with the AI included, where you ask a question instead of building a search. It reads every CV, note, email and call transcript you hold, scores candidates against the brief, and costs USD 99 per user per month billed annually with the migration done for you.
Frequently asked questions
Is Kepler a good Clockwork alternative?
Yes, for a search firm that wants a simple, AI-first CRM. You ask AI Chat in plain English and it searches your CVs, notes, emails and call transcripts and proposes updates you approve. Kepler scores every candidate from 0 to 100 against a brief, its notetaker files Teams, Zoom and Google Meet calls on the record, and a client portal lets hiring managers rate and comment on the shortlist. It is USD 99 per user per month billed annually, with the migration done for you.
How much does Clockwork cost?
Kepler is USD 99 per user per month billed annually, for comparison. Clockwork sells one plan at USD 149 per user per month billed annually, or USD 179 monthly, with Cai, the client portal, automations and the MCP connector. Data migration, Premium Support at USD 3,500 a year and the AI provider’s subscription are billed separately (checked 13 Sep 2026).
Does Clockwork have AI search across the database?
Kepler does: AI Chat searches every CV, note, email and call transcript when you ask in plain English. Clockwork does not have built-in AI search across your database. Its Cai works inside a project, and AI across records runs through your own ChatGPT, Claude or Copilot subscription.
Which Clockwork alternatives publish their pricing?
Kepler publishes USD 99 per user per month billed annually for its one plan. Loxo publishes USD 199 for Professional and Spott USD 199 for Pro. Ezekia’s Enterprise, Invenias’ Executive Edition, Crelate’s Business Plus and Recruiterflow’s AIRA Plan are quoted. Clockwork itself publishes USD 149.
Which Clockwork alternatives have a client portal?
Kepler’s client portal is set up per job. A hiring manager signs in by email link, sees the candidates you share (optionally blind), rates them 1–5, comments and requests interviews. Ezekia has a white-labelled client portal, Invenias Client comes only in the Executive Edition, Crelate includes client portals from its Business tier, and Spott has a client shortlist portal.
Can you migrate from Clockwork to Kepler?
Yes. Kepler runs the migration for you, free, on every plan. You send a Clockwork export plus any loose CVs and spreadsheets. Kepler maps and cleans the data, rebuilds custom fields, and shows you fifty of your own records before the full load. Activity, stages and history come across, and it is done in days.
Sources
Every claim about another vendor on this page comes from that vendor's own public material. Where a vendor does not publish something — pricing is the usual one — this post says so rather than estimating.
- Clockwork — Platform Pricing One plan at USD 149 per user per month paying annually and USD 179 monthly, and the integration list including Quil.
- Clockwork — Onboarding and Setup Services “Data Migration - Priced By Volume”. Premium Support USD 3,500 per year. Elite onboarding, advisory and consulting USD 25,000.
- Clockwork — MCP Connector for AI MCP server for ChatGPT, Claude and Copilot, with a paid AI provider subscription typically required.
- Clockwork Knowledge Base — Cai: AI Rating and Notes Cai rates candidates inside a project, fifty at a time.
- Clockwork Knowledge Base — Project View: Candidate Search Name and keyword search with filters for status, company, school, job title and last update.
- Clockwork — Quil partner integration AI meeting notes through the Quil partner integration.
- Ezekia — pricing One paid tier, Enterprise, shown as CUSTOM, per user, monthly, with “AI-powered workflows & search”.
- Ezekia — full functionality list Lists, Opportunities and Assignments, off-limits flags and organisation charts.
- Ezekia — client portal White-labelled client portal.
- Bullhorn — Invenias Executive Search Platform No Invenias price published. Longlist building, branded deliverables and GDPR consent requests.
- Invenias knowledge base — Executive Edition Self Service Implementation of Premium Products Executive Edition as the premium bundle with Invenias Client, with no price.
- Invenias knowledge base — Enabling Invenias AI Assistant Optional feature that runs on OpenAI or Azure OpenAI credentials supplied by the firm.
- Invenias knowledge base — Web Application FAQ The full product is the Professional Desktop Application.
- Invenias knowledge base — Off Limits Off-limits policies on companies and people.
- Loxo — Pricing Professional from USD 199 per user per month billed annually, paid up front, with Loxo Source, the agents and Loxo AI Chat. Core from USD 149 without them. 2,500 credits per seat.
- Crelate — pricing Business Plus “Custom” with the Advanced AI Assistant, sequences and full API. Business USD 119 annual / USD 149 monthly with the AI Assistant and client portals. Essentials USD 85 annual, two users.
- Crelate — ATS data migration Migration packages scoped by sales.
- Recruiterflow — pricing AIRA Plan “Let’s chat custom pricing”. Platform Plan USD 119 annual / USD 149 monthly. White-glove migration priced by data volume.
- Recruiterflow — multichannel sequences Email, call and SMS steps.
- Spott pricing Pro USD 199 annual / USD 249 monthly. Core USD 139 annual. Token spend included, enrichment credits extra.
- Spott product documentation Client portal, Ask AI scope and the MCP server.
- Kepler pricing USD 99 per user per month billed annually (USD 1,188 per seat per year), USD 129 monthly, one plan with every feature, unlimited records and storage, free done-for-you migration, full export with no exit fee.
Kepler is a recruitment CRM and this post is published by Kepler, so read it as an interested party's account. We have tried to describe Clockwork as its own team would recognise it, and every factual claim is sourced above. If something here is out of date or wrong, tell us and we will correct it.