Sophia Bennettto me
Today, 09:12Re: Senior Data Engineer at Northwind
Thanks for sending the details over. The role sounds great, and I can start on 3 October if the timing works for them.
Kepler vs Crelate: the one-plan choice. Ask Kepler’s AI Chat about everything you already hold.
Kepler is a recruitment CRM you can talk to. Ask AI Chat in plain English and it searches your CVs, notes, emails and call transcripts, scores candidates for a job and suggests updates you approve. Crelate is sold in four tiers, and its Advanced AI Assistant, sequences and full API are only on Business Plus, which is priced on request.
The short answer
The difference is how you work.
Kepler is a simple, modern CRM where you ask AI Chat in plain English instead of searching by hand. AI Chat is included on every plan, monthly and annual, with no add-on or upgrade needed.
Crelate searches with Boolean keywords, and its Advanced AI Assistant is only on the custom-priced Business Plus tier.
- Choose Kepler if
- You want a simple, modern CRM with the AI included. You would rather ask a question than write a Boolean string, see a 0 to 100 score with the reason behind it, and approve updates instead of typing them in. You want campaigns, the client portal and the API at one published price of USD 99 per user per month billed annually, and the migration done for you.
- Crelate is built for
- A platform built from named modules across four tiers, with AI agents that search an external pool of profiles.
Written from Crelate's own public documentation and pricing pages, . Tell us if we have something wrong and we will correct it.
Longer reads: the full Crelate review and the best Crelate alternatives in 2026.
Side by side
How Kepler and Crelate compare.
- 15 Kepler ahead
| Dimension | keplerKepler | Crelate |
|---|---|---|
| AI Chat | 4 dimensions: 3 Kepler ahead | |
| AI chat |
Kepler
Kepler ahead.
AI Chat on every page It works across the whole workspace and updates records after you approve. |
Crelate
Co-Pilot, with skills that change by screen The skills on offer depend on the part of the app and the data in view. |
| AI taking actions |
Kepler
Kepler ahead.
Finds, ranks and updates for you Saves results as a list and drafts emails or automations. Nothing changes until you approve. |
Crelate
Writes text Résumé summaries, emails, job descriptions and interview questions. |
| AI included |
Kepler
Kepler ahead.
AI Chat on every plan Monthly and annual, with no add-on or upgrade needed. |
Crelate
AI Assistant from Business, USD 119 The Advanced AI Assistant is only on Business Plus, priced on request. |
| Email drafting |
Kepler
Both have this.
Drafts in any composer From the thread, the record, recent notes and the job. One click also summarises a thread. |
Crelate
Both have this.
Co-Create drafts emails Part of the AI Assistant, from the Business tier. |
| Search and matching | 2 dimensions: 2 Kepler ahead | |
| Search |
Kepler
Kepler ahead.
Ask in plain English AI Chat searches your CVs, notes, emails and call transcripts. |
Crelate
Boolean keyword search Over résumé text, notes and tags. |
| Matching |
Kepler
Kepler ahead.
A 0 to 100 score for every candidate Criteria come from the job description and you can edit them. Each one shows the line from the CV, call or email behind it. |
Crelate
Ranked by keyword relevance Co-Screen summarises a résumé once you open the record. |
| Keeping records current | 4 dimensions: 3 Kepler ahead | |
| Profile updates |
Kepler
Kepler ahead.
Updates you approve Emails, calls and messages become suggested updates, with the message attached. |
Crelate
Insights Agent, sold à la carte Refreshes records from outside data, as an option on the Platform tier. |
| Field history and undo |
Kepler
Kepler ahead.
History and undo on every field Each AI-suggested change keeps its source, on every plan. |
Crelate
Changed-field auditing on the upper tiers Only on Business Plus and Enterprise. |
| Meeting notes |
Kepler
Kepler ahead.
A notetaker for Teams, Zoom and Google Meet It joins the call and files the summary, next steps and transcript against the record. |
Crelate
No meeting notetaker of its own Neither Crelate’s pricing page nor its Co-Pilot page lists one. |
| Contact enrichment |
Kepler
Both have this.
Contact enrichment available Work and personal emails, mobile numbers and LinkedIn URLs, one record or in bulk, with a review step. |
Crelate
Both have this.
An additional fee on every tier Native contact data enrichment is charged on top of the seat. |
| Running the desk | 4 dimensions: 3 Kepler ahead | |
| Outreach |
Kepler
Kepler ahead.
Email campaigns on every plan Sends the emails for you and reminds your team when it is time to call or reach out on LinkedIn or WhatsApp. |
Crelate
Sequences only on Business Plus Email campaigns cost extra on every tier. |
| Careers site |
Kepler
Kepler ahead.
On your own domain Search engines can index each job. |
Crelate
Hosted at jobs.crelate.com Embedded on your site by widget or iframe. |
| Client portal |
Kepler
Both have this.
Clients review your shortlist They sign in from a link, rate candidates 1 to 5, comment and request interviews. |
Crelate
Both have this.
Client and team portals from Business From USD 119 per user per month. |
| API and AI tools |
Kepler
Kepler ahead.
REST API, webhooks and an MCP server On every plan. The MCP server lets Claude or ChatGPT work in your workspace. |
Crelate
Full API only on Business Plus Crelate does not have an MCP server yet. |
| Price and plans | 4 dimensions: 4 Kepler ahead | |
| Price |
Kepler
Kepler ahead.
USD 99 per user per month Billed annually, or USD 129 monthly. Every feature on this page is included. |
Crelate
Business Plus priced on request Paid annually. Business is USD 119 without the Advanced AI Assistant, sequences or full API. |
| Plans |
Kepler
Kepler ahead.
One plan Every feature included, with unlimited records and storage. |
Crelate
Four tiers Essentials, Business, Business Plus and Platform. Essentials is capped at two users and 20,000 contacts. |
| Paid extras |
Kepler
Kepler ahead.
Campaigns and the API on the one plan They sit in the same price as every other feature. |
Crelate
Extra fees on every tier Texting, email campaigns, eSignature and contact enrichment. |
| Migration |
Kepler
Kepler ahead.
Done for you, free, on every plan Mapping, clean-up, and fifty of your own records to check first. |
Crelate
A separate package Standard or Advanced, scoped and priced by sales. |
The difference in practice
Ask the database a question, not the screen you are on.
Kepler’s AI Chat is one sidebar on every page, with the whole workspace in scope. It returns records rather than text, and it changes nothing until you approve. Crelate’s Co-Pilot offers skills that change with the part of the app you are in and the data on the screen.
Active data engineers in London who have used Kafka in production, available within a month
Found 4 candidates. Three mention Kafka on their CV; one said it on a recorded call last week.
| Candidate | Current employer | Notice | Why it matched |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sophia Bennett | Monarch Analytics | 1 month | Kafka streaming for card transactions at Halcyon CV |
| Amir Hassan | Northwind Capital | 2 weeks | Kafka feed for the risk platform CV |
| James Okafor | Juniper Systems | 3 months | Rebuilt the Kafka clickstream pipeline CV |
| Oliver Chen | Northwind Capital | Immediate | Mentioned running Kafka on the 2 Sep call Call note · 2 Sep |
Why this person, and not that one
Every candidate scored, with the reason behind it.
Kepler scores every candidate from 0 to 100 against the job. The criteria come from the job description and you can edit them. Each criterion shows the line from the CV, call or email behind it, so a consultant can see why. Crelate ranks search results by how closely a record matches your keywords, and Co-Screen summarises a résumé once you open it.
| Candidate | Match | Role title | Current employer | Skills | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sophia Bennett | 92Strong | Senior Data Engineer | Monarch Analytics | Python, Spark, AWS, Terraform, dbt | |
| Amir Hassan | 81Good | Data Engineer | Northwind Capital | Python, Spark, EMR, SQL, Airflow | |
| James Okafor | 74Good | Senior Data Engineer | Juniper Systems | Spark, Azure, Databricks, Kafka, Scala | |
| Mei Tan | 68Weak | Engineering Manager, Data | Atlas Cloud | AWS, Leadership, Python, Snowflake | |
| Elena Rossi | 55Weak | Analytics Engineer | Forma | dbt, SQL, Python, Looker | |
| Oliver Chen | 49Off spec | Platform Engineer | Northwind Capital | AWS, Kubernetes, Terraform, Go |
Select a candidate to read the evidence.
Sophia Bennett
1 of 692
judge score
Strong match
3 of 4 criteria met
Assessment
A strong fit for the brief. Sophia has run a production Spark platform on AWS and has managed a team through a migration. Financial services exposure is via a payments client rather than a bank.
Candidate
EmployerMonarch AnalyticsLocationLondonStatusActiveLatest degreeMSc Computer ScienceEmailsophia.bennett@monarch.exampleProfileSophia Bennett
Criteria · 3 of 4
- Financial services“Two years on a payments client; no bank or fund experience stated.”
- Python & Spark in productionmust“Built the ingestion platform in Python and Spark, processing 40 TB a day.”
- AWS data platform“Ran the platform on AWS: Glue, Redshift and S3, with Terraform.”
- Led a team“Managed four engineers across two squads through the warehouse migration.”
Suggested, then approved
A conversation changes a record. You still get the last word.
Kepler works from what you already hold. It reads the emails, calls and messages on the record, and every change arrives as a suggestion with its source attached, for you to accept or reject. Crelate’s Insights Agent refreshes records from outside data and is sold à la carte.
Three candidates · this week
Amir Hassanonline
WhatsAppAre you still keeping half an eye out?
I handed my notice in this morning, so I am actively looking now.
Catch-up call · 14 minJames Okafor · Today, 11:20
ZoomJames · 11:26For my next move I am looking for £105,000. I would want a step up for a move.
ListsData engineers · London
Assistant
| Candidate | Available from | Status | Expected salary | Notice period | Company | Owner | Skills | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sophia Bennett | Not set | Passive | £90,000 | 1 month | Monarch Analytics | Priya Nair | ||
| Amir Hassan | 14 Oct 2026 | Passive | £85,000 | 2 weeks | Northwind Capital | Priya Nair | ||
| James Okafor | Immediate | New | £100,000 | 3 months | Juniper Systems | Tom Reilly | ||
| Mei Tan | Not set | Passive | S$160,000 | 2 months | Atlas Cloud | Tom Reilly | ||
| Elena Rossi | Not set | Active | €78,000 | 1 month | Forma | Tom Reilly | ||
| Oliver Chen | Immediate | New | £88,000 | None | Northwind Capital | Priya Nair | ||
| Rahul Menon | 2 Nov 2026 | Active | £92,000 | 1 month | Juniper Systems | Priya Nair | ||
| Yuki Tanaka | Not set | Passive | ¥14,000,000 | 3 months | Atlas Cloud | Tom Reilly | ||
| Hafiz Rahman | 20 Oct 2026 | Active | S$145,000 | 2 weeks | Meridian Partners | Priya Nair | ||
| Clara Nowak | Not set | New | €84,000 | 1 month | Forma | Tom Reilly | ||
| Daniel Okonkwo | Immediate | Active | £78,000 | None | Northwind Capital | Priya Nair | ||
| Ana Ferreira | 8 Dec 2026 | Passive | €96,000 | 3 months | Juniper Systems | Tom Reilly | ||
| Tomas Novak | Not set | Active | €71,000 | 1 month | Monarch Analytics | Priya Nair | ||
| Grace Adeyemi | 27 Oct 2026 | Active | £105,000 | 2 weeks | Atlas Cloud | Tom Reilly | ||
| Ivan Petrov | Not set | Passive | €88,000 | 2 months | Forma | Priya Nair | ||
| Leila Haddad | Immediate | New | £82,000 | None | Meridian Partners | Tom Reilly | ||
| Marcus Reid | 16 Nov 2026 | Active | £98,000 | 1 month | Monarch Analytics | Priya Nair | ||
| Nadia Kaur | Not set | Passive | S$172,000 | 3 months | Northwind Capital | Tom Reilly |
Where the engine comes from
Not a first attempt at parsing CVs.
Kepler's CV parsing and formatting come from RemakeCV, built by the same team and used by 300+ recruitment agencies. The migration that fills your database on day one runs on an engine that has been reading real agency CVs for years, not on something written for this launch.
The 300+ figure is RemakeCV's agency count. The parser reading your archive is the one those agencies already run.
Migration
Get migrated in days.
Get migrated in days.
We handle the whole move.
-
1. Send us the export
Whatever your current system gives you, plus loose CVs and spreadsheets sitting in folders. Not sure how to export? We will walk you through it.
-
2. We build the migration
Extraction, mapping, de-duplication and validation, the unglamorous half most vendors leave on your desk. Your custom fields are recreated rather than flattened into notes.
-
3. You look at a sample
Fifty of your own records, fully parsed. Your people, not a demo set. Tell us what we got wrong and we re-run.
-
4. Everything loads
The full database goes in, mailboxes and calendars connect, and history backfills onto the right records. We stay on it until your team is working.
Pricing
What each one costs, like for like.
Kepler's one price next to the Crelate plan that carries the features compared on this page. Cheaper tiers are listed underneath with what they leave out.
Kepler
One planUSD 99 per user / month, billed annually
USD 129 billed monthly
One plan, monthly or annual. AI Chat and every feature on this page are included, with no add-on or upgrade needed.
- Unlimited records and storage
- Migration done for you, on every plan
- A monthly AI allowance is included, and more capacity is available on request
Crelate
Business PlusNot published
The tier with the Advanced AI Assistant, automation and sequences and the full API compared on this page. Priced “Custom”.
- Texting, email campaigns, eSignature and contact enrichment cost extra on every tier.
- Data migration is a separate package, priced by sales.
- Essentials and Business Plus are paid annually. Only Business offers monthly billing.
Cheaper tiers, not compared above
- Business · USD 119 annual · USD 149 monthlyHas the AI Assistant and client portals. No Advanced AI Assistant, sequences or full API.
- Essentials · USD 85, paid annuallyUp to two users and 20,000 contacts. No AI Assistant or client portals.
From Crelate's pricing page, checked 13 Sep 2026.
Questions, answered.
Is Crelate better than Kepler?
It depends on how you want to work. If you want a simple, modern CRM with the AI included, where you ask AI Chat in plain English and it searches your CVs, notes, emails and call transcripts, ranks candidates and updates records for you, choose Kepler. It is one plan at USD 99 per user per month billed annually, with campaigns, the API and a free migration in the price. If you want a platform built from named modules across four tiers, with AI agents that search an external pool of profiles, Crelate is built for that.
How much does Crelate cost compared to Kepler?
Kepler is USD 99 per user per month billed annually (USD 129 monthly), one plan with every feature included. The Crelate tier to compare is Business Plus, the only one with the Advanced AI Assistant, sequences and the full API, listed as “Custom” per user, paid annually, on 13 Sep 2026. Crelate’s Business is USD 119 annual or USD 149 monthly and Essentials is USD 85 annual for up to two users, and texting, campaigns, eSignature and enrichment cost extra on every tier.
Does Crelate have an AI assistant, and is it included in the price?
Kepler’s AI Chat is included on every plan, monthly and annual, with no add-on or upgrade needed. It works across the whole workspace and updates records once you approve. Crelate’s Co-Pilot is an in-app chat whose skills change with the part of the app you are in. On Crelate’s pricing page the AI Assistant starts on Business (USD 119), and the Advanced AI Assistant is only on the custom-priced Business Plus.
How does search differ between Kepler and Crelate?
Kepler understands meaning as well as keywords, and AI Chat searches candidates, CVs, notes, email threads and call transcripts. Something a candidate said once on a call can be found. Crelate’s search is a Boolean keyword query over résumé text, notes and tags, and a Crelate blog post from 14 Aug 2026 describes a model writing that Boolean query from a plain-language prompt.
Does Kepler have contact enrichment like Crelate?
Yes. Kepler’s contact enrichment finds work and personal emails, mobile numbers and LinkedIn URLs, for one record or in bulk with a review step. Kepler also suggests updates from the emails, calls and messages on a record, for you to approve. Crelate lists contact enrichment as an additional fee on every tier, and its Insights Agent is sold à la carte.
Can you migrate from Crelate to Kepler?
Yes, free on every Kepler plan. You send an export from Crelate plus any loose CVs and spreadsheets, and Kepler does the mapping, clean-up and checks. Custom fields are rebuilt as real fields, and activity, stages and history come across. You review fifty of your own records before the full load. Crelate sells its own migrations as separate packages scoped by sales.
See it run on your own database.
Bring your hardest search to a 15-minute call. We will run it live, on real records, and talk through what a migration would look like.