RefineCV vs HireAra
Both turn raw CVs into branded documents with AI. RefineCV does it from $0.25 per CV with a real no-card free trial and no annual lock-in, while HireAra is a polished, ISO 27001-certified platform sold on annual plans from £180/month with no free trial. Here is the full comparison.
At a glance
| RefineCV | HireAra | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Per CV, self-serve, no minimum | Annual plans from £180/mo + VAT (~$241) |
| Per-CV cost | $0.25 (Pro) / $0.40 (PAYG) | ~£0.12 (~$0.16) at full annual use, Starter |
| Free trial | 10 CVs, no expiry, no card | None (demo-led onboarding only) |
| Input formats | 10 (incl. XLSX, CSV, Apple Pages) | Word, PDF, LinkedIn profile |
| Template builder | Self-service, drag-and-drop | Managed with design support (5-50 by tier) |
| Team seats | Unlimited, free | Unlimited users, all tiers |
Pricing comparison
HireAra sells annual candidate allocations across four tiers, billed monthly, with unlimited users. RefineCV is $0.40 per CV with no commitment, or $0.25 per CV on the $50/month Pro plan. Here is how that adds up at different volumes.
50 CVs/month
200 CVs/month
500 CVs/month
HireAra prices are taken from its published pricing page (annual candidate allocations billed monthly: Starter £180/mo for 1,500/yr, Scale £450/mo for 5,000/yr, Professional £950/mo for 12,000/yr), plus VAT. Monthly equivalents assume the tier needed to cover that volume across a year. Conversions assume roughly £1 = $1.34 and exclude VAT. RefineCV pricing is exact and published in US dollars.
Two ways to pay. $0.25 per CV on Pro with 200 included for $50/month. Or $0.40 per CV with Pay As You Go, no monthly minimum and no annual commitment.
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | RefineCV | HireAra |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per CV, self-serve | Annual subscription tiers |
| Starting price | $0.40/CV (PAYG) | £180/mo + VAT (~$241), annual |
| Annual commitment | None | Yes (annual candidate allocation) |
| Free trial | 10 CVs (never expire) | None (demo-led onboarding) |
| Self-serve signup | Yes (60 seconds) | No (onboarding/demo required) |
| Effective per-CV cost | $0.25 (Pro) / $0.40 (PAYG) | ~$0.16 at full annual use |
| Unlimited team seats | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI-powered extraction | ✓ | ✓ |
| OCR (scanned documents) | ✓ | Not confirmed |
| Input formats | 10 | Word, PDF, LinkedIn |
| PDF export | ✓ | ✓ |
| DOCX export | ✓ | Not confirmed |
| Trackable share links | ✗ | ✓ |
| Self-service template builder | ✓ | ✗ |
| Live preview | ✓ | Not confirmed |
| Agency logo and branding | ✓ | ✓ |
| Post-format editing | Yes (edit fields, re-export free) | Not confirmed |
| Client cover sheets / spec CVs | ✗ | ✓ |
| ATS integrations | Bullhorn, SAP (direct) | 9 platforms |
| ISO 27001 | ✗ | ✓ |
| GDPR compliant | ✓ | ✓ |
Where RefineCV stands out
A real free trial, no card
RefineCV gives you 10 free CVs with no credit card and no expiry, so you can test real output before paying. HireAra states it does not offer free trials because it prefers live onboarding, design support, and training. You commit before you see your own CVs run through it.
No annual commitment or tier lock-in
RefineCV is pay-as-you-go from $0.40 per CV, or $50/month for 200 CVs on Pro, with no minimum and no contract. HireAra sells annual candidate allocations, so the Starter plan is effectively a £2,160 (~$2,890) yearly commitment, and exceeding your annual cap pushes you up to the next tier.
Self-service template builder
Build and edit branded templates yourself with drag-and-drop sections and a live preview, at no extra cost. HireAra provides templates with design support during onboarding and caps the number by plan (5 on Starter, up to 50 on Professional). You rely on their team rather than editing freely yourself.
More input formats and transparent self-serve signup
RefineCV accepts 10 input formats, including XLSX, CSV, and Apple Pages, and every plan and price is published with self-serve signup in about a minute. HireAra accepts Word, PDF, and LinkedIn profiles and requires a demo and onboarding before you start.
Where HireAra has an edge
We believe in honest comparisons. Here is where HireAra is ahead today.
ISO 27001 certified
HireAra is ISO 27001 certified and Cyber Essentials certified, alongside GDPR compliance, 24/7 security monitoring, and a stated 99.99% uptime. It also commits to not using candidate data for AI training. RefineCV is GDPR compliant with SOC 2 in progress but does not yet hold ISO 27001. If your procurement team requires ISO 27001 today, HireAra meets that bar.
Broader ATS and CRM integrations
HireAra integrates with nine platforms including Bullhorn, Bullhorn for Salesforce, Salesforce, JobAdder, Vincere, Mercury, Access CRM, Seven20, and Recman. RefineCV currently integrates directly with Bullhorn and SAP, with more planned.
Wider output types and candidate engagement
Beyond formatted CVs, HireAra produces executive one-pagers, spec CVs, AI-filled client cover sheets, candidate websites, and trackable share links built around business development. RefineCV focuses on fast, branded CV formatting and does not offer these candidate-marketing extras.
Common questions
How much does HireAra cost?
HireAra publishes four tiers billed monthly with annual candidate allocations: Starter at £180/month + VAT (about $241) for 1,500 candidates per year, Scale at £450/month for 5,000 per year, Professional at £950/month for 12,000 per year, and Enterprise custom pricing. All tiers include unlimited users. RefineCV charges per CV instead: $0.40 on Pay As You Go or $50/month for 200 CVs on Pro ($0.25 per CV), with no annual commitment.
Does HireAra offer a free trial?
No. HireAra states on its pricing page that it does not offer free trials because it prefers to provide live onboarding sessions, design support, and training. RefineCV gives you 10 free CVs with no credit card and no expiry, so you can format real candidates and judge the output before you pay.
Is RefineCV cheaper than HireAra?
For most small and mid-size agencies, yes. HireAra's lowest tier is £180/month + VAT (about $241) on an annual plan capped at 1,500 candidates per year. RefineCV starts at $0.40 per CV with no minimum, so an agency formatting 50 CVs a month pays about $20. At full annual utilization HireAra's per-candidate cost is low (around $0.16), but you pay for the whole annual allocation whether you use it or not.
Can I build my own templates on HireAra?
HireAra provides branded templates with design support during onboarding, with the number capped by plan (5 on Starter up to 50 on Professional). It is a managed, design-assisted model rather than a fully self-service editor. RefineCV gives you a self-service drag-and-drop template builder so you create and edit templates yourself at no extra cost.
Which tool has better security certifications?
HireAra. It is ISO 27001 certified and Cyber Essentials certified, in addition to being GDPR compliant. RefineCV is GDPR compliant with SOC 2 in progress but does not yet hold ISO 27001. If ISO 27001 is a hard requirement for your procurement team today, HireAra currently meets it.
What file formats does each tool accept?
RefineCV accepts 10 input formats, including PDF, DOCX, DOC, XLSX, CSV, TXT, ODT, RTF, and Apple Pages, and exports to PDF and DOCX. HireAra accepts Word, PDF, and LinkedIn profiles and exports to PDF or a trackable share link.
The verdict
Both tools turn messy CVs into branded documents with AI extraction and agency branding.
RefineCV wins on a real no-card free trial, per-CV pricing with no annual commitment, a self-service template builder, and more input formats. HireAra leads on ISO 27001 certification, deeper CRM integrations, and candidate-marketing output types like cover sheets and trackable share links.
If you want branded CVs fast without an annual contract or a sales call, RefineCV is built for you.
Start Free, 10 CVsNo credit card required