Atlas vs Mercury
Executive search recruitment is fast-paced. Speed and efficiency are non-negotiable!
Many staffing agency tools say they’re innovative, but they fall short of today’s standards.
If you’re looking for an unfair advantage with the best AI-powered ATS, you’ve found it.
Welcome to Atlas.
Learn why recruiters choose Atlas over Mercury
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Build a recruiting workflow that runs on its own
Atlas puts agentic AI at the core of your operations, turning repetitive tasks into automated actions that happen without slowing your team down. Records update themselves, outreach fires at the right moment, and follow-ups happen automatically across every role and every search. You get hours back each week and spend your time where it creates impact: winning clients, closing candidates, and driving revenue.
Mercury does not offer an equivalent automation engine. It relies on basic AI layers added to an existing system, rather than making automation a core part of the workflow. This means more manual steps for your people at the end of the day.
Turn every interaction into intelligence your whole team can use
Atlas creates a unified Total Memory that captures and connects everything your team says, hears, reads, and writes. Calls, emails, notes, and updates flow into one searchable intelligence layer that gives AI agents the full context they need to act across your entire pipeline. You get instant clarity, stronger decisions, and a workflow that always takes the bigger picture into account.
In comparison, Mercury doesn’t have an end-to-end intelligence layer that combines your company’s knowledge in a single system. Information is more fragmented and thus requires more manual work on your part.
Act on the opportunities that matter most
Atlas reads real-time signals across every role, client, and candidate in your pipeline and surfaces the moments that deserve your attention. Its agentic AI scores engagement, tracks momentum shifts, and recommends the next best action so you always know where to focus. Your team moves with intention and spends time on the opportunities most likely to convert.
In contrast, Mercury offers basic business development tools that help manage your pipeline but do not reveal high-value opportunities or guide next steps. You handle more of the analysis yourself, which slows down prioritization and makes it harder to stay ahead of fast-moving searches.
Turn candidate conversations into a strategic advantage
Atlas captures every interaction with a native, intelligent AI note taker that works across outreach, calls, video interviews, and your entire recruiting workflow. Each conversation is distilled into clear insights and instantly linked to candidates’ profiles, giving your team richer context and faster understanding. Recruiters make sharper decisions because the details that matter are always accurate, complete, and ready to use.
Mercury provides manual note-taking and offers an AI note taker as an add-on, but it comes at an extra cost and lacks the advanced intelligence built into Atlas. You still manage more of the process by hand, and the system does not deliver the same depth of insight or workflow integration.
Create personalized outreach at scale with zero extra effort
Atlas gives recruiters the ability to build high-impact, multi-step campaigns across email, phone, and social without adding extra work to the day. It pulls in role details, notes, and real-time context so every message feels tailored and relevant. With the Atlas Chrome extension, your team can tap into shared intelligence, get instant answers, and send personalized outreach in minutes. The result is faster engagement, stronger responses, and communication that feels genuinely human at scale.
Mercury includes CRM capabilities, but its business development features vary by version and often require added customization or extra cost. It does not deliver the same integrated, AI-powered outreach tools that Atlas provides
See every metric clearly and stay ahead of pipeline risks
Atlas provides you with real-time visibility into every search with dashboards built for speed, depth, and day-to-day decision making. You can break down performance by consultant, role, activity, stage, or any metric that shapes outcomes. Atlas analyzes activity patterns, pace, and momentum automatically, surfacing risks and opportunities long before they become issues. Your team operates with total clarity because every signal in your pipeline is easy to see and act on.
Comparatively, Mercury’s dashboards are more traditional and function like standard CRM reporting. They offer useful summaries but lack the depth and intelligence of Atlas, where every metric ties back to the rich context inside your system through agentic AI.
Spot top candidates in seconds with intelligent fit scoring
Atlas gives your team a smarter, more consistent way to pinpoint top candidates. You define exactly what great looks like for each search, from skills and experience to behaviors and role-specific nuances. Magic Columns evaluates every profile against those criteria and produces a clear, visual fit score that highlights top contenders and uncovers hidden potential. Recruiters build high-quality shortlists fast, without manual filtering or second-guessing.
Mercury does not offer intelligent candidate scoring. You assess candidates manually to determine fit, which adds hours of admin and makes it harder to focus on matching the strongest talent to the right opportunities.
Features
ATLAS
Mercury
Total Memory
Access everything anyone in your company ever said, heard, read, or wrote about a candidate
Powered by Gen AI
Basic search functionality
Opportunities
Track job leads, target clients, and marketable candidates in one central workspace
End-to-end business development with a customizable playbook
Basic outreach at additional cost
Dashboards
Custom native dashboards to set goals, monitor data analysis, and make smart decisions
Live performance tracking at every stage of your pipeline
Basic features only
Email and phone data
Get email and phone data natively inside your platform
Basic functionality only
Native AI note-taker
Access AI-generated notes in real-time
Available at additional cost
Ask AI
Query your firm’s entire knowledge base in real time
Report AI
Gen AI search report writing
Speed
How quickly does it load a page
0.1 seconds
+1 seconds
Client page
Present candidates to clients in a clean, consolidated view
Chrome Extension
Sync candidate data directly from the platform and launch multi-touch, multi-step campaigns
Mobile App
Manage your recruitment on the go
Jamie Bootle
// Co-Founder and Director of Process
// Feedback
“Most platforms stay the same for years. Atlas is moving in the direction recruitment is going, which makes it a smart bet.“
The common objections
I’ve heard that moving platforms is a nightmare.
The entire process can be completed in a few weeks. The Onboarding team manage the migration project from end-to-end including, getting your data from Loxo, mapping the data ahead of migration, migrating the data, clearing up the mess and onboarding your team.
I’m concerned about the privacy and security of our candidate data if we start using AI
Your candidate data is in good hands. Our AI platform is fully GDPR compliant, and we use OpenAI’s API-based models, which are also GDPR compliant, to ensure your data stays private. You can learn more about our security measures at https://openai.com/security.
Customer testimonials
Having Atlas is worth two VAs – the amount of time I save by not having to fill in data fields, parse CVs manually, retrofit processes to archaic systems, take notes & actually do something with those notes – like, the whole thing’s done for me!
Atlas is the next generation of recruitment software the industry has been waiting for. It removes the admin drain from recruiters, to allow them to focus on the human relationships and personal interactions that make all the difference.
I have used 99.9% of all the CRM and ATS systems available to third party recruiters over the course of my 26 year career in recruitment. Atlas is by far the best thing to happen to the industry in a long time. All the things that slow you down as a recruiter are taken on by Atlas, freeing you up to make waves in your niche. Many firms have scrambled to bolt AI on to their systems. Atlas has AI baked in, it is literally in the DNA of the system and it is evident in every aspect of the system. I can’t recommend Atlas highly enough.
Atlas has been a game changer for People In AI: we wanted a modern ATS that utilized AI and was easily searchable, usable and fast. Atlas delivered that and more.
Atlas is now at the core of our tech stack, additionally allowing us to significantly save money elsewhere by replacing other now unnecessary tools. It’s become an essential part of how we work and grow. Overall, Atlas feels like a smart, time saving partner that helps us focus on growing our business instead of getting bogged down in repetitive tasks. Definitely worth checking out if you want a fresh, efficient approach in this area.
Atlas is the best CRM platform I have ever used, it is built exactly how you think something should work utilizing the best of AI. Not only does Atlas capture everything you do, highlight everything you need to know and help uncover missed information from a simple search, the team are also fantastic. They solve tickets quickly but most importantly the Atlas you see today isn’t the Atlas you’ll have next week or in three months time. They are constantly adding new features which don’t slow anything down. Highly recommend.
Atlas is a game-changer! Unlike clunky ATS platforms I’ve used before, it’s intuitive, efficient, and takes the hassle out of admin tasks. Huge thanks to the team for leveraging AI the right way—what it does is epic!
Having used other ‘market leading’ CRMs Atlas feels a class above. It is simply, flexible and intiutive. The rate at which new features are being launched and upgraded is unparalleled to what I have seen in the market.
Atlas has been a gamechanger – Combining data collection, outreach and workflow has made my life considerably easier!
I’ve tried a lot of recruitment tech, but Atlas is next-level. Less admin, more time, and features that actually work! Recruitment agencies, this is the platform you need!
Atlas is infinitely better than anything else on the market and if you aren’t using it, you are at an incredible disadvantage!
Never has a CRM changed the game so much when it comes to recruitment. Jordan and the team at Atlas are building something truly incredible with the sole focus of allowing recruitment consultants to focus on what they are incredible at, being consultants. If you are a recruitment company and you’re not using Atlas, be prepared to be left behind in the dust.
In my 15 years in recruitment, I’ve never experienced such a genuine game changer as Atlas! Everything has improved, admin is non existent, and productivity has increased 10x compared to our old CRMs (Bullhorn and Vincere). If you are in recruitment, you absolutely HAVE to try it!
Atlas lets me stay focused on the interview by taking notes for me. It also analyzes candidates against the job description, providing valuable insights to help identify the best fit for the role.
We’ve been using Atlas for the last year and it’s like nothing we’ve ever used before. The platform is so intelligent and with all communications recorded, it makes the life of a recruiter so much easier. As the platform is entirely built on AI, it saves us time on all aspects of our job. The platform is constantly evolving with new features dropping weekly, it can be hard to keep up. A huge upgrade from Bullhorn!
I’ve used countless recruitment systems over the year, all of them at the time were seen as ‘cutting edge’. Times have changed. In the world we now live Atlas are true pioneers in this space. Whilst others ‘bolt on’ AI, Atlas is built from the ground up. It is like having an assistant in my pocket which enables me to work faster and with greater accuracy, putting me ahead of my competition. The speed of innovation is beyond anything I have ever seen, and every new feature just feels like Christmas, the Atlas Team really are setting the bar.
Atlas focus on building the software to automate and blend in human support, they have got the perfect balance.
Rec tech is the wild west of the industry. Overly complex workflows, the need to buy multiple pieces of software, expensive and slow to innovate. Atlas has solved all of the above problems with an AI infused platform that eliminates ‘tech stack bloat’, spiraling costs and cutting edge innovation. Add to this direct access to the founder (Jordan) and you have a recipe for the best CRM that listens to its customers and iterates faster than any of its competitors.
Until this year, I’d never used a CRM. Choosing one felt overwhelming—until we found Atlas AI. Built on AI and designed with customer feedback, it’s smart, intuitive, and always improving. The real-time chat, training videos, and hands-on support are game-changing. This isn’t just a CRM; it’s the future of recruitment tech.
Atlas is ‘must use’ when it comes to recruitment technology. There’s no point in starting a recruitment business or continuing to run a recruitment business without it. You might as well say ‘I want to not win’ when you choose not to use Atlas. We cannot fathom the work that’s been done with Atlas and are excited to scale our team with it.
The power of Atlas makes it impossible to ignore if you’re looking at CRMs. Aside from all the amazing AI features – too hard to list, but it being natively built on AI puts it above everything else – it’s the core focus of their aim that is so key. They exist to reduce admin and to help users generate more revenue. That’s it, super simple. Every feature, workflow, update and upgrade is all focused on those core principles. If that’s what you want, check it out!
We moved from Zoho over to Atlas. The decision has been overwhelmingly positive. The basic premise alone to actually capture all of the data points for candidates and clients alike has been a game changer. Adding in everything else like campaigns, reports, and the new opportunities release for BD, we couldn’t be happier. Feature development has been rapid, with actual useful features being released. Support is extremely fast and very helpful. Highly recommended!
Loving the speed of Atlas and the support of the AI throughout the system. Asking a question and getting an answer is great; but it’s even better when you can quickly move/update/change the data on your candidates immediately and move onto the next task of placing great talent.
We moved over to Atlas in the summer with a very tight migration timeframe. The Atlas team have been super responsive to all our queries; it’s been really refreshing to have a genuine two way engagement where suggestions and requirements are acknowledged and acted upon. The new Opportunities BD pipeline is a game changer. The pace of their innovation is incredible and genuinely exciting!
Atlas has been a game changer in terms of our ability to deliver in a faster and more effective manner. By removing the time consuming admin, we are able to focus on delivering for our clients and candidates.
Atlas is the first CRM I actually enjoy using! It takes away so much of the mundane admin, the native AI features are thoughtfully designed and add genuine value (not lipstick on a pig!), and the team are fab from top to bottom! Genuinely the best tech investment I have made in the last 10 years!
With Atlas, tasks like importing candidates and navigating dashboards are effortless. Its AI and call transcription are game-changers, and the team’s dedication to updates ensures it only gets better.
Intuitive, user friendly, feature rich and with great customers support, the platform does everything, and more, that I had ever hoped for. Not only that, but Jordan and the brilliant team at ATLAS are so engaged with their users and continuously striving to improve their offering to customers. It feels like there is a new release every few weeks, which is incredibly exciting. And they’re only just getting started!
Atlas is truly remarkable and it is great to be an early adopter into what I believe is a game changer for the recruitment industry!
