vs.
Brainner

SquarePeg vs Brainner: a 0–100 subscore for every criterion, plus sourcing

Brainner is an AI resume screener that ranks applicants and marks each criterion met or not met, with fraud checks on every applicant. SquarePeg gives every criterion a 0–100 subscore with the resume evidence behind it, adds company data to every resume on every account, and scores past applicants and newly sourced candidates on the same scale. Authenticity checks are included in the credit that scores the candidate.

SquarePeg vs Brainner at a glance

Brainner is a standalone AI resume screener that connects to what it says are 30+ ATSs and sells self-serve, with published monthly plans metered by candidate analyses. It ranks applicants against criteria you mark mandatory or preferred and explains whether each one is met. Brainner says its fraud detection checks every applicant against 20+ fraud patterns.

SquarePeg
Brainner
Screening
Scores every applicant against your criteria
✓
✓
A 0–100 score with a subscore for each criterion
✓
–
Shows the resume evidence behind each score
✓
✓
Scores on company data the resume leaves out (headcount, funding, public or private)
✓
✓
Eligibility rules set aside mismatches before they're scored
✓
–
Fits your stack
Works inside your existing ATS
✓
✓
Rejections and stage changes go back to your ATS
✓
✓
Chrome extension beside your ATS
✓
Unknown
Authenticity
Flags fake or misrepresented candidates
✓
✓
Beyond inbound
Rediscovers past applicants
✓
–
Outbound sourcing
✓
Unknown
Plain-language agent or assistant
✓
–

Based on each company's public website and announcements, checked October 2026. Unknown means we couldn't find it described there.

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As an AI company, SquarePeg gives us a lot of credibility. It has saved us so much time on screening and improved quality of hire.

Tara Pramme
Head of People @ Laurel

How SquarePeg and Brainner compare in detail

Brainner and SquarePeg both screen applicants from your ATS and check them for fraud. SquarePeg gives each criterion a finer score and goes beyond inbound applicants.

Screening

SquarePeg

Every score shows its evidence. SquarePeg scores applicants as they apply, plus past candidates and sourced profiles, against criteria you write in plain language or generate from the job description, each marked Required, Preferred or Bonus. Every criterion gets a 0–100 subscore with a written explanation and the resume lines it's based on, so you review the best people first and can explain every ranking. Eligibility rules (location or radius, time zone, screening answers, a previous rejection reason or the application source) run first, so ineligible applicants are never scored or charged.

Brainner

Brainner ranks applicants against criteria you mark mandatory or preferred and explains whether each one is met or not met. It shows a match score but doesn't publish its format or a number for each criterion, so there's nothing to separate two candidates who both meet a criterion. Company enrichment, which uses the industry, headcount and funding stage of past employers as criteria, is on the Business plan and up.

Fits your stack

SquarePeg

SquarePeg connects to Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, Workable, iCIMS, Recruitee and other ATSs and syncs your jobs and applicants. SquarePeg makes rejections and stage changes in your ATS just as if you had made them there, so your ATS emails and automations still run, and the Chrome extension opens it right next to the job or candidate you're viewing. No migration and no new system for your team to learn.

Brainner

Brainner connects to what it says are 30+ ATSs, including Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, iCIMS and Workable. You review in Brainner's app; advance, archive and hold decisions sync back, and match results go into the ATS as a note or custom field.

Authenticity

SquarePeg

Every candidate gets an authenticity confidence rating (High, Mixed, Limited, Low or Unknown), kept separate from their score. It's built from LinkedIn, phone, email and resume signals, and it also flags a phone, email or resume shared with a differently named applicant. It's included in the credit that scores the candidate. Signals inform your review; nothing is rejected automatically.

Brainner

Brainner checks every applicant against what it says are 20+ fraud patterns, such as AI-generated resumes, duplicate profiles and proxy applicants, by cross-referencing email, phone, LinkedIn and work history. Flags are advisory. Unlimited fraud analyses are a paid add-on.

Beyond inbound

SquarePeg

Rediscovery searches past applicants in your ATS for people who fit a new opening and scores them on the same criteria as today's applicants. Outbound sourcing finds new candidates outside your ATS on the same scale, and you reveal an email only for the people you want to contact. Every resume gets company context such as industry, headcount, funding and public or private status. And you can find, compare and fine-tune just by asking: the SquarePeg agent finds past candidates who fit a new role, compares your top applicants, explains any score, and can review and update a job's criteria and eligibility rules, in the web app or inside your ATS.

Brainner

Brainner's Candidate Rediscovery page describes a plain-language search over candidates it has already analyzed, but its pricing page still lists rediscovery as coming soon. Brainner's site doesn't describe outbound sourcing as of October 2026.

Pricing

SquarePeg

Credits work across every feature, there are no seat fees and no platform fee, and your whole team can log in. Scoring an applicant or a rediscovered candidate uses 1 credit; sourcing a candidate uses 1 and revealing their email 2. Rediscovery also has a one-time fee to index your ATS, charged at cost. Rescoring is always free, the agent is free, applicants who fail your eligibility rules cost nothing, and new accounts start with 2,000 free credits, no credit card required. See the pricing page for current rates.

Brainner

Brainner publishes its prices: Professional is $249 a month billed monthly or $199 a month billed yearly, for up to 2,000 analyses a month and 3 users. Business is $549 a month or $439 billed yearly, for up to 5,000 analyses, unlimited users and company enrichment. Extra analyses cost $9.95 per 100 candidates, and unlimited fraud analyses are an add-on on every plan, with no published price.

When to choose which

Choose SquarePeg if
•You want a 0–100 subscore and the resume lines behind it for every criterion, not just met or not met
•You want company data on every resume without moving up a plan
•You want past applicants and sourced candidates scored on the same scale as today's applicants
•You want authenticity checks included in the credit that scores each candidate, with your whole team logged in
When Brainner makes sense
•You only need inbound screening, and met or not met per criterion is enough
•You want a fixed monthly plan with a set number of analyses
9 roles
run by a one-person recruiting team at Stash

"Most of the resumes I send to the hiring managers from the top scoring, they're like, 'Oh, yeah. These are perfect.' So it just makes my job so much easier."

Erick Smith, Talent Acquisition, Stash · Uses Greenhouse
Read the case study →

Frequently asked questions

Does SquarePeg use company data in scoring like Brainner?

Yes. Every resume in SquarePeg gets company context such as industry, headcount, funding and public or private status, and you can write criteria around it, like "has worked at a venture-backed startup." Brainner offers company enrichment on its Business plan and above.

Can SquarePeg rediscover past applicants and source new ones?

Yes. Rediscovery searches past applicants in your ATS and scores them on the same criteria as today's applicants, and outbound sourcing finds new candidates outside your ATS on the same scale. Brainner's site describes rediscovery of candidates it has already analyzed but lists it as coming soon on its pricing page, and doesn't describe sourcing.

Can I try SquarePeg before connecting my ATS?

Yes. The demo on our homepage lets you score up to three of your own resumes or LinkedIn profiles for free, or explore sample jobs that are already scored, without connecting an ATS. When you connect your ATS, you start with 2,000 free credits and no credit card.

How is SquarePeg priced?

Credits work across every feature, there are no seat fees and no platform fee, and your whole team can log in. Scoring an applicant or a rediscovered candidate uses 1 credit; sourcing a candidate uses 1 and revealing their email 2. Rediscovery also has a one-time fee to index your ATS, charged at cost. Rescoring is always free, the agent is free, applicants who fail your eligibility rules cost nothing, and new accounts start with 2,000 free credits, no credit card required. See the pricing page for current rates.

Last checked October 2026. Brainner details come from Brainner's public website and announcements; SquarePeg details describe the product as it works today.

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