We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. It never changes a score or a ranking. How we make money
We mean Plum’s hiring assessment product, not Plum Goodness skincare. The Reddit threads we read is about beauty products, so it does not tell us why hiring customers leave Plum. Plum is described as offering role-fit predictions and durable-skills assessments, but its price and relevant user feedback are not available here. The alternatives below serve adjacent hiring needs; several are broader recruiting systems, not direct replacements for Plum’s assessments. Match the product to the problem you need to solve before comparing prices.
01Why people leave Plum
Public pricing is missing
Plum’s starting price is listed as unavailable, making it hard to compare costs or budget before contacting the vendor.
Value is hard to verify
The available summary describes role-fit assessments, but provides no relevant user feedback to verify how well they deliver.
The available Reddit thread is irrelevant
The Reddit threads we read discusses Plum Goodness skincare, not Plum’s hiring product, so it cannot validate customer concerns or switching reasons.
02The alternatives, ranked by fit
- Hiring assessments
CriteriaCriteriaCriteria is the closest listed alternative if your main reason for using Plum is assessing candidates. Its coverage combines assessments and interviews, with employee development tools also listed. That gives buyers a broader set of hiring and development functions to consider, rather than limiting the comparison to Plum’s role-fit positioning.
Trade-off: Pricing is not published, and the summary flags candidate concerns.
5.4/10from
Custom - Technical screening
HackerRankHackerRankHackerRank is a better fit if you need to assess technical skills rather than predict general role fit. The listed use cases include AI fluency assessments, pair-programming interviews and structured technical screening for small teams. Its free plan and $165 starting price offer a published pricing reference that Plum does not.
Trade-off: It is focused on technical hiring, with attempt caps and mixed candidate feedback noted.
5.9/10from
$165/mofree plan - ATS and recruiting CRM
CATSCATSCATS suits recruiters who want candidate tracking and client management alongside stage-based workflow automation. It is not presented as a direct assessment substitute, but may be worth considering if Plum is only one part of a hiring process you want to manage in a broader recruiting system. Its listed starting price is $95.
Trade-off: The listed strengths are ATS and CRM workflows, not Plum-style assessments.
6.5/10from
$95/mo - ATS and CRM
LeverLeverLever is worth considering if your team wants an ATS and recruiting CRM together, or needs passive-candidate pipelines, hiring analytics and AI features. Those are broader recruiting needs than Plum’s listed role-fit assessments. The available summary does not give a public price, so ask for a quote before comparing total cost.
Trade-off: Pricing is not public, and relevant Reddit feedback is unavailable.
6.2/10from
Custom - Tool consolidation
GemGemGem may fit teams trying to replace several recruiting tools while keeping their current ATS. The listed coverage includes recruiting, and a free plan is noted alongside a $130 starting price. It is a broader recruiting option rather than a like-for-like assessment replacement, so confirm which parts of your workflow it covers.
Trade-off: Custom pricing is opaque, and it is not described as an assessment product.
7.0/10from
$130/mofree plan - Hiring automation
ParadoxParadoxParadox is aimed at organizations automating hiring tasks across multiple stages while keeping an existing system of record. Consider it if your reason for leaving Plum is a need for broader process automation, rather than a different role-fit assessment. The listed summary does not specify a public starting price or plan limits.
Trade-off: Pricing and limits are unpublished in the available information.
6.2/10from
Custom
03Side by side
| Tool | Score | From | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Plum Plum (current) | 6.3 | Custom | No | Employers assessing durable skills |
| Criteria Criteria | 5.4 | Custom | No | Teams combining assessments and interviews |
| HackerRank HackerRank | 5.9 | $165/mo | Yes | Teams assessing AI fluency |
| CATS CATS | 6.5 | $95/mo | No | Recruiters needing ATS and CRM together |
| Lever Lever | 6.2 | Custom | No | Teams combining ATS and recruiting CRM |
| Gem Gem | 7.0 | $130/mo | Yes | Startups with 1–10 FTE |
| Paradox Paradox | 6.2 | Custom | No | Organizations automating hiring tasks |
Questions people ask
Who are Plum’s main competitors?
The alternatives here are Criteria and HackerRank for assessment-related needs, plus CATS, Lever, Gem and Paradox for recruiting workflows. They are not all direct Plum equivalents. The available information does not establish a definitive competitor list, so compare based on whether you need candidate assessment, technical screening or recruiting operations.
What apps are similar to Plum?
For hiring assessments, Criteria is the closest match in this list; HackerRank focuses on technical screening. CATS, Lever, Gem and Paradox address ATS, CRM or hiring automation needs instead. If you mean Plum Goodness, the skincare brand, these hiring products are not relevant alternatives.
Which is better, Emma or Plum?
The available information does not identify which Emma product you mean or provide its pricing and features, so we cannot make a fair comparison. If you mean Plum’s hiring assessment product, compare Emma’s specific assessment functions, plan limits and price against Plum before switching.