Shortlists vs Loxo comparison
It promised to replace everything. Now it's just an expensive database.
Loxo sold itself as the all-in-one solution. For many solo recruiters, it became a $169/month contact list with a lot of unused features around it.
“Started as an all-in-one replacement... didn't meet expectations. Now just a flat database for storing candidates.”
7 days free, then £79 / $99 / €89 per user per month. Card required. Cancel any time in the 7 days and you won't be charged.
At a glance
Shortlists vs Loxo — quick overview
The honest take
Loxo is a sourcing platform wearing a CRM's clothes.
Loxo was built around talent sourcing for large internal recruiting teams. It has a lot of features — but most solo recruiters and small agencies use maybe 30% of them, and the ones they actually need (a client portal, passive candidate pipelines, simple BD tracking) aren't there.
Loxo's Basic plan doesn't include contact enrichment. It's sold as credits on top of the subscription, and Loxo doesn't publish what those credits cost — you get a quote from sales. With Shortlists, enrichment credits are part of the $99 base price: 100 per seat every month, shared across your team. Need more? Top up any time. Top-up credits never expire, and there's no separate conversation to have.
In Loxo, a pipelinehangs off an active job. If you want to nurture a shortlist of people before a role exists — which is how relationship-led desks work — there's no clean home for it. Shortlists lets you build and keep those pipelines with no live vacancy attached.
And at $169/month— roughly $2,028 per seat a year before any enrichment credits — you're paying a premium for a platform that several of its own users describe as “just a flat database.”
Why agencies switch
What drives recruiters away from Loxo.
Became just a database
Users built it up as their all-in-one solution, then found they were still using Excel for client management and spreadsheets for BD.
“Still relies on Excel spreadsheets for client organisation.”
Enrichment costs extra
Enrichment isn't in the Basic plan. It runs on credits you buy separately, priced on request from sales. Shortlists includes 100 credits per seat every month, shared across your team, and top-ups never expire.
“Enrichment isn't included — it's paid credits, priced on request.”
Can't build passive pipelines
You can't create a candidate pipeline without an active job posting attached. For retained and relationship-led recruiters, this kills the whole workflow.
“Can't create passive candidate pipelines without active job posting.”
No client portal
Loxo has no way to share a live, branded view of your pipeline with a hiring manager. You're still emailing PDFs.
“Had to send candidate reports manually every time — no portal, no live view.”
Feature by feature
Everything side by side.
Pricing accurate as of Q1 2026. Verify current Loxo pricing with their sales team.
Pricing
Enrichment credits included. Top-ups never expire.
Shortlists
All features included. Enrichment included, with 100 credits per seat every month shared across your team. 7 days free, then £79 / $99 / €89 per user per month. Card required. Cancel any time in the 7 days and you won't be charged.
Start free trialLoxo
Basic plan, ~$2,028/year per seat. Enrichment credits sold separately.
You save $840/year — and every seat comes with 100 credits a month.
Migration
Switching from Loxo? We move your data for you.
Your candidate and client data comes with you. Our CTO handles the migration personally. We set up your account so your trial runs while we move your data. Most migrations take 2–3 weeks end to end. Still in a contract with another CRM? Pay $51 per user per month until it ends, then move to standard All Access pricing. Book a call and we'll set it up.
Start free trialMigrating from another CRM? Talk to us first.
What recruiters say
Rated 4.8/5 on G2, trusted by 55+ recruitment agencies.
“Shortlists cuts the time it takes to build a shortlist and keeps everything tidy and consistent. I can share a clean, professional output with clients.”
Faraj Jaboor
Consultant · via G2
“Shortlists has completely transformed how we present candidates. It saves hours of work, looks professional, and makes our clients' experience seamless.”
Aaron Hayhurst
Founder, Web3 Insights: Talent · via G2
“Streamlined my entire client presentation process. And my clients love it.”
Robin Beattie
Founder, Akaina Talent · via G2
Questions
Shortlists vs Loxo — common questions.
Ready to make the switch?
Join 55+ agencies who've already moved. Migrating from another CRM? Talk to us first.
7 days free, then £79 / $99 / €89 per user per month. Card required. Cancel any time in the 7 days and you won't be charged.