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Pricing guide

Recruitment software pricing in 2026: what an ATS, AI interviews and healthcare hiring software cost

Updated September 2026

Most recruitment software vendors do not publish a price. Of the nine checked for this guide, Ployo included, five put a real figure on their own site and four send you to sales. That makes "how much does it cost" the most asked and worst answered question in the category.

This guide sets out the four pricing models, every published figure we could verify on a vendor's own site on 10 September 2026, and what Ployo costs. Ployo is recruitment software with a built-in applicant tracking system and an AI video interviewer that interviews every applicant the day they apply. It publishes its plans, from US$249 a month with interviews included, and it is the plan we recommend for care, health and high-volume hiring.

How much does recruitment software cost in Australia?

Anywhere from a flat $150 a month to an enterprise contract nobody will quote in public. The more useful answer is who tells you before a sales call. Ployo does, in US dollars. Employment Hero publishes its AI Recruitment Agent plans on its Australian site. Willo publishes in Australian dollars. Spark Hire and Scout Talent publish in US dollars on US pages. JobAdder, PageUp and Workday do not publish a figure.

Vendor	Published price	What it buys
Ployo	From US$249/month	60 AI video interviews on Essential, inside a built-in ATS. Growth $850 for 250, Scale $2,135 for 800, Group custom. No per-seat charge.
Employment Hero	$199 to $639	Pro 50, Pro 100 and Pro 200: 50, 100 or 200 AI video interviews with a full ATS pipeline. Australian site, conditions apply, no currency code or period printed.
Scout Talent	$150/month (US)	:Recruit Essentials on its US site. Flat rate, no per-user fees, up to 3 active roles.
Spark Hire	From $249/month	Video interview software billed annually, unlimited jobs and users. Its ATS starts at $335 a month billed annually, up to 200 employees. US dollars.
Willo	A$5,749/year	Willo Enterprise on a one-year contract, less on two or three years. Willo Lite is A$95 per live role with 150 assessed candidates.
JobAdder	Not published	Plans banded by user count, priced by tailored proposal.
PageUp	Not published	Demo request.
Workday	Not published	Enterprise sales.

What pricing models do recruitment software vendors use?

Four, and the model changes your behaviour more than the number does. Per-candidate and per-hire billing make every extra applicant or hire a cost, so teams start filtering CVs to hold the invoice down. That is the exact job screening software was bought to take away. A flat plan with interviews included lets you speak to everyone who applies.

Model	Example	How the bill moves
Per seat or per user	JobAdder	Rises with the number of recruiters who log in. Adding a hiring manager costs money, so access gets rationed.
Per employee	Employment Hero HR	Rises with your total headcount, not your hiring. Its HR plans carry a minimum of 10 users.
Per candidate or role	Willo Lite	Each live role, or each applicant screened, is a charge. Willo Lite is A$95 per live role. No vendor checked here publishes a per-candidate price.
Flat plan	Ployo, Scout Talent	A set monthly fee. Ployo's includes a set number of interviews with no seat charge; Scout Talent's Essentials caps active roles.

How much does healthcare recruitment software cost?

Healthcare ATS pricing follows the same models as everything else. The difference is volume: a support worker, carer or nursing role can draw dozens of applicants, and each one needs its must-haves checked before anyone is shortlisted. Price the software against that screening load, not against the number of recruiters.

On Ployo, a single-site aged care home interviewing around 185 applicants a month fits the Growth plan at US$850. A 12-person NDIS provider interviewing about 25 a month fits Essential at US$249. A multi-site care group interviewing around 750 a month fits Scale at US$2,135 or a Group agreement. Those volumes are illustrative, from Ployo's pricing page: work from your applications, not your hires, because Ployo interviews everyone who applies.

None of the enterprise suites used in Australian healthcare publish a price, so budget for a sales cycle with them. The healthcare applicant tracking system page shows what Ployo's plans buy for a healthcare team.

How much do AI interview tools cost per candidate?

Ployo works out at about $4.16 an interview on Essential, $3.40 on Growth and $2.67 on Scale, in US dollars, with Group from $2.14. Extra interviews beyond a plan are $4.64, $3.93 and $3.21. Only an interview the candidate actually starts counts; an invitation nobody accepts is not charged.

Employment Hero's published AI Recruitment Agent plans work out at about $3.98, $3.59 and $3.20 an interview, on prices its Australian page prints without a currency code, and its own page describes the format as asynchronous video. Willo Lite charges A$95 per live role with 150 assessed candidates included.

When you compare per-interview figures, check what an interview is. Ployo's is a live, two-way video interview with Sarah, Ployo's AI interviewer, who asks follow-ups on what the candidate said. A recorded answer to a fixed question is a different product at a similar price.

Is AI recruiting software cheaper than using a recruitment agency?

Usually, for roles you fill again and again. An agency charges per placement, on terms set in your contract, so a role that turns over three times is paid for three times. Software is a monthly cost however many people you hire.

On Ployo's Growth plan, a provider interviewing about 185 applicants a month to make seven or eight hires spends between about $106 and $121 of screening cost per hire, in US dollars. Put that next to the placement fee in your own agency agreement; we have not quoted an industry percentage because we could not source one we would stand behind.

The comparison is not like for like, and it is worth being straight about why. An agency finds candidates, and Ployo does not: you still advertise, and Ployo interviews whoever applies. An agency also takes on replacement risk. For a one-off senior or specialist vacancy, the agency fee often buys something software cannot. The agency versus direct hire guide works through when each makes sense.

What does Ployo cost, and what do you get?

Four plans, priced in US dollars, with interviews included and no per-seat charge. Pay annually and get two months free. Move between plans at any time.

Plan	Per month (USD)	Interviews and effective rate
Essential	$249	60 interviews included, about $4.16 each
Growth	$850	250 interviews included, about $3.40 each
Scale	$2,135	800 interviews included, about $2.67 each
Group	Custom	Multi-site and enterprise, volume pricing from $2.14 each

Intake. A public job link, bulk CV upload of up to 25 files at a time, and a Gmail inbox pull that includes LinkedIn Easy Apply emails. Repeat applications to the same role are caught.

CV match. Each requirement is checked against the role's must-haves and good-to-haves, quoting the line from the CV behind it.

The interview. Sarah runs a live, two-way video interview in 23 languages, on any device, at any hour, with adaptive follow-ups. Recording and transcript are kept.

The verdict. Met or Not Met on the must-haves only, with the verbatim quote behind each requirement. Good-to-have misses show as red flags.

The pipeline. Stages from Pending to Hired, bulk moves with undo, a drag and drop review board, advance-only automation per job, team roles, an activity log and analytics including pass rate per requirement.

What does Ployo's price not include?

Ployo does not post jobs to boards, host a careers site, send offer letters, run onboarding, send SMS or sync calendars. It does not verify registrations, police checks or visas against the issuing body; it asks and records the answer, and confirming it is the employer's job. It does not make hiring decisions: a person makes every one, and Ployo never auto-rejects anyone.

There is no self-serve signup and no free tier. Buying starts with a call to the founder, and trial interviews are set up with you before you commit. Prices are in US dollars, so an Australian invoice moves with the exchange rate. You can see a complete interview and its verdict without signing up, and how recordings, transcripts and consent are handled is on the trust page.

What should you ask before you sign?

A published price is a start. These are the lines that change the real cost.

What counts as a unit? A seat, an employee, a live role, an applicant, a started interview or a hire. On Ployo it is an interview the candidate actually started.

What happens when you go over? Ployo charges a published overage rate and nothing stops working. Ask every vendor for theirs in writing.

Are there minimums? Employment Hero's HR plans carry a minimum of 10 users. Scout Talent's Essentials caps active roles at 3.

What currency, and is tax included? Ployo is in US dollars. Employment Hero's Australian page prints a bare dollar sign.

Are integrations extra? Ask every vendor the same question.

How long is the term? Ployo's monthly plans run month to month and annual plans run twelve months. Willo's lower yearly rate needs a two or three-year contract.

Ployo platform data

30,000+

AI Interviews Completed

340,000+

Candidate Answers Graded

70%+

Interview Completion Rate

15,000+

Recruiter Hours Saved

Ranked candidate shortlist showing must-haves met and a quote from each interview — Every applicant interviewed, ranked by must-haves met, with the line from the interview that decided it. You choose who moves on. Ployo never rejects anyone.

Frequently asked

How much does recruitment software cost in Australia?

From a flat $150 a month on Scout Talent's US site to enterprise contracts with no published price. Ployo publishes plans from US$249 a month with 60 AI video interviews included, and Employment Hero publishes AI Recruitment Agent plans from $199 on its Australian site. JobAdder, PageUp and Workday quote through sales.

How much does healthcare recruitment software cost?

Price it on applicant volume, because every applicant needs their must-haves checked. On Ployo, a small NDIS provider interviewing about 25 applicants a month fits Essential at US$249, and a single aged care home interviewing about 185 fits Growth at US$850. Enterprise suites used in healthcare do not publish prices.

How much do AI interview tools cost per candidate?

Ployo works out at about US$2.67 to US$4.16 per interview depending on plan, with Group from US$2.14, for a live two-way video interview. Employment Hero's published plans work out at about $3.20 to $3.98 per interview. Most other AI interview vendors do not publish a price.

Is AI recruiting software cheaper than using a recruitment agency?

For roles you fill repeatedly, usually yes, because an agency charges per placement and software is a monthly cost. On Ployo's Growth plan, a provider making seven or eight hires a month spends roughly US$106 to US$121 of screening cost per hire. An agency also sources candidates and carries replacement risk, which Ployo does not.

Does Ployo charge per user?

No. Plans are priced on interview volume only, so you can add every coordinator, facility manager and hiring manager at no extra cost.

References

Competitor prices are as printed on each vendor's own site on 10 September 2026, in the currency shown there. Per-interview figures for other vendors are their published plan price divided by the interviews included. Prices change often, so confirm before you budget.

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