An honest comparison
Kordis vs Manatal for staffing agencies (2026)
Last updated . Competitor facts checked against the sources at the bottom of this page.
Manatal is a low-cost recruitment ATS with published per-user pricing, AI candidate recommendations and a social-profile enrichment feature. It is aimed at recruitment agencies and in-house hiring teams.
Kordis is not a recruitment ATS. It runs the day after the hire: confirming crews for tomorrow's shifts, covering overnight drop-outs, gating credentials by expiry, and getting hours into a payroll file.
What is Manatal good at?
Manatal is genuinely good value for a recruiting team: published pricing, a clean interface, candidate enrichment from public profiles, and AI recommendations against a job. For an agency whose business is placements, it is one of the cheapest credible ways to run a pipeline.
- Published, transparent per-user pricing, unusual in this category
- Low entry cost with a 14-day free trial and no card required
- Candidate enrichment and AI recommendations against a job description
- Straightforward to adopt without an implementation project
How do Kordis and Manatal compare?
| What matters | Kordis | Manatal |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Canadian temp staffing agencies with 25 to 100 workers | Recruitment agencies and in-house hiring teams |
| Pricing | Flat per agency (founding rate, then $499 a month), not per user | $15, $35 and $55 US per user per month billed annually; $19, $39 and $59 monthly |
| The core job | Filling and holding recurring shifts | Running a hiring pipeline to an offer |
| Shift filling | Auto Dispatch and Instant Cover: confirmation texts and calls go out on their own; fills and backfills are staged for your OK | Not a shift-scheduling product |
| Credential tracking | AutoFile and the Renewal Clock: credential expiry tracking with renewal texts at 90 days, 2 weeks, and 3 days, plus dispatch gating | Candidate documents; no expiry-based dispatch gating |
| Canadian rules | Ontario, BC, and Alberta rules built in: the cards workers carry, gating, calling hours | Global product; no provincial ESA or WSIB features |
Manatal publishes Professional at $15, Enterprise at $35 and Enterprise Plus at $55 US per user per month on annual billing ($19, $39 and $59 monthly), with a 14-day free trial, on manatal.com/pricing. Checked 2026-07-27.
Pick Manatal if
- Your business is placements and you need an affordable pipeline tool
- You want a recruitment ATS you can start on the same day, at a published price
Pick Kordis if
- Your business is recurring hourly shifts, where the work starts after the hire
- You need confirmation calls and texts to happen without you making them
- You need a lapsed forklift card or Smart Serve to stop a dispatch automatically
- You want provincial rules and payroll-ready hours, not a candidate database
Common questions
Is Manatal cheaper than Kordis?
For one or two recruiters, yes. Manatal starts at $15 US per user per month. The two are priced differently on purpose: Manatal charges per seat for a hiring pipeline, Kordis charges one flat price per agency for the whole shift desk.
Can Manatal fill a shift when someone no-shows?
No. Manatal tracks candidates through a hiring process; it does not text your bench at 4 a.m., rank who is eligible, stop when the shift is claimed, or stage the fill for your approval. That is a different product category.
Could an agency use both?
Yes, and some do: Manatal for a professional placement desk and Kordis for the hourly shift desk. For an agency that is only filling recurring shifts, Kordis already covers applicant intake, screening calls and onboarding.
Sources
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