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

HR AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, AI recruiting assistants. Zero of fourteen models named Manatal first on the direct prompt; one 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 | 31% | #1 of 15 | 0% | 24 | 12 of 14 |
| Ashby | 4% | #7 of 15 | 17% | 12 | 6 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- GPT-6 Luna: ashby first (first choices: Ashby) (alternatives: Gem, hireEZ)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither first, one named (first choices: GoPerfect) (alternatives: Ashby, Greenhouse, Manatal, Pin, hireEZ)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither first, one named (first choices: Workable) (alternatives: Greenhouse, Lever, Manatal, Pin)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither first, one named (first choices: Greenhouse) (alternatives: Alex, Ashby, BrightHire, Gem, Humanly, Lever, Manatal)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: neither first, one named (first choices: Greenhouse, Workable) (alternatives: Ashby, Gem, GoPerfect, hireEZ)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither named (first choices: Gem) (alternatives: 100Hires, Greenhouse)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither named (first choices: Gem) (alternatives: Juicebox, Metaview, Moonhub, hireEZ)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither named (first choices: Workable) (alternatives: LinkedIn Hiring Assistant, Paradox, SeekOut)
- Mistral Small: neither named (first choices: Workable) (alternatives: Greenhouse, SeekOut, hireEZ)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: neither named (first choices: Gem) (alternatives: Workable, hireEZ)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named (first choices: Greenhouse) (alternatives: SeekOut, Workable, hireEZ)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: neither named (first choices: Workable) (alternatives: Greenhouse, SeekOut, hireEZ)
- Kimi K2: neither named (first choices: Greenhouse, Workable) (alternatives: Lever, Paradox)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither named (first choices: Workable) (alternatives: Greenhouse, Humanly, Lever, SeekOut)

## What the models said about Manatal

- "Manatal – repeatedly called out as the budget AI recruiter.... "Best For: AI-powered recruiting on a budget"the budget AI recruiter" (Muse Glimmer 30B, budget prompt, first choice)
- "Aim for tools like Manatal (affordable AI built-in), Juicebox (sourcing), or monday agents (end-to-end) suited for mid-sized teams." (Grok 4.1 Fast, scale prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Ashby

- "under investigation for potentially providing consumer reports without adhering to FCRA requirements, alongside Workday, Greenhouse, Lever By Employ, Ashby" (Muse Glimmer 30B, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Class-action attorneys have launched broad investigations into popular tools like Greenhouse, Lever by Employ, and Ashby." (Gemini 3.5 Flash, negative prompt, soft negative)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen 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.