Firefish Pricing Explained: What You Get in the Three Tiers

Firefish publishes three tiers, converting to roughly $102, $114 and $133 per user a month for Basic, Professional and Enterprise. Those figures cover the subscription only. Independent pricing analyses report migration, training, renewal increases and usage-limit charges sitting outside them, which is why a quote usually lands above the published rate. This article breaks down what each tier includes, what the extra costs are, and the contract terms to confirm in writing before you sign.

Key takeaways

• Firefish sells three tiers. Published figures convert to roughly $102 per user a month for Basic, $114 for Professional and $133 for Enterprise. (Source: Capterra, checked 2026; converted from GBP, see Sources.)

• Capability is split across those tiers, so the tier you need depends on which features you use rather than on your headcount.

• Independent analyses report migration and training as separate one-time costs, plus annual increases at renewal and charges for additional support or exceeding usage limits.

• Annual pricing is offered alongside monthly rates, so check the minimum term and cancellation notice before committing.

• Firefish is well reviewed, holding around 4.6 out of 5 on Capterra, with support the most consistently praised aspect. Pricing structure, not product quality, is what this article is about.

Firefish's three tiers cost roughly $102, $114 and $133 per user a month

Firefish is more transparent than several vendors in this category, which is worth crediting. Published listings show three tiers with figures attached to each.

The figures below are converted from published GBP prices at the 2026 exchange rate and rounded, so treat them as close approximations rather than exact quotes. Some listings also describe Firefish pricing as quote-based, and one tracker cites a lower entry figure, so confirm current pricing directly with Firefish.

• Basic: roughly $102 per user a month.
• Professional: roughly $114 per user a month.
• Enterprise: roughly $133 per user a month.

Annual pricing is offered alongside these monthly rates. (Source: Capterra Firefish pricing summary, checked 2026.)

The gaps between tiers are relatively narrow, which is unusual and generally good for a buyer. It means stepping up a tier is a smaller decision than with vendors whose tiers jump considerably.

Basic covers the core workflow, Professional adds the CMS, Enterprise adds employer portals

The tier you need depends on which capabilities you actually use, not on how many recruiters you have. Independent breakdowns describe the split roughly as follows. (Source: PricingNow pricing analysis, December 2025, and ITQlick pricing analysis, February 2026. These are third-party analyses rather than Firefish's published terms, so confirm current tier contents directly with Firefish.)

Basic covers the core recruiting workflow: online applications, job board multiposting, the applicant tracking job workflow, potential candidate matches and standard reporting.

Professional adds capability including the content management system, interview management and social recruitment tools.

Enterprise adds the higher-end items, with employer portals and advanced configuration described at this level. Compliance management and custom reports are also described as sitting above Basic.

The practical issue for a 3-to-10 seat UK agency is that requirements often straddle two tiers. A common example: you want custom reports, which sit above Basic, but not employer portals, which sit at Enterprise. So you either pay for a band of capability you will not use, or stay on a lower tier and work around the gap with spreadsheet exports.

Before requesting a quote, write down the capabilities your desk genuinely uses each week, then ask which tier each one sits in. If the list spans tiers, you have found your real price rather than the entry price.

Migration, training and renewal increases are charged on top of the tier price

Three categories appear consistently in independent pricing analyses, and none of them are on the headline tier list.

Migration from your current system. Described as a one-time cost, with some users reporting these as high. (Source: PricingNow, December 2025.) The figure depends on data volume and how much cleaning is needed, so ask for it before you commit rather than after.

Training. Charged separately depending on the level of support your team requires. (Source: PricingNow, December 2025.) Worth clarifying whether basic onboarding is included and what counts as chargeable beyond it.

Renewal increases and usage charges. Annual increases are described as something to expect, particularly as new capability is added to the product. One tracker also notes potential charges for additional support or for exceeding usage limits. (Source: PricingNow, December 2025, and ITQlick, February 2026.)

None of this makes Firefish unusually expensive. It is a common structure across recruitment software. The point is that the per-seat figure understates the first-year total, so the number worth comparing between vendors is total cost across a full year including migration and training.

Annual billing lowers the per-seat rate but commits your headcount for the term

Firefish offers annual pricing alongside its monthly rates. (Source: Capterra pricing summary, checked 2026.) That is standard in this market, and an annual term typically comes at a lower effective rate.

The trade-off matters more at 3-to-10 seats than at larger sizes. Headcount moves quickly on a small desk: a good quarter adds a recruiter, a slow one means holding steady. A per-seat annual commitment does not flex with that, so you can end up paying for seats you are not using.

The renewal point is also where increases land with the least room to negotiate, because you are committed for the term regardless.

Whichever billing option you choose, get three things in writing: the minimum term, the cancellation notice period and when it opens, and whether the rate is held at renewal or subject to increase. These are reasonable questions and a vendor confident in its pricing will answer them without hesitation.

Six questions that turn a Firefish quote into a real first-year number

These apply to any recruitment CRM quote, not just Firefish. Ask for the answers in writing.

1. Which tier covers the capabilities I listed? Give them your actual weekly requirements rather than asking what the tiers contain, so the answer is specific to your desk.

2. What is the total per user per month, itemised? Including anything that is not part of the tier price.

3. What does migration cost, and what does it include? Specifically whether notes, attachments and activity history come across, and whether data cleaning is inside the figure.

4. What does training cost? And what level of onboarding is included as standard.

5. What is the minimum term and cancellation notice? Plus whether the rate is held at renewal.

6. What does it cost to export my data if I leave? Ask this before you sign, not when you are leaving.

Firefish is good value if you run temp desks and fit inside a single tier

The fair assessment, because the structure above is normal rather than unreasonable.

Firefish is well reviewed, holding around 4.6 out of 5 on Capterra, and reviewers consistently single out the support team as responsive and knowledgeable, along with smooth onboarding and frequent updates. (Source: Capterra and GetApp verified reviews, checked 2026.) It is UK-built and UK-focused, and it covers permanent, contract and temporary desks including shift scheduling, which many alternatives do not.

If your requirements fit cleanly inside one tier, if you run temp desks, and if you value a vendor with a documented support reputation, Firefish pricing represents reasonable value and the tier structure is not a problem for you.

The structure becomes a problem when your requirements straddle tiers, when the one-time costs land on a tight first-year budget, or when an annual commitment does not suit how quickly your headcount changes.

Shortlists is $120 all in, so the real comparison is cost shape rather than entry rate

Shortlists is a recruiting CRM built only for 3-to-10 seat UK agencies, and it is priced differently rather than simply lower. Being straightforward about that: Firefish Basic and Professional both sit below Shortlists on headline per-seat price.

Shortlists is one published figure of $120 per user a month, covering the CRM, applicant tracking, interview notetaker, client portal, business development (BD) Radar, outreach and 40 enrichment credits per user a month. There is one plan, so no capability sits above your tier and there is no tier arithmetic to do.

On the costs outside the subscription: migration is free, run by the Shortlists team rather than an external partner, with most agencies live within 48 hours. There is no implementation fee and no separate training charge. Billing is month to month with no annual term, no notice period to track and no renewal increase, and your data stays exportable at no charge.

So the comparison is about cost shape. A tiered subscription at a lower entry rate plus one-time migration and training plus an annual uplift produces a different first-year total from a single all-in monthly figure. Run both over twelve months for the capability you actually need, and the answer will depend on your requirements rather than on either headline rate.

Underneath the pricing question is a simpler one: the software should carry the admin so your team keeps the work that wins placements. AI takes the admin. The craft stays with you.

If you are mid-contract with Firefish, you can use Shortlists at $40 per user a month until your existing term ends, so the overlap does not mean paying twice.

Shortlists is used by 55+ UK recruitment agencies. (See the pricing page, the Shortlists and Firefish comparison, and how free migration works.)

Frequently asked questions

Build a like-for-like first-year cost before you sign anything

Whichever vendor you are quoting, build the total first-year cost rather than comparing monthly rates. Ask the six questions above and get the answers in writing before you commit.

Shortlists is built for 3-to-10 seat UK agencies doing permanent recruiting, and used by 55+ of them, at one published all-in price.

• Try it free for 14 days and price it against your current quote.
• Book a Demo and we will map your requirements against one Shortlists price.
• See the pricing page, the full comparison pages, and how free migration works.