Søknadsbasen vs Webcruiter
Webcruiter is one of Norway's most established recruitment systems, especially in the public sector and large organisations. It is a full ATS, but the price is not public and requires a sales conversation.
We compare honestly: Webcruiter's deep process ATS against Søknadsbasen's transparent unit price, candidate base and low threshold.
What is what
Webcruiter (owned by Talentech, of Norwegian origin since 2003) is a subscription-based recruitment system for the whole hiring journey, with access control, career pages and a GDPR-compliant AI Copilot. Widely used by the public sector.
Søknadsbasen is a lighter, self-service tool: pay per job with no agreement, search a candidate base and handle applications, with a free start.
Side by side
| Feature | Søknadsbasen | Webcruiter |
|---|---|---|
| Price / modelSubscription, price varies with size | Per job, NOK 990-2,990 (14-90 days), volume discount | Not public (contact sales) |
| Job posting | highlighted in the job seeker feed, exclusively | via subscription |
| Searchable candidate base (active sourcing)Internal candidate pool / referrals, not an open external base | anonymous candidate base, unlocks NOK 49-99 each | Partly |
| Application handling (ATS / pipeline) | pipeline with ATS score + AI summary | full ATS |
| AI (ad + screening) | AI ad + AI screening | GDPR-compliant AI Copilot |
| No lock-in / annual contractSubscription / agreement | no lock-in, pay per job | No |
| Free to get startedDemo, not a free account | free account, pay only on publishing/contact | No |
| Norwegian + EU/GDPR storage | Norwegian, EU/GDPR, never sells data | Norwegian origin, GDPR |
| Company profile / employer branding | public company profile + brand upgrade | dynamic career pages |
| Target group | Founders/SMBs to HR/agencies | Public sector / large organisations |
What Webcruiter does well
- Deep ATS functionality for complex, high-volume recruitment processes with strict access control.
- Wide use in the Norwegian public sector, familiar and well established.
- The whole employee journey in one platform (the Talentech suite).
Where Webcruiter falls short
- Price not public, requires a sales conversation and a subscription with lock-in.
- No free start, you have to book a demo.
- Heavier than most small and medium-sized businesses need.
What Søknadsbasen offers beyond that
- A public unit price (NOK 990-2,990 per job) and a free start, no sales conversation or annual agreement.
- A built-in, searchable candidate base with pay-per-contact, not just an internal pool.
- You are up and running in minutes, not after a procurement and implementation process.
Choose Webcruiter
Choose Webcruiter if you are a public body or large organisation with strict process requirements, access control and many simultaneous jobs.
Choose Søknadsbasen
Choose Søknadsbasen if you want a predictable unit price with no agreement, a free start, and a candidate base you can search yourself, without the weight of an ATS.
Common questions
- What does Webcruiter cost compared with Søknadsbasen?
- Webcruiter does not state a price publicly, it is a subscription you have to ask for a quote on. Søknadsbasen costs from NOK 990 per job, with no lock-in, and it is free to create an account.
- Is Søknadsbasen a full ATS like Webcruiter?
- Søknadsbasen covers what most small and medium-sized employers need: posting, candidate search and a pipeline with an ATS score and AI summaries. Webcruiter is heavier and built for the most complex public-sector processes.
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