Pre-employment testing software sends job applicants skills, cognitive, personality or work-sample tests before the interview and scores the answers.
Vendors price it by published month, by completed hire or only after a demo. This guide ranks eleven products on set-up effort, the real price, how data leaves, independence and fit.
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In short
What pre-employment testing software does
Pre-employment testing software delivers skills, cognitive, personality or job-simulation tests to applicants and returns scored results that recruiters use to shortlist candidates before any interview takes place.
Each pre-employment testing tool was put through the same five questions, in sequence: how hard is setup, what does it really cost, how does data come back out, can you leave, and who is it for. A separate rule reserves the first three places for challengers and moves the household names to place 4 and below. Reasons for the choice of tests, and for skipping a score out of ten, can be read on the how we work page.
Contact centres, BPOs and retail chains that hire in high volume
Employers hiring a few specialist roles a year
The country column shows the vendor's headquarters or contracting entity. Data hosting is a separate matter, and an entry flags it when the two diverge.
Self-serve cognitive and personality screening with a monthly price on the page
Ranked #1 of 11 in Best Pre-Employment Testing Software in 2026.
Published pricingEurope
The first ninety days are short, because Pro works from a job description with an AI job builder and links itself to ATS products such as Workable, Greenhouse, Lever and Teamtailor.
Cost stays predictable until the company outgrows the 1 to 15 employee band or wants add-ons such as SSO or culture fit. Results can be exported as CSV and printed as PDF. Leaving means waiting out the annual term.
What stands out
Published price
Cognitive and personality
Self-serve ATS links
Where it costs you
Pro is stated for companies of 1 to 15 employees; larger organisations move to a custom Enterprise plan
Pro is billed as a one-year commitment paid annually, so a monthly exit does not exist
Right for
Small employers wanting cognitive and personality screening at a visible fixed monthly price
Wrong for
Recruitment agencies or sourcing platforms, which need separate terms
CyprusPro plan published per month on a one-year commitment; Enterprise on request
Stockholm psychometric tests billed per completed hire, with no platform fee
Ranked #2 of 11 in Best Pre-Employment Testing Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestEurope
Setup is light on cost because nothing is paid before a hire: no platform fee, no per-seat licence, and no charge for assessments taken by candidates who were not hired.
The real price emerges from the tier set by yearly hiring volume (Grow, Scale or Enterprise) plus feature add-ons. An optional agent add-on for interpreting results is opt-in. Exit is simple, since no licence term is described.
What stands out
Per-hire billing
ISO 27001 and ISO 42001
Psychometrics
Where it costs you
A hire counts only when the candidate accepts an offer, tracked through the ATS integration or reported to Alva Labs by hand
Coding test and leadership report are absent from the Starter feature tier
Right for
Companies with uneven hiring volume that prefer paying per outcome over a licence
Wrong for
Teams that cannot connect an ATS or report hires back reliably
SwedenCharged per hire in arrears, rate set by an annual hiring volume tier
Job-simulation skill tests with a 500-section library and a card-free start
Ranked #3 of 11 in Best Pre-Employment Testing Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
The sign-up button says to start free without a credit card, so the first assessment can be built before any purchase is discussed.
Tiers then gate the number of assessments and users, while the library of 500-plus sections and unlimited questions per assessment stay constant. The trust page lists ISO/IEC 27001:2013, a DPA and hosting on AWS in the EU. Exports were not described on the pages seen.
What stands out
Job simulations
Own custom tests
EU hosting on AWS
Where it costs you
Individual allows one assessment and three users; Team allows two assessments and eight users
The pricing page shows no amounts and the site names no legal entity or country
Right for
Hiring teams wanting realistic job tasks in Excel, SQL or video, not quizzes
Wrong for
Buyers needing a named legal entity and published prices first
Not stated by the vendorIndividual, Team, Pro and Enterprise tiers; amounts not shown on the page
Dutch game-based assessments scored against your own best performers
Ranked #4 of 11 in Best Pre-Employment Testing Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestEurope
Ninety days include defining what a top performer looks like for each job type, because the Success DNA Engine learns from your people plus similar roles elsewhere.
Pricing is not shown, so real cost is known only after a meeting. The site describes games and a model, not a coding or job-knowledge test library. Equalture B.V. is in Rotterdam, so a contract falls under Dutch law.
What stands out
Game-based tests
Success model per job
Volume hiring
Where it costs you
No price list; the pricing address redirects to the home page and every quote starts with a booked meeting
The scoring model is only as good as the performance data of your own best workers
Right for
Retail, logistics and customer-service employers hiring in volume who want game-based screening
Wrong for
Buyers who need coding tests or a self-serve purchase
NetherlandsDemo-led; no price list on the site, price on request through a booked meeting
Work-sample tests graded by AI, sold through a pricing request
Ranked #5 of 11 in Best Pre-Employment Testing Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestAsia-Pacific
Ninety days cost mostly in grader training: the AI learns from your marking, so the early weeks need human review of responses.
Price is not visible, and the enterprise features (SSO, regional data storage, SLA, API) are listed together, so a small plan with them is not shown. Vervoe Pty Ltd is in Melbourne, which matters for contract law. A trust portal is linked for security documents.
What stands out
Work samples
AI grading
Regional data storage
Where it costs you
The pricing page offers a request form and no amounts or plan names
The grading accuracy is the vendor's own 80 percent claim, so recruiters still review results
Right for
Large teams screening many applicants on work samples rather than multiple-choice tests
Wrong for
Small employers who want to see a price before talking to sales
French AI-agent hiring platform billed on usage credits
Ranked #6 of 11 in Best Pre-Employment Testing Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestEurope
Every customer gets guided onboarding, multilingual support and a dedicated customer success manager, which front-loads the vendor effort. The bill depends on which agents you switch on and how many candidates they touch.
A dedicated sandbox environment, 30-plus ATS and HR integrations and a signed DPA are listed, but export terms and contract length were not shown on the pricing page. Maki People is a French simplified joint-stock company registered in Paris.
What stands out
AI agents
Usage credits
EU data residency
Where it costs you
Credits are charged per candidate interaction, so a surge in applicants moves the bill
The pricing page lists no amounts, only a personalised quote
Right for
Employers with seasonal peaks who prefer paying per interaction over annual seats
Wrong for
Buyers who need a fixed annual budget before a procurement round
FranceQuoted per organisation; credits charged per candidate interaction
Large test library with a monthly free credit allowance and published plans
Ranked #7 of 11 in Best Pre-Employment Testing Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingEurope
The first ninety days cost little: the free plan runs 10 credits a month and Core opens the full library. Real price starts once a buyer needs ATS and API links or custom tests, which sit on Plus, so a plan comparison should use that tier.
The vendor states SOC 2 Type II compliance. TestGorilla B.V. is registered in the Netherlands, and annual billing saves 25 percent against monthly.
What stands out
Free plan
Test library
Credits
Where it costs you
ATS and API integrations, custom tests and coding challenges begin on the Plus plan
Core shares one account-wide credit pool and two premium user roles
Right for
First-time buyers who want to test a library before committing to a plan
Wrong for
Teams that need ATS integrations without paying for the Plus tier
NetherlandsFree plan with 10 credits a month; Core and Plus published, billed annually or monthly
Coding tests for engineering roles with a monthly plan on the page
Ranked #8 of 11 in Best Pre-Employment Testing Software in 2026.
Published pricingEurope
Setup is quick for a technical team because the task library grows with the plan and the full 1,300-plus validated tasks arrive in Enterprise or from 1,000 invites a year.
Candidates can use AI tools such as Claude Code and Codex inside assessments, and every prompt is saved for review. A free trial is requested through a form. Codility Limited is registered in England and Wales.
What stands out
Coding tests
Proctoring
Published monthly plan
Where it costs you
The monthly plan covers 25 invites a month and only one standard ATS integration
SSO, Workday and SAP integrations and ID verification sit in the Enterprise quote
Right for
Engineering teams that want AI-aware coding assessments with visible monthly pricing
Wrong for
Employers screening sales, finance or administrative roles at volume
United KingdomOnline plans published monthly or annually; Enterprise quoted
Skills-intelligence suite combining assessments with skills mapping, sold by demo
Ranked #9 of 11 in Best Pre-Employment Testing Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
A demo-based purchase means a procurement cycle before any candidate is tested, and the real price is unknown until a quote arrives. The vendor lists SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001:2022 and GDPR.
Contract parties are iMocha Inc (Delaware) and Tecknack Technologies Private Limited (Pune), so check which one signs. Export terms were not on the pages seen, and the site names no included support tier or trial length.
What stands out
Skills assessment
Skills inference
Demo-led
Where it costs you
The pricing page shows only a demo request, no plans or amounts
The suite spans skills architecture and inference, which exceeds what a test-only buyer needs
Right for
Larger organisations mapping skills across current staff and applicants in one system
Wrong for
Small employers wanting a test library and a fixed price
United States and IndiaQuoted per organisation; demo booked first
Cognitive, personality and risk tests plus video interviews in three plans
Ranked #10 of 11 in Best Pre-Employment Testing Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestNorth America
Ninety days involve choosing between Assess, Interview and Hire and deciding on the AI upgrade, since the plan names do not show what AI adds in practice. Real price needs a quote, and the Develop add-on is separate.
Standard ATS integrations, SSO and MFA are in every plan. The terms name a California corporation with an Australian affiliate as contracting parties, and export terms were not on the pages seen.
What stands out
Psychometric tests
Video interviews
Three plans
Where it costs you
All three plans end in a request-pricing form with no amounts
AI proctoring analysis and interview agents belong to the AI upgrade versions
Right for
Employers wanting established psychometric tests and video interviews from one contract
Wrong for
Buyers who want to compare prices without speaking to sales
United StatesQuoted per organisation; trial offered
Volume-hiring assessments for contact centres and retail, sold by demo
Ranked #11 of 11 in Best Pre-Employment Testing Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestEurope
A demo precedes any price, so the first ninety days include sales calls and an assessment fit review. Harver B.V. names offices in Dallas and London in its privacy policy, and the security page states ISO 27001 and SOC 2.
Real cost is unknown until a quote, and the product list names assessments, video interviewing and game-based tests from pymetrics. Exit terms were not shown.
What stands out
Volume hiring
Predictive assessments
ISO 27001
Where it costs you
The pricing address returns a not-found page, so the only route is a demo request
The stated focus is high-volume hiring, which low-volume professional hiring does not match
Right for
Contact centres, BPOs and retail chains that hire in high volume
Pre-employment testing software delivers skills, cognitive, personality or job-simulation tests to applicants and returns scored results that recruiters use to shortlist candidates before any interview takes place. Products in this area look alike on a feature list, so we would decide these questions first.
01
Work out how much a sales call is worth to you
8 vendors on this page sell by quote, while 3 publish a pricing model you can read today: Bryq, TestGorilla, Codility.
02
Ask which country the contract runs through
These 11 vendors are established in 9 countries across 4 regions (Europe 7, Elsewhere 2, North America 1, Asia-Pacific 1). That decides whose disclosure law applies to what the vendor holds, wherever the servers are.
Three price models: published monthly, per hire and quote-only
Pre-employment testing software splits into three buying routes, and the route decides how fast you can compare. Bryq and Codility put a monthly price on the page, TestGorilla publishes Core and Plus from a monthly figure when billed annually, and Alva Labs charges only per completed hire in arrears. Equalture, Vervoe, Criteria, iMocha and Harver answer pricing questions with a demo or request form.
A quote-only vendor is not worse, but you cannot size the budget before the sales call, so ask for a written price for your hiring volume before you spend time on trial assessments. Also compare the unit: an invite, a credit, a seat and a completed hire behave differently when a vacancy attracts hundreds of applicants or none.
Ask for a written quote at your own annual hiring volume.
Check whether billing is per seat, per invite, per credit or per hire.
Note the contract length: Bryq Pro is a one-year commitment.
Test type decides the shortlist: games, job simulations, psychometrics or coding
The category mixes four different test families. Equalture uses games scored against your own best performers. Canditech builds job simulations in Excel, SQL, video and code. Alva Labs and Criteria sell psychometric tests, and Criteria adds video interviews. Codility is for engineering roles and lets candidates work with AI coding tools. Vervoe grades work samples with an algorithm.
A buyer hiring contact-centre agents and one hiring backend developers need different products, so decide the role family first and treat a large test library as a secondary point. Ask each vendor to show one finished assessment for your own role, with the scoring explained, because a demo built on a sample vacancy hides how much configuration your roles will need.
List the role families you hire and match each to a test family.
Ask which test types are included and which are add-ons.
Run one real vacancy through two vendors before signing.
Where candidate data is hosted and which certificates the vendor states
Candidate answers are personal data, so the hosting claim matters in an EU hiring process. Maki People states EU data residency by default, and Canditech lists hosting on AWS in the EU with ISO/IEC 27001:2013. Alva Labs states ISO 27001 and an ISO/IEC 42001 AI management certificate, Harver states ISO 27001 and SOC 2, and iMocha lists SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001:2022.
Vervoe offers regional data storage in its enterprise list. A certificate covers the vendor organisation, not each customer setup, so ask where your own candidates are stored and who the contract party is. Names matter too: iMocha lists two entities, Harver lists offices in several countries, and Canditech states none, which makes the signing party a question for the first call.
Ask in which region candidate data is stored.
Request the data processing agreement before a pilot.
Check which legal entity signs the contract.
Plan limits that bite after the first quarter: assessments, users and integrations
Entry plans are cheap because one meter is tight. Canditech Individual holds one assessment and three users, and Team two assessments and eight users. TestGorilla keeps ATS and API integrations, custom tests and coding challenges for Plus, and its Core credits are one account-wide pool. Codility sells 25 invites a month with one ATS integration at its online entry level.
Bryq Pro is stated for companies of 1 to 15 employees. Model your busiest hiring month and the integrations you need, then price the plan that includes them, not the one in the headline. Check what a downgrade does to stored results and whether the vendor describes any export of candidate data before you rely on it.
Count invites in your busiest hiring month.
List the ATS and SSO needs and find the plan that includes them.
Check what happens to results when you downgrade or leave.
What goes wrong most often when buying pre-employment testing software
Buying a large test library and then using the same three generic tests for every vacancy.
Reading a published entry price as the real cost without checking where integrations and custom tests start.
Skipping a pilot on a live vacancy, so that candidate drop-off from long tests is found after the contract is signed.
Assuming a vendor certificate covers where your own candidate data is stored and who signs the contract.
07
Frequently asked questions
6 answers
What is the best pre-employment testing software in 2026?
Our ranking of 11 puts Bryq first. Bryq is the only product in this list that shows a monthly price to a small buyer: the Pro plan lists unlimited invitations, every assessment type and self-connected ATS links.
The limit sits in the size band, because Pro is stated for companies of 1 to 15 employees and agencies must ask for separate terms. Anything larger moves to a custom Enterprise plan.
Which pre-employment testing tools publish their pricing?
Published pricing exists for 3 products on this page:
Bryq: Pro plan published per month on a one-year commitment; Enterprise on request.
TestGorilla: Free plan with 10 credits a month; Core and Plus published, billed annually or monthly.
Codility: Online plans published monthly or annually; Enterprise quoted.
8 vendors do not print a price.
Is there a free pre-employment testing tool?
TestGorilla come with a no-cost entry point, a free plan or a self-hosted edition.
Where are these pre-employment testing software vendors established?
In 9 countries across 4 regions: Europe 7, Elsewhere 2, North America 1, Asia-Pacific 1.
Bryq: Cyprus.
Alva Labs: Sweden.
Canditech: Not stated by the vendor.
Equalture: Netherlands.
Vervoe: Australia.
Maki People: France.
TestGorilla: Netherlands.
Codility: United Kingdom.
iMocha: United States and India.
Criteria: United States.
Harver: Netherlands.
What should you use instead of Bryq?
Alva Labs and Canditech are the next two on this page. Alva Labs is for companies with uneven hiring volume that prefer paying per outcome over a licence; Canditech is for Hiring teams wanting realistic job tasks in Excel, SQL or video, not quizzes.
Who should not buy Bryq?
Recruitment agencies or sourcing platforms, which need separate terms. Pro is stated for companies of 1 to 15 employees; larger organisations move to a custom Enterprise plan.
Makers of pre-employment testing software products can ask us to look at theirs. Say what it does and who uses it. We choose what to add, and nothing can be bought; see software advice for what a listing means.
