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Binary vs Keka
Looking for a Keka alternative? Binary is an AI-first ATS built in India for startups, with a free plan, flat USD pricing and MCP included. Keka is an HR and payroll suite where Keka Hire is one module, sold on a quote with no public prices and no MCP.
Last updated October 2026
Side-by-side comparison
Binary
KekaPrimary target market
Startups and small-to-mid-sized teams that want an AI-first ATS and to start hiring fast without heavy setup.
Indian SMBs that want a full HR and payroll suite, with recruitment as one module alongside HR, payroll and compliance.
Onboarding & setup
Self-serve and instant, so most teams are live and hiring within minutes. Switching mid-contract? The months left on your old ATS become free months on any Binary annual plan, and you can be migrated in 48 hours.
Sales-led rollout of a broader HR suite; implementations typically run several weeks before you are fully live.
AI features
An AI-native ATS: an AI agent that screens, searches and reports, AI Skills (saved prompts you call with "/"), AI-generated jobs and forms, custom analytics, daily briefs and a Slack AI agent.
AI covers JD generation, a CV-to-JD match score and resume parsing within the hiring module, rather than an agent across the whole workflow.
MCP & AI agents
A built-in AI agent in the app, plus an MCP server on every plan, including Free. Both have the same read and write actions: screen candidates, import data, create jobs and manage interviews, from inside Binary or from Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Grok or Cursor.
No MCP server and no AI agent; you cannot run hiring from Claude or ChatGPT.
Pricing
Flat, public pricing with a free-forever plan: Free / $49 / $149 / $299 a month (billed yearly) for unlimited users, jobs and candidates on every plan, with AI credits included and no per-seat fees.
Keka Hire comes in Pro and Advanced plans with a free trial, but prices are not published and are quoted by sales, typically alongside the wider Keka HR suite on annual or quarterly contracts.
User experience
Fast, modern and minimal, built for speed with keyboard-driven workflows.
A polished HR platform, though recruitment sits within a larger system with more to navigate than a focused ATS.
Hiring forms
Highly customisable, interactive forms with live widgets and resume autofill, plus rich job descriptions with images and YouTube embeds.
Standard, configurable application forms within the recruitment module.
Video questions
Built-in video questions on any hiring form, on every plan. Candidates record answers in the browser; the AI transcribes and scores them with the resume. The fastest way to cut through AI-written text answers.
No async video questions on application forms; video comes through live interview integrations.
Candidate screening
AI screening that scores every candidate against your criteria with a reasoning per criterion, plus a superfast review mode with keyboard shortcuts.
Structured screening with scorecards, resume parsing, a CV-to-JD match score and integrated skill tests.
Assignments & take-homes
Built-in assignments: send take-home forms individually or in bulk, track submissions and let AI review the answers. 100 a month free, unlimited on Business and up.
Integrated skill tests and assessments, geared to screening rather than bulk-sent take-home assignments with AI review.
Analytics
AI-powered analytics that let you ask questions of your data and build custom reports.
Recruitment analytics plus broader HR reporting and DEI dashboards across the employee lifecycle.
Interview scheduling & feedback
See every interviewer's open slots, schedule or send booking links on Google Calendar, and collect structured feedback. 3 schedules a month free, unlimited on Business.
Built-in interview scheduling and feedback capture within the hiring workflow.
Integrations
LinkedIn, Google Calendar, Slack and any MCP client (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor), plus a Slack AI agent that works like an added teammate.
Integrates across its own HR, payroll and attendance modules, plus job boards and common tools.
Job boards
A built-in careers page on every plan, and one-click LinkedIn job posting on the Business plan and up.
One-click posting to 15+ job boards, career sites and referral portals.
Sourcing
Sourcing via a Chrome extension that works on LinkedIn and other common websites, and bulk import of candidates into any live job.
Sourcing through job boards, referral portals and a candidate database within the recruitment module.
Mobile support
A polished, mobile-optimised experience that includes full access to the AI agent on the go.
A dedicated hiring mobile app, though some users note the mobile experience trails the web app.
Keka pricing vs Binary pricing
Binary- Free$0
Unlimited jobs, candidates and team members, AI agent, Slack agent, MCP, careers page, candidate messaging, Chrome extension, 3 interview schedules and 100 assignments a month, 30 GB, $1 AI credits a month
- Starter$49/mo
Duplicate detection, basic analytics, admin settings, 10 interview schedules and 1,000 assignments a month, 100 GB, $10 AI credits a month plus add-on credits
- Business$149/mo
LinkedIn job posts, unlimited interview scheduling, interview feedback, unlimited assignments, 500 GB, $25 AI credits a month
- Pro$299/mo
Free data migration, onboarding, early access to new features, priority support, unlimited storage, $100 AI credits a month
Prices per month, billed yearly (save 25%). Monthly billing is $69 / $199 / $399. No per-seat fees on any plan. See full pricing.
KekaKeka Hire comes in Pro and Advanced plans with a free trial, but prices are not published and are quoted by sales, typically alongside the wider Keka HR suite on annual or quarterly contracts.
Which one is right for you?
Choose Binary if…
- You're a startup or small-to-mid-sized team that wants to start hiring today.
- You want an AI-first ATS with an AI agent, a Slack agent and MCP included on every plan, not sold as add-ons.
- You want to run hiring from Claude or ChatGPT, with write actions like scheduling interviews.
- You want video questions on your forms to get past AI-written text answers, without a separate video tool.
- You prefer flat, public pricing with a free-forever plan and paid plans from $49 a month, with no per-seat fees.
- You'd rather self-serve than sit through demos and annual contracts.
Choose Keka if…
- You want hiring, HR, payroll and compliance in one platform rather than a standalone ATS.
- You are an Indian SMB that needs strong local payroll and compliance alongside recruiting.
- You are happy to trade a less specialised ATS and lighter AI for an all-in-one HR platform.
- You are comfortable with a sales-led rollout and quote-based pricing.
Both are capable applicant tracking systems. The best fit comes down to your team size, budget and how much configuration you need.
Other Keka alternatives
Weighing more than two options? These are the Keka alternatives startups most often shortlist alongside Binary, each with its own comparison.
1. Binary
AI-first ATS with an AI agent, video questions and an MCP server on a free-forever plan; paid plans from $49/mo, flat.
2. Freshteam
Being discontinued: renewals stopped March 2026, access ends around April 2027. Export your data and migrate.
3. Rippling
Strong recruiting AI, but only as a per-employee module on the Rippling platform, with no MCP. Binary stands alone and starts free.
4. BambooHR
HRIS first, ATS second: $10–$25 per employee and 5–50 job caps. Binary gives unlimited jobs free with an AI agent.
5. Greenhouse
Enterprise structure and compliance at a custom annual price. Binary is the free-to-start, AI-first pick for startups.
See all 17 on the comparison hub, with price, free plan, AI agent and MCP support in one table.
Why Binary is the best Keka alternative for startups
- A free-forever plan and public pricing from $49 a month (about ₹4,000), instead of a sales quote tied to an HR suite.
- An AI agent that screens with a reasoning per criterion, AI Skills and a Slack agent; Keka Hire’s AI stops at parsing and a match score.
- MCP on every plan, so you can hire from Claude or ChatGPT; Keka has none.
- Built by an Indian team for startups hiring in India and abroad, live in minutes with no implementation project.
Mid-contract with Keka? Those months are free on Binary.
The months left on your Keka subscription become free months of Binary on any annual plan, so you only pay for the rest of the year. Migration takes about 48 hours: import your export yourself, ask the AI agent to do it, or on Pro let our team move your jobs, candidates and history for you. Live roles keep moving while you do it.
Frequently asked questions
What makes Binary a popular Keka Hire alternative?
Binary is a popular Keka Hire alternative for Indian startups and small-to-mid-sized teams that want a focused, AI-first ATS rather than a recruitment module inside a larger HR suite. Binary includes an AI agent, AI Skills, a Slack agent and an MCP server on every plan, with unlimited jobs and candidates on a free-forever plan and flat pricing from $49 a month (about ₹4,000). Teams can start hiring in minutes instead of rolling out a broader HR and payroll platform.
What does Keka do better than Binary?
Keka is a full HR and payroll suite, so it covers far more of the employee lifecycle than Binary. If you want recruiting alongside HRMS, payroll, attendance and Indian statutory compliance in one system, Keka bundles all of that together, with offer letters and digital onboarding flowing straight into its HR modules. The trade-off is that hiring is one module in a broad platform, so its ATS and AI are less deep than a dedicated tool like Binary.
Can I migrate from Keka Hire to Binary?
Yes, and switching mid-contract costs you nothing extra. Pick any Binary annual plan and the months left on your Keka Hire subscription become free months, so you only pay for the rest of the year. Migration takes about 48 hours: import your Keka Hire export yourself in minutes, ask your AI agent to do it through the MCP server, or on the Pro plan let our team migrate your jobs, candidates and history for you. Start on the free plan today and send support@binary.so your contract end date when you are ready to switch. Many teams keep Keka for HR and payroll and run hiring in Binary alongside it.
What AI features does Binary have?
Binary is an AI-first ATS. An AI agent screens candidates against your criteria with a reasoning for each one, searches your whole candidate database, builds custom reports and sends daily briefs of what needs attention. AI Skills let you save your screening rubric or any prompt and call it with "/" in chat. A Slack AI agent works alongside your team. The MCP server gives Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Grok or Cursor the same read and write actions as the in-app agent, so you can import candidates, create jobs, screen in batches and schedule interviews from whichever assistant you prefer. All of it is included on every plan, including Free, with monthly AI credits rather than paid add-ons.
Does Binary support video questions in applications?
Yes, on every plan. Add a video question to any hiring form and candidates record their answer in the browser, no separate tool or scheduling needed. The AI transcribes each answer and scores it alongside the resume against your criteria, so you hear how someone actually thinks instead of reading another AI-written paragraph. More teams are adding one or two video questions for exactly that reason.
Does Keka have an MCP server?
No. Keka does not offer an MCP server or an AI agent as of October 2026; its hiring AI covers JD generation, resume parsing and a CV-to-JD match score. Binary includes an MCP server on every plan, including Free, with read and write actions: screen candidates in batches, import data, create jobs and schedule, reschedule or cancel interviews from Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Grok or Cursor. The same actions are available in Binary's built-in AI agent, so you get them without connecting an external assistant at all.
How does the pricing of Binary and Keka Hire differ?
Binary has flat, public pricing with a free-forever plan: Starter at $49, Business at $149 and Pro at $299 a month (billed yearly, roughly ₹4,000 to ₹25,000) for unlimited users, jobs and candidates, with AI credits included and no per-seat fees. Keka Hire has Pro and Advanced plans with a free trial, but does not publish prices; they are quoted by sales, usually alongside the wider Keka HR suite on annual or quarterly contracts. If you only need hiring, Binary is transparent and predictable; if you need a full HR and payroll suite, Keka bundles more.
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