Enterprise recruiting used by 4,000+ customers in 120+ countries, with a recruitment CRM, Winston AI matching and screening, scheduling, job distribution and analytics, and integration with SAP SuccessFactors and other HCMs.
SmartRecruiters scales enterprise hiring. October connects hiring to the whole People platform.
SmartRecruiters, now an SAP company, is end-to-end recruiting software with its Winston AI for matching, screening and recruiter tasks. October Recruitment is part of October People. Cara sources and engages candidates, AI interviews, assessments and verification share one pipeline, and hires carry into onboarding. Here is a fair comparison.
October RecruitmentSourcing · evaluation · ATSSmartRecruiters
Applicant tracking systemsIndependent comparisonSmartRecruiters focuses on recruiting and connects to an HCM for the employee record. Following SAP’s acquisition in 2025, SAP says the platform will be integrated with SAP SuccessFactors, while remaining usable with other HCMs.
Recruitment inside an AI-first HCM. Cara-led sourcing and conversations, live AI or recorded interviews, Cara-built assessments and October Verified sit in the pipeline, and hires flow into October People onboarding.
What your hiring team
actually gets.
SmartRecruiters, an SAP company, offers enterprise recruiting with its Winston AI. October Recruitment brings Cara sourcing, AI interviews, assessments and October Verified into one pipeline that carries each hire into the October People record.
Offered See detailsAvailability depends on the plan, add-ons and integrations you choose, for both providers.
Swipe across the table to compare both providers.
| Feature or service | October RecruitmentWhat you get — and why it matters | SmartRecruiters |
|---|---|---|
| Find candidatesSourcing, job distribution and the first read of every application. | ||
| AI sourcing and outreach | Cara finds and engages candidatesCara builds candidate profiles, finds people for the role, manages personalised email conversations and books interviews. Why it mattersRecruiters start with interested, high-scoring candidates instead of a cold list. | Recruitment CRM and Winston Match |
| Job distribution and referrals | Every source in the same process13 job boards in one click, referrals and reusable talent pools. Why it mattersKnow where each candidate came from and which channels produce hires. | Job distribution; confirm referral tools |
| Application screening | A ranked shortlist with the reasoning attachedAI matching against role requirements, with explained scores and side-by-side comparison. Why it mattersHiring teams see strengths, gaps and questions to ask, and make the final decision. | Winston Screen and AI talent matching |
| Evaluate fairlyInterviews, assessments and the evidence behind a decision. | ||
| Interviews | Choose how the conversation happensLive AI conversation, recorded video or audio responses, or interviewer-led with AI scoring of the transcript. Why it mattersRun consistent first-round interviews without losing the option of a person leading. | Dynamic scheduling; Winston Screen AI interviews |
| Take-home and technical assessments | See how candidates really workCara-drafted exercises and rubrics, blind team scoring and technical assessments with comprehension checks. Why it mattersReviewers score blind against a weighted rubric; technical work ends with a spoken follow-up. | Confirm assessment options and integrations |
| Scorecards and collaboration | One shared view for the hiring teamShared shortlists, candidate comparisons and structured team scorecards. Why it mattersInterviewers assess candidates against the same criteria. | Confirm scorecard and interview kit options |
| Verification and references | Look behind the CVOctober Verified cross-checks, structured reference requests and background-check workflows. Why it mattersKeep findings, gaps and consent-based checks with the hiring decision. | Confirm background check integrations |
| Run the processAutomation, offers, reporting and what happens after the offer. | ||
| Stage automation | The next step, already taken care ofStage-entry actions email the candidate, assign a task or notify a team member. Why it mattersCandidates hear back and the right person knows what to do next. | Winston Companion handles repetitive tasks |
| Offers and approvals | Close the loop on the final stepsOffer templates and approval workflows inside the pipeline. Why it mattersOffers follow an agreed template and approval route. | Offer management |
| Hiring analytics | See where your hiring gets betterTime to hire, funnel conversion and source-to-hire reporting. Why it mattersConnect channels, assessments and activity to the hires they produce. | Analytics and insights |
| Onboarding and the employee record | The hire becomes the employee recordRecruitment is part of October People and connects to onboarding and the employee lifecycle. Why it mattersHiring and offer information carries into onboarding without re-keying. | New hire onboarding; works with SAP and other HCMs |
Based on public provider descriptions reviewed 31 October 2026. “Confirm” means the scope is not established by the linked sources. Some SmartRecruiters product pages could not be reviewed; those rows say Confirm.
Large, multi-country recruiting teams that want enterprise recruiting software, particularly those standardising on SAP SuccessFactors.
Organisations that want recruitment, onboarding and the employee record in one AI-first People platform, with Cara-led sourcing, AI interviews and verification native to the pipeline.
See October in contextQuestions,
answered.
Is October Recruitment an alternative to SmartRecruiters?
Yes. Both cover sourcing, AI screening, scheduling, offers and analytics. SmartRecruiters is recruiting software that connects to an HCM. October Recruitment is part of October People, so the hire becomes the employee record without a hand-off.
Is SmartRecruiters part of SAP?
Yes. SAP completed its acquisition of SmartRecruiters in September 2025. SmartRecruiters says it operates as a standalone business within SAP and works with SAP and other HCM systems.
Can we bring our candidates across from SmartRecruiters?
October Recruitment supports candidate imports, talent pools and recruiting importers. The source system and the records you want to bring across are scoped during setup.
How do AI interviews compare?
SmartRecruiters describes Winston Screen as generating screening questions, ranking candidates and supporting AI-assisted interviews. October offers live AI conversation, recorded video or audio responses, or interviewer-led screening with AI scoring, configured per role.
Who makes the hiring decision?
Your team. October’s scores and Cara’s reviews come with the evidence attached, and the hiring team makes the final decision.
Switching providers
Switching from SmartRecruiters?
Moving recruitment software is about keeping open roles moving while your history comes across. Here is what a move to October looks like.
- 01
Bring your candidates
October Recruitment supports candidate imports, talent pools and recruiting importers. The source system and records to bring across are scoped during setup.
- 02
Time the move
Getting started covers data preparation, migration, integrations, testing and training, scoped up front so you can plan around your current contract.
- 03
Connect to the employee record
Recruitment is part of October People, so hires carry into onboarding. October connects with 40+ HR and workplace systems.
- 04
Support after go-live
Ongoing administration and adoption support is agreed as part of the scope.
In a 30-minute conversation we look at what you use today, what moves and in what order. A scoping conversation then sets out the package, delivery responsibilities and rollout plan.