What are Kepler and Bullhorn?
Kepler is a recruitment CRM built around AI Chat and one searchable database. AI Chat sits on every page and reads the whole workspace: candidates, CVs, notes, emails and call transcripts. It can create and update records once you approve the change.
Around AI Chat, Kepler covers the rest of an agency desk on one plan:
- Pipelines, jobs, tasks and an activity timeline
- Gmail and Outlook sync, with AI email drafting and one-click thread summaries
- A notetaker that joins Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Google Meet calls
- Email and WhatsApp conversations in one inbox, plus calls and texts through Ringover, RingCentral, Twilio, JustCall or Telnyx
- CV parsing and branded CV formatting, contact enrichment and LinkedIn search
- A careers site on your own domain, a client portal, consent records, campaigns, automations and reporting
- A public API, webhooks and a way for AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT to work in your data
Bullhorn is a platform for staffing and recruitment firms, sold in editions. The ATS and CRM sit at the centre, with Bullhorn Automation, Bullhorn Analytics and the Amplify AI products sold alongside, and a Marketplace of technology partners. Bullhorn also owns Invenias, an executive-search platform.
What is the main difference between Kepler and Bullhorn?
The main difference is how you work. In Kepler you ask. You type a question in plain English, such as “who has run a payments migration in production?”, and AI Chat searches CVs, notes, emails and call transcripts and returns the matching records as a list you can save.
Kepler then does the follow-up work for you. Matching scores every candidate from 0 to 100 against the job and shows the evidence for each criterion. Emails, calls and messages become suggested updates and tasks that you approve or reject, so records stay current without retyping.
The AI is part of the product, not a separate purchase. Kepler is a single plan at USD 99 per user per month billed annually, and AI Chat is included on every plan, monthly and annual, with no add-on or upgrade needed.
Bullhorn is built as a large platform. An agency chooses an ATS edition, then adds products such as Automation, Analytics and Amplify AI skills, and connects partner tools from the Marketplace. Bullhorn’s own AI products page lists AI Search and Match and each Amplify skill as separate purchases.
How do Kepler and Bullhorn compare feature by feature?
Bullhorn cells come from bullhorn.com and kb.bullhorn.com, checked 6 Sep 2026 (pricing re-checked 13 Sep 2026). Kepler cells describe the product as of 1 Oct 2026.
| Area | Kepler | Bullhorn |
|---|---|---|
| Plans | A single plan with every feature included | Starter, Core, Pro and Max for small agencies. ATS Growth, Bullhorn ATS, Front Office Growth, Front Office Enterprise and Bullhorn One above them. |
| Price, like for like | USD 99 per user per month billed annually (USD 129 monthly) | Bullhorn Pro, the plan with the AI, is quote-only. Starter (USD 99) and Core (USD 165) are published without Pro’s AI. |
| AI Chat | On every page and every plan. Ask in plain English and it finds and updates records once you approve. | Amplify Chat, only on Bullhorn Pro. The standard AI Assistant on ATS and Front Office packages runs on an AI model the customer supplies. |
| Search | Ask in plain English and AI Chat searches your CVs, notes, emails and call transcripts. | Amplify Chat searches across the database, only on Bullhorn Pro. |
| Matching | Scores every candidate from 0 to 100 against the job and shows the line behind each criterion. You can edit the criteria. | AI Search and Match, sold as its own product, ranks best-fit candidates for a job. |
| Contact enrichment | Finds work and personal emails, mobile numbers and LinkedIn URLs, one record or in bulk, with a review before saving. | Amplify Enrich skill, sold as a separate purchase. |
| Call notes | A notetaker joins Teams, Zoom and Google Meet calls and files the summary, next steps and transcript. | AI call transcription, only on Bullhorn Pro. |
| Custom fields and storage | Included, with unlimited records and storage | Not in the entry ATS edition. They start at Bullhorn Core and the Bullhorn ATS edition. |
| API and integrations | A public API and webhooks on every plan. AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT can also work in your data. | Custom API integrations start at Front Office Growth. Partner integrations come from the Marketplace. |
| Campaigns | Email sequences that send for you, with reminders when it is time to call or reach out on LinkedIn or WhatsApp. Daily sending limits per mailbox, A/B tests and results tied to placements. | Bullhorn Automation, sold in four editions. SMS campaigns only in the Enterprise and Amplify editions. |
| Migration | Done for you, free, on every plan. You review fifty of your own records first. | Self-guided implementation with Starter, Core and Pro. |
What do you get in a Kepler seat compared with Bullhorn?
A Kepler seat includes the whole product. These are the places where that matters most against Bullhorn’s editions.
- One plan. Kepler includes custom fields, unlimited storage, the API and webhooks on the same plan as everything else. Bullhorn’s entry ATS edition, ATS Growth, does not include custom fields or unlimited storage. Custom API integrations start at Front Office Growth.
- AI in the price. AI Chat is included on every Kepler plan, monthly and annual, with no add-on or upgrade needed. Bullhorn lists AI Assistant Premium, AI Search and Match and every Amplify skill as separate purchases on top of a Growth, Enterprise or Industry package.
- Search that reads everything. Kepler searches the text inside CVs, notes, emails and call transcripts, not only structured fields. A question reaches the sentence in a CV or call that answers it.
- Matching you can explain. Kepler scores every candidate from 0 to 100 against the job. The score is based on criteria taken from the job description, which you can edit, and each criterion shows the line from the CV, call or email behind it.
- Updates you approve. Kepler turns emails, calls and messages into suggested updates and tasks. Every field keeps its history, including where each AI change came from, and changes can be undone.
- Connections through the API. Kepler records each placement’s fee, invoice status and payment status, and connects to a pay-and-bill system through its API and webhooks. Bullhorn One adds time capture, invoicing and payroll to its ATS.
- Security and exit. MFA is available to every member. You can export the whole workspace at any time with no exit fee.
How much does Bullhorn cost compared with Kepler?
Kepler costs USD 99 per user per month billed annually, or USD 129 monthly. That buys a single plan with every feature, unlimited records and free migration. AI Chat is included on every plan, monthly and annual, with no add-on or upgrade needed.
Bullhorn Pro is the like-for-like plan. It adds the recruitment CRM, AI search and match, Amplify Chat and AI call transcription, and it is quote-only, as are Bullhorn Max, Front Office, Bullhorn One and the add-ons.
Bullhorn publishes two prices: Starter at USD 99 and Core at USD 165 per user per month. Neither includes Pro’s AI. Prices exclude VAT and the billing basis is not stated (bullhorn.com, checked 13 Sep 2026).
Which agencies is Kepler built for?
Kepler is built for permanent, contingency and retained agencies that bill placements. It suits a team that wants to ask a question and get an answer, rather than build a search by hand.
It fits agencies that want:
- AI Chat that can search years of CVs, notes, emails and call transcripts
- The evidence behind every score, to show a client
- Changes suggested for approval, with history and undo
- The AI, the API, custom fields and storage in the price, not in a quote
- A published price before the first call: USD 99 per user per month billed annually
Can you migrate from Bullhorn to Kepler?
Yes. Kepler runs the migration for you, free, on every plan. You send a Bullhorn export of candidates, contacts, companies, jobs, notes and documents, plus any loose CVs and spreadsheets.
Kepler handles the extraction, mapping, de-duplication and checks. Custom fields are rebuilt as real fields, and activity, stages and history come across with the records.
Before the full load, you review fifty of your own records, fully parsed. The move is done in days, and Kepler exports your whole workspace at any time with no exit fee.
Kepler’s CV parsing comes from RemakeCV, a CV tool built by the same team and used by 300+ recruitment agencies, so the parser reading your archive has been reading agency CVs for years.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bullhorn better than Kepler?
It depends on how you want to work. If you want a modern, easy-to-use CRM with the AI included, where you ask the chat and it finds, ranks and updates records for you, choose Kepler. Kepler is a single plan at USD 99 per user per month billed annually, with plain-English search across CVs, notes, emails and call transcripts, matching that shows its evidence, and free migration. If you want a large platform with editions, add-on modules and a marketplace of partner integrations, Bullhorn is built for that.
What is the difference between Kepler and Bullhorn?
Kepler is a single plan built around AI Chat. You ask in plain English and it searches, ranks and suggests updates, with the AI in the USD 99 seat. Bullhorn sells its ATS and CRM in editions, with Automation, Analytics and Amplify AI as separate products, and Bullhorn Pro, its AI plan for small agencies, is quote-only.
How much does Bullhorn cost per user?
Bullhorn publishes two per-user prices: Starter at USD 99 and Core at USD 165 per user per month, both without Pro’s AI. Bullhorn Pro, the like-for-like plan with AI search and match, Amplify Chat and call transcription, is quote-only. Prices exclude VAT, checked 13 Sep 2026. Kepler, for comparison, costs USD 99 per user per month billed annually (USD 129 monthly), with every feature included.
Is Bullhorn’s AI included in the price?
AI Chat is included on every Kepler plan, monthly and annual, with no add-on or upgrade needed. Bullhorn includes Amplify Chat only with the quote-only Pro plan. Bullhorn’s standard AI Assistant does not come with its own AI model: the customer supplies and controls it. AI Assistant Premium, AI Search and Match and every Amplify skill are separate purchases.
How does search compare in Kepler and Bullhorn?
Kepler searches in plain English across candidates, CVs, notes, emails and call transcripts, so it reaches the sentence inside a CV or a call that answers your question. It is included in the seat. Bullhorn’s AI Search and Match ranks best-fit candidates for a specific job and is sold as its own product.
Does Kepler offer contact enrichment?
Yes. Kepler offers contact enrichment for work and personal emails, mobile numbers and LinkedIn URLs, for one record or in bulk, with a review step before anything is saved. Bullhorn lists Enrich among its Amplify skills, sold as a separate purchase.
Can an executive search firm use Kepler?
Yes. Kepler gives a search firm a job-scoped client portal where hiring managers sign in by email link, rate candidates 1–5, comment and request interviews, with optional blind CVs. It adds search across a long-lived database, matching with the evidence for each criterion, consent records and a notetaker for Teams, Zoom and Meet calls. Bullhorn sells Invenias, which it owns, as its executive-search product.
Sources
Every claim about another vendor on this page comes from that vendor's own public material. Where a vendor does not publish something — pricing is the usual one — this post says so rather than estimating.
- Bullhorn — pricing Named plans and add-ons: Starter, Core, Pro, Max; Front Office Growth, Front Office Enterprise, Bullhorn One; Amplify Digital Workers, Amplify Search & Match, Recruitment Automation, Analytics and other add-ons. Only Starter and Core carry a published per-user price; Pro says “Talk to us”.
- Bullhorn — staffing software pricing for small agencies “$99/user/month” Starter and “$165/user/month” Core; Pro and Max “Talk to us”; Pro feature list including AI search and match, Amplify Chat and AI call transcription; “All prices exclude VAT.”
- Bullhorn knowledge base — Bullhorn Platform Editions The four ATS editions; unlimited data storage and custom fields begin at Bullhorn ATS; custom API integrations begin at Front Office Growth.
- Bullhorn knowledge base — Bullhorn AI Products AI Assistant Standard on any ATS or Front Office package, “bring your own LLM”; AI Assistant Premium, Bullhorn Search & Match and every Amplify skill listed as separate purchases requiring the Amplify edition on a Growth, Enterprise or Industry package.
- Bullhorn knowledge base — AI Assistant (formerly Copilot) FAQ “Bullhorn doesn’t host, train or control the AI model. This is completely owned and controlled by the customer.”
- Bullhorn knowledge base — Bullhorn Automation Editions Four Automation editions (Starter, Corporate, Enterprise, Amplify); SMS campaigns are Enterprise and Amplify only.
- Bullhorn — AI for small staffing agencies: Amplify Chat “AI Search and Match ranks best-fit candidates for a specific job; Amplify Chat is the conversational layer across your whole database.”
- Bullhorn — Amplify Amplify Chat and Digital Workers with skills including Enrich, Match, Screen, Outreach and Transcribe.
- Bullhorn — Bullhorn One Time and expense capture, invoicing and payroll alongside the ATS.
- Bullhorn Marketplace Marketplace of pre-integrated technology partners.
- Bullhorn blog — switching to Bullhorn: what to expect Published 7 Apr 2026. “Self-guided implementation is included with Bullhorn Starter, Core, and Pro at no additional setup cost”.
- Bullhorn press release — Bullhorn acquires Invenias Bullhorn acquired the executive-search platform Invenias.
- Kepler pricing USD 99 per user per month billed annually (USD 1,188 per seat per year), a single plan with every feature included, unlimited records and storage, free migration on every plan, additional AI capacity on request, full export with no exit fee.
Kepler is a recruitment CRM and this post is published by Kepler, so read it as an interested party's account. We have tried to describe Bullhorn as its own team would recognise it, and every factual claim is sourced above. If something here is out of date or wrong, tell us and we will correct it.