Firefish alternatives for recruitment agencies
The Glasgow-built CRM for independent UK agencies, with UK compliance baked in and six named AI agents.
Why agencies look beyond Firefish
The money and the model. The timesheets are there but the invoicing is somewhere else, and an agency that wants one agent working the whole desk rather than six tools finds the shape does not fit.
What its own users say they would change
- Reviewers cite the missing invoicing inside the database; invoices are created in Xero or Timesheet Portal.
- The vendor's own scope excludes enterprise firms, in-house teams and agencies operating mainly outside the UK.
- Hosting is in the Netherlands and Ireland with no UK region; the company holds Cyber Essentials but not its own ISO 27001; the AWR and complex-rates module is still 'Coming soon'.
What to look for instead
- 1
The price per seat on the page rather than after a demo.
- 2
Self-billing and client invoicing inside the system, not exported to Xero to finish.
- 3
One agent across the desk rather than six tools, with the import done in an afternoon.
AI-native or bolted on
Where Firefish’s AI sits
Six named agents, each doing one job, on a UK CRM with an AI module in Core and enrichment credits on top. Kit is one agent across the whole desk, so nothing is re-keyed between tools: the same system that takes the call note ranks the book, drafts the chase-up, sorts the replies, books the interview and runs the timesheet to the self-bill.
Five alternatives to Firefish
Chosen for the gaps above. We are one of them.
Vayora
The AI-native CRM and ATS for recruitment agencies
The same UK focus with the price on the page, the invoice and the self-bill inside the system, and one agent working the whole desk instead of six.
itris
The long-running UK recruitment CRM from Surrey, relaunched in the cloud as itris X in 2025, with UK hosting and a UK service desk.
Pricing on request
JobAdder
The SEEK-owned ATS and CRM from Sydney, sized by seat band, with timesheets built in and the money handled by partners.
Pricing on request
Zoho Recruit
The budget all-in-one from the Zoho suite, priced from £20 a recruiter, with the contract desk in a separate product.
£20 per recruiter a month billed annually for Standard (£24 monthly), £40 for Professional (£48 monthly) and £60 for Enterprise (£72 monthly) on the Staffing Agency edition
Mercury
The UK recruitment CRM built on Microsoft Dynamics 365, with a native middle and back office, for enterprise and high-growth firms.
Pricing on request
Firefish and Vayora at a glance
| Firefish | Vayora | |
|---|---|---|
| Built around | The Glasgow-built CRM for independent UK agencies, with UK compliance baked in and six named AI agents. | Your own database, with one agent in every workflow |
| Company | Glasgow, United Kingdom; founded 2010 (incorporated January 2010; the vendor's own AI brief says 2011); private; founders Wendy McDougall and Andrew Mackay; £4 million investment from Foresight Group in April 2023 | London, UK; founded 2026 |
| Built for | 'Independent and mid-market UK recruitment agencies with about 1 to 200 users', about 700 of them; the vendor excludes enterprise firms, in-house teams and agencies operating mainly outside the UK | Small and mid-sized UK agencies, perm and contract |
| Pricing | Quoted: Not published; 'Add-On Modules (from £150 per module)' is the only figure, and 'the best way to get accurate pricing is to book a demo' | Published: Core £65, Pro £129 a seat a month, plus VAT; annual £55 and £109 |
| Getting live | 'Requirements vary'; implementation, data migration, coaching and training are offered; no fees or timelines published | An import you run; no fee; 30-day trial, no card |
| Contract pay and bill | Partly native: Timesheets and margin are native (the Time Capture add-on); invoicing goes through Xero or Timesheet Portal and payroll through Tempaid; self-billing is not stated; the Timeclock module for AWR and complex rates is 'Coming soon' | Native: timesheets, self-bill, invoicing, margin and pay runs (limited-company contractors) |
| AI | Six named agents (Skills, Insight, Matching, Email, Content, Enrichment) plus email sequencing; an AI and automation module is in the Core tier; enrichment credits are an add-on | Kit, one agent through the whole desk, in the Pro price and not metered; see where the AI sits, above |
| UK and data | UK head office and GBP pricing; GDPR, AWR and right-to-work controls built in; hosted on Microsoft Azure in the Netherlands and Ireland with no UK region; Cyber Essentials | UK company, GBP, hosted in Ireland, never trains shared models |
| Integrations | '50+ tools', including Outlook, Gmail, Indeed, CV-Library, Reed, Totaljobs and Xero | About 24 named plus signed webhooks |
Firefish column checked 22 October 2026; sources below.
When to stay with Firefish
If you are a UK-only agency that values a UK vendor, UK compliance features and strong support above anything else, and you are happy with invoicing in Xero. For that firm Firefish is a sensible, well-supported choice.
Questions
- What is the best alternative to Firefish for a UK recruitment agency?
- It depends on what you are leaving for. The price per seat on the page rather than after a demo. Self-billing and client invoicing inside the system, not exported to Xero to finish. One agent across the desk rather than six tools, with the import done in an afternoon. The five below each suit a different desk, and Firefish itself remains right for some.
- Does leaving Firefish mean losing contract pay and bill?
- What Firefish offers: timesheets and margin are native (the Time Capture add-on); invoicing goes through Xero or Timesheet Portal and payroll through Tempaid; self-billing is not stated; the Timeclock module for AWR and complex rates is 'Coming soon'. Vayora runs the contract desk natively, so the money moves with you.
- How long does switching from Firefish take?
- On Firefish's side, its own guidance: 'Requirements vary'; implementation, data migration, coaching and training are offered; no fees or timelines published. On ours, an import rather than a project.
Want the wider field? Our ranking of fourteen systems places Firefish among the alternatives above.
Sources, read 22 October 2026
- www.firefishsoftware.com/pricing
- www.firefishsoftware.com/llm-info
- www.firefishsoftware.com/sub-features/time-capture
- www.firefishsoftware.com/contract-recruitment-software
- www.firefishsoftware.com/core-modules/ai-agents
- firefishsoftware.com/trust
- fishtank.firefishsoftware.com/how-to-set-up-and-use-the-xero-integration
- www.firefishsoftware.com/about
- www.capterra.com/p/226344/Firefish/reviews/
Not verifiable from public pages on that date: self-billing; implementation fees and timelines; the billing basis of the add-on price.