# Firstview vs Ashby: Ashby alternatives, compared.

Ashby alternatives: compare Firstview and Ashby on CV screening, live AI interviews, interview notes, the hiring pipeline, pricing and data handling.

- Canonical URL: https://firstview.ai/compare/ashby-alternatives
- Language: en
- Vendor: Ashby
- Written: 2026-10-17
- Updated: 2026-10-17
- Author: Ece Badak
- Facts audited: 2026-10-17
- Fact-checker: Barkin Kutucu
- Publication status: published
- Primary sources: 28

How do Firstview and Ashby compare on screening, interviews, assessments and hiring workflows? This comparison looks at where they overlap, where they differ, and which needs each is built to serve.

## Who each platform is for

Both platforms run hiring without another ATS and evaluate candidates against criteria. The difference is the first interview: Firstview interviews each candidate itself, while Ashby takes notes on the interviews your team runs.

### Choose Firstview when

Category: Hiring Intelligence platform

You want every candidate interviewed before your team spends time on them. Firstview scores every CV against weights you set, interviews candidates live in English, Turkish, German, Spanish or French, and backs each verdict with the candidate's own words. It works with or without an ATS.

### Ashby fits better when

Category: All-in-one recruiting platform with an ATS, CRM, scheduling and analytics

Your team wants one ATS with deep reporting, scheduling automation, AI application review and an AI notetaker for Zoom, Google Meet and Teams, connected to Workday and more than 250 other tools.

## Feature scorecard

These 16 rows compare hiring tasks, not whole platforms. A Full rating means the vendor offers the feature, not that every plan includes it; the pricing section shows what each plan covers.

### Screen

| Capability | Firstview | Ashby |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Recruiter-facing weighted CV scoring | Full | Partial |
| AI splitting of combined-PDF CV uploads | Full | Not published |
| Contextual CV evaluation beyond keyword matching | Full | Full |
| JD-based criteria / rubric generation | Full | Full |

### Interview

| Capability | Firstview | Ashby |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Real-time conversational AI interview | Full | Not published |
| Adaptive follow-up questions | Full | Not published |
| AI interview designer / custom questions | Full | Not published |

### Assess

| Capability | Firstview | Ashby |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Technical / coding evaluation | Partial | Partial |
| Soft-skill / competency evaluation | Full | Partial |

### Decide

| Capability | Firstview | Ashby |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Criterion-level evidence & score rationale | Full | Full |
| Structured candidate report | Full | Full |
| Human interview co-pilot / note-taker | Full | Full |

### Operate

| Capability | Firstview | Ashby |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Native customizable hiring pipeline without a separate ATS | Full | Full |
| Calendar integration / scheduling | Full | Full |
| Candidate communication automation | Full | Full |
| Hiring analytics dashboard | Full | Full |

Full and Partial describe what each vendor's cited public sources show; every source carries its audit date in the source list. Not published means the reviewed sources did not establish the capability; it does not mean the capability is absent.

## Capability by capability

The scorecard is the index. These five sections explain what the differences mean in a hiring workflow.

### 1. Firstview scores every CV against the weights you set

**Firstview:** Firstview scores every CV against weighted criteria you set, checks dealbreakers first, and shows the evidence behind each score. It suggests criteria from your job description, and a combined PDF of CVs splits into individual candidates automatically.

**Ashby:** Ashby's AI-Assisted Application Review checks each application against criteria it can draft from the job posting, marks each one met, not met or undecided, and shows its reasoning. Ashby says the AI never ranks candidates or gives them a number. Its public sources do not show recruiter-set weights or the splitting of a combined PDF.

**What this means for your team:** Both read the CV against your criteria and explain the result. Firstview adds weights you set and a score, and carries the same criteria into the AI interview.

### 2. Firstview interviews each candidate live, in their own language, with follow-up questions

**Firstview:** Firstview runs live, two-way voice interviews in the browser, in English, Turkish, German, Spanish or French. It asks follow-up questions based on each answer, answers the candidate's own questions about the role, and suggests role-specific questions your team can edit.

**Ashby:** Ashby announced a voice and text AI Interviewer in May 2026 as an early release for design partners on a waitlist. Its public sources do not show general availability, follow-up questions asked by an AI, or a designer for AI interviews.

**What this means for your team:** In Ashby, your team still runs the first interviews. Firstview interviews every candidate you invite, whenever they are ready, and follows up when an answer falls short.

### 3. Firstview tests skills in the conversation; Ashby relays partner tests

**Firstview:** Firstview evaluates competencies and role-specific knowledge inside the interview itself, using 30+ competency frameworks. Technical roles get an in-depth conversational interview and a detailed technical report instead of a coding test.

**Ashby:** Ashby adds partner assessments, such as HackerRank, to a stage of the interview plan and sends them automatically. Interviewers rate skills in feedback forms, which AI Notetaker can draft from the recording. Its public sources do not show technical evaluation by Ashby itself.

**What this means for your team:** If you need coding tests or other partner assessments in the pipeline, Ashby connects more of them. If you want to know how a candidate thinks about the job, Firstview assesses it in the same conversation as everything else.

### 4. Firstview judges every candidate on one set of criteria, from CV to decision

**Firstview:** Each Firstview verdict links to the candidate's answer and the moment they gave it, and unclear cases go to a person, never to an automatic rejection. Firstview Notetaker also joins your team's own interviews on Zoom, Google Meet and Teams and files the notes on the candidate, so AI and human interviews end up on one record.

**Ashby:** Ashby's AI Notetaker joins Zoom, Google Meet and Teams interviews, transcribes and summarizes them, and drafts the feedback form with timestamps from the recording. AI feedback summaries combine every interviewer's notes for the debrief.

**What this means for your team:** Both link evidence to what the candidate said. In Firstview, the same criteria run from the CV through the AI interview to your team's interviews, so every verdict is judged against them.

### 5. Firstview runs screening, interviews and the pipeline in one place

**Firstview:** Firstview includes the pipeline board, calendar scheduling, email and WhatsApp messages, and hiring analytics, so a team can run hiring without a separate ATS.

**Ashby:** Ashby's ATS builds stages from interview plans, sends booking links, availability links, emails and texts automatically, and reports on time to hire and passthrough rates. The AI Auto-Scheduler needs the Advanced Scheduling add-on. Ashby lists more than 250 integrations, Workday among them.

**What this means for your team:** Both can run hiring without a separate ATS. If deep reporting and scheduling across many interviewers is the priority, Ashby goes further there. If the first interview should run without your team, Firstview covers it.

## Compliance, governance, and data handling

Firstview builds its rules into how it evaluates: it never analyzes faces, video is never part of the evaluation, and a person makes every hiring decision. Ashby says its AI never ranks candidates and lets candidates opt out of automated processing.

| Published information | Firstview | Ashby |
| --- | --- | --- |
| People & oversight | A person makes every hiring decision, and unclear cases go to a person, never to an automatic rejection. | Ashby says a person must always be involved in decisions, and candidates who opt out of automated processing skip the AI evaluation. |
| Data protection | Encryption commitments, role-based access, retention and deletion practices. | AES-256 encryption at rest, SSO through SAML or OIDC without passwords, and retention rules for candidates and recordings are documented. |
| Independent assurance | No SOC 2 report or ISO 27001 certificate is published. | An annual SOC 2 Type II audit; request the report from Ashby's Trust Center. |
| Data locations | Processing in Türkiye, the EU and the US. | Hosting on AWS, with interview recordings stored in the United States; no EU region is documented, so confirm the region for your contract. |

## Pricing and access

Firstview does not publish a price list; it sells subscription plans and starts with a pilot on one of your own open roles. Ashby publishes a monthly price for companies up to 100 employees and quotes larger plans, so compare the total with the AI Notetaker and scheduling add-ons you would need.

| Commercial model | Firstview | Ashby |
| --- | --- | --- |
|  | Subscription plans | Plans by company size, with AI add-ons |
| Plans & prices | Prices come in a quote from the Firstview team. | Foundations has a monthly price by company size, Plus and Enterprise are quoted, and annual commitment costs less; AI Notetaker and the AI Auto-Scheduler are paid add-ons, and application review uses AI credits. |
| Employer trial | A pilot on one of your own open roles, set up after a demo. | No free trial of the platform is advertised; AI Notetaker includes a number of free interviews, so confirm the terms. |

## Which should you choose?

Decide by how your team wants to run hiring.

### Choose Firstview if you want

- Verdicts your team can check against the candidate's own words
- Interviews in the candidate's own language, with follow-up questions and answers to theirs
- Hiring in one place, from the job post through CV screening and live AI interviews to the final decision

### Ashby fits better if you need

- Deep hiring reports and dashboards in the same ATS
- Scheduling automation across many interviewers

If you want every candidate interviewed live in their own language, with every verdict backed by their own words, Firstview is the better fit. Before you choose, see Firstview interview candidates for one of your own open roles.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Firstview an Ashby alternative?

Yes. Firstview covers hiring in one product, from the job post to the final decision: CV scoring against weights you set, live AI interviews, a notetaker for your team's interviews and its own pipeline. Ashby is an all-in-one ATS with CRM, scheduling, analytics, AI application review and an AI notetaker add-on.

### Does Ashby run conversational AI interviews?

Its public sources do not show one in general use. Ashby announced a voice and text AI Interviewer in May 2026 for design partners on a waitlist. Firstview interviews each candidate live and by voice, in English, Turkish, German, Spanish or French, with follow-up questions.

### How do Firstview and Ashby differ on CV screening?

Ashby marks each criterion as met, not met or undecided, with its reasoning, and does not rank candidates or give them a number. Firstview scores every CV against the weights you set, gives a reason per criterion and uses the same criteria in the AI interview.

### Which platform takes notes in your team's own interviews?

Both. Ashby's AI Notetaker, a paid add-on, joins Zoom, Google Meet and Teams, transcribes more than 99 languages and drafts the feedback form. Firstview Notetaker joins the same platforms, fills your notes or scorecard template and files it on the same record as the AI interview.

### Where is candidate data processed?

Firstview processes data in Türkiye, the EU and the US. Ashby runs on AWS and stores interview recordings in the United States, and its public sources do not show an EU region.

### How much do Firstview and Ashby cost?

Firstview does not publish a price list; it sells subscription plans and starts with a pilot on one of your own open roles. Ashby publishes a monthly price for companies up to 100 employees and quotes larger plans, so compare the total with the AI Notetaker and scheduling add-ons you would need.

### Does Firstview analyze faces or video?

No. Firstview never analyzes faces, and video is never part of the evaluation. Integrity rules apply while the interview runs: the whole screen is shared, the camera stays on and virtual cameras are blocked.

## Sources

- [Firstview — Tomorrow's hiring, today](https://firstview.ai/) — audited 2026-09-15
- [Terms of Service — Firstview](https://firstview.ai/contracts/terms-en) — audited 2026-09-15
- [Privacy Policy (US) — Firstview](https://firstview.ai/contracts/privacy-us) — audited 2026-09-15
- [KVKK Disclosure Notice — Firstview](https://firstview.ai/contracts/kvkk) — audited 2026-09-15
- [The 2026 Buyer's Guide to AI Hiring Platforms — Firstview](https://firstview.ai/blog/2026-buyers-guide-ai-hiring-platforms) — audited 2026-09-15
- [Firstview llms.txt](https://firstview.ai/llms.txt) — audited 2026-10-11
- [Ashby — Homepage](https://www.ashbyhq.com/) — audited 2026-10-17
- [Ashby — Pricing](https://www.ashbyhq.com/pricing) — audited 2026-10-17
- [Ashby — AI features](https://www.ashbyhq.com/ai) — audited 2026-10-17
- [Ashby — AI-Assisted Application Review](https://docs.ashbyhq.com/ai-assisted-application-review) — audited 2026-10-17
- [Ashby — Bulk Import Options](https://docs.ashbyhq.com/bulk-import-options) — audited 2026-10-17
- [Ashby — Self-serve Importing Candidates via Bulk Import](https://docs.ashbyhq.com/self-serve-importing-candidates-via-bulk-import) — audited 2026-10-17
- [Ashby — Bringing Talent Llama's AI Interviewer into Ashby, May 7, 2026](https://ashbyhq.com/blog/culture/talent-llama) — audited 2026-10-17
- [Ashby — Feedback Forms and Interviews](https://docs.ashbyhq.com/feedback-forms-and-interviews) — audited 2026-10-17
- [Ashby — Setting Up Assessment Integrations](https://docs.ashbyhq.com/setting-up-assessment-integrations) — audited 2026-10-17
- [Ashby — Automated Activities](https://docs.ashbyhq.com/automated-activities) — audited 2026-10-17
- [Ashby — AI Notetaker add-on](https://www.ashbyhq.com/add-ons/ai-notetaker) — audited 2026-10-17
- [Ashby — Scheduling and Conducting Interviews with AI Notetaker](https://docs.ashbyhq.com/scheduling-and-conducting-interviews-with-ai-notetaker) — audited 2026-10-17
- [Ashby — AI Notetaker Post-interview](https://docs.ashbyhq.com/ai-notetaker-post-interview) — audited 2026-10-17
- [Ashby — AI Notetaker FAQs](https://docs.ashbyhq.com/ai-notetaker-faqs) — audited 2026-10-17
- [Ashby — AI Notetaker: Security FAQ](https://docs.ashbyhq.com/ai-notetaker-security-faq) — audited 2026-10-17
- [Ashby — Interview plans](https://docs.ashbyhq.com/interview-plans) — audited 2026-10-17
- [Ashby — Advanced Scheduling Automation Add-On](https://docs.ashbyhq.com/advanced-scheduling-automation-add-on) — audited 2026-10-17
- [Ashby — Core Dashboards](https://docs.ashbyhq.com/core-dashboards) — audited 2026-10-17
- [Ashby — Integrations](https://www.ashbyhq.com/integrations) — audited 2026-10-17
- [Ashby — Security](https://www.ashbyhq.com/security) — audited 2026-10-17
- [Ashby — Data Privacy and Compliance](https://docs.ashbyhq.com/data-privacy-and-compliance) — audited 2026-10-17
- [Ashby — Documentation index](https://docs.ashbyhq.com/) — audited 2026-10-17