// Atlas vs Mercury
Mercury is a recruitment CRM built as an application on Microsoft Dynamics 365, the Power Platform and Office 365, listed on Microsoft’s AppSource and best suited, in its own reviewers’ words, to agencies with a dedicated systems function. Its AI is Microsoft Copilot, its reporting is Power BI, and its implementations typically run three to six months. Atlas is one product built on Total Memory, live in weeks, with the AI in the seat price.
// Choose Atlas if…
// Choose Mercury if…
| // Features | Atlas | Mercury |
|---|---|---|
| AI-native architecture | Available: AI-native, built on Total Memory | Partial or add-on: Application on Dynamics 365; AI via Microsoft Copilot |
| Page-load speed under 1 second | Available: 0.1 seconds | Partial or add-on: Not independently measured |
| Unified memory across all interactions | Available: Total Memory across calls, emails, notes, CVs and documents | Unavailable: Dynamics records; no conversational memory layer |
| Native semantic search and matching | Available: Native semantic search across the full database | Partial or add-on: Text search and saved searches; Copilot assists |
| Built-in AI note-taker | Available: Native, included, connected to Total Memory | Partial or add-on: Teams and Copilot recaps; not native to the CRM record |
| Instruction-driven candidate scoring | Available: Magic Columns scores profiles against written criteria | Unavailable: No equivalent scoring against written criteria |
| Advanced reporting and analytics | Partial or add-on: Live dashboards with AI-supported reporting | Partial or add-on: Power BI, connected and built separately |
| All-in-one plan | Available: AI and core tools included in one price | Partial or add-on: Mercury licence plus Dynamics 365 licensing plus implementation services |
| Pricing (per user/month) | From £105 | Not published — Mercury quote plus Microsoft Dynamics 365 licensing |
Last reviewed 10 October 2026 by the Atlas product team.
// Magic Search
Search your entire database using natural language and see exactly why every recommended candidate matches your criteria.
// AI Notetaker + Tasks
Capture calls automatically and turn every commitment into a clear, timely follow-up task for your team.
// Applicants
Automatically grade incoming applicants with clear reasoning while keeping unapproved profiles outside your main database.
// Magic Columns
Evaluate every candidate against your own competencies, instructions and scoring system using flexible AI-powered columns.
// Candidate Reports
Turn complete profiles, meeting notes and conversations into polished, client-ready documents.
// Opportunities
Track every interaction, assess urgency and prioritise opportunities using an automatically updated likelihood of winning.
// Dashboards
Track performance, fees, placements and conversion ratios through live dashboards with custom views and filters.
// Open API + Integrations
Connect external tools and custom workflows through Atlas’s public API and growing library of native integrations.
// Contract Management
Handle permanent and contract placements with flexible rates, approvals, expenses and automatic status updates.
// Claude Connector
Get answers across candidates, projects, companies, meetings and transcripts without manually searching through records.
Four stages, run by the Atlas team, with a parallel-run week before Mercury is switched off. You get the dated implementation plan before any data moves.
Every Mercury field, custom field, pipeline stage, saved search and report requirement is mapped to its Atlas equivalent. Nothing moves until you sign off the map.
You validate the staging workspace first. After sign-off, records are moved to production, indexed for search and reconnected to their files.
You validate a full copy in a sandbox against agreed record counts and spot checks. Corrections are made and re-run before production.
Both systems run side by side while your team gets comfortable with Atlas. Mercury is switched off only when everything is validated and you’re ready.
// Garfield Stephers
less time spent on CV formatting
// Pace Global
more candidates and roles handled
// Aym Recruitment
revenue growth after adopting Atlas
// Ethiq
of annual billing target achieved
// Tech Valley Recruitment
saved per candidate report
// Globus Search
faster candidate sourcing and updates
Atlas is an AI-native ATS and CRM built on Total Memory, live in weeks with one licence line and the AI included. Mercury is the natural choice for a Microsoft-first estate with a systems function; Atlas is the choice for an agency that wants a product rather than a platform to configure.
