A Bullhorn alternative for small UK labour and trades agencies
Bullhorn is the industry standard for large recruitment firms. If you run a three-to-ten consultant desk placing site staff, drivers or tradespeople, you are probably paying per seat for a system built for someone else. MatrixRec is the version built for you.
No credit card. Cancel any time. Your data stays in the UK.
When Bullhorn is the right choice
You have twenty or more consultants across several offices, a dedicated systems administrator, a budget for implementation and integrations, and a perm or professional contract business that lives in the Bullhorn Marketplace. Bullhorn’s breadth is real and at that scale it earns its price.
When MatrixRec is the right choice
You run a labour, trades, driver or industrial desk with three to ten consultants. Your day is morning calls, availability, site plans and compliance. You want one price for the agency, no annual contract, and a system your consultants will actually use from their phones without a training course. You would rather set up in an afternoon than in a quarter.
MatrixRec vs Bullhorn
Based on publicly available information and what agencies tell us when they switch. Bullhorn pricing is quoted per customer, so check your own quote.
| MatrixRec | Bullhorn | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per agency: £49, £149 or £399 a month | Per user, per month; quoted, not published |
| Contract | Monthly, cancel any time | Typically an annual agreement |
| Setup | Self-serve, CSV import, an afternoon | Implementation project, often with onboarding fees |
| Sector focus | Construction, trades, HGV, industrial | Broad: perm, contract, professional staffing |
| Right to Work | Candidate uploads, review queue and report included | Via marketplace partners or add-ons |
| Temp weekly plans | Built in, Excel export for invoicing | Separate pay-and-bill or timesheet products |
| Mobile | Installs from the browser on iPhone and Android | Native mobile app |
| Integrations | Indeed feed, Google JobPosting data, SMS providers, Stripe billing | Large marketplace of third-party integrations |
| Data hosting | Microsoft Azure, UK | Varies by region and contract |
Bullhorn is a trademark of Bullhorn, Inc.. MatrixRec is not affiliated with or endorsed by Bullhorn, Inc.. Details of third-party products change; tell us at hello@matrixrec.com if something here is out of date.
Moving from Bullhorn takes an afternoon, not a quarter
Export
Export candidates and clients from Bullhorn as CSV. Include mobiles, emails, notes and any tags you rely on.
Import
Upload the CSV to MatrixRec and map the columns. Duplicate mobiles are caught. On Enterprise we do this step with you.
Run both for two weeks
Work your morning calls from MatrixRec during the trial. If it is not better, you have lost an afternoon.
Switching questions
Can I import my Bullhorn data?
Yes. Export candidates and companies from Bullhorn as CSV and import them into MatrixRec. Notes and custom fields come across as text. On the Enterprise plan we handle the mapping and loading with you.
Does MatrixRec have a marketplace like Bullhorn?
No, and it is not trying to. It ships with the integrations a labour desk uses: an Indeed XML feed, Google JobPosting data on your jobs board, TextMarketer and Esendex for SMS, and Stripe for billing. If you rely on a specific Bullhorn Marketplace app, check with us before switching.
Will my consultants need training?
Most agencies do a thirty-minute walk-through and start working the morning call list the same day. There is no admin console to learn.
What if we outgrow it?
Enterprise is unlimited consultants at £399 a month. Your data is always exportable as CSV, so you are never locked in.
Switching from Bullhorn? Try MatrixRec free for 14 days
Export your candidates and clients as CSV, import them in an afternoon, and run both side by side for two weeks before you decide.
No credit card. Cancel any time. Your data stays in the UK.