# Manatal vs Ashby: which do AI models recommend for AI recruiting assistants, September 2026

HR AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition, AI recruiting assistants. Zero of twelve models named Manatal first on the direct prompt; two named Ashby. Page: https://hr-ai-index.com/talent/ai-recruiting-assistants/manatal-vs-ashby/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manatal | 12% | #3 of 13 | 5% | 19 | 10 of 12 |
| Ashby | 7% | #4 of 13 | 21% | 14 | 10 of 12 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Gemini 3.5 Flash: ashby first (first choices: Ashby) (alternatives: Findem, Humanly, Juicebox)
- Mistral Small: ashby first (first choices: Ashby) (alternatives: Greenhouse, TheHireHub.AI, hireEZ)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither first, one named (first choices: Workable) (alternatives: Ashby, hireEZ)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Greenhouse) (alternatives: Ashby, Gem, SmartRecruiters, Workable, hireEZ)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Gem) (alternatives: Ashby, Autonomy Recruit, Greenhouse, TheHireHub.AI)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither first, one named (first choices: TheHireHub.AI) (alternatives: Ashby, Autonomy Recruit, Greenhouse, Workable)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither first, one named (first choices: TheHireHub.AI) (alternatives: Ashby, Lever, Workable)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither named (first choices: GoPerfect) (alternatives: Juicebox, Workable)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither named (first choices: SeekOut) (alternatives: Paradox)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither named (first choices: GoPerfect) (alternatives: Autonomy Recruit, Workable)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named (first choices: Autonomy Recruit) (alternatives: Humanly, Lever, TheHireHub.AI)
- Kimi K2: neither named (first choices: Greenhouse) (alternatives: GoPerfect, Lever, Workable)

## What the models said about Manatal

- "built for SMBs that want one platform instead of a toolchain, though it's not as sophisticated as enterprise platforms" (Claude Haiku 4.5, comparative prompt, soft negative)
- "I'd suggest starting with Manatal at $19/user/month or Pin if you want to test before committing (free tier)" (MiniMax M2.5, budget prompt, first choice)
- "Manatal ($15/user/month) offers the best combination of AI features, affordability, and ease of use" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, budget prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Ashby

- "Potentially Greenhouse, Lever (by Employ), Ashby (FCRA investigations for AI screening/interviews)" (Grok 4.1 Fast, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Has a learning curve; avoid if your team wants simplicity" (Kimi K2, direct prompt, soft negative)
- "less "AI recruiter" and more ATS/workflow platforms" (Perplexity Sonar, direct prompt, soft negative)
- "Ideal for startups and mid-market companies needing a unified system for ATS, CRM, scheduling, and analytics." (Mistral Small, direct prompt, first choice)
- "I'd recommend Ashby if you need a full ATS replacement, or Spark Hire if you already have an ATS" (Kimi K2, paraphrase prompt, first choice)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all twelve models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.